14 FORESTRY BULLETIN 



as fully convinced that the native trees of Massachusetts are better 

 suited to Massachusetts than any exotic trees can be, and that if our 

 woods and plantations are ever to assume real importance, and to make 

 profitable returns upon the money invested in them, they must be com- 

 posed either wholly or in large part of our native trees." 



The white willow of Europe seems to be an exception to the rule just 

 mentioned, as it grows rapidly and reaches large size in this country, 

 and is worth planting if anyone can make use of the lumber. 



Most of the trees of Europe which attain much size were long ago 

 planted more or less at the Agricultural College, some of them as early 

 as 1860, and many others previous to 1875. The tests there made lead 

 me to the same conclusion for Michigan that Prof. Sargent reached for 

 Massachusetts. Furtherhiore, the trials that have been made in Eastern 

 North America lead us to conclude that there is nothing on the Eocky 

 Mountains or on the Pacific Slope that is worth planting for growing 

 timber in Michigan. 



Prof. Sargent says further, "the most instructive plantations of Massa- 

 chusetts are not those which have been made upon the European fashion, 

 or rather with European trees, by men who have studied' the subject in 

 Europe or in European books upon forestry. The real progress in sylvi- 

 culture in Massachusetts has been made by the farmers of Barnstable 

 and Plymouth counties, who have taught us how to plant and raise forests 

 successfully and profitably under the most favorable conditions. The 

 secret of their success must be sought where they sought and found it, not 

 in forest treatises, unsuited to the requirements of this community, but in 

 the native woods in full view of their own doorstep, which told them 

 what to plant and supplied them with material for planting. 



It has been demonstrated in Barnstable county that a crop of pitch 

 pine can be raised from seed with as much certainty as a crop of corn and 

 with much less expense." 



Half a century ago some experiments were begun in Eastern Massa- 

 chusetts in planting white pines on barren sandy soil. The young trees 

 were set in shallow furrows at odd times, with little expense, at a distance 

 of from five to twelve feet each way, and after planting received no sub- 

 sequent care whatever. They grew rapidly and vigorously. Prof. Sar- 

 gent says "Here, no doubt, are the most profitable and successful at- 

 tempts at sylviculture ever made in the United States." 



These experiments do not, unfortunately, show "the method of culture 

 which can best be adopted in order to make this tree yield the greatest 

 return. More experiments are needed with the white pine." 



Where experiments were made in Massachusetts the land consisted of 

 old fields, clear of stumps and other obstructions, while in Michigan the 

 pine stumps are still left and the intervening spaces are often filled with 

 logs, briars, shrubs and grasses in variety. 



In making selections for planting, the nature of the soil and other 

 conditions must be taken into account. On light sands we may not wish 

 to rely on the conifers because of great risk from fire, but on such lands 

 our broad-leaved trees are found to grow but indifferently, making timber 

 of little value. For growing good timber on such lands, judging from our 

 present knowledge, we are reluctantly forced to select some of the cone 

 bearing trees. Still good pine has been grown on land in Michigan that 

 also grew good hardwood. Where white pine or other kinds of first-class 

 trees have been growing to some extent on our wild land and have not 



