& . ? > \ A " - * * * ' v ,
12 Conservative *
UNCLE SAMUEL'S PRAYER.
Wo nro not , Lord , as other men ,
Tlmnlc God !
Who Blny the hentheiii steal Ills lands.
And nil for gain.
We nro God's chosen race Ainon !
Wo nro n .specinl gifted band
To right the wrong on every hnnd ,
And chasten Spain ,
Thank God !
To beat the Dutch , to clennHU the Turk ,
Thank GodI
To fbc things almost anywhere
There is n hitch ,
Thin is our self-appointed work.
Not nny heathen shall wo spnre ,
When heathen Innds bo fat and fair ,
And wondrous rich ,
Thank God !
Our own foundations are secure ,
Thank God !
There is no mete upon our sight ;
Wo are all clean I
Wo thank Thee , God , wo are so pure ;
Our hived towns all kept aright ;
Our burrowed mines in happy plight ;
No cloud is seen ,
Thank God !
Wo nro the Christ of freedom's creed ,
Thnnk God !
To teach this truth which blood has won
Which Hancock saw
"Thero are no overlords by breed
Or sword. The least beneath the sun
Hatli right to say what shall bo done
Who'll make his law , "
Thank God !
But if the feeble like us not ,
Oh God !
They nro besotted , Lord , Thou Itnowest ,
As heathen aro.
And for their good they must , Thou wet ,
Converted be , if o'cn by blows ,
The while wo sing high , through our nose ,
Of Holy War ,
Thank God !
We thank Theo , Lord , for all Thy grace ,
Thank God !
That Thou hast sot us o'er the world
To teach all men.
And what wo gain in pillaged place
We'll spend in iron monsters , hurled
To keep us somewhere in the race
For lands. With sanctimonious face
Wo cry Amen !
Thnnk God !
-C. E. S. WOOD.
TIIK PLANTING OF TKEES.
( .Written for Nebraska Bird and Arbor Day
Manual by Prof. F. W. Taylor , University of
Nebraska. ]
I. Kind to Pliint.
It is a very easy matter iu choosing
what kind of trees to plant to make a
mistake which will almost do away with
the possible good which should result
from the planting of trees. It is very
easy to got and to plant such trees as the
willow , the cottonwood , box elder , soft
maple , or others which , though perhaps
not bad in their way , are not long-lived
and are not sufficiently good for street
or school ground purposes. A tree for
that use should be one which is reason
ably sure , if well cared for , to be long-
lived ; and if it is long-lived it is almost
equally sure that it will be compara
tively slow in its habits of growth.
All over Nebraska and the other
Western states immense numbers of the
soft-wooded trees like those named
above have been planted , and it is doubt
ful whether today there can bo found
living one for each thousand that have
been planted. Even after they have
grown for a good many years such trees
are liable to break down or split during
times of storms , and then after having
lived a good quarter of the time a good
shade tree should live , they die.
It can not be too strongly urged that
only good varieties should be planted.
Some of these are white elm , hackberry ,
hard maple , and perhaps some of the
hardy evergreens such aa the spruce or
fir from the Rocky mountains. The
western red cedar is perfectly hardy and
will withstand almost all kinds of bad
treatment , but it is so sure to turn brown
in the winter time and to become drag
gled and ragged in appearance that it is
not satisfactory. The list of good trees
given may seoui to bo very short , but
the planter who sticks to these kinds
will in later years bo entirely satisfied
with his selection , and the probability is
that his children and grandchildren may
enjoy the shade of such trees , while if
the others are used they are sure to dis
appear within a short time.
II. How to Pliint.
To properly plant trees is a compara
tively simple thing and something which
everyone should know. Most Nebraska
soil is good and rich enough to supply
all the needs of the roots of the trees if
they are properly planted. It is more
often likely to do more harm than good
to mix with the soil anything such as
gravel , manure , or other foreign sub
stances. Good , black loam answers
every need , and it is bettor alone than
mixed with almost anything else.
The hole in which a tree is to be set
should be dug considerably larger than
will comfortably hold the roots of the
tree when they are spread out at full
length. Loose earth should be thrown
among the roots of the tree when it has
been set in place , and as soon as the
roots are covered it should be pressed
down with the foot until it is well
packed. If the soil is very dry , water
may be added as the planting is done ,
but an inch or two at the top should not
be soaked or it is likely to bake , and
thus the watering do more harm than
good. After the trees have been set , if
the weather is quite dry , water may be
applied every two or throe days. It is
best iu such cases to remove the top inch
or two of earth , apply the water , and
then put the inch or two of earth back
in its place.
III. Preparing the Tree for Pluuting.
The largest tree is not necessarily the
best tree to plant. Other things being
equal , the tree that can be removed with
the greatest portion of its roots is the
best tree to plant. If very large trees
are used a largo portion of the root sys
tem is necessarily removed in digging ,
and a proportionate amount of the top
should bo cut back.
Never allow the roots of a tree to be
exposed to the sun nor to become dry.
Trees that have grown in the timber
are much harder to make live when
transplanted than those which have
been grown in nursery rows. The lat
ter are likely to have been transplanted
once or twice or more , and each time a
tree is transplanted its roots are likely
to become more compact , thus enabling
a larger portion to be taken when the
tree is dug.
"N12IJUASKA. "
BEATIUCE , Nob. , March 80,1899.
Editor THE CONSERVATIVE :
In your issue of March 80 , noticing a
book of Mr. Edward Everett Hale , you
say :
"The Nebraska river mentioned is the
Platto. One was the Indian word , as
the other was the French word , for flat
or shallow. "
Knowing the interest you feel in these
matters I venture a statement in regard
to the word "Nebraska. " The geographical
graphical dictionaries and other authori
ties "Nebraska" "Platte"
say or means
"running water. "
When I was among the Sioux in the
year 1875,1 labored very hard to learn
all I could of their dialect. One day as
the cool aiitumn began to come the air
in the White river valley was filled with
what had the appearance of smoke ; but
which was in reality an impalpable dust.
It is the same as constitutes the quick
sands in the Platte and Cheyenne rivers.
I was trying disjointedly to carry on a
conversation with an old Sioux Indian
and ho was complaining that his eyes
were sore caused as he said by the ' "No-
bra. " I had never heard the word be
fore and suggested the Sioux word for
smoke as the cause. Spreading out his
hands upward he said , "No ; nebra , ne-
bra. " With this he called my attention
to thofiue.white impalpable sand floating
in the air and which be called "nehra. "
Now the word "ska" is Sioux Indian for
"white. " "Nebra-ska" is the Sioux
name for the Platte river. Whoever
stands upon its banks and gazes upon its
miles of "fine white sand" will see how
appropriate is that name.
name.WM.
WM. ASIIBY.
Persons who visited the World's fair
at Chicago , and , more recently , the
Trans-Mississippi exposition at Omaha ,
will remember the handsome train ex
hibited by the Pullman company. More
than $150,000 is invested in it. After
having been used solely for show pur
poses for several years it has been placed
in service on an excursion from Phila
delphia to California. The excursion
was a notable one , covering thirty-five
days , while the distance traveled is 9,509
miles. The party went out by a south
ern route and returned over the Rio
Grande , Burlington and Pennsylvania
railroads.