farm operations, but we now find places where the original sod should not have been turned. Though some of the remaining prairie land should be brought under cultivation by what is called farming, much of it should not be plowed until there is a greater demand for farm products, such as, corn and wheat; and until the land owners know better how to guard against the wind erosion of sandy land and know better how to manage drouthy soils.
     Conserving Grasslands. The following conditions and situations have native grasses which should be conserved:
     1. The rough stony lands and the steep slopes of bluff lands.
     2. The sloughs in the hilly agricultural areas. The grass cover of many sloughs has been destroyed by plowing, this followed by gullying and the formation of deep ditches in the fields. This condition can be reclaimed by sowing seeds of native grasses, by lifting the plow while crossing a slough or draw and by the use of cheap retards made of brush, etc.
     3. Wet, flood lands of valleys. The sod should be retained on these places until drainage is established, especially where the soil is a thin sandy loam underlain by sand.
     4. Drouthy soils in parts of the state having low rainfall. The light soils and those in which a thin surface soil rests upon sand, should be safe-guarded because native grasses do better on them than can be obtained by farming.
     5. Dune sand (the hills) of the sandhill region.
     6. Wet meadow soils of the sandhills. These yield good crops of hay most years with comparatively little labor.
     Prairie Hay is one of the valuable crops of the state. The sandhill ranches put up large amounts of it for winter feed, some of them cutting 2,000 tons or more per year. Poorly drained alluvial lands of the large valleys f the state and the wet sand bill valleys give good yields of hay both dry and wet years.
     Much baled native hay is shipped. There are dealers in a number of towns in the hay districts as at Newport, Bassett, Stuart, O'Neill, and Ainsworth. Shipments are to Omaha, Valley, Sioux City, St. Joseph, Kansas City, Denver, Minneapolis, and Chicago. Some of the hay goes to Kansas City from which it is distributed to cities in the southeast and an increasing amount is shipped to the dairies of Minnesota.

     The native forest of the state occurs along streams, on rough land bordering the valleys, and on the rough borders of the tableland in the western and northwestern counties. The distribution of trees is scattered and there are few nearly exclusively forest areas in the state. The leading trees are as follows:
     BROAD-LEAVED TREES. The principal trees of valley bottoms are willows, cottonwoods, elms, hackberry, boxelder and green ash.

     Willows are represented by a number of species, of which the sandbar, black, almond-leaf, and glossy forms are the most common.
     Cottonwood, are widely distributed. The broad-leaf form has the greatest range; the lance-leaf form is in some of the canyons of Pine Ridge and Wildcat Ridge, and the western or narrow-leaf cottonwood is in Carter Canyon, Banner county. This latter becomes very common westward in Wyoming and Colorado.
     Elms are represented principally by the white elm and the red elm, and by the cork elm which has limited distribution.
     Hackberry occurs on most of the alluvial lands of the state in association with elms, cottonwoods, and other broad-leaved species.
     The Boxelder, one of the principal stream-side trees, is quite plentiful in most of the bottom land forest, leading in numbers at many places.
     Green and Red Ash occur in many valleys in association with box elder and other trees. The white ash is restricted to the lowlands of the eastern counties.
     The Soft or Silver Maple rows on the lowlands of counties bordering or near the Missouri. The mountain maple is found in Pine Ridge, and the Norway and hard maples have been planted very generally in the state for street and park purposes.
     The Sycamore is represented by a few trees on the alluvial lands of the Missouri and its tributaries from Omaha southward.
     The Basswood or Linden occurs in the middle and lower courses of the Niobrara, along the Missouri and its tributaries and westward to the lower course of the Republican valley in Nebraska. The tree grows mainly on the cold slope lands.
     The Honey Locust occurs in the natural forest along the Missouri and its small tributaries and in the lower courses of the Niobrara and Republican valleys.
     The Buckeye and the Kentucky Coffee Tree are on the bottom lands of the southeastern counties of the state.
     The Oaks are represented principally by the bur oak which has wide range on the rough valley sides of the eastern, southern and northern parts of the state. Some of the best stands are in Niobrara valley and its tributaries, as near Wood Lake, Long Pine and Valentine. This tree is in practically pure stands at some of these places. The red oak is quite common on the bluff lands of the Missouri. The laurel oak, chestnut oak, black jack oak and yellow oak have been identified in the southeastern part of the state.
     Hickories, represented by few trees of four species, occur on the flood plains and the rough lands bordering valleys of the southeastern counties. The shell bark and bitternut are the most common, but a few big nut and mockernut trees are found.
     The Black Walnut is quite widely distributed on the bottom land of the eastern half of the state and has been planted in every county.

     Black Birch, and a few representatives of quaking aspen occur in the canyons of Pine Ridge.
     The Paper Birch grows on some of the steep slopes of the Niobrara valley, the best stands being about 10 miles east of Valentine.
     Pine and Cedars. The western yellow pine occurs on the rough lands of the western and northern parts of the state. Growing among the pines are red cedars. Most of the pines are in. the Pine Ridge, Wildcat Ridge, North Platte and Lodge Pole areas, occupying more than 500 square miles. The trees are at their best on Pine Ridge, being 6 to 24 inches in diameter and 40 feet or more high. They are quite free from disease and the timber is of good quality. Pines are also found in good stands at places along Lodgepole valley, along the Niobrara, as in Schlagle Canyon south of Valentine, north of Aimsworth, and in Long Pine Canyon. The broad-leaved species of the east and the pines and cedars from the west meet along the Niobrara. Many kinds of pine and the eastern Red Cedar have been planted in Nebraska.
     Tree Planting. Nebraska is the home of Arbor Day. Much tree planting was done during treeclaim days. This has brought favorable results in every soil province of the state as evidenced by the groves throughout the lengths of the Republican, Platte, Lodgepole, Loup and Elkhorn valleys. Great credit is due the tree planters of Nebraska. The early planters used such trees as they could secure, the cottonwood, ash, boxelder, locust and catalpa, and relatively few pines and cedars. Fires and cattle damaged many of the groves, and few trees have been irrigated.
     The State Forester of the Conservation and Survey Division and the Extension Forester of the College of Agriculture assist in extending the forest resources of the state. Also tree-planting and landscape beautification are promoted by a state committee. About 7,000,000 trees were planted in Nebraska last year.
     Forest Reserves. The Federal Government has experimented with tree planting near Halsey and on the Niobrara Reserve and proved conclusively that certain kinds of trees can be grown on the sandhills. Many ranchmen, profiting by this success, and by the use of trees shipped to them from the Halsey nursery have beautified their places and grown large wind breaks for protection. The Reserve now has about 15,000 acres of very good pine forest which can be seen from the Burlington trains as they pass through the Middle Loup Valley above Halsey. More than 1,000 acres of the Niobrara Reserve has been planted.
     Amount of Timber. In some counties, about 1 per cent of the area is forested, whereas in others, such as Thurston, Lancaster and Dawes, the area is 7 per cent or more. Between 3 and 4 per cent of the state is covered by forest-natural and planted. The number of acres of trees is about equal to the number of people in the state. This is

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timber enough, if used for fuel, to support the state during a coal famine, should such occur.
Persons wishing assistance in the selection of trees for streets and parks and wood lots should consult the Extension Forester of the College of Agriculture of the University.
     Use of Trees. The forest of Nebraska has no great economic importance. The bur oak leads the broad-leaved trees in value. It is used chiefly for posts. The cottonwood is used for windbreaks, firewood, and lumber. The walnut has high value for lumber and supplies many nuts. Willows are used for firewood and rip-rap. Ash, boxelder, maple, most oaks, and bass wood are used to some extent for structure purposes but mostly for firewood. The yellow pine is used for posts, poles, ties and lumber. Red Cedar, osage and catalpa serve well for posts. The principal use of trees is for shade, protection and beautification.
     Forest Conservation Problems. The utilization of forest is a problem in Nebraska. Most trees of the natural forest occur in mired stands and there is no definite market for their products. Furthermore, the people are more accustomed to the ways of prairie land than to forest and do not know from experience how to use the axe and saw. Firewood is in little demand because coal is used generally. Lumber comes from other states and it may not be possible to produce it in Nebraska in competition with the large lumber districts and their methods of distribution. Trees are used in Nebraska mostly for windbreaks, shade and park purposes, for which the selection of species has not been very good. Also, many of the trees have been neglected and it will require much effort to repair those now standing in the parks, and on the streets and lawns.

WILD FRUITS

     The wild fruits of most importance are gooseberries, raspberries, blackberries, currants, grapes, chokecherries, and the sand cherry, plum, buffalo berry, crab apple, elderberry, and pawpaw.
     The Common Gooseberry is on most of the bottom lands of the eastern and southeastern parts of the state where there is some forest. It comes into fruitage early in the year and the fruit is eagerly sought by many people from the country and towns. The western wild gooseberry is found principally in the northwestern counties. The red raspberry and the black raspberry grow on the slope land of the timber belts and supply a limited amount of food. The wild currant is quite plentiful in some canyons of the Pine Ridge and Niobrara areas and in the ravines bordering the North Platte.
     Wild Grapes of two kinds occur in practically every county with timber. They are the early wild grape and the summer grape. The fruit of these is quite plentiful, especially along the Missouri and in the Frenchman and Niobrara valleys.
Wild Cherries of four species grow in Nebraska. They are the wild black cherry of the eastern counties, the sand cherry of the sandhills,

the western chokecherry and the common chokecherry. The sand cherry grows on very sandy ground, principally on the sandhills and at places on the high plains. The ranch people gather this fruit in large quantities and use it for a number of purposes, as for jelly, jams, sauce and wine. The chokecherry is widely distributed. It is a common plant along the Niobrara and its tributaries, in the canyons of Pine Ridge, along parts of the Platte, and at places in the Loup and Elkhorn valleys. The western form produces large amounts of fruit that is used for jellies, butter and other purposes.
     The Buffalo Berry, sometimes called the bull berry, grows along most streams and ravines of the western and central counties. The plant is a strong branching shrub, three to eight feet high, with thorns and light olive colored leaves. The fruit is reddish when ripe. Probably most of this fruit is found on sandy land along the North Platte. The fruit is gathered in large quantities late in the fall and used principally for jellies and jams.
     The Wild Plum has wide distribution and is especially abundant in the Frenchman, Medicine, and Niobrara valleys. The fruit is used mostly for butter and sauce.
     The Western Crab Apple is found in a few places in the state from Holt county to Richardson county.
     The Elderberry grows abundantly near streams in the southeastern counties and is used some for jams and preserves.
     The Pawpaw grows along the Missouri in the southeastern part of the state. It is most plentiful at or near Nebraska City, Peru, Brownville, Nemaha and Rulo. The ripe fruit is eaten raw.
     Nuts grow in parts of Nebraska, hazelnuts and hickory nuts being in some of the timber areas of the southeastern counties.      The black walnut is more widely distributed. There are a few places where the chestnut and the English walnut have been planted and grown successfully.

FISH RESOURCES

     Nebraska has several kinds of fish in streams and lakes. The following are the principal kinds: Bullheads, channel cat, carp, buffalo, crappie, pike, blue gills, sunfish, perch, trout and bass. Frogs and turtles are included with the fish resources.
Bullheads are common in the streams, ponds, and lakes. The yellow bullhead has been distributed quite generally for stocking purposes.
     Channel Cat occur in all the rivers of the state. They afford quite good fishing in the Republican, Little Blue, Big Blue, Nemaha, Loup, Elkhorn, and Niobrara and at places in the Platte. They have been planted in some of the lakes.
     German Carp, American Carp and Buffalo have wide range in streams and lakes--the carp mainly in the southeastern counties. The buffalo is more widely distributed, occurring in practically all streams.
     Gar and Sturgeon, both large stream fish, occur principally in the

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Missouri and Platte. A few eels have been caught in the Elkhorn, Loup and Platte.
     Blue Gills, Sunfish and Crappie are in most waters suitable for bass and perch. Some of the largest catches of crappie and sunfish are from the dredged lakes near Fremont, Valley, Ashland, Meadow and Louisville.
     Striped Perch are present in large numbers in Dewey, Red Deer, Hackberry, Big Alkali and several other lakes of the sandhills and in many artificial lakes and some streams. This fish is well suited to Nebraska and is easily caught. Its firm meat makes good eating.
     Wall-Eyed Pike and Pickerel are found in the North Platte and Niobrara, and at times in other rivers: Pickerel occur in the Loup, Elkhorn and Republican rivers and in Cottonwood, Hagan and a few other lakes of the sandhills. Formerly large numbers of pike were caught below the diversion dams of the Platte in Scotts Bluff county. The catch was many tons per year but is now only an occasional fish. The problem of restoring pike to the North Platte is one of importance.
     Speckled and Rainbow Trout are in the small, swift streams of the northwestern part of the state, as in the Pine Ridge area and in the tributaries of the middle course of the Niobrara. Some of the trout streams are Monroe Creek, Sow Belly Creek, West Hat Creek, White River, Big Bordeaux, White Clay, Broadman above its junction with the Snake, Schlagle, Minnechaduza, McFarland, and Plum creeks. Trout occur also in the irrigation drainage ditches of the North Platte valley, in some of the tributaries of the Republican and at the head waters of the Elkhorn and Loup rivers. One can find very good sport among the trout of Nebraska.
     During the past few years trout have been planted in many privately owned streams and ponds. One of the latest and most successful undertakings of this kind is at Beaver Crossing where ponds owned by Earl B. Smiley are fed from flowing wells.
Bass are in many of the natural and artificial lakes and some streams. They afford good fishing at places. At one time bass fishing was at its best in some of the sandhill lakes. Most fish here were winter-killed in 1915. The lakes were restocked and fishing is again quite good in them. Beaver, Bat, Hackberry, Red Deer, Dewey, Willow, Pelican and Enders are well-known bass lakes. Willow Lake of Cherry county is the best bass breeding grounds in the state. Minnows are collected here for stocking other waters. Bass occur in the dredged lakes along the Platte, in the cut-off lakes along the Missouri and Republican, in artificial lakes of the Loup, Elkhorn and Niobrara valleys, in some of the reservoirs of the irrigation districts and in the clear streams like Cedar River.
     Frogs have some importance as a source of food. The small leopard frog thrives about the marshes and fresh water lakes.      Though edible, it is too small for use. The bullfrog, native of the southeastern counties, has been planted about the streams and lakes of the central

and northwestern with very good results, as in the boggy places of Long Pine canyon.
     Turtles occur in all parts of the state in both dry and wet places The snapping turtle is widely represented by a number of varieties, most of them too small to supply meat. A very large edible form grows in the fresh-water lakes of the sandhills. As much as twelve pounds of meat has been taken from a single animal and used for soups and stews. The soft-shelled turtle is in some of the streams of the southeastern counties and occasionally in the streams and lakes farther northwest.
     State Survey and Administration. The streams and lakes of the state are being studied and mapped by the Conservation and Survey Division of the University with the view of determining their utilization for fish culture and for other purposes.
The Game, Forestation and Parks Commission looks after the propagation, distribution and conservation of fish, also licensing, and the enforcement of game and fish laws. A chief game warden and deputy wardens are employed! to protect the fish and game resources. Nebraska has four fish hatcheries, located near Gretna, Valentine, and Henkelman (2) and about twenty-five streamside, fish nursery ponds, scattered about the state. There is a Federal fish hatchery at Crawford.

GAME RESOURCES

     The states' game consists of birds and mammals. Among the birds are quail, prairie chicken, grouse, ducks, geese, snipe, plover and the curlew. The wild turkey was in the eastern and southwestern counties during the early history of the state. The mammals are the rabbit, opossum, raccoon, antelope and deer. Formerly there were many elk and buffalo and a few mountain sheep in the area which is now Nebraska.
     Bob Whit, or Quail occur in parts of the state having brush and timber. They are quite numerous along the Niobrara and parts of the Republican. They are among the best game birds of the state, but have greater value in agriculture. There is no open season on the quail.
     Prairie Chickens were plentiful in the southeastern and southern counties in pioneer days but few birds remain here. They are now found, but no longer in large numbers, in the eastern part of the sandhill region. Sharp-tailed grouse, found mostly in the central and western parts of the sandhills and the bordering areas, closely resemble the prairie chicken, except that they are a little smaller, much lighter below and fly more evenly. Both birds afford shooting in the sandhills. The crow seems to be the worst enemy of the prairie chickens and grouse, destroying their eggs and young. Highways, the auto, and long range, rapid fire guns are the modern factors in the killing off of our game birds. There is now no open season on prairie chicken and the grouse.

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     Sage hens were formerly in western Nebraska. They now occur across the line in Wyoming in decreasing numbers.
Ducks are in Nebraska in large numbers during the periods of migration and breeding. Few remain during the winter. Some breed here, principally in the lake districts. They are the Blue-Winged Teal, Green-Winged Teal, Mallard, Pintail, Ruddy or Butterball,      Redhead, Canvasback, Ringnecked Duck and the Shoveller. About fifteen other ducks, six or seven species of geese, the trumpeter swan and the white pelican are migrants.
     The Federal laws, by preventing spring shooting, conserve the migrating birds.
     Hunting Ducks. Duck shooting has importance in parts of the sandhills. Hunting lodges or camps are found at many lakes and marshes and the number of birds killed at these places during the open season is large. Hunters come from all parts of Nebraska and from other states. Duck shooting is very good in some other parts-of the state, and a few geese are bagged each year.
     The Upland Plover, formerly plentiful throughout the state, dwindled in numbers until only a few birds were observed, since which time they have been increased somewhat in numbers.
     The Long-Billed Curlew breeds in the state principally about the wet valleys of the sandhills. This bird was once plentiful, then rarely observed, but is now slowly increasing with no open season in Nebraska.
     The Mourning Dove is protected in Nebraska by the sentiment of the people which is against killing it during the open season.
     The Chinese Pheasant has rapidly increased in numbers. There is a short open season for hunting in a few counties.
In 1927 a three-day open season was had in Wheeler county and part of Sherman county. In 1928 the area was extended to several counties. Only male birds were permitted to be killed. The past year a yet larger area was opened to the hunters and one female bird could be taken.
     Rabbits are common throughout the state. There are five species the prairie cottontail in the eastern part; the Nebraska cottontail in the northern, the plains cottontail in the western, the black-tailed jack rabbit principally in the southern, and the white-tailed jack rabbit mainly in the northern part.
     The rabbits are hunted generally. They afford sport and supply a considerable amount of meat It would be possible to develop them as a resource of importance. Information widely circulated and to the effect that the rabbits are diseased and dangerous to handle, has practically checked the use of rabbits for food in some parts of the state.
     The Western Fox Squirrel occurs in all native timber areas of eastern and southeastern counties and in many planted groves elsewhere, throughout the state. It is hunted to some extent for meat. The black squirrel is reported to occur in Richardson County.

     The Raccoon is found along practically all streams where there is brush and timber and about the marshes of the sandhills. "Coon hunting" at night with hounds is practiced in many places. The opossum occurs in the timber belts and sometimes at a distance from forest.
     The Prong-Horn Antelope, once plentiful in all of the state, remains in Kimball, Banner, Sioux and Garden counties. The largest bands are in Sioux county south of Agate, and in Garden county near Crescent Lake. The antelope is protected throughout the year. There are about 70 antelope at large in the state.
     Deer of two species--white-tailed and black-tailed, remain in northwestern Nebraska. One band is on the Halsey Forest Reserve and the near-by Dismal River country of the sandhills, and the other is in the Pine Ridge country northwest of Crawford. There is no open season far deer hunting. There are 80 or more wild deer in the state.
     Wapiti or Elk were very plentiful in what is now Nebraska. They are reported to have occurred in largest number along the Dismal River. A few remain in parks and game preserves. There are 90 or more elk on the Federal preserve near Valentine.
     The Bison now extinct except for a few animals in parks and about 80 on the Federal game preserve located about four miles east of Valentine, was formerly the most hunted animal of Nebraska.

GAME AND BIRD PRESERVES

     The state has several bird and game preserves established by the Legislature. The main ones are as follows:
     1. Bessey Division, the Halsey Reserve, 94,670 acres.
     2. Niobrara Division, Nebraska National Forest, 123,138 acres.
     3. Garden County Preserve, with 10 rods on each side of the North Platte River.
     4. Fontanelle Preserve, between Omaha and Bellevue, 2,548 acres.
     5. Nebraska City Game and Bird Preserve, 8,500 acres.
     6. Bostwick Game and Bird Preserve, 2,309 acres.
     7. Lincoln County Game and Bird Preserve, southern part of Lincoln county, 14,000 acres.
     There are many small game preserves throughout the state, which in effect', are only places of refuge.

FUR-BEARING ANIMALS

     Nebraska has produced fur-bearing animals since the days of the explorers and fur traders. The fur business held a relatively important place for several years and then declined with the oncoming of other activities. During the past few years, however, the production of fur-bearing animals has assumed a more important place in the industry of the state. The annual value of pelts is now about $2,000,000.
     The principal fur-bearing animals are the muskrat, mink, weasel, skunk, raccoon, badger and beaver. The bobcat and coyote have some importance. Formerly the marten, wolverine, otter and lynx

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occurred in Nebraska, but these are now extinct except that at times a lynx is reported along the Niobrara, and there is a report that a single otter remains on the Niobrara south of Valentine.
     Muskrats are found throughout the water courses and lake districts of the state, living in bank and brush houses. They occur in largest numbers about the marshes and lakes of the sandhills where trapped by ranchmen or on a royalty basis by trappers. The annual royalty income from this source may amount to $1,000 or more for a single ranch.
     The Southern Mink is trapped in all parts of Nebraska. The skins bring good returns but the animal kills many muskrats. For this reason, the mink is thought to be more of a detriment than an asset to the fur business of Nebraska.
The Long-Tailed Weasel is quite common. It changes its color from brownish in summer to light in winter. This animal is trapped along with the mink and other animals.
     Skunks, of three species-the spotted civet cat, the narrow striped skunk, and the broad-striped skunk, are found in timber and brushland areas and about farmstead improvements. They are trapped with profit.
     Raccoon is trapped and hunted for sport, meat and fur.
     The Badger, formerly in all parts of the state, remains only in the central and western counties. Its skin is used for rugs and furs.
     The Beaver, formerly found along most streams, remains principally in the northern and western counties. A few years ago this animal became quite plentiful at places in the Niobrara and Dismal River valleys under all-year protection. About eight years ago the Legislature made an open season on beaver because it does considerable damage to trees and irrigation ditches, and causes hay land to become flooded above their dams. The animal is now trapped too closely.
     Fur Farming. This is a new industry in Nebraska. There are several fur farms, i. e., muskrat farms, fox farms, mink farms and skunk farms in the state.