The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-04-30
Timber Farming.

Chicago Tribune
In the West are large forests not much in
jured by the ak, and in the Middle and Western
States many farms have wood lots of fair area
IN which large and valuable trees are growing;
but most of these are being thinned out, while in
many cases the land is being cleared of every
Vestlge of timber in insane desire to add to
the acreage of plowed land Even in the older
States something OF this is seen. Within a
week the writer has seen in central New York
men busy in cutting thrifty naples, birches,
ashes, cherries. and other trees sound and Of
fair age, that the logs might go to mill and the
land be used for growing costly crops. The
theory was that this land will produce better
crops than can be grown the old worn out
soil; ard the fact is that the logs are worth from
50 to $40 per thousand feet at the saw mill
Once this very land was covered with birds
eye maple, whitewood ash and linden trees,
which would today readily sell for $40 per thou
sand rect; but noble great trees were burned by
the thousands that the land might be cleared for
cultivation. 1t would be a moderate estimate
which would place the yield per acre of such
timber at p. 900 feet. AT half the price the logs
are now worth, au acre of such timber would be;
worth $3.50; but the land itself improved they,
call it, is worth less than one-quarter that sum
OF course it seemed to be necessary, half a cen
fury ago, to destroy that timber that room
might be made for growing food for the people
who did not know that nature had left enough
cleared land, ready for the pillow, and wonder
fully fertile, in the West to furnish food for all
the people of America and more. But this
generation has tine experience of 200 or 800
years to guide it, and surely should be able, in
the light of that experience, to avoid the more
serious errors which have been. made. Yet it
has gone eagerly along in the paths followed by
the pioneers, and, while it may not destroy as
many valuable trees by burning them on the
land, it is sending the larger ones away in the
form of fuel or of lumber and destroying the
smaller ones This work of destruction is going
on in several States, particularly in Michigan,
Wisconsin and Missouri. To-day the timber on
those lands is worth more than the ground it
stands on will sell for when the trees are gone.
Ten years hence the timber will have more than
doubled in value, if the population and the needs
of the country continue to increase in the ratio
OF growth of the last ten years.
Shrewd capitalists see that the future will
make timbered lands more profitable than almost
any others, and they are quietly and quickly
buying good timbered lands in large blocks, es
peeially in the South. For the country this is
fortunate, as these men will not repeat the folly
of past decades by destroying the forests, They
clearly understand that no crops they could pro
duce on their lands would give greater return
or require less labor, expense and care than will
the timber which is indigenous. They have only
to guard their property from timber thieves.
and cut out few of the largest and best of
their trees where they are erowding the younger
ones, and thus each year get very liberal in
terest upon their investment Meantime the
soil upon which the timber stands increases in
value, while each year adds to the market value
of the timber it produces.
Is there nothing in these facts of interest to
the general farmerl Isnot the fact that a single
walnut, or ash, or maple may be worth more as
it stands than an acre of the ground it stands on
suggestive of better plan than that so gener-
ally followed by landowners in the timbered
Statesl Is it not true that timber-culture can
be made one of the most profitable of all
branches of farming and the least laboriousg
Already enough has been done to show that
tree growing is very profitable, yet, as rule,
the trees grown have been of the less valu-
able kinds, soft and quickly growing poplars,
willows and ashes.
The objection may be made that too long a
time must pass after planting before trees can
be made to yield an income. The young trees
will grow more rapidly if cultivated during the
first few years after planting, and crops have
been grown proftably between the rows, for
two or three years in succession. But most
farmers can we'll afford to set aside a part of
their land for all time to grow trees upon, for
the labor of preparing the ground and planting
the trees is with the exception of taxes and
repairing the fences protecting the trees, the
only outlay the timber lot will require. The
owner has only to wait for his rich reward
which will surely come. But if he cannot wait
the years required to secure the greatest return,
he will find in the greatly enhanced value of
the land goodlY profit without cutting % twig