FORESTRY COMMISSION. 101 



in tlie rate of growth of such species as tlie liard maple or liic-kory on 

 the one hand and the elm, the Cottonwood and the European white 

 willow on the other. Plantations for fire Avood production since quan- 

 tity of wood in, the shortest time possible is the aim, can be madi' much 

 more open than for timber yjroduction and the trees given larger spaces 

 so that they may have light and air in abundance. Such plantinf^s may 

 be made in fence rows, in ravines and in any places where 1lie land 

 cannot l)e made to produce satisfactory agricultural crops. Many farm- 

 ers are now buying fuel A\ho could readily grow enough for their own 

 use in the uncultivated i)arts of their farms and the lime is not far 

 distant when much more tree planting for the purposes of raising 

 fuel will be undertaken than at present. Fiie wood production takes 

 little care and less skill and the certainty of a market is, in this climate, 

 absoluti', whenever the owner is ready to harvest his crop. In planning 

 for the production of fire wood, however, it should be remembered that 

 since the amount of wood which will grow each year upon an acj-e of land 

 is small on the average, about one cord, and the price for this kind 

 of wood also small, only the most undesirable land and the fastest gi-ow- 

 ing trees should be used if the crop is to be made a paying one from 

 the financial point of view. 



If the quickest possible returns are to be obtained from tree ])lanta- 

 tions it must be borne in mind that trees are like other plants and 

 thrive best and grow most rajjidly when they have good soil and good 

 care and fail to give the best results if they are not cared for, hence 

 after ])]antations are made they should be cultivated for such length 

 of time as is necessary to keep the young trees from being choked out 

 by weeds and grass, generally until the branches meet to form a soil 

 cover. A tvpe of situation in which tree plantations should be very 

 sxicressful in our State and one which is generally of little use for oilier 

 purposes is the stream bottom lands. These are so subject to flooding 

 and general washing that often they are abandoned to bi'ush swamps, 

 or sedgy growth and poor, weedy pastures, when, with a relatively small 

 outlay they might be converted into timbei' plantations upon which 

 the most rapid development of trees possible could be expected. 



In small plantations and in cases where it is possible to afford a large 

 initial expenditure and where the matter of rapid returns is of great 

 importance, it is possible to secure Hiem by the relativelv wide plant- 

 ing of older stock, not however over four or five years old, then giving 

 thorough cultivation and frequent pruning in order to secure the form 

 of crop which is desired and to prevent too much branch development. 

 This course of procedure is not to be generally recommended on account 

 of the great cost, but it is possible that circumstances may sometimes 

 warrant it. It is always to be considered that too much crowding of 

 trees in plantations will cause a stunting of all the individuals which 

 are over crowded from which they will reco\er but slowly, if at all, 

 and this in turn will delay the harvest of marketable malerial. The 

 over crowding may be avoided by thinnings made at frequent intervals 

 in which the practice may be either to remove the poorer and imperfect 

 individuals or the largest and best. It is probable that a <-ompromise 

 or middle course will give the greatest satisfaction and this would 

 require the favoring of the better and stronger plants in the early thin- 



