The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1874-03-27
Forestry.
BY GEORGE May POWELL.

In response to your kind letter inviting me
10 prepare paper on the subject OF Fore try.
please allow me respectfully to submit the
following suggestions.
As Professor Hough so aptly said in his re-
cent address on the subject at Portland: ssWe
must make the people themselves familiar
with facts and necessities oftbe case. Among
these facts and necessities are: First, the
frequent losses Of millions of dollars to the
manufacturing interests Of the country in a
single season from depletion of hydraulic
power in the mill streams made scanty by
droughts. S cond, Thes weeping of vast val
ues in dams, dykes, fen 'es &C., to destruction
by freshets. Third. A still greater damages to
the agricultural inteH SITS from droughts.
Fourth, The unhealthful influence OF droughts
and of the absence of the conservative infiu-
ence of foliage. Fifth, Deterioration of soils
not easily computed. Sixth, Waste of wealth
OF material tor fuel and for manufacturing
purposes. Seventh and not least, the mar
OF the beauty OF our FaLht rland by the worth
ness and ignorance with which the beautiful
rcbes OF forest green have been and are being
stripped from the hilsl and valleys. Eighth,
Loss of opportunity in the years that pass to
repair and prevent these evils from not un-
derstandug their existence and remedy. On
the other hand, it will pay as proved BY ex.
perence, in raising ''secODd growth" timber
in New England, sixteen percent. on capital
invested to plant trees for such purposes as
for cabinet ana especially for carriage makers,
use; and more still il material were as closely
worked up for charcoal, faggots, &C., as sci
ence abroad works up what is termed refuse
here. Second. By examining the prices OF
hoop-poles, and also the space nurserynen
occupy to grow given number of young trees
it will be seen that IN acre planted to oak
and hickory NAV in five years be yielding
from 500 10 $50 year for several years there
of and eli IL, l.. - e.
permanent growth. This is made more
plain by the statement that the New York
prices for hoop poles are as follows: tor
eight-footed poles, 50 to 81 per 100; len loot,
"a to $5; twe,ve foot 81 to So, aud fourteen
foot. poles $40 per hundred.
As we proved a few mouths since in the
work of the Oriental Topograph cal Corps in
Egypt and Spain, considerable number of
reliable persons can be pledged as a matter of
public good, to plant 1000 tree-seeds year.
little system in effort would soon establish
the custom of planting seeds OF trees along
the highways, division fences, ,and other waste
places. This alone might soon add many
millions of dollars to the aggregate value Of
property in almost any State ia the Union.
will plant dozens of seeds. The seeds of the
maple, elm, ash and several others of the
most valuable trees are so small that scores
of them may be carried in the vest pocket to
plant al convenience. 1t is important to give
the people through the press, some of the
simplest ways OF collecting, keeping and
planting tree seeds. There are, perhaps,
points to be developed also which have not
occurred to even European foresters. have
noticed. for example, in maple-sugar orchards,
eaea tree or ,ss, two in each b orchard
san from one Of ffSar an IN a given q-,niity of
quantity from one of the Ssar~ trees. 7 he
lieve science will yet show how 10 s.,te oil
the trees of an orchard as rich, or richer n.s..
these in saccharine matter. If so, any
one Of the maple sugar producing
states has large annual increase Of
cash receipts to secure from this svurce-an
item worth considering by nation sendiag
tons of gold abroad annually for near 500, 900
tons OF sugar tor home consumption. The
stumps of most Of the hardwood trees could
be made worth more than any other part of
the tree, by working them up into the finer
kinds of furniture requiring variety Of color
and of curl of fibre in the wood Now, they
are a nuisance. The oak stumps now used
to make plank for heavy farm sled-runners,
illustrate this. Such timber would make the
finest veneers, and it can be saved by grub
bing down the tees. The labor of telling by
grubbing down, would be far less than digging
out the stumps after telling in the usual way.
The tree in the wind would be the lever to
bring it down after less work in digging and
cutting the surface roofs than would be need
ed TO dig up the stump if he tree were cut by
the usual method.
The argument that tree planting does not
pay, because only the coming generation can
reap the benefits is false as well as selfish and
unpatriotic. A piece of ground on which
the seed has been planted only long enough
for the little sprouts, to be above ground,
has then, an increase in value many times
more than the cost OF planting the seed.
Many andholder is growing ''land poor
with idle land which would make him rich at
triding expense of putting forest tree seed
on it.
This club is strong in proportion as 1t
proves itself useful. Perhaps it seldom finds
a richer field of usefulness than first bringing
together what has been done in this country
by way of advancing in forestry. Second,
in getting full information on what has
been done in countries where they have had
more centuries than we have had years of
experience. Third, as 'what is everbody's
business is nobody's business" it may be
wise to appoint a committee to at least be-
gin to gaIher this information.
The Friend.