REFORESTATION OF WASTE LANDS. 427 



a. If plenty of young- healthy seedling's of valuable species are 

 found growing on part of the area to be acquired. Every 1,000 seed- 

 lings thus found will save an expense of about $2.25. 



b. If part of the land is of so good a quality that less 'than 5,000 

 seedlings per acre will be deemed sufficient for the formation of a 

 forest. 



c. If cheap labor (children) can [be used for'part'of ^the nursery 

 work and for part of the planters' work. At Biltmore the clefts in 

 which the roots of the seedlings are imbedded are made by men, 

 whilst the plants are inserted into the clefts by boys. Even on steep 

 slopes and on clay soil, one man and one boy will plant 1,800 plants 

 per day. 



d. If the lumber prices and the facilities for transporting logs and 

 lumber are increased in the course of the years. A change of con- 

 ditions in that direction will also allow of a larger output of lumber, 

 as logs having a diameter of less than 8 inches at the small end will 

 be utilized to good advantage if the prices of logs and lumber are 

 higher and if the freight charges are lower. 



Under these circumstances the yield from thinnings will become 

 valuable as well, especially in the better soil classes. 



I consider the subject of reforesting waste lands in the state of 

 Minnesota of paramount importance for the commonwealth for rea- 

 sons which I need not explain to you. 



ORCHARD LOCATION. 



F. W. KIMBALL, AUSTIN. 



I feel that it is desirable to put before as many as possible the 

 features preferable in an apple orchard location. Many may be set- 

 ting trees for the first time soon, and while I feel that all owners of 

 land should set some, no matter what their location be, yet, I doubt 

 not, many may set in a poor location while having better, owing to 

 the fact that they have an idea that the failures have come largely 

 from extreme cold, and think that if they have a good growth of tim- 

 ber on the north, east or west and open on the south, so the sun can 

 lay in most of the day, that they have an ideal location, especially 

 if the ground is sloping strongly to the south. So thought many 

 of our best horticulturists previous to 1884 5. Observation has 

 taught that the most successful orchards are those lying on a hill, 

 sloping strongly to the northeast, in fact, the stronger the slope the 

 better; and not so sheltered on any side as to prevent a free move- 

 ment of air, except it be on the south. If on that side there is a 

 strong protection to break the hot winds of summer and fall all the 

 better. If a person has a choice of such locations, then let the soil 

 determine. Let the tree have good soil, with good drainage, yet a 

 subsoil that is retentive of moisture and on the slope mentioned; 

 and especially if the surrounding country is considerable lower, then 

 he has pretty nearly an ideal location. The further it is removed 

 from this ideal the harder it will be for him to raise apples, but, as I 

 said, set some, let the location be what it may. 



