The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1914-11-05
Seeking the Largest Trees.

of Agriculture
WASHINGTON, Oct. 81, 1914. Fores-
tiers of the United States are interested
in the announcement recently made by
the American Genetic Association that
two prizes of $500 each have been offer
ed for two photographs-one of the larg-
est tree Of nut-bearing variety in the
United States, and one of the larges
broad-leaf tree which does not bear edi-
BILE seeds. In the first class, for ex-
ample, are included trees such as chest
nut, oak, walnut. butternut and pecan;
and in the second, trees such as elm,
birch, maple, cottonwood and tulip pop
lar. No photographs of cone-bearing
trees are wanted, since it is definitely
known that the California big trees have
no rivals among conifers. At later
time the association may take up the
same question as between the various
kinds of conifers, as pines, spruces, frs,
cedars, and expresses. I..
The purpose of the competition, as
stated by the association, is to find out in
what regions the native trees attain
their largest gowth, and under what
conditions they thrive best. When these
large trees are located and The measure
ments authenticated, the association
hopes that it may be possible to secure
seeds, cuttings, or grating wood from
thrifty trees in the region where they
grow, to see whether finer specimens
may be propagated in other parts of the
country.
1t is hoped in this manner to get some
particularly choice strains of native
trees established in regions where good
specimens are not now found.
THE INFLUENCE OF HEREDITY.
It is assumed by the association that
seed from the region where the largest
trees grow ought to produce larger and
stronger trees than from regions where
only small trees are found. By finding
out where the large trees are and then
planting seeds from them in other loca-
tions, the association hopes to demon
strate the practical value to horticulture
and forestry of the laws of heredity.
Now that reforestation is becoming a
pressing problem, the question of seed
trees which will produce particularly
good offspring is naturally coming to
the FORE,
Other influences, of course, will have
bearing on the subject, and the results
of the investigation may help to settle
the question as to whether trees can be
acclimatized. Even if they can not be.
there may be cases where trees in new
environment may make better growth
than the best in their native range. This
is said to be true of certain of the Aus
tralian eucalyptus, and of the Monterey
pine, which does not amount to much in
its native location in California but has
proved of great value in New Zealand.
The federal forest service has conduct
ed some studies along this line and has
discovered, for example, that the Doug
las fir of the Rocky Mountains and the
Douglas fir of the Pacific Coast, while
the same species, have different charac-
teristics and will produce trees like the
parent stock, modified somewhat, how
ever, by environment. For example, if
the two forms are planted together,
during the earlier period of its life at
least, the Pacific Coast form will make
larger and stronger growth than the
Rocky Mountain tree, provided it is not
affected by adverse local conditions.
Several other questions, such as the
climatic requirements of trees grown In
different localities, will, Of course, enter
into the final solution of the problem.
1t has been found in Germany, for ex
ample, that the Pacific Coast form of
Douglas fir is not so hardy as the Rocky
Mountain form, which has to endure in
it's native habitat severe extremes of
temperature, and German foresters have
been working to discover strain of
Douglas fir which will combine, as far as
far as possible, the hardness of the
Rocky mountain IOrIn anu tue large slAe
of the Pacific Coast form.
TREES ARE FAsT1DIoUs.
F., Some authorities go so far as to say
that even the ingenuity and persever-
ance of men are unable to induce trees
to change their habits far enough to
adopt country not closely like their ma
tive habitat.
This fastidiousness in the habits of
trees has it good and it's bad sides, they
say. 1t absolutely limits the forester's
choice of trees to grow in given region.
But, on the other hand, there is prac-
teal certainty of results. If beech or
spruce thrives where the average
warmth and moisture of the growing
season from year to year ranges between
certain degrees, then wherever else the
same average is found, in the northern
hemisphere at least. the forester may