Omaha daily bee., 1908-06-09
FENCE POST BILL OF IOWA
Forestry Professor Estimates Il at
Over Million a Year.
SHOULD RAISE IFS TIMBER
neasons for comparativS Failure 81
Forestry Traets and Hints ss Z
Varieties Of Trees suit
able I soiI.
Wram ) slatt cdrrespondtnl.l

~ - eetinated that the farmers OF Iowa
use posts having a value exceeding >this
enormous sum each year 70 maintain the
fences on the $4,000 acres Of Improved
and in the state.
In making these estimates, H. p. Baker,
formerly profetsos Of forestry In the lowe
State Agricultural college at Arnes. and
now occupying the chair Of forestry At
Pernsylvania state college, figured that
the farms OF the state required 7s,OoO,o@
posts for fences. OF 1900 to the square mile.
Placing the value Of the posts at Is cents
each. the cost OF renewals every eight OF
nine years, which is the ME Of the post,
is s1l. 7is,oOO. making an annual bill for re-
newals OF n,4s5.Ooo
Like many other farming states. Iowa has
a lack Of fence post material. but there Is
little excuse for this condition, according
to foresters who have made studies in the
state. A properly managed forest planta-
tion will produce. when the treea have
reached post size. $500 posts, . TO 5 inches
In diameter per acre; thus, II would take
1880 acres about every ten years to grow
the necessary posts to supply the state.
Iowa is said to have 100000 acres Of planted
timber, and yet the fence post supply 10
insufficient. II properly cared for, many
OF these plantations can be made to pro-
duce more timber. and thus insure the fu-
ture post supply.
Causes Of Failure.
These 10000 acres are not at present
furnishing the posts which It is estimated
can actually be grown on 22,so acres Of
properly handled forest land. This In itself
Is an astonishing statement. but there are
several reasons for such a condition. They
have been summed up under the thres fol-
lowing heads:
1. Failure to select species specially suited
to the region and the land 60 be planted.
Z No protection against stock. II IL Inn
possible to make land produce both first
class stock and first-cfa6s trees az the same
time; The animsls eat the N, ssrI1 hs D we
not take up the rain, and break ana bruise
the trees. opening them 70 the attack q
insects and fungi The trees shade out the
grass and reduce its fora6e value.
8. Lack oe protection against fire. Manv
fine plantations q been ruined BY per
hitting surface fires 70 run through them.
blowing two or three burrows about tine
plantation, ls especially important aIteI
the trees have reached such 9 size that they
no LONGER receive cultivation. a. the litter
ard brush form a dangerous Iire risk.
Owners Of planted woodlotH often say
that the land is too valuable 70 be used
entirely for growing wood. vet 1t is seen
! that IL a little more than 10 per cent OF
the present area OF planted timber were
properly cared for, protected both against
| fire and stock, the remainder Of the land
could be thrown pfofitabiy into pasture or
| farms. AS II IL now, the farmers OF Iowa
have to buy many Of their fence posts from
| other states, which seem like a burden
some and unnecessary expense to those
| who have studied the possibilities for tree
growing in the state.
Varieties Of Trees Avaiiable.
Foresters say that. under proper manage.
ment, there are many trees which can be
srown In the state. The best Species for
poet production are black locust, chestnut,
eatalpa, Usage orange. Russian mulberry
and European lArch. Since these trees
should be uaed only within their economic
blantinR range and on soils adapted I'd
their growth, the number for planting IN
lava Is redrced, for the greater part OF
the state, by onS-haif. There are other
trees which produce good post material
but It always pays to grow the best. This
means the kinds which are most durable
in contact with the soil n v the most
rapid growth.
Black locust IL subject to the attack OF
the borer to such an Axtent as to make ia
cultivation in Iowa a rather doubtful prop
osltion. In the southern part Of the state
the trees. once e~stabushed. make very rapid
second growth, and II 70 possible that UNI
der these conditions. with short rotations,
small post sise will be reached by the trees
before the borer has done any serious dam.
age. Black locust thrives on fairly good
sandy or nravelly broker land.
Chestnut Is not suited to Iowa conditions
and Usage orange II subject to winter Kill
\ ing north OF a line drawn east and west
through Des Moines. Usage orange makes
a very lo~ng-lived post; its only drawback
is a tendency to split under the staple. II
srows/to best advantage on q deep, rich
soil with plenty OF moisture, but will do
well on a vafsSty Of soils
European lErch, though not so rapid a
COVER as blacE locust, 10 suited to fairly
good billy lands. Unlike lie relative, tam
arack. It will not thrive IN wet places. II
produces good post and pole timber and
makes good lumber.
Value OF huaaaaR
Russian mulberry Il . Sather low, dense
tree with q atrone tendency to branch and
form crooked stems. For windbreak pur-
poses around orchsrds n plantations OF
young hardwood Il IL especially valuable.
Birds are very fond OF ito fruit ana be-
cause Of this fact the tree Is frequently
planted near cherry orchards 10 prevent
birdS making tavages on the cherries. II
grows on q variety OF sites and may be
used where better trees cannot be grown.
On suitable sites. hardy eAtaipa is one
Of the very best post trees for the lowe
lplanter. The George s. wdller grove IN
Humboldt county Is an excellent example
Of h may be expected on fairly good
lands which are not hiily. AZ twenty
years Of aee the value OF the ten-acrs
grove for post ID pole purposes exceeded
So, 500. In addition. Mr.. Waller was fur.
nished fuel and protection. the thlnnlne.
more than paying for themselves In fire
wood.
The trees were planted around his farm
IN a cornfieid When the corn 6erminates
the plants were removed from every othe
hill IN every other row and replaced 5,
II catalpa seeding. Thia made the spacing
about Tz7 feet The field received tn
same cultfvation a. though II had bee
ali corn. In this way q half crop OF cor
was produced BY the soil for two year.
the trees meanwhile receiving the bea
cultivation. seedlings OF this species ca
be raised very cheAply and a. easily a