198 IOWA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. 



Since good farming land has increased so much in value 

 within the last five years the timber land will be encroached 

 upon more and more for farming purposes. All the best 

 timber land has been under the plow for some time. The 

 portion that remains now consists mostly of the steep hill- 

 slopes and clay ridges on either side of the streams. 



One hopeful fact is that the small wood lots are being 

 gathered together into larger areas and used for pasture, 

 thus to a certain extent preserving the timber, yet pastur- 

 ing is detrimental to young trees. Man and the goat are 

 doing their part in destroying the young trees and under- 

 brush of the steep hills. 



Madison county has enough rough land, unfit for the 

 plow, to grow sufficient timber to supply all her people 

 with fuel and fence posts, if the proper care be given it. 

 A good oak post can be grown in twenty years, and timber 

 for fuel in less time. 



Is it not true that the government should make some 

 provisions to preserve the forest upon land that is of little 

 use otherwise than grazing? 



The following is a list of shrubs and trees found in 

 Madison county: 



Angiospermse. 

 Dicotyledones. 



TiLIACEiE. 



Tilia americana Linn. Basswood. Linden. 

 Common on bottoms and lower slopes of hills between 

 the oak ridges and the bottom land. 



RuTACEiE. 



Xanthoxylom aniericanum, Mill. Prickly Ash. 

 Common everywhere. 



Celastrace^. 



Celnstrus scandens Linn. Climbing Bitter-Sweet. 



Frequent, found everywhere climbing over shrubs. 

 Euoniimus atropurpuyens Jacq. Wahoo. Burning Bush. 

 This is quite common on the bottoms and along 

 ravines. 



