1900. AMERICAN FORESTRY ASSOCIATION. 215. 



PROGRESS IN |TREE PLANTING IN THE UNITED STATES.* 



BY J. W. TOUMEY, 



Yale Forest School. 



It may be of interest to some members ing plans, but bore all the expense and 

 of the American Forestry Association to responsibility of putting them into execu- 

 know something of the plan of coopera- tion. Thus while the officials of the 

 tion by which the Division of Forestry Division resided a thousand or more miles 

 gives personal and practical assistance to away, where from the very nature of the 

 farmers and other land owners in estab- case it was impossible to give explicit in- 

 lishing plantations of forest trees for eco- structions regarding the details of manage- 

 nomic purposes. It may also be of inter- ment, the other party to the cooperation, 

 est to know something of the practical who had no financial interest in the enter- 

 results attained by a system of cooperation prise and usually none other, gave but 

 that has now been in operation a little little time or attention to the establishment 

 more than a year, and what may be ex- or subsequent care of the plantation, 

 pected of it in the future. The plan of cooperation as outlined in 



Prior to the publication, in the Summer Circular No. 22, under which the Section 

 of 1899, of Circular No. 22 which out- of Tree Planting is now working, is of 

 lines the plan of cooperation under which an entirely different character from that 

 the work in tree planting since that time shown above. It aims not so much to 

 has progressed, the work of the Division give as to assist. The fundamental prin- 

 in this branch of forestry was confined to ciple is this : viz, the function of the Sec- 

 establishing and maintaining less than a tion of Tree Planting is to provide the 

 dozen forest plantations of a few acres applicant for our* assistance with infor- 

 in extent. These plantations were, for mation which will enable him to establish 

 the . most part, established in coopera- the best possible plantation of forest trees 

 tion with Agricultural Experiment Sta- under his conditions of soil and climate, 

 tions in the Middle West. One plantation, and for the purpose or purposes which he 

 however, of 15 acres in extent, was es- desires. The applicant for our assistance 

 tablished at Ridgway, Pa., and at an must have more than a cursory interest in 

 earlier date a small plantation of conifer- the cooperation, he must have a financial 

 ous trees was established in the sandhill interest in it. It stands to reason, and is 

 region of Nebraska. During this same verified by practice, that an average farmer 

 period a large quantity of seeds and seed- will be much more careful in the planting, 

 ling forest trees were distributed to appli- and will give closer attention to the subse- 

 cants in various parts of the country. quent care of a plantation, where he paysthe 



Under the old regime the expense in bills than where they are paid by an outside 

 procuring the stock and setting out and party. Under the present plan of cooper- 

 caring for a half dozen plantations was so ation the applicant for assistance must be 

 great that it exhausted the funds available prepared to provide the necessary seeds and 

 for tree planting, hence little else could be young trees, to plant the same, and to care 

 attempted. According to this method of for them afterward. In other words, 

 cooperation the experiment station, or the planting plans are prepared by the Divi- 

 individual with whom the Division was sion for each applicant, which give corn- 

 working, provided nothing but the ground plete instructions regarding the trees to 

 upon which the plantation was established. plant, mixture of species, spacing, plant- 



The Division not only provided the plant- 



" Professor Tourney did not give up his duties 



* Read before the meeting of the American as Superintendent of Tree Planting in the Di- 



Forestry Association in New York on June 25th. vision of Forestry until August. ED. 



