THE KINDS OF TREES TO PLANT 319 



233. The Home Timber-tract. Not many farmers are 

 interested in timber to the extent of selling large quanti- 

 ties of it. Much of the valuable timber that covered our 

 farm land has now been cut, so that there is but little to 

 sell. The small patches that remain here and there, and 

 which could readily be sold to the lumberman at a good 

 price, are more valuable for home use. The small timber 

 tract that is not a commercial venture, but which is de- 

 signed primarily to meet the needs of the home for fuel and 

 for timber, is appealing more and more to farmers. The 

 starting of a wood lot on land which would be otherwise 

 useless is not only good patriotism but also good business. 



234. In the selection of the kinds of trees to plant, several 

 general principles must be borne in mind. Trees that 

 thrive well locally are to be preferred to those which may 

 have superior qualities in other respects but which have 

 not been proven to fit the soil and climate. Timber-trees 

 have a wide range. That is, one kind of tree may be found 

 growing wild over a considerable part of the country. But 

 still certain combinations of climate, soil, and rainfall are 

 most favorable for its best growth. This question of the 

 adaptation of a particular species of tree to the environ- 

 ment to which its ancestors have been adapted for cen- 

 turies, must be considered. A farmer desires not a fair 

 oak, hickory, or pine merely, but one of superior merit, 

 one that will reach the highest degree of development 

 under the conditions of his own farm. 



Another principle to consider is the uses which the wood 

 is to serve. The home wood lot must serve the greatest 

 possible number of purposes. Certain trees, like the locust, 

 black walnut, wild black cherry, and catalpa lack the general 

 usefulness of the white pine, hickory, tulip-poplar, chestnut, 

 white oak, and ash. Each tree of the first list has special 

 uses in which it excels. For example, the locusts excel for 



