102 MICHIGAN ACADEMY OF SCIENCE. 



eastern states." It in not likely to thrive on clay land nor on low land, 

 nor in any soil not nntnrally well drained to a good depth. 



Hon. W. E. Carpenter, of Poutiac, speaks of transplanted trees in 

 Oakland county that are now over two feet in diameter. On his father's 

 farm, were native trees nearh' four feet in diameter and very tall. 



In 1877, a few sprouting nuts were planted in rows four feet apart 

 in the College arboretum. That is twenty-four years ago. A few of the 

 seedlings died in the hot sun during the first and second years. Other 

 trees were added for each of the three or four succeeding years. From 

 time to time they have been thinned. The first flowers a])peared on the 

 eighth year. Today we have trees large enough for telephone poles in 

 the country, — small poles, straight, clean, sound and pretty, with a 

 diameter of the low stump a foot high as shown below. 



Early in July 1901, when the woody layer was about oue-ihird grown, 

 the trees of the arboretum were thinned to give room for those remain- 

 ing. The bark was removed before the following measurements were 

 made : — 



Diameter at Diameter at 

 Layers at the large end. Diameter. 2.5 leet. :i/ ftet. 



No. 1, 21 9 inche.s li4 inches 3^4 inches 



No. 2, -21 8'a inches 3?i inches 2'^ inches 



No. 3, 21 714 inches 4'4 iaches 2)4 inches 



Unless one is accustomed to measuring, these figures will not mean 

 much to him. 



To acquire the same size, a white cedar in the swamps of Michigan 

 would be six to eight times as old, 130 to 170 years, and this element of 

 time is what helps in the cost of production. The interest on the capital 

 and the risk eat up profits fast and sure. 



These chestnut trees have been grown on sandy land, not strong. They 

 have done the best on the highest rise of land only a few feet above the 

 others, and are still healthy and growing well, except in a few spots where 

 they were too much crowded. The land retains the mulch of leaves and 

 sticks as they fall. 



Three miles west of Greenville, Montcalm county, there is a piece of 

 land which is sandy or with some gravel mixed and some streaks of red 

 clay with the gravel all naturally well drained. It is not strong land for 

 producing the best of corn or wheat. I recently examined over an acre 

 of this land where Henry Satterlee and his son James in 1865, thirty- 

 five years ago, planted two year old chestnut trees which they started 

 from the nuts. There were eight or ten black walnuts and as many 

 butter nuts set at the same time adjoining the chestnuts. The trees were 

 not set in rows, but scattered about from sixteen to twenty-five feet 

 apart, — sixty-five chestnut trees on an acre and a quarter of land. There 

 are sixty trees still living. They were cultivated with hoed crops for 

 about ten yenrs and then left to open pasture, where ihe wind blew the 

 dead leaves oil' the ground. Xo other tree or shrubs were ])lanted among 

 the chestnuts, nor ^ere they crowded in their early growth to induce them 

 to grow tall and destitute of lower limbs. At present some of the large 

 lower limbs are dying, ns the trees are now crowding, but the very im- 

 portant question as to health and rapidity of growth continuing long 

 enough to grow good telephone poles on that farm is already solved, 

 although there isn't a tree there suitable for a telephone pole. 



Michigan has terns of thousands of acres and more of sucli Innd in the 



