Daily globe., 1883-08-09
ng OF planting from nurse
les: TO the best method of

ries: TO 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 en-
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 riHing of forest should
| be as penal an offence as the rifing
| of an orchard. Over forest-covered 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 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 10 the In
dian territory, is mostly destitute of wood
From North Carolina to Louisiana nearly
six-tenths of the farm area 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 centag'
of forests has increased from 55 to SO, OF
account of taking two or three millions
of primitive forests into the farm area
In Florida from the same cause 1t has in
creased from 60 to 66 per cent. The de
cline in Mississippi has been from 81 tt
SO. and from 81 to 55 in Louisiana. 1t hai
increased in Texas from AZ to "A per cent
In fact the wealth and forest growth il
scarcely appreciated in large districts il
the south. A comparison of the censu
returns of 1870 and 1880 shows decreas
of woodlands in farm areas in Michigan
from Al to 32 per cent. Minnesota from
q to Is, and in Iowa from Is to IL. Il
Nebraska tree planting has changed tn
record from to 10 per cent. The belt in
J Guiding iatitudes 81 degrees to 40 degrees
through which runs the Ohio river
extending westward across tn
Mississippi river, shows a decreas
from 81 to 26 per cent, greatest in Obi
| and Indiana In the eastern seotiol
Maine shows an increase from new farm
! in northern counties, but it has been de
! manded of heavy timbes and therefor
makes a deceptive showing. New Yor
shows decrease from 2s to % per cent
and Pennsylvania from 80 to 20. Takin
the states by groups this inequality of foi
est distribution is strikingly shown, as az
pears in the following table: