SOME DESIRABLE FORESTRY EXPERIMENTS. 329 
and makes fully as good growth as the white spruce, which is a much more 
rapid grower than the black spruce. I would suggest that, since the Norway 
spruce has done so very well on the upland of this state for ornamental 
planting, it be tried on a large scale for the growing of spruce for paper 
pulp, for which its wood is well adapted. This spruce has distinct advantages 
ever white or black spruce. It grows fully as rapidly as white spruce and 
produces a large amount of seed, which is a common article of commerce 
and can be easily obtained in large quantities. It has been asserted by some 
European foresters that the Norway spruce is not adapted to the dry 
climate of Minnesota. This is undoubtedly an error, since it is found 
growing commonly in the older sections of our state. It is a tree that is 
very easily raised from seed and is found to reproduce itself easily and 
surely where it is grown in Europe. 
The red spruce of Maine is largely depended on there for the large 
paper mills, and some of these mill corporations have undertaken to manage 
their spruce lands in a systematic way. This tree is scarcely, if at all, found 
in this section, and yet it seems probable that it is adapted to our condi- 
tions. Any way it is sufficiently promising to make it very desirable to have 
a good fair trial of it made here. The increased attention which is being 
paid to the manufacture of paper pulp in this section is due largely to the 
fact that the spruce supplies of the eastern states are fast being worked to 
their fullest extent, and also to the great and increasing demand for paper 
in this section and the states west of us, which makes it important, it seems 
to me, that careful experiments be made to determine the possibilities of 
establishing this industry upon a permanent basis. It seems to me probable 
that on account of the small size of the spruce in this state which are being 
used for paper pulp it will not be many years before the supply will be 
exhausted, and it is important that experiments be undertaken at this time 
along this line in order that they may be of the greatest value to this state 
and section when their results are most needed. 
Prof. Hansen: In thirty years it ought to be two feet in 
diameter. 
Prof. Green: I believe there is a large area of land in this state 
where the Norway spruce could be grown to good advantage. If 
we depend on our black spruce, and they are cutting it as small as 
four inches in diameter, I do not believe the spruce paper pulp in- 
dustry is liable to last long in this state. I believe that we ought 
to experiment in raising spruce in the northeastern part of the state. 
Prof. Hays: What is the proper size to grow pines to? 
Prof. Green: If we were going to live forever I would say grow 
them to maturity. Prof. Schenck seemed to be much surprised, 
very much so, in fact, that people here could not see that young 
trees on land are not worth something. In one hundred years there 
would be, let us say, fifty thousand feet of lumber to the acre, worth 
$200.00, clear money. If it is worth that much at that time, having 
ten years start at that point, then it is worth just one-tenth at the 
end of the first year less compound interest at 3 per cent for 99 
