STATE OF ILLINOIS 
DEPARTMENT OF CONSERVATION 
SPRINGFIELD 
DIVISION OF FORESTRY                                               ROOM 600
STATE CAPITOL 
LEWIS B. SPRINGER, SUPERINTENDENT       August 25    1930         TELEPHONE:
CAPITOL 14-00 STATION 57 
Mr. Aldo Leopold, 
In Charge, Game Survey, 
421 Chemistry Building, 
Madison, Wisconsin. 
Dear Leopold: 
In reply to your letter of August 12 for information on 
shelter belts) wish to say that we have never made any ring counts on 
trees in such plantations but I think it is safe to say that the peak of

this planting was about 1873 or 1875, since this is about the date of the

University plantation at Urbana when Professor Burrill took great interest

in planting in this state, much of this being done through the influence

of the Farmer's Institute. Also I think it was about the time when 
R. Douglas & Sons had a nursery at Waukegan and also the D. Hill Nursery,

Dundee, Illinois and R. Bryant & Sons of Princeton were selling a good

deal of stuff for coniferous shelter belts and also probably a lot of 
catalpa and osage orange for hedges. No doubt you could secure information

by writing two of these companies since of course the firm of R. Douglas

& Sons has long since been out of business. In reply to question 4, I

may say that the state does not offer any inducement at the present time

for planting coniferous shelter belts although I suppose the Extension 
Forester at Urbana will make examinations if he is requested to do so. 
He tells me that there is somewhat of an interest in shelter belt planting

inquiries having come from To Daviess and Vermillion Counties. 
It might be that some of the boys at the Central States 
Forest Experiment Station have made an examination of some of these old 
shelter belts and could tell you something about their age. I think it is

safe to say, however, that they are not far from 55 years old in a great

many cases. 
lust why the planting stopped, I am not able to say, although 
I suppose the high price of white piie, spruce and hemlock seedlings or 
transplants had something to do with it. Among the species used were Norway

spruce, arbor vitae and red cedar. Of course due to grazing and other causes

a good many of these shelter belts are in bad condition at the present time.

Trusting that this will partially answer your inquiries and 
that you will pardon our delay in answering, I remain, 
Very truly yburs, 
RBM:R                                     Chief Forester 
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