166 ELEMENTARY AGRICULTURE 



thinned so that they will not starve each other out, 

 and only the most useful, thrifty, and hardy kinds 

 should be planted. 



Profit in the Wood Lot. With a little care and at- 

 tention on the part of the farmer the wood lot may be 

 preserved and the land devoted to it be made to yield 

 as large returns as other acres of the farm which are 

 more carefully cultivated. 



Forests Prevent Droughts. There are other good 

 reasons why forests should be preserved in agricultural 

 regions. The soil in the woods is very porous, and 

 capable of absorbing large quantities of water, which 

 runs off from cleared land and is wasted. This water 

 is stored away as underground water. It feeds our 

 wells and springs, and, moving upward, it increases 

 the supply of capillary water in the soil, and thus be- 

 comes available for the use of plants. It is well 

 known that forest regions are seldom, if ever, affected 

 by drought. Then, too, forests furnish homes for 

 game, which all farmer boys delight in hunting, and 

 for birds which feed upon insects that would injure 

 our crops, if they were not held in check by the birds. 



Free Bulletins, U. S. Dept. of Agriculture. 

 Farmers' Bulletins. 



No. 54. Some Common Birds in Their Relation to Agricul- 

 ture. 



No. 150. Clearing New Land. 

 No. 173. A Primer of Forestry. 



