The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-08-16

A YANKEE ENTERPRISE THAy rs
PAYING WEEJ.
Inst cad OF Abandoning Their TOO Acre,
and Going West rails EaWiI, Gul,.
waited the Woodland and the Crop \,
Very Profit able An GbJecj lrS>on

ANU NOihb west DNs Family Gulii.
waited the Woodland ana the Crop \,
Very Profitable An GbJeci Lesson
Forestry has been prohtably carried
on upon considerable scale for two rcnor
ations on 2OO-acre farm in western Mass,
chusetts. The land differs in no cS,epr,,,
from that of a hundred other hin farms IN
New England and the forest that clothes
1t is in effect "A development of the familiar
wood lot
The grandfather of the present owner
had rather more than he share OF wood l,r,
possessed by every intelligent New Eng.
land farmer. He left TO his son a farm
that was about equally divided between
woodland and what father and SON were
accustomed to call arabic land Including
considerable area of pasture
The forest had long supplied hr,pholes
fencing, a good deal of building timber
and abundant firewood When the farm
came into possession of the son. rather
more than sixty years ago, he began In
earnest the cultivation of the woodland
and the profitable disposal Of his crop
A visit to the West, where he had relatives
cultivating fine prairie farms, CONVINCED
him that a good deal of what he and bIs
father had called arabic land was such only
by courtesy. and he gradually extended
the area Of his forest until only forty acres
remained for the plough and for the past.
ure. The present owner, a crippled veter.
an of the civil war. who ats his horse side
wise. and can do very little of the physical
work required on the farm, has steadily
improved his forest, and ngeniously sougfs
out markets for its various products.
The 100 acres of forest in a single mass
includes yellow oak of an exceedingly
valuable quality, great southern chestnuts
brought from Texas. beech, hickory, wal
nut, butternut. some evergreens, and the
usual miscellany of New England wood.
lot. II includes, however, little or no
u nderbrush except young trees.
The leaves are carefully guarded from fire
and left on the ground to enrich the soil.
New trees are planted wherever they seem
to be needed.
When sprouts spring from the stump OF
a felled chestnut all but the most vigorous
two, and those if possible on opposite sides
Of the stump, are destroyed. No hillside
is laid so bare that the soil may be
washed off by spring torrents and the cut
ting is carefully directed so that only the
fittest trees are taken.
Mounted on a light pony, the veteran
rides all day through his forest, tapping
with his axe this tree and that to learn
whether it Is sound, noting what young
trees need light and air, marking trees
to be felled, observing the condition OF
the soil, the promise of the nut crop and
every slightest detail Of his little domain
His cutting is done in winter when tn"
wages of farm labor are lowest. He sees
that trees are felled in a fashion to do thu
least harm to their fellows, and no axeman
is permitted to cut a tree that has not been
marked for sacrifice He has had much
difficulty in persuading his men to follow
instructions, but with Yankee persistenca
he never yields his point.
Nothing Is wasted in the forest. The
owners portable sawmill is moved from,
place to place at need, and the sawed lumber
is taken by the shortest haul to the railway
station.
There is a stream running through the
forest, but it is not large enough for rafting
Such parts Of the wood as can not be used
for lumber or fuel are turned into charcoal
and no unsightly brush heaps are left to
cumber the ground.
Nuts are an important by-product OF
the forest, The Spanish chestnuts from
Texas fetch good price in market, and h"
shagbark hickory nuts are harvested by
the bushel. The present owner discovered
that beechnuts could be sold to advantage
in few city markets, and accordingly
these are gathered and sent to Boston.
Forestry has paid well on this farm and
the owner Is reputed to be the most prosper.
Gus farmer in the town. His buildings
are comfortable and in good repair, his
small area of arabic land is well cared
for, and his stock is in good condition
His only regret is that he has no son To
aid him in the business and TO inherit tho
forest His daughters, however. are wise
in woodlore and practically helpful In III"
management of the forest
As to the farmer himself he finds that
forestry yields not only wealth but amuso-
ment, for his large area of woodland shelters
some fine game, furred and feathered, and
he enjoys the shooting. As practical,
successful instance of forestry long antedat-
ing the present scientific interest in ths
subject this New England hill farm has
attracted the attention of the United States
Department of Agriculture and is exciting
some curiosity in other parts Of New
England.