The Hartford republican. (Hartford, Ky.) 18??-1926, 1907-07-26
There IS A PROFIT
in PLANETED FOREST.
Success Depends Largely Upon
Kinds OF Trees and Cultural
Methods Selected.

Everywhere vast areas of valuable
woodland are being stripped of their
timber by the demands of commerce,
and while the supply of lumber is
constantly diminishing the demand
and the prices are constantly increas-
ing. The primeval forest is rapidly
disappearing. To secure a continu-
Gus supply of timber it must be re-
leased by second growth of the best
species and the best form in the short
est possible time. This can be done
by forest management; but the supply
thus obtained must be supplemented
very largely by timber grown in COM
mercial plantations.
If the tracts of forest cut over each
year were permitted TO make see
ond growth, a future supply would be
provided naturally, but this is not
generally the case. The transforma-
ton of so large a percentage of for
est land into fields and of nearly as
much more, through reckless lumber
ing, into waste land must eventually
reduce the wonderful fertility of the
country, for no other natural agent
is so active a soil Builder as the for
est. A pure water supply for large
cities and towns and for the protec-
ton of irrigation reservoirs requires
extensive planting along streams and
canals and on water sheds.
The profits from growing timber are
certain, and farsighted business men
are recognizing the possibilities for
conservative and highly profitable in
vestment in forest plantations. More
and more, railroads and other cor
porations and farmers throughout
the country are establishing CONNER
cial plantations to supply the timber
for their own needs or for commercial
profit.
Financial profits in commercial for
est planting can best be obtained by
the selection of species which will
produce the most valuable product
in the least time. Many planters are
not aware, howevr, that each kind
of tree has a definite geographic and
and climatic range, beyond which it
will not grow with sufficient vigor to
justify its use for commercial planting
Each region has certain trees that are
adapted to it. 1t is in eslecting the
proper trees for given region that
the prospective investor must use good
judgment If the venture is TO be sue
cessful Mistakes are not only eX-
tremely costly but they may not be
found out for a number OF years.
ANY one who has observed the great
number of plantations in the west
which have not met the planters ex-
pectations can readily appreciate the
necessity for definite knowledge on
this subject.
The forest service has Investigated
problems of tree planting and has re-
Gently issued planting circulars on
the trees best adapted for timber pro-
duction in the United States. These
circulars give general description
of the tree and its uses; they also
give detailed instructions in regard to
the methods of propagation, plant
ing, cultivation and care. Among
these trees may be mentioned the fol-
lowing: White pine, red pine, Scotch
pine, jack pine, western yellow pine,
European larch, Norway spruce, white
elm, chestnut, honey locust, blackberry,
cottonwood, shagbark hickory, bur oak
black locust and Eastwood. Special
leaflets on the eucalyptus and on
fence-post trees have also been issued.
These publications can be secured free
upon application to the forest service.