TREES TO USE IN STARTING WOODLOTS 59 



A mixture of a coniferous tree giving a soft construction wood 

 and a hardwood suitable for fuel and fence posts would serve 

 the farm better than a single species. 



2. Many trees have light foliage and when planted in pure 

 stands do not shade the soil sufficiently to keep out a rank 

 growth of grass and weeds. In this case a mixture of trees 

 will furnish greater shade and bring about and maintain better 

 forest conditions on the floor. Trees with light foliage are 

 often underplanted with more tolerant trees for these purposes. 



3. Some trees should be spaced widely apart in order that 

 fast growth will be secured before the crowns of the individual 

 trees come together to form the canopy. Larch, cottonwood, 

 white pine and black walnut often do better with a wide spac- 

 ing. In this case the final yield can be considerably increased 

 and better forest conditions secured by filling in the spaces 

 between the trees after they are well started with some other 

 kind of tree. 



4. Often a mixture of trees will lessen the expense of the 

 planting. Norway pine, European larch, white pine and many 

 other nursery grown trees are expensive. Transplants often 

 cost from $5 to $10 or more a thousand. In planting them a 

 cheaper tree called a filler can be used like the maple, either 

 planting the trees in alternate rows or planting first a maple 

 and then one of the other trees throughout each row. In 

 this way only half the usual number of the expensive tree will 

 be needed. The cheaper tree can be removed later in thin- 

 nings. Wild stock or seedlings that have been seeded naturally 

 can be used for this purpose. 



5. A mixed stand is less apt to be badly damaged by in- 

 sect attacks or fungus diseases. With pure stands insects and 

 diseases spread rapidly. In a mixed stand insects will repro- 

 duce less rapidly and insects and diseases will spread more 

 slowly from tree to tree than in pure stands. Should one 

 species be destroyed the other species, if hardy, will develop 

 and form the future stand. 



