Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1890-02-28
The Pine Tree.

The encouragement and protection Of
pine growth In Maine 10 . matter of no lit
tie importance to Us ~ . source of material
wealth in this State. The century old for
ests that have been sources Of such vast
incomes in the past, are everywhere disap-
pesring, and the question Of = future sup
ply begins to seriousiy engage the attention
Of political economist.
The growth Of the pine 10 almost phe-
nomenal; greatest At from twenty to thirty
years of age. not unfreQuently adding to
its growth at about this period, one inch in
diameter yearly. 1t 10 persistent too. All
other growths have to succumb to it. l
have seen the maple, birch and ash that
were older and we'll established in the soil
gradually trimmed up and eventually killed
out BY the denee growth Of sappling pine
that had sprung up among them and yet the
pine attains to its greatest perfection scat
tered in the midst of hardwood growths.
They shoot up like arrows. grow more gym
metrical, their fibre 10 Of better texture,
and every way more valuable for mechan-
icsl purposes. This, undoubtedly, 10 due
in part to the harder quality of the soil in
which they grow. 1t has already been
demonstrated that hardwood growths may
be cut over to advantage once in twenty to
twenty five years, but the century growing
pine lie generally supposed to be out of the
reach of lifetime. This fallacy is now
easily disproved.
In 1851 visited the ancestral home of
my family in South Hampton, N. H., where
| saw pines growing on what was cultivAt-
ed field in my grandfather time, that had
then attained q diameter of from txo to
three feet. The stone walls were in the
midst of the forest, and even the corn rows
could be seen beneath the covering Of pine
needles.
1t was practice in those days to SOW rye,
hoeing it in after the corn crop was taken
OF in the fall. There 10 on our farm q
clump Of pine growing on land my father
helped to clear for firewood in his boyhood.
These trees are now At to lumber from and
have been for ten years-being ever rs
years old. On an adjoining farm there is a
meadow or interval made by beaver dam,
on a part of which there stood few years
since 500 pine trees that had grown since
the beaver dam broke. When l began to
cut these pines was curious to know their
age, and found them to be already 100 years
old. Some of these trees would scale 1000
feet per tree, but on the average 700 to 800
feet. Their growth WAS handsome, tall and
straight, and standing 90 thickly that it was
difficult to get them down without falling
across the stumps.
There is now on our farm a fifty acre
lot of sappling pine, growing on what in
my boyhood was the COW pasture. West
of this is the wood and timber lot, part
Of which was then covered with the old
pine growth, and as q matter Of course, the
pine seed was scattered all around ready to
spring up wherever there was q chance.
These began to spring up in the pasture,
and fearing that it would be overgrown
with them, they we're cut down In 1910,
but forthwith sprung up again thicker than
before. This time they were allowed to
grow, and now for the result. There 10
to-day growing on these fifty acres dense
forest of pine. They shoot up like ar
rows, straight and handsome, and standing
so thlckly that the stronger trees are kill
ing out the weaker to get . chance for
themselves, an illustration Of 1.-THE survi-
val of the fttest."
These trees now average from 6 to 16
inches in dia meter and many will cut from
40 to so feet in length before they are re-
duced to 6 inches in diameter; and 1t 10
estimated by competent judges that there
are not less than 5000 cord., or 1000 900
feet Of lumber A. the product of so years
growth.
A year ago this winter cut some fifty Of
| the larger, rougher Of the trees growing on
the outskirts Of the lot. and after they were
sawed noted the width and length Of some
of the boards. Generally the logs were
cut IL feet long and the boards square edged
we're from to IL inches vide, but one stock
was 20 feet loug, IA inches wide, and several
IA and Is feet long, l6 inches wide. This
| 10 not . solitary instance in this vicinity.
All through this region may be seen similar
Growths of pine re occupying land that has
| been cleared or the old growth Of wood cut
Of. 1t 10 plainly for the material interests
Of this State that such timber growths be
fostered. The old pineries are fast disap
pearing beneath the sturdy strokes of the
| lumberman's axe, still the pine 10 king in
the Maine forests, and needs only to be given
a chance in order that it may supply all
future needs.
z. r FRENCH.
| Souru CpyarypyrIlR