Tree distribution [in Nebraska] under Kinkaid act, 1911

Historic, Archive Document

Do not assume content reflects current
scientific knowledge, policies, or practices.

Misc. S— 18.

Issued March 6, 1916,

United States Department of Agriculture,

FOREST SERVICE.

HENRY S. GRAVES, Forester.

TREE DISTRIBUTION UNDER THE KINKAID ACT, 1911.

(First revision.)

Annually since 1911 the agricultural appropriation act has con tamed
a provision for the free distribution of young trees from the Bessey
Nursery, Nebraska National Forest, Halsey, Nebr., as follows:

That from the nurseries on said forest the Secretary of Agriculture, under such rules
and regulations as he may prescribe, may furnish young trees free, so far as they may
be spared, to residents of the territory covered by “An act increasing the area of
homesteads in a portion of Nebraska,” approved April 28, 1904.

The act referred to is commonly known as the Kinkaid Act, and
the portion of Nebraska included is shown on the map (fig. 6).

Under the foregoing provision, trees have been distributed as
follows :

Year.

Number ot
applicants.

Number ol
trees dis¬
tributed.

1912

494

44, 460

1913

540

189,000

1914

712

248,500

1915

746

112,110

The reports sent in by those who received the trees indicate that
there has been an average survival of from 35 per cent m the dry
season of 1914 up to 70 per cent for the excessively wet season .of
1915. These results, secured by inexperienced planters, indicate
that trees can be grown successfully in the Kinkaid region despite
the poor sandy soil, the severe winters, the moderate rainfall (records
show a precipitation of about 22 J inches per annum at Halsey,
decreasing to about 15 inches in the northwest corner of Nebraska),
and the fact that few trees have ever grown naturally in this territory
except along the river valleys and on Pine Ridge in the northwestern
portion of the State.

Jack pines planted in 1903 by the Forest Service at Halsey have,
at the end of 1915, made a height growth of from 15 to 20 feet.
The accumulation of pine needles on the ground, and the shading
out of the grass and the lower branches of the trees, indicate that
forest conditions now prevail. Later plantations have had a survival
of from 50 to 85 per cent on the roughest and lightest sand hills in the

2 TREE DISTRIBUTION UNDER THE KINKAID ACT^ 1911.

State. Nearly 3,000 acres have been successfully planted here by
the Federal Government, and it is evident that tree raising is no
longer an experiment in this territory, formerly considered so ij hos¬
pitable to tree growth.

OBJECTS OF TREE DISTRIBUTION AND PLANTING.

The main object of the tree distribution by the Government is to
stimulate interest in tree growing chiefly for the production of fuel
and fence posts and the establishment of windbreaks. Owing to the
adverse soil and climatic conditions it is not to be expected that
planting will result in the production of high-grade timber, but with
proper care wood-lot plantations should begin to yield fence posts
and firewood in 15 years. vSince trees will do well on soils not suit-
able for farm crops, profitable use can be made of what might other¬
wise be unproductive areas. Furthermore, the establishment of
windbreaks and wood lots makes living conditions pleasanter and adds
materially to the value of the property.

No fruit trees are furnished from this nursery.

THE SELECTION OF SITES FOR PLANTING.

The influence of the site, such as north slope, south slope, ridge
top, and bottom, strongly affects the growth of various tree species;
it is probable that the greatest success will come from planting on the
north slopes. In these situations the soil is generally more moist and
it is protected to some extent from the drying heat of the sun. Frost
leaves the ground on the north slopes a little later in the spring, but
by the time the season is far enough advanced for planting (generally
Mar. 15 to 30) the soil in the north slopes will be in excellent condition
for planting. Where the ground is level, or nearly so, the choice of site
is, of course, not governed by topographical conditions; one place is
as good as another.

WHEN TO PLANT.

The period from April 1 to June 30 is marked by more than the
average rainfall. Records show that 42 per cent of the total rainfall
for the whole year comes in the three months, April, May, and June.
It is very important, therefore, to begin planting immediately after
the frost leaves the ground, so that the trees can get the full benefit
of the spring rains.

SPECIES TO PLANT.

There are several trees suitable for planting in this district, and a
brief discussion of the characteristics of each is mven to assist the

o

])lanter in selecting those which will best suit his particular needs.

Those which are likely to give the best satisfaction are the conifer¬
ous, or so-called evergreen,’^ trees. Western yellow, or bull, pine,

TREE DISTRIBUTION UNDER THE KINKAID ACT, 1911. 3

Chinese arborvitae, and jack pine will grow in this region. Some of
the hardwoods (deciduous or broadleaf trees) which give satisfaction
are cottonwood, American elm, honey locust, hackberry, and green
ash.

The degree of success which will follow planting will depend largely
on the care which is exercised in selecting the site on which the trees
wiW be planted. Some trees will do better on the north slope,
others on a ridge; most of the hardwood species will succeed best in
the bottoms. The man who expects to get results must consider the
requirements of the different species he is planting.

JACK PINE.

Jack pine (Pinus divaricata) is hardy and rapid growing. It will
grow on poor soil but requires plenty of light. The wood is light,
moderately strong, coarse grained, and suitable for rough construction
and for posts when treated with a preservative material.

Tlie jack pine will grow well even on south slopes where there is
little moisture and where many other trees have failed. While it is
not the most desirable tree from the standpoint of utility, its ability
to withstand dry climate and poor soil makes it valuable. This
species makes a rapid growth and is in most demand by settlers.

WESTERN YELLOW PINE.

Western yeUow, or bull, pine {Pinus ponderosa) is one of the hardiest
of the trees that can be grown in this region, and the quality of the
wood, together with its freedom from disease, makes it very satisfac¬
tory. It will do well on ridges and north slopes or in the pockets,
and responds to cultivation with increased growth. It thrives best
in pure stands (that is, unmixed with other species) and grows rapidly
enough to establish itself within a few years. It is probably the most
valuable tree that can be grown in this part of the country and should
give more uniform success than any other species. The growth for
the first few years is slow, hut after the fifth year it may grow from
12 to 18 inches annually.

CHINESE ARBORVIT^.

The Chinese arborvitae {Thuja orientolis) is a thrifty evergreen
which is native to those parts of China whose soil, moisture, and
temperature conditions are similar to those of western Nebraska. It
makes a rapid growth and those trees planted in the Halsey planta¬
tions show a high survival. It will grow on soils containing a con¬
siderable amount of alkali. The wood is durable and serviceable for
fence posts and it is especially recommended for windbreaks and
hedges.

4 TREE DISTRIBUTION UNDER THE KIN RAID ACT, 1911.

HARDWOODS.

Hardwoods should be planted in heavier and more moist soils than
conifers, preferably in tilled bottoms, and they should be cultivated
for several years after planting. Cottonwood makes a very good
growth in this region, but it is short lived and subject to attacks of

borers.

White elm, honey locust, and hackberry are well adapted to plant¬
ing in this region because of their ability to grow on dry soils and to
resist severe frosts without injury, but cultivation is necessary imtil
the trees are well established. Russian olive adapts itseK to arid
soils. Green ash will grow on the moister situations, but its growth
is slow and it is subject to attacks of insects.

Hardwoods require more moisture and better soil than pines, and
also require cultivation to insure success. Since most of the land in
the Kinkaid district is characterized by a sandy soil, which can not
be safely cultivated because of blowing, it is obvious that pines are
best suited to sandy sites and that hardwoods should be employed
only where the better grades of soil are found or where some local
conditions favor their growth. In addition, evergreens make a more
satisfactory windbreak, as the foliage remains on the trees throughout
the year. The timber produced is also of better grade than that of
the ordinary hardwoods grown in the sand hills.

SHIPMENT AND CARE OF TREES.

Trees may be shipped from the nursery by parcel post, provided
stamps are sent to the forest supervisor at Halsey, Nebr., before
March 1 of each year. Planters will be notified at least one month
before this date of the amount of postage required. Unless mail
shipment is requested the trees will be sent by express, charges
collect.

The trees will be shipped in bundles that will allow free circula¬
tion of air for the tops. The roots will be packed in damp moss to
prevent drying out. Young trees, especially pines, are very tender
and susceptible to .injury, and if the roots are exposed to the air,
even for only a few minutes, they are likely to be injured, if not killed
entirely. If special care is exercised in handling the stock, a more
successful plantation wiU result. Trees should not be left around
the depot or post office longer than is absolutely necessary. It is
best to plant the trees immediately after receiving them. If this
can not be done, store them in a cellar or some cool, moist place, or
heel them in as shown in figure 1. The tops of evergreens in packages
should not be wet, but if there is any danger of the roots becoming
dry they should be moistened, but not soaked. This can be done
by pouring a small quantity of water over the stems at the top of
the package, allowing it to trickle down into the roots and moss.

TEEE DISTRIBUTION UNDER THE KINKAID ACT, 1911.

5

FIG. 1

HEELING IN

This should always be done if the trees can not be
planted immediately.

Di^ Trench in moist earth deep enough to bury the roots
and part of the stems allowing the roots to hang down full
length covering each layer of roots as placed.

° *Do not double or curl them. Each layer of roots should
not be more than two inches deep and the thickness of the
soil over the roots should always exceed the depth of the
layer of the roots.

6 TREE DISTRIBUTION UNDEE THE KINKAID ACT, 1911.

METHOD OF PLANTING.

When ready to plant, take the trees out of the package or from
the ground where they have been heeled in and place in a box or
bucket, which contains some of the moss in which the trees were
originally packed. The roots should be surrounded by wet moss
and the trees themselves covered with a piece of burlap saturated
with water. When planting, the trees should be drawn from the
bucket or box one at a time and put into the ground with as little
exposure as possible.

Care in planting trees is as important as care in handling them
and if they are not given careful attention when they are set in the
ground they can not be expected to live. Correct and incorrect,
methods of planting are shown in figure 2.

The best way to plant evergreens is to plow a furrow and place the
trees in slits made with a spade, as shown by figures 3 and 4. These
furrows can be plowed in sod and the trees will require no cultiva¬
tion, unless the planter desires to stimulate their growth by culti¬
vating. Cultivation should not be done in soil that will blow. Suc¬
cess in tree planting can not be expected if the trees are stuck in sod
and left to care for themselves, as the grass will crowd them out.
This grass competition is greatly reduced by plowing a furrow, this
being the method used in the planting operations on the Nebraska
forest.

Hardwoods, if small rooted, may be planted in furrows in the same
manner as conifers, or, if the roots are large, by the deep-hole method,
illustrated in figure 5, but always in prepared ground. The hole
should be large and deep enough to accommodate all the roots without
crowding. Hold the tree upright with roots in natural position, and
cover the roots with loose, moist soil, tamping as shown. Watering
at the time of planting is always advisable, especially in dry seasons
and on sandy soils. Wind shields, such as shingles or narrow slats,
set to protect the plant from the prevailing winds, are often necessary
on exposed areas. Hardwoods should be cultivated for at least
three years after planting.

The trees should be planted in rows about 6 feet apart and spaced
from 3 to 5 feet apart in the rows. This will give room enough for
development and cultivation, and in normal years will not leave the
trees too far apart if there are some losses.

PROTECTION OF THE PLANTATIONS.

To prevent the destruction of the plantations by prairie fires, a
double firebreak should be plowed around the trees. If the trees
are included within the firebreak plowed for the protection of the
home property, an extra break is unnecessary.

TREE DISTRIBUTION UNDER THE KINKAID ACT, 1911

7

FIG. 2

CORRECT AND INCORRECT METHODS

OF PLANTl NG

GOOD PLANTl H 6

The tree will live
if firmly set.

CARELESS PLANTl KG VERY CARELESS PLANTING

The free set too deep The tree if set too
and the roots crowded shallow will surely
will very likely die. die.

CARELESS PLANTING

CARELESS PLANTING

Sod, ^rass, or dry sand tamped The free if set too deep on
around roots will dry the roors^ a hillside will be covered by
and the tree will dse. soil rolling from above.

f

8

TREE DISTRIBUTION UNDER THE KINKAID ACT^ 1911.

FIG. 3

FIRST STEPS IN PLANTING

( Planlr hardwoods on prepared
dround and cul+ivale during first
°two years lo insure succes^.) _

Plow furrow just deep
inouOh to rernove the ^rass
and ary sand so that it~ W^ziillli
will not fall in the trench.

Open a slit in the furrow
with a spade.

^•'FIG.4-

SUCCESSIVE' STEPS IN PLANTING

Insert the tree
and hold with the
hand while the foot I
presses the soil
about the roofs.

Close the entire
hole by a thrust of
the heel.

9

TREE DISTRIBUTION UNDER THE KIN RAID ACT, 1911.

FI 6. 5

PEEPHOLE METHOD OF PLANTING

( This method should be used only
when hardwoods are to be planted.)

Digging the hole

Tamp the dirt firmly about
the roots before filling the
hole.

Partially cover the roots
with loose moist earth.

After filling the hole
press the soil firmly about
the roots by a thrust of the
heel .

10 TREE DISTRIBUTION UNDER THE KLNKAID ACT^ 1911.

A fence should he constructed to keep out cattle, horses, and other
stock. This is a most important point, since stock are likely .to
trample or eat the young trees. Most plantations can not he grazed
for several years after planting.

Gophers prohahly destroy more trees than any other agent in
western Nebraska. The young trees are often covereddiy the mounds
thrown out hy the gophers, and they will gnaw off the roots of trees
up to 6 feet or more in height. When fresh gopher mounds are dis¬
covered among the trees, it is necessary to take action at once with
traps or poison. Several good gopher traps are on the market, and
this is the surest method of exterminating these rodents.

Potatoes, carrots, or parsnips cut up into small pieces and sprinkled
with powdered strychnine make a good poison hait. A small quan¬
tity of saccharine or oil of anise should also he added to disguise the
hitter taste of the strychnine. The runways, which arc usually 4 to 8
inches heneath the surface, can he located with an iron rod or prohe.
When found, drop one or two haits into the hole without disturhing
the soil any more than is necessary.

HOW TO SECURE TREES.

A form of “application and agreement’’ may he secured from the
forest supervisor at Halsey, Nehr., and before any trees are distrib¬
uted this application must be properly filled out and signed. Upon
the receipt of the signed agreement the supervisor will distribute the
trees in proportion to the number of applications and the amount of
nursery stock which is available. A sample form of the agreement
follows:

Form 490.

Application and Agreement for Young Trees, Nebraska National Forest.

I) - , a resident of that portion of Nebraska lying within the boundaries

described in the act of April 28, 1904 (33 Stat., 547), entitled ‘‘An act to amend the
homestead laws as to certain unappropriated and unreserved lands in Nebraska,’^
under the provisions of the act of March 4, 1911 (36 Stat., 1235), entitled “An act
making appropriations for the Department of Agriculture for the fiscal year ending
June thirtieth, nineteen hundred and twelve,” do apply for young trees for planting
within the area above referred to.

The ground on which I desire to plant trees comprises an area of - acres, and is

described as follows: Section - , township - , range - .

Aspect: (Faces north, south, east, or west, or is it flat?) .

Slope: (Steep or gentle?) .

Grass and sod: (Heavy or light?) .

Soil: (Loam, sandy loam, or sand?) .

Cultivation: If hardwoods are desired, have you cultivated the ground on which to
plant them? . ; .

The purpose of this planting is (shade, windbreak, or wood lot?) .

In consideration of the granting of this application I promise and agree to plant all
trees received by me and to care for them in the manner described in a circular of the
Forest Service, Department of Agriculture, entitled “Tree Distribution Under the

TREE DISTRIBUTION UNDER THE KINKAID ACT^ 1911,

11

Kinkaid Act, 1911,’’ and in accordance with any later instructions received by me
from the F'orest Service. I further promise to mail to the forest supervisor, Halsey,
Nebr., on a card. Form No. 491, prepared for this purpose, not later than November 1
of each year, for three years after the date of the latest planting done by me, a state¬
ment showing the number of trees of each year’s planting which are surviving in the
area I have planted and the number of trees which I desire to plant during the following
season. And I also agree to permit any representative of the Department of Agricul¬
ture to enter my premises at any reasonable time for the purpose of investigating the
condition of the trees planted by me and the care which they have been given.

I further agree, immediately upon receipt of notice of shipment of any trees sent to
me, to take them without delay from the post office or express or railroad company
transporting them, and to pay all of the costs of their transportation, or to send stamps
prior to March 1 of each year, for their shipment by parcel post. If any package of
trees is received by me in bad condition as a result of carelessness or long period in
transit, I agree to accept the same without protest and immediately to notify the
forest supervisor, Halsey, Nebr.

It is further agreed that if the trees received by me at any time are not planted, or
are sold or otherwise disposed of, I am to forfeit the right to receive any more trees
under the provisions of the act of March 4, 1911, herein referred to.

(Signed) .

Date . Post office .

Nearest express office .

New applicants will be supplied with not to exceed 200 trees,
depending on the number available at the nursery. Those who have
made good use of their trees may, under certain conditions, receive
up to 500 trees. Those desiring more than this number must secure
them elsewhere, since it was not the intent of the act to have the
Government furnish trees in large quantities to any one individual.

A detailed report on the method of planting and the conditions
under which planting was done should be made on a record card
which will be sent to the applicant when the trees are shipped. This
card, the form of which is here given, is to be mailed to the forest
supervisor, Halsey, Nebr., as soon as planting has been done.

Form 492.

Report on Planting.

Spring, 19 — .

1. Date trees were received .

2. Condition of trees when received .

3. Species and number of each .

4. If hardwoods were received, were they planted in prepared ground? .

5. If so, how was ground prepared? .

6. Were pines planted in furrows or unprepared ground? . - -

7. Weather at time of planting .

8. Method of planting .

9. Date of planting .

10. Has a fire guard been established? .

11. Has a stock guard been built? . . .

12. Remarks .

This card should be mailed to the forest supervisor as soon after planting as possible,

and in any event not later than May 1.

12 TREE DISTRIBUTION UNDER THE KINKAID ACT, 1911.

The agreement provides that the planter shall report annually for
three years the number of trees surviving of each year’s planting,
and the form of card given herewith has been prepared for this pur¬
pose. This card should be filled out early in the fall after the trees
are planted and returned to the supervisor.

Form 491 (Revised). Return card.

Fall Report of Kinkaid Planting.

Date of this report, . , 19 — .

Date of this report, . , 19 — .

Number of trees living this fall from those planted —

Total living from
last three seasons’
planting.

Year before last.

Last year.

This year.

Do you wish trees next spring? .

Remarks : . . .

Sign here .

Address .

GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS.

1. Applications for trees should be mailed to the forest supervisor,
Halsey, Nebr., before March 1 of each year.

2. Form 492 should be mailed before May 1.

3. Form 491 should be mailed before November 1.

4. Mark the plantations of each year by setting stakes and mark¬
ing them plainly ^A915,” “1916,” etc., so that each year’s planting
may be identified.

5. Success in tree planting, like success in everything else, de¬
pends upon the care given to it. Do not allow the roots of the trees
to become dry. Protect the trees from fire, stock, and gophers.
Cultivate all hardwoods. Officers of the Forest Service will do all in
their power to assist by advice and suggestions, but it must be borne
in mind that constant care and attention on the part of the planter
are necessary to success in tree planting, especially in the dry, sandy
soils of the Kinkaid district.

TREE DISTRIBUTION UNDER THE KINKAID ACT, 1911.

13

WASHINGTON' : GOVEENMENT FEINTING OFFICE : 191C

Fig. 6. — Map of Nebraska, showing the boundaries of the Kinkaid district.

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