STATE FOREST POLICY IN AMERICA. 45 



of which now supports only scattered patches of fully stocked 

 forests. The remainder has only sparse or inferior growth, or 

 consists of waste land. 



Efforts to encourage forest planting began about twenty 

 years ago. The first method adopted was the establishment 

 of state forest nurseries, from which trees were distributed to 

 landowners at a fraction of the cost of raising them. Some- 

 times special inducements in the form of tax rebates were 

 offered, but these have been generally abandoned. The state 

 nurseries have been continued and increased in size, but the 

 trees are no longer sold below cost. It has been found that 

 such small inducements are not substantial, and do not lead 

 to planting on any large scale. 



The chief purpose of maintaining state nurseries is to en- 

 courage planting by the prestige of the state furnishing trees 

 and carrying on educational and experimental work in planting. 

 So far the planting of cut-over and waste land has not been 

 done on a large scale by many large private owners. Farmers 

 and small landowners, whose investment is small and not often 

 a cash charge, have done more planting than any other class. 

 Owners of summer estates have shown an interest in planting 

 as a means of increasing the value of their properties, and offer- 

 ing a form of investment which requires little care during their 

 absence. Municipal water companies and a few other corpora- 

 tions obliged to own considerable land have begun planting, 

 in some cases rather extensively. A few lumber companies 

 have started to reforest their cut-over lands. There is a grow- 

 ing interest in planting among all landowners, but in America 

 the price of natural growth is still relatively low, and long-time 

 investments such as planting offers are not attractive. Forest 

 planting will not for many years become the common practice 

 as it is in Scotland, and it is inconceivable that private enter- 

 prise there will engage in afforestation at a sufificiently early 

 period to maintain an adequate timber supply. 



Several states have endeavoured to educate private owners 

 in planting by establishing numerous small demonstration 

 plantations in different localities. In Massachusetts and New 

 Hampshire this is being done in a unique way. These states, 

 through their forestry departments, are authorised to accept 

 deeds of cut-over or waste non-agricultural land. The state 

 then plants the land and cares for the plantation. No purchase 



