46 
PRESERVATION OF WOODLANDS, Sec. 
Mr. Tucker —There are two existing causes from 
which we of the northern and eastern states have reason 
at some future time, to anticipate a scarcity of timber 
for fuel, fencing, and building purposes. One of these, 
arises from the increasing demand which is constantly 
arising from a variety of causes, and sweeping over 
our groves and mountains, until they, the latter at least, 
exhibit appearances but little more inviting than were 
those of Sampson when shorn of his beautiful locks, for 
like his, their strength and glory has departed, not 
to be sure, by the wily hand of a coquettish Delilah, 
but through the everlasting influence of a ready money 
getting propensity. What a strange doctrine that, 
which appears so universally prevalent, that whatever 
ean be turned to cash from the farm, must be so turned, 
without even risking an inquiry whether the farm is to 
be impoverished by the transaction or not; and what is 
a ferm worth without a timber lot? Any one who has 
any experience in farm management, can solve that ques¬ 
tion from continued experience. And yet, so very re¬ 
gardless are very many of the wants of their successors, 
with regard to fuel and timber, that they will avail them¬ 
selves of every opportunity to sell their best trees C( in 
quantities to suit purchasers, 55 (( for cash, 55 at any time 
and at all times, tho.ugh by so doing they may diminish 
the real value of their farms at an irrecoverable rate. 
But there is another cause why we feel warranted in 
apprehending a deficiency in wood lots. This is im¬ 
plied in the known fact that vast amounts of woodlands 
are now subject to a double tax. They must not only 
furnish fuel for the fire and timber for the farm, and 
occasionally some of both for market, but they must 
also submit to heavy drafts for pasturage, so that no new 
shoots are permitted to start and take the place of 
trees removed, and in consequence, grass comes in, and 
the remaining timber grows sickly, and in a short time 
begins to die, and then, the sooner the land is cleared 
the better. 
Now we hold that woodlands are profitable invest¬ 
ments, and will be as long as men build houses or 
fences, or so long as the increasing numbers of factories 
or steam engines are throwing otf their heavy or con¬ 
tinual columns of smoke in every direction. And, if 
profitable, then they are worthy of protection and eco¬ 
nomical management. 
By protection we mean keeping out of them all kinds 
of stock, whether quadruped or biped, which is calcu¬ 
lated to keep down the growth of young stuff, and this 
will embrace cattle, sheep, and horses. By bipeds we 
mean certain vagrant animals, who, though they move 
on two feet instead of four, are nevertheless endowed 
with sensibilities but little above the brute creation, 
and seek no better livelihood than rambling over their 
neighhor 5 s premises, and falling, pell-mell upon every 
chestnut and walnut tree that comes within their reach, 
and disfiguring and frequently ruining their future 
growth by their lordly prowlings. The last class of 
these animals, as thousands will attest, are the most an¬ 
noying, for while good fences will secure horses, hogs, 
sheep, and cattle, neither good fences, good laws, good 
morals, or good breeding, offer any impediment to 
them. 
We have adopted, for a few years past, a plan of ma¬ 
naging woodlands which so far commends itself so fa¬ 
vorably, that we are not only disposed to continue it, 
hut present it to the notice and consideration of others. 
In the first place, we do not design to have a hoof 
enter upon the premises for any purpose except to draw 
off the fuel and timber for the current year. We have 
done so since 1842, and the consequence is, a new 
growth has shot up most luxuriantly, where there was 
none before, and which promises in a few years to form 
a beautiful wood-lot. 
In the next place, we cut clean as we go, a practice 
which possesses the following recommendations, viz: 
Commence on the part of the wood-lot most distant 
from your dwelling, arid clear what you need for your 
year’s supply. Then you have occasion for your path 
or paths in that part of your premises no further, and 
they with the rest of the land will grow a new supply 
of timber, and thereby you will save the use of land. 
Next year commence on the further side again, and con¬ 
tinue doing so. Then, you will yearly be bringing your 
work nearer home, and the quantity of land occupied by 
paths will be diminishing every year, until you get 
over the whole ground. You will also get an even 
growth of timber by so doing, an attainment that can 
never be reached by the old process of taking a tree 
here and another there, to each of which you must 
have a (perhaps new) path, and in the fall of which 
you will be almost certain to break down a quantity of 
young and thrifty timber, which will amount almost to 
clearing. 
Where any one goes into woodlands and selects trees 
for chopping, he leaves such as remain—and which are 
perhaps poorly fitted to stand the merciless blasts of 
winter, more exposeddo pelting winds and the severe 
influence of frost, which are often fatal in their effects 
upon tall and thrifty trees left under their influence, 
while the young growth starting up under circumstan¬ 
ces to meet such exposure, becomes its own protector, 
by preparing for itself trunk and branches befitting the 
circumstances attending it. 
Now, I am very well aware, that after all that has 
been or can be said in favor of this mode of proceeding, 
that many will be ready to raise their hands in wonder 
and cry loudly against it. I know very well that it 
looks bad to see a corner cleared out of a man’s wood- 
lot. It is a sight I would never wish to have sadden 
my eyes on any other consideration than that of seeing 
it grow up again. Then I know, the plea will come 
up, that it will take the timber that has not yet vege¬ 
tated, so long to grow to a size fit for the axe. Not 
so long, by the by, where this mode of operation i« 
pursued, taking value into consideration, as when the 
old method is pursued, for the same number of cords of 
the same kinds of wood grown after our system, will 
be worth more than that grown in the half cleared 
woodlands of the old system, for it will be of a firmer, 
more compact grain, and of course possess a greater 
weight. But I have said enough. Those disposed Avill 
try the experiment for themselves, and to those who 
are not, additional words are useless. 
Yours truly, W. Bacon. 
Richmond, Mass., Nov. 18, 1845. 
POSTS UPHEAVED BY THE FROST. 
We observe post fence in certain spots to rise up, an¬ 
nually more and more, until after a few years, sw'ine 
can creep under; and it often leans so much that props 
become necessary to prevent it from falling. Now 
what is the cause of this upheaval? 
On examining, we find that these spots are wetter, and 
the ground more spongy than the other parts of the 
line. Well, what then? Why, in severely cold wea¬ 
ther, the wet surface freezes, fastening round the post a 
solid cake, under which is applied the great power of 
water, expanding into ice; and the fence is lifted 
up. The intensity of the frost, and the looseness—or 
wetness of the ground, w r ill determine the amount of 
upheaval, which may be one or more inches of a win¬ 
ter. Perhaps indeed the post may fall back a little 
when it thaws; but it seldom if ever slides back to the 
bottom of the hole; and is sure to take a new start up¬ 
wards in the following winter. 
In these insurrectionary movements, several posts 
are commonly concerned together; and the best w*ay 
that I have found to reduce them, is to strike with a 
beetle only a few strokes at a time on the head of each, 
so that the fence shall not be racked by driving too 
far at once. When thoroughly driven back, the opera¬ 
tion may not need to be repeated in less than two or 
three years. 
It would be the better and cheaper way however, to 
prevent all such risings in future by filling up the holes 
with solid earth; and thoroughly pounding or ramming 
| down every new layer of two or three inches in thick 
