194 



pend.s upon tlie quality and character of the soil, niioii the water level of the 

 soil, upon the climate, exposure, topography and a host of other factors, 

 that what might be good practice upon one tract would be bad practice 

 upon another possibly but slightly removed. All of which means that 

 deductions drawn from the study of a single area cannot be safely applied 

 over the area of a state. Concretely, the deductions draw^n from the ex- 

 perimental studies at the Forest Reservation are applicable only to like 

 areas, that is to those with similar escological conditions. Tliey are not ap- 

 plicable to the conditions prevailing in the central counties and are of lit- 

 tle significance so far as the sand-dune regions of the state are concerned. 

 So much depends upon the soil character as regards the health and vigor 

 and rapidity of growth of the tree that it must alwajs be taken into ac- 

 count. In an area such as Indiana, cb'vation and climate ar(> so nearly 

 uniform as to be negligiltlc. but the soil is in different case. As each spe- 

 cies has its ojjtimum soil any constructive forest policy will provide for 

 demonstration areas so located as to reincsoiit cver.v type of soil found in 

 the state. l'hi< would involve the purchase of land unless ;irrangements 

 could be made to utilize some of the holdings of properly located state in- 

 stit\itions. TliMt the ac(iuisition of land li.\ the state for forcstal ]nu-pose is 

 regarded as sound economic policy is i)lainly shown l»y the lai'ge and con- 

 .stantly inci-easing area of such holdings in Xew York. Pennsylvania, Michi- 

 gan. .Minnesota, .ind other states. The tracts need nnt be large for the 

 acconii»lishment of the desired i)\n'pose, .so that the entire amoinit required 

 would piobably not exceed L'(K) or .'JOO acres. For the success of such work 

 absolute control oi" rhe tracts <liould be vested in the State I'.oard of 

 Forestry, .-i l.iit wliicji niake.s purchase more desirabh; than a use by suf- 

 ferance of liic lands of state institutions. An attempt to cariT out the 

 su.ggestion ot former (xoveriuir .Marsh.-ill that such demonstration plats 

 should be operated upon connty farms showed the extreme dilticulties at- 

 tending' the vcr.v (irst stef's in sni-b ioint conti-nl. 



If we considei' the prnblem of the I'ccovering of denuded and waste 

 areas the necessity of the expert field agent becomes niore ai)parent. What 

 to plant in any given locality is a problem involving a very wide range of 

 factors running from silvical reciuirements to economic conditions. Yet a 

 consideration of all of these factors is absolutely essential if the work 

 proves at all profitable. From the merely silvical standpoint it is per- 

 haps imtural to infer that the species that have grown upon any given 

 ai'ea. having ))roved their fitness for the particular locality, are the ones 



