58 THE MICHIGAN ACADEMY OF SCIENCE. 



lands is then, generally too good for mneh of it to be devoted to wood- 

 lots, and many farms l.ving in this part of the t^tate are already entirely 

 cleared and the clearing is progressing with eyery Avinter. On such 

 land, it is probably trne that it will never pay to grow timber for mar 

 ket or even fire wood in short rotation, but in such a flat region as 

 that under discussion, where the winds have a wide and powerful sweep, 

 there is hardly a doubt that windbreaks would often be of the greatest 

 value in preventing the drying out of the soil in the spring when the 

 crops are starting, and again in the summer when drouth prevails, 

 accompanied by high winds. This, however, is perhaps, not the place 

 to discuss this phase of farm forestry, and I will not take it up. Suffi- 

 cient to say, that this kind of land in the early days supported the 

 finest hardwood forests occurring within the State, and the greatest 

 variety of trees grew upon it, as is shown by the remnants now left. 

 Parts of farms not under cultivation here could be made productive 

 and profitable by planting them out to Catalpa for the production of 

 posts and poles. In the southern and southeastern parts of the State, 

 we have in this plains region the only places where one of our most 

 important rapid growing species, the chestnut, grows naturally, and 

 chestnut plantations are unexcelled in the promptness with which they 

 give returns. Along the streams which are here subject to rapid rise in 

 the spring and during rainy times in the summer, the bottoms and sides 

 of the valleys should become ready producers of most of our important 

 hardwood trees, including the walnut, which makes its best growth in 

 such places, the butternut, ashes, the rock elm. the honey locust and 

 several of the oaks and what is probably the fastest wood producer, 

 if quantity, not quality is sought, the cottonAvood. These bottom lands 

 now are usually given over to refuse trees and to pasturage, and since 

 only coarse grasses and sedges grow in them naturally, and the moist 

 soil gives encouragement to all sorts of weeds, the returns for the latter 

 use are small, where from the right species of trees, they would be the 

 largest possible, for here the best and most satisfactory conditions for 

 tree growth are found. For such areas as are still found in the primi- 

 tive condition, or rather with the remnants of the old forest upon it. 

 and which it is desirable to manage as a fairly permanent source of 

 wood supply for the use of the owner, the first recommendation that 

 would be made would be to make improvement cuttings — i. e., to remove 

 from year to year, as fire wood is needed, the old trees which have been 

 crippled and have passed their prime or those which, it may be. are of 

 poor kinds. All crooked and very branchy individuals should be also 

 cut out as occasion offers. This work of improvement should also 

 include the examination of the young trees and whenever it is found 

 that young and vigorous trees are being interfered with in their devel- 

 opment by worthless kinds, or by poor specimens of good kinds, the 

 young individual should be helped out by the removal of the competitor. 

 Thus, if a thrifty young oak is growing up under a blue beech or hop 

 hornbeam, it is certain that the latter two kinds will never make trees 

 of any size, and yet they are likely to ruin the oak, unless the axe is 

 used to prevent it. In these woodlots the shade is often very dense, so 

 that but few species can be used for the underplanting. It is interest- 

 ing to find, however, that certain species are here growing up naturally 

 in the shade, and these offer suggestions to us as to what may be used 

 for underplanting where it is desirable. The beech is a common tree 



