LESSONS FROM THE FOREST 59 



phone poles, fuel, etc., taken from the farmer's woodlot, means 

 a considerable saving in expenditures, when these necessities 

 would otherwise have to be purchased. 



Caring for the Woodlot. The proper utilization and man- 

 agement of the woodlot is a broad subject. I have space only 

 to mention a few points. Protection from forest fires, is the 

 first and greatest point in the care of the woodlot. If the fires 

 are kept from the woods, the forest will in time renew itself. 

 Proper cutting of only the mature trees, and careful thinnings 

 are essential to promote the best development of desirable 

 trees. The harvesting of the woodlot supplies, such as posts, 

 poles, fuel, etc., should not destroy the future prospects of the 

 forest. Grazing in the woodlot should not be allowed, for the 

 young seedlings which are to make the future forest will thus 

 be destroyed. The essential point which I wish to impress 

 upon the teachers and pupils of the schools, is the importance 

 of the consideration of trees as a farm crop, just as much as 

 corn, and that the forest in the form of the woodlot, has its 

 place in agriculture, which we cannot afford to overlook. 



PRACTICAL EXERCISES. 



1. Reports on Home Woodlots. The pupils should make a tab- 

 ular report of the home woodlot, as follows: 



No. of acres Species of tree 



General condition 



2. Planting a Forest Nursery. The planting and care of a forest 

 nursery by pupils of the public schools is one of the most practical 

 forms of garden work, because the trees are more permanent and 

 require less attention than garden vegetables. Spade up a piece of 

 ground about 6 feet by 12 feet in an unused corner of the school 

 yard. Select a well drained site, not too sloping, with as rich a loam 

 soil as possible. Work into the soil this fall, a liberal amount of well- 

 rotted manure, and leave the ground without further preparation until 

 spring. In the spring, as soon as conditions will permit, the ground 

 should be thoroughly pulverized and a seed-bed prepared for the 

 planting. Lay off the plot in rows 12 to 18 inches apart. Such tree 

 seeds as the basswood, catalpa, poplar, beech, chestnut, locust, oak, 

 maple, and such others as can be obtained, may be planted in the 

 rows of the nursery plot. During this fall gather and store the seeds. 

 Acorns and nuts are best stored by being buried in sand in a box, 

 sunk in the ground in a well drained place. Other tree seeds may be 



