New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1886-03-03
DOMESTIC ECONOMY.
Places Where Trees Can Be
Raised with Profit for the Pur-
pose Of Introducing Fuel.
Arranging a Barn-Yard So as to Secure
the Protection and Comfort Of
Animals.
Does Fuel-Ra1s1ng Pays


not economical to raise trees for fuel on
land worth from $50 to 800 per acre,
especially when coal is abundant and
cheap. In most cases land is not
worth $50 per acre for agricultural pur-
poses except in places that are near a
large town and where there are good
facilities for transportation. In such
localities almost everything produced
on farms will have market value, and
coal win be comparatively cheap. It
will accordingly be the best economy to
raise stock, grain, vegetables, or fruit,
to sell them in town, and to purchase
coal with a portion of the money re-
ceived. 1t takes several years for quick
growing trees, such as willows, pop
lars and whitew;ods, to reach size
that they will afford good fuel. At
least twenty years are required to raise
hardwood trees of size that will afford
good cordwood. During this time crops
Of corn, potatoes, grass, and small
grains could be produced on the land
that is devoted to the production of
trees. The product of ten acres of
good land would in twenty years pro-
duce fund the interest of which would
keep family supplied with coal for all
time.
But on many farms which are worth
$50 or upward per acre there is consid-
cradle land that is not suitable for Gull
tivation. Some of it is quite certain to
be broken, rocky, subject to washing,
quite low, or having a soil that does
not produce paying crops. This land
will produce trees if the proper variety
nre selected The cultivated crops will
only grow on fruitful soil, that can be
worked to advantage with ordinary i'm
plements. But little can be realized
from crop of grass produced on very
poor or uneven land. 1t costs much to
cut and cure it for hay, and unless
much labor is expended on it the land
will not be profitable if devoted to graz
ing purposes. Still, this land will pro-
duce good trees. Observation shows
that the land that is most suitable for
cultivated crops is not the best for for
est trees. The latter will live and
thrive on land that will not produce
paying crops of any sort of grain or
vegetable. Some of the finest forests
in the country shade soil that is unfit
for cultivation. Cultivated plants rely
for their sustenance on soil within a
very few inches of the surface of the
ground, but trees send their roots so
deep into the earth that the condition
Of the surface soil is matter of small
Importance.
The best disposition to make of land
on any farm that is unfit for cultivation
is to plant it to trees. If it is too moist
to pillow or produce good grass it is quite
likely that some varieties of the ash,
poplar, willow, or larch will succeed
well on it. If it is high, broken, or
rocky all kinds of nut-bearing trees,
naples, and evergreens will grow we'll
upon it. The trees will improve the
farm to some extent, will hide the por-
tons Of the soil that had an uninvitlng
appearance, and will beautify the place.
The production of the trees will cost
very little, as the ground they occupy is
useless for other purposes. The trees
will supply fuel after certain NUMBER
Of years, and will reduce the cost of
warming the house. Wealthy farmers
can enjoy the luxury of an open fire
during the winter season if they produce
the wood to keep it up on their own
places, and can cut and prepare it with
the help they ordinarily keep. The
open wood fires deserves a rank with
greatest comforts of life, but it can be
enjoyed almost without expense by per-
sons who raise trees on their farms.
The branches that are removed by prun-
ing a few acres of timber trees will af-
ford fuel enough to support at least one
FIRE.
With little doubt it pays to raise trees
to produce fuel5in portions of the coun-
try where land is cheap, but where coal
is dear on account of the remoteness of
the mines or the. great cost of transporta-
ton. The cost of hauling coal over
the poor roads that are common in new
" settled portions of the west is consid-
cradle. It often happens that a great
amount of suffering takes place in conse-
quence Of getting out Of coal when the
common roads are impossible on ac-
count of the snow or the railroads are
prevented from moving heavy. freight.
In many places during the past few win
ters farmers living quite assistance from
. railway station have been compelled
during the prevalence of long storms to
burn corn, of which they had but small
amount, in order to keep from freezing.
With only few acres Of trees on their
places they would have been COMPARE
lively comfortable, Notwithstanding the
severe cold and the bad condition Of the
roads. Agood wood-lot near the dwell
ing insures supply of fuel at the time
when it is the most needed.
Farmers living long distance from a
good market have to study how they can
supply themselves with the necessities
and comforts of life without spending
much money. If they can raise trees
they can have fuel for cooking their food
and warming their dwelling without ex-
pending money for coal. Wood is the
best fuel to use in keeping up fire to