FOREST PLANTING IN THE EASTERN UNITED STATES. 5 



the United States were made in New England. One of the earliest 

 plantations of which there is record was set out in 1819 near Chelms- 

 ford, Mass., when the Rev. J. L. Russell transplanted a large number 

 of pitch-pine seedlings from a field he wished to cultivate to a stretch 

 of barren drift sand. In 20 years ne had a fine stand of pine from 

 6 to 8 inches in diameter. In 1820 Zacharias Allen planted about 

 40 acres of waste land at Smithfield, R. I., with oak, hickory, and 

 locust. A careful account of all expenditures and receipts was kept, 

 and at the end of 57 years the books showed a profit of 6.92 per cent 

 on the capital invested. 



Present-day conditions in New England well illustrate the prin- 

 ciple that in older communities the size of the farm reflects the poten- 

 tial value of the soil for agricultural crops. The poorer the soil the 

 larger will be the individual farm and the less intensive the culti- 

 vation. Thus in the period between 1850 and 1910 the size of the 

 average farm in Maine increased from 97.2 to 104.9 acres; in Vermont, 

 from 138.6 to 142.6 acres; and in New Hampshire, from 116 to 120.1 

 acres; while during the same period the average farm in Ohio 

 decreased from 125 to 88.6 acres; in Indiana, from 136.2 to 98.8 

 acres; and in Illinois, from 158 to 129.1 acres. 



In the States with the poorer soils, as indicated by the increasing 

 size of the average farm, forest planting by private owners may be 

 expected to increase. Of the approximately 10,000,000 acres of 

 abandoned farm lands, 1,000,000 acres are in New Hampshire, and 

 large areas lie within the other New England States. On most of 

 these lands natural reforestation is slow, except in the case of inferior 

 species, such as gray birch. White pine is the tree being planted 

 most in New England. Though admirably adapted to the region, 

 it is subject to serious damage by the white pine weevil (Pissodes 

 strobi], and for this reason some other species, possibly Norway 

 pine, may to some extent take its place in future planting. The 

 eastern region is adapted to the growth of any of the northern hard- 

 woods or conifers, and the choice of species will depend largely upon 

 the relative rate of growth and the value of the products which it is 

 possible to obtain. Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, Con- 

 necticut, and New York all distribute tree seedlings. In 1910 the 

 demand by private owners in New York for State-grown white pine 

 transplants amounted to nine times the supply available for distri- 

 bution. Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New York also main- 

 tain State demonstration areas. Because of the relatively large 

 proportion of wornout land the eastern region offers exceptional 

 opportunities for forest planting. As a matter of fact, forest plant- 

 ing as a commercial enterprise is being more widely agitated in New 

 England to-day than anywhere else in the United States. 



