Seward County, Nebraska - Chapter with an unread heading (no. 7 of those read), 1916

The greatest and most depressing need felt by a large majority of the early settlers of Seward county was timber for fuel. Some of the very early ones were fortunale enough to secure homesteads with enough timber to supply their own wants and some to spare their less lucky neighbors. But many of those who had been thus fortunate shared the prevalent timber craze of the time, and fearing a timber famine before they would be called to a warmer place, refused to part with a stick of their wood tor love or money. And those who didn't share the fear of freezing to death if they let their neighbors have a little of their surplus wood placed as much value upon it as if it had been obtained in the same manner as dust of the precious metal, panned out. Scraggly cottonwood trees, twisting once and half around in an ordinary stovewood length, the only way of getting it small enough to go into a stove was to hew it---it couldn't be split - sold for from five to ten dollars each, according to the size. And four foot wood of the same timber was valued at from six up to ten dollars per cord, the price being governed b)' the locality. If in a locality where one or two, modernly called "tight wads," had a monopoly the higher price prevailed. And it required about four cords of this high priced fuel, for heating or cooking purposes, to equal one cord of hickory, oak, beech or hard maple. In fact willow timber or basswood when seasoned is better fuel than cottonwood.

But the price of the fuel was not always the greatest obstacle in the way of having something to keep warm with and cook the wild onions and potato soup - very many of the settlers' homes were so far from timber that it required as much time to get a wagon load of poor wood from the woods as it does at the present time to get a car load of coal from the coal bank. In accordance with the real conditions of the time and the apparent future situation, the existing pinching necessity was viewed by nearly all with apprehension if not with alarm. The prospects for relief from the ever present burden of providing fuel was so discouraging that a general opinion prevailed that the country was worthless unless timber could shortly be produced upon the baren land. In view of this idea there was a general rush for young trees to set out. Cottonwood was the most rappid growing and the only kind of native timber that would do to saw into lumber therefore young cottonwood trees were in great demand. Some of those fortunate ones who had secured homesteads with a little timber along the rivers entered into speculation in the tree trade and started cottonwood nurseries by breaking patches of ground near the timber to catch the cottonwood seed and after it sprouted they sold the sprouts to their later arriving neighbors for from fifty cents to one dollar per hundred; price being governed by the size and age of the trees. But after two or three years the bottom was knocked out of this speculition by the discovery that cottonwood limbs stuck down in the ground would grow faster and make timber quicker than the little trees. This new discovery lightend the labor and expense of tree planting to such on extent that cottonwood groves soon sprang up all over the prairies of Seward count}7, and rows of that timber were growing on homestead lines. There was no discount on the rapidity of the Cottonwood's growth. It had one rival in that line- - the wild sunflower---which also rivaled it in point of value. It ruined land for the production of other timber or vegetables and nothing would grow within a circle of several rods around it, and timber so greatly desired proved to be an undesirable nuisance. Farmers were raising an abundance of corn, the cobs being better fuel than cottonwood, and the rail roads were bringing coal so cheap and plentiful that it did not pay to chop poor wood for fuel. It made poor fuel and shaky, warpy lumber not worth the expense of sawing. Many of the over zealous homesteaders to plant cottonwoods were at a loss to know how to get them out of the way fast enough. Some cut them down and some girdled them an let them stand until they rotted down. But there are thousands of them remaining and robbing the farmers of many acres of very valuable land. The catalpa, soft maple and white ash, where they have been cultivated are making fine growths of valuable timber and do not rob the soil.

The early homesteaders were greenhorns in the matter of fruit production in about the same degree as they were in growing timber. And by misconception of the reqirements of the country for fruit growing were placed several years behind in that industry. There was a general opinion formed among them that fruit could not be produced in Nebraska unless there was first a good "wind break" of growing timber at least on the north and west sides of the orchard ground. While this caused a delay in getting the young fruit trees started it was not the greatest discouraging feature to a large majority. They made their "wind breaks" of cottonwood trees and after a time and the cotton trees got well rooted apple trees would be set out close up to the "wind break." Then after the cottonwoods had sapped the ground and killed the apple trees frequent expressions of doubt about "raising fruit in Nebraska" were heard. But the truth still remains as solid as a rock that while oranges, lemons, bananas and such southern fruit cannot be produced, fruit that will grow in any northern state will grow and do well in Nebraska. No state in the United States produces finer apples, pears, peaches, plums, cherries and all kinds of berries. The first doubts and half-hearted efforts to raise fruit in Seward county, gave it such a backset it was "sidetracked" by farmers for other more easy raised, and perhaps less profitable productions, while other portions of the once Great American Desert, no better for fruit production, are banking thousands of dollars for their apple, pear and peach crop every year, Seward county barley produces its own fruit. While farmers can make quick and profitable crops of corn, wheat, oats, hogs, cattle, horses and hens' eggs they prefer to buy their fruit instead of taking {.he time to raise it. But the fault for its non production cannot be attributed to the soil, climate nor wind.