10 



MANAGEMENT OF NATIVE GROVES. 



Iowa has a smaller proportion of nonagricultural land than any- 

 other State, and this is being decreased each year by turning unpro- 

 ductive areas into orchards, pastures, and ranging ground. With 

 the development of the fat-stock and dairy industries there will be an 

 increasing demand for grazing lands, and this in turn will cause the 

 clearing of large tracts now held as woodland. 



However, from 10 to 15 per cent of the State will remain in timber, 

 and this portion should be so managed as to yield at least fair profits 

 from the soil. Notwithstanding the excellent farming methods in the 

 State and the increasing desire of the settlers to improve those methods, 

 little attention has been paid to increasing the returns from the 

 woodlot. 



Formerly the farm woodlots were used commonly for pasture; this 

 practice, when the annual fires killed the old mature trees, prevented 

 new growth from coming in. When posts, poles, or fuel are needed it 

 is seldom possible now to secure them from the woodlot which should 

 furnish them, and the farmer must purchase them from the local 

 lumberman at a constantly increasing price. 



Protection. — Shade and protection for stock is necessary, but it is 

 a detriment to the stock to pasture them exclusively in woodlots, for 

 grass growing under trees has but a small percentage of the food value 

 of that grown in the open, and much better results for both cattle and 

 trees can be obtained if from half an acre to an acre of ground for 

 shelter is planted to silver maple or willow, setting the trees close. 

 When the planting is from 3 to 5 years old, cattle or horses may 

 be allowed free access to it from large pastures, and even if the silver 

 maple is gradually killed out the loss will not be as great as if the 

 whole woodlot were used. 



If moje pasture land is needed on the farm, half the woodland may 

 be cleared and turned into good grassland. If the remaining half is 

 protected from fire and stock and a few careful thinnings are made, 

 it will become a perpetual source of wood for posts, repair material, 

 and fuel. 



FIRE. 



Every spring and fall, when the damage from fire is greatest, the 

 groves should be closely watched, especially if they are located near a 

 railroad. If old roads or paths run through the tract, they should be 

 raked clear of brush and leaves at least twice a year. When kept 

 clean, they prove very effective in stopping surface fires. 



Where there is constant danger from fire, strips two or three furrows 

 wide and a rod apart should be plowed around the grove, if possible. 

 If highways run along the sides of a grove and there is danger of fire 



rCir. 154] 



