Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1872-02-22
AsrifnIfuraI.
The Timber Crop.
NUMBER s.

The Timber Crop.
We copy the following from the Country
GeRtIemaa
The attention of the public should be
continually called to the importance of the
timber crop. We regard il as more worthy
of attention than any other crop whatever,
not even excepting corn, wheat, cotton or
grass. The comforts and even the very ex-
istence OF civilized society. depends on a
copious supply OF wood aud timber. Near
ly every trade and manufacture requires its
use. The houses we live In, the furniture
we buy, the implements We work with.
the wagons aud carts tor the conveyance
of iarm products, the carriages we ride In,
the canal boats aud rail- cars TO give Us
markets. the mills Tor preparing our food.
the lnnumerable otheIappliances which We
continually resort To 20 maintain existence
through life. and anally in the last rites
which are performed to all ey the manu-
facture or cofins.-cvery one of these is
consuming tue great fields of our native
forests all over The country. IL has been
estimated that sevv uty-fivc mil ton dollars
worth of fuel h. burned every year in the
United States; locomotives consume over
eight million cords of wood annually: over
hundred mill,oa dollars wor h OF sawed
lumber Is yearly employed in building and
In manufactures; and four million acres of
forests disappear every year before the axe.
to supply all these demands In many por-
lions OF the country, we have Witnessed an
increase OF more than ten times In the price
of standing wood within the past thirty
years. The increased price Is already re-
Harding internal Improvement: the cost OF
lumber prevents the erection of buildings,
and occasions high rent; and in hundreds
ofiustances manufacturing enterprises have
been abandoned on account OF the cost OF
fuel. The same cause increases the cost OF
travelling by cars sud steamboats, aud has
favored successful coal strikes and mono
poles. How Is all this destruction 10 be
avoided? IL IL cannot be avoided. II may
be successfully met. In the first place.
save the timber which we have: aud IN the
second. keep constant success OF new
growth. The practice of girdliu. and burn
iug vast tracts Of magnificent forests, 10
get rid OF the wood. and 10 bring the land
into cuitis alton. should come to an cnd-if
In no other way ny legislative enactment.
for the welfare aud prosperity Of the coun-
try demand II. Wherever timber j. cut
away. belts at least OF youp- growth should
be allowed 10 spring up and replace Ii. \
portion OF the vast fields that are cut away
should be devoted to repro uctiou, and
protected from cattle. which trample down
and destroy the young trees. In some Eu-
ropean countries this wasteful practice i
forbidden by stringent laws This has
been found absolutely necessary. and If
adopted long ago, would have been better.
In France. where In some portions wood :
now sold. like tea and sugar, BY the pound.
the far-seeing Bernard Palsy three CEN
turtles ago demonstrated veh~mently against
The waste OF the forests. In these words -
4 Ffsrb ~
call 1t not an error. bu; a curse and ca
lamiiy 10 all France; Tor when forests shall
1e cut, all AIS shall cease, and they who
practice them shail he driven out To eat
grass w.iA Observation-Disclosures and the beasts
of the field. have divers tunes thought
10 set down In W ting the arts which shall
perish when there shall be no more wood /:
bat when hal wr,tten down great mum
her. did perceive there Conld be No end
70 my writing. and having diligently CON
sdercd. found there WAS not any which
could be followed " thout wood. In these
brief remarks. we can only ailudc % the
means OF prev -ntins the utter waste Of our
forests. \ full discussion wa Id require
volumes. The simplest and easiest wsV j
10 restore the old growth by the prcservs-
tion OF the new timber which will usually
sprin. up abundantly when all Is thorough
~ cut and cleared away. either A. suckers
from the old >fump~. or as new seedlings.
The value of the new plantation depends
nos only on the character and den>ene>~ 81
iae growth. but on suhSequcntthiI ming
Tins = l. cs>enti j A. iAe thinning @! any
crowded farm crop. or OF tac ihickly >owl
turnp> beet> and carrots OF the gardener.
II not attended TO. the trees will crowd
and enieeole one another. and many will tie
over>hadowed and die. The remainder
viii be irregular and less valuable than the
same number OF trees properly thinned.
when the growth Will be straight and uni
form. The first thinning may be done when
the trees are large enough for hooppoles !;
the second when they may answer for rails !;
and AFTER growing twenty years or so the
whole may be cleared of. when, II the soil
and management have been good most OF
the trees will be large enough 10 split into
four posts at the base, with much addition
al timber above. When the young growth
is sufficiently abundant AZ first, Ii will prove
great convenience 10 thin cut nearly in
rows, allowing the passage OF wagons Tor
drawing out the wood, and preserving mere
uniform distance between the trees. A
rule has been given for the distances asun-
der-to leave the trees twice as high as
these spaces-and they will then run up
three or four times as high. This distance
Will, of course. he varied with circumsi tan
ces, but il should never be so great that
the shade and fallen leaves will not entirely
prevent the growth OF grass.