157 



have no desire to undertake forest improvement for the sake of the 

 future. 



The questionnaire returns indicate an average of two acres of forest 

 plantations for every hundred acres of woodland, but it is not thought 

 that a complete census would quite bear out this total, which would 

 indicate 53,361 acres of forest plantations in the state. Considerable 

 planting has been done, however, especially in prairie sections, and when 

 these are added Illinois may well have over 40,000 acres all told. 



In spite of the intention of Illinois farmers to retain over two thirds 

 of their present wood-lots as forest land, grazing of stock is practiced 

 on 84.57 per cent of all farm woodlands, and stock is excluded from 

 only 15.43 per cent of the total. The practice is thus well-nigh universal 

 of considering the woodland as available for pasture, due partly to con- 

 venience and the arrangement of fences, partly to the desire for shade 

 for the stock in hot weather, but primarily to the desire to extract from 

 the woodland a greater annual return. This pasturage yields an annual 

 income and increases the carrying capacity of the farm in live stock. It 

 utilizes land which has generally been regarded as non-productive of in- 

 come. So logical does its use as pasturage appear that exclusion of 

 stock even from the residual 15 per cent is not usually intentional so 

 much as it is due to inaccessibility, lack of fencing, or inconvenience. 

 This practice will continue unless woodland owners become convinced 

 that it does not pay. To demonstrate this two ciuestions must be cor- 

 rectly answered. First, do forest crops pay better than grazing or 

 pasturage? Second, are the two uses incompatible or mutually exclusive? 

 It is generally conceded that the quality of grasses growing under 

 the shade of timber is poorer than when grown in sunlight, and that 

 the grazing on a woodland or shaded pasture is poorer, in contrast with 

 open lands, in direct proportion to the amount of shade. 



The carrying capacity of more or less open woodland pastures, was 

 found by E. R. Ilodson, of the U. S. Forest Service, to be 2.4 acres per 

 head of cattle. Its value in Illinois is estimated at one fifth of that of 

 good bottomland pasture. In Ohio, the value of the grazing is placed 

 at an average of 35 cents per acre as against $3.00 to $4.00 for good 

 grazing. The most liberal estimate of the value of grazing on woodland 

 pastures for Illinois is from $1.00 to $1.50 per acre annually, or not 

 half the value of improved pastures, which are placed at $3.00 per acre. 

 Stock does not need the amount of shade furnished by such wood- 

 lands. A few scattered trees in an open pasture are sufficient for this 



