The RURAL. NEW-YORKER 
1209 
Forestry Planting in New York 
A QUESTION FOE CONSIDERATION.—Fores¬ 
try for the common farmer of portions of Ne>v 
York appears to be a real proposition. The same is 
true of many other sections of the country. Some 
States have begun a systematic outline of work, 
and New York is at last giving it respect if not al¬ 
ready up with every other State. Various county 
officials and Farm Bureaus are active, and consid¬ 
erable has been done in one way or another, mostly 
I believe by individuals, but frequently by associa¬ 
tions, municipalities or the State at large. To what 
lengths we may go with forestry is somewhat of a 
question. It is well worth studying, and should be 
studied, before a farmer or his county town or vil¬ 
lage engage in it. It has come to the point now 
where information is more easily avail¬ 
able, and occasional meetings are now 
held for its consideration. 
A DELAWARE COUNTY MEET¬ 
ING.—One such meeting has just been 
held in Delaware County, and it is 
with reference to this that I am try¬ 
ing to frame a report. Forestry does 
not look to be a “get-rich-quick” 
scheme. It may be doubted whether 
it can be regarded as any kind of a 
“get-rich” plan. Some have likened it 
to life insurance, and the idea appeals 
to me somewhat. An old man can hard¬ 
ly see much from it for himself and a 
young man may not find it altogether 
attractive, yet it has its advantages. 
(Possibly some of our lands may better 
be in forests for years yet than to be 
as they are. The 'meeting was a pic¬ 
nic affair held on Pine Grove Farm, 
about eight miles from Walton, the 
farm being the property of C. G. Du- 
Mond. I asked Mr. DuM'ond why he 
went into forestry. He replied that he 
liked it. He says that forestry is 
worth much for the future generation. 
The farm was practically abandoned 
when Mr. DuMond bought it, hut it does 
not seem so much different from the 
usual farm in that wonderful dairy 
county. He set several acres in 1014 
and 1015, and then waited to see what 
would develop. During the last two 
or three years he has set many more 
acres. The farm has about 240 acres, 
ISO a*cres of it being in forest, includ¬ 
ing the recent settings, and about 125 
acres set, 55 being natural growth 
timber. After lunch a group of us 
went through a 30-acre lot that was 
set to white pine in 1914. It stands 
from 0 to 10 ft. high. Some of the 
growth shows in a year 20 inches, and 
occasionally more. Dr Collingwood. 
extension forester, College of Agricul¬ 
ture, conducted this group. He showed 
how much better results are obtained 
where plantings are made as in this 
case than where trees come up at random and ir¬ 
regularly spaced. One farmer said to me in the 
morning that there is nothing in the reforestry plan. 
Trees, he said, must be much thicker, or they will 
be scrubby and amount to nothing. I asked C. R. 
Pettis what he thinks of this. Mr. Pettis is State 
superintendent of the State forests. He said that 
they have proven that 6-ft. planting is the best, but 
that after a few years many of the trees will have 
to be cut out or they will die out to give room for 
the others. 
POSSIBLE RETURNS.—Two well-informed men 
were saying that they wished they had money to 
invest in forestry. I asked them if they would care 
to pay 5 per cent for it for that purpose. The reply 
that I got was that with $5 land and $0 for plant¬ 
ing the yield has been calculated to equal G per 
cent compound interest. I think for 40 years. The 
picnic was held in a natural growth of pine that 
has about 40 years of growth. Dr. Collingwood 
made a careful examination of this not long ago, 
at which time he concluded that it has 25,000 ft. 
of lumber to the acre. He estimated it worth $10 
per 1,000 on the stump. A dealer thought it worth 
$15 per 1.000. He further stated that he has fig¬ 
ures to show a profitable growth of wood in the com¬ 
mon forest area. 
YOUNG PLANTINGS.—We went through some 
of the recently planted areas where the small seed¬ 
lings show but little, but T)r. Collingwood assured 
us that these were making satisfactory progress. 
Quite a number of the people present have already 
commenced to plant some forest areas, or are plan¬ 
ning to do so. I think that it is a really live issue. 
They tell us that we are using our timber four times 
as fast as it grows. While it is not marketable 
usually under 35 to 50 years, forest areas bring 
pretty good money at 10 to 25 years as an invest¬ 
ment, some say. None of us know just what sub¬ 
stitutes may be developed for lumber, but at pres¬ 
ent it would appear to be worth while to plant some 
trees. 
AN IMPORTANT CROP.—After the dinner Mr. 
Pettis, once a Delaware County boy and the sec¬ 
ond forester graduate in the United States, ex¬ 
plained how the State provides “baby” trees for 
planting and furnishes them at cost, the small ones 
at $2 per 1,000 or five for a cent in large numbers. 
forestry, and it is expected that all of this will 
finally be planted by school children. 
PLANNING FOR THE FUTURE.—In Chenango 
County some planting has been done in various ways, 
but there are certain idle lands that it is expected 
to put largely into forests. It is to be done on a 
systematic procedure and plans are going forward 
with care. There are already some lands belong¬ 
ing to the county through tax sales. The board of 
supervisors has a committee on the project. The 
recreational value of forestry was presented by 
Dean Moon of the Syracuse College of Forestry. He 
advanced the idea that it will help to correct ad- 
\erse conditions coming from the closely populated 
city areas. I think I omitted to mention Congress¬ 
man Clark’s statement of the effort he made to get 
on the agricultural committee and then 
something of the difficulty experienced 
in getting the last forestry measures 
passed by both houses. Much had to 
be combined and nearly all that was 
thought needed was finally included 
in the bill which the President recent¬ 
ly signed. The picture, Fig. 500, show¬ 
ing a red pine plantation is furnished 
by the Conservation Commission. It 
is taken well up in the Adirondack 
region and shows the straight trunk 
that is usual in plantations. As growth 
continues the lower branches self¬ 
prune and the knots are covered by 
the late growth. This is from a 12- 
year growth. White pine is more com¬ 
monly planted, but advice is furnished 
by the Commission as to the kinds best 
suited to soil and climate in any ter¬ 
ritory. II. H. L. 
A Red Pine Plantation in the Adirondack Region. Fig. 500 
The State nurseries have twenty-six million of them 
now. Dr. Collingwood said that our forest crop is 
nine times the wool crop and half as much as poul¬ 
try products. It is becoming of interest not dreamed 
of 10 years ago. This was a record-breaking meet 
ing of the kind, and marks a milestone in forestry. 
Another Delaware County product, Ed Thompson of 
the Federal Land Bank at Springfield, told of addi¬ 
tional credit allowed where trees are planted. Col. 
Greeley. Chief Forester of the federal government, 
was scheduled to come, and had sent on a brief of 
his speech, but he was suddenly called to Califor¬ 
nia to take charge of forest fires. His place at the 
meeting was taken by assistant, E. A. Sherman of 
that department. Mr. Sherman said that two acts 
have been passed for forestry, one in 1.897 and an¬ 
other this year. This last will be of great help in 
forestry work and credit for it is given largely to 
Congressman Clark, also of Delaware County. 
INTEREST IN OTHER COUNTIES.—Not only 
the Farm Bureau of Delaware County, but Otsego. 
Broome and Chenango were especially invited and 
took part. Otsego County has a forestry company 
with large plantings and much money invested. They 
are now working out a county project through the 
board of supervisors, in this following the lead of 
Chenango, which has its plans considerably de¬ 
veloped. Broome County worked last Spring large¬ 
ly through the schools, both city and rural. The 
school children planted 70.000 trees and there were 
in all about 100,000 planted in the county. The city 
of Binghamton donated 20 acres for the purpose of 
Improving A Henhouse 
I HAVE read what George A. Cos¬ 
grove had to say about open-front 
poultry-houses on page 1061. I have 
one house where I use curtains to keep 
out the rain, as he does, hanging them 
up only when I think they will be 
needed, which is not often, as he says. 
But, sometimes, it is difficult to tell 
what is going to happen during the 
night. Some showers come up unex¬ 
pectedly, and I have had to go out 
in heavy rains to put up the curtains. 
I have a window in another pen, 
arranged on a plan used around here 
some, which I like better. The sash 
is 30x30 in., hinged at the top, and 
swung out at the bottom at an angle of 
about 45 degrees. It remains that way 
day and night, Summer and Winter, 
rain and shine. It never rains in, 
admits air all of the time, and gives 
me no care or concern. Let us apply 
this plan to Mr. Cosgrove’s henhouse. 
It is 20 ft. long, with 5 ft. at each end 
boarded up, which leaves 10 ft. open. 
I would have less space boarded up at the ends, 
and then put in three windows, each 3 ft. wide, with 
about 14 in. of 'boards between the windows. No 
window frame is needed. I would have each sash 
4 ft. wide which would keep out the rain better, as 
it would be 6 in. wider on each side than the win¬ 
dow space which it protects. The sash would be 
flat against the building when down, and be hinged 
at the top. ’ 
The building is 4 ft. from sill to plate. I would 
not have a sash 4 ft. high, but would use two, hing- 
Hinged Windows Used in Henhouse. Fig. 501 
ing the bottom one midway, and the upper one at the 
top, swinging both out about 45 degrees. In steady 
pleasant weather both could be raised higher, but in 
doubtful weather they can remain at 45 degrees. 
The plan is shown in Fig. 501. If the sash is hinged 
at the top, it will keep out the rain better than it 
would if held by a pivot in the center of each side. 
Curtains darken the room, but the windows give 
both light and air. When both windows are down, 
