PECIAL knowledge is the reward of the man at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition who takes the pains to hunt it up. If he be interested in science the field for investigation is broader than heretofore enjoyed. It will be observed that the percentages do not vary particularly from those shown in the table. Although these tests were with yellow pine, Mr. Tiemann says the law holds good with other woods. From these figures it may be learned that when estimating the strength of wood its degree of dryness should be taken into consideration, as a green stick placed where the strength is based on a dry one would break. On the other hand, we are taught that when green timbers will support the required weight the longer the frame stands the stronger it will become up to the point where the timber becomes thoroughly dry.-American Lum In the Forestry building there is an exhibit made by the United States Bureau of Forestry in which the strength of large timber is being tested on a powerful machine. This machine catches the eye, but in a frame standing near by there are diagrams which tell a story regarding the strength of timbers, containing various quantities of moisture, which is here told for the first time. H. Donald Tiemann, M. E. M. F., of the Bureau of Forestry, who has charge of the testing experi- The Necessity of Preserving the Forests. ments at the Yale forestry school, connected with Yale University, gave much of the information herein embodied. These tests have never before been published and no doubt will come as a surprise to the building world, for how many builders will assert that the strength of a beam is so materially increased as it becomes dry as is shown by these figures? One test was made of yellow pine, the block measuring 2 x 2 inches. The vials containing the liquid extracted from the blocks in their different stages of dryness are also exhibited, and it is surprising to know how much moisture is contained in wood that is called dry. reads as follows: The table Modulus of Rup- 8,380 10,630 11,650 15,240 These figures are self-explanatory. Briefly, laying fractions aside, they show that kiln-dried timber is nearly two and a half times stronger than that of like dimensions that is water soaked, and 50 per cent. stronger than that which is called dry. When it is very dry its strength is increased nearly one-third by putting it through the dry kiln. Tests were made with three yellow-pine sticks, 2 x 2 inches, three and a half feet long, with the following results: No. 1, very green, broke with modulus of rupture at 8764 pounds per square inch. No. 2, dry, broke at 11,510 pounds per square inch. No. 3, very dry, broke at 12,940 pounds per square inch. berman. "THA HAT great wealth tends to prodigality is an axiom in human nature, whose illustration can nowhere be found better than in the treatment of the forest resources of the United States by its citizens. . . . If we had not had an abundance of wood from the beginning of our life as a nation until the present day, the United States would not be first in the family of nations in wealth and in food producing power. Whether or not it is true that republics are ungrateful to their great men, it certainly is a fact that their citizens are careless of the resources to which their prosperity is due.' JAMES WILSON, Secretary of Agriculture. History of the civilization of mankind teaches us an important fact that the homeseekers, the pioneers of civilization, started their settlements with destruction of forests, with the annihilation of woodland, no matter in which direction they spread over the earth after leaving their native soil, and in blindness, difficult to understand, more difficult to explain, continued their work of destruction by axe and fire, until nature herself sent punishment. This same history of civilization teaches moreover another fact, more sad than the preceding one, that the higher the stage of civilization, in which those destroyers of forests were, the more grim and furious was the energy with which their unmerciful work of destruction was continued. This reproach strikes most two nations, which are the greatest colonizers, ancient or modern times have known. As great as have been the sins of the Spaniards, in this direction, they are totally eclipsed by the devastation, practiced by the Anglo-Saxons, especially if, according to the language they speak, we include the conglomeration of people inhabiting North America. It is claimed that the colonist, settling in the wilderness, had to fell the forests to obtain acreage for fields and pastures. This fact admitted, there would not be any just cause for complaint about devastations of forests, had this felling remained within the limits, dictated by the demand for land, needed for cultivation. It is furthermore admitted that, beneficial and valuable as forests are, their existence should be limited within certain boundaries. In the flatland of rich soil, the fertile plains, where the toil and labor of the tiller of the soil finds its richest reward, the plow should cut its furrows. There is still an abundance of space left for the forest, for its place is on the mountain slopes, or sandy, hilly elevations of the ground. This, though generally true, does not necessitate their entire exclusion from the prairies of the old world and the new; the superficial view which the traveler obtains of the vast prairies is deceiving; the quality of the soil is not the same everywhere, and there are sections, usually of the shape of trays and moulds, which contain the most fertile soil, rich with humus, while on the other hand there are elevations containing, generally, gravel and clay, where but little grass is growing; and these strips of land would net better results if turned over to the forester, rather than to the farmer. It is not the transformation of the forest into acreage which causes the complaint, it is the senseless destruction which oversteps the bounds of necessity, and which has its origin in either thoughtlessness or in frivolity, in ignorance or in narrow-minded greed and meanness. The axe of the piratical lumberman; the fires, caused by either the hunter, the wanderer, the tramp, or by the railroad engine flying by; the shepherd's flock of sheep or goats, which dooms the fate of the aftergrowth, the new wood, these are the wholesale destroyers of forests which cause the mischief. Not until the forests have disappeared entirely does mankind realize their value and importance, not only for its own economical life, but also for the household of nature; not until then does man know that the loss of forests means more than a mere scarcity of wood, because this loss is accompanied and followed by serious and unfavorable changes of climate, sometimes even disastrous; it influences the currents, the courses of rivers, bringing contrasts already existing to a point as sharp as possible; in one season the streams overstep the natural borders, or those erected by man, and in devastating floods destroy soil, crops, and even human life; whereas, in other seasons they become too shallow to even carry ship and cargo, too weak to keep the mills going; then there is nothing left to prevent the drift-sand from being blown unto the fields of the farmer, thereby suffocating budding life. Nations who are doomed to ruin, who, by the laws of nature, are condemned to disappear from this earth because their time is up, submit to the consequence arising from the destruction of forests in pitiful inactivity, with the air of martyrs. Not so nations who, strengthened by will and power, look forward into their own future, and also that of their children, grandchildren, etc. They create an equivalent to the history of their agriculture, for in the same way as the soil for centuries has been exhausted for the purpose of causing it to yield the richest harvest, of developing it into the highest state of culture, in the same way will they desist from further destruction of forests, realizing its dangers, and in its place they will put a cultivation of forests founded on scientific principles. This change took place first in Europe. In that part of the globe there is now hardly a nation, civilized in the true sense of the word, who has not realized the importance of the maxim, that the preservation of forests is one of the foremost interests of human society, and therefore one of the duties of government. Laws to that effect are enacted, which are justified not only by the scarcity of wood, but also by the benefits which the people derive from the existence of forests, which form the source of all the wells and springs, prevent the fertile soil from being washed down from mountains and hills, balance the temperature, and assist in maintaining the right proportion between carbonic acid and oxygen in the atmosphere. Forests produce humus, act as a barrier against gales and hurricanes, disastrous to the farmer's crop, protect field and home alike, form natural reservoirs, accumulating the surplus of atmospherical precipitation, which is distributed gradually, thereby preventing floods, abbreviating the dry season and regulating the general humidity of the atmosphere to a certain degree. The enactment of laws concerning the preservation of forests in Europe is based on these facts, demonstrated by science, and is most developed in Germany and France, which countries even limit the rights of the disposal of personal forestproperty, with consideration to the benefits derived therefrom by the entire community. example has not remained without influence upon those of the States of this Union which are most progressive, but it has not yet been imitated everywhere. Here, again, is proven the con This formity existing between agriculture and forestry. As slow and tardy as the development of the soil, which originated in Europe, and has spread over the universe, in the same measure, following almost exactly in its track, though remaining far behind the times and by no means keeping step with agriculture, forestry has progressed. Although certain States of this Union, with abundant forests, continue for the time being the work of destruction, already the voice of the intelligent has been heard, crying out against this wrong, demanding redress, and from year to year do the people realize more and more that the time has come to stop this work of annihilation, and even the most indifferent begin to realize and understand the evils resulting from continuing in that course. The forest is a heritage, which has been acquired and accepted from ancient times. Its value does not consist merely in the immediate output of lumber, but also in the profits which are gained from its influence upon climate, weather, protection and preservation of the soil and its crop. The forest is of importance not only to the present time, to its present owners, but is of greater importance to the future of the human race. This is an unquestionable truth; it therefore is the duty of the lawmakers to proceed against both, wherever they become a public nuisance. worse, through lack of insight, nothing will be done. Perhaps advice and encouragement, well meant but ineffective, will be given by those who have an eye on the future, but with that the matter rests, and every measure prescribed by law will be like thistledown against the wind. Government interference with individual rights does not mean that forestry is incompatible with private ownerships of forests. On the contrary, the collation of individuals in the effort to preserve and cultivate forests is most desirable; but the State must own a sufficient fundamental stock of forests to be able to do justice to the demands, independent of the wish and will of private owners of land. Experience teaches that the majority of the latter manifest but little interest in the planting and raising of forests. The reason therefor is easily found: the capital invested in the planting and raising of trees does not net any interest until a score of years, perhaps more, after the investment is made. It is well for the State to wait this length of time, but the private capitalist wishes to see results before then, and will not, perhaps cannot, wait so long. Furthermore, the protection of smaller strips of woodland either has to be enforced very strictly or else the result will in no way meet the expectations. Another reason, which is emphasized by those interested in the matter, is, that possession of smaller areas of woodland in this country is an unsafe matter. Almost every year, with lament It is not the diminishing of lumber production, the aggravation of satisfying the demand for it, the anticipated raise of its price, or the fear of its becoming scarce, which entitle the State to pro-able regularity, thousands of acres of woodland ceed against undue liberties on the part of those possessing forests; it is the disadvantages, resulting from the destruction of woods, affecting the Commonwealth, the prosperity, even the existence and habitableness of certain strips of land, which make it the duty on the part of the State authorities to interfere. are destroyed, transformed into charred waste. Is there not constant danger that the result of years and years of patient toil and labor, of expectation and accumulation of interest, may some day go up in smoke and ashes? It would not be a difficult task to prove that this view of the matter, taken by many, is in most cases without foundation; in others, where there is a possibility of its being true, it is exaggerated ; but this view is there, and the American Government did well in taking this fact into consideration, not to waste precious time endeavoring to charge unwilling owners of woodland with the task of forestry, but to make it its own business. And it is plainly visible that there is no half The Department of Forestry of the State of Pennsylvania has succeeded in making itself the recipient of special gratitude, for through its warning and instructing it has influenced many proprietors of barren land to start reforesting, planting and training, it has secured from the Legislature means and measures to protect these growing forests, as well as the existing ones. The National Government, as well as the State Gov-heartedness in the way the Government has gone ernments, especially those of New York and Pennsylvania, have found out that if the different States take forestry into their own hands, the aim which has been striven for in the interest of the welfare of the community may be reached. Wherever this is not realized, and those whom the people have chosen to make the laws ignore this, either through lack of interest, or, what is about this task. According to well defined plans it proceeds, slowly, step by step, but still steadily and resolutely. Of course, there is an immense amount of work to be accomplished, but what has been done in so short a time, since the Government took up the matter, and American forestry has been created, deserves the highest praise and approval. It dicted. It is not an easy task, the American friends of | to that, I wish to mention the dyewoods, whose forests, the American foresters, have charged approaching end of usefulness has often been prethemselves with. It is not only difficult, but highly responsible, for these men are called upon to lay the foundation-stones on which future generations shall and will build their stronghold. is, therefore, much to be desired, that the general public show a greater interest in this profession than it has heretofore manifested, for this will tend to ease the task of the foresters, causing them to go about their task with greater encouragement; for there are mountains of ignorance, indifference and prejudice to be set aside, to make way for the realization of the importance of the cultivation of forests. Everyone ought to take to heart the words of Dr. Fernow, herewith cited from his book, Economics of Forestry: "A nation may cease to exist as well by the decay of its resources as by the extinction of its patriotic spirit." Another cause has to be considered, which prevents forestry from obtaining everywhere its well merited acknowledgment. In the two years the writer has spent in this part of this country, which truly is endowed by nature as none in all the universe, he has often had occasion to hear that the manifold replacing of wood through metal in every line of trade, and through the use of kerosene-oil and coal as fuel, which is growing every year, tends to diminish the demand for lumber to such a degree that in the near future the production of lumber would not realize even fair profits; that the time was near where wood as fuel would find only local use, and even woods, used for the production of color and various pigments, would be crowded out of their place by the steady increase of the color-products of minerals, especially coal. As apparent reason for this statement, the overcrowding of the European lumber-market is mentioned, and the complaints of German, Austrian and French foresters, that even under the most favorable conditions of locality and climate the cultivation of forests only realizes a very moderate profit. This argument is based on a deceiving foundation. It is true that metals, especially iron, have taken the place of wood in many shapes, especially in ship-building; but this has in no way diminished the demand for lumber; on the contrary, it has contributed to its steady increase, which is still augmenting, as a consequence of the gigantic building-activity. Furthermore, there is also an increased manufacturing-activity, which more or less contributes no small share to the consumption of lumber. Therefore the question, addressed to the future, is justified: Will there be a sufficient supply of wood after the devastation of forests in the United States has been brought to a stop? In addition It is true that the chemists have discovered the secret how to obtain brilliant colors that were not known before out of coal, and the end of this enlargement of the variety of colors is not yet attained; but not in the least have they thereby weakened the demand for dyewoods; on the contrary, there is a steady increase. To my knowledge there is, at the present time, a diligent search for logwood, redwood and yellowwood going on in the forests of Mexico, South America and West Africa, also in India, and it has even been found profitable to invest in planting Nappan Woods. Up to this time, the claim of the dyewoods becoming superfluous is void of all foundation. Whoever is of the opinion that the above question as to the future deserves no serious consideration is to be reminded that, although America has taken great steps in this direction, so far only the States of Central Europe, with the aid of highly developed forestry, take pains not only to effectively protect their forests, but to improve upon and enlarge them. But these States, from the immense demand for lumber, are too limited to realize an output sufficient to cover the wants of all the world. Well justified, therefore, is this question, and it ought to have the attention of every civilized nation for its own demand, as well as for that of its colonies. Salvation lies only in forestry, applied according to well defined plans, on a scientific basis, even where primeval forests invite to the work of plundering; more so where these primeval forests have already been and are still being crowded into narrower spaces. There is no country in the world where the proof of the importance of forests can be given more powerfully than these United States; but, at the same time, there is nothing in the history of mankind which equals the rapidly progressing destruction of this source of national wealth and prosperity. It is but necessary to throw one glance at the statements, given in the census of 1900, concerning the raw products derived from forests for industrial purposes, to realize of what high importance the forests of the United States are, what a solid foundation they form for the maintenance of certain industries, which make the competition of the North American Industrial looked upon with fear by the world. At the same time the question arises: What shall become of many of the most important industries of the United States when the forests refuse to yield the raw material, when they are weakened, devastated, deprived of their vital force? |