142 THE SCHOOL BOOK OF FORESTRY 



good lumber. The removal of these undesirable 

 trees improves the forest by providing more 

 growing space for the sturdy, healthy trees. 

 Sound dead trees as well as the slow-growing 

 trees that crowd the fast growing varieties should 

 be cut. In addition, where such less valuable 

 trees as the beech, birch, black oak, jack oak or 

 black gum are crowding valuable trees like the 

 sugar maples, white or short-leaf pines, yellow 

 poplar or white oak, the former species should be 

 chopped down. These cutting operations should 

 be done with the least possible damage to the liv- 

 ing and young trees. The "weed trees" should 

 be cut down, just as the weeds are hoed out of a 

 field of corn, in order that the surviving trees 

 may make better growth. 



Often the farmer errs in marketing his tree 

 crops. There have been numerous instances 

 where farmers have been deluded by timber 

 cruisers and others who purchased their valuable 

 forest tracts for a mere fraction of what the wood- 

 lands were really worth. The United States 

 Forest Service and State Forestry Departments 

 have investigated many of these cases and its 

 experts advise farmers who are planning to sell 

 tree crops to get prices for the various wood 

 products from as many sawmills and wood-using 



