4 FARM FORESTRYj 



of the fertile soil for the growing of valuable farm crops. 

 Forestry concerns itself with the use of the poor soil on which 

 the only profitable crop is forest trees. 



The Value of the Farm Woodlot to the Country. — The area 

 of woodlot and idle land in the country owned by farmers is 

 very large. It was estimiated in 191 5' by the United States 

 Deparfment of Agriculture to be not less than 200,000,000 

 acres. This is an area larger than all the National and State 

 Forests. It is larger than the states of Minnesota, Michigan, 

 Wisconsin and Maine. The proper use of this vast aggregate 

 area is of considerable importance not only to the owners but 

 also to the country. It is probable that this area may be some- 

 what reduced in future years. East of the Mississippi River 

 two-thirds of the farm woodlots lie in the South, where much 

 of the land at present timbered will eventually be cleared for 

 farm purposes as the country becomes more thickly settled. 

 In the older settled regions probably the greater part of the 

 fertile land is already being utilized for growing farm crops. 

 The woodlot land and the farm land are there pretty 

 definitely settled. It is probable that some of the poorer land 

 now being tilled may gradually be abandoned as it is found to 

 be more valuable for growing trees than for agricultural crops. 

 It will be many years before the land suited for agriculture 

 and that suited for forestry will be definitely determined. In 

 spite of changes that may occur the area in farm woodlots in 

 the country will always be large and the production of timber 

 on this area will be of great economic importance. It should 

 be used so as to contribute to the national wealth and prosper- 

 ity. The productive capacity of the 200,000,000 acres of farm 

 woodlots is enormous. It is estimated that if only fairly well 

 stocked with forest trees, that is about 3000 board feet to the 

 acre, the annual growth under forest practice would more than 

 equal the annual lumber cut of the entire country, which is 

 about 40 billion board feet. In other words the present area 

 of farm woodlots under proper care and forest management 



