PRACTICAL ARBORICULTURE 91 



The Yellow Pine, Ponderosa, can be grown on the parks, and lower lands in 

 the elevated districts.* 50,000 seeds in a pound and the price 50 cents. This will 

 also be a desirable tree to seed. 



Picea Pitngcns. the beautiful silver spruce, not so valuable as a timber tree, 

 yet important to grow, has 100,000 seeds in a pound, which is sold at $2 per pound. 



Eagleman Spruce has 200,000 seeds in a pound, and worth $2.50. 



Concolor, the most beautiful silver fir, should be included, for variety, 30,000 

 seeds make a pound, value 60 cents. 



Norway Spruce, Australia Pine, Scotch Pine, all foreign, are readily adapted 

 to American mountain conditions. 



The other method is to collect from the canyons small coniferous trees, plant 

 them in a nursery near at hand, shade them with lattice frames, grow for two 

 years until new fibrous roots are formed, and then plant in permanent forest. 

 This is necessarily a more expensive method, but quite successful. I should sug- 

 gest planting 16x16 feet, or 170 trees per acre, being near 100,000 trees to the 

 square mile, and would require an expense of $ 1,000 per mile. 



Upon the south slope the Red Cedar would be advisable, resisting the sun 

 better than the spruce and pine. 



Small plants grown from seed in nurseries cost $50 per thousand, and may 

 be obtained at once or any time. 



On northern slopes all native coniferous trees may be planted. 



TIMBER TREATING PLANT. 



On the higher slopes of the Sangre de Christo range there are vast areas of 

 aspens, which are quite dense, often as many as one thousand trees per acre, 

 some of which are of large size. I measured one which was thirty-two inches 

 in diameter, and many are sixteen inches. 



There is an unwarranted prejudice against the aspen. It is stronger than it 

 is generally supposed, and when not in contact with the ground is durable. 

 Hundreds of adobe houses on the grant have aspen poles to support the roof, 

 which is of earth, these poles having been in use as such for very many years. 

 The lumber of aspen is suited for many purposes and it may become a source of 

 income for the company. Its growth is extremely rapid, and is the only decid- 

 uous tree which grows at this altitude 8,000 feet. 



The most important service performed by the aspen is to protect the growing 

 coniferous trees, which are coming in very thickly among the aspen thickets, 

 from seed scattered by the wind. 



Should it be considered unwise to use this wood in the natural state, then I 

 would urge the erection of a portable plant for chemical treatment of this wood 

 especially. 



The Egyptians, four thousand years ago, embalmed their dead, and impreg- 

 nated cloth and wood with asphaltum obtained from the Natron Lakes. European 

 countries now use creosote, a product of wood distillation for the same purpose, 

 but its cost makes it prohibitory in America. The American process of creosoting 

 is to use the product of coal tar. These substances are antiseptic, resisting decay. 



