1883.] “ The Plains” of Michigan. 257 
“culls” unfit for sale, they are developing into fair-shaped, vigorous 
trees. The European larch, though frequently blistered by the 
intense heat reflected from the bare sands, when once started 
makes a vigorous growth, and the Catalpa, which has been tried, 
however, only two or three years, appears to be entirely hardy 
and to make a rapid and healthy growth. The Austrian pine 
often becomes diseased and is evidently inferior to either of the 
other pines for planting in such a situation. These plantations 
have been made only for the last eight years, but the results, thus 
far, are in the highest degree encouraging. 
Without attempting to draw conclusions that perhaps can be 
fully established only after the continuance of such experiments 
for a quarter of a century or more, it seems safe to gather the 
following suggestions for our own guidance from the experiments 
at Waukegan : 
1. The species to be particularly recommended for cultivation 
on the pine barrens of Michigan are the white pine, Scotch pine, 
European larch and Western Catalpa (Catalpa speciosa). Every 
one of these grows rapidly and produces excellent timber on land 
of the most inferior quality and in regions exposed to great vicis- 
situdes of temperature. 
2. Many kinds of trees, otherwise valuable, will not thrive under ` 
these unfavorable conditions, and it will prove a waste of time and 
money to plant them. The white ash and black walnut, for ex- 
ample, two of our best timber trees, require a better soil; the black 
cherry will grow, but, like the oak, will not attain full size on such 
light sand, and still others, such as the Ailanthus, that has else- 
where proven a useful species for cultivation, is not sufficiently 
hardy for our higher latitudes. 
Po To obtain satisfactory results, planting rather than sowing, 
will have to be practiced. Sowing seeds on the burning sands and 
leaving them to take care of themselves results only in failure. 
Where the land is soft and can be marked readily by a wagon 
track, to aid the planters in distributing the trees rapidly and 
their planting can be undertaken at a minimum of expense. 
4. The trees that have been recommended for cultivation grow 
more rapidly and attain dimensions suitable for use sooner than is 
generally understood. Specimens of white pine ten inches or a 
eof in diameter, that have been planted only twenty-five years, 
are not uncommon, and there are well authenticated instances of 
