A FARMER FOUND THE ANSWER 



Mr. Holmes, a farmer, looked at his woods and asked himself: "Is timber 

 a good investment as a crop? Or should I cut it off and turn it into cash?" 



He had seen the destruction that clear cutting and fires often cause. On 

 the other hand he had observed that young trees, if given a chance, soon 

 grow into sawlog trees. He knew that some of his trees were ready to 

 harvest and others were growing rapidly. > A cash offer of $2,000 was a real 

 temptation. What should he do? 



After seeing his county agricultural agent and local forester and getting 

 some ideas about forestry, he decided to sell only part of his timber. He cut 

 the mature and defective trees and left a good stand of younger trees. This 

 reduced the volume of the sale and also the returns. For his pine saw 

 timber and white oak stave trees he received $1,105. Was this a good deal? 



Mr. Holmes could have had $894.72 more by cutting all his timber. 

 Would this amount placed at interest bring more in 10 years than the same 

 amount left in growing trees? Interest on the money for 10 years would 

 amount to $296.15. He compared this with a net return or "interest" 

 of about $625 which would be earned by additional growth of the trees in 

 10 years. He was well satisfied and also convinced that timber growing pays. 



Mr. Holmes saw that he had been wise to keep a good volume of growing 

 trees, which would soon make another valuable crop of timber. 



Mr. Holmes learned that by giving some attention and time to growing 

 timber as he does to other crops, and by using the assistance of public agen- 

 cies, he can work out an effective plan for managing his woodland. Many 

 other woodland owners have had the same experience. As owners learn 

 how to put the principles of forestry into operation, they can expect the 

 returns from farm woods to increase considerably. 



GOOD MANAGEMENT PAYS 



Mr. Holmes and other woodland owners want to get the largest regular 

 yield and income from their woodlands. But the average farm woods has 

 been cut over several times and the best timber has been removed. Perhaps 

 it has been burned and left to recover as best it could. In such cases the 

 immediate job is to build up the growing stock of trees in quantity and 

 quality. A low yield of timber, as of most farm crops, does not pay well. 

 Satisfactory returns cannot be had the first year from row crops on worn-out 

 land, because building up the soil takes time. The same is true of a run- 

 down farm woods. 



