The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1881-01-19
Destruction of Timber.

- !. In his evidence before the Agicultu-
raj Commission of Canada, says the
Toronto Globe, Mr.. Brown, Of Port FL
gin, expressed the opinion that the
country should be reclothed with forest
trees. He recommended theplanting OF
large nurseries by tho Government, from
which the people could obtain trees mt
low price, and, also, that the Govern
mcnt should replant the crown lands,
rs is done in Australia and other cOun-
tries. Mr.. Brown has been engaged in
the study Of forestry all his bic, and
what he said before tho commission is
worthy of serious attention. The pro-
cess Of stripping the land Of its timber
supply and more particularly OF ITS
merchantable timber, has been going
on at a reckless rate for many years both
in Canada and the United States, and
unless it is checked the time must soon
come when even the demands Of the
home market cannot be supplied, 1t is
not With II forest rs with grain o. 1.-Two
stock; it can not be reproduced IN
year o.. IN generation. Our great pine
woods are the growth Of hundreds Of
years, and once they arc cut down OF
burned over the supply is ended,
The pine forests OF Maine fifty years
ago were thought TO he ineShaustlblc.
Thousands OF men were employed dur
ing tho winter months telling and cut
ting trees, and in the summer rafting
the logs down the streams or cutting
them INTO lumber IN the mills. Bangor,
on the PcnObscOt, was once the busiest
town in the United States. The river
was lined with saw mills for miles, and
1000 vessels were engaged IN the car
Iymg trade. Tho forests for 200 miles
mp the river, and for many miles ON
either side, have been laid waste, nndthe
"GId Pine Tree State is no more than
Il figure Of speech. Spruce, which rap
idly rcproduccs itself, Is the lumber
most generally manulocturel-thc pro-
duct on the Pcnohscot this year being
ten times that OF pine
In Michigan and Wisconsin the same
reckless haste and waste are gong on.
The Saginaw valley, whichfolmerly con
tanned the largest and finest forests III
Michigan, is being rapidly depleted.
It's mills have n capacity of OO,OOO,OOO
feet OF lumber per year, and nuI-owner'
are obliged TO bring logs from other
rivers, often as far as $50 miles distant,
to supplement inc STOCK Oh inc iDNGlHHW'
The output has reached its climax, and
uoncw mills are built or old ones re-
placed. On the Muskcgon river the
amount Of logs RATED this year IL 400
100000 feet, and one large operator
alone viii put in about 100000 900 feet
this winter, hauling to the river by rail
an average distance of eight miles. The
Alpcna district WILL ut the present
ratio Of cutting be stripped in fifteen
years
The Wisconsin pincries have been
worked much less extensively than those
oil Michigan, but IN estimate made by
the President of one Of the largest log
ging companies on the Mississippi tixc'
the utmost limit Of the supply Mt forty
years In Minnesota the forests arr
much smaller in extent, and will prob
ably not survive the others. Unless
then, II new departure il made, the las
tree viii bc cut from Maine to the Rock
mountains by the end Of forty years
and the United States must depend 10
its supply Of pine lumber on forcig
countries.
Is there no way Of limiting produC
ton, OF outstanding Our resources, ,
putting an end to reckless waste, OF pre-
lection against forest fires or OF rcpIcI
iahngO our woods byBystcmntic forestry
These are questions IN winch the who
country has an interest, and which mu'
be discussed and answered