1904 



FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION 



267 



have been resorted to, though the ex- 

 pensive one of cutting down a seed tree 

 is now seldom practiced, save when the 

 tree is ripe for lumber. It is necessary 

 to collect the seed from the tree in order 

 to prevent loss, because the cone opens 

 and throws its seeds before falling from 

 the tree. Seed years occur at irregular 

 intervals of from four to seven years, 

 and, as the seed takes two years to ma- 

 ture, it is possible to predict a seed year 

 twelve months in advance of the crop, 

 and thus have all preparations made for 

 the planting when seed is abundant and 

 fresh. The seed bed should be well 

 prepared, and should preferably be a 

 sandy loam, well drained. The seeds 

 are planted in rows, and the seedling 

 must be protected from too much moist- 

 ure and too much sun. For these pur- 

 poses lath or canvas screens are used as 

 shade frames, or, if tilted, will keep 

 out excess of rain. Keeping the tender 

 shoots free from choking weeds is 

 absolutely necessary. From all these 

 preparations it can be seen that there 

 is considerable expense connected with 

 the starting of the plantation. Then 

 there comes transplanting in early 

 spring or late fall, and care after that 

 operation. 



A six-foot interval is usual for the 

 transplanted trees. After this, prun- 

 ing is an important item and must be 

 done carefully, removing the branches 

 to as high as a man can reach, when 

 the trees are about fifteen years old. 

 Later still, thinning will have to be 

 done in many plantations, so that the 

 final stand will be about twelve by 

 twelve feet apart. 



Of the mixtures used and their com- 



parative values, it may be said of the 

 common ones that European larch is 

 not particularly advantageous, and that 

 the mixture benefits the larch, but has 

 no good effects for the pine. Oaks are 

 of indifferent value, and white oak, 

 though a valuable tree, is not adapted, 

 owing to its slow growth. Chestnut is 

 excellent, as, when it begins to overtop 

 the pine, it may be profitably cut for 

 posts, poles, or ties after having fur- 

 nished the necessary shade. Scotch 

 pine has no disadvantages as far as the 

 growth of each species is concerned, 

 but it is of inferior commercial value, 

 and therefore of less account than other 

 species would be. Red pine is subject 

 to the same objections as the larch, and, 

 where a good growth of white pine is 

 the ultimate object, it has many disad- 

 vantages. Norway spruce is of value 

 to both trees in mixture, and when the 

 time comes for thinning the spruce is 

 of marketable size. In many ways 

 sugar maple is the best economic mix- 

 ture of all, for the seedlings may be ob- 

 tained at less than half the cost of the 

 pine, and there can be planted just 

 enough of the pine for the future stand 

 when the maple is removed. 



The age for the profitable lumbering 

 of the pine is about forty years. It is 

 then valuable for boxes at about $4 a 

 cord on the stump, or about $160 per 

 acre. A bulletin prepared by the Bu- 

 reau of Forestry, which gives a detailed 

 account of several plantations, places 

 the net annual return from planted 

 white pine in New England at $i . 1 5 per 

 acre, paid at the end of forty years, in 

 addition to compound interest at 4 per 

 cent on the money invested. 



