COMMERCIAL FORESTRY 



again at a profit; under the present practice it 

 will require a period of nearly or quite twice as 

 long for similar results. Again, even the cutting 

 clear practice was not so productive of ill results 

 until it came into such common use. When only 

 here and there a tract was cut, the surrounding 

 growth reseeded it ; to-day the reseeding factor, 

 also, is cut, leaving great areas where Nature is 

 unable to assist as formerly. The white pine, 

 for example, will re-establish itself whenever the 

 conditions are favorable. When, as in earlier 

 times, the ill-shaped and limbed specimens con- 

 tained no commercial value, they were allowed 

 to remain standing. These trees make our best 

 seed trees, hence were responsible for reforesting 

 the land with this species. To-day even these 

 seed trees have value. No matter how pronged 

 or crooked, they will make box-boards, pails, 

 tubs, matches, etc., and bring prices of from $14 

 to $ 1 6 a thousand, when delivered The results 

 of this practice are, as we find them, altogether 

 too common. Portable mills are operating at the 

 present on wood lots that in earlier times could 

 not be used commercially. Where the diameters 

 of trees were thought of in terms of feet, we have 

 simply changed the feet to inches for present 

 practical usage. The commercial pine tree of 

 to-day hardly reaches the seed-producing age 

 before it is harvested. 



What is true of white pine is equally true of 

 many other of our forest trees. Our pulp com- 

 panies chew up practically everything of the spruce 

 and even balsam fir, which a few years ago was 

 considered practically worthless, but which at 

 present is of equal value in limited amounts. 

 Hemlock was little thought of for joists and gen- 

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