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AMERICAN FORESTRY 



The first thought which occurs to the 

 land owner ordinarily is that he can 

 secure a forest growth much more 

 cheaply and satisfactorily by sowing the 

 seed directly on the ground instead of 

 planting the trees. Where it is desired 

 to start a growth of hardwood trees 

 this is sometimes true, especially in the 

 case of black walnut, red oak, hickory 

 and some of the heavy seeded hard- 

 woods. In such cases seed can be 

 gathered from the trees and set out 

 immediately or kept over winter and 

 planted in the spring. Where squirrels 

 and field mice are especially numerous, 

 the spring planting is preferable. In 

 such work it is necessary to have the 

 mineral soil exposed, and also to have 

 leaves and grass removed from the spot 

 where the seed is planted, or if the seed 

 is to be sown, the ground should be 

 dragged with a light drag or an old 

 stub of a tree which will tear up the 

 ground surface. 



Experience in planting trees and sow- 

 ing seeds in the field under varying con- 

 ditions clearly indicates that planting is 

 a successful method, while broadcast 

 sowing is too expensive and uncertain 

 to be used generally. 



WHEN TO PLANT. 



Most of reforesting work has been 

 done in the spring as soon as the frost 

 is out of the ground, so the trees could 

 be shipped. This means from the early 

 part of April to the latter part of May, 

 depending upon local climatic condi- 

 tions. It is also possible to do such 

 planting work in the early fall as soon 

 as the long summer drought ceases and 

 the fall rains begin. Coniferous trees 

 in some cases can be planted as early 

 as the latter part of August, but for 

 fall planting of hardwoods it is better 

 to] wait until later when the leaves begin 

 to fall. 



WHAT TO PLANT. 



In answer to this question the first 

 requirement is to learn what are the 

 native species making the best growth 

 on the kinds of soil where your planting 

 is to be done, and then decide which 

 species will give the product desired for 

 your use or marketable in your locality. 



Of the trees adapted for planting in 

 the Eastern States, perhaps the follow- 

 ing named are some of those most likely 

 to be chosen for a special product: 

 White ash and red oak, for hardwood 

 lumber; black locust, European larch, 

 arbor vitae and catalpa (in restricted 

 range), for fence posts, grape stakes or 

 hop poles; white and red pine, Norway 

 and red spruce and tulip poplar, for a 

 supply of softwood lumber; Norway 

 or red spruce and Carolina poplar, for 

 pulpwood. 



Photo by G. L. Barrus. 



PITCH PINE SEED SPOT Six YEARS AFTER PLANTING 

 SEED. 



In order to have the plantation suc- 

 cessful and prove a profitable invest- 

 ment, there are certain factors, such as 

 light, soil moisture, soil fertility, climatic 

 conditions, fungus diseases and insect 

 pests, which must be considered. 



The pines are best adapted to light, 

 sandy soils with but little fertility, while 

 the spruce, tulip poplar and catalpa are 

 quite exacting as to soil requirements. 



The amount of moisture required by 

 trees depends upon their root systems. 



