COST OF NATURAL REPRODUCTION 



51 



tion saves money. Similarly, when the best Danish foresters find 

 it to their advantage to spend fifteen or twenty dollars in tilling, 

 liming and artificial seeding to assist so-called natural reproduction, 

 we have here artificial seeding and the old stand is useful only as 

 shelter. 



In good coppice on good sites the expense of cleaning out use- 

 less sprouts and useless species is small and if need be can be neg- 

 lected. But such saving is poor business on excellent site which 

 should produce from ten to twelve dollars worth of good material 

 per acre and year. 



In selection forest of our ordinary hardwoods natural repro- 

 duction is quite certain, fairly prompt, but often made up of the less 

 desirable species and either means a loss in the yield or an expense 

 for cutting out this material. 



In situations where a dry climate, lack of seed, etc., prevent 

 prompt reproduction, the waste by having a part of the land unused 

 for years may be a very considerable expense, as pointed out above. 



In nearly all cases, except coppice, natural reproduction in- 

 creases the cost of logging. In many cases in central Europe today 

 this amounts to more than twice the cost of planting and should be 

 charged to reproduction and not deducted from the final yield as is 

 always done. 



In remote mountainous districts where the cold climate retards 

 growth and the site at best produces but a small yield, lodge pole, 

 Engelman spruce, tamarack in swamp, jack pine, etc., the cost of 

 artificial reproduction may not be warranted except perhaps as a 

 starter on burned over districts, and here the natural reproduciiun 

 in spite of its loss in time and rent may still be the only economical 

 method. And even on better sites in our unsettled districts, western 

 yellow pine, etc., with enormous masses of excellent but unsalable 

 material, natural reproduction may be indicated. But to leave large 

 areas of these better sites entirely bare for many years would be a 

 mistake. This is recognized so that even now planting is being 

 .started in many localities. 



4. Current expenses, e, usually consist of administration and 

 protection, improvements and taxes. 



a. Taxes are beyond the control of the owner ; they are known 

 and remain fairly constant for large rural properties for many 

 years. In the United States under ordinary settled conditions rural 

 property pays about six. or eight dollars on the thousand dollars 

 worth of property or about twelve dollars on a two-thirds valuation. 



