74 ELEMENTARY FORESTRY. 



tions of this section as trees grown from seeds from the eastern 

 slopes, where the summers are very dry and hot and the winters 

 very dry and cold. Our climate is especially trying to trees, 

 and it is necessary to exercise much more care in the selection 

 of tree seeds here than it is in the more favored climate of the 

 eastern and western coast states. 



There are Conditions Under Which Uvery Species of 

 Tree Thrives Best and makes its greatest growth, but the trees 

 produced under these conditions are not always the hardiest. As 

 we reach the limits of their growth, trees have a tendency on 

 account of drouth or cold to become smaller, more compact in 

 form and to fruit younger; e. g., the Boxelder is a large tree 

 in Kansas and Missouri, but as it gets towards the Manitoba 

 line we find it becomes dwarfed and more bushy in habit. 

 Towards the southern limit of its range the tree becomes more 

 open in habit and more liable to disease. The Scotch Pine 

 seeds imported into this country are generally saved from the 

 small scrubby trees that are found in the higher altitudes of the 

 mountains of Europe, because such trees produce the most 

 seeds and they are most easily gathered from them, while seeds 

 are seldom gathered from the large timber, trees of this species, 

 and it is very likely that this poor seed stock is responsible for 

 much of the scrubby appearance of many Scotch Pine planta- 

 tions in this section. 



Trees Have a Strong Tendency to Perpetuate Qualities 

 which have been developed in them by climate and soil condi- 

 tions. Hence, even though an essential point in considering the 

 value of any tree is its hardiness, the question of size is impor- 

 tant and should be taken into account, as we generally wish to 

 grow trees of as large size as practicable. We may conclude, 

 then, that since trees from a very cold climate generally lack in 

 hardiness, and those from a very severe climate may lack in 

 size, it is best to procure seeds from the best trees grown near 

 by or from those grown under similar climatic conditions else- 

 where. It is not generally necessary to limit this range very 

 closely, as a hundred miles north or south of a given point will 

 seldom make much difference in hardiness, unless the climatic 

 conditions are very dissimilar. 



The Place Where the Trees that we are to Set Out are 

 Grown is not of so great importance as the source of the seeds 



