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fire; there a careless prospector leaves glowing embers behind him; in still another case the cowboys fail to quench the coals of their branding fires.

From causes as insignificant as these have started great conflagrations that have twisted from mountain top to mountain top like a mammoth snake of fire, and have finally, after inestimable destruction and damage, died down, leaving the surface of the earth utterly bare and barren.

To be always on the lookout for fires is, therefore, the forester's first duty. To pounce upon the neglected branding-fire or the abandoned campfire, and to reduce their glow to gray ashes is his chief business. To bring persistent offenders in this regard, if he can find them, to justice is one of his chief pleasures. If, in spite of his watchfulness, a fire starts in his district, he has to fight it with all the weapons at his command-which are few in the waterless regions.

Next to the ravening flame, the placid sheep is the forester's chief trial. The sheep industry is a very important one in the forest reservation region. There are some forty million of these animals in the United States, most of them in the far West, where a capital of nearly seventy million dollars is invested in the business. It is extremely difficult to persuade the owners of this property, or the communities of which it is the chief wealth, that the grazing of herds on public lands is a thing not to be tolerated. Sheep eat the young trees, on whose growth the future of the forests depends, as soon as they put shoots above the ground. One of a forester's most important duties, and one of those which do most to render him unpopular, is to see that no sheep are grazing on any part of his district.

The sawmill is a contraband industry which flourishes on reservations in the mining districts. Mines require a great deal of heavy timber, and, of course, it is desirable to obtain this near the mines, rather than to import it from long dis

tances.

The government grants permits which authorize mills to operate for a certain length of time, and to cut timber in a certain limited area of the forest reservations. The offences of which the lumbermen are chiefly guilty are cutting timber beyond this area, or after the period for which their permit has been issued. The forester's pleasant duty is to descend upon the mills from time to time and to report violations of their licenses. If he finds lumber cut beyond bounds, he summons the sheriff and there is a sale, the United States, in the persons of the blue-bloused young ranger and the sheriff, acting as salesman.

All these things scarcely endear the foresters to the communities into which they are sent. Com

munities are short-sighted enough to prefer to see their flocks grazing for this year and their mines unvexed by the lumber question for this year, and to let next year's grass and timber take care of themselves.

West of the one hundredth meridian, moreover, disputes are still sometimes settled by the oldfashioned argument of the first shot.

Experience has proven that irrigation can accomplish marvels in the arid West. In the San Francisco forest reservation, in Arizona, the whole character of the valley about Phoenix has been changed. Not many years ago this was a barren desert; now it is actually fertile and supports a prosperous community. In Colorado and Utah there are famous examples of waste plains reclaimed through irrigation.

So far the government, in its forestry work, has tried mainly to save the natural vegetation of an arid region, to regulate its water-supply, and to aid irrigation. There have, however, been some experiments in the artificial cultivation of trees. Ten years ago the Department of Agriculture sent out certain varieties of pines for planting in the sand wastes of northwestern Nebraska. These, without care or cultivation, have flourished in a way which indicates that they are especially adapted to desert lands, and the experiment is likely to be tried in other regions of the West.Munsey's Magazine:

A Lumberman Recommends Forestry.

R. R. L. MCCORMICK, president of the

M Mississippi Valley Lumbermen's Asso

ciation, and secretary of the Weyerhaeuser Timber Company, in a recent interview defined clearly and forcibly the intimate relations between forestry and lumbering. Mr. McCormick's views are especially interesting as expressing the very cordial and friendly attitude toward forestry so generally felt by lumbermen.

"Every man in the lumber business to-day, whose dealings are of sufficient extent to be subject to influences beyond those of purely local demand and supply," said Mr. McCormick, "realizes that the lumber industry is in many regions confronted by a growing scarcity of available timber. Statistics point to it. Estimates of timber resources still remaining point to it also. But the strongest proof lies in the conditions which already affect our industry.

"It is just cause for congratulation that, so far as the actual harvesting of timber and its manufacture into lumber is concerned, American lumbermen are far ahead of those of any other

country in enterprise, ingenuity and skill in methods and machinery. But in spite of the money saved in lumbering by better methods, we are obliged to charge more and more for our lumber, in order to manufacture it at a profit. In every operation in the woods and in the mill, rigid economy is necessary now, instead of the loose and lavish methods under which it was possible, formerly, to make lumbering a profitable business. We have gone so far already that it is probable we cannot materially lower the cost of manufacturing our product in the future. Labor-saving devices can never in themselves prove an adequate remedy. The trouble lies not in the cost of manufacture, but in the dwindling supplies of the timber itself. "It is not necessary to turn to statistics for proof that the supply of certain kinds of valuable timber trees of the United States is rapidly failing, of others is practically gone, and of still others has entirely vanished, as a factor in the lumber market. For example, ten years ago the use of balsam in the manufacture of paper-pulp was practically unknown. The eastern hemlock is now valuable for its timber as well as for its bark. A more modern instance is the gradual rise in importance of the western hemlock, until very recently altogether discredited as a timber tree, although, in fact, of great commercial importance. The red fir of the Northwest and the southern pines are rapidly invading markets formerly controlled altogether by the white pine of the North Central States, while species of peculiar value, such as black walnut and black cherry, have practically vanished from the market in the grades which once were common.

The southern

pines are being destroyed with a rapidity which finds its parallel only in the case of northern white pine. It is true that the list of commercial timbers lengthens from year to year. Just as the balsam is taking the place of the spruce, so are substitutes coming in for other woods which no longer exist in sufficient quantity to supply the demand. But neither can this prove a sufficient remedy. The supply of the substitutes will be exhausted in its turn, and the final situation will be worse than that which confronts us now. It is no longer a question of methods, of manufacture, or of substitutes for exhausted supplies. The time for us to look after the trees themselves has in many cases already arrived.

"Statistics of the merchantable timber still standing in this country are difficult to make, because the forest area is vast, and for large portions of it we are without accurate knowledge. But in Mr. Henry Gannett's reports upon lumber, in the Twelfth Census of the United States, he has made good use of the data at hand and presented facts

which are significant, based upon information sufficient to sustain them. I wish to call your attention to a few of these facts.

"There is probably no forest in the world so immense, so accessible, so easy to lumber, and so regular in the high quality of its timber, as was the great pinery which occupied the region of the Great Lakes and of the Upper Mississippi. The forests of Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota originally contained a stand of about 350,000,o00,000 feet. Of this, Michigan had about 150,000,000,000, Wisconsin 130,000,000,000, and Minnesota about 70,000,000,000 feet. Lumber

ing began in Michigan and Wisconsin during the 30's, and was of small importance until the early 70's. Since then, the great pinery has been cut over in a way unprecedented in lumbering. In 1873 the cut was about 4,000,000,000 feet. It reached high-water mark in 1892, when it was over 8,500,000,000 feet. Since then, it has steadily fallen, until for 1902 it was a little over 5,000,000,000. To the enormous total of about 188,000,000,000 feet cut in the last thirty years, there must be added about 28,000,000,000, or 15 per cent., for laths, shingles and minor produce, making a total of 216,000,000,000. Fifty billion feet were probably cut prior to 1873, which would bring the total product of the Lake States to about 265,000,000,000 feet. As the estimate of the original stand amounted to about 350,000,000,000 feet, it would seem that after the cut of 1902, exclusive of second growth, there were 85,000,o00,000 feet standing. There are, however, by careful estimate, not more than 35,000,000,000 feet of merchantable timber, which also includes, undoubtedly, a considerable amount of second growth. Of the vast discrepancy, only a part can be put down to error, since we know enough of the fire history of these States to ascribe the loss of 60,000,000,000 feet to fire. These figures show that it is a safe and conservative statement, that the end of the white pine is near, and that ten years will see it disappear as an important factor in the lumber trade.

"The present stand of yellow pine in the southern States has been stated by Mr. R. A. Long, in a paper read before the annual meeting of the Southern Lumber Manufacturers' Association, to be about 137,000,000,000 feet. About 163,000,000,000 feet have probably been lumbered already. For the census year of 1900 the total cut of yellow pine was given as nearly 10,000,000,000 feet. These figures show that at the present rate of consumption the present stand of longleaf yellow pine will be exhausted long before a second crop can be produced to take its place. "It is not necessary to multiply instances.

It

would merely be to provide you with facts, of which you have a keen realization already. The lumber industry ranks fourth among the great industries of the United States. It has, in my judgment, done more to develop this country than any other private enterprise except the railroads, and the rapid growth of the latter would in many cases have been impossible without the parallel development of lumbering. But in lumbering, as in all other great private industries, the necessity for care is not seen until the harm has been done, and until the results of it are bitterly felt. We have reached the point now when we are often unable to supply the enormous demand for lumber which we have fostered. We must look to the production of a second crop upon lumbered lands, or prepare to stop lumbering when the first crop is gone. In the old days it was easy to lumber one forest and then turn to another. To-day, how ever, we cannot count upon new fields to turn to. We must make the best of what we have, and wherever it pays we must lumber conservatively.

"Practical forestry means conservative lumbering. The question whether conservative lumbering pays depends upon whether the value of the second crop upon lumbered land is sufficient to make it a profitable enterprise to foster and protect it, and in many cases the time has already come when practical forestry is a good business investment for lumbermen. We have received a good deal of abuse for what has been called our vandalism-abuse which was unreasonable and which was not accompanied by pertinent suggestions for reform, but now the question of conservative lumbering is put in a way which makes it worthy the attention of lumbermen. It is the attitude, that forestry and lumbering are allies, not enemies, and that the interests of one depend directly upon those of the other. Forestry is not claimed to be the panacea for every lumberman's troubles, nor that it is now applicable to every timber tract in this country. It simply holds itself in readiness to assist lumbermen in applying practical forestry to their holdings in those cases in which it is evident conservative lumbering will pay.'

[If the conditions are as stated above by the Forestry Division, and the lumbermen are being interested, we have reached a stage where forestry will rapidly progress.—ED.]

S. Pasco has been arraigned in the Warren County, N. Y., court, charged with starting twenty forest fires in June, also stealing timber, and other crimes. If convicted, it should aid in preventing lawless people from firing woods for their own profit or out of revenge.

F

Forestry at Biltmore, N. C.

ORESTRY on George W. Vanderbilt's Biltmore Estate implies the development of a comparatively large realty investment. There are obviously two ways of utilizing a forest and its products economically, namely:

The owner either removes any and all trees which have value, leaving only the decrepit and worthless specimens on the ground (destructive lumbering), or else the owner gradually brings about a condition of affairs allowing him to draw a steady annual revenue from the forest (conservative lumbering).

The case of the forest owner is not much different from that of a farmer owning a cow. The farmer may either kill the cow and sell it to the butcher for her meat, or else might prefer to milk her for a number of months.

Whether the destructive or the conservative use of a forest is more remunerative depends on the financial standpoint held by the owner. If the owner believes in the gradual increase of stumpage prices; if he believes that trees of small size, and of a species now considered worthless, will gradually develop into money-makers; if he further believes that this rate of growth will yield a sufficient interest on the assets now at hand in the forest, then, obviously, the best course for him to pursue is a conservative use of the forest resources, withdrawing only such trees at the present moment as, by their annual growth, do not furnish a sufficient interest on the capital value represented by them.

Real estate investments, generally speaking, are not productive of a high rate of interest. The forest owner, consequently, whose lands are burdened by large mortgages, by heavy indebtedness, is, in the majority of cases, forced into the practice of destructive lumbering.

The owner of the Biltmore Estate has faith in the rise of the prices of hardwood, and the facts of the last ten years have certainly proven the wisdom of his financial foresight.

Yellow poplar trees, which ten years ago sold at 50 cents, are now worth $3.

Chestnut, which ten years ago was a worthless weed, is now salable at a small margin.

Tan bark, for which ten years ago no market existed, is now a highly-valued product of the forest.

No wonder, then, that the Biltmore Estate continues on conservative lines, removing only such trees as are not productive of interest and as, in the opinion of the forester, do not promise to partake in the future rise of values.

It is, however, not only on the wood resources

of the forest that the Biltmore Estate relies. Considerable revenue is obtained from the sale of pasture rights and farm leases, and might be obtained from a lease of the hunting and fishing privileges over part of the vast domain. The mineral resources of the woodlands have not been touched so far.

The management is gradually building up a system of well-graded dirt roads traversing the main valleys of the forest. Where the bottoms along the river-courses broaden out, the land is leased to tenants who, at the same time, form the crews of forest workers, furnishing the labor required for cutting and milling the trees.

A number of houses are built annually to accommodate the rising demand for farm lots, and thus, gradually, a local market is created inside the forest, which will consume a large amount of the farm and forest products without entailing the expense of carrying such products over a long distance to the railroads.

The development of forestal resources necessarily takes decades of years. It would be extremely unwise, although human patience is badly strained by waiting, to hasten the development of the Biltmore lands beyond the prospective demands of the immediate future. On the other hand, every measure taken in their development must keep in mind the requirements of the time at which the trees now in the sapling stage will be ready for the axe.

In connection with the administration of the forests at Biltmore, the "Biltmore Forest School" trains young gentlemen for forestry as a profession.

TH

The Forests of Florida.

HE forests of Florida are one of the State's greatest sources of revenue, a revenue that is being consumed with great rapidity. Parties from regions farther north have lately been buying and cutting large areas of forests in Florida, and the timber supply is greatly diminished.

In reply to inquiries concerning Florida forests, Mr. George B. Sudworth, of the Bureau of Forestry, has supplied the following information:

The wooded area of the State is estimated at 37,700 square miles, or 70 per cent. of the total area, much of which is occupied by merchantable timber. Florida forests have not suffered greatly from fire in the past, chiefly because much of the State was uninhabited and unfit for agriculture or grazing. Moreover, numerous streams and swamps intersecting the pine forests greatly lessened widespread danger from fire.

The greatest increase in the cutting of timber in Florida appeared from 1890 to 1900, when

the previous lumber product of the State was doubled.

Great destruction has been done to the pure pine forests by the injurious method of "boxing trees for turpentine, thus killing the older growth and allowing fire to prevent reproduction.

Because of the increasing demands upon the State's forests and the general attention which the subject of forest protection has received, interest has lately been aroused in Florida for the protection of the forests, and in the need of additional forest legislation and enforcement of existing laws. The most urgent needs are for an adequate fire law.

F

Afforestation of a Watershed.

ORESTRY on the watershed of the Higby Mountain reservoir, Middletown, Conn., is being carried on along scientific lines, according to the 1902 report of the water commissioners. State Forester Walter Mulford, who visited the watershed early last spring, made a proposition leading to a written agreement between the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, at New Haven, and the Board of Water Commissioners, of Middletown, by which a careful study of the lands owned by the city, and not at present wooded, will be made, and a planting plan for the afforestation of these lands prepared. Detailed plans for the management on forestry principles of the Higby Mountain watershed will also be made. In return for this work, on the part of the experiment station, the city agrees to expend $200 annually for a term of five years, beginning January 1, 1903, in execution of the planting plan; and also to pay the board and traveling expenses to and from New Haven of one man while engaged in this work. Mr. Mulford has undertaken the work contemplated in the agreement (which was ratified by the Common Council on May 5, 1902) and has investigated the existing conditions on the various tracts of land. Steps have also been taken to improve the forest growth by thinning out some of the trees on certain tracts. In pursuance of the proposed planting plan, nurseries have been established, where there are already under cultivation 30,000 plants of white pine and a considerable number of black walnut, red oak, shagbark hickory, and catalpa trees. There have been obtained for planting this spring several bushels of acorns of the red and yellow oaks and a quantity of seed of the white ash and the tulip. It was desired to obtain a supply of chestnut and white oak seed, but this was not done, as the seed crop of those trees was a failure.

Pennsylvania Forestry Association Council Meeting at Ganoga Lake.

THE

HE two days spent by members of the
Council of the Pennsylvania Forestry
Association as guests of Col. R. Bruce
Ricketts, at Ganoga Lake, in Sullivan County,
Penna., were full of interest and enjoyment.
The evenings of June 9th and 10th were de-
voted to business meetings in the parlors of the
Ganoga Lake Hotel, and in front of the open
fire-place at Lockhurst.

The days were spent in viewing impressive water-falls and cascades, which are numerous in Ganoga and Leigh glens; in roaming through forests, parts of which are primeval; in noting the damage done by tornado, by forest fire and the evidences of how the fire ravages have been checked by judicious management. From points of vantage grand vistas were had of long stretches of forest-clad mountains, for Ganoga Lake is on the main Allegheny Mountain range, 2300 feet above ocean level, a beautiful body of water of about one square mile area surrounded by dense forest.

The consensus of opinion was, that many Pennsylvanians journey to distant points, domestic and foreign, when there are fewer natural beauties than are centered about Ganoga Lake. The magnificent specimens of hemlock (sixteen feet in circumference), beech, birch, cherry, still standing; the wealth of younger forest growth which is being cared for; the efforts made to prevent the start and spread of forest fires and their extinguishment, were all interesting features. The extent of forests was ro more attractive than the abundance of water as seen in the placid lake, the rambling brook, the dashing cascade or the impressive cataract.

But our purpose is not to attempt a description of the twenty-five square miles of forest on the Ganoga Lake tract, but to chronicle briefly the proceedings of the Council.

After the transaction of routine business, during which forty-nine new members were elected, Dr. J. T. Rothrock described the work of the State Forestry Department, especially with reference to the practical results which were being obtained at the Mont Alto Reservation, Dr. Moore, of Somerset County, spoke of the forest conditions there. President Birkinbine, Dr. Dean, Mr. Hancock and others discussed the subjects of fire protection and the possibilities of using our forests as sanitaria. Col. R. Bruce Ricketts, by invitation, described the reserve which he had established, and mentioned interesting circumstances attending the combating of forest fires.

A vote of thanks was extended to Col. R. Bruce Ricketts, Miss Jean Ricketts and Wm. R. Ricketts for the hospitable and generous entertainment given the Council, as a whole, and the members individually.

The two views which appear in this issue give an idea of the natural scenery at Ganoga Lake. The first illustration shows one of a number of falls, while the second depicts a pretty stretch of one of the glens, with its timbered surroundings.

I'

Minnesota Forestry in 1902.

N his Eighth Annual Report, Gen. C. C. Andrews, chief fire warden, states that the number of forest fires-mostly on brush and cut-over land-reported by local fire wardens in 1902 was 34, doing damage to the amount of $3820; while 46 prairie fires caused a loss of $12,318. Most of the fires occurred in April and May, when dry weather prevailed.

The forest fires that have occurred in Minnesota in the last eight years have generally done more damage by burning hay and wood, that would be valuable for fuel, than in the destruction of timber. Such fires often run for many miles, following meadows, and there have been cases where all forage has been destroyed, making it necessary for the settler to dispose of his only cow, the means of sustenance for his children through the winter. The most dangerous fires are caused by the inexcusably negligent habit of firing to clear land in dry and dangerous weather and letting the fire run.

The last legislature gave the chief fire warden increased power, and made twelve amendments to the law which he asked for. By these patrols are provided for in dangerous weather: fire wardens to warn people they think liable to be careless with fire; to immediately prosecute offenders where there is evidence to warrant; to immediately report cause of fires to the chief fire warden; to promptly comply with his instructions. If local authorities fail to prosecute offenders, the chief fire warden may expend $1000 a year in prosecuting; teams used in extinguishing fires may be paid for; helpers may be paid for ten days' service instead of five, two-thirds of local expense to be paid by the State; accounts may be verified before a fire warden or town clerk; county commissioners to be more prompt in auditing fire warden accounts.

Gen. C. C. Andrews states that three hundred miles northwest of the Twin Cities, and in a region covering twenty townships, east and southeast of | Red Lake, is one of the largest and richest forests

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