344 



FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION 



July 



of course, has but slight commercial 

 importance in comparison with the 

 natural groves and fence rows. The 

 conditions of soil and climate seem 

 particularly favorable to the healthy 

 growth of locust practically through- 

 out the county. 



It is quite plain that farmers very 

 well appreciate the serviceability of 

 locust. It is a conspicuous tree about 

 the farmstead, and evidently much 

 prized for its beauty, shade, and sup- 

 ply of honey-producing flowers in 

 early spring, but its main value is well 

 understood to be its use for fence 

 posts. The farms of the county, as a 

 whole, are particuarly well fenced. 

 Although chestnut is the most com- 

 mon wood for these fences, locust is 

 apparently much used for this purpose. 

 There could be no doubt about its fur- 

 nishing, on the whole, as serviceable 

 fence material as any that could be 

 had. In view of the natural vigor of 

 locust of this region and of its unusual 

 utility, there can be little doubt that a 

 real investment might be made by 

 planting the less fertile or more rugged 

 parts of farms with this tree. Red 

 gum is certainly one of the important 

 trees of the county. Not only is it 

 found in good dimensions throughout 

 the lower, moister lands of the south- 

 eastern part of the county, but there 

 seems also to be a growing tendencv 

 toward seeding up a good deal of cut- 

 over or cleared lands with this tree, 

 i here can be little doubt, therefore, 

 that in this part of the county red gum 

 is destined to compete favorably with 

 more important species, and eventual- 

 ly to assume a larger importance in 

 the forest than it now enjoys. In 

 view of the increasing use of red gum, 

 since proper methods of handling it 

 and drying are able now to cure its 

 former defects, the red gum of Har- 



ford County has so much the more 

 commercial importance. 



Whole fields lying to the leeward 

 side of the forest are occasionally seen 

 growing up almost solid to juniper. 

 The ability of this tree to withstand 

 drought and intense light through all 

 stages of its growth especially when 

 very young, coupled with other favor- 

 ing circumstances of soil and climatej 

 have resulted in giving this tree a 

 wide, important distribution in the 

 county. How favoring conditions in 

 general are for the growth of juniper 

 may be seen especially in the very fine 

 individual specimens which are a strik- 

 ing feature along road sides and lanes 

 and bordering division fences. Since 

 juniper furnishes probably the best 

 fence posts obtainable, it is clear 

 enough that a good deal of money 

 value is represented in the hundreds of 

 thousands of juniper posts now ripe 

 for cutting or growing rapidly toward 

 usable size. 



Among the encouraging conditions 

 for marketing forest products in the 

 county are the unusually good roads 

 which make transportation to the rail- 

 ways or to the waters of the Chesa- 

 peake easy and inexpensive. Though 

 toward the northwestern part of the 

 county the roads are so steep that much 

 washing occurs, still the larger part of 

 the county enjoys macadam roads of 

 excellent quality. Up-to-date road- 

 making engines are busy improving 

 the poorer roads. 



It would probably be a serious mis- 

 take to count on supplying demands 

 for timber outside the county, but the 

 changes in forest tvpe from north to 

 south give good opportunity to make 

 exchange of one kind of timber for 

 another, and it is always economical to 

 be able to reach the sawmill without 

 extra transportation expenses. 



