Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1859-01-22
management of wood Lots.

This wintry weather reminds us both ih
city and country, that fuel in some shape
is an article of the first necessity. And
whether our thoughts go back to the open
fireplace, and "reminiscences of sober com
fort there enjoyed, or 6y away to the mines
of carbon stored so many ages for after
use, there is no question that the manage
ment of wood lots deserves consideration.
The high prices of this product everywhere
throughout the country, save in the wilder
ness itself, incites US to thoughts on the
sources of supply aud the best means of
its Increase and preservation.
Dense forests once covered our State, and
in the march Of the pioneer, his sturdiest
enemy seemed the old thick standing trees
which hid the fertile soil from the sunlight.
His work and his true policy was to clear
away portion of this growth that he might
plant and sow and gather food and wealth
from the virgin SOIL Through the long
winter he piled the axe, aud the towering
trees crashed often TO the earth, and the
skies Of spring and summer were hazed by
sthesmOke each day, and reddehed by the
glare each night of burning logs, which
would have sufficed to heap the hearths of
city with fuel Only the most valuable
lnmber was saved, and year after year the
work went on as long as the forests dared
cast their morning or evening shadows on
his humble rooftree.
Now, different state of things prevails,
and there are thousands of farmers who
buy far more wood than they Sell-thou
sands to whom the value of our forests are
coming home, as timber for lumber, fences
and fuel yearly rises in value, There has
nnquestionably been some mismanagement
of onr resources, aud we will devote the re-
mainder Of this article to q few practical
hints on the time of cutting, as related to
the sproutiug and after-growth Of wood
Jots. and also to planting the same.
The season of the year when forests are
cut off has long been known to influence
the after-groEth, and it may be observed
by any farmer that certain stumps in his
wood lot spBout again freely, while the
stuInps of other trees send out few or no
shoots, and soon decay. This fact is found
to be little influenced by the kind of tim
,ber, but seems to depend mostly on the time
ofcutting; and experiments show that trees
cat in spring when the sap flows freely, al
most invariably sprout again and send up a
foarishing growth.
If one would bring on, then, new
growth of trees let him cut the old at this
season, and cut them near the ground, that
che shoots may have better chance; while
il IL is desirable to clear off a forest, it
should be cut when the sap does not how
and at that time it is said the timber proves
most durable
Whether it is best to cut only the full
grown trees, leaving the young and thrifty
or to cut every tree as we 60 is point
about which wOodmen dispute. Those who
adsise the latter. say that as the new trees
start ap, all have an equal chance, and
make handsome growth, and will be ma
ny more in number than when only the
young and vigorous are left. In that case
they must shade the ground to tue discour.
agement of any new growth and on the
whole it would seem the wiser way to "cut
clear" year after year as we go, and, if the
course of rotation extends for fifteen or
twenty years, we shall find as good crop
on that first cut es it formerly yielded Oh
course all browsing stock, fires, and pFowl-
ing timber thieves must be kept away.
Most Of our present farm wood lots may
be increased in value by planting the open
ings to young trees, and by enconring new
growth, which heretofore, in most instances
have been destroyed by permitting cattle
and sheep TO browse the forest pastures
There are alsU on many farms some acres o.
broken ground, difficult Of cultivation or
that account, which ought always to bt
kept in wood. Where they have beer
cleared, they may be planted again to such
trees as the soil seems best adapted to pro
duce. Mary New England hill-sides, il
the long setEed neighborhOods, have thu
been clothed in verdne, and instead of be
ing barreB and worthless 10 the owner, the
now bear crop worth hundreds of dollar
to the acre. aud yearly increasing in value
Country GeatlsmaM.