TIMBER GROWING FOR PROFIT. 3G9 



out regard to quick returns, hard or sugar maple, ash, oak, and 

 black walnut will be found profitable varieties, and on soils and 

 in localities suited to it, the American sweet chestnut. I do 

 not recommend the catalpa, because its crooked habit of growth 

 prevents it from being valuable for timber, and there are other 

 trees more profitable for fire-wood. 



Where to Plant. As a rule, timber should be planted on 

 land unsuited for cultivation hillsides or small, ill-shaped de- 

 tached pieces of land separated from the other parts of the form 

 by a road or stream. The exceptions to this are on farms where 

 all the land is level and suitable for cultivation, or where it is 

 desirable to plant for a wind-break across the end of a level 

 field. Clumps or borders of trees should be planted in the 

 permanent pastures, or rows of them may be planted along the 

 fences adjoining these pastures. Wherever a field is exposed 

 to the west winds, a strip one or two rods wide across that 

 side of the field may be profitably devoted to a belt of trees, 

 as they will furnish protection to grain and stock, and at the 

 same time be growing into valuable timber. In most localities 

 the waste lands if planted in timber would give a large area, 

 and perhaps all that would be necessary to preserve a proper 

 balance between timbered and cultivated lands. 



How to Plant. A great deal of foolish advice is given 

 about starting a timber plantation. A majority of the farmers 

 whom I have heard talk about it, think that all that is neces- 

 sary is to keep the cattle out of the wood lots and allow them 

 to renew themselves, or that the seed should be sown broadcast, 

 and if the trees come up too thick allow them to thin them- 

 selves by a natural process. This is as unwise as it would be 

 to depend on our wheat fields reseeding themselves from the 

 shattered grain. We need as thorough preparation of the soil 

 for planting a forest as for putting out a grain crop, and the 

 land should be fully occupied. 



Nature is prodigal. She sows a million seeds for one tree 

 that comes to maturity, and the work assigned to man is to im- 

 prove on nature. Nature starts a hundred trees on a square 

 rod and leaves a dozen rods without any. Man improves, and 



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