QO REPORT OF THE 



The Pennsylvania legislature, at its session of 1887, passed " An act for the 

 encouragement of forest culture, and providing penalties for the destruction of 

 forests," requiring county commissioners to pay a bounty of forty-five cents per 

 acre, not exceeding ninety per cent of the taxes, for planting forest trees not less 

 in number than 1,200 to the acre, for a period of ten years, with a similar bounty 

 at a reduced rate for a second and third period. In 1892 the Girard estate under 

 the above law collected from the county commissioners $38.15. No other claim 

 had been presented before under this act. The following records have been made 

 of the various plantings : 



Planting of l<^Sl. 



The seedlings were three inches in height. Most of the plants took root and 

 grew, and in 1894 ninety per cent were living, the larch having an average height 

 of 31 feet 3 inches, and average diameter at the ground of 6}^ inches. The season 

 of 1 88 1 was one of extreme drought. Among the larch were planted some Catalpa 

 speciosa, about 85 per cent of which thrived, and showed in 1894 an average height 

 of 26 feet I inch, with an average thickness of 63^ inches at the ground. In 1891 

 the larch averaged 28 feet in height. 



In 1901 my examination showed that there are about fifty per cent of the larch 

 standing, from 28 feet to 48 feet high, averaging 37^ feet, with diameters measured 

 breast high from 3^ inches to 9 inches, and averaging 6 inches. About fifty per 

 cent of the catalpa are standing, from 28 to 33 feet high, averaging 30 feet, and 

 from four to five inches in diameter, breast high. 



There are now on this plantation 1,263 trees per acre, which could be cut and 

 sold at the prices obtained by the Girard estate so as to yield $80 per acre for 

 stumpage. 



The soil here is good, and this is well illustrated by a fine volunteer growth 

 adjacent. It is mostly white oak, pin oak and chestnut, and has been carefully 

 pruned and cleaned out. It is coppice growth of about the same age as the plan- 

 tation. The heights are from 31 to 38 feet, with diameters from 4^^ to 6 inches. 

 The white oaks are 31 feet by 51^ inches; pin oaks, 36 feet by 5 inches; and 

 chestnuts, 37 feet by 43^ inches. There are 730 trees per acre, and they stand 

 mostly in clumps. 



In making the reservoir dams large areas were stripped of all soil, exposing a 

 clean, clayey gravel, in which many of the trees were planted. Here the Scotch 

 pine grows slowly ; also the white pine, but not so well as the former ; the larch 

 does poorly ; and the catalpas, oaks and cherries do not thrive at all. At some 

 places in these old gravel pits volunteer pitch pine is doing well. In clearing, pre- 



