Morris tribune., 1897-09-29
FORESTRY DEPT.
Profit OF Tree Raising.
BY J. O. BARRETT,
Secretary of the Minnesota State Forestry
Association.

necessary amount of trees. The most
of them have but few rows around
the buildings, simply for shade anc
protection against pelting winds; 9th
ers have groves, very seldom reaching
ten acres, except on timber claims
and these, from sheer neglect, Giving
at poor dying rate" Evidently but
a small minority of farmers appreciate
the fact that forestry is indispensable
to successful agriculture. The farmer
who has studied their Importance nc
more thinks of farming without trees
to shelter his crops than to raise stock
without barns to protect it. Well he
knows that the natural fertility Of
soil originally came from the forest
His main fertilizer, outside of the
barn offal, is the green manure Of
luguminous plants, whose nitrogen
Gus properties they largely extract
from Inc dlIs Alo uo0 VI Oh uSlI
cultural product is but an imitation
OF natures art of making and replen-
ishing the soil with green and ripened
leaves that form perfect mulch, con-
serving moisture and feeding the
roots of all plants. The properly wa
tered roots absorb and reconstruct
the primates of the mineral kingdom,
Transforming them into living tissue,
whose leave-breathing organs appro-
pirate the carbon and turn the oxy-
gen over to the animal kingdom, and
whose final decomposition, as de-
scribed, prepares soil for man to till
and live upon. To the forest, then,
is due the fundamental wealth of our
agriculture.
There is another profit derived from
tree raising which alone invites the
venture. Though we may have plen-
tiful rains, they soon run to waste
where there are no leaf coverings of
the soil to intercept the flow and
evaporation. By sufficient forestry
and water reservoirs our surplus wa
ters could be conserved to carry us
safely through any drought that
might aff1ict US. Is not here profit
saving of Unreasonable value?
Evaporation is proportional to the
velocity and dryness of the wind.
Scientific experimentation demon
strates that when the temperature of
the air is at so degrees, with a relative
humidity of SO per cent, the evapora-
ton with the wind blowing five miles
an hour, is % times greater than at
calm; at 10 miles, SO; at Is miles,
40; at 20 miles, 81; at rs miles, 81;
at 80 miles, 6.3 times as much as
calm atmosphere of the same temper
ature and humidity. There is also
weight to the wind. 1t
often uncovers grains in the early
spring, beats down tender plants and
hardeps the surface ground to the
great injury of all our vegetation.
Scientists inform us that hail storms
and cyclones are speedily broken up
by extensively forested lands. If
then, we would be masters of the
climate of the wind and storm, and
save crops from utter ruin, we must
build up living walls of trees.
It is found that hedge not over
six feet high will palpably protect
against hot and cold winds to a dis
lance Of 70 or more feet Every adj
ditional foot in height adds rod
more of protection. According to
this ratio, forest of giant trees, rails
ing 300 feet, will defend vegetation
almost entirely against the wind.
Hence farm crops are larger and bet
ter, where they are properly environ
ed by trees.
It is safe to say that a rightly man
aged forest, say 10 to 20 acres, in less
than decade will supply the home
with ample fuel, by simply thinning
out and using up defective and crowd
ed trees, an art essential to healthful
forest growth
The above is intended to initiate
series of articles on practical forestry,
covering in time all the essentials in
a plain concise manner.
The strength which comes to US
from eating nourishing food is better
than stimulation, because it is new
strength.
The health which belongs to a
strong body, well nourished by prop
er food properly digested), is the
only health that is lasting.
The difference between Shaker Di-
positive Cordial and other medicines