Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1882-04-20
OUR TIMBER LANDS.

The United States of America is compar.
atively young nation, but it il old enough
1Or its people to have destroyed much
of our great forests. Indeed, the de.
struction OF our timber lands has been
80 great that thoughtful men, who be.
lieve that one generation should consul;
1he interests of those who are TO succeed
them, are protesting against the wauton de-
struction OF forest timber. General James
T. Brisbin, in an able and interesting letter
published in the New York World, discusses
abe wasteful havoc OF our forest timberS and
the serious consequences which will newt
ably follow, and shows the evils which the
timber vandsls will entail upon posterity.
General Brisbin shows that timber is of slow
growth, that it was never intended for the
use Of single generation, and that the Gu.
pidity OF men should not be allowed to de-
stroy what they cannot produce in life
lime. We take the following extract from
General Brisbin's letter:
The vsrscious monster who threatens TO devour
AL our young timber in his Unsuitable nav is the
railroad Int rest of the United States. Last year
try and this year we are building 1900 miles OF
new railway. All these roads have to be tied
hand an estimate OF the number of ties used per
mile, but the annual consumption is very large.
qnired ls4 100000 ties. Ties have to be replaced
every seven years, and 1t s fair 70 set down the
sumption at l60 200 600 As every one knows
railroad ties cut from young timber, the trees
and This demand strikes at the very source of our
timber supply II is fact that the fences of the
and they are to-day the most valuable class
Of property In the United States, except
cities To keep up the fences requires an
nually an enormous consumption Of timber.
panels Of fence to inciose them. III. number of
rails required is set down at 1000 900 co., cost ng
fences in this one State alone costs annually siO-
e9S ego SSS oo n9s IN new state has
about 10000 annually for repairs, many of her
value OF the fences in the United States may be
set down at 100000 and 1t costs 500 600 600
cage alone last year employed II 500 men In hand
ling lumber. There were 500 clerks, 1000 wood |
the vessels, and 10 600 men to handle and prepare
the lumber for market, besides 800 proprietors
ZOO ooo,o 600 feet, and Would have 'o loaded one
train of cars 1000 miles long. No less than 800
last year 10 supply the Chicago market |
with lumber. These figures are indeed appalling |
our timber supply. There is no hope Of any dim |
mutton in the future. for Chicago will require |
1nand Is ever increasing and the supply diminish
ing. Between the two the end must come soon |
and the grand old forests disappear After the |
Saginaw, Muskegon. Aenomonee, Manistee and
Ludingiou resources are exhausted the Rocky
be stripped of their forests and then we win have
all that is worth taking. Every year demand
acres to replace tn m. The end is 50 plain even
fool may read it as he runs
And the timber vandals follow the march
of civilization with the same instincts that
induce the wolves to follow the wake Of an
army. The Chicago timber vandals, having
destroyed all the accessible timber, are hnnt-
ing for new pastures. The road will soon
be finished from Kansas City, Mo-, 10 Forrest
City, Ark, and we understand that the van
dals have swooped down upon all the fine
timber lands and will soon commence Il
Wssteful havoc upon the forests The navi-
gable streams of the South and West are
now penetrated by an army of lumber mer-
chants with the view OF purchasing the tim
bered lands. Maine, New York, Connecticut |
Vermont and Pennsylvania are practically |
ruined as timber States, and it is said their !,
streams are gradually drying up. In twenty |
five years more the Western States will be as |
bad, or even worse, off for timber than the !
Eastern States are, and in fifty years more
there will be timber famine. As the coun- !
try increases in population the greater will |
be the destruction of the forests. The ques-
tion naturally suggests itself, What is the !
remedy? Extreme fanatics have suggested |
that no tree should be destroyed until pro-
vision be made for new growth. But this
seems to be impracticable, and as posterity
never did anything for the present genera
ton, it is not likely that the present genera
lion will make any sacrifices for posterity.
Even 200 years is short time in the life Of
4 nation, and in that time it is plain to be
seen that our forest timber will disappear.
Necessity is the mother of invention; the
ingenuity of our civilization has been equal
10 all exigences; but if the world can live
without the timber of the forests there is
hope of subsisting without fire, water, or
air.