The anti-monopolist. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1874-1878, 1875-01-07
How to Raise q Forest.
ST. PAUL, Jan. l, 1879.

commencing and celebrating this first
day of 1875 than by giving to your
readers another practical suggestion
which has been haunting me good
deal for year or more, and | know
shall never feel just right about 1t until
it is written out, printed. Circulated
debated, and finally tried on. 10 those
who own plenty Of prairie. and who
haul their frewood and fencing from ~
to 20 miles, the following ideas
will certainly be Of interest,
and if practically and promptly
carried out, cannot fail Of producing
results gratifying to them and of great
value to the State. Let them dedicate
and set apart for all time, five, ten,
twenty or forty acres. according TO
their means and ideas, for the perma-
nent growth of forest timber. Select
piece of ground naturally adapted to
the different varieties Of fores: trees.
It would be advisable to have portion
of the ground quite moist mot wet) Tor
the cottonwood, white willow, elm, etc.
The batternut, black walnut, black ash,
ETC., will do best on very rich, moist
black soil, while the oak, maple, white
ash, European larch, ETC., Will DO mucn
better on high, dry, undulating or roll
ing ground. Prepare this ground for
forest tree culture just as you would for
q premium corn crop of one hundred
bushels per acre. Lay it out in rows
four feet apart each way as you would
n RI
straight. At the intersection OF the
rows plant the seed and the cuttings.
Keep the ground clean. This you can
do with a horse and cultivator. Ii the
ground is new and clean very little hoe
ing will be required. The cost for cul.
tivating will be the same as for corn.
DO not cultivate too late in the season.
Late cultivation encourages late
growth, which is likely to freeze Oft the
first winter. 1t is sometimes advlsa-
bic Just before the ground freezes in the
fall to 90 through with corn plow and
turn burrows against the rows OF young
trees for protection. You are now
through for the first year. The next
spring repeat the same work with the
horse, cultivator and hoe. Keep it up
occasionally till harvest, and If you
have selected new, clean piece OF
ground, the cost and labor of raising
your own timber is nearly completed
True, YOU will have some trimming
perhaps some little replanting, but not
much, only a little pleasant recreation
now and then.
After the second season, if you have
done your work well, the young trees
will be up large, strong, straight and
thrifty. shading the ground so that the
grass will not trouble them, and the an
nual shedding Of their foliage will fur
nish natural mulching which will rem
der further cultivation unnecessary
But" says somebody, ''this is crowd
ing them too thick; the Congressiona
tree planting act only requires tha
they be planted twelve feet apart eacl
way. We can break strip one or tw'
burrows wide every twelve feet ant
plant in them, and break the interven
ing strips and put it in other crops a
we can get around to it"
Now. Mr.. Editor, have no pAtienc
with this sort of nonsense. You can
raise timber in any such mongrel style
You may succeed in raising few short
bodied, big-topped shade trees, but yo'
are not going to make railroad ties
bridge timber, fencing, or much fire
wood, by any such lop-eared, shift
less methods. II you intend t.
or have any desire to grow timbe
worth one hundred dollars an acre
within ten years from date Of planting
don't commence with row of trees,
row of potatoes, a row of corn, row {
beans, and then another row Of tree.
If you must have succOtash, don t mi
in forest trees, give it separate patel
If the succotash tree planters don
Xix my style, they are under no obligs
tiops to follow it.
To raise timber "what is timber,
straight rs a gun barrel and forty fet
to the limbs, dense growth is indi
pensible. After three or four veal
you will find by planting four fe'
apart each way. that this Erst indi
pensible prerequisite condition Of SUI
cess has been obtained, and that no
you CAH ocStu W tuIu w.t. uSu
your own common sense and iudgmcI
in the gradual thinning out process
leaving the straight, thrifty trees, ar
from time to time converting those lie.
promising into fence poles and fiji
wood. After five years ten acr
properly managed will yield fence poll
and fire wood It'll you can't rest.
You will now find out you must ha'
roads through your timber. Che
them out
In planting. stick row Of white vi
,ow or cottonwood. wherever you vi
need wagon road. When large enoue
for fencing or fuel which will be
four or five years-chop this row dow
clean to the ground Don't be ARA
of hurting it. 1t will spreut up Al
grow the following season. and the fif'
year will yield more than double Il
wood it did at the first chopping.
course you must use your own natur
sense of the fitness of things, in plan
ing and thinning. Trees like the viii
eak, ash, sugar maple, larch. and ,
Others designed to stand . l6e9im
.Shsuld be allowed on the original G,
rulation. plenty Of room for their Il
development. say twelve feet apart e,
way. which viii give about three Au
drcd full grown trees per acre.
course you will keep thinning out frc