March 2, 1905] 



NA TURE 



427 



FORESTRY IN THE UNITED STATES. 



^A/^E have lately received five publications from the United 

 States Bureau of Forestry, viz. Bulletins Nos. 46, 

 52 and ^^, together with Circulars Nos. 30 and 31. Bulletin 

 No. 40 is entitled '" The Basket Willow," by Mr. William 

 K. Hubbard. The author has evidently made a special 



Fig. I.— Twisted F 



in Bark of Chestnut from .Seed. 



Study of willow cultivation from every conceivable point of 

 view. At the outset, he gives the general history of willow 

 culture, together with the distribution and characteristics 

 of the willow. This is followed by a most interesting 

 account of willow-growing in the United States from its 

 commencement down to the present time. The present 

 practice is fully described, and much valuable advice is 

 given, showing where improvements can be made on the 

 existing methods of planting and tending the willow holts. 

 choice of species, harvesting, cutting, sorting and packinL; 

 the rods. The paragraphs which deal with expenditure 

 and returns in American willow culture should go a Iohl; 

 way to encourage and increase the development of wh.H 

 is at the present time a somewhat neglected industry in 

 the United States. 



The Bureau of Forestry is actively engaged in carrying 

 out field experiments which are yielding, and will yield in 

 the future, information of the utmost importance to willow- 

 growers. The bulletin is not entirely confined to willow- 

 growing in the United States, as the author gives a most 

 interesting account of the development of scientific willow- 

 culture in Europe, which he adds as an object lesson for 

 the guidance of the American cultivator. The manufacture 

 of willow ware in the United States is an important feature 

 of the bulletin, which is replete with suggestions for b( th 

 grower and basket-maker. A chapter on insects injurious 

 to the basket-willow has been added, by Mr. F. H. 

 Chittenden. A useful appendix at the end of the bulletin 

 gives the production and consumption of willow in the 

 United States. 



Forest planting in western Kansas, bv Mr. Royal R. 

 Kellogg, constitutes Bulletin No. 52. The object of the 

 paper is to show the species of tree best adapted for western 

 Kansas, and the methods of treatment which have proved 

 most successful. It seems, from the nature of the climate, 

 that forestry on large areas is impracticable, but neverthe- 

 less, with an intelligent selection of species and a proper 

 method of treatment, it may be possible to raise sufficient 

 timber to exercise a marked effect upon the landscape, and 

 to supply wood for domestic purposes. Among other 

 things, the bulletin shows the enormous importance and 

 influence tree-growth has on agriculture, not only in break- 



ing and tempering the effect of cold, dry winds, but also in 

 increasing the available supply of moisture in the soil. 

 The bulletin is practically a condensed volume on sylvi- 

 culture. It shows the most suitable species for western 

 Kansas, and the site, soil, method of planting and subse- 

 querit treatment, together with the rate of growth and 

 possible returns, are all gone into in a most thorough and 

 workmanlike fashion. Plate iv. in the bulletin shows a 

 row of Russian mulberry, and illustrates how the proper 

 treatment of this species might be turned to the greatest 

 use by the farmer. The above row extends more than 

 20 rods, and contains 200 trees 3 inches in diameter and 

 20 feet in height. Its total value, if converted into posts 

 and stakes, would amount to 36.40 dollars, and, as the 

 author remarks, a well-cared-for plantation at this place 

 would evidently be a profitable investment. 



Bulletin No. 53, entitled " The Chestnut in Southern 

 Maryland," is by Mr. Raphael Zon. This species is evi- 

 dently of great commercial importance in Maryland. It is 

 apparently used principally for railway ties and telephone 

 poles. As the result of his investigations, the author has 

 arrived at the conclusion that pure coppice is the sylvi- 

 cultural system to which the chestnut is best suited. Aniong 

 other things, the report brings out clearly the difference 

 between trees grown from seed and those from the stool. 

 It is interesting to note that coppiced trees have thicker 

 bark than trees from seed. The author further .finds, from 

 careful measurements and observations, that coppiced trees 

 grow faster than seed trees during the first twentv years, 

 and finally yield better and earlier returns than trees from 

 seed. The illustrations reproduced show the interesting 

 fact observed by the author that the furrows in the bark of 

 coppice chestnut are straight, while those in the bark of 

 chestnut from seed show the characteristic spiral twist. 

 The report also contains many tables, showing the rate of 

 growth and dimensions of trees from seed and coppice at 

 various ages. 



Circular No. 30, by Mr. Clifford Pinchot, is a description 

 of an exhibit of forest planting in woodlots at the Louisiana 

 Purchase Exposition. The exhibit is intended to illustratK 

 the different methods of planting with different species and 

 mixtures suitable for the different parts of the United 



n Bark of Coppice Chtstnut. 



States. There are in all forty-eight plots, representing 

 different regions to which the various mixtures and density 

 of planting are best adapted. This should form a valuable 

 guide to sylviculturists all over the United States. 



Circular No. 31, by the same author, is a description of 

 a forest nursery exhibit at the above exposition. The most 

 suitable form of bed, different methods of sowing, and 



NO, 1844, VOL. 7 l] 



