No. 4.] FORESTRY IN MASSACHUSETTS. 63 



been reduced to say 1,500 at most, the mutual shade and 

 accidents being the cause of their decimation. The object 

 of keeping the stand so dense is to stimulate the height 

 growth, prevent growing into branches, and kill out the 

 lower branches before they are too stout to be broken off 

 easily, so as to secure clear lumber. By that time the aver- 

 age diameter of about 80 per cent of the trees remaining may 

 be only 4 to 5 inches, some stouter, even up to 12 inches, 

 some less, and the height of many, if not most, 40 to 50 feet 

 and more. 



Now comes the time to work the crop for diameter increase. 

 This is done by giving individual trees a better chance for 

 development. Doctors differ much as to how this should be 

 done, but here is my recipe. Select about 200 of the best 

 developed, most promising trees for the final harvest crop in 

 as even distribution as may be. If they have not lost their 

 lower branches, trim them up to 20 to 25 feet, which in the 

 case of dead limbs is easily done with a cutting hook ; in case 

 of live limbs, of which some may also best be removed, with 

 a cutting chisel on a pole. Thin out around these selected 

 trees so that the crown of each is free, and finds an open 

 space in all directions of 2 to 3 feet to grow into during the 

 next five or six j^ears, and repeat this operation every five or 

 six years, or as often as the crowns become again interfered 

 with by neighbors. Leave the rest of the stand, as long 

 as it does not interfere with the select crop, undisturbed or 

 slightly thinned, if you can make use of the material ; its 

 office is mainly to cover the soil, and protect it against dry- 

 ing out, and any thinning out to stimulate its growth should 

 therefore always keep this object in view. It would be pos- 

 sible to secure a cut of inferior box-board material in the 

 fiftieth or even fortieth year, but waiting until the sixtieth 

 year will produce real lumber wood. By that time not only 

 will all the lower growth have been cut out, but of the 200 

 originally selected perhaps only 150 will remain, making a 

 close crown cover, and protecting by their own shade the 

 soil below. This harvest crop should then have all the trees 

 with a heio;ht of 70 to 80 feet in the averao-e, and diameters 

 varj^ing between 12 and 24 inches, and averaging probably 



