“HEMLOCK, BALSAM, AND SOFT MAPLE. 53 
compact crowns. They grow on high ground in fresh and rather deep 
soil, but not in swamps, and are most abundant on northerly slopes 
and high flats. 
Hard Maple reproduces itself prolifically, and is tolerant of heavy 
shade both in youth and in later life. When the hardwood forest is 
thinned dense thickets of Hard Maple come up, often to the exclusion 
of all other species. 
The growth in diameter under the present conditions is slow. 
Measurements were taken of 16 trees which averaged 15 inches in 
diameter, and the average current rate of growth was found to be 1 
inch in diameter in 16 years. 
HEMLOCK. 
The Hemlock is found in all parts of the two preserves, but reaches 
its best development on the borders of streams and on the low flats 
above the swamps. In such situations it is usually more sound than 
when growing on high slopes and ridges, although in general its timber 
is of inferior quality and suffers severely from wind shake. On the 
1,046 acres measured in Nehasane Park, there were 4 Hemlock trees 
over 10 inches in diameter per acre, with an average diameter of 17.5 
inches. 
Hemlock is very tolerant of shade both in youth and in later life, 
but in the Adirondacks it is inferior in this respect, as it is in repro- 
ductive capacity and quality of timber, to that found in Pennsylvania. 
The reproduction is poor, and the tree grows very slowly both in 
diameter and height. The current rate of growth in diameter of 141 
trees, averaging 16.6 inches in diameter, was found to average 1 inch 
in 25 years. 
BALSAM. 
Balsam is for the most part a small tree in the Adirondacks. One 
Specimen 2 feet in diameter was measured, but the average of trees 
over 10 inches in diameter is between 11 and 12 inches. A very large 
proportion of the whole stand is under 10 inches. Balsam is most 
plentiful in swamps, although the largest specimens are found on the 
knolls above them. On wet soil it is frequently almost pure, but in 
such cases the trees are small. 
It reproduces itself well, and the young growth bears a considerable 
amount of shade. The rate of growth was determined, for 63 trees 
averaging 10.5 inches in diameter, to be 1 inch in diameter in 13 years. 
SOFT MAPLE. 
The Soft Maple reaches a diameter of nearly 2 feet, and, when grow- 
ing at its best, has a fair clear length. A very large proportion of the 
trees are unsound. In the Adirondacks Soft Maple is most abundant 
