GROWING A WOODLOT FROM SEED 



407 



with either the outlook table or a sub- 

 table. 



Substations, with no regular ob- 

 server, have a subtable, eight inches in 

 diameter, fixed in position, with divided 

 circle, and a pin-and-thread aledade. 



All stations are connected with each 

 other, fire wardens, and officials. 



The despatcher (who may be in the 

 District Chief's office or an observer at 

 a main outlook station) has the dis- 

 trict map on a large table. He is the 

 central officer to whom fires are re- 

 ported ; who gives orders ; and in a big 

 fire, till superseded by a superior 

 officer, directs the general movements 

 of firefighters, apparatus, and supplies. 



AH maps, including the pocket ones 

 of the wardens, are supplied with a 

 thread fastened at the location of each 

 station within its bounds and a four- 

 inch protractor surrounding such sta- 

 tion. The fire is recorded on the map 

 by description ; by one hearing and the 

 distance; or by two hearings indicated 

 by the intersection of threads. 



The adoption of such a comprehen- 

 sive system for the quick and accurate 

 location of forest fires will be one more 

 step toward obtaining the control over 

 them which all recognize as a neces- 

 sary preliminary to the practice of sci- 

 entific forestry in this country. 



GROWING A WOODLOT FROM SEED 



By J. A. Ferguson 

 University of Missouri 



eVERY farm should have a wood- 

 lot to furnish fuel, fence posts 

 and other wood material needed. 

 Especially is this true in the less 

 wooded regions like the prairies, where 

 wood products must often be trans- 

 ported long distances at considerable 

 expense. Nearly every farm contains 

 some land that is too poor for raising 

 crops or that is not available for graz- 

 ing or other purposes, which usually 

 lies idle year after year. This land is 

 a burden to the owner because it brings 

 in no returns, yet must bear its share 

 of the taxes. Such land ought to be 

 devoted to the raising of forest trees. 

 When we consider that an acre of land 

 planted to fast growing trees will pro- 

 duce from one to three thousand fence 

 posts in twenty years, and that with 

 some species fence posts can be se- 

 cured in less than ten years, a farmer, 

 by allowing waste places to stand idle, 

 is losing a return he could secure by a 

 slight eflfort. It is not a difficult matter 

 to start a woodlot, neither is it an ex- 

 pensive one. It can be done without 

 any cost to the owner except the time 

 and eflfort necessary to grow and plant 

 the trees. 



In starting a woodlot the selection of 

 the kinds of trees to plant is an im- 

 portant consideration. They must be 



trees that will give the product desired 

 in the shortest possible time, and that 

 will be suited to the particular condi- 

 tions of soil and moisture of the tract 

 to be planted. Because a tree grows 

 well in deep, bottom land soil is no 

 reason to believe that the same tree will 

 grow well when planted on high dry 

 uplands with thin soil. Trees vary 

 greatly in their demands. Some are 

 naturally hardy and will grow under 

 many conditions of soil fertility and 

 moisture. But most trees are fastid- 

 ious in their demands and will not 

 thrive unless they receive the amount 

 of nourishment they need. So in se- 

 lecting the trees, the site to be planted 

 must be considered first and trees 

 chosen that are suited to that site. The 

 trees growing thriftily on situations 

 similar to the one to be planted should 

 be noted, and such trees selected for 

 the planting. Often a tree not native 

 to the region can be found that will 

 produce better results than native trees. 

 Nearly all trees grow well on deep, 

 moist, fertile soil, so it is only when a 

 planting is to be made on poor soil that 

 the choice of species becomes impor- 

 tant. 



One reason why farmers do not start 

 forest plantings is because they believe 

 large trees are necessary which can be 



