16 MASSACHUSETTS TREE PLANTER 



deep fertile soil, with a fair amount of moisture, for their 

 best development, and should be planted only on the better 

 class of forest soils. White ash thrives on deep, moist, fer- 

 tile soils, the moisture being the governing factor. White 

 ash is adapted to planting in swampy situations, wholly un- 

 suited to the other species mentioned. But it should never 

 be planted in swamps where standing water remains for 

 many months in the year. Notwithstanding its liking for 

 wet locations, white ash grows well on the soils suited to the 

 red oak and sugar maple. 



Third. The character of the wood which the plantation 

 will yield. 



If several species can be successfully planted on a given 

 tract, the product which the owner wishes to obtain from the 

 plantation will usually determine the species to be chosen. 

 In case fuel wood is desired, sugar maple or red oak will be 

 the best trees to plant. White pine, of course, will lead as 

 a producer of lumber and boxboards. For ties, poles, and 

 posts, chestnut should be planted ; while white ash furnishes 

 valuable stock for wood working purposes. These few ex- 

 amples will serve to show that the nature of the future 

 product should be considered before starting a plantation. 



Another question which will arise is whether the plantation 

 shall be made of only one species or shall be a mixture of 

 several different species. White pine, chestnut, red oak, 

 white ash, and sugar maple, may each be planted pure (i.e., 

 separately) or in mixtures, on situations adapted to the 

 species composing the mixture. It will depend upon the 

 wishes of the owner as to which kind of a forest is started. 

 The chief advantage of a forest composed of only one species 

 is that it can be more easily managed than one containing 

 several species. A mixed forest, however, allows the owner 

 to better adapt the product of his forest to the demands of 

 the market, since he has several different kinds of wood to 

 sell. The danger of bad fires and of ravages by insects and 

 fungi is less in mixed than in pure forests. 



In establishing a mixed plantation, the species may be 

 mixed in several ways. The mixture can be by single trees, 

 or by irregular shaped groups of the different species. Still 



