108 ENCYCLOPEDIA OF PRACTICAL HORTICULTURE 
In some cases this might not be a favor- 
able condition, because there may be 
places where the root system would lack 
aeration, where the air is obstructed by 
a thin stratum of rock or of hard pan; 
but we have seen trees growing under 
Similar conditions where they seemed to 
be healthy and vigorous, and. apparently 
had not suffered from lack of aeration. 
Surface Rock 
As to small rocks on the surface it 
may be better to remove them before 
planting, but except in so far as they in- 
terfere with cultivation it seems to us to 
make little difference whether they are 
removed or not. It is claimed that sur- 
face rocks are an advantage, aside from 
the difficulty of cultivation, because they 
absorb the heat more readily during the 
day and during the night radiate it more 
rapidly than the soil, thus warming the 
Surrounding atmosphere. Whatever may 
be the disadvantage of rocky surfaced 
soil, I have seen some very excellent or- 
chards growing where the surface was 
well covered with rock. 
GRANVILLE LOWTHER 
LOGGED-OFF LAND 
Cost and Methods of Clearing 
The following facts are the result of 
investigations begun by the Department - 
of Agriculture in 1908 in Western Wash- 
ington and in co-operation. subsequently 
with the states of Washington, Wiscon- 
sin and Minnesota. 
Bibliography 
Farmers’ Bulletin No. 462—‘Utilization 
of Logged-off Land for Pasture.” 
Farmers’ Bulletin No. 137—‘The An- 
gora Goat.” 
Washington Bulletin No. 78.—‘‘The 
Goat Industry in Western Washington.” 
Washington Bulletin No. 101.—Sparks. 
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Bureau 
of Plant Industry, Bulletin No. 239. 
Usually logged-off land in Washington 
and Oregon is left thickly covered with 
stumps, snags, and scattering trees with- 
out commercial value, as well as brush 
and logs. The cost of clearing such land 
is dependent upon the number and size 
of stumps left, the quantity of debris 
and the character of the soil from which 
stumps are to be removed. The fir lands 
of Western Washington and Oregon are 
the most expensively cleared of all such 
lands. 
Typical Clearing in Western 
Washington. 
Slashing 
Logged-off lands on the Pacific Coast 
very quickly grow up to young trees and 
brush and the first step in the process of 
clearing it is to slash this young growth. 
This should be done in early summer for 
two reasons, the first being to give time 
for some drying to occur before burning 
and the second that sprouting from the 
stumpage is not so apt to occur. 
Fig. 2. 
Stump To Be Removed. 
Typical 
Windfalls should be brought down to 
the ground and large logs split open 
enough to allow them to dry out some- 
what. 
It is an economy to pasture land for a 
few years after the slashing has been 
burned to give time for small stumps 
and roots to decay. Goats and sheep are 
especially valuable for this purpose par- 
ticularly in the case of maple and alder 
bottoms since they keep down sprouts. 
The claim is made that flocks will pay 
