INSPECTION OF PLANTATIONS AND NURSERIES 



397 



pine, Norway spruce, and strangely 

 enough, western yellow pine showed 

 the best results, Douglas fir and Colo- 

 rado blue spruce being almost a total 

 failure. Near the seed spot planting 

 an extensive flat, which, according to 

 local history, had been open land for 

 probably over fifty years, although still 

 showing evidences of an original stand 

 of white pine, offered an interesting 

 lesson as to the influence of soil on the 

 growth of seedlings. This particular 

 flat is of a sandy nature, probably un- 

 derlaid with clay or hardpan, produc- 

 ing conditions so unfavorable to tree 

 growth that, although the plantation 

 had been once replanted, the trees were 

 not in a vigorous condition and were 

 making very slow growth. The ulti- 

 mate success in the planting of heath 

 lands in Europe leads to the conclu- 

 sion that the trees will eventually be- 

 come established in this poor Adiron- 

 dack land. On the slopes in the same 

 region the growth of planted trees is 

 very vigorous, and many of them show 

 a height growth of one to two or more 

 feet annually. 



In the afternoon the party visited the 

 plantations near Lake Clear Junction, 

 which were established ten years ago, 

 and found a solid forest of fast-grow- 

 ing Scotch and white pine from ten to 

 fifteen feet high, covering land which 

 for years before had been a barren, 

 burned-over waste. The Adirondack 

 nurseries of the State were visited dur- 

 ing the same afternoon, and the vari- 

 ous operations from seed planting to 

 transplanting were seen. 



The action of the American Forestry 

 Association in inaugurating educational 

 trips of this kind is a distinct feature, 

 and the fact that within a night's ride 

 of New York City can be seen as ex- 

 tensive nursery and planting operations 

 as can be found anywhere in Europe 

 is an indication that some of our waste 

 lands at least will be reforested. The 

 most striking lesson, however, and one 

 particularly apparent to those who have 

 followed the developments in New 

 York State for ten years, is that in 

 this comparatively short period the at- 



titude of the lumbermen, State officials, 

 and of the public generally is absolutely 

 changed. Ten years ago, when the 

 first planting was done by the State and 

 the nursery work was started, the 

 whole scheme was subject to more or 

 less ridicule. Ten years later we find 

 some of the largest lumbermen in the 

 East accompanying an educational 

 party of this kind and studying with 

 the greatest interest the methods of 

 nursery practice and planting in vogue. 

 Not only this, but several companies 

 have in the meantime inaugurated 

 work upon their own lands, specific 

 cases being the International Paper 

 Company, which is planting at the rate 

 of 500,000 trees a year; the Union Bag 

 Company, which has also been setting 

 out young forest trees extensively ; and 

 the Brooklyn Cooperage Company, 

 which is planting about 100,000 trees 

 per year. There is no prophet who can 

 foretell what the next ten years will 

 bring forth; but if our legislatures will 

 give us equitable forest tax laws and 

 the fire problem comes under a fair 

 measure of control, it is not a vain hope 

 that the lumbermen, in addition to re- 

 planting, will be managing some of 

 their properties on a long-time basis 

 and cutting under methods which will 

 insure natural regeneration instead of 

 denudation, which has to be followed 

 by artificial reproduction. 



In the party were: Chester W. Ly- 

 man, International Paper Company, 

 N. Y. ; C. F. Quincy, President Q. & 

 C. Co., N. Y. ; E. A. Sterling, Forest 

 and Timber Engineer, Philadelphia; 

 C. H. Griffing, International Paper 

 Company, N. Y. ; J. W. Tourney, Di- 

 rector Yale Forest School, New Haven, 

 Conn. ; J. Randall Williams, wholesale 

 lumberman, Phila. ; W. D. Clark, Penn 

 State College, State College, Pa. ; War- 

 ren H. Miller, Camp Fire Club, Editor 

 Field and Stream, N. Y.; R. M. Par- 

 ker, Pres. Brooklyn Cooperage Co., 

 N. Y. ; P. S. Ridsdale, Executive Sec- 

 retary, American Forestry Association, 

 Washington, D. C.; C. F. Moore, Edi- 

 tor "Paper," N. Y. ; John M. French, 

 Editor Paper Trade Journal, N. Y. ; 

 F. W. Kelsey, Nurseryman, N. Y. ; 



