A PLEA FOR ABOLISHING THE DUTY ON EVER- 

 GREEN SEEDLINGS FOR FOREST PLANTING. 



Eujcott D. Curtis. 



Forest planting at the present time in the United States is con- 

 fined almost entirely to lands unsuited for agricultural purposes, 

 and especially to lands which have been abandoned as farm lands 

 and are now growing up to brush. This type of land is extensive 

 in all the states in, and east of, the Appalachian Mountains. 

 Almost every farm of any size in these states includes a certain 

 amount of this sort of land. 



The plants used for re-foresting are almost entirely evergreens, 

 and the sizes which have been found most suitable are two-year- 

 old seedlings and three year-year-old transplants. One year old 

 trees are hardly ever large enough for planting out, and four- 

 year transplants have too slight an advantage over the three-year- 

 old trees to justify their use, except in special cases. 



The most approved method in New York and New England 

 is to plant these trees at the rate of about five by six feet, making 

 nearly 1,500 trees to each acre. The labor cost of setting out 

 trees of this kind under favorable circumstances, is about $2.25 

 per acre. The largest item in the cost of reforesting is, therefore, 

 the cost of the trees. In general, it may be said that experience 

 in New York and New England proves that two-year seedlings 

 can be used for this purpose when they do not have to be shipped 

 far, but in general, three-year-old transplanted trees are much 

 better and are well worth the additional cost. 



With two-year seedlings there will be a larger proportion of 

 re-planting necessary, which will increase the labor cost consid- 

 erably, while with transplanted trees the loss should not be 

 greater than 10%, which will make no material difference in the 

 future forest. 



I have prepared the following table showing the cost of trees 

 both in Germany and in this country, together with the cost of 

 importing, and the per cent, of duty at the present rate. 



The prices given below are per thousand trees. 



