Daily globe., 1883-08-09
ing OF planting from nurse
ties: 10 the best method of

ries: 10 the best method of
of securing speedy return; to all these
points the attention of practical and in
vestigating farmers should be carefully
and systematically turned. The profit of
the crop can, presume, be no longer
questioned. Waste lands released and
left to nature have produced in wood
very large return for the investment. Why
should not land subjected to the well di-
rected art of the cultivator produce just
as good result? For the purpose of ca
couraging this enterprise it is important
that government should lend its aid in
every legitimate way, until the wood crop
is recognized exactly as are the great
staple crops of the country. If bounty
is legitimate and useful in any case ii GER
| tainly would be in this. The protection
against lawless invasion thrown around cur
grain fields and gardens should also be ex-
tended to our woodlands protection
against depreciation, wantOn fires and
stray cattle. The rifing of a forest should
| be as penal an offence as the Tifing
| of an orchard. Over forest-coveFed public
| lands and over forest plantations, against
the careless destruction of the settler on
| the one hand and the trespass of the out
| law on the other, should the strong arm of
the law be constantly and vigorously ex-
| tended.
Gen. Loring then referred to the great
importance of outstanding our resources
| in this direction in view of the constantly
| increasing demand for our forest products
| The forest land of the country is less than
| one-third the total area, even less than IN
eastern and northern Europe. Norway has
| tWo-thirds of its area wooded, Sweden one
sixth, Russia nearly third, and Germany
nearly one-fourth. Originally the south
| ern, middle and eastern states were
| entirely wooded, except a large po--
| ton of Texas and few 2rairies in
southwest Ohio and eastern and south
ern Indiana were wooded and the northern
portion of the lake States. West of the
line of prairies running southwest through
Indiana, Illinois and Missouri TO the In
dian territory, is mostly destitute Of wood
| From North Carolina to Louisiana nearly
| six-tenths of the farm Grea is wooded
| There are counties in the south that ter
years ago were almost unbFoken forests
To-day the proportion is little less. Or
the farm areas of Georgia the per centagt
of forests has increased from So to SO, or
account of taking two or three millions
of primitive forests into the farm area
In Florida from the same cause It has In
creased from 60 to 66 per cent. The de
cline in Mississippi has been from 81 Il
SO, and from 81 to 55 in Louisiana. 1t hat
increased in Texas from AZ to A per cent
In fact the wealth and forest growth ii
scarcely appreciated in large districts il
the south. comparison of the census
returns of 1870 and 1880 shows decrease
of woodlands in farm areas in Michigan
from IL to 32 per cent. Minnesota from
q TO IS, and in Iowa from Is 20 IL. II
Nebraska tree planting has changed tn
record from 3 to 10 per cent. The belt IN
Guiding latitudes 81 degrees TO 40 degrees
through which runs the Ohio river
extending westward across tn
Mississippi river, shows decreas
from 81 to 26 per cent, greatest in Ohi'
and Indiana. In the eastern section
Maine shows an increase from new farm
in northern counties, but it has been de
manded Of heavy timber and therefor
makes a deceptive showing. New Yorl
shows a decrease from 2S to % per cent
and Pennsylvania from 80 to 20. Taking
the states by groups this inequality of for
est distribution is strikingly shown, as ap
pears IN she following table: