FORESTRY AND CONSERVATION 347 



make money from continued wood crops, use value and forest value 

 must both be considered in the selection of materials for forest 

 planting. Mutual relationship of different species, with reference 

 especially to their relative height growth and their relative light re- 

 requirements, must be considered in starting a mixed plantation. 



Mixed forest plantations (made of several kinds} have so many 

 advantages over pure plantations (made of one kind) that they 

 should be preferred, except for very particular reasons. Mixed 

 plantations are capable of producing larger quantities of better and 

 more varied material, preserve soil conditions better, are less liable 

 to damage from winds, fires, and insects, and can be more readily 

 reproduced. 



The following general rules should guide in making up the 

 composition of a mixed plantation: a. Shade-enduring kinds 

 should form the bulk (five eighths to seven eighths) of the planta- 

 tion, except on specially favored soils where no deterioration is to be 

 feared from planting only light-needing kinds, and in which case 

 these may even be planted by themselves. 6. The light-needing 

 trees should be surrounded by shade-enduring of slower growth, 

 so that the former may not be overtopped, but have the necessary 

 light and be forced by side shade to straight growth, c. Shade- 

 enduring species may be grown in admixture with each other when 

 their rate of height growth is about equal, or when the slower-growing 

 kind can be protected against the quicker-growing (for instance, by 

 planting a larger proportion of the former in groups or by cutting 

 back the latter), d. The more valuable timber trees which are to 

 form the main crop should be so disposed individually, and planted 

 in such numbers among the secondary crop or nurse crop, that the 

 latter can be thinned out first without disturbing the former. 



Where a plantation of light-foliaged trees has been made (black 

 walnut, for instance), it can be greatly improved by "underplanting" 

 densely with a shade-enduring kind, which will choke out weed 

 growth, improve the soil, and thereby advance the growth of the 

 plantation. The selection and proper combination of species 

 with references to this mutual relationship to each other and to 

 the soil are the most important elements of success. 



Availability of the species also still needs consideration in this 

 country ^ for, although a species may be very well adapted to the 

 purpose in hand, it may be too difficult to obtain material for plant- 

 ing in quantity or at reasonable prices. While the beech is one of 

 the best species for shade endurance, and hence for soil cover, seed- 

 lings can not be had as yet in quantity. Western conifers, although 

 promising good material for forest planting, are at present too high 

 priced for general use. Some eastern trees can be secured readily 

 either their seed or seedlings from the native woods; others must 

 be grown in nurseries before they can be placed in the field. 



Whether to procure seeds or plants, and if the latter, what kind, 

 depends upon a number of considerations. The main crop, that 

 which is to furnish the better timber, had best be planted with nur- 

 sery-grown plants, if of slow-growing kinds, perhaps once trans- 



