The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1919-11-14


eal9 CID ca number of people in thai
day was small compared
with the population Of the United
States now. In those olden times peo
pie would have been aghast at the
thought of paying So or $40 cord fol
firewood. Yet these prices, and ever
higher ones, have been charged in many
cities the last two seasons. When cold
weather approached and no coal had
been put into the cellars, great num-
bers of people turned to the wood
yards and to the farmers advertising
sions have advised the burning of
\ wood pointing out that cord of the
best quality hardwood, thoroughly sea-
soned, has the same potential fuel
value as ton of anthracite coal.
Moreover, it is decidedly more eco
nomical for heating purposes during
the early fall and late spring, when
only temporary fires are required. Also
wood ashes have a definite value as
fertilizer
That the farmers of the country
helped materially in conserving coal in
1918 by substituting wood as fuel is
shown by the bureau of crop estimates
of the department of agriculture. An
average of 11.5 cords of wood, or a to-
tai of 1902, 900 cords, was burned on
the farms of the COUNTRY during 1918.
The total production of cOrdwood dur
ing the year, which includes wood
burned on farms and that sold by
farmers to city dwellers, amounted to
approximately 02,903,0OO Cords. The
average farm value in 1918 was 70
cents cord. Upon the basis of esti-
mates for 1918 the farm fleetwood
crop is one of the important crops of
the farm, inasmuch as only five crops
corn, wheat, oats rye and cotton-ex-
ceeded it in value in 1915
In the utilization of the forests of
the country, including farm woodlands,
a great deal of wood material is pro-
duced which cannot find use other
than as fuel. While some of it is used
for acid wood, charcoal, ETC., most of
1t is left for fuel or wasted. Since
many of the trees in our forests are fit
only for fuel, they will not be cut I'M
less there is a demand for fuel wood.
Improvement cuttings, which take the
small diseased, or defective trees, can
profitably be made use of only in case
there is such a demand. Trimmings can
frequently be made to pay for them
selves, if the material is used for fuel
Sometimes products of Trimmings can
be used for other purposes than fuel,
but more often they cannot. AS proper
Trimmings and Improvement cuttings
are q great stimulus to increased pro-
ductiOn and at the same time improve
the quality of the timber, fuel wood
demand opens up great opportunity
for forest Improvement and, if wide
spread and continued, will produce a
vast total effect for the better in the
character and quality of our forest re-
sources.
The great bulk of wood-fuel supply
in farming regions should come from
Trimmings and improvement cuttings on
farm woodlands. Except under stress
of emergency, trees which will produce
lumber or other material of higher
value than cordHood should not be cut
for fuel. Trees which are better suit
ed for fuel than for any other purpose,
whose removal will be of benefit to
| the remaining stand, are: Sound stand.
ing and down dead trees; trees dis
eased or seriously injured by insect at
| tacks; badly fire-scarred trees; crook
| ed and large-crowned short-boled trees
| which will not make good lumber and
| which are crowding or overlapping
| others; trees which have been overtop-
| ed; trees of the less valuable species
| where they are crowding more valuable
| ones like beech, black oak, birch, hard
maple, white oak, or white pine; slow
growing trees which are crowding fast.
growing species of equal value.
On many farms former pastures have
| become overgrown with red cedar
| gray birch, aspen, pine or other trees
| The trees came in slowly and through
neglect were allowed to steal much OF
| the pasture If fuel is to be cut some
| where on the farm, such land as this
| should be drawn upon first of all and
redeemed by removing all the trees
and restoring the land to grass. Also
| uncleared corners of fields or patches
of agricultural land within the border
of the wood lot may be cut clean, the
wood used for fuel and the land
eventually farmed. The expense OF
clearing is thus largely or entirely met
by the value of the fuel thus produced
With the increased use of wood fuel
which is likely to continue for severa