FOREST COMMISSIONER'S REPORT. 85 



are straight, exceptions being noted. Trees without special notes 

 are nearly free of imperfections 



The 6-10 and 3-6 inch classes are proportionately more slender 

 and longer bodied than the large trees On most, dead limbs come 

 low down. They are mostly straight Few are badly overcrowded 

 and suppressed. The smallest trees are largely in openings and 

 appear full-crowned and thrifty. From about 2.500 square feet 

 the young growth had been cut out. 



Of the acre here described it is to be said, as all lumbermen will 

 recognize, that it is far better than an average acre of spruce land. 

 It was the best covered acre found alter some search, the intention 

 being to find as near as might be what the ground and climate 

 would produce. 



Concerning the trees scheduled I will remark, what will perhaps 

 be better understood after reading the next four paragraphs, that 

 Nos. 1 and 2 are representative thrifty trees, which have grown 

 steadily and well throughout their lives. No. 3 was badly sup- 

 pressed for 150 years or so, but more recently has grown rather 

 rapidly. No. 4 is seen to have had a somewhat similar history, 

 but when cut at about 250 years of age, was growing as vigorously, 

 both in diameter and height, as either of the others. Nos. 5 and 6 

 were small trees, standing in openings however, and with long full 

 crowns. They are typical trees, though No. 5 has had an unusually 

 rapid growth in height. 



A little study will show how completely these schedules, the 

 form of which was devised by the chief of the national Foresrty 

 Division for the purpose, write the history and character of the 

 trees measured. Note of the external relations of a tree comes 

 first— then the main dimensions of trunk and crown, and a caliper 

 measurement of the stem at every four feet to ascertain volume 

 and taper. The age of the trees is given by count of rings in the 

 butt, and the shrinkage in number between the butt and top of the 

 log tells how many years were consumed in growing that height. 

 If top logs were cut, the growth in height in the later life of the 

 tree is found in the same way. 



Turning for instance to No. 6 of the schedules just given, we 

 find that the stump showed 119 rings, while the top of an 8 foot 

 section showed but seventy-three. That length therefore was 

 grown in thirty-six years, fifty years more were consumed by the 

 young tree in gaining its next sixteen feet, while as shown by 

 column e it is now growing nearly a foot per year. Short-cut 



