THE FARM WOODLOT 



525 



would cost. Therefore, it is better to postpone the cutting until the 

 undesirable specimens reach cordwood size (say twenty-five to thirty 

 years), when a thinning may be made. 



The general idea in such a thinning would be to remove competing 

 trees which take light, food and moisture from the straight, thrifty trees 

 of more desirable species. Every farmer knows which trees are valuable 



A WOODLOT AFTER THINNING. 1 



By removing dead and diseased trees and those of less desirable species, the remainder 

 of the stand will greatly increase its growth rate. 



in his neighborhood and which individuals are not thrifty. In the Eastern 

 states, for example, such trees as ash, basswood, tulip-poplar, red oak, etc., 

 are generally favored over the slower-growing and less desirable beech, 

 maple, black oak, horn bean, etc. Rapid-growing conifers, like pine and 

 spruce, are to be preferred to slower-growing and less valuable species like 

 hemlock and white cedar. As a rule, conifers should be encouraged upon 

 poorer soils, since they make less demand upon the site for plant food and 

 moisture. 



