FORESTRY. . 



Tt takes 30 years to grow a tree and 30 minutes to cut it down and destroy it. 



WHITE PINE PLANTING. 



Destructive methods of lumbering, forest 

 fires and the inability of white pine to re- 

 produce itself under the intense shade of 

 broad leaf trees have well nigh obliterated 

 the species from the forest map of the great 

 timber East. Immense areas of land for- 

 merly clothed with the richest forest are 

 now barren wastes, or are covered with less 

 valuable woods. The increasing value of 

 lumber and the worthlessness of this forest 

 land for other purposes make the restora- 

 tion of these pine forests an important eco- 

 nomic consideration. 



Of particular interest is this pine plant- 

 ing question to the farmer and the small 

 owner. It may be many years before plant- 

 ing on a large scale will be carried on by 

 the lumberman, but there is no reason why 

 the small owner should not gradually turn 

 all of his unused land into a potentially 

 valuable piece of property by planting it. 



On almost every farm there are at least 

 a few acres which are valueless for other 

 purposes than wood growth. The farmer 

 need be at small expense in planting these 

 tracts, for usually he can collect his own 

 seed or young pine from neighboring pine 

 woods. The value of such a plantation on 

 the farm is not restricted to the actual quan- 

 tity of posts, fuel and timber which it may 

 produce. Frequently the cause of failure in 

 orchards and various other perennial crops 

 is the lack of protection from snow and 

 wind in the winter. A combined woodlot 

 and snowbreak, extending about the or- 

 chard or field, will spread the snow evenly 

 over the enclosure, where otherwise the 

 wind would sweep the land, piling the snow 

 in heaps about the fences, roads and trees. 

 However, it is for timber production that 

 we are most concerned in starting a plan- 

 tation. 



In establishing a small plantation of only 

 a few acres it would undoubtedly be best 

 to buy the young pines from some reliable 

 nursery man. Two year old seedlings are 

 the best suited for such a purpose. They 

 can be bought for $2 to $5 a thousand, de- 

 pending on the demand and supply of the 

 particular year. If it is intended to plant 

 10 acres or more, it will be found more sat- 

 isfactory and cheaper to raise one's own 

 seedlings in a nursery bed, provided good 

 wild seedlings can not be secured from 

 neighboring woods. 



White pine seeds cost about $1.50 a pound 

 when the seed is plentiful, that is, during 

 a good seed year. There are about 28,800 

 seeds to the pound, of which the percentage 

 of germination is 70 to 90. If the seed is 



sown carefully in the nursery on suitable 

 soil and cared for with as much pains as 

 one would give to an ordinary vegetable 

 garden, 50 per cent, of the seed may be ex- 

 pected to produce seedlings which will live 

 to' the transplanting age. 



The best way to grow the seedlings is in 

 a bed prepared as one would prepare a 

 flower bed, with boards around the sides to 

 hold up the earth. The soil should be a 

 deep, porous, sandy loam with an admix- 

 ture of fresh humus, or vegetable mould. 

 No fertilizer is necessary. Four feet is a 

 handy width for the beds, which may be 

 as long as desired. Two beds 4 feet wide 

 and 24 feet long will produce sufficient 

 healthy seedlings for a 10 acre plantation. 

 About 2 .pounds of good seed will be re- 

 quired. They should be planted in drills 

 6 inches apart and about half an inch deep'. 

 After covering the seeds, the beds should 

 be rolled with a heavy roller and covered 

 with a mulch of leaves until the young 

 pines come up. The mulch should be kept 

 fairly moist by sprinkling every day, but 

 precaution must be used lest too much 

 moisture rot the seeds. After the seeds 

 are up, artificial shade should be given 

 them by placing a frame covered with 

 boughs or laths about 18 inches above the 

 bed. The beds should be kept clear of 

 weeds. During the first winter, the bed 

 should be again covered with a mulch of 

 leaves to prevent frost heaving the young 

 plants. At the end of 2 years, the young 

 seedlings are 5 to 8 inches high and are 

 ready for planting. They should be care- 

 fully removed from the bed so as not to 

 injure their roots and put in a puddle of 

 rich earth and water until they are set into 

 their, future home. 



Opinions differ as to the best number to 

 plant to the acre. Some plant them 6 and 

 some 4 feet apart. Four feet apart in- 

 sures better timber in the end. About 

 2,700 seedlings to the acre are required, 

 4 feet apart. They should be planted with 

 a spade or a mattock. If a spade is used, 

 make 2 incisions in the form of a T. In 

 making the cross to the T bear down on 

 the handle of the spade, which will lift 

 the sod and leave a slit for the seedling. 

 Be sure that the roots have plenty of room. 

 With a little practice, an ordinary work- 

 man can set out 100 to 150 seedlings an 

 hour on ordinary unploughed pasture land. 

 The seedlings should be set out in the 

 spring, just before they begin to put out 

 their spring growth. 



The plantation requires no further atten- 

 tion for 10 or 15 years. If care is taken 



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