64 THE WHITE PINK. 



to the percentage of fjeriiiiiiatioii. In ordinary coUoftin^ the percentage of germinating seeds 

 may not exceed 7."» per cent, and, as is indicated in the di.scussion on seed supply ([lage li.'J), it may 

 fall far below this figure in some years. Even if liO,OOl) to 2."»,000 seeds should germinate per 

 pound, it would not be safe to count on more tliaii '>,(»») to S.diio seedlings that will grow to use, 

 and in the transplanting to nursery rows an allowance of at least '> to l(t per cent should be made 

 for losses, so that to secure l(t,(H)0 transplants at least 14 iiounds of seed is needed, to secure 

 which it nuiy take from -I to 4 bushels of cones. 



Close planting is indicated on account of the ditViculty with which this j>iiie cleans itself of its 

 branches. It should be planted not more than 4 feet apart or, preferably, set out in mixture with 

 a shady, slower growing <()nipanion, the lUack S[>ruce (Pkcn. ni(/n() being an ideal choice within 

 its habitat, and of broad-leafed trees the Sugar .Mai)le {Acer xacckt(rini(m), which, for the sake of 

 economy, may be sown between the wider spaced (.S feet or more) plants of White Pine. The 

 ndxtiirc should not stop here, but other kinds chosen with circumspection from the nmny that are 

 found associated with the White I'ine in its natural habitat should be added, as Chestnut, Yellow, 

 and l!ed IJirch, Basswood, Hickories, and Oaks, and of conifers, the Ked J'ine, llendock, and 

 occasiomilly in some localities Arborvita'. 



Dr. Pernow has for some time (since 1887) advocated a method of forest jilanting in wliidi tlie 

 main or "tinal harvest croi>'' is distinguished from the mere '-nurse crop" or "filler," wlien only 

 oOO or (JOO trees per acre, or even less, of the better kinds are set out with care as the main crop, 

 receiving due attention in their further development, and the nurse crop is introduced of the 

 cheapest kinds and in the <"lieapest manner to act as soil cover to check weed growth and stimu- 

 late height growth, straight form, and cleaning of the main crop. The White Pine would, of 

 course, be a most excellent main croi). 



By the fiftieth year or so the pines, if set out at the rate of oOO, will have overtopjied the 

 uurse croi), except wliere trees of the latter have taken the place of a failing pine, and their 

 crowns will Lave closed up, their boles straight and clean, furnishing clear lumber, if the nurse 

 crop was properly chosen and has done its duty. The further management then would concern 

 itself mostly with gradual thinning out of the main crop to secure the diameter accretion due to 

 inci"eased crown development and light. I!y the one hnndiedth year it will be reasonable 

 to expect at least half the trees set out to have reached their highest value in maturity and size, 

 with l.-jjOOO to 20,(M)0 cubic feet to the acre, for the White Pine is not only a rapid grower, but a 

 large producer, its shade endurance permitting as large a number of trees to develop satisfactorily 

 per acre as tlie .Spruce, which it outgrows in height and diameter. 



While planting nursery-grown seedlings as a rule furnishes better results, sowing the seeds 

 into permanent sites may, under ceitain conditions, especially on soils not too prone to weed growth 

 and in tlie more humid climate of the Northeastern .States, prove satistactory and cheaper. 



Various methods can be employed according to circumstances. On light soils sowing broad- 

 cast on snow may furnish satisfactory results; on heavier soils ])rei)aration of the ground to receive 

 the seed will iirove indispensable. This may be done by plowing furrows or by hoeing plats of li 

 or 3 feet srpiare (the larger size where overgrowing by brushwood is to be feared) and sowing into 

 these iu drills or broadcast. Dr. Fernow devised sikjIi a method for reclothing cut-over lands on 

 slopes in Pennsylvania grown up with brush, where it would be too exi)ciisive to prepare the entire 

 ground. Here the plats were made larger, 4 or even G feet S([uare, and into these not only jiines were 

 either planted or sown but also a nurse crop surrounding the pines, expectation being that this 

 nurse croi) will protect the pines against the encroachment of the surronnding brush growth until 

 the i)ines are tall enough to light their own battle and finally kill out the Ijrush. A fuller descrip- 

 tiou of these iilantings is to be found in Bulletin 17, "Check list of the forest trees of the United 

 States," etc., of the Division of Forestry. 



PLANTING NOTES. 



The following notes on planted groves, their condition, growth, and results are given a place 

 here as recording individual experiences in various parts of the country, without intending to 

 recommend the practices of the planters, which, from the forester's jwiutof view, are faulty in some 

 directions, especially in the oi)en stand, which is advocated: 



In Eastern Massachusetts, i>articiilarlv in Plymoutli and Bristol cnanties, there are nnmcrons small Uorlics of 

 White Pine that were si-t out I'roiii forty to titty years ago, and whose rapid growth and healthy conditions show that 



