FOREST CONDITIONS IN WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA. 103 



der certain conditions, notably the European larch and the ITorway 

 spruce. These, however, should be planted at first only in an experi- 

 mental way. 



Black locust is perhaps the most important hardwood tree for plant- 

 ing in this region. Locust is rapidly disappearing from the forests, 

 and its use for posts will make a continual demand for it. Its rapid 

 growth and hardihood make it very satisfactory to plant in many situa- 

 tions. 



Locust grows naturally all over the region, but succeeds best on the 

 Chestnut type above 2,500 feet in elevation. Many areas when cleared 

 and subsequently abandoned come up naturally to locust. It would 

 often pay to fill out these scattered stands by planting, as more rapid 

 height growth would be secured, and a better quality of post can be 

 raised where the stand is fairly dense. A few acres of thrifty locust 

 would supply a large farm with posts, and when once planted the sup- 

 ply would be permanent. Locust reproduces so abundantly from 

 sprouts after cutting that there would be no need to replant. It is also 

 one of the best trees to hold the soil because of its long tough roots. 

 Like all the pea family, the locust is a great renovator of the soil, 

 taking nitrogen from the air and storing it in the soil, so that the 

 longer an area stays in locust the richer it becomes. By the time a 

 crop of locust planted in an old field becomes mature, the soil will be 

 rich enough to grow good agricultural crops. 



Locust should be planted from four to six feet apart each way. The 

 soil should be prepared by plowing, and might be cultivated with ad- 

 vantage once or twice after planting. This gives the young trees a 

 healthy start which enables them to maintain a rapid growth. Plants 

 can be obtained at very reasonable prices at any forest nursery. In 

 the Ohio River valley there are many firms which make a specialty 

 of growing locust seedlings. One-year-old seedlings may be used to ad- 

 vantage where the ground is in good condition, but those two years 

 old would be better in most cases. Locust seedlings may easily be 

 . grown on the farm by sowing the seed in drills and giving ordinary 

 cultivation. 



White pine, shortleaf pine, and locust are the only species recom- 

 mended for planting in pure stands in this region, though under ex- 

 ceptional conditions others might be planted in a similar way. Most 

 of the hardwood species do better in mixed stands. Yellow poplar has 

 been planted to some extent in other States, but it has been little tried 

 in Western l^orth Carolina. Poplar succeeds well in suitable loca- 

 tions and in a fairly rich soil up to 3,500 feet in elevation. There are 



