The Greeley tribune., 1906-07-19
A GOOD WORK
FORESTING SAND HILLS IN
THE MIDDLE WEST.
Season Favors First Years
Work on Garden City Re-
serve in Kansas - The
Method.

Reclaiming the barren sand hills
of the Middle West with forest COW
er, to supply timber when there is
dearth of it, is Que OF the more strik-
ing of the important forest planting
projects of the Forest Service. Four
of the National forests have been es-
tablished in the nonagricultural re-
gion with the express purpose of get
ting firm grip on met hods which
will overcome natural difficulties
and set up object lessons for the ben
eft of the people. These are the
Niobrara, the Dismal River, and the
North Platte reserve in Nebraska
and the Garden City reserve in Kan
sas. The Nebraska reserves have
responded so we'll to careful treat
ment that hundreds Of thousands of
seedlings have been planted out and
millions more are being raised in
nurseriers for use In other reserves.
Thus. for the first planting 'on the
Garden City reserve, just completed,
most of the trees were taken from
the nurseries In the Dismal River
reserve.
The Kansas reserve lies in re-
giOn of scattered, barren sand hills,
interlaced with prairie on which
grass thrives we'll enough to support
live stock. The origin of these hills.
in itself interesting, reminds one in
q way Of that of the sand dunes
which encroached from the sea upon
the fertile fields OF Western France.
and laid them waste. In both cases
the wind has been the enemy of the
soil. for In France wind drove the
sand Of the seashore inland and in
the middle western region Of our
own country wind drove eastward
the sand which the Arkansas River
had carried down in floods and after
wards exposed to dry. The sand
hills were formed long ago, and the
action of the wind is now largely
checked by the spread of the carpet
Of grass. which binds the sand
wherever there is enough moisture
to encourage 1t.
The semiarid condition of the re-
gion necessarily restrict the selec-
tion of trees. Right choice of spe-
cies. the crux of forest planting gen.
orally, Is here especially decisive.
By its aid, together with right
planting methods and right care
of the plantation, treeless region,
one therefore in which wood is: a
scarce and highly valuable com
modify, can be made to produce
useful woods, and at a cost so
slight as to satisfy good business
Judgment. Thus, on light sandy
surface, whose only cover is wild
grass and weeds, merchantable for
est crop is to be grown. In addition
to the general demand for wood,
there will be special demand in
connection with the Garden City Ir-
igation Project, which is within
few mills Of the Garden City Reserve.
Honey locust, Usage orange, Rus
sian mulberry, red cedar, and west
ern yellow pine are the trees used
in the new project, of which 81, 900
came from the Government nursery,
near Halsey, Nebraska. The planting
this season progressed under highly
favorable condition as regards weather
and the physical condition OF the
soil, and at the expiration of six and
one-half days thirteen men had COM
pleted the task at a total cost, eX-
elusive Of the trees, of $3.SS per
acre.
A fence was built around the
three fourths of section in which
the planting was done, though part
of this area remains to be planted
next season. This was to exclude
stock. To exclude prairie fires
fire guard was ploughed about the
L., t,t