time or money, and this little will be amply repaid ; while agricul- 

 ture requires a constant investment of both, but, on the other 

 hand, yields quicker returns as a rule. The chief reason that 

 silviculture is not more generally practiced by the individual is 

 in most cases due to lack of information on the subject, and the 

 engrossing attention required by other kinds of farm work. 

 The woodlot will stand more neglect and abuse than any other 

 part of the farm and still yield a fair return to the owner, and a 

 well managed woodlot is a decidedly profitable form of invest- 

 ment. The truth of this statement is well demonstrated by the 

 white-pine woodlots in the south-western part of the State which 

 today bring large prices and are yearly growing more valuable. 



The proper application of the principles of silviculture by the 

 individual means the securing of the greatest yield, and this of 

 the best quality, in the shortest time and at the least expense. 

 Surely this is what every farmer and land-owner wishes to ac- 

 complish, but very often he is not sufficiently acquainted with the 

 methods of procedure that are necessary in order to bring about 

 the desired results. 



Very often the idea of perpetuating the woodlot does not oc- 

 cur to him till after the best of the timber has been cut, or in 

 some cases, not until tlte entire area has been clear-cut. It is 

 then that the unsightly appearance caused by the loss of the 

 trees causes him to wonder what to do with the area, and how 

 it can ever again be made productive. In many cases, the soil 

 is thin and poor and the site is of little or no value for the 

 production of agricultural crops. There are many thousands of 

 acres of land of just this kind in the State of Maine. ' Some 

 have but recently been cut-over, and others have been lying idle 

 for some time and have, in the meantime, grown up to a tangle 

 of worthless vegetation and weed-trees, which in time may be 

 followed by tree growth. This natural process, if unaided by 

 man, is a very slow one and never gives the best results. 



The practice of cutting only the best and largest trees 

 without leaving any provision for seed-trees of the more desir- 

 able species to seed up the ground has also been decidedly detri- 

 mental to many of the woodlots. As a consequence of this prac- 

 tice, there is a gradual deterioration of the woodlot, not only as 

 to the number but also as to the kinds of valuable trees ; and the 

 value constantly decreases not only on account of the lack of the 



