Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1906-07-15
FORESTS ON SAND
HILLS IN THE WEST
United States Department Of AgrI-
clRure Is Doing Great Work
in Growing Timber,
ARID WASTES MADE PROFITABLE
In Nebraska and Kansas There Has
Already Been Much Done and the
Prospects are Considered Favora.
ble-Total Cost Small for the
Amount of Trees Planted.

Reclaiming the barren sand hills
of the Middle West with forest cover.
10 supply timber when there is a.
dearth Of it, Is one of the more strik-
ing of the important forest planting
projects of the Forest Service.
-Four of the National forest have
been established In the homogeneous.
tiral region with the express purpose
OF getting a firm grip on methods
which viii overcome natural Difficult
ties and set up object lessons for the
benefit of the people These are
the, Ninbrara, the Dismal River. and
The North Platte reserves In Ncbras.
ka and the Garden City reserve in
Kansas
The Nebraska reserves have re.
spondcd so well 10 careful treatment
hat hundreds of thousands Of seed.
iings have been planted ont and mil
lions more are being raised In nurs-
cries for use in other reserves. Thus,
Tor the first planting on the Gardea
City reserve, just completed, most
OF the trees were taken from the
nurseries in the Dismal River re-
serve
Sand Hills Planted With Trees.
The Kansas reserve lies in reg
ion of scattered, barren sand hills,
interlaced with prairie on which grass
ihrivcs well enough to support live
stock. The origin Of these hills, in
itself interesting. reminds one In n
way of that OF the sand dunes which
encroached from the sea upon the
fertile fields of western France anu
laid them waste. In both cases the
wind has been the enemy of the soil
Tor in France wind drove the sand
off the seashOre inland, and in the
middlcwestcrn region OF our own
country wind drove eastward tho
sand which the Arkansas River hat:
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 cncour-
age II.
Only Certain Kinds viii Grow.
The scmiarid conditions of the
region necessarily restrict the sciec-
ton of trees. Right choice of sp,-
cies, the crnx of forest planting gen.
orally. is here especially decisive.
BY its aid. together with right plant
ing methods and right care of the
plantation. Il treeless region. one
therefore In which wood is scarce
and highly valuable commodity,
can be made to produce USEFUL woods
and at cost so slight as TO salts.
fy good business judgment Thus on
light, sandy surface, whose only
cover is wild grass and weeds, a
merchantable forest crop is to be
grown
In addition to the general demanl
for wood. there will be special dc.
nand in connection with the Garden
City Irrigation Project. which is
within n few miles of the Garden
City Reserve.
Honey. locust. Usage orange. Rus
Sian mulberry, red cedar, and west,
crn yellow pine are the trees used
In the new project. of which $1,000
came from the Governments nursery,
near Halscy, Nebr.
Conditions Are Favorable,
The planting this season progress
ed under highly favorable conditions
as regards weather and the physical;
condition of the soil, and at the cx-
piration Of six and one-haf days
thirteen men had completed the task
at total cost. exclusive of the trees.
of 1888 per acre.
a fence was built about the three.
fourths of section in which the
planting was done. though part Of
this area remains to be planted.