620 IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



The oaks are light demanding but will endure some shade. Black wal- 

 nut is light demanding; hard maple and the hickories are shade enduring; 

 white ash, black cherry and black locust are light demanding. 



On the uplands and slopes, the oaks, white oak, black cherry and 

 black locust form the first story and the hickories underneath form the 

 second. On the bottom lands bur oak, black walnut and hackberry will 

 form the first story; hard maple, the second. Other less valuable native 

 trees may be tolerated for a time for the sake of ground cover, and some 

 for the sake of their wood where it is impossible to get the better kinds 

 to grow. These may be black oak, the elms, soft maples, Cottonwood, etc. 



One of the most important things to a forester is the soil cover. He 

 wishes to maintain an unbroken leaf canopy. Failing in this he allows 

 undergrowth and reproduction to protect the soil. No stock should be 

 allowed in the wood lot. They trample out the reproduction and do im- 

 mense harm to the undergrowth. If any stock is allowed in at all, only a very 

 small number should be. The wood lot should not be treated as a pasture, 

 for if grass begins to come in it is a sign that the forest is not in good 

 condition. The soil is deteriorating for grass does not afford the pro- 

 tection that trees or undergrowth does; and grass and weeds use a 

 great deal of water, much more than they conserve in the forest. 



Trees should be grown as closely together as possible when young 

 in order to make them grow in height and to clear themselves of the 

 lower limbs. For these reasons it is well to have a light demanding 

 species followed by a shade enduring species of slower growth. The light 

 demanding species will be forced to grow in height as well as the shade 

 enduring one. When the proper height is reached, growth in thickness is 

 desired. Then it is time to thin out and allow the crowns of those remain- 

 ing to enlarge which immediately causes rapid diameter growth; thus more 

 volume is grown in fewer trees and is more valuable. By such methods the 

 skillful forester can direct the growth of the trees as he wills, first get- 

 ting the desirable species in proper mixtures and then handling them 

 in such a manner as to concentrate the most volume in the fewest trees. 



The most suitable place for the wood lot is on the roughest and 

 poorest land on the farm. Trees do not demand very rich soil for a 

 fair growth, although most of them do better in rich soil. There are poor 

 places on many farms which can be turned into wood lots with profit. 

 Besides this, many places need protection from erosion. A covering of 

 trees is an admirable protection. Erosion does not do the damage that 

 it does in other places. Take the Southern Appalachians, for instance. 

 There the slopes are very steep and the rainfall heavy, and in a great 

 many cut over areas the soil is washed away down to the rocks. Of 

 course such an effect would hardly occur on the moderate slopes of Iowa, 

 but it is well to protect the hillsides when such a cheap and convenient 

 means is at hand. Besides furnishing a ready supply of wood for the 

 various uses of the farm, the products sold, such as fence posts, cord wood, 

 railroad ties, piling and lumber, will bring quite a small sum. Wood of 

 all kinds is constantly growing scarce and a ready supply of it will not 

 come amiss in the future. 



