268 Elementary Principles of Agricultuce 



seedlings and saplings, and seek to protect them from 

 forest fires and the grazing of stock. All the conditions 

 that favor the growth of the young trees are carefully 

 considered by the modern forester. 



387. Our Forest Reserves. Our government, observ- 

 ing the great hardships resulting from an insufficient 

 supply of forest products in the Old World, and how 

 quickly the forests of the East and middle states have 

 been reduced, has set aside large tracts of timbered 

 regions in the western states as National Forest Reserves. 

 These reserves form but a small part of our present 

 forest resources; but, taken with the privately owned 

 forests, are sufficient to supply our needs if properly 

 used. Forestry plantings have been maintained in older 

 countries for long periods and experience has shown 

 that such plantings yield an annual revenue equal to 

 four to eight dollars per acre. 



388. The Forest Service of the United States Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture, and the Forestry Commissioners 

 provided for in many states, study the problems of 

 forest management and issue bulletins of information 

 for the instruction of all who have land suitable for 

 timber-growing. 



389. The Farm Wood-Lot. In many sections the 

 waste lowland and the hill land may be planted to trees 

 to supply fuel, poles and the many special timbers 

 needed on every farm. In many cases such lands have 

 been made to return to the farm products equal in value 

 to the returns of the regular field crops. The value of a 

 wood-lot will depend much upon the care, nature of the 

 soil, and the kinds of trees planted. Of course it takes 

 some years before the first harvest can be made; but 

 this may be greatly shortened by planting thick and 



