934 JOURNAL OF 5^0RKSTRY 



the situation will grow steadily worse. Already the shortage in cedar 

 posts is acute. 



There was a time when the eastern farmer looked upon the forest 

 as an obstruction to be got rid of before he could put his plow to work. 

 Brush and stumps were hard to contend against, and wood for fuel 

 and construction was to be had for the taking. Today the farm forest 

 plays a growing part in the profitable working of the eastern farm. 

 The woodlots of the eastern farms contain a very large part of the 

 total supply of hardwood left in all the United States. They are soon 

 to become of vast importance, both to their fortunate owners and to 

 the Nation. 



To the farmer, the woodlot furnishes material for fuel, fencing, and 

 construction, and a chance for the profitable use of otherwise slack 

 time. The sale of surplus woodlot produce becomes constantly easier 

 and more profitable. With the rising prices which the national short- 

 age in good hardwood has brought about, the owner will find it 

 increasingly to his interest to keep up his woodlot and to extend it to 

 lands otherwise idle or of low value for other purposes. Whatever 

 works against keeping the farm woodlot in good condition, works 

 damage not only to the owner but to the Nation at large. 



For the settler in the cut-over regions, forest devastation has created 

 great opportunities and great dangers. Forest devastation has put 

 many millions of acres upon the market, and has opened the way to 

 shameless speculation and unmitigated fraud. Innocent purchasers 

 have commonly been enticed to buy lands of little or no farm value, 

 and then left to make a losing fight against hopeless odds. Attempts 

 to farm low-grade cut-over land has made thousands of families into 

 paupers. 



Fertile high-grade land good for farming does exist in the cut-over 

 regions, and taken together, there is much of it. But the great bulk 

 of the cut-over lands are unsuited for agriculture. Because of poor 

 soil, steep slopes, rock, severe climate, and lack of transportation and 

 markets, many millions of acres will remain unsuited for agriculture 

 for indefinite years. It is perfectly practicable to classify the idle 

 forest lands of the country into those on which, at present, farming 

 can surely be made to pay, and those upon which profitable agriculture 

 is now dubious or impossible. But such a sorting of lands would not 

 be permanent, for changing conditions will bring new lands into use. 

 The great thing is to keep the land steadily at work. 



So long as lands are at work and at profitable work, what crop they 

 are raising is of minor importance. Lands which can best produce 



