Hon. W. H. Mackoy,
Covington.
Mrs. Mason Maury,
Louisville.
THE FARM AND THE WOODLOT
INTRODUCTION.
Undoubtedly, one of the most important phases of the forestry work, so far as the individual States are concerned, is the question of the woodlot and its improvement. In the Eastern States—that is, those east of the Mississippi River—a very considerable portion of the forested areas within each State is in the form of woodlots which are a part of and an adjunct to the farm so that in any comprehensive forest policy for the Eastern United States a great deal of attention must be focused upon this phase of the work. This is, undoubtedly, true so far as Kentucky is concerned where, as a whole, the land is held in fee simple by the citizens of the State as farms from a few acres in size up to several thousand acres. By the majority of the owners of these farms, the value and importance of the woodlot is little understood nor has the practice of forestry as it applies to these woodlots any significance whatsoever. The object of this bulletin is to make clear just what forestry is, the relation of scientific forestry to the improvement of the woodlot and the economical part which the farm woodlot plays in the industrial and social welfare of the State. As a matter of fact, this is one of the most difficult features of the work to present properly, because it is a hard matter to make clear to the average individual just why a woodlot is an asset in connection with his property and how the improvement and care of his woodlot concerns him closely and means a proportional increase directly in the actual money value of the material on hand and indirectly in ways which do not present themselves readily unless the attention is focused on them—as for example, the value of a woodlot as a wind-break in connection with an orchard or in connection with the farm as a whole, or the value of a wooded area on an easily eroded hillside as a fixative for the soil and a preventative against the deterioration of the cultivated areas below it. The effort then of this bulletin will be—first, to show how the average woodlot may be brought to a standard of productivity compatible with the complete utilization of the ground, and second, to show in detail what the direct and indirect benefits of a woodlot in connection with any farm will be under the best circumstances. In the preparation of this bulletin, free use has been made of all bulletins and publications on this subject, which the writer has been able to get hold of and acknowledgment is made to these as a whole, since it would be impracticable to make complete individual acknowledgement.
WHAT IS FORESTRY?
To the average individual, forestry as a science does not mean very much. The impression is that it has to do with the trees, but to what extent and how it deals with this question is by no means thoroughly understood. In the first place, forestry deals with trees as a community and not as an individual—that is, it deals with them in the bulk and in this respect differs from kindred sciences where the individual tree is a matter of concern. The forester is often called upon to answer questions and discuss matters with relation to shade trees or ornamental trees, but this is not a matter within his province properly, but is a matter for the landscape architect or horticulturist. Forestry primarily concerns itself with the planting and growing of trees for sale at a profit. Occasionally forestry may concern itself with the growing and raising of trees for purposes where the money value of the crop, while it may not be as evident as where the trees are placed on the market and sold, is nevertheless, a real money consideration. This is the case, where certain areas are planted for the purification and conservation of a city water supply. Here the actual worth of the forest is the value to the people of the city or community of pure drinking water. This will be the case in the Catskill Mountains where enormous expenditures are being made for supplying New York City with pure water and where the purity of this water supply depends upon the maintenance of certain areas in forest growth. Forestry then, so far as it relates to the farm and woodlot, may be defined as dealing with trees as communities and the growing and marketing of these trees for a profit. It is a simple proposition, the same as raising corn. In raising corn, the ground is prepared, the seed is planted at a certain time in the spring, the necessary attention is given during the growing season and in the fall it is harvested and sold. A certain price is obtained for the grain and a certain price for the stalks, usually in the form of fodder for stock. The chief value of the corn crop depends upon the number of bushels per acre of corn (grain) that have been produced and the kind and quality of corn there is to market. The kind and quality of the corn crop depends on the selection of seed. All this is accomplished within a year’s time—the planting, the harvesting, the cultivation and the sale of the product. Forestry is exactly the same proposition. The stock is selected, the trees are planted, the necessary attention is given them during the growing period, and eventually the crop is harvested and marketed for the best price obtainable. The value of the timber crop depends on how much material you raise to the acre, the kind and quality of the product you have to market and the demand in the market for the class of material to which the timber crop is particularly adapted. The chief difference is this: that, whereas, the corn crop has been planted, harvested and marketed within one growing season, a forest crop takes a period of growing seasons before it is ready to market. The precise length of this period depends on the kind of material you are to raise, as fence posts, ties, lumber, etc.
IMPROVEMENT OF THE WOODLOT.
What then can be done to show the man most concerned, the farmer, the importance of the improvement of his woodlot? First, an attempt will be made to set forth the matter as clearly as possible in print, which is the object of this bulletin; and the necessary steps will then be taken to furnish an ocular demonstration of the facts herein set forth by the establishment of nurseries and the maintenance of model woodlots. On the big majority of farms in Kentucky, there are certain areas which are not good farm land and never will be for a variety of reasons (inferior soil, rocky soil, too steep a slope, etc.); but these lands in most cases can produce timber crops and should be producing them, since they are a commercial adjunct to the farm and bring in a revenue. As Mr. W. F. Cook, of Hickman County, says, “It is a great deal more valuable than giving the land over to weeds and wild briars.”