A look about the farms of the two classes of farmers will 

 soon divulge the reason. The man whose yield was large is 

 contented as he looks at the groves of trees, God-given and 

 man-planted, that protect his fields. The man whose yield 

 was smaller will notice the absence of these protectors on his 

 farm. 



The drying winds did not do as much damage this past year 

 as they have done in former years. This was due mainly to 

 the vast amount of moisture that fell during the early sum- 

 mer. But they did do much damage just the same. In some 

 sections the experiences of 1910 and 1911 were repeated. 



In certain sections of Minnesota fields were withered in 'a 

 day in 1911. Only those farmers who had had the foresight 

 to plant trees saved their crops. It was an expensive object 

 lesson. 



A Time to Think. 



So it is well at this time of the harvest for the farmer to 

 consider the value of woodlots. 



Percy C. Records, in Bulletin No. 1, issued by the Minne- 

 sota State Forest Service, sums up the advantages of the 

 planting of woodlots as follows: 



"Human comfort and 'looks' will always be motives of prime 

 importance in actuating the establishment of farm groves, but 

 the true value of a woodlot, or woodlots, to a farm can only 

 be appreciated when these are considered in connection with 

 additional factors of advantage. A list of the more important 

 follows : 



1. Personal comfort protection from storms. 



2. Winter protection of stock in barnyards. 



3. Shade for stock in summer. 



4. Orchard wind-breaks. 



5. Purification of water supply. 



6. Protection of field crops from drying winds. 



7. Wood products value. 



8. Aesthetic value. 



9. Attraction of insect-eating birds. 

 10. Protection from noxious weeds. 



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