FOREST EXTENSION IN THE MIDDLE WEST. 153 



Middle West. Since the profits of timber growing have become man- 

 ifest, people have become imbued with the tree-planting spirit. There 

 will be more trees planted in the spring of 1901 than have ever been 

 planted before in a single year, but the number to be planted will fall 

 short of the number required. If 500,000 acres of timber should be 

 planted annually, well distributed throughout the Middle West, the 

 production would yet be inadequate to meet the requirements of the 

 country, and the planters could still hope for liberal profits. Ulti- 

 mately this figure will no doubt be reached. 



METHODS OF PROCEDURE. 



PLANTATIONS ALREADY ESTABLISHED. 



The area of planted timber in the Middle West aggregates many 

 hundred thousand acres. Some of this timber is on the decline, some 

 at its best, and some growing into greater value each year. To the 

 last class belong most of the plantations made for profit. Notable 

 among these are the large Catalpa plantations of central and eastern 

 Kansas. 



Nearly all of these plantations were established and maintained at 

 first by careful and businesslike methods in the hands of skillful men. 

 Such methods were continued three or four years, and, the young 

 forests well established, the owners thought the battle won and 

 remitted their attentions. The time came for thinning, but it was not 

 done. The trees struggled with one another, and some of the most 

 vigorous managed to thin for themselves by killing their neighbors, 

 but at a great expense to their own growth and vitality. This is true of 

 several of the well-known plantations. They need judicious thinning 

 under the immediate direction of one who fully understands forest 

 operations. Their management from this time on may make a differ- 

 ence of thousands of dollars in their returns. It would be an act of 

 wisdom on the part of the owners to seek the advice of practical for- 

 esters in the future management of these plantations. 



A large number of plantations have been established within the last 

 three years. From these, excellent returns may be expected, for 

 in almost every case they are in the hands of men who appreciate their 

 importance and know how to manage them properly for the object in 

 view. 



Within the last year nearly one hundred plantations have been estab- 

 lished in cooperation with the Division of Forestry under its plan of 

 practical assistance to tree planters. In each case an expert of the 

 Division has made an examination of the land, and, after consulting 

 the owner on the objects to be attained, has prepared a plan for the 

 establishment and management of the plantation. Profit has not been 

 the sole object in all cases, but it is a leading feature in nearly all. 

 The Division will direct the management of these plantations from 



