1282 



Canadian Forestry Journal, September, 1917 



In districts which have a fairiy 

 heavy average rainfall and where it 

 isdifticiilt to give time to cultivation, 

 satisfactory results will be obtained 

 by placing a light covering of hay 

 or straw around the tree for a dis- 

 tance of about one foot and giving 

 no further attention to cultivation 

 except to cut down weeds. The light 

 mulch will prevent weeds from crowd- 

 ing the trees and keep the soil from 

 checking and readily becoming dry 

 close to their roots. Where the 

 annual precipitation is scanty, shal- 

 low surface cultivation can be given 

 for a few years until the trees are 

 firmly established. Cultivation should 

 not be continued after August 12th. 



In an experiment with two planta- 

 tions of mixed spruce and pine, one 

 was planted and mulched as described 

 above, while the other received cul- 

 tivation for several years. The re- 

 sults at six years from the time of 

 planting were somewhat in favour of 

 the uncultivated one, which indicate 

 that cultivation is not essential where 

 an ample rainfall occurs. 



The height growth of spruce when 

 once well established is commonly 

 from eighteen to twenty-five inches 

 and the growth of pine considerably 

 more. 



Where it is intended to carry on 

 the planting of conifers for a long 

 period of years no better method of 

 procuring stock can be found than 

 by growing it from seed, but several 

 years can be saved by getting the 

 young tree to start the plantation with. 



Pines should be transplanted at 

 two years and spruce at three or 

 four. Spruce which have been allow- 

 ed to stand in thick clusters in the 

 seed bed until they reach a height 

 of two feet can be lifted in blocks 

 and the soil soused in water until 

 the roots come apart and then be 

 planted with as good success as the 

 smaller trees. 



Instructions for the care of the 

 seed bed can be obtained through 

 publications treating of nursery work. 



Size of Trees for Planting 

 A suitable size for planting is two 

 to three feet. Trees of this height 

 are more expensive to handle but 



they will escape injuries from grouse 

 and other agencies to which smaller 

 ones are more subject. 



Time of Planting 



Conifers are usually planted in 

 the spring before growth starts, but 

 where time cannot be taken for the 

 work at that season of the year, 

 equally good results may be had by 

 planting from the 15th to the 25th 

 of August, as the height growth is 

 finished that date. 



Protection from Snows 



Where the plantation is exposed 

 to drifting snow it is necessary to 

 erect a snow screen at a distance of 

 sixty to seventy-five feet from the 

 plantation during the winter. 



WASTE AND THE SMALL JOBBER 



"Noted improvement has taken 

 place in recent years in logging waste, 

 due to better market conditions and 

 a growing market for inferior mater- 

 ials. This is not always the case, 

 however, when logging is done by 

 contract and one meets with con- 

 siderable waste in high stumps, logs 

 left lodged in the wiods, oversized 

 tops, etc. On some operations ob- 

 served, this waste amounted to 5 to 

 10 per cent, of the stand. 



"This could be prevented by a 

 system of logging inspection and 

 would not only pay for the inspection 

 in increased stumpage but would be 

 money saved for the operator. The 

 fault is due largely to the fact that 

 yearly contracts are made for logging, 

 the logger trying to keep the cost per 

 thousand at a minimum. The con- 

 tractor's sole object is to make as 

 much profit as he can (frequently 

 little enough) and he will not take out 

 difficult lodged frees or go to any 

 particular trouble to cut low stumps 

 unless checked up." 



From Annual Report, Department 

 of Lands, Fredericton, N.B. 



CHESTNUT BLIGHT 



Chestnut blight has already done 

 damage in Pennsylvania estimated at 

 from $9,000 000 to $10 000,000. No 

 tree attacked by it has been known 

 to recover, although dozens of fake 

 remedies have been brought out. 



