FOREST PLANTING. 15 



HOW TO ESTABLISH A FOREST. 



As every item of cost in growing a forest must be carried as 

 an investment at compound interest until the timber is mature, 

 it is important to save every possible expense. 



Sowing Seed. The lowest initial cost is found when seeds 

 are sown on the ground, yet neither that method nor planting 

 the seeds in prepared spots gives good results. Birds, mice, dry 

 weather and many adverse influences make it advisable to start 

 with sturdy young trees. 



Best to Plant Small Trees. These may be grown in a home 

 nursery or bought. Unless the quantity wanted is great, the 

 latter is the better plan and as cheap in the long run. Ever- 

 greens, in particular, require much skill to grow successfully. 



Preparing the Ground. Though trees undoubtedly grow bet- 

 ter when planted in worked and fertilized soil, the practice is to 

 omit everything of the kind on account of its cost. If the ground 

 is very weedy or covered with brush, it may be mowed and 

 burned over; that is all. 



Size of trees. There is no economy in large trees; the only 

 advantage they possess is that the plantation shows sooner. On 

 the other hand, very small trees are handicapped by the weeds. 

 A safe rule is to use plants about a foot high. Deciduous species 

 may be larger, evergreens smaller. Of the latter those that 

 have been transplanted are stronger and better rooted than 

 seedlings and are to be preferred unless the cost is too great. See 

 Fig. 2. 



How to Order Trees. If the number needed is not over five 

 thousand, buy trees of the size required for planting and have 

 them delivered at the time they are to be set. If the quantity 

 is large, it may pay to get small seedlings and cultivate them for 

 a year or two in a nursery (see p. 21). The latter plan has the 

 further advantages that it produces strong, sturdy trees, and insures 

 their being on the ground exactly when they are wanted. 



How to Handle Trees Before They Are Planted. When a tree 

 is out of the ground its roots must never become dry. It is es- 

 pecially important to guard evergreens since the foliage is active 

 at all times and the draft upon the root moisture therefore con- 



