The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1888-07-15


pays you just about as little as he can,
which is not much, because you cannot
abide your time when the wood has be-
come more valuable, when il has become
accessible and, therefore, can be all util-
lied, and brings a better price What be-
comes OF the remaining growth? The least
valuable trees and the inferior kinds re-
main not only, but they crowd out the
young crop OF valuable growth so that
while, for instance, in Kentucy forests the
white oak formed about 40 per cent OF the
original forest growth, after the culing the
young growth shows but 5 per cent. OF this
valuable timber, and so on wherever the
forest is culled OF its valuable tim
Der without rational management both
It's present and prospective value is
reduced, and that very unnecessarily.
FIRING THE WOODS.
will not stop long TO talk about the
senseless and ruinous practice Of firing
the woods, by which destroying the young
growth as well as the fertility OF the soil
and injuring the standing timber. without
doing even much good to the grass growth.
for the constant firing kills out the finer
grasses and gives place TO the coarser, less
nutritious ones. II anybody tells you
that these fires do not DO any harm; that
in the hard wood forest, at least, they do
not injure the standing timber, you may
feel assured that man knows very little
about the physiology OF plant life. While
the ELECTS OF the fire are perhaps less visi-
bic in hard wood than in pine forest,
yet the constitution OF the trees is under
mined, they cease TO grow, they become
sick, insect and fungus diseases
deteriorate them. And above all
things, you burn the vegetable mold
which is the fertility OF the soil,
you burn the young seedlings which are
the future OF the forest. The loss in value
from forest fires in Tennessee during the
census year was placed at not less than S.
OOO,OOO. You are cnppling your safest
savings bank by giving away ut rldiulously
low prices that hardly pay you for your
work OF getting II out, the best part ofyour
timber, and by deteriorating the remain
ing growth, while with little care and
management you might have increased
your capital and the rate OF interest at
which you could have drawn few years
later. have no doubt that many an
owner OF q wood lot has presented IL TO a
lumberman for pittance, not knowing
that II was the most valuable part OF his
OF the vast acres Of timber land, which
cover more than 90 per cent Of the area Of
your State, and wonder when that time OF
better prices and larger demand for timber
is coming. Let me tell you that for some
kinds the time has already come. On
many farm in Ohio the black walnut
trees were girdled and burnt in the log
heap or cut into fence rails fifteen OF
twenty years ago. ANY one OF these trees,
II now TO be had, would pay five 10 ten
times the price for the acre OF land, which
the farmer has toilcd 10 get clear OF lis
most valuable encumbrance. The same
FOOLISH, SUICIDAL METHOD
Of getting clear Of the walnut is practiced
In Kentucky, and perhaps some one Of
you recalls neighbor who IL not less
shortsigh,ed. Let mo tell you that manu-
facturers who use ash begin 10 see the end
OF this valuable timber in large quantities
Let me assure you that the large sized tulip
poplar, OF which you boast ~ much in your
State, will be all cut about as soon rs the
white pine Of the northwest, for which IL
was 10 serve rs substitute. Even the good
white oak logs grow scarcer every year,
with an increased demand on this kind Of
| timber by railroads and for finishing lum-
Der, etc. Sure enough the present ca
pacity Of the saw.mills OF Tennessee does
hardly exceed 6,0OO,0 600 feet daily, and rs
5000 900 acres are reported wooded, which
may, but probably do not average 10000
| feet 20 the acre, smart calculator would
| figure out that you have standing supplies
for ninety years. But he does not bring
into his calculation the natural growth and
development OF the country, the increased
demand for lumber aud the rapidly de-
creased supply in other parts Of the coun-
try.
TIMBER STATISTICS.
The mills now at work In Michigan
could clear up all the valuable timber In
Tennessee before we write the word 1900.
You must not forget that this Is a big
country. and what you see here at home
IL but small part Of II. You must not
forget that the people OF the United States,
small though their number, II compared
with the large area, use every year more
than %, 700. 100000 cubic feet OF wood.
As you call twcnty-six bushels Of corn a
good average crop, would call fifty cubic
feet OF wood good annual average crop.
To furnish, therefore, the 1900 OOO, 900
cubic feet Of wood needed annually well
stocked forest Of more than ij0O00,O0
acrcs-if we did not waste any Of the crop
is necessary, which Is about equal TO our
present reported forest ara. But, ia
reality, our timber lands do not furnish
onc-half such q crop yearly, and We must,
therefore, cut into the capital which has
accumulated during centuries at the rate
Of nt least l2,0OO,OOO.000 cubic feet per
year. Such considerations may we'll lead
YOU 10 believe that the time for higher
prices In lumber, for economy In present
supplies, for the application Of proper
management OF your timber lands Is draw
ing near. The fools squandcr their In
heriancc, the wise men manage and In.
crease II.
KiLLTBRrw's PROPHECY.
Here lc, me bring TO honor a prophet out
OF your own midst, by quoting the words
and recommendations oil Mr.. j. Is. Kille-
brew, from his Handbook Of Tennessee, Z"
written In 1874, which are M true aud
good today as they were then, only more
urgent, more pressing
ut may not be improper In this place 10
observe that, though the State Of Tennes-
see has as yet an abundant supply Of tim
Der, II IL every year becoming more appa-
rent that some legislation IL demanded for
its preservation and reproduction. In the
neighborhood Of our furnaces, especially,
the consumption Of timber u enormous,
and many OF our finest iron fields will soon
be deprived Of half their value unless some
legislative protection Is given 10 the young
timber. The annual confagrations that
sweep like a deyouring fury through the
old coaling lands, destroying the young
sprouts and rendering barren a large scope