FARMERS' INSTITUTES. 77 



THE FOREST PLANTATION. 



BY CHARLES A. DAV1S_, INSTRUCTOR IN FORESTRY,, UNIVERSITY OF IMICHIGAN. 



At the outset, it may be well to say that, so far as Michigan condi- 

 tions are concerned, we have practically no experimental knowledge 

 upon which to base conclusions as to the value of forest plautations. 

 because there are no plantations in the State which are on a sufficiently 

 large scale to merit the name "forest plantation." It is true that a few 

 small plantations of forest trees have been made in various parts of the 

 State, notably upon the grounds of the Agricultural College, both at Lan- 

 sing and at Grayling, by Hon. Charles W. Garfield, at Grand Rapids, 

 and by several other people who have been interested in various phases 

 of forestry work. These plantations are, however, mainly very small 

 and while the results obtained in them have much that is of interest and 

 value, they give us but litttle light upon what may be expected in a 

 larger way from the point of view which is of most interest to all of us, 

 namely, the financial one. We know, however, that such plantations 

 have been very successful in other states, and we also know that trees 

 will grow in Michigan in much the same way that they do in adjacent 

 states, or even better, for there were no finer forests in the eastern part 

 of the continent than those which have vanished before the hand of 

 the lumberman and homesteader in Michigan; so we may safely infer 

 that we can grow forest trees in large plantations with a fair degree of 

 profit, since this is done in other states where conditions are similar to 

 our own. 



Having decided upon making a forest plantation, the first matter 

 which should be thought out is not "what to plant." or "where," or 

 "how," but "what for?" That is, we must decide in adrauce what our 

 market -is likely to be. It would be practically useless to plan, for 

 instance, for a plantation to furnish firewood in a region where there is 

 a sparse population, and where there are still large tracts of natural for- 

 est growth, which are yet capable of fully meeting all the requirements 

 of the community for many years to come. On the other hand, it would 

 be folly to plan for the production of a timber forest, which would re- 

 quire a long time to develop, in a community where the population was 

 increasing rapidly in density and where towns were being built up, for 

 much quicker and larger returns could be had here by planning for a crop 

 of firewood for which there is always a demand in such communities and 

 in the harvesting of which there is the least possible waste. Again, 

 the consideration may be as to whether the plantation is to be used to 

 supply the needs of the farm, to furnish poles, posts and other small 

 stuff in considerable variety, calling for a number of different kinds of 

 trees. In some sections posts for grape vines should be in great de- 

 mand, in others, poles for hoops, props for coal mines, and, in still 

 others, because of their remoteness, only timber for the general market 

 would be expected to find ready sale. 



