The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1888-07-15
RECKLESS WASTE.
Squandering Our Timber Wealth.
Prof. Fernow's Address Before the
Tennessee Chautauqua.
How the Wise Farmer Should Re-
gard His Forests.
The Value Of Timber Crops Now
and Hereafter.
An Address Of the Greatest Interest to
Land Owners in Tennessee-The
Relation OF the Forest to
Agriculture.

division OF the United States department
-pf agriculture, on the subject Of forestry, at
Columbia, Tenn, during the recent meet
ing Of the Chautauqua there:
THE ADDRESS.
There are still many people who do not
know what forestry really means. A man
writing handbook Of Tennessee will
probably have a chapter entitled Forestry,
and in 1t he will give you a description OF
the different timbers that grow in the re-
gion, OF the uses they can be put to, of the
areas they cover, and perhaps he will add
advice OF the best way TO get rid OF the
woods that Nature has kindly planted for
our use. This he calls "The Forestry OF
Tennessee"
II a man writing on agriculture were TO
enumerate the different cereals that can be
grown, and tell YOU that wheat can be
made into flour, and potatoes into whisky,
and tobacco can be smoked, etc, you
would not think that he was telling you
much about agriculture. lie has dealt
with statistics perhaps which are quite
interesting and in certain way helpful,
but he has not touched the main interest
in agriculture, which is the management
OF the soil, the management OF crops.
WHAT Is FORESTRY
Forestry and agriculture are very much
the same thing, both have TO deal, gener-
ally speaking, with the management OF the
soil, with the management OF a crop.
While the savage Indian in Minnesota
goes into the rice swamps and harvests
what nature has scantily ripened for his
food, the civilized agriculturist in Louisi-
ana reaps the rich, well cultivated crop,
which he has helped TO bring to perfection.
In regard TO forestry, the American farmer
and lumberman OF today pretty nearly re-
sembles the savage. lie goes into the
woods and reaps what nature has sown
and grown without his aid, and he does 80
-~1rlOut any concern OF the next crop,
without any concern Of what remains, and
he abuses In addition the gift OF nature
wherever he goes, by cutting wasteiully,
by letting destructive fires and browsing
cattle deieriorate and deyastate the re-
naming timber and the future crops.
Now forestry does not require that you
should not cut and utilize the timber crop,
IL does not mean that YOU must not clear
away the forest where the soil is needed
for agricultural crops, but II advises you TO
do these things in rational manner IL
gives YOU advice; how TO cut, so that new
valuable crop may spring up; how to man.
age that the new crop will increase more
quickly in quantity and in quality than ms
II left TO itself; il advises you how 10 make
the most OF what nature has sown for you;
how TO cultivate and improve your wood
crop Just ~ agriculture teaches you how 10
cultivate and improve your grain crops.
Now in this agriculture and forestry are
alike; they have both the same object in
view, the production Of a crop; but there
are great differences in the methods Of
production. In agriculture you plow the
ground and SOW the seed, and In less than
one years time you reap the harvest In
forestry this is different.
THE CROP or ONE YEAR
from the seed IL Of but little use, II any T;
there must be an accumulation OF many
annual crops before you can reap the
harvest. Each year another layer Of wood
is formed, and when there are sufficient
LAYERS accumulated In as many years ~
are necessary 10 make stick OF useful
sizc, the harvest comes. How many such
LAYERS do YOU think are necessary 20 make
good sized trce2 have sent 10 the Gin.
einnati exposition the section OF a tulip
poplar, such rs are being cut now by the
million, and you know much larger ones
In your State, which was n little Seeding
when Queen Elizabeth came upon the
throne Of England, $50 yean ago. IL was
fair sized pole when the fint town on the
American continent, 81. Augustine, Fla.
was founded, and gave considerable shade
in 1920, when the pilgrims landed on New
England's shore. In 1852, when LnSalo
explored the Mississippi river, Il stood by
It's shore, one Of the kings Of your own
forest, and in 1870, when the United
States first uniurled their flag, IL was
giant OF four feet diameter, 10 which IL had
added but one more foot, when II fell under
the AZ OF n lumberman in the centennial
year. You will say we do not want % grow
crops which II takes twelve generations 10
mature. Nor will IL ever be done. The
giants Of the forest, which are squandercd
now-for not more than 20 per cent. OF
the wood in the trees cut II utilized-such
giants will never be grown again when
natures primeval forests arc gone. But
shorter wood crops are possible and profit
able. give you only one example, which
has come TO my notice within the last few
weeks, near Louisville, Ky. farmer
there planted eight rods on an unsightly
spot In his pasture with black locust
which he grubbc1 out with the axe from
the roadside; there were about thirty-sis
trees. They had grown up without ans
care and undisturbcd except by the borer
IAEl NtuI Aiit1 NfIt lVuIiftu lthft Oiu
and some one wanting posts came 20 bu,
them. The borer holes did not make ans
difference. There were cut from thcs,
thrty.sir trees $50 posts, bringing s20.5
net, or at the rate Of $500 per acre In four
teen years, or $50 per year per acre clear
profit. And from the stumps new
growth is sprouting. What better crops
do you raiser And what do you say K
this kind Of a savings bank2
WASTING THE TIMBER.
While you may not see the need ant
---ssy not wish 10 plant trees for timber now
because NO much native grown timber 4
siiil IN sight, u may bc wise 10 manag,
what you have Of natural woods, so Us /,
make the most Of Il, and 10 cut IL 40 that I
will not prevent new, valuable crop from
springing mp and TO protect the timbe
crop In the same manner a. you protec
any other crop. What do you do instea,
now7 You 90 into your wood LOT or senC
alog cutter into II 10 cut out the best tree
Of white oak, tulip poplar, ash and blael