iJmiANA HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 541 



The leading citizens of the Rocky Mountain region and Coast States 

 who but a few years ago set up a howl against the forest reserves have 

 practically all learned the benefit they are going to be to the West in the 

 way of lumber for her industries and water conservation for irrigation 

 and are now praying for the areas to be increased and more efficient 

 management. 



WOODLOT PROBLEM. 



Woodlots are not very large, yet the aggregate makes many millions of 

 acres of timber. Hence, it was thought by the Bureau that whatever 

 could be done to benefit the woodlots would be the most valuable kind 

 of forestry. 



Field work was at once begun in the New England States and New 

 York, then Michigan, and next Ohio, where I am working at the present 

 time. Our method of procedure is to select the names of several repre- 

 sentative farmers in each county. These names are gotten from the Agri- 

 cultural College Experiment Station, and Superintendents of Farmers' In- 

 stitutes. A circular is sent to each of these farmers which offers a free 

 examination of his woodlot, and a written report showing how its con- 

 ditions may be made better. If he chooses to avail himself of the offer, 

 he sends in an application to the person in charge. The agent of the 

 Bureau then visits the woodlot and goes through it carefully with the 

 owner and points out the evils that exist and explains how they may be 

 remedied, if such is possible, after which a report is written, sent to 

 Washington, where it is reviewed, and typewritten, and a copy placed on 

 file, and one sent to the owner. 



Some of the evils found in the woodlots are— 



1. Pasturing of cattle and sheep. 



2. Absence of leaves and young growth. 



3. Presence of grass, and stiff sod sometimes. 



4. Hard dry soil. 



5. Drainage of fields about woodlot and lowering of the water 

 level. 



6. Trees full of branches down the trunk, and dead at the top. 

 Stag headed. 



7. Woodlot open all around so that the prevailing west and north- 

 west winds may pass through uninterrupted. 



8. Stand of timber composed of inferior species. 



9. Stand of timber too dense or too open. 



10. Inferior species overtopping the smaller species of value and 

 shading them out. 



11. Growth of hazel or briars too dense for tree seedlings to have 

 a chance to grow. 



The best condition for tree growth is realized when you get it just 

 like it is in a large virgin forest, the ground covered with a layer of 



