SUGAR PINE 149 



forestation. In fact, the young growth now coming on can- 

 not fill the place of the mature trees being cut. Indians, 

 Chinese, Italians, and other men, as well as squirrels, make 

 great inroads on the supply of seeds produced, and as the 

 tree is not a prolific seeder, and does not bear when young, 

 those not consumed fall far short of the amount needed for 

 natural reforestation. Probably the electrically inspired 

 Douglas squirrel is the worst offender. He never rests. As 

 soon as the seeds begin to ripen he will, without fear or 

 trembling, climb clear out to the ends of the long limbs 

 where the cones always grow, and deliberately cut them 

 off, notwithstanding that he may be one hundred or one 

 hundred and fifty feet from the ground, and the limb the 

 cone hangs on no larger than one's finger. If the noise of 

 the falling cone does not attract some man or marauding 

 beast the squirrel descends and secures the seeds. 



It will be seen that this renders natural reproduction a 

 slow and uncertain event, while forest fires may, and too 

 frequently do, kill off the young trees that come forth. 

 Efforts should be made to gather the seeds and plant them, 

 but instead, they are sold in the markets of the towns and 

 cities of the Pacific Coast the same as chestnuts are sold 

 in the East. Unless seeds are sown or trees planted, the 

 tree will become extinct as soon as fire and the axe of the 

 lumberman can bring it about, which will not be long. 



Efforts have been made to grow it in the East, but thus 

 far success has not been achieved. Through lack of moist- 

 ure in the atmosphere, or from some other not well-under- 

 stood cause, it does not thrive in the United States east 

 of its natural home. Professor C. S. Sargent l says : " The 

 Sugar Pine has grown slowly in cultivation and shows little 

 promise of attaining the large size and great beauty which 

 distinguish it in its native forests." Very good results, how- 

 ever, have been obtained in Europe, especially in north- 

 ern Germany, where there is, doubtless, more humidity 

 in the atmosphere than in this country, east of where the 

 1 Manual of the Trees of North America, page 6. 



