34 FOREST CONDITIONS IN LOUISIANA. 



be obtained by separating the timber from the land for purposes of 

 taxation, and taxing the land annually for its value without the tim- 

 ber, and levying an additional tax of from 10 to 15 per cent upon 

 the timber when it is cut. Unfortunately, such a system would be 

 unconstitutional in Louisiana, and the owner of timberland must, 

 for some years at least, formulate his plans to accord with the 

 present method. 



DEVELOPMENT AND MAINTENANCE OF FARM WOODLOTS. 



The need for a permanent local supply of timber for farm use 

 arises wherever the forest is giving way to agricultural development. 

 In Louisiana this is the case in the uplands and bluff regions east of 

 the Mississippi River, in the prairies, and in the northern part of the 

 State west of the Mississippi. Along the creeks in the uplands mixed 

 stands of hardwoods and pine ought to furnish a supply of timber 

 indefinitely. 



Even in the most fertile localities not all of the land can usually be 

 cultivated, and every farmer might well reserve a portion of his farm 

 as a woodlot. Fires should be kept out, and the woodlot should not 

 be used as a pasture. The most valuable species in the woodlot should 

 not be cut below a diameter limit of from 15 to 18 inches, though less 

 valuable ones could be cut to a lower size. Dead and down trees 

 should be worked up for fuel. In cutting live timber the old, mature 

 trees should be removed first, care being taken not to injure thrifty 

 young trees, the rate of growth of which increases rapidly after they 

 have been given room to develop. Where young trees are so close to- 

 gether that their growth is retarded, a general thinning of the wood- 

 lot should be made. 



Trees that are affected with decay should be cut out and the brush 

 burned in order to prevent the spread of the injury. All pine in 

 Louisiana is subject to attack by the Southern pine beetle, an insect 

 which under favorable conditions is capable of killing an enormous 

 amount of pine timber in a short time. The identification of the 

 work of this insect and the methods necessary for its control are 

 outlined in Farmers' Bulletin 476 of this department. 



The woodlot should furnish posts and poles, railroad ties, firewood 

 for the home and neighboring towns, and a supply of timber for 

 building and repairs. 



The woodlot should never be culled of its best timber. In selling 

 timber from the woodlot it is generally best to draw up a contract 

 specifying what trees shall be cut, the price to be paid and the man- 

 ner of making payments, what scale, if any, shall be used and who 

 shall do the scaling, and what precautions are to be taken to prevent 

 the spread of fire and of injury to young growth. Long-time con- 



