FOREST PROBLEMS. 163 
zlnswer: Very little profit can come from it in its present 
condition, except as it may be useful for pasturage. If, on fur- 
ther consideration, it is decided that it will be more valuable for 
forestry purposes than for pasturage, it would probably be best 
to encourage a growth ol White Maple, the seeds of which could 
be sown in furrows or in patches in June. The Cottonwood 
should be kept out as much as possible, as, since it is well 
adapted to this class of soil, it is liable to drive out everything 
else, and there is very little profit from the growing of it. 
22. B. has forty acres of land covered with Maple, White 
Oak, Birch, Hackberry and Elm. He cuts his fuel from it, and 
makes sugar from the Maple each year, and finds it fairly profit- 
able. There are, however, no young trees coming on, the ground 
being entirely bare, and it looks as though in the course of time 
the old trees would ripen up, and there would be nothing to 
take their places. The land is so rough that it would not be 
profitable for agriculture nor especially desirable for pasturage. 
Answer: The reason why there is no young growth coming 
on is probably because the land is closely pastured, since the 
foliage of the Maple, Elm, Birch and Oak is readily eaten by 
stock. The first thing to do is to keep out the cattle, so that the 
young seedlings may have a chance to become established. If 
the leaf canopy is rather thin, so that the light has encouraged 
the growth of grass under the trees, it would be a good plan to 
break up the soil just before the seed falls in good years. Possi- 
bly furrows could be made through the woodland with a plow, 
but if too rough for this, then it can be broken up by the drag- 
ging of several logs tied together over the land. It would be a 
good plan to keep out everything but the Sugar Maples, since 
these will undoubtedly be the most profitable, both for sugar and 
for fuel. As these seedlings come on, they should be encouraged 
to cover the land, by letting in a little light occasionally, if neces 
sary. This may be done by removing some of the old trees that 
are past their prime. After the young trees are seven or eight 
feet high no harm would come from the pasturing of stock 
among them for a few years, unless the land was so heavily 
pastured that the treading of the stock about the roots was 
injurious. If treated in this way there should be no trouble 
about securing a good stand of young Maples to come on and 
take the place of those which are maturing. 
