Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1913-10-08
The SUGAR Maple.

1t must not be forgotten that the
maple is naturally forest species.
The large crown of foliage has an ex-
tensive leaf area for the Transportation
of water, and 1t demands a protected
soil to keep it well supplied with mois-
ture. Such soil, is best found in the
| forest. where the ground is kept heav-
| lily matted with leaves.
About ten years ago a young man in
northeastern Ohio came into posses
| sion of farm with sugar orchard
woodlot. 1t was a mere remnant Of
the. original hardwood forest, with a
high proportion of sugar maple in mix
ture. The owner realized that thin
ming the dense parts of the stand
would not help the old trees much, for
they had passed the period of vigorous
growth and would not develop larger
crowns.
He began, however, the systematic
removal of all trees other than naples.
using them for posts, fuel and general
farm timber. In some places worth
less trees, such as blue beech, horn
beam and spreading, limby,. crooked
specimens of beech and other varieties.
were occupying valuable space and
yielding no return. These were cut
down and made into eordwood. The
gaps made were not large and soon
the owner had the pleasure of seeing
them growing up with a dense stand
of maple seedlings One edge of the
grove bordered ar open field and was
exposed to the wind, so no thinning
was done for at least twenty-five feet
ar that point
About half this same grove was very
open. In fact IL had long been used for
pasture, and blue grass sod covered
the ground. The trees were interfer-
ing with the pasture and the grass
was injuring the trees by robbing
Them of food and moisture No young
growth was coming In to take the
place of the old trees when they failed.
The owner fenced off portion of this
tract for a pasture, cut most of the
trees OFF and had as much pasture as
before, To break up the sod in the
rest IF the tract he pastured drove
of hogs for several weeks without
ringing them. AS a result the soil
was exposed TO the falling maple seeds
and soon thousands of young trees
were growing. The stand was not
evenly distributed, however. and to
overcome this the owner dug up lot
CT the seedlings from the thickets and
planted them about five feet apart in
open patches.
Today this maple orchard is the
most productive in the region, Neigh
bors repeatedly warned the owner that
he was making a mistake in allowing
the young growth to come in, and adj
vised him to turn in stock to pasture
1t down. They told him he would soon
have an impenetrable thicket which
would make sapgathering impossible.
He met the objection in part by OPEN
ing up network of roads through the
grove to accommodate the tank sleds,
and then declared he was willing to
bear some Inconvenience for the sake
Of the positive advantages obtained by
4 ground cover.
He iealizes, however. that it would
pc mistake to leave all the young
trees, in the thicket for the ground
can not support so many. According
~, as he has time, he goes through the
Gensest portions, selects the thriftiest
and best formed individuals to remain,
and with a. brush hook, flops off thu
tops of the. others. On the whole the
trees average about ten feet apart It.
viii take his odd time for several sea-
sons to go over the entire tract, but
the stimulated growth of the liberated
trees makes it we'll worth while. Ma
ture unaided would accomplish the
same results, but she would require
at least third more time to do IL.
AS the trees grow older the same
process of choosing the best individu-
ais ami culling out the others win be
continued.-The Country Gentleman.