NOEWAY PINE IN THE LAKE STATES. 33 



Sowing in seed spots is cheaper. With spots 2 feet square and 8 

 feet apart and with 40 seed to the spot a little over a pound per 

 acre would be sufficient. If the seed spots were spaced 6 by 6 feet, 

 the total number of seed needed per. acre would be 48,400, a little 

 less than a pound. Seed-spot sowing should not be attempted with- 

 out proper preparation of the ground, and often some kind of a brush 

 cover will be necessary to prevent the seedlings from being dried out 

 after germination. Mr. J. F. Kendrick, of South Orleans, Mass., 

 secured excellent results on a pure sand by the following method: 



The owner at one time attempted to farm this soil, and the year previous to starting 

 the plantation rye was sown on the area, while during the year preceding that a crop 

 of corn was produced. The plantation was started simply by dropping seed in the 

 corn hills after making a small hole with a dibble. The spacing was about 4 by 4 

 feet. After 35 years the dominant trees were 7-8 inches diameter breast-high and 38-40 

 feet tall, in excellent condition, were clearing themselves well, and apparently 

 growing vigorously. 



PLANTING. 



Norway pine should be planted pure or with some more tolerant 

 species of slower growth. Planting in the early spring is preferable to 

 that in the summer or fall. Transplants are better than seedlings, 

 but on good soil the latter should succeed. Ordinarily it will be 

 necessary to raise stock in the nursery, preferably near the plant- 

 ing site, if the planting is on a large scale. Occasionally it may be 

 possible to transplant seedlings growing in the forest, but these give 

 less certain results than nursery grown stock, although success with 

 wild stock at very low cost has been reported from the Minnesota 

 National Forest. 



BRUSH DISPOSAL. 



Protection of stands from fire is obviously the first step in forest 

 management. In 1911 the loss from forest fires in the Lake States, 

 totaled S3, 368, 000, most of it in the pineries. As a fire-protection 

 measure the disposal of slash x is of great importance. Most of the 

 great fires in the Lake States assumed the character of conflagrations 

 by being able to feed upon the debris left after logging. In Norway 

 pine stands, piling and burning the brush is a prudent and essential 

 insurance against fire. The brush is piled and burned in winter aa 

 the cutting proceeds. The cost varies from 10 to 35 cents per thou- 

 sand board feet logged. On the Minnesota National Forest the aver- 

 age cost has been about 16 or 19 cents. Where the timber is scatter- 

 ing, and the fire risk proportionately small, it is usually sufficient to 

 clear and burn fire lines intersecting and around the cut-over areas. 

 These lines should rarely be less than 150 feet in width. 



1 Under the Minnesota forest law the State forester is given authority to enforce the proper disposal of, 

 debris after logging. 



