LESSONS FROM THE FOREST 57 



areas mentioned above, of the great forest regions of the country. 

 Find answers from the geographies and from other sources to the 

 following questions: 



1. Where are the great lumbering sections of the United 

 States? 



2. What are the principal commercial species? 



3. In what counties of West Virginia are the greatest forest 

 areas? 



4. What influence does the forest have upon water and soil 

 conditions? 



5. Upon what kind of regions should forests be permanently 

 maintained? Why? 



6. What is the conservation policy as applied to forests? 



NOTE. Send to the Forest Service for a forest map of the 

 United States. The school library should also have The Forest Report 

 of the West Virginia Geological Survey, by A. B. Brooks. 



LESSON XVII. 

 THE FARMERS' WOODLOT. 



The Farmer and Forestry. Even though the national gov- 

 ernment does own nearly 200 million acres of forest, and pri- 

 vate and corporate interests own many millions more, the 

 greatest bulk of forests is owned and controlled by the farm- 

 ers. We must look to them for our future timber supply. Are 

 they using and conserving wisely this great natural resource? 



It is more practical and of more general value to the coun- 

 try, that the former practise the principles of good forestry on 

 his woodlot, than that the government own large reservations. 

 There are many reasons why the farmer should and could be 

 governed by modern forestry principles in the management 

 of his woodlot. The land is his, he has time to look after his 

 forest, to study its needs and requirements, he 'needs the tim- 

 ber for farm operations, he can protect it from fire, preserve 

 the young trees, and plant more as needed. 



If all of the eight million farmers of this country would 

 plant or wisely manage woodlots, the general forest conditions 

 and the lumber supply of the country would be greatly im- 

 proved. All non-agricultural lands, such as steep hillsides, 

 roadsides, and stream banks, should be covered with growing 

 trees, for these places could not be used more profitably in any 

 other way. 



Planting the Woodlot. Planting forests is not a new un- 

 heard of thing. The seedlings of such trees as catalpa, black 



