42 STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



To State Normal College, 8 Aquatic Plants. 



To seed Laboratory and Bureau of Plant Industry (F. H. Hillman), 27 

 lots of seeds of weeds. 



Thanks are tendered Professor J. B. Dandeno and Instructor B. O. 

 Longyear for faithful services during the past year. 



W. J. BEAL, 

 Professor of Botany. 

 Agricultural College, Mich. 

 June 30, 1903. 



REPORT OF FORESTRY DEPARTMENT. 



To the President: 



I have the honor to submit herewith the first annual report of the 

 Department of Forestry for the year ending June 30, 1903. 



My connection with the Michigan Agricultural College began Septem- 

 ber 1, 1902. On that day I studied the attempt that nature is making 

 to restock the cut-over areas around Grayling, Crawford County. The 

 next day the acre plantation of treeis belonging to the Experiment 

 Station at that place was studied. Of the 50 species of native and for- 

 eign trees planted there by the Botanical Department in 1888, the native 

 White and Norway Pine give the best promise of success. Many of them 

 are now 14 to 16 feet high and thrifty. On the same piece of 80 acres 

 is abundant opportunity for further trial and such should be made as 

 soon as possible. 



On November 17, 1902, the State Board of Agriculture placed in the 

 hands of the Professor of Forestry the woodlots and wood lands belong- 

 ing to the College. At the same time with the approval of the Director 

 of the Experiment Station three acres, a portion of field number six, 

 were set aside to be used as as a forest nursery making a total of nearly 

 200 acres under the charge of this department or nearly one-third of the 

 whole farm. The remaining areas aside from the forestry nursery plot 

 have been sufficiently described in the report of the State Board for 

 1895, page 35. 



At the time of my arrival the pinetum was in a flourishing condition 

 making a height growth of from two to three fete the sixth year after 

 planting. A small plantation of deciduous and evergreen trees north of 

 the pinetum had been started in the spring of 1902 under unfavorable 

 soil conditions. Nevertheless^ it was doing fairly well. This has since 

 been improved and some of the small trees replaced with more valuable 

 sorts. All the valuable timber was removed from the farm some 10 or 

 15 years ago so that only fuel material is left. Many of the beech and 

 maple trees that had been left had been marked for cutting into fuel. 



It is desired to convert the piece of 55.5 acres back of field number 

 seven into an arboretum as fast as practicable. Planting with this 

 object in view has already begun. Some improvement cuttings hare 

 been made in this piece. 



