124 IMPORTANT TIMBER TREES 



the best places for the trees, even at the sacrifice of even 

 spacing. 



Conditions may be such that spacing should not be alike 

 over a given area. If the ground where the trees are to be 

 planted is uniformly fertile, then the spacing should be as 

 nearly uniform as is practically possible, but if any portion 

 is less fertile than the rest, then the trees on that portion 

 should be set closer than elsewhere ; for it will there take 

 longer time to secure the desired protection of the surface 

 of the ground the coveted forest floor owing to the 

 slower growth of the trees ; therefore closer planting is 

 necessary. 



Thinning. Notwithstanding that even spacing is desir- 

 able, and may be practically accomplished at first, it will 

 be impossible to maintain it during the whole life of the 

 plantation, for no system of distances can be adopted that 

 will allow proper and timely thinning and leave the trees 

 equidistant all the time. There will have to be a compro- 

 mise at some of the thinnings. Good sense and judgment 

 must direct in all cases. Thinning becomes necessary when 

 the annual growth indicates the need of it, and it should 

 at no time be done further than to give relief from over- 

 crowding ; but there must be crowding enough to compel 

 all the trees to drop their lower limbs. No rule can be laid 

 down for the time to begin it, or how far it should be car- 

 ried on, or how frequently it should be undertaken. Some- 

 thing may be said in a general way, but beyond that only 

 good judgment and a knowledge of the laws governing 

 tree-growth can bring the best results. It is manifest that 

 defective trees should generally be removed in preference 

 to vigorous ones, but in the absence of better ones they 

 may serve as "nurse trees," and if so should be retained 

 while useful for that purpose. It may be necessary to be- 

 gin thinning in ten or fifteen years from the time of plant- 

 ing, or even earlier with some, if closely planted ; or if far 

 apart, not under twenty years, or even longer. The author 

 has in mind a case where White Pine had been planted 



