New-York tribune., 1885-03-06
THE NORTH WOODS.
III.
. REGION UNTITLED FOR AGRICULTURE.

NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. or PUBLIC sENTi-
MESr NEEDED.
rrsox AN OCCASIONAL coRREsPoNDESr OF THE TRIBUNE
MALONE, N. Y, Feb. 17.-If the Adirondack
forests could be saved by legislation alone ono VI o
hest possible measured would DO An Act for tne Ds
couragement OF Agriculture In the Nortn woods' aho
lumber business is not by any means the oniy
axency nj work here Tens OF thousands OF acres en-
,rels unfit for any but forest growth nave peen
srpped OF trees and by cultivation ana pasturage no
been rendered incapable Of reproducing tne ohy cop
for which tho Land ever had any adaptation. ~
arrange TO SEQ many people persist In the enor' W
farm where the soil is so meagre ana the country ~
high and cold profitable return Tor ther aoS
Is possible The thin film Of soil disappears aiter 10"
years leaving only the bare inert sand or gravel anu Us
most of the farming land here Is rolling OF hy 'no
slopes begin to break down and wash away "o"
gulies are formed which grow wider and deeper every
year. waerless tracts of shifting sand or 0, cray
aud gravel varied only by rock-edges ana oouoorS'
stretch before the unhappy traveller where once gro"
noble forests fed by perennial springs Ihave
the lives work Of farmers In nearly every part Oh 'no
country ana have found nowhere else conditions 90
forlon and forbidding here The local histories OF
the regions adjoining tho Wilderness abound In stories
of the harshps Of the eay settlers OF those countries
especially OF those endured by the women OF thoso
times The hardships continue with little mitigation
pct as few pps are In contemporary history
there IL no record or observation Of these misefes
The region meant to be let alone IL mas no hatur
ntn.ss for agriculture II Is piuful To soc tbe scany
growth OF vegetation which the farmers toll produces
hore by frosts In both spring and autumn ANU III
many places In the middle OF summer WINE III tue
Southern States Of this country there are mioh'o oi
acre. of fertile soil lying untitled beneath most gen'a
skie. The effort 10 farm nhosptsbe lands Is also
IN. source OF large proportion Of this fires which each
vear destroy 40 much remaining forest Lana Is
cleared by being burned over" and In y arg ume
the fire extends from the faow" to the woods despite
"a. Au1f Ia n con
mon SAYING Ia the woods that such sconnagiaton Is
often convenient accident for the irmer IA he plants
crn the next spring In the burned wools without any
clearing whatever aud raises crop " In the ashes n
errat deal ~ the farming land here has been orongh'
INTO cult ration In ths way. IL ALL from beginning 10
end most wa-tefu and suicidal process. and the IN
eytabe end the disappearance OF the soil nsei, Is
nearly everywhere reached In timo
nj. probable that much OF tho waste aud destruction
of the woods going will ultimately bo seen 10 DO
inseparable from the system Of individual oWnershp'
| and unlimited irresponsible individual liberty which
now prevails Men who come here from the oities
TO can.p" for few days weeks In summer sacrlnco
honnds Of noble trees merely to obtain bark for ther
huta kind of intoxicAon of freedom or caprice ap-
pcars 10 soEe upon visitors who are probspy wen
ed people a, They seem TO feel an Impulse
o destroy something and to be reckless In ressu 10 "o
effect OF miurie. 10 the woods.
DESTRUCTIVE LUMBERMES.
has n
sylvan ioyeness along OF the finest streams and
lakes. where the has been sct back by dams
structe to Afford navigation for unnecessary little
| steamboats,. thus npodng the shores. and Hpeeaiy
killing and shrSbery. and subsututing ior inc
| bcsut1 ard mystery OF tho enchanting bVfaer oi
gtrouery that once fnged the waters horrible back
ground of deeayns true trunks gradually Dropping into
tho chastity food that has destroyed thom. Other
strcans have been damned By lnmbcrmen To hoat out
their log. With effect upon the forests along
the shores Bui such destruction !. not necessary Tor
other Iumb.rInen. Of them among tho most OK
,enye operators thu. industry leave their dams open
and the streams running Free except when head OF
wafer IA needed Their work thus goes and all their
oblrct. are accomplished without any trees being killed
by bactwster."
irss PORTIONS % the country hero have been denndei
b, the operations of the small lumber jobbers" Men
with limited means buy the timber small tracts and
cut u "a pretty Much OF tho land thus srr ped
left 70 fortune accident may appoint II
would In few years have TIMBER OF consiherabo value
upon II n n protected from nre and from tue
fsrmors" But. rayagej as IL Is apt TO DO by both,
mch of II IN ,ims royerS the State by the non-psy
,nent of taxes II some means could be devised by
which such lands certain nj last to be ADDED to the
domain Of tho state cod ne brought unGer some com
petcn supervision guardianship before they are com
pet.y destroy ed Il would be great step toward arrest
Ing process Of ruin and securing the preservation OF
some portions Of this region while there Is still some
thing 10 preserve At present much Of the land
ing worthless and hopeless as situated
AMID the central desolation Of Sahara.
Some people believe that there Ii In this part OF
Northern Sew-York vast inaccessible forest region
which can never penetrated by the umb.men any
other destructive agency and they are disposed TO treat
very lightly all representations OF danger o the Adron-
dack wilderness as q whole But this Is owing 10 their
want Of acquaintance with the progress already made In
terminating the forests and drying up the streams
which have their here They also unfamiliar
with the character and extent OF tho arrangements for
transportation now In use ny lumbermen. IL Is now
found practicable and profitable TO draw logs distance
OF seven rLilcs TO nnd "navigsble" stream down
which 10 drive" them to market or t. the mills THIS
makes a swath fourteen miles Wide along each stream
used for floating logs; and where tnerc are no streams
available the nmbermen arc now building railroads into
the for the purpose of bringing out logs from great
tracts be reached In any other way No; the In
accessible Adirondack forests will exist only IN
history.
WHAT MAY BE DONE AT ALBANY.
What then ought To be donef Can anything be done
To stay this destruction before 1t Is completed hear
sometimes of late that there Is likely to be some vigor-
ous legislation ths winter for the preservation Of the
forests thoughtful observers OF the course Of things
here distrist tho torn. Yet something is hoped for
The boundaries OF state lands should everywhere be well
and yisiby defined. that uespassers may not here
after be- able to plead ignorance ofshe lines
for their appropriation Of products from the State
forests There could be objection, certainly. to
vigorous enforcement Of the laws against rich aud
non resident manufacturers, II they have In in
s,ances n IL alleged derived largo Irots from the
warranted use Of state property There should aso be
,dopted a much better system OF care and oversight Of
tbe lands nging to the etate with definite pracii
c.bl. aud negibe regulations respecting the setting
and gu riding OF rres throughout the region.
There 10 probably needed additional legislation to
facilitate tho ersion of lands to the state by
pay ent OF taxes; aud policy should be adopted which
would provide for the acquisition OF small tract now
owned by individuals which ar6 surrounded neatly
snrroundrd by lands belonging to the state. The
dency OF any measures hereafter adopted should ec in
ths direction OF enargng the OF the domains Of the
IL md la haIi. Lar In