160 ELEMENTARY FORESTRY. 



14. What kinds of trees are best adapted to use for live fence 

 posts? Should the wires be nailed directly to the tree, or on 

 blocks of wood which are fastened to the tree? 



Answer: Probably the best tree for a live fence post is one 

 of the willows or other hardy tree. Where the White Willow 

 is used for this purpose there is no special objection to nailing 

 the wire directly to the tree, except that the tree will soon grow 

 over the wire, and it cannot then be removed. If it is thought 

 that the wire might be removed within a few years, it would be 

 much the better plan to nail it onto blocks of wood which are 

 nailed to the tree. Willow trees which are used in this way as 

 live fence posts may be cut off about a foot above the top wire 

 and allowed to reproduce themselves. Such trees, if properly 

 managed, will often produce a large amount of firewood, as well 

 as afford good fence posts. 



15. We have thirty acres of rather wet land which we do not 

 expect to use for many years except as pasture. Would it pay 

 to grow some White Willows on a portion of it, and would they 

 interfere with its value as pasture? 



Answer: If the land is not heavily pastured, it might be a 

 good plan to grow a few groups of willow on it, as they will 

 furnish some protection to the stock, and do not interfere 

 materially with the pasturage value of the land. Scattered trees 

 might also be grown, as they would not seriously interfere with 

 the growth of grass under them where the land is moist; but it 

 would not be desirable to encourage a very thick growth on the 

 land, since it is much more valuable for pasturage than it would 

 probably be for growing wood. 



16. B. has come into possession of fifty acres of bluff land 

 along the Mississippi river, in Southern Minnesota. The bnd is 

 of good quality, but too much broken for agriculture, and when 

 used as pasture it washes badly. The southern slopes are nearly 

 bare of trees, but the other slopes are well covered with White 

 Oak, Hard Maple, Basswood and Elm, with some Hackberry, 

 Wild Black Cherry, Black Walnut and Butternut. It has been 

 pastured for twenty years, and consequently there are no young 

 trees coming on. He desires to preserve it as a wood lot, since 

 it has become of little value for pasture. 



Answer: The first thing to do is to keep out the cattle, as 



