122 A STUDY OF FOREST CONDITIONS 



cutting may begin with advantage just as soon as there 

 are any trees large enough to make posts. Increased cut- 

 ting tends to increase the density of the stand. Trees 

 should be cut during the winter or early spring, if possible, 

 and never late in the summer or early fall, as frosts will 

 kill the shoots and prevent reproduction. Fire is exceed- 

 ingly destructive to black locust and should be kept out 

 by all means. 



Mississippi Flood Plain. — These lands are too valuable 

 to remain permanently in forest. Much of the level land 

 along the banks of the Mississippi River and formerly occu- 

 pied by stands of cottonwood has already been cleared and is 

 extremely valuable for agriculture. Movements are on foot 

 to deepen the channels of the streams, clear them of under- 

 brush, and drain large areas of land which will then become 

 productive. Lumber companies are cutting away the cot- 

 tonwood and other timbers along the Mississippi River and 

 extending dummy lines into the Homochitto swamp region. 

 When the valuable timber is gone, a large per cent of the 

 swamp areas will gradually be transformed into prosperous 

 plantations. 



But for a long time to come there will be considerable 

 land on nearly every plantation that cannot be profitably 

 cultivated, because it is too difficult to drain, overflows too 

 easily, or else the owner has all the cleared land he can 

 cultivate with the labor available. This wood land should 

 be managed with as much forethought as any other part 

 of the plantation. 



The same methods of cutting should be used as in the 

 hardwood hills type. The retention of the young, immature 

 growth, especially of the valuable species, and the leaving 

 of seed trees where necessary, should form the basis of man- 

 agement in nearly all parts of this type. Ash, oaks, pecan, 

 cypress, and sweet gum should be encouraged wherever 

 conditions are suitable for their growth. 



On this type the lighter seeds are usually carried by the 

 overflow waters, so that the leaving of seed trees of cotton- 

 wood, willow, or sycamore is quite imnecessary. Oaks, hick- 

 ories, and ash should be left for seed trees where these 



