86 PRINCIPLES OF AMERICAN FORESTRY. 



of the scrubby appearance of many Scotch Pine planta- 

 tions in this country. 



Trees Have a Strong Tendency to Perpetuate Qualities 



which have been developed in them by climate and soil 

 conditions. Hence, even though an essential point in 

 considering the value of any tree is its hardiness, the 

 question of size is important and should be taken into 

 account, as we generally wish to grow trees of as large 

 size as practicable. We may conclude, then, that since 

 trees from a very mild climate generally lack in hardiness, 

 and those from a very severe climate may lack in size, 

 it is best to procure seeds from the best trees grown near 

 by or from those grown under similar climatic conditions 

 elsewhere. It is not generally necessary to limit this 

 range very closely, as a hundred miles north or south of 

 a given point will seldom make much difference in hardi- 

 ness, unless the climatic conditions are very dissimilar. 



The Place Where the Trees that we are to Set Out are 

 Grown is not of so great importance as the source of the 

 seeds from which they are grown; e.g.. seedlings of Red 

 Cedar grown in Missouri from seeds of native Minnesota 

 trees would be safer to plant at the extreme North than 

 seedlings raised in Minnesota from the seeds of native 

 Missouri trees. 



Seedling Variations. In our common trees variations 

 are not sufficiently marked but that we think of the trees 

 as coming true from seeds, and yet careful observation 

 will show to any one that each seedling plant is different 

 from neighboring plants of the same species. Some- 

 times a seedling will occur that possesses especially pleas- 

 ing or curious characteristics that are very marked and 

 desirable. In such cases the seedling is generally prop- 

 agated by some method of bud-division and makes a 

 new variety. In this way have originated such highly 

 esteemed kinds as Wier's Cut-leaf Maple, which was a 



