FOREST PROBLEMS. 163 



Answer: Very little profit can come from it in its present 

 condition, except as it may be useful for pasturage. If, on fur- 

 ther consideration, it is decided that it will be more valuable for 

 forestry purposes than for pasturage, it would probably be best 

 to encourage a growth oi White Maple, the seeds of which could 

 be sown in furrows or in patches in June. The Cottonwood 

 should be kept out as much as possible, as, since it is well 

 adapted to this class of soil, it is liable to drive out everything 

 else, and there is very little profit from the growing of it. 



22. B. has forty acres of land covered with Maple, White 

 Oak, Birch, Hackberry and Elm. He cuts his fuel from it, and 

 makes sugar from the Maple each year, and finds it fairly profit- 

 able. There are, however, no young trees coming on, the ground 

 being entirely bare, and it looks as though in the course of time 

 the old trees would ripen up, and there would be nothing to 

 take their places. The land is so rough that it would not be 

 profitable for agriculture nor especially desirable for pasturage. 



Answer: The reason why there is no young growth coming 

 on is probably because the land is closely pastured, since the 

 foliage of the Maple, Elm, Birch and Oak is readily eaten by 

 stock. The first thing to do is to keep out the cattle, so that the 

 young seedlings may have a chance to become established. If 

 the leaf canopy is rather thin, so that the light has encouraged 

 the growth of grass under the trees, it would be a good plan to 

 break up the soil just before the seed falls in good years. Possi- 

 bly furrows could be made through the woodland with a plow, 

 but if too rough for this, then it can be broken up by the drag- 

 ging of several logs tied together over the land. It would be a 

 good plan to keep out everything but the Sugar Maples, since 

 these will undoubtedly be the most profitable, both for sugar and 

 for fuel. As these seedlings come on, they should be encouraged 

 to cover the land, by letting in a little light occasionally, if neces 

 sary. This may be done by removing some of the old trees that 

 are past their prime. After the young trees are seven or eight 

 feet high no harm would come from the pasturing of stock 

 among them for a few years, unless the land was so heavily 

 pastured that the treading of the stock about the roots was 

 injurious. If treated in this way there should be no trouble 

 about securing a good stand of young Maples to come on and 

 take the place of those which are maturing. 



