THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE OF AMERICA. 



899 



feet, but we got rid of it by spraying with Scaline in 

 May and June. Up to the present this scale has not 

 made its appearance amongst the young forest trees. 

 In these days it does not appear to matter what one 

 plants, there is always some pest to fight against. 



In connection with the above-mentioned planting at 

 4 feet, we have in the more recent cases set out Japan 

 Larch in every third row with the idea that these will 

 be large enough for fence posts and mining props in 

 about tw^enty-five years, thereby at that period reliev- 

 ing the ground of part of the crop, and the remaining 

 pines will have more space at the latter half of their 

 life to develop. In some of the future plantings Nor- 

 way Spruce will be used in a similar manner to the 

 larch, with a view of using them later on as Christ- 

 mas trees. 



As regards tinte of year to plant, of course deciduous 

 species can be moved any time when dormant. In re- 

 spect of evergreens there exists much difference oi 

 opinion as to the best month. In my opinion the ac- 

 tual time is of little consequence so far as almanac date 

 is concerned, as they can be successful!}' moved almost 

 any month during the year, provided they are properly- 

 handled and the planter has all the operations under 

 his direct control throughout the process. The only 

 month in which I have not moved evergreens is Juh'. 

 But for the size generally used by the thousand for 

 forestry work, namely, three-year transplants, April 

 and May, late August and September are the best 

 times, especially if one has to get his stock from a 

 nursery any distance away. The greatest success is 

 when there is a nursery upon the estate ; in fact, this 

 should be considered imperative, especially when 

 planting has to be extended over a series of years. 

 Stock taken direct from one's own nursery and planted 

 at once will make 50 per cent, more growth the first 

 year than that shipped from one outside, all other 

 things being equal. Further, the planting season is 

 greatly extended, and it can be made to fit in with the 

 best weather conditions. Raising one's own trees from 

 seed is interesting and advantageous, especially when 

 many millions are required, but seedlings ma}' be ob- 

 tained from several reliable nurseries where the grow- 

 ing of trees for forestry work is made a specialty, and 

 with two-year seedlings at the above price it is hardlv 

 worth while where comparatively small quantities are 

 required. I am proposing, however, to sow a pound 

 each of white and red pine seed this spring which 

 should produce about 80,000 plants. Our practice has 

 been to fill our nursery with two and three-year seed- 

 lings each spring, using some the following fall and the 

 rest the next spring. The point of first importance is to 

 have stock with good roots ; the size of the to]) is of 

 little consequence compared with that of the roots: 

 root growth must in any case be first made. 



.\s an instance of weather conditions being of more 

 importance than time of year for planting evergreens, 

 and also of what can be done from a home nursery : 

 On December 26. 1911, we planted several hundred 

 four-year-old white pines and about 100 ornamentals, 

 including mahonias, azaleas (three species), magnolias 

 and birch. The only losses were three of the white 

 pines, of which two were killed by mice. There was 

 no frost in the ground, and it was a moist day with a 

 minimum temperature of 42 degs. F. It commenced 

 freezing two days after, and the temperature continued 

 to decrease withotit a break down to 22 dogs, below 

 zero, with only 4 inches of snow. In November, 1912, 

 commencing on the 15th, we planted 16,000 three-vear- 

 old transplants, consisting of white pine, Douglass 

 spruce and larch. -At the time of writing it is ton early 



to speak of the re^ull. Upon the whole, fall planting 

 for almost everything is to my mind the best time, and 

 for the future shall do all that is possible during that 

 season. During the past fall the Forest Ser\ ice plant- 

 ed 1,000,000 trees on the National Forest in Idaho. 



Numerous Sjjrings issue from the lower part of the 

 hill, causing patches of swampy ground upon which 

 we are planting the red alder, Aliins glutinosa, a Eu- 

 ropean tree growing up to 70 feet tall, but which at 

 present is not propagated in this country, so we have 

 to import them from Germany ; two-year-old trees 

 costing, including all charges, 1 cent each. We have 

 planted 20,000 of them and have 15,000 on order for 

 this spring, which will about finish up the swamps. 

 The idea is that these alders will come into use for 

 cigar boxes, which are at present made of red cedar, 

 but the sources of supply of the latter are rapidly be- 

 coming used up, and as the color of the alder wood is 

 the same, there is every reason for believing that it 

 will turn out a profitable crop. They are expected to 

 reach lumbering size in twenty-five or thirty years. 

 The cost' of planting these is very small, being slightly 

 less than two-fifths of 1 cent per tree. 



It may be mentioned in passing that cost accounts 

 are kept in respect of every department upon the es- 

 tate, and of every o])eration within each department. 



Upon the hill, planting cost has naturally been much 

 greater owing to the amount of rock, which makes it 

 imperative to haul up soil for the greater part of it, so 

 that the young trees can get a start. Holes are ex- 

 cavated with pick and shovel 6 inches deep and 1 foot 

 wide; each tree has two or three shovels full of soil 

 placed under and around its roots and covered with 

 the smaller rocks. Here and there are patches where 

 no extra soil is required, but we err upon the side of 

 using too much soil rather than not enough, especially 

 for spring planting, as the ground dries out very rap- 

 idly. In some places the large rocks are moved on 

 one side and pockets made in the rocks large enough 

 to hold half a bushel of soil, in which the plant is set, 

 which is something like growing it in a pot; its roots 

 will find enough food for a year or two while thev are 

 growing down between the rocks to the soil below. 

 As an example of cost, on one block of 10,250 trees, 

 all being three-year-old white pines with the exception 

 of 400 hardwoods, $349 was expended upon the jilant- 

 ing, made up by $199 digging holes, $65 hauling and 

 composting soil, and $85 setting out the trees, being a 

 little over 3 cents each. This is of course a far higher 

 cost than is usually the case with forestry planting 

 upon a large scale, but one can take more pains upon a 

 smaller estate : and, further, we are planting young 

 trees in positions where in ordinary forestry practice 

 they would not be planted at all. 



Tlierc is a portion of the estate which, although too 

 wet for conifers, is not swampy enough for alders : this 

 we purpose using for oaks, and last fall planted aljout 

 two acres with white oak acorns, collected ourselves. 

 A hole 3 inches deep is made with the point of a shovel, 

 three acorns dropped in and the hole trodden in with 

 the foot. This is the most certain method of getting a 

 stand of oaks where there is little or no risk of the 

 acorns being found by squirrels. The root growth 

 from the acorn is always made in the fall, but the 

 shoot never comes up until the spring. Where all 

 three germinate, two of them will be pulled out. The 

 white is tlic most ^■aluab!e of the oaks from the point 

 of view of its timber alone, but its leaves, which re- 

 main on all winter, do not have the brilliant autumn 

 coloring of several others of the genus. 



The after treatment of reforested land consists in: 



