14 - THE FOREST TREE CULTURIST. 
cents) as the return for the acre’s first crop. In three or 
four years they will need thinning again, and we take out, 
as’ before, one half, or 2,722; these will, of course, be 
much larger; and if they will reach ten feet, and are of 
good thickness, they will readily bring ten cents each, or 
$272 20 for the second crop. In a few years more they 
will require thinning again, and each time the trees, being 
larger, will bring an increased price. But we are not by 
this means exhausting our stock—far from it, for those we 
cut off at first have been producing sprouts which have 
grown much more rapidly than the originals; and if a 
little care has been given them so that they shall not grow 
so thickly as to be injured thereby, we can begin to cut 
small hoop-poles from the sprouts of the first cutting be- 
fore we have cut our third or fourth thinnings of the 
first crop; consequently we have a perpetual crop, 
which requires no cultivation after the first few years. 
As soon as the leaves become numerous enough to shade 
the ground, no weeds will grow among them, and the 
annual crop of leaves that fall will keep the soil rich 
and moist. The time to cut trees which it is desirous to 
have produce sprouts, is in winter or very early spring; 
if cut in summer, it is likely to kill the roots. 
The same plan may be followed with many other varie- 
ties of trees that are valuable when young. Whether it 
will pay to grow such trees or not, will depend entirely 
upon the location, market, ete., but there are few sections 
of our country in which such plantations would not be a 
very profitable investment. 
Plantations of trees may be made in the form of be'ts 
