o02 JOURNAL OF FORESTRY 



trees actually make their growth. During the past season this involved 

 the daily measurement of about 200 trees, and in special cases they 

 were measured twice in a day. The results of this study will be pub- 

 lished and will throw much light on the subject of the best time to 

 plant. The ultimate findings will be co-ordinate with an extensive 

 experiment on fall planting now in progress. The foregoing study, 

 amplified with observations on other State forests, proved that Euro- 

 pean larch leafs out early, but its shoots do not elongate until late ; 

 hence, if late frost injury does occur, it takes the form of temporary 

 defoliation and not decapitation of shoots. 



Furthermore, European larch is attacked severely by a large number 

 of insects and fungi, suffers heavily from forest fires, demands much 

 growing space, and is generally difficult to handle in the forest. I feel 

 that it can be dispensed with, except that it may be used in stocking 

 areas where snow pressure is liable and for reinforcing openings in 

 stands for which it is well fitted on account of its rapid growth. The 

 latter use implies selecting rapid-growing specimens, which is possible, 

 for I liave found that the vigorous specimens in the nursery grow rap- 

 idly in the field and the spindly and dwarf nursery specimens, as a rule, 

 continue to lag behind. 



Scotch pine has been planted on nearly all of the 53 State forests in 

 Pennsylvania. The first plantations were established in 1909, and since 

 then a large number were set out each year. I venture to predict, how- 

 ever, that in a few years the planting of this species will be relatively 

 negligible. The writer, in an article published in the December. 191 7, 

 number of Forest Leaves, set forth at length data concerning the plant- 

 ing of this tree in Pennsylvania and the results of some European in- 

 vestigations pertaining to it. In the concluding paragraph I stated that 

 even though Scotch pine is an important timber tree in Euroi)e, there 

 seems to be no special need for planting it extensively in Pennsylvania 

 for forestry purposes, but it may be advisable to continue the planting 

 of it until we understand the sylvical requirements and jn^eferences of 

 the native pines better. 



The i)lanting of Scotch pine would no doubt have been continued on 

 an extensive scale, because the juvenile development of all the experi- 

 mental ])lantings is satisfactory and in a few cases phenomenal, but 

 through a calamity and a subse(juent comprehensive investigation a 

 superior native species was found. Early in the spring of 1918 almost 

 1,000 mature pitch-pine trees were blown down near Mont Alto. This 

 oitered an unusual opportunity to study the species, and special efiforts 



