, 1875-02-20
FOREST.CULTURE:.
It's Progress in Minnesota.
An Essay Read Before tho State
Agricultural Society,

81 QpuIAkN Ns NNA9Sot e"f'
Tree-planting, First Division ut.
Paul & Pacific GaiiFoad.
Ntbe lase annual meeting Of tho His nesosa
stAte Agricultural Society, At hin"ospo uS' A,
easay N, Forest. Culture In that State wSi fead
by Iir. Leonard T. Hodgos. subloinod II Q hh-
sra, extracts from the document:
whi1e tho northern and uortheassern portions
n Minnesota aro empfatically timoofcd regions.
aTo yory dcst,tute OF timbor. While hinnrnota
q. etato ia moro abund1utly supplied H1tn tl.s'
her than either Illinois. IowA, kaIaas, hoofasGA
Nevada Dakota OF cal!forna yct tno stnnp96n ~ ehn
fact exista That nearly or quite ono-thlsd OF 100
fincet agricultural lands Of Minnesota aEo slao-
lu,clv too destitute Of timber to admit OF so'''e-
nent and cultivation. ,r.-,.
Estimating iixs n nereons 70 1ama'y, ~ sror,s a mn
family a comfortable degree Of warmth shsoug!S
ont inc 7esr requires twelve cords o. "noo.
This one jtem Of f1lo! for tho household demhuds
an annual consumption Of Laiu.ooo eotas q
Wo lave In Minnesota, In ronnd nnmi,e1s. say
1000 ntlca Of railroad, with ea0 or 2av locoino-
Two engines consuming nnuual'y, with the ncses-
SWooo 3 cords. Tho 5,ooo.o GOO tics ontsziug tnto
tl,o original construction Of our 29eo miles oi
rai,soad, uscd up not lota than 2a ooo cofde. anu
nj they hara TO BE- renewed as olten As onc" ~
o. .,o,,iu AZ mo cords. When we also tako into
nrro,,nt In bridge tipbots used in the constrt1c-
t;on and mAin,cpa,co Of our railroads. aud Tho
timber required for the conatruction anu meln' a
tenanco of tho noceosarg etatlon-honses' "ado,
nousna fnnces &C., va can add smother annuhi
tam of not less than l5,oo0 corda- Whom .te
talte into nccount tho cou1umption OF tinber in
ar"nnnt eons,,ucI in fencing tho &C, Zoo farms in
st;nneaots> wo arc ]uBk beginning to got fairly
into tIo merits Of this question.
LII us 7ocapitulato moment:
cord..
For household 1,4la,u0
Fur locomotives, e.r....................... 22onD
For repairing ral:rosla aote.'...........''. so'oo
7-1oTo
To:s...-....... ........':':'..,.''..'. i',io,u'V
Estimating our tnbered lhnus 10 y1ea ~
average Of " corus pot act9' Nhlen
ccusidcr liberal estimate, NO hnu that aooslt
5000 acEo0 Of ths ioIeatF OF Mlnneso,a al9
beug ntrppcd annually Tor our honsehoids N
railroads slone. For fencing our farms' bffdStn
for public, highways. nauuiacsoring pufpossn,
lho operation CT onr la1noefnea VINO fo.n,an .!,l.
tic material for building cur towna and ciste.t
moi only for Minnebots. but to large c1teht 10 :
tou4, Kobrashe, Dakotar and Manltoba, 70 ous
will quarrel with nc. II nt rough guess plas.'
this consumption c9uiyaient "a TO tue aohaal stfls-
ping Of another ,ooo acres. honce haFs'
some reason, from tho abovo appfo1imatlona, 70 70
infer that tie aunnal consumption o. timber o.
this State Is equivalent to tne destruction OF
15nooo actea Of TIC rtimevl iofenls OF hi.nno te-
Bota every year. Tue geogTaplon III use u tne Ins
public schools Of minnesota say its area Is -, D5l
square niloa. Uuf commissioner Q! slatAtscn
estimates our forests to cover one-axth OF ont
area. From thaGe aata Jou can ns'llo ~" lont'
our wood-pils will bold out With osr pfeseas pop
uIation.
Twenty-Five. years hence, "lth n'ia9n or
moro Of population, our plneties exhausted. me
sipps drying up, 81. raul and Minneapolis 8oo OF
400 ui!oa above tue heaa OF eteamboat naslea,
lion, mercury 40 deg. below zero. sud tho WIND
blowing hurricane. Us not tho itllo Fosety ol
dreamer. :. Does the State desire 20 eee
ss tree!crs counties ahlo to contribute go e ihe
State Treasury where thsy nov a eontnoate CO.. 80
Tie Gsate extracts about s2o'u0o revenue po'
Hnuum IN State ta1ea from tha mos. destitute p a
counties Of ne treeloaa region Ietnihs II ~ M u.
soon as collected to Keep no 'nhantaose ito1l
uting twice aH much in provisions ana seaa VI rhea
20 keep thein from asAfttusi "au ~. ~ a. ~
dollar to the only pIo1ect Wn'en WI eve. rsaeon
thoBe treeiesa countlea from y,rtua1 paanofisnii
and place tnem a. ~ eonuM.oh , "ntea ts vi. II
.suablo thetn 10 sa9hist upon H.. tno a.aat .
IL the rovonnes o. the staso. lno STATE nas a!ss
direct Intorcak to the Improvement anu conso
qrent Development OF th'a srceless region, o. 70 To-
etAe owns n Ice slnpse tos ,ees 'nhu auu,oo y.
actcs o. cnotce AGRICULTURAL lssus. ~ feEiou g
destitute OF tupaT ns 20 1en1eF 'hom ptactieais,
worthlceB. AZ ErGas lahaeu ptopriotoI, ta'
6tat3 owes It to hefse'i 20 ma!k OUT pussue. ~;
develop system ct loscst tfos culture Hhcs
will i'll Tow Jent8 fenaer snose 4anos Fa'uaole
and, consequently eaiab!o. -,-.
Tie ready sale q ianas thoreo1 aeefa,ht
would IT. comparatasoiy aloft nsne uonpae on
school tnnd. llqnidato cur STATS - fniltoaa honAs
and bridge our streams. Ihe STATE IeEonuc
would indirectly DO 80 uugmonted aH to roduc
our State tax to lcaA than mill on dollar, 70
turning TO ne ta3-psyosn OF tie ttmboEed d''
tHcts tcniola Tor their temporary advances;
AuUcUl[uf6. Ef4-GU1pcnLlY I10 REGAk 1ukqrGB
OF Minnesota. tho foundatou and support Of q
other intasce1'; Wontu tneseuy pe enAp4co 70 =
spread Itself MAT THIS tteelcaa region, now dc
pendent on nv bounty OF tno 5tate 1or see
wheat" "o7la 10 short 1efaoa 10 ehaoiea 20
oply to return IL will usnIS' puL " mouiu ALI
be nble to adu ncoro than luo, ,Uo0 IVY buahcis Q