396 THE HANDBOOK FOR PRACTICAL FARMERS 



you take out the mature ones. That 's the whole thing in a nut- 

 shell, and if you do this you will be safeguarding the future of 

 your woodlot. 



You can do a whole lot towards insuring yourself against 

 fire by 



1. Gathering up the debris and burning it during the wet 

 season, or by gathering it into low piles with the stems on the 

 ground so as to hasten its decay. 



2. Plo^^^ng several furrows around the outside, so as to keep 

 out grass fires. 



As for grazing you must decide between your wood lot and 



Fig. 205. — Typical woodlot conditions. TTardwonds; in iieod of thinning, cleaning 

 and planting. — Photo hy H. II. Tnjon. 



your stock. If you must let them in then the future of your wood 

 lot is destro^^ed. Keep them out and give it a chance. 



Improvements. — The next time you make a cutting in your 

 wood lot use the following scheme : 



1. Do not cut a well-formed tree of a desirable species, unless 

 it is absolutely the only one that will fill a special use. If you 

 want a chicken for dinner you do not take the one that lays the 

 most eggs. Use the same reasoning power in cutting your trees. 



2. Cut the old, crooked, and misshapen trees first. They will 

 perve many purposes equally well as the best. 



3. Look for the undesirable species and cut them. They are 

 the forest weeds. Red maple, gray birch, ironwood, dog\vood 

 come under this head, 



