New-York tribune., 1884-12-15
THE NORTH WOODS.
NOTES OF AN AUTUMN TRIP.


RAvAGEs OF FOREST FIRES.
lFROM AN OCCASIONAL CORRESPONDENT OF THE rRrpuyr,
CROWN POINT, Dec. 12.-One who visits tho
Adirondack region for the first time, and traverses ia
southeastern portion passing say from North Creek bv
the Lower Adirondack works to scroon River viii look
in vain for those attractions about which much ha.
been said and sung Crossing all the streams which flow
into the Hudson from the east and the Hudson itself the
eye rests upon pleasing prospect but all Is desoae
depressing Tho forests have been swept away; but
that Is the common fate OF the prmeval woods every
where In other regions, however, there IA a
treedOtted landscape, with smiling meadow.
lying between wooded hills and grazing
lands and cultivated farms and homes Of thrift Hers
may wander for miles without finding tree OF any
size except blackened trunks here and there left stand
ing as witnesses aganst the fires which have sven,
through them and over again. Scattered farm
houses there are, most Of them neglected and storm
battered testifyng to the hopeless character Of the
struggle their occupants making with an inhos
pitabe climate and sterile soil, and many OF them de-
serted.
And this illustrates one fact which should never IN
forgotten in considering the proper policy Of the State
toward these lands. This region can never be thu
home OF prosperous agriculture. The thin soil and
the frosts which this altitude shorten the season at
both ends make It unfit for ploughng grazing. This
the only place in the AdirOndacks where deserted
houses tell this tale Even lands further south and ola
ured, have been left at last to the woods Down be-
tween schroon Lake and Lake George land that was
numbered hfty years ago now bears good growth OF
sugar maple The slopes here are not rugged and thu
washing Of the soil not serious as n has been on
the higher land that maple sapllngs can find
fair feeding These abandoned houses found
all around the border OF 'the wilderness,
where adventurous farmers have pushed into
the woods abored against odds for few years and then
surrendered The remains Of several consldera le settle
psnt are stu o ,S he seen oR IN Sne n nsse n Moose
1873 The stone walls can yet he seen and IN some places
the burrows In the old c0rniells, under growth
OF timber forty feet high.
RUIN WROUGHT ny FOREST FInEs.
And this young timber growth Illustrates another fact
witch that the danger Of deiorestlng the wilderness
does not come from the axe alone If the marketable
timber allcut odsy the forest woulhary miss tho
trers IN the beat woods but few sticks worth
cutting and carrying out Aud oven when thousand
arrps atippp ~ Iees small mud great 10 fprd sune
hungry pupm or neat OF roel hns arrut' agi seed.
nss wnui follow har after tho tihrhs VI the chopper
and tho land would puthe ltaplf nt once with growth
which would he ample iut all protective phpuses "
uni, tho porous nfest hpitm Ia efl tho he, rrrratr
ton fof aud assurance of . rampant afewih tpmans,
lhe undotbiush lett alni the eeaneat vu'hs t"se'hnI
a stratum ~ foliaee ton frst thick above the apanpY
"dul" fha wnnll pe aofif substitute mf Pfems'al
wood roi many rurpoaea hn why u would hnt Id
effective a. forest With fera 100 fee hieh to check
evaporation aud conserve moisture IA elt fof tho rhllo
fnt most unfortunately this thick and woolson forest
carpet Mlh IN INK iiutn thl NtNaNlhE haNNi N"'h'
eced or allowed TO remain Alter has lain uncovered
nothing hui ashes are left on the harpan be washed
away by tho rains This fate has overlaken all that
desOate spoken Of In the opening of this letter
Small settlers have burned over few acres 10 prepare
them for cultivation. and the fire has had its way
SIe9ring One look at these bare. torrent,furrowed
Lu "a IN con vince any one that the dangers which
from decreasing such a region have never been over
stated Patches OF reweed here and there, scrubber-
les Of poppie and tangles OF blackberry vines show
hn he forest throwing forward an
advance guard o. take possession OF the land ana mold
for nobler growth 10 come But patient planting and
protectpg FOR hundred years would not suffice to
store this region to what IL was In beauty and IN useful
ness when tile present generation OF men came into is
Inheritance.
THE HIGH PEAKS THREATENED.
As yet however, this desoaon is confined to the FOOT
hills. The highest mountains from whose Hanks
the most destructive torrents must come they come at
all are still covered II may be that on the summit,
where the greatest precipitation land how great
this is the Of the lakes the other side OF the
range give evidence the wet bottom will not so readily
the 2r gt r more easily kinded among the conf
erous trees which grow there than among the Droad
leayed trees further down. At the SUBMITS grow
scrubby frs below these spruces that will not pay
for the cutting, and then belt OF hard wood; among
which is scattered pme and this now attacked AZ ths
head of every through which log can DC driVe
In many cases the men who hold the title to these
lands only to skin the lumber from tnen %heh tey
will at once abandon them: Then VIII cOne
a time when they belong practicaiIy TOO TO no one
protection which the State its property
he nrOpctiOu which private owners WOull throw
about them II they able and therefore they are the
certain prey OF the first fire which cnrelessness may KIN
die Unless the conditions in the times next ensuing arc
materially changed from those that have ruled htherto
the higher slopes meet the tate whch mas DO
fallen the foothills
VARIETY OF FOREST GROWTH.
What this desoae and forbdding region once was can
be seen by crossing the divide from the schroon
waters TO the shed the Bouquet for here the natural
forest Is still in full possession. and superb forest 10 H.
II is not rich in variety OF arbOrescent growth On many
an acre In the lowands further south one car count
more tree species than found on square mile mere
sugar maple. yellow blrch-the noDIest tree
of these northern woods-and the graeeiui
canoe birch constitute at least seyeeights OF he un
her Scattered beeches black ash here and there some
black spruce with now and then pine these about com
e the catalogue But no tlresolne monotOy OF CROWN
prevaiis as in aWestern conerOus wood n IS forest
at ts best with trees in every stage OF deNeopmeh
sooiine and sanling great trees in the beauty and
strengh of their maturity trees past their rie anu on
the ground the remains OF trees that nave ueu OF o hgo
and fell centuries ago And here perfect forest Dot
t"m the damn mould covered with ferns, moses ana
yod soreI Near the border Of this wood the growth
f hundred acres has lately been turned To charcoal
and few weeks ago some industrious pohecrs
Ixare burning over the ground for cow
nature In many places the smoking stnmm
ooi nm on arched roots two feet or more ABOVE te
ground This means that the mould now burned away
nder them two feet thick hundred years MY
,yben rho serd sprouted its surface ana reW ~
Inv roots outyar, and downward This forest Dottpm
a. han the Oldest trees. and when II remains sa
nromse of trees to come, while its destruction,
coliv where il oyercs the thin soil or these gtanls
slnnes il loss not to be repaired Tor geerhlions a
t mo smoke rising day an1 night on an tne
- ,bs North Woods as the fire eats its way inward