The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1895-05-18
FORESTS IN OLD TIMES.
How New Jersey Appeared to h
First of It's COIOnists.

~
Shaakbee, the New Jersey of Indian
times, jutt.ng into the sea-; her wide
SAND plains Of the south, covered with
pine and oak, her sinuous tide-water
streams, lined with gum, magnolia and
maple, her swamps fragrant with the
odor of the tapering cedar: her valleys
and hills of the north green with chest
nut, walnut, spruce and birch; he in
frequent hunter along the rivers, the
silence of primeval woods broken only
by the song of birds, the cry of wild
animals or the. warning elements-such
were the forests Of colonial Jersey as
the settlers found them.
Two centuries ago-and more-sepa
rates us from our ancestors, the lmmi-
grants. Although by reason of the life
tivity and enterprise as. the price for
existence, they preserved few records;
nevertheless there have come down to
sey in pre-revolutionary times which
are as interesting as they. are authentic.
The colonists recorded only those THINGS
observations, and to them the unbroken
miles of forest were SO real that they
spent their energies in riding the land
of trees rather than in observing ms
One Of the historiographers of the
earliest English settlements in New Jer-
sey or the vicinity thereof was Master
Robert Evelyn, whose Description of
the province Of New Albion was pub
lished in London, 1913. Speaking OF what
that it is .replenished with the goodhest
woods of oaks and all timber of ships
and masts, mulberries. sweet espresso:
grapes for wine, and raisins and with
the greatest variety of choice fruits.
The uplands. covered many months WITH
and oak mast. He also enumerates
.sassafras, with wild fruits. pears.
wild cherries, pine, apples and the dainty
IS no question that almonds and other
fruits of Spain will prosper as In Viz
ginia."
Of p!pe slaves IS urged IN this tract.
The Quaker settlers of West Jersey
were loud IN the praise. of the forests,
n mah nonla sticy 9Th w mo. 5st IRON 1885, eu aaga:
II Rave seen orchards laden. with fruit
to admiration, their very limbs torn to
pieces WITH the weigh alggad ',oa ana "a mos heb oe5
We have from the time called May to
Michaelmas great store of very, good
wild fruits, as straW mhicb are r1 like our
a hI9bsr hHrtlep pc Ens;la mdish a INDEED eNy the
country. take it as a wilderness is a brave
Soah5ry nave an npon mf their lands - =
In East Jersey at this period Gawer
/ Lawrie writing in London LIST, 18th day,
1884 says: ,4
the general are oak. bench, walnut,
chestnuts and acorns lie thick upon the
ground for want of eating; peaches,
vines, Strawberries and many other
fruits grow commonly in the woods,
there is likewise gumtree, cedar, white
wood, like our fir tree, walnuts, chest
| nuts and others lie thick on the ground
The towns that are already seated;
being in wood.est places. The wood
here is not so hard to clear as many
think, they do not pull It UP by the roots,
but cut them about a foot or more
from the ground" 1t is further stated
| that four men coul cut seventy trees
In the description of the Province of
West Jersey, written by Gabriel Thomas,
and printed in London in 1923, we find
terminate the first ape Thomas
writes:
I'm this country also is a great plenty
of working timber, as oaks, ash. chest
nuts. pine, cedar. walnut, poplar. fiji
and masts for ships with pitch and
| rosin.' Timber River, alas Gloeester,
which hath It's. name from the great
| send in great floats to Philadelphia.
The trade in Glocester County consists
chiefly in pitch, tar and rosin."
In speaking of Salem County. 1t is
worthy of note that the present attempts
to send cranberries to England are By
no means of recent date. This frui
| grows in great plenty says Thomas
(which in Plcle might be brought te
Europe
| continued Indefinitely and are merely
| cited to show that the colon.sts had 8
! proper appreciation of the forests OF
| this State.-"New Jersey Forester"