1905 



FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION 



237 



The young seedlings at once pro- 

 duce a strong tap root. But the wind- 

 firm character of healthy, mature red 

 pine is not due to an especially strong 

 taproot, but rather to a number of stout 

 laterals. A thrifty, forest-grown tree 

 suddenly isolated will often bend or 

 break off rather than pull up by the 

 roots ; yet even a small crown at the 

 top of a long stem will exert a power- 

 ful overturning force during a wind 

 storm. 



PLANTING. 



The seeds should be sown early in 

 the spring in a well prepared seed- 

 bed, after the manner of white pine. 

 The seedlings, however, do not de- 

 mand the degree of shade which is 

 essential to the growth of the white 

 pine. Robert Douglas' Sons state that 

 there is less danger from damping off 

 of the seedlings than with other pines. 

 The great risk usually surrounding 

 the planting of seed directly on the 

 final site of the mature tree makes it 

 advisable to raise the seedlings in the 

 nursery beds. The best stock to plant 

 is seedlings 2. years old, i-year trans- 

 plants. On poor soil it is believed that 

 the best results may be secured by 

 planting red pine 5 feet apart each 

 way ; on richer soil it is best to space 

 them wider. The greater cheapness 

 of wide planting it, of course, a con- 

 sideration if the desired results may 

 be as amply attained. For forest plan- 

 tations it is best planted pure, but 

 might be profitably planted alternat- 

 ing with sugar maple. 



The red pine has been more exten- 

 sively planted in landscape work than 

 in forest plantations. Where pictur- 

 esque and natural landscapes are want- 

 ed there is no eastern pine that can 



take its place ; it is the sturdiest, bold- 

 est eastern conifer. 



CULTIVATION AND CARE. 



When planted on cut-over lands, 

 care should be taken that it is not 

 choked out by the more rapid-growing 

 species, such as jack pine, poplar, and 

 birch. It needs no cultivation. The 

 only protection necessary is from fire 

 and grazing. 



EXAMPLES. 



In comparison with other conifers, 

 such as the white pine, jack pine, larch, 

 and spruce, the red pine has been very 

 sparingly planted in forest plantations ; 

 but has doubtless been more used in 

 landscape work than any one of the 

 above-named species. 



Mr. Isaac Adams, of Moultonboro, 

 N. H., planted the red pine in mixture 

 with the white pine. He found that 

 the red pine overtopped the white pine, 

 showing an average growth of 34.9 

 feet, while the white pine showed 27.5 

 feet. 



The red pine was planted in the 

 spring of 1891, in Holt county, Ne- 

 braska, alternating in furrows with 

 jack pine, Scotch, Austrian, and west- 

 ern yellow pine. The seedlings were 

 8 inches high when planted. The 

 number of red pine planted was 315; 

 the number living October 15, 1891, 

 was 54, or 14.4 per cent, of those 

 planted. These seedlings were all in 

 good condition. 



By accident some red pine seed 

 found its way to the seedbeds of the 

 Dismal River Reserve, in Nebraska, 

 with the jack pine seed that was plant- 

 ed in the spring of 1903. The stray 

 plants were not noticed until the spring 



