THE WOOD LOT 221 



the stock to range in only a portion of the lot. The remain- 

 der can more profitably be devoted to the production of wood 

 alone. 



Owners are doubtless in some instances indifferent about 

 fires in their wood lots, because they do not realize that these 

 may do great harm without giving striking evidence of the 

 fact. They burn the fallen leaves and accumulated litter 

 of several years, thus destroying the material with which 

 trees enrich then* own soil. The soil becomes exposed, 

 evaporation is greater, and more of the rain and melted 

 snow runs off the surface. The roots may also be exposed 

 and burned. The vitality of the trees is weakened and 

 their rate of growth decreased. Don't burn leaves or waste 

 growth: it is dangerous and they are valuable for mulch 

 and for manure. 



It has been found in the prairie region that through the 

 protection afforded by the most efficient grove windbreaks, 

 the yield in farm crops is increased to the extent of a crop as 

 large as could be grown on a strip three times as wide as 

 the height of the trees. 



At present the following states maintain nurseries and 

 distribute young trees either free or practically at cost to 

 planters within the state : Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, 

 New York, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, North 

 Dakota, and Kansas. 



The names of nurseries which handle stock of certain 

 trees and their quoted prices for all the more important 

 species can be secured from the Forest Service, Washing- 

 ton, D. C. 



Whether your wood lot pays a profit or not, like the 

 profit from the rest of your land, depends largely on how it 

 is taxed. The higher it is taxed the harder it is to make it 



