THE FARM WOODLOT 



179 



In regions where the sprout hardwoods are found (chestnut, oaks 

 maples, etc.), reproduction may be secured by clear cutting, allowing the 

 woodlot to spring up from stumps. The best time for sprout reproduction 

 is under thirty years of age, but ordinarily good sprouting species will 

 retain this quality until fifty or sixty years of age. This type of manage- 

 ment, coppicing as it is called, should not be practiced too many times in 

 succession, as the soil becomes exhausted and the vitality of the stand 

 lowered. 



Pruning. In certain parts of the East farmers have attempted to 

 secure a higher quality of lumber by artificially pruning coniferous stands. 



GOOD WORK IN PILING BRUSH. 



Advocates of this plan claim that the clear lumber thus produced will 

 bring a sufficiently larger yield to pay for the cost of this intensive process. 

 On the other hand, men who have sawed second growth white pine, which 

 was artificially pruned, claim that loose knots are produced by too rapid 

 drying of the stub. If pruning is desirable to improve the looks of a piece 

 of woodland to open up a vista beneath the crowns it may be done, but 

 let the cost be charged against landscape improvement and not added to 

 the cost of the forest crop. 



Planting. Where it is desired to cover an unsightly area or abandoned 

 pasture with trees, planting may be resorted to, as the proper species are 



