Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Opera Houses In Kansas, Nebraska, And The Dakotas: 1870-1920, Ronald L. Davis

Great Plains Quarterly (through 2013)

As the last frontier approached an end, nearly every town of any distinction on the Plains boasted an opera house. The term "opera house" was preferred over "theater" since opera was considered a highly respected art form rather than mere popular amusement, even though grand opera itself was seldom actually performed in the Great Plains. What the management offered on its stage depended primarily on the town's proximity to a railroad, which in the late nineteenth century served as the major link to the outside world. Whether or not opera troupes ever sang for local audiences, a town's opera house----on …

Freedon And Control In Laura Ingalls Wilder's De Smet, John E. Miller

Great Plains Quarterly (through 2013)

Faith in the future, the virtues of persistence and hard work, the beneficence and occasional destructiveness of nature, the centrality of family, and the search for community are dominant themes of Laura Ingalls Wilder's books for children; one more theme is freedom. ¹ But this freedom is never conceived of as absolute; rather, it is subject to a variety of constraints-external and internal-that interact with it in uneasy tension. The Ingalls family moved west to Dakota Territory in 1879 because of Pa's quest for freedom from the constrictions hemming him in on the more settled frontier. Farther west, he believed, …

Notes And News For Vol.9 No.1

Great Plains Quarterly (through 2013)

No abstract provided.

Women's Contribution To The Family Farm, Richard W. Rathge

Great Plains Quarterly (through 2013)

Our recognition of women's involvement in Great Plains agriculture is frequently linked to stereotyped images and a romanticized perspective on farmers. These notions have been cultivated over time in the absence of careful research or historical documents that realistically detail women's work on the family farm. Except for collections of oral histories, letters, and diaries, we have relatively few written records of rural women's agricultural heritage in the Great Plains. Traditional images of women and girls on farms show them as helpmates whose labor is only indirectly related to agriculture. ¹ Their activities center predominantly on family and domestic chores. …

Review Of Stories Of The House People, Ahab Spence

Great Plains Quarterly (through 2013)

These stories are told from the heart. Both elders have much historic background-as a matter of fact both are direct descendants of the House People.

Review Of Willa Cather: A Literary Life, Karen Vierneisel

Great Plains Quarterly (through 2013)

James Woodress wanted to create a life-size portrait of Willa Cather. But his own assessment of the work sums up its limitation. "[His] present view of Cather does not change in any basic way the image of her contained in [his] earlier book." Since then, he may have read Cather's letters to Louise Pound, the new interpretations of Sharon O'Brien, Doris Grumbach, and Susan Rosowski, and Bernice Slote's copious materials to which he had access. But none of this new information teased his imagination

African Marriage Systems: Perspectives From Evolutionary Ecology, Patricia Draper

Department of Anthropology: Faculty Publications

There are many characteristics of contemporary African societies that puzzle demographers and others concerned with economic and social modernization. One of the most prominent is that the birth rate remains in both urban and rural areas of sub-Saharan Africa in spite of the presence of several factors that supposedly promote lowering of fertility (McNicoll 1980). Some of these factors are increased survivorship of children into adulthood, increased availability of education and levels of educational attainment (for both sexes), increased urbanization, and increased monetarization of the economy via migratory wage labor and cash cropping. Each of these is normally thought to …

Roscoe Pound And American Sociology: A Study In Archival Frame Analysis, Sociobiography And Sociological Jurisprudence, Michael R. Hill

Department of Sociology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Roscoe Pound (1870-1964) was a noted botanist, jurist, and sociologist who founded the American school of sociological jurisprudence. Pound's sociological ideas originated at the University of Nebraska. Pound developed numerous ties to other sociologists, joined the American Sociological Society, and published in the American Journal of Sociology. Pound's modern erasure from sociological chronicles is attributed in part to hegemonic processes. The collection of archival data for this study in the history of sociology is generalized (by extending Erving Goffman's metatheory of meaning) as "archival frame analysis." Pound's intellectual milieu is analyzed using Mary Jo Deegan's theory of "core codes" …

An Essay On The Concept Of Demonstration Rooftop Prairies, Patrick Horsbrugh

Proceedings of the North American Prairie Conferences

The concept of demonstration prairies on the roofs of industrial and commercial premises is recommended as a means of stimulating interest in prairie ecology and of providing educational facilities in urban areas. The economics of such rooftop locations for prairie studies and research depends upon the multiple use of land for seemingly incompatible activities. The use of selected vegetation as an integral part of the structure provides the opportunity for the prairie to invade the city, while potentially offering the benefits of effective insulation, microclimatic modification, and reductions in roof maintenance costs. This would be one method to meet the …

51-Year Change In The Shortgrass Prairie Of Eastern Wyoming, Herbert G. Fisser, Kendall L. Johnson, Kellie S. Moore, Glenn E. Plumb

Proceedings of the North American Prairie Conferences

In 1936, vegetation analyses were conducted on repurchased federal lands in the Powder River Basin of eastern Wyoming. During the summer of 1987 the 74 remaining plots of 97 originally established on a 2.6 km² (1 mi²) area in Converse County were re-examined. Both surveys were conducted with the "square foot density procedure." During the past 51 years, vegetation abundance increased significantly on the saline upland site as a result of the interactive effects of favorable long-term weather patterns, annual grazing by livestock and wildlife, and reduced fire. Total vegetation cover increased significantly (P < 0.05) from 3% in 1936 to 11 % in 1987, including a threefold increase for all grasses and a fourfold increase for all woody species. A negligible change occurred for all forbs. A shift in the cover composition occurred with grasses decreasing from 52% to 44% and non-grass species showing a corresponding increase. All growth forms, except shrubs, gained wider distribution over the study period, especially succulents and annual grasses. Continuation of current management practices probably means that this range will not return to a short grass-dominated prairie.

Effects Of Manipulation On Foliage Characteristics Of Andropogon Gerardii Vitman, Rosemary A. Ramundo, T. Dawn Shapley, C. L. Turner, M. I. Dyer, T. R. Seastedt

Proceedings of the North American Prairie Conferences

The effects of burning, mowing, and nitrogen fertilizer on the chlorophyll, nitrogen, and phosphorus content of big bluestem were measured using a factorial experimental design at Konza Prairie Research Natural Area. While spring burning usually increased foliage production, burning had no effect on mid-season chlorophyll or nitrogen concentrations. Chlorophyll concentrations were significantly increased by fertilizer and mowing treatments. Nitrogen concentrations of foliage were higher on fertilized and mowed plots. Mowing also increased phosphorus concentrations of foliage, but nitrogen fertilizer significantly reduced phosphorus concentrations. These results support other research indicating that: 1) nitrogen use efficiency (grams biomass produced per gram of …

Effects Of Prescribed Fire On Small Mammals In Aspen Parkland, Garry C. Trottier, Ludwig N. Carbyn, George W. Scotter

Proceedings of the North American Prairie Conferences

Relative abundance of small mammals was monitored in an area of aspen parkland burned periodically in spring or fall over eight years to control trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.) encroachment into grassland meadows. Seven small mammal species were trapped on the burned and control areas. Meadow voles (Microtus pennsylvanicus Ord) and red-backed voles (Clethrionomys gapperi Vigors) dominated the captures prior to burning. Meadow voles were the most abundant species trapped throughout the study, but abundance was affected by frequency of burning and habitat. After three vegetative growing seasons, meadow voles had not recovered to pre-burn abundance in …

Effect Of Burning On Germination Of Tallgrass Prairie Plant Species, Sherry R. Rohn, Thomas B. Bragg

Proceedings of the North American Prairie Conferences

Seeds from 10 prairie plant species of burned and unburned portions of three tallgrass prairies were collected and tested for germinability. Germination of big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii Vitman) consistently averaged higher with burning. Indiangrass (Sorghastrum nutans L.) and sideoats grama [Bouteloua curtipendula (Michx.) Torr.] averaged 5% higher with burning on two of the three sites, although for indiangrass average germination for all three sites was 7% lower. Species for which germination declined with burning were false sunflower [Heliopsis helianthoides (L.) Sweet var. scabra (Dun.) Fern.], -13%; whole leaf rosinweed (Silphium integrifolium Michx.), -10%; and white …

Ecology Of Mead's Milkweed (Asclepias Meadii Torrey), Robert F. Betz

Proceedings of the North American Prairie Conferences

Mead's milkweed (Asclepias meadii Torrey) is a plant of virgin prairies, whose pre-settlement range included much of the midwest. It is now a rare plant confined to prairie hay meadows, railroad rights-of-way, prairie preserves and pioneer cemeteries. Studies of approximately a hundred individual plants, producing hundreds of flowering and sterile stems, in the wild and in cultivation for seven years (1965-1971) indicated that it was a moderately-sized plant whose stems averaged 56 cm in height with sagittate sessile leaves with a herringbone arrangement of the veins. In late May to early June a mature stem produced a solitary, terminal, …

Chemical Control Of Eastern Redcedar In Mixed Prairie, University Of Nebraska - Lincoln, James L. Stubbendieck

Proceedings of the North American Prairie Conferences

Stands of eastern redcedar (Juniperus virginiana L.) have been increasing in prairies, often to the detriment of valuable prairie species. Initial control of dense stands of relatively tall eastern redcedar by herbicides may be necessary to alter population demographics before more environmentally sound mechanical methods and prescribed burning can be employed to maintain acceptable populations of this woody species. Previous control effectiveness with herbicides has been highly variable. This study was conducted to determine the effect of hexazinone [3-cyclohexyl- 6-(dimethylamino)-1-methyl-l ,3 ,5-triazine-2,4( IH,3H)-dione] as Velpar L, picloram (4-amino-3 ,5 ,6-trichlora-2-pyridinecarboxylic acid) as Tordon 2K, and tebuthiuron N-[5-(1, I-dimethylethyl)-1 ,3,4-thiadiazol-2-yl]N,N'-dimethylurea …

Prairie Establishment In Southwestern Ohio, Kimberly A. Lutz

Proceedings of the North American Prairie Conferences

In 1979 a tallgrass prairie was established in southwestern Ohio; a second prairie , adjacent to the first, was established in 1983 (4-year and 8-year sites). These sites differed in time since establishment, seed source, extent of burning, and extent of soil preparation. Six remnant prairies were also selected for comparison with the established sites. The 8-year site was dominated by switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) and indiangrass [Sorghastrum nutans (L.) Nash.], components of the original seed mix, while the 4-year site was dominated by old-field species and big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii Vitman). Both 4-year and 8-year sites …

Populations And Prey Selection Of Wintering Raptors In Boulder County, Colorado, Stephen R. Jones

Proceedings of the North American Prairie Conferences

Wintering raptor populations were monitored between 1983 and 1988 in a 35 km² study area centered 8 km north-northeast of the city of Boulder, Colorado. Raptors congregated around active prairie dog (Cynomys sp.) colonies. Golden eagles (Aquila chrysaetos) , ferruginous hawks (Buteo regalis), and red-tailed hawks (Buteo jamaicensis ) were observed hunting and capturing prairie dogs. Bald eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) and northern harriers (Circus cyaneus) participated in the competition for captured prey. Thirteen occurrences were noted of bald eagles stealing captured prairie dogs from ferruginous hawks. A bubonic plague …

Is Fire A Disturbance In Grasslands?, E. W. Evans, J. M. Briggs, E. J. Finck, D. J. Gibson, S. W. James, D. W. Kaufman, T. R. Seastedt

Proceedings of the North American Prairie Conferences

Many grasslands, and in particular the tallgrass prairies of North America, are generally thought to be maintained by periodic fire. Semantic disagreement among researchers, however, threatens to hamper discussion of fire as an ecological force in grassland ecosystems. Some authors emphasize that fires are disturbances (or perturbations) since these fires disrupt or alter ecosystem states, trends, and dynamics (e.g., accumulating nitrogen is volatilized, plant and animal communities change in composition). Other researchers point out that, because these fire-induced disruptions and alterations can maintain the status quo of the ecosystem (e. g., prevent it from becoming woodland), it is the lack …

Impact Of Railroad Management And Abandonment On Prairie Relicts, John A. Harrington, Mark Leach

Proceedings of the North American Prairie Conferences

A field survey was begun in 1986 to determine the status of prairie vegetation on railroad rights-of-way in Wisconsin. Two % of 849 sample points located at 1.6 km intervals along railroads were found to contain relatively high quality prairie, and 23 % contained slightly degraded prairie. A significant proportion of these remnants contained mesic prairie, a community type which today is almost non-existent in Wisconsin and neighboring states. The linearity and fragmented state of these remnants, however, increase their susceptibility to invasion by woodland edge species. The lack of management that accompanies railroad abandonment has dramatically affected the ability …

Hulbert's Study Of Factors Effecting Botanical Composition Of Tallgrass Prairie, David J. Gibson

Proceedings of the North American Prairie Conferences

Lloyd Hulbert's death in May 1986 left a wealth of unfinished projects as well as the legacy of Konza Prairie Research Natural Area, Kansas. One of these was an incomplete manuscript on fire, mowing, and soil effects on the tallgrass prairie, in which canopy cover and frequency in 27 soil-treatment combinations from Konza Prairie were reported. Treatments included unburned and April burned at 1-,2-, and 4-year intervals, annual burning during three seasons, and mowing during two seasons. Soils ranged from deep and non-rocky to shallow, rocky, silty clay loams. Late April burning favored tall C4 grasses at the expense of …

Forage Value Of Weed Species In A Grass Seeding, B. K. Lawrence, S. S. Waller, L. E. Moser, Bruce Anderson, L. L. Larson

Proceedings of the North American Prairie Conferences

Weeds are a major problem in seeding rangeland and cropland to native grasses. However, many immature weedy forbs and grasses are palatable to cattle. Research was conducted using yearling cattle for weed control in big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii var. gerardii Vitman) seedings (1987, 1988) at Mead, Nebraska on a Sharpsburg silty clay loam (fine, montmorillonitic, mesic Typic Argiudoll) soil. Prominent volunteer species were annual foxtails (Setaria spp. Beauv.), redroot pigweed (Amaranthus retroflexus SSL.), velvetleaf (Abutilon theophrasti Medic.), and common ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia L.). Cattle consumed annual foxtails and redroot pigweed, but did not consume velvetleaf …

Small Mammals Of A Relict Wet Prairie In Ohio, Eric D. Osborn, Carl W. Hoagstrom

Proceedings of the North American Prairie Conferences

Killdeer Plains is a Wildlife Area in northwest Ohio managed primarily for waterfowl. At the turn of the century, the area was a wet prairie remnant of the prairie peninsula. Despite attempts at drainage and farming, parts of the area retain the characteristics of a wet prairie. Two spruce-pine (Picea - Pinus) clumps in the plains are used as winter roosts by long-eared owls (Asio otus). Pellets regurgitated by these owls were examined to determine the species and relative numbers of small mammals in the area. Nearly 90% of all individuals taken by the owls were …

Small Bison Herd Utilization Of Tallgrass Prairie, Lorence Larson, G.K. Murdock

Proceedings of the North American Prairie Conferences

The utilization of a tall grass prairie remnant by a small bison (Bison bison) herd is described. Three bulls and six cows were introduced to a 257 ha section of Prairie State Park, Liberal, Missouri in 1985. Between 1985 and March 1988, ten calves were born; four cows and a bull were introduced to the herd in 1988. Since March 1986, the behavior of the herd has been observed three times per week, year-round. The portion of the herd using mowed fire breaks or burned or unburned portions was determined at ten-minute intervals; for 3,249 observations over 213 …

Silica, Nitrogen, And Phosphorus Dynamics Of Tallgrass Prairie, T. R. Seastedt, R. A. Ramundo, D. C. Hayes

Proceedings of the North American Prairie Conferences

Experiments were conducted on big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii Vitman) 10 the greenhouse and on a tallgrass site on Konza Prairie to evaluate the effects of simulated grazing on the cycling of silica (SiO₂), nitrogen, and phosphorus. Concentrations of all elements increased in vegetation that had been clipped or pruned. The absolute amount of nitrogen obtained by plants 10 the greenhouse experiment was increased by clipping foliage. Phosphorus exhibited only neutral or negative responses, while the absolute amount of silica declined in all but one experiment involving root pruning. In that experiment, the absolute amount of silica in …

Writing Construction Specifications For Prairie Landscapes: The Basics, Jon Bryan Burley

Proceedings of the North American Prairie Conferences

Prairie landscaping is being incorporated into the construction industry. This means that designers of prairie landscapes must be able to communicate landscape specifications to landscape contractors. At present, the Construction Specifications Institute (CSI) format has been adopted by the construction industry as the organizing structure to communicate specifications. This paper describes the CSI specification structure and its application in preparing prairie landscaping construction specifications. The paper describes the importance of divisions zero, one, and two plus sections 02200, 02920, 02930, 02950, and 02970. In addition, the paper presents basic key principles in writing each specification section and the content of …

Vegetation Dynamics Of Three Tallgrass Prairie Sites, Jon K. Piper, Mark C. Gernes

Proceedings of the North American Prairie Conferences

As part of research to develop a sustainable agriculture that incorporates many aspects of the North American Prairie, I) the seasonal phytomass levels supportable by native prairie and 2) how plant taxa shift in temporal importance within the community were examined. This report summarizes the first two years of a study documenting community patterns on three tallgrass prairie sites in Saline County, Kansas that differ in soil type and annual productivity. Average August phytomass at the three sites ranged from 284 to 682 g/m² in 1986 and from 377 to 1077 g/m² in 1987. Diversity declined with standing …

Thematic Mapper Digital Data For Predicting Aboveground Tallgrass Prairie Biomass, John M. Briggs, Duane Nellis

Proceedings of the North American Prairie Conferences

Landsat thematic mapper digital data was found to offer an excellent potential for regular monitoring of the tallgrass prairie ecosystem by providing estimates of aboveground biomass production. Data from seven channels of a May thematic mapper scene were analyzed individually and in various combinations using stepwise regression in Statistical Analysis System (SAS). These procedures were used to determine the most appropriate multiple regression equation for estimating production of 1) total live aboveground biomass, 2) grasses, 3) forbs, 4) previous years dead, and 5) current years dead. Regression equations were based on satellite-derived estimates relative to ground level biomass values for …

Tallgrass Prairie Remnants Of Eastern Nebraska, Judith F. Boettcher, Thomas B. Bragg

Proceedings of the North American Prairie Conferences

Ten eastern Nebraska tallgrass prairie remnants were evaluated up to four times during the 1979 growing season to assess vegetative composition and the effects of mowing, topographic and size differences, and season of evaluation. Frequent mowing resulted in a reduced canopy cover of some species, such as big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii Vitman) (21% lower with frequent mowing), but increased cover of others, particularly the introduced species smooth brome (Bromus inermis Leyss. subsp. inermis) (35% higher cover with frequent mowing). In addition, frequent mowing resulted in a higher proportion of disturbance species. Comparing the time of mowing, canopy …

Species Composition Of Old Settler Silt -Loam Prairies, Robert F. Betz, Herbert F. Lamp

Proceedings of the North American Prairie Conferences

Over the course of a decade, studies were conducted throughout northern Illinois and northeastern Indiana to locate old settler cemeteries containing prairie vegetation and to determine their species composition. Of the 824 cemeteries investigated in 42 counties in northern Illinois and in 20 counties in northwestern Indiana, 150 contained some prairie species. Of the 44 cemeteries that had sufficient prairie species to warrant study, 29 were silt-loam prairies, 14 were sand and silt-loam savannas, and one was a sand prairie. A total of 180 species of prairie plants were found in the 29 silt-loam cemetery prairies, belonging to 43 different …

Merging Foreign And Domestic Information Policy Goals: The Us Government’S Office Of Technical Services (1946-1950), Robert K. Stewart

Electronic Reference Materials

This document describes the early history of the Federal Government technical reports distribution system. The Office of Technical Services has evolved into the National Technical Information System.

Digitized by Robert L. Bolin

US information policy during the post-World War II era reflected a duality of purpose: gain international superiority in the science and technology sectors, and promote the flow of such information to small business in America. To accomplish these dual purposes, Congress and the administration cooperated to create and fund the Office of Technical Services. OTS's job was to communicate the enormous body of scientific and technical research undertaken …