KEEP THE CATTLE OUT OF THE
WOODS AND SAVE THE
YOUNG TIMBER.

The attention of the people has been re-
peatedly called to the necessity of planting
forest trees. Especially has it been sounded
in the ears of those who live on the prairies.
They are much exposed to the severe winds,
and often compelled to go eight or ten miles
for all the wood they use. Even the scanty
supply along the streams will soon be ex-
hausted, and distant forests must be sought
at great expense, unless the trees are plant-
ed at home. In the regions referred to, com-
mon sense seems to dictate to every body,
to plant trees, for we shall soon need them
-we even need them now.

But there is another class who do not live
on the prairies, that we hope to arouse and
interest by these remarks. Less than seven-
ty years ago nearly all of New York, Ohio,
Michigan, Indiana, and many other states or
parts of states, were covered with a heavy
growth of timber. Our grandfathers, at
great labor and expense, cut down, rolled
into heaps, and burned the timber from
thousands of acres in New York, because
they must have room for corn and wheat
and meadow. Our fathers did and are still
doing the same thing for Michigan and other
newer states. In many places the equilibrium of forest and field has been reached
with wise foresight; many farmers have
spared a generous wood-lot with which to
keep up the supply of fire wood and to re-
plenish their decaying fences and buildings.
He carefully estimates the number of acres
required to supply these wants. The wood-
lot is inclosed by a good fence, the thrifty
trees are spared, the dead and decaying are
culled for use. With this care he thinks he
and his posterity will avert the calamity-
the dearth of timber. This is all right so far,
but here comes the point where many of
them fail. Most of them turn in their sheep,
colts or young cattle, which pick up a respect-
able living from odds and ends, weeds and
tame grasses that have been introduced along
the fences and open places. The stock not
only eat the grass and weeds, but clean up
all the young woody plants. Thrifty young
twigs of oak, elm, ash, maple, beech and bass-
wood are real delicacies; where these had be-
come scarce, we have often seen cattle and
horses bend over young trees two and a half
inches through and fifteen or twenty feet
high, strip off the leaves, let them up and go
on to others. In this way woods are cleaned
of undergrowth, and when the present sup-
ply is cut off there will be no young plants
coming on to take their places. Is it not a
matter of doubtful economy to pasture such
wood-lots, getting a little poor pasture and
loosing all the young stock of forest plants?
Let the judicious farmer look to it, that he is
not ruining his wood-lot for the use of his
great grandchildren. See to it now, and if
there is not a good supply of young oaks,
ashes, walnuts and maples of various sizes
coming on, let him turn off the cattle and al-
low the trees to have a chance. If this hint
is worth anything pass it on to your neighbors, that all may not only spare the forest

trees, but see that the supply is not likely to
become exhausted.

W. J. BEAL