THE WOODLOT 61 



but such a condition of the woodlots of our country as would 

 permit that does not prevail to any great extent ; they would 

 last for a time but fail at no distant period. It is easy to 

 make it appear from returns that a forest or woodlot is 

 paying well, but if either is cut faster than it grows the 

 end is bankruptcy. When there is not a full stand of young 

 growth, properly and evenly distributed, the end must come 

 in time, and that time will be determined by consumption. 



If the woodlot has been pastured, or if, from other causes, 

 young growth has been destroyed, hope of a restoration by 

 natural processes should not be entertained, even though 

 seed trees may be left standing, as the probabilities are that 

 grass and weeds have so completely invaded the forest floor 

 that germination of seeds will seldom occur, if at all. Under 

 such conditions it may be advisable to plant trees on an 

 entirely new piece of ground fit for nothing else, or to renew 

 the stand on the existing one by growing or purchasing 

 plants and setting them out in vacant places. Unfortunately 

 the practice on woodlots, as well as elsewhere, is to cut the 

 best instead of the defective trees. Where this has occurred 

 it may and doubtless would be best to remove all or much 

 of the present growth, even though the wood be cut and 

 carefully stored for future use, and then plant a new stand 

 of desirable species. It will be frequently found that a few 

 trees with wide-spreading branches may shade large areas. 

 Such should be removed to give light to any growth that 

 may be coming on naturally, or that may be planted. In 

 some cases it may be desirable to plant certain species in 

 partial shade, removing the overshadowing ones as soon as 

 the young growth indicates a necessity. 



No special methods of growing a woodlot different from 

 those for growing a forest for timber are required. The same 

 ends are to be sought and the same methods should prevail, 

 for the same principles govern in each case. The object 

 in each is to obtain the greatest amount of valuable wood 

 products in the least time and at the least expense. The 

 same reasons exist for planting desirable species for one as 



