204 PRINCIPLES OF AMERICAN FORESTRY. 



growth in this way will be verj' vifrorous and straight. 

 In this particular case it would ])r()bablj' be best even now 

 to cut them off in this way. 



15. A has six hundred acres of mountainous land in 

 Eastern New York covered principally with a mixed 

 growth of Birch, Chestnut-oak, Red Oak, Poplar, Hem- 

 lock, and a few Hard Maple. He wishes to make it into a 

 sagar orchard, for which he thinks it especially adapted, 

 and wishes to know tlie best method of procedure. 



Answer: The best method will be to secure a stock 

 of seedling ]\Iaples. These may be bought outright or 

 grown in a small nursery from seed. When these are 

 secured, probably the quickest results will be obtained by 

 removing the entire tree growth from the land and plant- 

 ing out thrifty Maple seedlings eight feet apart each 

 way among the stumps, and rigidly excluding all cattle and 

 fires. If, however, quick results are not so much desired 

 as economy, the same end may be accomplished by gradu- 

 ally thinning out the timber now on the land and plant- 

 ing strong seedling Maples wherever there is light enough 

 for them to grow; but after planting them, they should 

 receive some little attention by " cutting back " any trees 

 that may crowd them. Advantage should also be taken 

 of the JIaple trees now on the land, and sufficient thin- 

 ning done to give them a chance to reproduce themselves. 

 It is very likely that there arc, in places, some seedling 

 Maples that can be spared for transplanting elsewhere. 



1 6. A has a piece of stony land in Western Massa- 

 chusetts that seems to be about run out. It was for- 

 merly used for farming. He asks if it is desirable to plant 

 it to Chestnut, for which purpose he thinks it adapted. 



Answer: It is probable that, all things considered. Chest- 

 nut would prove the most profitable tree that could be 

 grown on this land, since it is oiisilj- stai-ted, grows vigor- 

 ously, and at fifteen years of age will jjrobably furnish 



