72 



FORESTRY IN NEW ENGLAND 



railroad ties, or other inferior materials, the open spacing may 

 be more profitable. One should also remember that tolerant 

 trees must be planted closer than intolerant trees in order to 

 secure equally good pruning. 



Fig. 24. — A block of 3-year-old white pine transplants; the best stock with which to 

 start a commercial plantation. 



Cost of planting varies enormously and depends primarily on 

 the stock used, price of labor, spacing of the plants, and condi- 

 tion of the planting site. Often adverse weather conditions or 

 other factors cause heavy losses, and extra expense is required 

 to secure a complete reproduction. Good stands have been 

 secured for less than $5 per acre and sometimes more than 

 $30 per acre have been spent. On the average New England 

 planting site, using three-year-old transplants at $5.50 to $6 

 per thousand, set six by six feet apart, and with labor at $1.75 

 per day, the cost per acre should not exceed $15; it can rarely 

 be brought below $11. This does not allow for the unusual 

 losses which sometimes occur, due to prolonged droughts. 

 Where areas as large as several thousand acres are to be planted 

 and the stock is grown by the planter, the cost may be a few 

 dollars an acre less than this estimate, which is based on stock 

 that is purchased. 



