Eastern times., 1855-09-13
Planting Trees in anticipation of De-
mand for the Wood

With a liberality, if not a recklessness
which, while it was natural in a country orig
inalIy well wooded, may hereafter be consid-
cred culpable, we Americans have omitted a
simple and pleasing duty, that our immediate
successors will have great cause to complain
of. We have thrown away, for want Of fore
cast, opportunities which it may not now be
too late TO remedy, unless il should be found
impossible 10 convince those interested how
easily they may repair the error. We have
destroyed with the axe and fire, undlr ran i'm
preston that coal would supply our future
wants, and already our artizans are obliged to
send to distant parts at greatly increased cost
for suitable wood it will be sufficient il
lustration, that might be greatly extended, if
we adduce the fact that cabinet-makers al
ready draw their supplies of walnut wood for
the Atlantic cities from the shores of the Ohio
and more distant points, where the same pro-
cess of destruction is in progress that the
whip-makers and others find it very difficult to
procure supply of small hickory limbs and
more important, that the sleepers of railroad
tracks, and good lumber generally, have be-
come most costly article.
The first directors Of railroads were natu-
rally too intent on making immediate returns,
and too much pressed with other duties, TO
take into consideration the great results that
might be produced in few years by planting
few nuts, seeds, or trees, on their bounda-
ries, TO admit into their calculation this i'm
mense source of profit. If the locust, white
oak, chesnut, hickory, and larch, had been
planted literally on the sides of the embank-
ments, and canals had been similarly treated
if the borders of our turnpikes and plank roads
had now growing upon them trees producing
the most useful woods, planted at the time OF
the construction Of these vast lines of inter
communication, we as people should be the
richer by many millions of dollars.
No charter for public road or canal of any
kind should be granted in America without
the obligation that all the borders should be
planted with suitable trees, and that planta-
ton maintained, or the charter TO become void
In the Southern States there would be an am
pie provision for live oak timber-in the
Northern for white oak, locust, &c., for ma
tional or private purposes. We need not urge
the additional comfort of the traveller, though
that Is an important consideration which viii
have to be more studied than it has heretofore
been, in various ways; it is sufficient to en-
force the necessity of producing valuable woods
for future use, in national point of view, anc
to urge upon incorporated companies the large
profit that would result.
And first of these profits, at rough calcu-
lation. By planting the acorn or seeds them
selves, scarcely any cost would be incurred
but it can be shown by practical men, that a
present prices mile of seeding oaks one yeal
old planted ten feet apart, which would give
for both sides of road one mile in length one
thousand and fifty-six trees, could be bought
and planted for twenty dollars, and locust the
same, if not less. At a low estimate, we will
assume that these trees in twenty years would
be worth, on an average, two dollars each, oil
two thousand one hundred and twelve dollars
\ ornamental trees produce much greater re-
suit in five TO eight years.) Apply this esti.
mate TO the whole length of railroads, canal:
and tarnpikes in the Union, and the result is
too startling for figures. Let any one make
similar calculation for the finest fruits 10 be
sent by rail TO our principal cities, and the
1 figures will be still more surprising, while, the
profit would be infinitely sooner realized suf
fee it that we have made it evident that we
may have timber at every mans door sufficien
for his increasing wants, instead of being de-
pendent on Canada as we now are.
We have taken as samples few trees o
known mercantile value, but it is not neces
sary TO confne the selections to these VIZ
would even recommend VARYING the kinds very
considerably, and changing their character ac
cording to climate and the soil, and the wants
of the State wherein the line was constructed
Ornamental trees interspersed would add i'm
mensely TO the beauty of the route, be very
profitable, and would give to passengers, wht
are sadly in want of resources for occupation
something to study and talk about. with ex
amples for home adoption.
The railroad or canal could deliver the ma
tured woods at given points where most re
quired, very much cheaper than by the pro