Natural Reproduction in the Adirondack Forests. 55 



plant them into the forest. That this is practicable and can be 

 done at little expense is shown by a plantation of half a million 

 trees, made last spring, in the Adirondack mountains, near Lake 

 Clear Junction, by the New York State Forest, Fish and Game 

 Commission. Over seven hundred acres of land was planted. 

 The total cost, including the purchase of the plant material, was 

 only $2,500, or half a cent a tree. 



It is diflScult to give a definite statement of cost per acre. The 

 area planted contains marshy places, ledges of rock, logs, stumps, 

 and large bowlders. The more of these, the less, of course, was 

 the cost per acre, as such places had to be skipped in the planting. 

 No two large areas will have the same topography. Any other 

 area of 700 acres would differ considerably from the tract planted, 

 and hence would differ in cost per acre of planting. Perhaps the 

 fairest way to treat the matter is to give the cost per tree, which, 

 as stated above, was half a cent. 



It should be stated, however, that this exceedingly low cost is 

 largely due to the fact that the College of Forestry furnished the 

 plant material at less than cost price. Credit is also due the Col- 

 lege for being the first to attempt such planting into the brush 

 and to demonstrate its silvicultural success. At Axton, where it 

 planted four years ago in the slash, and at Foresters where, three 

 years ago, a plantation was made in the lumbered forest, it is 

 estimated that 80 per cent, of the plants are still alive. 



The choice of land made by the Commission evades the diffi- 

 culty of removing the hardwoods, as their planting is done on 

 burned lands, of which there are 60,000 acres in the Adirondack 

 Park. Every state has, no doubt, similar areas which afford an 

 excellent opportunity for planting. 



A. Knechtei,. 



