A GOOD WINTER SPORT 



BY JAMES C. GRAHAM 



THERE comes a time in the lives of the most of us 

 when the perfect symmetry of the sphere, whether 

 in the guise of the base ball, the tennis ball, or the 

 golf ball, no longer has its all-compelling powers of seduc- 

 tion. And yet we still need exercise. We need it, not 

 only for the physiological benefits which we derive from 

 it, but also for the joy which it brings to us, irrespective 

 of any other benefit received. But how are we to get it ? 

 The war gardens have, for the present at least, fur- 

 nished an answer to which many of us have given ear. 

 But even in the Garden of Eden, the tilling of the soil 

 was but a temporary occupation ; and in the most of our 

 many states the time of gardening is limited to the few 

 months when the desire for exercise is the least im- 

 perative, and the chances for the gratification of that 

 desire are the most frequent. The question which con- 

 fronts the man of the sedentary life is, "What can I 

 do in the winter?" 



Some of the teachers at Phillips Academy, Andover, 

 Massachusetts, have found an answer to the question 

 which is more than an answer. It not only furnishes the 

 needed exercise, but it provides as well an object and a 

 result of the exercise. Briefly, the answer is "Chop 

 Wood." But it is more than that. It is to chop wood in 

 such a way that you not only get your exercise and the 

 wood, but provide for more and better wood in the 

 years to come. 



The game is this : On the estate of the Academy, two 

 or three hundred acres, there is quite a number of acres 

 of woodland. As in the case of all woods which have 

 received no special care, many of the trees are dead and 

 dyfng, and many more growing in such a way that good 

 trees are being injured by too close crowding and by less 

 valuable ones in their immediate vicinity. The first thing 

 done was to go carefully over the growth and "spot" 

 those trees which were to be removed later. This was 

 done in the fall, when it was easier to tell the dying 

 from the healthier ones. Then as the winter months 

 passed by, those of the teachers who wished to would 

 go out from time to time and chop them down and cord 

 them up. Later they would saw and split them into 

 lengths suitable for burning in the fire-places. Now 

 Andover is fortunate in that practically all the houses 

 are provided with open fire-places, so that there was a 

 constant demand for all, and more than all, the wood 

 which could be so provided. The result was that the 

 wood so' 1 for a good market price and the proceeds 

 during a season would amount to from fifty to one hun- 

 dred dr. liars. And now comes the part of the scheme 

 which gave it interest. All moneys received from the 

 sale of the wood were used in buying young trees and 

 setting them out in deserted pastures and uncultivated 

 land belonging to the school, so that during the past 



three or four years more than fifteen thousand (15,000) 

 trees have been set out in this way. They were mostly 

 three-year-old white pine; but in places where the effect 

 of the trees upon the landscape was important, some 

 spruce, hemlock and fir were also planted, so as to give 

 a little variety to the winter green. In one plot a plant- 

 ing of red pine was made and it was found that red pine 

 and white spruce gave the most satisfactory results. 



Now this is a winter game which a good many of us 

 can play. It is not necessary that you own the land 

 upon which you work and which you plant. Almost 

 anywhere you can find the woods and the fields neces- 

 sary for the game. If you or your friends do own the 

 land, so much the better. But if you do not, you can 

 arrange it so that your exercise costs you nothing and 

 when you are through you have made many more than 

 two trees grow where one tree died before. If you live 

 in the city, the case may be more difficult. But even for 

 those who are so unfortunate, there is usually some 

 chance to get away for week-ends and occasional after- 

 noons. If you work alone, all that you need is a good 

 ax, a one-man cross-cut saw, a buck saw and a saw 

 buck. If others work with you, a larger cross-cut and 

 a sledge with wedges are often helpful. But one word 

 of advice : Do not buy your axes and saws at the nearest 

 hardware store ; but get them from some concern which 

 is in the habit of selling to the men who use these things 

 in the "big woods." 



In regard to the planting of the young trees : In many 

 states young trees will be furnished gratis to those who 

 are doing the work of reforestation ; but the people of 

 Andover found it more satisfactory to purchase the 

 stock of some reliable forestry company. Two, three, 

 and four-year-old transplants were all tried, with the 

 result it did not seem. to make very much difference which 

 were used, though a system was finally adopted by which 

 the older trees were used for small plantings and the 

 younger ones where several acres of land were to be 

 filled in. The planting was done in some cases by the 

 teachers and in others by the people from whom the 

 trees were purchased. It depended upon the time of 

 planting. As a general rule April seemed to be about the 

 best month ; but at that time many of the teachers were 

 busy in their war gardens. As the forestry companies 

 will furnish and plant the trees for from one to two 

 cents apiece, depending upon the age of the trees and 

 the number ordered, it was fully as convenient to let 

 them do the planting when there was other out-door 

 work to furnish productive employment for the teachers. 

 But for those who had no gardens, the planting itself 

 was plenty of exercise. 



Note. There will be more work accomplished and 

 less friction developed if you have a "boss." 



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