THE SELECTION OF TKEliS. 47 



CHAPTER X. 



THE SELECTION OF TREES. 



If the question arises : What kind of trees should be 

 selected for the reforesting of denuded wood-lands, the 

 choice must necessarily confine itself to those trees which 

 are indigenous to the given locality, and which afford 

 ample protection to the soil against sun and wind. Wood- 

 lands proper are commonly too poor, or have such a site 

 as to render them unadapted for agricultural purposes ; 

 and even forest trees, al*-hough generally not being pre- 

 tentious as regards soi', cannot prosper when very young, 

 unless the surface soil contains some available plant-food. 

 Therefore, the poorer the soil, and the more unfavorable 

 the location, the more difficulties arise in answering the 

 question : What kind of trees shall we j)lant in a certain 

 locality ? Then we can but look at such as will be con- 

 tent with poor soil, and these are the coniferous trees, 

 especially the pines, as for instance : The Yellow Pine, 

 Pitch Pine, Red or Norway Pine {Pinus Austriaca), 

 and Pinus sylvestris, usually called the Scotch Pine. 

 They not only lay the least claims on the soil as for 

 plant-food, but with their leaves, broken twigs and de- 

 cayed roots, give back what they have received from the 

 soil, adding much to what they have elaborated from the 

 atmosphere ; thus they increase every year the quactity of 

 the fertile surface-soil or humus, and perform this 

 function nearly as good as the broad-leaved trees do. Be- 

 sides, they are easier to raise than other trees, and as for 

 the profits derived from their wood, these are at least 

 just as large, as in raising other kinds of trees. There- 

 fore, it cannot be denied that the conifers are the most 

 desirable trees for the recuperation of the fertility of the 

 soil in denuded wood-lands. 



