FORESTS 



FORESTS 



327 



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such as oak, ash and white pine, do not offer any 

 great inducement for the private individual, except 

 in the case of such kinds as renew themselves 

 readily from the sprouts or where the land is 

 already stocked with a young growth. The fast- 

 growing species are the ones to which individuals 

 are largely limited in making their plantations. 

 Among the most desirable of these is 

 Catalpa speciosa, which under favorable 

 conditions will make good post timber 

 in ten or fifteen years. The yellow or 

 black locust, which has a little wider 

 range northward, and is fully equal to 

 the catalpa in rapidity of growth at the 

 North, is also well adapted for post tim- 

 ber. In some sections the white willow 

 and Cottonwood may be grown to advan- 

 tage, the willow being used largely for 



|fuel and poles, while the cottonwood is 

 used largely for dimension lumber in 



Icheap construction. 



^ These four trees promise the quickest 

 returns of any deciduous trees that are 

 grown in our northern states. In the 

 case of willow, the average yield per 

 acre of cord-wood on good soil, under 

 favorable conditions, will not be far 

 from three cords, when once the land is 

 well stocked with trees. Under the con- 

 ditions which exist in many central- 

 western states, such plantations may prove very 

 profitable. While cottonwood lumber at present is 

 regarded as of little value in most of the timber 

 sections, yet on our prairies it is in demand for floor 

 boards and dimension stuff in cheap construction, 

 and will often increase in growth at the rate of 

 500 to 1,000 feet board measure per acre per year. 

 Of the coniferous species, spruce is probably the 

 most promising. White and Norway spruces grow 

 at about the same rate, but as the seed of the 

 Norway is much the more easily secured, it will 

 naturally be given preference. It will yield thirty 

 to thirty-five cords of pulp-wood per acre when 

 thirty years old. It is in demand for paper pulp, 

 and the outlook is for an increase in the price of 

 this material. 



The future will undoubtedly see a more general 

 use made of inferior woods, by impregnating them 

 with antiseptic materials, and it is probable that 

 we shall, in this way, find a much wider use for 

 such wood as that of the common cottonwood and 

 soft maple. 



Seeds and seeding. 



Source of seeds. — One of the most important fac- 

 tors for the grower of tree seedlings to have in 

 mind is that the source of the seeds may sometimes 

 have a very considerable effect on the value of the 

 seedlings. It may be lajd down as a safe general 

 rule that those seeds are most desirable which 

 come from trees grown in a climate as severe as 

 that in which they are to be sown. As trees reach 

 the limit of their growth they have a tendency to 

 become dwarfed, and the seedlings from these trees 

 undoubtedly perpetuate (more or less) this dwarfing 



tendency. Hence, even though an essential point 

 in considering the value of any tree is hardiness, 

 the question of size is also important and should 

 be taken into account. We may conclude, then, 

 that since trees from milder climates generally 

 lack in hardiness, and those from a very severe 

 climate may lack in size, it is best to procure seeds 





r^^^^Si^K 



Fig. 465. Forest at Picea excelsa (known in this country as Horway spruce) 

 in Hessen, planted for paper pulp; side branches removed as soon as dead. 



from the best trees grown near by, or from those 

 grown under similar climatic conditions elsewhere. 

 Generally, it, is not necessary to limit this range 

 very closely, and a range of one hundred miles 

 north or south of a given point will seldom make 

 much difference in hardiness. 



Gathering seeds. — In some cases it is best to pick 

 the seed from the trees even before they are quite 

 ripe, as they will generally ripen if kept dry after 

 being picked; Very unripe seeds do not keep so 

 well as perfectly ripe seeds. Most kinds of tree 

 seeds can be gathered cheaply from the ground 

 after they have fallen. This method of gathering 

 often can be greatly facilitated by clearing the 

 land under the treesj so that it will be smooth and 

 even. The seeds of some species can be swept up 

 at little expense under trees growing along high- 

 ways or city streets. 



Seeds of coniferous trees, such as pine, spruce, 

 tamarack and arborvitae, are dry and winged, but 

 the red cedar has a fleshy, berry-like covering sur- 

 rounding its seed. The seeds that grow in cones 

 are most easily gathered before being shed from 

 the cones. The cones should be gathered before 

 they open, and then dried, after which those of 

 most species will open and the seeds can be 

 threshed out. Cones of a few trees, as those of the 

 jack pine, will not open without artificial heat. 

 These can be opened by gently heating them over 

 a stove or in an oven to a temperature of 100 to 

 150° P. Seeds of this class grow readily, but must 

 be very carefully stored or they will lose their 

 vitality. They may be kept like the seed of ash 

 and box-elder, but are more liable to injury than 

 these kinds from too much moisture or heat, and 



