The Butler weekly times. (Butler, Mo.) 1881-1918, 1912-05-30
START FOREST PLANTING
GOOD TIMBER is VALUABLE AS
SET THE FARM.
Professor j. A. Ferguson, Department
of Forestry, University Of
Missouri.

Nearly every farm contains some
land that is too poor for raising crops
or that is too stony or rough or Is
otherwise unfit for pasture. This land
usually lies idle year after year, a
burden to the owner, for it brings In
no revenue but must pay its share OF
taxes. Such land should be planted
with forest trees rather than be al
lowed to grow up to weeds. On many
farms the planting up of such areas
would not only supply the farm with
all the fence posts and cordwood
needed but would also furnish some
material for sale. When We consider
that on land suited to it's growth an
acre planted with such fast growing
tree as catalpa will produce from one
Va, three thousand posts in twenty
yAars, farmer by allowing land to
lie idle is losing return which he
could secure by slight effort.
The starting of forest planting is
not difficult matter. The principal
expense is in securing the seedlings.
These can be procured from nursery
men for from four to six dollars a
thousand for one year old seedlings.
1t will be far cheaper, however, to
purchase the seed and raise the seed
llngs on the farm. Where seeds can
be collected and kept over winter for
planting in the spring, there will be
no cost for the planting except the
time and effort required Dry seed,
such as catalpa, ash, tulip, maple and
box elder, will keep we'll over winter
II hung UP IN bags IN the barn. but
wet seeds, such as hickory, walnut
and chestnut, and acorns, must be
stratified in moist sand and allowed
to freeze over winter. These seeds
sown thickly in shallow rows in the
garden in the early spring will pro-
duce seedlings that will be ready for
planting the following spring. Many
people have the idea that to start
forest planting requires large and ex-
pensive trees. The best size OF trees
to plant is a one year old Seeding
Generally the younger tree is when
transplanted the more likely it is to
survive the change and to accommo.
date itself to the new conditions.
On situations where grass tends to
form a heavy sod there is danger of
the young Seeding being dried out
and killed. In such cases the ground
should be prepared for the planting.
The sod should be plowed up a year
before the planting is to be made and
should be thoroughly cultivated just
before the seedlings are planted. The
seedlings should be cultivated as any
other crop for few years to keep the
grass down and prevent the soil dry
ing out too quickly. As soon as the
crowns begin to touch the trees will
take care of themselves, killing out
.ee~~>~.>eee~ee
Feather Pulling Of Chickens.
The habit sometimes noticed among
birds that are confined in pens, of
picking and pulling out the feathers
of the other birds, 10 q troublesome
and disagreeable one. Sometimes
they will pull 20 many feathers out
that the birds will look ragged. Espe-
cially where birds are sometimes
shown. this ID . serious habit.
It is caused BY lack OF exercise.
The birds being closely confined and
receiving their food without working
for 1t, have nothing else to take their