The weekly Iberian. (New Iberia, La.) 1894-1946, 1919-11-08

A Farm "Crop" Too Many Farmers O
Prices for Its Products the Farm We
prepared by the United States Depart
ment OF sAgriculture)
source of regular income lying at
the door of many a farmer, but too
often neglected, is the farm woodland
With increasing scarcity of lumber
and with excellent prices now being
offered for forest products, proper care
of the wooded area on the farm will
amply repay the farmer.
To secure fair price for this tim
Der the owner should know how much
material he has and for what purposes
it Is best adapted. The first thing for
him to do, according to the forest serv-
ice of the United States department
of agriculture, is to find out how much
timber Of each kind the woodland con-
tains, what products it will yield, and
what is its general condition and quail
ity.
If the wooded area Is small. 1t will
be best to measure each tree separate
ly. The diameter should be measured
at about Az feet above ground with
calipers made for the purpose.
Heights should be carefully estimated,
or measured with some sort of height
instrument to the first large limbs.
Knowing the diameter and height, the
amount of timber i'm board feet in each
tree can be found by the use Of volume
tables. Such tables are included in
Farmers Bulletin 715, Measuring and
Marketing Wood-lot Products. which
will be sent free on application to the
department of agriculture. The guam
tity of cordwood tract will yield can
hardly be estimated by an inexperi-
enced person. Sales of such material
will usually have to be made on the
basis Of actual cut.
Measuring on Large Tract.
If the woodland is large it will, of
course, seldom be possible to measure
each tree separately. In such cases
every tree may be measured on naral-
lei strips 66 feet wide running through
the tract. Every $50 feet in length of
such strips comprises an acre. Aver
aging all the acres comprised in the
strips and multiplying by the total
acreage of the tract gives the total
stand. The strips should include ut
least 10 per cent of the woodland.
Proper allowance must also be maze
for defective timber. Dead trees, ex-
cept those killed by fire or other out
side agencies. are apt to be very de-
fective and should be culled. When the
tract is exceptionally large, 1t may
pay to employ a professional Cruiser
TO estimate the timber.
TT the owner depends altogethe.' up
on local industries to buy his product,
he is likely to find his market extreme
ly limited. Some products, such as
crossties and fuel wood, have to be SOLD
locally: 1t would not pay to transport
them far. But other products, among
them tan bark. can be shipped lou
miles. and still others. like walnut
timber for gunstocks, can be shlppeo
almost any distance.
Railroads Large Purchasers.
Railroads are the largest purchasers
Of crossties. Any station agent VIII
furnish information concerning speci-
ications and prices. Electric railways
in cities and towns also use tles' out
unless the distance to town Is snort
II will not pay to ship them. Eiec.ric
interurban lines offer the same op-
portunity for disposing of ties as 40
the steam roads. Telegraph ana tel
ephone companies are always on the
market for poles. Electric power ana
electric railway companies also use
poles.
The market for piling Is not very
extensive. but railroads. large construc'
ton firms, and docking companies pur-
chase considerable quantities. Piling
timbers. which must be straight ana
long. bring good prices. Mines are
large users Of timber.
SawmilIs. veneer mills, and fruit and
vegetable package factories otfer u
market for the particular KINDS ana
oualities Of the woods they handle
These industries buy their material III
log form. and all the farmer needs 70
do is cut and deliver his timber IN the
rough to the mill. Veneer logs mus.
no of good quality and usually 10
inches and over in diameter. Selected
stock brings q high price.
The forest service has prepared Dui,
,etins on the wood-using industries Oh
\ number of states which tell the uses
70 which various woods are put ana
the quantity used annually for eacn
purpose.
The forest service has prepared
bulletins on the wood-using INDUSTRIES
of number of states whichjteh ''ie
uses TO which various woods are pu'
and the quantity used annually loi
each purpose. A list of these oul'e
tins and information as to how 10 pro