22 BULLETIN 153, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF :AGRICULTURE, © 
~ To enable. planters to avoid errors made by other planters in the 
past, some of those observed in the course of the study are described: 
(1) Planting European larch and silver maple in mixture killed the oe which j is 
the more v aluable tree of the two. 
(2) Planting black walnut under green ash killed the walnut, which must have jull 
sunlight in order to succeed. 
(3) Catalpa planted under black locust grew very slowly. Catalpa requires full 
sunlight for good growth. 
(4) European larch planted under catalpa did not live. Larch requires full sun- 
light. 
(5) Box elder planted in mixture with green ash at first grew more rapidly than the 
other species and shaded out much of it, though ash is the more valuable tree. 
(6) Cottonwood planted on a gravel knoll did not live. The situation was too dry 
for it. : 
(7). The roots of cottonwood planted in a “‘ blowout’’ in sandy soil were exposed by 
the shifting of the sand; the trees, when observed, were very scrubby and dying. _ 
(8) Catalpa planted on a gravel knoll was only about 2 feet tall after 7 years. Such 
soil is not suited to catalpa. 
(9) Catalpa trees planted in soil with a hardpan about 8 inches below the suriace 
were only 3 or 4 feet high after 7 years of growth. Catalpa requires a deeper, well- 
drained soil. 
(10) Ash planted ina ‘‘blowout’’ in pure sand, while still alive aiter 5 years, was not 
much larger than when set out. A pure sandy soil is not suited to-ash. 
(11) Black walnut and green ash planted in low wet ground made a scrubby growth. 
The soil was not well enough drained for either of them. 
(12) Osage orange planted in pure sand failed to survive. Osage orange requires a 
iairly good soil. 
(13) Three-year-old ash stock, which cost a good deal in the first place, and had to 
be set in by the most expensive methods, grew so poorly that it was necessary to cut 
the trees back to the ground aiter a couple of years. The stock was too large when 
planted to succeed well. 
YIELDS AND RETURNS. 
The yields in products and the money returns to be expected from 
plantations are given in the tables for individual species (pp. 24 to 32). 
Existing plantations do not, as a rule, afford a good basis for 
estimating possible yields and returns from plantations started now, 
for species have often been planted on inhospitable sites, spacing has 
been too wide or too close, almost no attention has been given to 
proper thinnings, and live stock has been allowed to run among the 
trees. Moreover, the cost of planting stock has often been excessive ; 
$20 a thousand for European larch and $20 to $25 a thousand for 
hardy catalpa is unduly high. It has been practically impossible to 
obtain wholly reliable cost data for a given plantation or the exact 
amount of products secured from it prior to the time when 1t was exam- 
ined. In many cases the original planters have died or moved away, 
or have kept no accurate record of costs or returns. 
In reckoning the cost of an income from plantations, interest has 
been calculated at 3 per cent, compounded annually. The land values 
and tax rate assumed are undoubtedly lower than those now in effect, 
but it should be remembered that neither averaged as high during the 
