36 Eleventh Annual Report 



ing some kind of trees, shrubs or vines, whose roots will hold 

 the banks and whose wood or fruit will be of value. 



But the State law says "owners of land through which an 

 open ditch runs shall remove all brush and weeds from the banks 

 of that part of the ditch through the lands owned by them re- 

 spectively, during the month of July of each year." The intent 

 of this clause was to prevent the ditch filling up, but the contrary 

 is true. The trees assist in preventing the banks from caving in, 

 and stop lots of rubbish that would otherwise blow into the ditch. 

 It is easier to clean a few leaves out of the ditch than to shovel 

 out tons of mud, and to be deprived of the use of the ground along 

 your ditches. If you think this law should be revised, write your 

 legislator at once. 



Issued January 23, 1911. 



[Press Bulletin No. 17.] 

 INFORMATION ON FOREST PLANTING. 



What kind of forest trees are best adapted to Indiana planting ; 

 how far apart the trees should be planted, to what extent the young 

 trees should be cultivated and pruned; how fast they grow, and 

 what per cent, on the investment the landowner may expect, are 

 problems on which the State Board of Forestry is working. They 

 now have twenty-nine tracts at the Forest Experimental Station 

 planted to the most promising kind of forest trees. These tracts 

 have been under observation now for several years, and each year 

 they are regularly hoed, plowed and pruned. Every item of ex- 

 P'cnse and every observation made is carefully itemized and re- 

 corded. Thus, by recording and tabulating data on forest plant- 

 ings, general and correct principles of forest culture can be worked 

 out. 



The forest experimental tracts axe located in the south part 

 of the State, and what is true of trees in that part of the State 

 might be different in the central or northern part of the State. 

 So the forestry board expects to extend its investigations and ob- 

 servations to forest plantings in different parts of the State. 



To do this it is proposed to cooperate with persons who expect 

 to do forest planting. The board is not in a position to lend finan- 

 cial aid to planters, but it proposes to give suggestions as to the 

 best kind of trees to plant, how to prepare the ground, how to 

 care for the trees, etc., and to make visits of inspection. In return 

 the owner of the planting is expected to keep a record of all items 



