reshipped to the nursery? These empty crates are carried by express at a very low price. If not so returned the crates must be paid for.

Fifth.- Trees may be removed from the trench as needed for planting but whenever bundles of trees are taken, you should be sure to recover with several inches of moist soil the end of the row of trees remaining in the trench.

Sixth. When you are ready to plant, remove a few bundles from the trench. Cut the bands around the bunches and place the trees roots down in a pail containing some water. Always know that the roots of the trees are kept wet.

Seventh. It is always best to plant the trees in rows because through this means you will get more uniform spacing and consequently a fuller utilization of light, soil and moisture.

Eighth. The planting can be done by two men working together or by several pairs of men. The first pair of planters should start on a fairly straight line. The leader should have a single bit mattuck or grub hoe. He will commence by digging a hole about the size of an ordinary tin tomato can. He should leave the dirt in a convenient pile at the edge of the hole so it can be quickly available for the man who follows who is to do the planting. After this hole has been dug, he should look ahead along his real or imaginary line, take about two good paces and dig another hole and proceed this way across the field to be planted. The second man of the pair should have the pail with the trees and should follow closely behind the man who is taking the lead. As he approaches the hole where the tree is to be planted, he should remove from the pail a single tree. There is on each tree, a scar which indicates the depth at which the tree grew in the nursery. It is important that the tree be replanted at the same depth. This can be done best by the planter putting his thumb and forefinger exactly on the scar and then putting the tree in the hole and raising it up until the thumb is on a level with the surface of the ground. The dirt which had been removed should then be replaced around the roots of the tree and when all of the soil is put back, the planter should step on each side of the tree with his whole. weight to pack the soil down, trying to restore the soil to the same condition as it was before the hole was dug, in order to effect natural soil and moisture conditions.

The planter then steps forward to the second hole, repeats the process and continues on.

If you have more than two crews for planting the various crews proceed in the same way, the second crew about one space behind the first crew, etc.

There are cases where seedlings are used that the planting can be done by making a wedge-shaped slit in the soil, then insert the tree and then tightly close the hole, pinching the dirt around the tree. This is a great saving in labor. It is not a desirable method

to follow when transplants are used. It should not be used on land that has "duffy" soil or is very rooty. It is practical only in light sod or mineral soil and when seedlings are used. Extreme care should be taken to be certain that roots are placed straight down and not doubled up. Replanting the tree the same depth as before is of great importance, particularly in using spruce.

It is absolutely necessary that a much larger number of trees be planted on an acre than would be found in a mature forest. A close, dense stand of trees is necessary while they are young in order to produce a proper development in the future growth. The close planting produces a crowded and shaded condition which kills off the side branches when the trees are small, reduces the number and

size of the knots and finally makes a higher grade of lumber. The dense stand also causes the trees to grow much taller, and hence there will be more logs in a tree. The value of this close planting is easily seen when we compare the difference in trees which have naturally grown in a forest with those in the open.

There are, however, other considerations than growing the highest possible grade of wood material. We all realize that some soils will produce much larger quantities of farm crops than others. As a general rule the land that is most likely to be used for tree planting will be the poor, meager soils of a small productive capacity. Hence, in order to make the growing of wood crops profitable,

consideration must be given to the quality and productive capacity of the soil where the planting is to be done. If twelve hundred trees per acre are growing we would naturally expect to produce a tree having a diameter of twelve inches in less time than we would if there were seventeen hundred trees per acre. Therefore, in order to make planting profitable, we must not only grow good timber in a dense stand, but at the same time aim at a profitable harvest in the shortest possible period.

In some cases there will be a tree growth upon the land desired to be planted. If the present growth is such that it can be utilized to sufficiently crowd the young trees and cause them to make a good height growth and produce sufficient shade to kill off the side branches, the trees can be planted in openings of from twelve to fifteen feet and more, or wherever they will have necessary light. This method is called underplanting.

Care of Plantations.- Naturally every investment is attended with some risk, but in case of forest properties the owner must care for his own property, and to a very large extent his own policy determines its safety. In reforesting there are but four risks to be considered. They are injury from domestic animals, forest fires, insect pests and plant diseases.

Cattle. There is but little use in attempting reforesting unless the plantation is to be protected. In any case all domestic animals must be excluded after planting. They not only stamp down and injure the small trees but often eat them off, producing stunted or deformed trees.

Fire. This is the worst enemy of young trees. A plantation, or in fact any forest growth, should always be protected from this danger.

Insect Pests. They are of but little consequence in connection with the trees considered in this publication except the black locust and white pine. The locust is attacked by borers in some parts of this State and is, therefore, only a short-lived tree. The white pine weevil destroys the terminal shoots of young white pine trees. In case of any insect troubles correspond with the State Entomologist, Albany, N. Y.

Plant Diseases.- These, except the white pine blister rust, fortunately are not sufficiently common in this country to be seriously considered. The importation of trees for reforesting purposes is now prohibited by quarantine.

The white pine blister rust is serious but can be absolutely controlled by the careful destruction of all currant and gooseberry bushes on the area to be planted and on a strip about nine hundred feet in width surrounding it.

Cost of Planting. The cost of planting varies with local conditions, such as soil cover, topography, nature of the soil, size of the trees, price of labor, transportation, etc. An examination of several hundred reports made to this office shows that the price

ranges from $3 per acre for underplanting, when 400 transplants are set, to a maximum of $15 to $16 for setting transplants at the rate of 1,200 per acre. The latter price is not a fair criterion of the cost because in this case excessive cartage, unnecessary preparation of the ground, etc., produce this price. Generally, the average price, including cost of trees in cases where transplants are set six feet apart each way, is approximately $12 per acre. The cost of seedlings and labor in planting will average about $9 per acre.

Yield From Planted Forests.-There is not at hand sufficient data upon which to predicate reliable figures as to the quantity of

material that will be obtained from planted forests because there are only a limited number of plantations which have attained such an age and size as to make them merchantable. The few plantations that there are, are situated in New England but their growth ought to be comparable to results that would be obtained under our conditions.

There has been some study made in natural stands where the density and composition of the forests approximate plantations. As a general rule, it is fair to assume that the growth in planted forests should be equal to or greater than that of a natural stand

because in plantations there is a more uniform spacing of trees and, consequently, a better utilization of light, soil and moisture.

The following information is submitted simply as data which has been procured, together with the source of the information.

The following yield table for white pine was constructed after examining and measuring 177 sample plots of natural growth in Massachusetts of various ages scattered throughout the State.

This table indicates at a glance that much more timber can be grown in the same period of time on good soil than on poor soil. The highest production was found on the rich lowlands, where the soil was deep, rich and moist, but withal well drained. The upland pasture, our hillsides and upland plateaus, which form the largest part of land where wood crops will be planted, is indicated by soil quality II. The rate of growth here is not far below that of soil quality I, because the pine finds its demands as regards moisture, food supply, etc., well supplied. The third quality of soil consists of the wet, cold, mucky swamps, or the most sterile drifting sands. For the purpose of this publication soil of the second quality will be considered, because this is the kind of soil that will most largely be used for growing forest, raising crops of timber and wood materials.

The table shows in a most striking manner how the quantity of timber increases with the age of the forest. It, therefore, shows what a short-sighted policy and poor financial plan it is to cut growing forests. It will be seen that a forest thirty years old contains nearly twice as much lumber as one twenty-five years of age, or a thirty-five-year-old crop three and one-half times as great as when harvested at twenty-five years; also, that while it takes twenty-five years to grow the first 6,750 feet of lumber, nearly 40,000 feet more can be grown in a second twenty-five years-i. e., allowing the crop to grow fifty years.

The following information was submitted by J. R. Simmons, Forester, New York State Forestry Association.

*The above table from publication "White Pine in Massachusetts."