The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1907-06-23
TREE PLANTING is
MADE PROFITABLE
Reports from Illinois, Where
Trees Have Been Made to
Grow Well.
VIRGINIA SOIL is BETTER
Interesting Facts Obtained by the
Governments Forest Service of
Agricultural Department.

WASHINGTON, ID. c., June 22.-The
soil and climate conditions of Virginia
are much more favorable to tree
growth than those of the State of
Illinois, and. therefore, 1t is fair to pre- :
sumo that tree planting in the Ola
Dominion will in the long run ptovo
much more profitable than in the Prai-
Pie State.
But they have been planting trees
IN Illinois, and the reports froh tlnro
will prove interesting to Virginia
farmers and Virginia people in Sea-
eral. 1t is shown that $50 species of
trees will grow in Illinois.
Comparatively few species, However
those which will furnish posts or
poles at an early aegean be grown
on the better classes of soils in COM
petition with better farm crops.
During recent field scason the For
est Service made a field study to as
certain the kinds Of tres; best adapted
ito planting in the prairie sections of
the State. Over 100 plant otions We're
examined and more than 10000 trees
swere measured as basis for deter
mining the rate of growth and the
value of the plantation. The yield
ROT posts or poles per aero was COM
puted for the plantations examined
and conservative prices wore assigned
IN order to find their pra,nnt vale.
Detailed results and consequent rec
Concentrations are embodied in Circu-
llar 81 of the Forest Service, Forest
Planting in illinois," when will be
sent free upon application, to the For
tester. United States Department of
Washington.
Profits Shown.
Plantations which show a net an
nual income at per cen.. OF 81 an
acre or more are regarded as COM
tmercially successful. Judged by this
tstandard. the only species which would
have paid throughout are catalpa, with
an average return of s51S; per acre,
Sand larch, with return of $43S per
acre.
With catalpa. 10 plantations out of
10 whose products We're computed ha> e
paid more than 81 per acre. while stwo
iof these have paid s9.35 and s1G.1O.
respectively. Though the average in
dictated return from catalpa is but lit
tile more than that from !arch, 1t is
often preferable to plant catalpa 1t
grows a trifie faster. can be utilized
Tor posts and poles at smaller size.
and Its wood is more durable Be-
sides. catalpa will grow we.l on ground
that is too wet for larch, O.. which IS
Hooded so often that success with farm
crops is uncertain.
or the 16 larch plantations examined.
10 have paid more than 81 per acre,
and of these 2 have paid more than
81 per acre. This indicates that IL a
market develops for larch posts and
poles. as seems likely. planting larch
will at least be as profitable as raising
ordinary farm crops
Other Species.
The average return from black wal
nut is low. since this tree requires
many years to reach size profita-
BILE to cut. 1t is true that one 20-year
old grove shows an annual income of
$2.05 per acre. but this is computed for
posts, and no owner of walnut grove
Is likely to cut 1t for these. Two
groves in Whiteside and Morgan coun-
Sies show annual incomes of 1886 and
1892 per acre, respectively, at the snd
of forty-nine and sixty-four years.
These, however, are by far the best
walnut groves measured. Even under
the best conditions walnut requires at
Toast fifty years to reach profitable