11 



fore be exercised in felling trees. Stumps resist decay longest when 

 cut with a slant to prevent the collection of moisture. After groves 

 have been cut for fuel several times at short intervals they thin out 

 and decrease in rate of growth and yield. When this point is reached 

 it will be more profitable to replant than to reproduce the stand fur- 

 ther by sprout growth. 



COST OP PLANTING AND RETURNS. 



The benefits secured from windbreaks usually warrant their plant- 

 ing without special consideration of cost. Commercial plantations, 

 however, should be established at the lowest possible cost, in order 

 to secure the largest possible balance of profit when they are exploited. 

 When plant material is purchased from dealers, the total cost of set- 

 ing out plantations and of cultivating them for two years will average 

 from $25 to $30 per acre. However, the cost of planting large areas 

 with stock grown in a well-managed home nursery should not exceed 

 $15 or $20 per acre. Careful management will reduce the planting 

 cost, but it is poor economy to save at the expense of necessary care 

 and cultivation. After the first two years the only cost of a planta- 

 tion beyond the rental value of the land will be the cost of protection. 



Returns may be had*from blue gum plantations in from four to six 

 years if they are cut for fuel wood. Merchantable saw timber may 

 be produced in from twenty to thirty years. 



Under favorable conditions seedling groves yield, on the average, 

 from 35 to 45 cords of fuel wood per acre in eight or nine years. Fuel 

 wood should, however, be produced from sprout groves rather than 

 from seedling groves, because sprout stands grow more rapidly. In 

 five years they yield from 30 to 50 cords per acre, and in six years 

 from 40 to 60 cords. The New England cord of 128 cubic feet is 

 here referred to, but a short cord of 96 cubic feet is used in California, 

 and to change the yield mentioned into California cords the amount 

 should be increased one-third. 



Fuel brings about $3 per cord on the stump. The average cost of 

 cord wood manufacture is from $2 to $3, and the price of seasoned 

 cord wood varies from $5 to $15 per cord in different markets. Fuel- 

 wood groves may be cut from two to four times at intervals of from 

 four to eight years. After the first cutting the net returns from the 

 tree crop will be greater, because an expenditure for planting and 

 cultivation will not be required. Under average conditions seedling 

 groves reach their maximum yield of fuel wood between the eighth 

 and tenth years of growth, while sprout groves reach this period by 

 the fifth or sixth year. The year when they should be cut is thus 

 indicated. Blue gum seedling groves reach their maximum yield 

 of saw timber between the thirtieth and fortieth years of growth. A 



[Cir. 59] 



