The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1908-06-20

they used to be. Farmers are learning
TO value the young pine growth and
the starting Of ires TO clear land is not
common. Fires set along railroads and
by careless boys are now the most &C..
rions ones.
With increased safety to forest
growth, planting becomes more and
more desirable Investment. Every
acre Of land should be producing some
thing Of value to IFS owners ID the gem
eTal opinion Of every landowner in this
era Of progress. The planting Of white
pine is often the only means Of get
ting an income from some lands. all
Che vacant land and pastures canot
seed themsel and the cost of planting
them viii soon be paid by the ihcreas-
ed value Of the land
But many people stay, ut viii never
do me any good. win never live long
enough to realize anything from my
labor and expense" Experience Of huns
dfeds has shown that this Is grave
mistake Gre does not have to wait
until their planted lands have grown
merchantable timber. Everywhere
people are seeking to invest their
money in young timber, and they are
willing to pay good prices for ii.
Many farmers are planting all their
vacant and worthless land with pine
and chestnut and are buying similar
land Of other people for the same pur
pose, Where the expense Of the op
Grafton il ten or twelve dollars per
acre, III q few wears the land viii be
worth forty or fifty dollars. Sueh in
Vcstments easily bring 5 to 7 per cent
interest to the owner on his money
invested. lit ia little realized that
growing trees on the rough New Eng
land hillsdes can with little care be
made to accumulate a cord Of wood per
acre annually. Such Is the case, how
ever, and 1t il needless to say that one
does not have to invest his earnings III
copper or other doubtful stock from
which he may never see any returns.
There are many ways BY which an
owner may seed up bis waste land with
pine Some people have met with fair
success hy getting the cones early inl
The fall before they open, drying them
out, and scattering the seeds during the
81 early spring. IL Is better still to
drop the seeds, few together. in
spots previously cleared Of grass or
turf and then press them into the soil
with the foot.
Successful planting Of wild seed
lings IL often done By transplanting
little trees growing in thick huneles o.
III the shade where they can never mn
ture. The most successful planting Is
done with tgees--two or three years
from nursery men and
sct out five or six feet apart each way
This should be done in the early spring
before the growth starts, Chestnnts
should be kept in moist sand over win
ter and planted IN the spring. They
grow rapidly
The advance in prices 81 lumber and
the extensive box and eoopeYage mills
throughout the northwest have made
sad imoads on our tinberlands. Not
only N the aid growth timber largely
gone but ilmhcrmen even find d profit
til trees that are scarcely six inches
in diameter The time is past when
trees can be allowed to grow to inn
mense size. II Is figured that pine
yields the greatest returns for the
money invested between the agest of
40 and 60 years. Chestnut requires
even less time
Those who have studied the matter
say that the time is at hand when the
ferests are to be considered as crops
III Be planted, thinned and harvested
like other crops. When this practice
becomes more universal and people
learn more clearly the value of grow
ing timber, there will not be thous-
ands Of acres Of unproductive land in
every state, constant evesore to the
people, and yielding no returns to the
owners.
The United States Forest Survey at
furnishes free Of charge
pamphlets and other information on the
methods Of planting desirable species,
and where the seeds and young plants |
may be obtained, together with range
Of prices.