Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-09-01
WHAT FOREST TREES no PLANT. |

WHAT FOREST TREES TO PLANT.
A reader of these notes residing In
the northern part of the writer's home
state writes an interesting letter In
which he takes exception to recent
article which appeared in this depart
ment in which the soft maple was rec
commended as the most practical tree
to plant with view to securing a
grove that would make quick growth
and insure supply of fuel Of fairly
good quality. For the purpose named
we see no reason for revising the rec
ommendation as made. Assuming q
ing Of a grove, which our corresponds
ent does, we agree quite full1 with
him in his suggestions. His Viz in re-
gard to tree planting is thu ring
shade trees, no tree should -ntedl
which will not ultimately
saw log, this because Of the j.
scarcity Of timber and copse4
crease in price. For this rea
holds that every farmer SHOULD
for the future and take p
which will insure him a supp
Der at the end Of period Or
five or thirty years. For this pul.
he thinks no tree will compare with til.
cottonwood, which under favorable
conditions will make a growth of three
fourths of an inch in diameter annual-
ly In thirty years time this would
give a tree large enough so that it could
be sawed into material especially
adapted for the inside Of barn build
,ings He recommends planting the inJ
Side rows with black walnut, few
rows on either side with cottonwoods,
with European larch on the outside!
In his own words: Cali are moderated
ly fast growers. In twenty years. time
the larches would be ready to sell for
telephone poles, in thirty years the cot1
tonwoods would be valuable for the
purposes above mentioned, and at any
period later the walnuts would be rap!
idly increasing in value. They should
all be planted thick enough SO that
they would grow tall and the lower
branches fall off and be trimmed to Al
height of twenty or thirty feet, graduals
ly thinning out as necessity required
In case the farmer has grove our
friend recommends planting walnuts in
all vacant places, which in time would
give desirable walnut grove, sugl
gestion that Is timely. For the man
who is willing to wait the length Of
time necessary the plan our corresponds
ent suggests is admirable and his sug1
gestion as to the varieties of trees de-
si1nble for planting excellent but we
fear for the average farmer it requirea
too high type Of horticultural faith
which, while commendable, is Of rare
occurrence, but which perhaps for that
reason needs every possible encourages
ment. For the man who has faith
and is willing to wait the plan Of tres
planting suggested is first rate; for the
one who feels he cannot wait so long
and does not have In view lumber
supply the soft maple grove will be-
found very satisfactory substitute.
A NEW INTEREST IN PEAT.
With rapid stripping Of the great
forest areas of the north and west to
the country and somewhat slower
yet just as sure consumption of the
hard wood and coal supplies Of the cen1
trail and western states for use as fuel
attention is now being directed to the
vast vet untouched deposits Of peat to
be found in the north central statesI
According to the state geological sur
yey, northern Iowa and southern Min.
nesota alone contain in the neighbor1
hood Of 25,O0O,O0O tons Of peat, much
of it due to drier seasons and drainage
systems, being in a partially dry condil
ton. The deposit of peat, which is
nothing but the accumulation of the
! decayed vegetable matter Of genera
| tons past, covers hundreds Of acres
and varies from four to ten feet in
| thickness. Plans are already on foot
for the establishment of plants which
will press and dry the peat and put Id
| on the market. Those who have tested
the fuel qualities of peat state that 1t
| is superior to the best hard wood and
is surpassed by coal only in the respect
that it contains somewhat more carr
bon. Peat is far superior to coal in
that it contains no sulphur, makes lit-
tie smoke and no SCOT or clinkers. II
makes a fine white ash, giving fire
that is very hot or mild, as occasion rex
quires. Provided it can be put in cons
venient shape and placed on the mar!
ket at reasonable price, which seema
entirely likely, the demand for this
new fuel is bound to be enormous.
GOVERNMENT MEAT INSPECTION. /
There has not been an agitation att
fecting agricultural interests in years.
that comes home to the farmer mora
closely than that involved in the
discussion of a government inspecs
ton of the animals and meat handled
by the packing plants of the country!
While the least possible agitation Of
the matter and a superficial and Slip