The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1908-11-27

ficant of conditions in the car;tal city
of England.
TIMBER RESOURCES OF IOWA.
The production of forty-six cords of
fuel per acre in twenty-four years in a
planted grove of silver maple. of 1,296
catalpa posts in twenty-one years, and
of 1852 larch telegraph poles in twenty
nine years have Welded Iowa farmers
average annual returns of S6.6, So,
and S12.14 per acre. respectively. Even
these are not the highest figures re-
ported Here, however. a plantation
must necessarily pay we'll or be sup
I ton OF agricultural land than any
other state, and with the increase in
demand for fields and grazing lands,
woodland must contend for possession
( of the land with annual crops grown
/ by excellent methods i an ideal agri-
cultural region. The remaining nat
ural timber and planted woodlots,
however, so far from receiving sim
ilarly the best methods of treatment,
have often been sadly neglected and
misused.
The rapid removal OF native wood
land during the past five years has
greatly reduced the local supply of
posts. fuel and small timbers. In con-
sequence prices have risen from one
third to one-half, and, in the case of
posts at least, will continue TO in
crease A famine in the supply of
posts is so imminent that experiments
in methods of extending their dura-
bility through preservative treatment
are being conducted at the state col
lege. These experiments indicate that
the usefulness of each post can be
very materially heightened at rea-
sonably low cost; but even with pre-
sentative treatment many posts will
be required TO supply the needs of
Iowa farmers, more than are now be-
ing grown within the state.
There is so slight difference in al
titude and other physical character
istics in Iowa that the differences in
moisture requirements of the trees.
The natural timber forms two clearly
distinguished types-one in the low.
moist areas along streams, made up
largely of alluvial soils, and the other
on higher well-drained slopes and up
lands back from water courses and on
tle undulating prairie. On the bot
toms such trees as cottonwood. viii
low, elm and coffee trees abound, and
on the uplands hickory, oaks, iron
/ Throughout the state the soil is adapt
4 ed to the growth of forest trees.
/ 1t is probable that in the future as
frequently in the past, large proper
( ton of the grove paintings will be for
/ the combined purposes of protection
and the production of wood. In this
case it will be necessary to select
species which will most nearly meet
these combined requirements and to
select the site with due consideration
of the home, orchard, and barnyard
The protection of a windbreak is
now appreciated by all successful fruit
growers, and yet it is not best close
ly to surround an orchard on all sides
with heavy belt of larger trees that
will prevent free circulation of air. On
bottomlands subject to overflow and
consequently not adapted to tillage,
cottonwood and silver maple can be
grown for lumber, with excellent re,
turns
To aid in the movement toward prac-
teal forestry in Iowa, investigations
We're made during 1905 by the For
est Service to determine the extent.
character, and value of the native farm
woodlots and planted groves. The re-
port of this investigation, with meas
urements of the groves examined and
an estimate of the profits which have
accrued from growing timber in com
mercial plantations are embodied in
circular 154 of the Forest Service,
Native and Planted Timber of Iowa"
This publication can be had on appli-
cation to the forester at WASHINGTON