The Kendrick gazette. [volume] (Kendrick, Idaho) 1892-1968, 1921-04-15

Cutting a Crop From the Woodlot.
ton, though the progress of deteriora-
ton is not so rapid and may extend
over long period of years.
A properly cared-for woodlot will
furnish the farmer a cash crop at reg
ular intervals and will always afford
a supply of timber and fuel for home
use. The harvest season for the wood
lot comes in the fall and in the winter,
and the gathering of the harvest as
sists also in the thinning and cultiva-
ton of the crop.
Require Different Methods.
In general, there are two types of
woOdlots, says the United States De
partment of Agriculture, and each of
them requires a different method of
handling. The first type is character
lied by the presence of old trees
which dominate the stand. Ge Sec
ond type is made up of nearly even
aged stand of second growth.
In the first type the old trees may
almost exclude the younger growth,
or they may exist as a few scattered
individuals throughout the stand.
Such material is very likely to be
losing value. The way to check the
loss is to cut the old trees which have
attained a mature growth and make
room for new stand of seedlings. A
mature tree should be cut for the
same reason that one cuts crop of
wheat when it is thoroughly ripened.
No dead or diseased timber should be
allowed to stand.
A woodlot composed entirely of ma
ture trees should not be cleared at one
cutting. The work should be carried
on In stages with sufficient interval
between the cuttings to allow new
crop to come up. If this method is fol-
lowed carefully, the farmer will al
ways have crop of wood ready for
harvest on his woOdlOt. When the ma
| ture timber is removed in two OF
three cuttings. the first cutting should
be so managed as to open up the
| crown cover somewhat, so that the
leaves on the forest floor may decOm
pose more rapidly and the germinati or
Of the seed be made more certain
The remaining trees become more wind
firm and, as q result of their crowns
receiving more sunlight, they produce
more seed When the forest floor i
in good condition the second cutting II
a mature wOodlot can be made durin
the winter following heavy, see'
year. Neither the first nor the secon
cutting should he SO severe as to a
low an abundance of sunshine to reac
the forest floor, since sunshine stimr
lates the growth of weeds and othe
trash.
Thinning the Stand.
In the second type of wOodlO
where the farmer has an even-age
stand of second-growth timber, he ma
begin to harvest his crop by selec
ing first the undesirable specie
Often in such stands, such trees 6
irOnwoOd threaten to overtop, crow
! out, or damage the more valuable sp
cies like white ash or tulip pOpla
Sprouts sometimes arise too thick
from the stump Of trees recently Gu
or the reproduction of good specie
is too dense. In any of these cas-
some Of the trees should be remove
This process is nothing more this
the wedding out of the poorer indivi
uals where they interfere with Il
better ones. In somewhat the san
manner. thinning cutting Is us
when, In from Is to 20 years. I
young stands reach a dense cOnditio
II The principle is exactly the same
that applied ny the truck garden
who thins out his plants to secure t
u hest d,srelanaeni. af portion. rath
tAss n peer &e.saepmsn, Of the HhV