Vermont farmer. [volume] (Newport, Orleans County, Vt.) 1870-1877, 1873-01-10

The more valuable trees grow quito rapid
ly even in poor soil, so that in very few
years these plantations would be Of vast inn
mediate as well as prospective value 1t has
been stated that, by selecting good growers,
VIC may have young forests with trees five or
six inches in diameter at ten years, nine to
fifteen inches in diameter at twenty years, and
one to two feet in thirty to fifty years. For
the first few years the plants removed are of
no value except for transportation or fuel.
Afterwards they are of use in innumerable
ways; the young cedars, larches and chest
nuts for stakes and poles hickories for
| walking sticks oaks and ashes for basket
work; ever.wood and hoop.ash for whip
stocks and levers and all Of the five latter
for hoops. Thus it is obvious that the prod
ucts Of the thinning will far more than repay
the labor, at an early date, even If this we're
not necessary for the welfare of the remain
ing trees, while the value of these products
increases in a rapid ratio as the trees increase
in size.
In every state there are many thousands
Of acres unier cultivation, and poorly repay
ing the labor spent upon them, which might
Ee advantageously sown or planted with
pines and other trees. 1t is probable, also,
that the whole Of those lands reported in the
returns as unimproved and unimprovable
might be turned into forests.
The most barren sands along the sea coast
of France have been successfully sown with
pines. The Duke Of Athol planted
in the northern portion of Scotland
thousands of acres of the most bar
rem land to larches These lands once
presented the most barren aspect, the rocky
ground of which they were composed being
covered with stone and shivered fragments
Of mica schst, upon which vegetation of any
kind scarcely existed. These plantations,
which furnish valuable ship timber, are situ-
ated in the latitude of nearly j7S north, and
in many cases more than one thousand feet
above the sea level In many other places
in Europe forest planting has been carried
on to almost as great an extent as in the
above mentioned places; but these exam
pies are sufficient to show what may be done
in this direction.
There are large tracts of barren, sandy
soils in Massachusetts and other Atlantic
states, which might be covered with trees as
the region is not near as hopeless as that Of
, France. Our climate is quite as favorable
and VIC have a greater variety Of native trees
to select from
The most inaccessible of our rocky hills
were once covered with trees. Sufficient
portions of them remain in that state to show
that all might, with little pains, be redeem.
ed to a productive use There are several
kinds of trees which require very little soil /;
, some not more than a foot-hold in the earth.
Several oaks, birches and pines, are often
found growing among rocks where no soil
can be seem The rock chestnut, oak black
birch, red cedar and hackmatack, rejoice in
such situations. This shows how man may
initiate nature to his profit. Sedgy marsh
and swamp, too wet and cold to be cultivated
/ without costly draining, might be reduced to
, the condition of valuable forest land by SOW
ing with the seeds Of the white cedar.
, BY means of the trees above mentioned,
, and others, almost every acre of the surface
, might be made productive. Even the rocky
1 crowns Of the sea beaches might be covered
with be och plums.
} There is another reason why trees should
/ be preserved and planted. 1t is because of
their value in the production of maple sugar
and nuts Large quantities of the former
are already made, but the manufacture
might be more generally introduced. As to
d the latter, the produce Of the shell-bark,
f chestnut, beech, hazel and acorn, is already
| considerable, and may be increased in value
= almost indefinitely by selecting the best va
f rietes, and improving them by processes
. similar to those to which we owe our fine
| varieties of fruit and cultivated European
g nuts.
Thus every rod of ground may be made TO
grow trees Of some kind. If your waste land
B. will not produce one kind il will another
Nature often points out to us the kinds Of
trees which should be planted. Observa-
b. tion Of the growth of trees also establishes
the fact that rotation Of crops is as impor.
1 tant in the forests as in the cultivated fields
4 Many are aware that an oak forest is often,
4 without the agency OF man, succeeded by one
, of pine, where there were few pines pre-.
viously scattered through the wood to fur.
h nish seed. A pine forest is succeeded by
one Of oak under similar circumstances
n This is true Of forests composed Of other
# trees. A cultivated tract also, is often GOV,
cred with trees in few years if permitted tc
I. remain unoccupied,
|. Those lapd owners who are wholly swal
y lowed up in the present acquisition and en-
! joyment Of the d" almighty dollar" will sci
e off their timber as fast as possible, But ev
h en- at the present high and constantly increas
u ing price of lumber, it will be seen that al
w adequate compensation is not returned t
them when we take into consideration th
/. numerous advantages, both present and fu
, ture, accruing to the proprietors who permi
q their trees to remain and grow.
% One important argument for allowing
q trees to grow where possible lies in their in
;, fueuce iu forming aud improving the soil
The roots penetrate deeply into the soil, anc
thus LEFT in the air IN nr,duce ;ts slovv bu