Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1875-09-23
Care Of Woodlands.

There was a time in the history of the
| American people when the cutting down
| and destroying of forest trees was an abso-
| lutte necessity. But circumstances have
greatly changed within the last century,
and now, in the older-settled portions of
| the country the owners of forests place a
definite value upon their woodlands, from
| the fact that timber of all kinds finds a
ready market. In many localities more
| forest trees are annually planted than are
destroyed; supply and demand, as with
all other products, becoming the guide in
both operations. Where original forests
still remain near our larger cities it is a
matter worthy of careful consideration
| whether the land they cover would be
worth more for cultivation than for pro-
| ducing wood.
The gradual and steady advance in the
price of wood has tended to make our peo
| pie more careful in regard to this matter
Of clearing land for they begin to see that,
while the farmer residing a thousand miles
away may compete with them in produc-
ing wheat, corn, and other farm crops, he
can do little in this direction when it
comes to such bulky and heavy materials
as timber 1t is certainly worth while for
persons owning small or large tracts Of
forest in thickly settled regions to avoid
being in haste in clearing the land of
trees, but they should also endeavor to inn
prove and preserve the most valuable
kinds growing thereon. At the present
time very few farmers ever think of visit
ing their woodlands except when timber
is wanted for some particular purpose.
There is seldom an effort made to select'
the most valuable species and to destroy
the poor and worthless In all of our for
ests there are hundreds of shrubs, vines,
and inferior kinds of trees, which occupy
the soil, retarding if not entirely crowd
inc out the superior and far more val
liable sorts
Now, in all localities where choice
kinds of timber are becoming every year
more valuable, the owners of woodlands
can scarcely do better than to attend to
this grubbing out of worthless shrubs and
trees. Old trees which have reached ma
turity and show signs of decay should be
removed at once, in order that their place
may be occupied by some promising sap
ling By removing the old and decaying
trees, as well as those of inferior quality,
the best kinds will increase far more rap
idly in size and value, because they will
have more room for The growth of roots
and branches. By care and attention to
what are called "second growths," which
spring up after the larger trees have been
removed, at least one-halt the usual time
required for the trees to reach a salable
size may be saved. 1t is customary in the
older States for the proprietors OF wood
lands to sell the timber upon a certain
tract TO dealers, and after the removal of
all trees OF value Tic land is left To become
again covered with forest in the natural
way During the first halfdOzen years
wild grasses, weeds, briers and other
worthless plants struggle for suprem-
acy over the sprouts from old stumps and
seeding trees. If the soil is rich, and
stock are not permitted TO browse the
Young trees, they will usually gain the as
tendency, so that in ten years time there
will appear fair prospect of another
forest
But the struggle between the valuable
and worthless trees is not ended with the
disappearance of weeds and brierS, for
there are scores of large, coarse and use
less shrubs and small trees which hold on
to life with great tenacity, impeding the
growth OF large and valuable kinds. Ii
would cost very little 10 remove these
undergrowths and hasten the rapid de.
velopment of the superior trees II re-
ouires no great amount Of skill or outlay
to 10 what little pruning, thinning and
Crubbing are necessary To promote the
growth OF new forests or keepup the value