The Frankfort roundabout. [volume] (Frankfort, Ky.) 1882-1908, 1907-08-17
PROGRESS AND VALUE OF TREE
PLANTING.

bs ShoN Ihdl IHS past season mas
undoubtedly been characterized by
a more extensive planting of forest
trees than any previous year in the
United States. The work is pro-
crossing very tavorably in every State
in the Union.
1t has been most extensive in Cali
fornia. in the great Middle West and
/ in the New England States. But even
in the South. where planting has been
more or less limited because of ex-
listing natural forests, the scope of
the work has greatly broadened.
The trees planted have been mainly
hardwoods. Several large nurserymen,
however, report greater sales of conf
| fers for forest planting than they
have ever made before. In the Mid
die West catalpa. black locust, Usage
orange and Russian mulberry were
| the favorite trees: in the North and
northeast preference was given to
white pine. chestnut, larch and spruce
and in the South the native conifers
held the lead, and in California,
where the immense annual planting
area has been increased to at least
five times its former size, eucalyptus
had practically a monopoly.
A few figures readily show the value
of forest planting from a commercial
standpoint. In Pawnee county, Nebr
16-year-old catalpa plantation gave
net return of S152.17 per acre at the
time the plantation was cut. This
meant an annual profit of 1924 per
acre. A 10-year-old plantation of the
same species in Kansas showed a net
value of $197.55 per acre. Still an
other plantation, in Nebraska. gave a
net income of $170.50 per acre when
IA years old, which amounts to an
annual income of $500 per acre.
Several equally striking cases could
be cited throughout the entire Middle
West, and it is known that where
the catalpa will succeed no other
tree will pay so well. Good soil and
moisture conditions are, however, es-
sential for success with this tree.
Usage orange has been known to
produce as high at 2,640 first-class
posts and 2,272 second-class posts per
acre, and it is well understood that no
hot of
orange. g
Land producing such a forest as
this could hardly be put to better
use, since timber is the easiest of all
crops to raise and from now on will
never go begging for market.
Red cedar in plantations 25 years
old has reached value of S200.54 per
acre.
European larch, used for fence
posts or telephone posts reaches an
average value of 5000 to $500 White
pine plantations 40 years old have
exceeded a value of $500 per acre,
and it is known that the eucalyptus,
even when grown for fuel alone, can
compete as to profits with oranges.
1t does not take a lifetime to get
results. Catalpa often reaches post
size in from eight to ten years, and
will give service as a post for from
fifteen to forty years. Usage orange,
which reaches post size in from
twelve to fifteen years, usually lasts
longer than catalpa. Black locust,
though badly affected b. the borer
in some regions, grows about as fast
as the catalpa and has almost the
same post value. while it has the
great advantage over catalpa of being
able to thrive on poor land. European
larch reaches a size suitable for tele-
phone poles in twenty-five years.
When treated with preservative it |
will then last from fifteen to twenty
five years. Eucalyptus makes a very
heavy yield of fuel in seven years,
and the crop should nearly always be
cut before ten years. On favorable
sites white pine will make saw timber
in from forty to sixty years. Already
the demand for the timber of this tree
shows conclusively that the invest
ment will undoubtedly prove very
profitable.
In every region of the United States
there is at least one forest tree. and
generally there are several forest
-x,l.o1, non hn ,,1antn1 with n