The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1876-06-22
How Timber is Disappearing In this
Country.

In the very admirable statistical atlas
prepared by Gen. Francis a Walker,
Superintendent of the last census, ap
pears chart, showing accurately the dis
tributiOn of forests throughout the ooun-
try. 1t seems to as that the Governme mt
would do a good work if it would litho-
graph this map and scatter it broadcast
with copies of the statutes fOTbiddinS
the destruction of forests, over the whole
land; for 1t certainly shows, In a manner
little less than startling, how very small
are the heavily wooded tracts having $50
or more acres of timber to the square
mile. OF the western domain, Nevada
has no suoh districts, neither has Ariz0-
ma, nor New Mexico, nor Texas, nor Col
Orado, nor DskOta, nor Nebraska, nor
Kansas, nor the Indian Territory In
fact, considering the whole face Of the
country, there is a patch of heavy forest
in Maine and New Hampshire,a a small one
IN New York, large areas covering half
of Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan;
the largest tract OF all is located In the
far northwest corner of the country; and
there are heavily-wcoded districts in
FlOrdda, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee,
Virginia and the Carolinas After elm
mating these widely separated regions,
the total area of which appears to be
equal to that of the Atlantic States, of
the remainder of the country (fuIly four
fifths of our whole territory one-half has
no timber at all; the map shows q ami
form blank
Although there are no available sta
tistics to show the exact rate of speed
with which we are using up our wood
supply, it is easy to see that we are do
ing SO with great rapidity. Taking the
legitimate use of lumber alone, indus
tries based on its manufacture constitute
the second in point of magnitude in the
country, and are only exceeded by the
iron interest. About 10000 persons
are employed in producing sawn lumber
alone; $l43, ,5OO,O00 are invested therein,
and 295 100000 shingles, and II, 1885,
900, 600 feet of timber are yearly manu-
fdctured. Considering next in order the
secondary Industries based on the use of
Lumbar as a raw material, carpentry,
cabinetmaking, ship-bBilding, and so on
through all wood workers, we shall find
millions of our people employed. Now
add to this Professor Brewers assertion
that wood forms the fuel of tWo-tb irds
the population, and the partial fuel of
nine-tenths the remaining third, and
some general idea will be obtained of tho
enormous drain upon our forests that Is
constantly in progress. If we restricted
our use of wood to manufacturers and
its limited employment as fuel; in other
words, if we rightly cut off every source
of waste, did not burn the forests to rem
der tie land fis for agriculture, aud took
proper measures to prevent those forest
fires of unknown origin, which, just at
resent, are COLOSSAL source of waste,
and if we constantly planted trees the
timber yield would, with 0ut doubt, be
practically sufficient for our needs for
some long period to come. But this Is
exactly what We are not doing, aud as Il
result we are drifting to a condition
which few adequately realize Southern
Planter and Farmer (Va)