39 



and favorable to others. A knowledge of the natural growths 

 of each vicinity will favor adaptation to local conditions. 



Though dry at the top, sand dunes and most sand plains 

 and hillocks are moist a little below the surface, by reason of 

 evaporization from the lower strata, retention of rain water 

 and capillary attraction. The latter cause depends upon the 

 size of the grain of sand. The finer the grain the greater is its 

 capacity for receiving moisture and the longer is the moisture 

 retained. 



As this scheme of recuperating sand wastes will be regarded 

 as chimerical by many who have not investigated the subject, I 

 will cite facts found near home. Having made a trip on Cape 

 Cod, expressly to inspect their reclaimed lands and confer with 

 the intelligent tree planters there, who are the American pioneers 

 in this work, I will summarize briefly the information gained 

 from them. The amount of land planted with trees in Barnstable 

 county is about 10,000 acres. Before the trees were planted 

 these well-nigh worthless lands could be purchased at from 25 

 to 50 cents per acre. I was interested in the plantations of 

 John Doane, of Orleans, the oldest living silviculturist in 

 America (now 89 years of age), who has planted 170 acres. 

 He has sold planted lands for $14 per acre, not worth over 50 

 cents before planting, which he considers a good investment. 

 But the best pay has been his enjoyment of this work, so 

 manifestly growing with the growth of these trees. The 

 forests he has created have long been to him a source of pride 

 and satisfaction, greatly improving the surroundings of his 

 place, and thus helping to brighten and prolo'ng his years. 

 John Ken rick, of South Orleans said: "My experiments in 

 tree-planting have been made on over a hundred acres now 

 covered with trees from one to thirty-five years old, chiefly 

 pitch pine. I am now trying Scotch and Corsican pine and 

 European larch. My first aim has been to cover my worn out 

 lands with beauty and verdure, and it has proved a successful 

 and economic experiment. The seed of the pitch pine is worth 

 from one to two dollars a pound, the higher price being in the 

 end the cheapest. Fresh seeds carefully gathered are as sure to 

 vegetate as corn. I have tried every method of tree-planting, 

 transplanting trees from the smallest to those that are two feet 



