The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1885-08-01
WOODLANDS.

J )
duction of producing plants. AMI
bv the destruction of all undesirable
plants. we make no effort to improv,
the condition of our woodlands, but lei
nature have her own way. If, by
chance. few seeds of an undesirable
tree find their way to a desirable timber
lot. they are permitted to grow, though
they NAV be of character to crowd out
all the other more desirable trees. This
is a great wrong that ought to receive
immediate attention. That it should for
so long time have escaped the atten-
ton of farmers can only be accounted
for bv the fact that our country is COM
paratively new. and has been covered
by large quantities of good timber, and
that until within few years, even in
the older States, wood large enough for
lumber has been cut and reduced to
ashes, to clear the land. While such
state of things existed it was very nat
ural that no effort should be made to
encourage the growth of the better class
of trees, and discourage the growth of
the poorer. But now when we have
more cleared land than we need for
cultivation, and when we find ourselves
running short of many kinds of lumber,
and at the same time oyerrun witb~&r%A
wood, we naturally turn our attention
to our woodlands to discover some way.
if possible, to so improve them as to
turn the surplus tirewood into valuable
timber, and thus, not only supply our
pressing wants, but at the same time
greatly increase the value, as well as
income Of our farms.
The moment our attention is turned
to this subject we begin to realize how
great has been our neglect. and the
great loss we have already sustained by
| permitting nature to have her own way.
What would be thought of a farmer who
| should make no effort to destroy the
undesirable plants in his cultivated
/ fields, but let the thistlcs, milk weeds
and wild carrots to grow in quantities
sufficient to overshadow all desirable
plants? Would it not be said that such
a farmer did not make the best of his
farm, in fact, that his farming must be
! a failure? Now the farmer who lets
nature take her course in the woods is
/ not much in advance of the farmer who
| lets her take her course in the cultiva-
ted fields.
Since the general introduction of coal
| tireWood has become very cheap in COM
parison with the price of timber; for
while the price of timber has continued
to rise the price of firewood has re-
manned stationary, or has dropped to 3
! lower price; so that to-day, in all parts
| OF the State, the difference between the
! price Of trees that are only suitable for
tireWood and those that are tit for tim
| Der is 50 great that the farmer can not
| spend his time to more profit than in
assisting nature in filling his woodlands
| with such trees as will make timber in
| stead of lireWood At first thought this
| may be considered to be work very
| difficult to perform, but little inVesti-
| cation will show that with forethought
| the work is comparatively very trif1ing.
| We can not change forest at once from
| undesirable to DIES rable trees, but it must
| be the work of Years. Our first efforts
should be to cut out all undesirable
| trees that interfere with the desirable
ones, especially if they produce seed
For example, when pitch pine and a
white pine stand near each other, the
pitch pine should be cut and the white
! pine left to seed the land, because, if
the pitch pine be left, all of the sur
rounding territory will in few wears
be covered with seeding pitch pines;
| but if only the white pine be left. then
the surrounding territory will be
covered with white pines, which are far
more desirable than the pitch pines.
There are many thousands of acres of
| land, which are now covered with pitch
pines, that might have been covered
with white pines if our fathers had
spent a few hours time on each acre,
i'll cutting the first seeding pitch pines.
and setting in their places white pines.
A singl white pine to the acre is suf-
ticient to seed the whole land in few
years after it begins to bear seed, pro-
viding the undesirable trees be kept
down to give the young seedlings a
| chance.
The chestnut tree is a very desirable
| tree to have in a timber lot, it makes
timber that commands ready market
at a good price wherever there is a rail-
road. 1t will grow from a seed in
twenty-five years large enough for rail
road ties, and the stump will send up
sprouts that will grow very much more
rapidly than the seedlings; in this re-
spect, it is better than the white pine;
| therefore, wherever the land is rocky,
and SO unfit for cultivation that it is
TO be kept continually in wood land, the
the chestnut is really the most profit
able tree, not excepting the white pine
| In deciding what trees to encourage
on any lot, there are many things TO be
considered. If the white pine grows
naturally and a few large trees are
scattered over the land then it would
not be best to supplant them with
chestnut until one crop of pine was
obtained, then chestnut might follow to
advantage, unless when the pine was
cut it be found, az is often the case.
that young oaks were scattered over the
land, ready to grow as soon as let into
the sunlight, then the oak should be
encouraged.
Before deciding what to cut. and
what to encourage to grow. the value of
each kind of timber should be con-
sidered. In some localities the poplar
commands ready market at a good
price. in other localities it is almost