BuBEAu OF Agbicultube. 179 



of a tree in a forest or woodland penetrate the soil in 

 every direction and consequently the soil is more readily 

 penetrated by raia or other moisture which falls on the 

 surface, and the moisture becomes available at a greater 

 depth than would otherwise be possible. These are purely 

 mechanical benefits which the presence of the forest -or 

 woodland has to offer. Further, there is each year- de- 

 posited on the ground from the trees, a large amount of 

 vegetable matter in the shape of leaves. This decays 

 and eventually forms the top layer of the soil called the 

 humus which is altogether the most valuable portion of 

 any soil' for agricultural purposes. Some trees are 

 especially good from an agricultural poiut of view, in 

 that they are legumes (the same as cowpeas, soybeans 

 and alfalfa), and develop nitrifying nodules on their 

 roots supplying to the soil nitrogenous elements, which 

 are usually only obtainable by the use of expensive fer- 

 tilizers. Such trees are the Kentucky coffee tree, black 

 locust, honey locust and the yellow wood. 



There is one peculiarity with regard to ownership of 

 lands in Kentucky. Practically all of it is owned by 

 individuals or corporations. A very small per cent is 

 ' owned by the State, and none is owned by the Federal 

 Government. Further, it has been my general observa- 

 tion, that on practically every farm in the State there is 

 a; certain per cent, of land, sometimes very small, it is 

 true, which is not cultivated on account of the rooky 

 character of the soil, or the precipitous nature of the 

 slope. This may be along the bank of a stream, or it 

 may be on the top of a small hUlside, or it may be other- 

 wise situated on the farm. Such land as this can be most 

 economically devoted to raising a forest crop, and cer- 

 tainly worn out lands which are badly washed or gullied 

 can in no other manner be v.o quickly regenerated and re- 

 stored to a state of fertility as by planting a forest crop 

 thereon. Outside of the mere fact that a forest crop is 

 the surest means of restoring worn out land to its former 

 fertility, the forest crop itself is of great value in con- 

 nection with the farm. Probably the use of the wood pro- 

 duced in the forest or woodland, which would most read- 

 ily suggest itself, is for fence posts. Good trees for this 

 may be black locust, black walnut, or several other 



