that is too poor for raising crops or that is not available for 

 grazing or other purposes, which usually lies idle year after 

 year. This land is a burden to the owner because it brings 

 in no returns, yet must bear its share of the taxes. Such 

 land ought to be devoted to the raising of forest trees. When 

 we consider that an acre of land planted to fast-growing trees 

 will produce from one to three thousand fence posts in twen- 

 ty years, and that with some species fence posts can be se- 

 cured in less than ten years, a farmer, by allowing waste 

 places to stand idle, is losing a return he could secure by a 

 slight effort. It is not a difficult matter to start a woodlot, 

 neither is it an expensive one. It can be done without any 

 cost to the owner except the time and effort necessary to 

 grow and plant the trees. 



Best Trees For Starting a Woodlot Are One-Year-Old 



Seedlings. 



"One reason why farmers do not start forest plantings is 

 because they believe large trees are necessary which can be 

 purchased only at considerable cost. The best trees for start- 

 ing a woodlot are one-year-old seedlings, which can easily 

 be grown from seed by the farmer himself. Every farm should 

 have a forest nursery for growing trees for starting forest 

 plantings. Such a nursery can also be used to grow larger 

 trees for planting about the house, along the roads and for 

 making windbreaks. It should be located on well-drained 

 fertile soil such as might be selected for a garden. Where 

 the space can be spared a portion of the vegetable garden 

 makes an ideal nursery site. The soil should not be made 

 excessively rich, as too fertile a soil will produce a rank 

 growth in the seedlings, making them difficult to handle in 

 transplanting." 



22 



