SUGAR PINE. 35 
_ In a year when sugar-pine seed is plentiful it can be collected in 
large quantities from felled trees or from standing trees by climbing 
and cutting off the cones with an improvised cutting knife on a pole 
for from 50 to 60 cents per pound. Collecting smail quantities 1s 
more expensive. 
_ Attempts have been made to restock denuded areas with sugar 
pine by sowing the seed directly in the field either broadcast or in 
prepared seed spots. Both of these methods have failed absolutely. 
The seed has either been devoured by rodents before germination or 
the young trees have succumbed to the effect of drought during the 
first season. 
A small supply of sugar-pine stock for field planting is now being 
produced annually at the Pilgrim Creek Nursery, near McCloud, Cal., 
on the Shasta Forest, and experiments in plantmeg have been con- 
ducted near there and also in Plumas County. So far it has been 
very difficult to produce satisfactory trees, both because the seed 
’ germinates very slowly and incompletely and on account of the un- 
satisfactory development of the seediings and transplants. Results 
indicate that 3-year-old trees are the best adapted to field conditions. 
Plantations of 3-year-old trees have cost, on an average, about $22 
per acre, including all items. This cost is excessive and & only 
justified by the value of the experiments. lf this preliminary work 
is fairly successful, costs can be decreased as the scale of work is 
increased, 
MANAGEMENT OF PRIVATE TIMBERLANDS. 
Private timber holdings may be divided into two principal groups— 
individual holdings and corporate holdings. The individual holdings 
are generally smaller than the corporats ones, and it is usually the 
natural desire of individual holders to secure all possible profit from 
their lands during a lifetime. It is undoubtedly just as good business 
for such owners to protect their capital (standing merchantable 
timber) against loss as it is for the proprietor of any other business to 
carry insurance. Protection of cut-over areas, except in so far as is 
necessary to prevent the loss of merchantable timber adjoining or 
equipment, however, is not at present profitable to this class of 
owners. 7 
Corporations may look further into the future, since their life is 
indefinite. Thus far they have found it more profitable to extend 
their operating life by adding to their holdings rather than to attempt 
to maintain their cut-over lands in such a condition of productiveness 
that a profitable second crop can be derived from them by the time 
the entire area has been cut over. It is self-evident, however, that 
as the supply of stumpage decreases its value will increase until it 
equals the cost of producing timber. It is fair to assume, therefore, 
