THE OEIGIN AND USES OF THE WOODLOT 3 



the woodlot are easily learned and are simple in application. 

 One who understands the principles of growing and caring for 

 agricultural crops can readily comprehend the principles of 

 growing forest crops. 



Agriculture and Forestry. — Forestry does not differ widely 

 from agriculture in its general purpose. They both have to 

 do with the growing of crops from the soil. The essential dif- 

 ference is in the kind of crop and in the time it takes to mature 

 it. Forestry has often been defined as the branch of agricul- 

 ture that has to do with the growing of crops of forest trees. 

 Forestry and agriculture both deal with the establishing, tend- 

 mg and harvesting of crops. With agriculture these three 

 operations are usually accomplished in the same season or year. 

 With forestry many years must elapse between the time the 

 crops of trees are established and when they are ripe for the 

 ax. The same laws of nature however are relied on to grow 

 both kinds of crops. 



Like agriculture, forestry can do nothing more than to bring 

 about the best conditions for the growth of the crop. It is 

 impossible to make farm crops or trees grow faster than 

 nature has determined they shall grow. All the farmer ac- 

 complishes by his careful tilling and preparation of the soil 

 is to bring about the best conditions he can for the reception 

 and germination of the seed and the development of the crop. 

 Forestry aims to aid nature by giving to each tree the con- 

 ditions necessary for its best development. 



An intimate relation exists between forestry and agricul- 

 ture in the use of the soil. If all the land on the farm were 

 fertile there would be little need for farm forestry. Usually 

 some portions of the land will be too poor to grow farm crops. 

 Forestry has to do with the utilization of such poor land. It 

 aims to grow a crop of forest trees where it is impossible 

 to utilize the land for other and more valuable farm purposes. 

 Forestry and agriculture thus go hand in hand in the use of 

 all the land on the farm. Agriculture is interested in the use 



