134 FARM FORESTRY 



too fast to be attacked by beating it out. A fire in a small 

 woodlot can usually be stopped by raking the leaves and other 

 dead material from in front of the fire or by beating out the 

 flames. 



Grazing. — In a mature, even aged woodlot where the trees 

 are large and the canopy is far removed from the heads of 

 cattle and where reproduction of the trees is not looked for 

 or desired, the grazing of a few head of cattle can do but 

 little immediate harm to the standing trees. It is overgrazing 

 that does harm. But in a recently established forest planting, 

 or in a young growing woodlot, or in the ordinary farm wood- 

 lot composed of trees of all sizes and ages, or where repro- 

 duction of the trees in the woodlot is desired, grazing must 

 be excluded. 



Animals do damage in several ways when grazing in a 

 woodlot. The result of their action is much similar to that 

 produced by fire. The young seedlings and saplings are eaten 

 and destroyed, the ground is packed hard by the constant 

 trampling of the cattle, making it impervious to water ; the 

 surface roots of trees are exposed and injured, and the bark 

 on larger trees is rubbed off or gnawed exposing the wood to 

 decay. Different kinds of animals affect the woodlot dif- 

 ferently. Sheep cut into the soil with their sharp hoofs, 

 pulverizing it and injuring the surface roots of the trees and 

 seedlings. Horses and cattle destroy large numbers of young 

 trees by trampling. Damage is done to the trees by browsing 

 on the young growth, by biting off buds, leaves and shoots, and 

 by gnawing and rubbing off the bark. Horses reach higher 

 and are fonder of leaves than cattle, and because of their iron 

 shoes they do greater damage. Sheep have their heads low, 

 but they eat close and are exceedingly harmful to the wood- 

 lot. Goats prefer the leaves and bark of trees to other forage. 

 They should never be allowed in the woodlot. Goats and sheep 

 are often used to clean up brush land because of the damage 

 they do to young trees and sprouts. From 3 to 5 goats to 



