Even when fuel is readily obtainable, it is necessary to burn 

 much more to warm an exposed house than one which is en- 

 closed by a wind-break. Neither, under such conditions can 

 stock thrive. The farmer, if kind-hearted, will allow them 

 to remain in the barn. They get no exercise. His own labors 

 are increased by the necessity of carrying feed and water to 

 them. The contrast between such conditions and those on 

 the farmstead protected by a good-sized, well-managed wood 

 lot is remarkable. There, even on the coldest days, one may 

 see the sleek cattle lying comfortably in the yard while the 

 stable is airing out. The chickens, too, delight to scratch 

 about in the open. 



Trees a Guard Against Drouth. 



One of the benefits a grove brings to a farm was well ex- 

 emplified in the cfrouth years of 1910 and 1911, when fields 

 exposed to the full force of the hot winds were uniformly 

 ruined. Fortunate indeed was the man who had a grove along 

 the south side of a field. In numerous instances, it was only 

 from such a field so shielded that any resemblance of a crop 

 was obtainable. 



A profitable phase of tree planting which most people do 

 not realize or consider is in the utilization of small patches 

 of waste land. It is an exceptional quarter section which does 

 not have a sand or gravel hill, stony patch or bluff, which it is 

 useless to sow to grain. Taxes must be paid on it, it yields 

 nothing, it is waste land except possibly for poor pasture. It 

 could be turned into an asset by planting some* species of 

 tree to whose needs the soil and other conditions are adapted. 

 A plantation of trees such a spot will pay in sale value of the 

 wood alone the taxes with some over for profit. 



Tree Planting Still in Its Infancy. 



Taken all in all, tree planting in Minnesota is in the early 

 stages. There is need of a more general understanding of 

 the real value of a woodlot. There is need of a more general 

 knowledge of what trees to plant, how to plant them, and how 

 to manage the plantations so that the greatest possible ben- 



12 



