St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1896-01-28
STATE FAIR WARDEN ANDREWS
SCHEME FOR PINE FOREST
PRESERVATION.
TEACH 1T TO THE CHILDREN
THAT THE FORESTS so RAPIDLY
DISAPPEARING SHOULD BE
SAVED.
GATHER THE SEEDS AT THIS TIME
His Idea Is to Combine This with
the Lessons of Spring ArbOr
Day.

Gen. G.. G.. Andrews, state fire war
den, is endeavoring to secure the es-
tablishment by the state of Minnesota
of new form of "Arbor day." with
especial reference to the teaching of
the value of the pine forests to the
young people of the state.
The present season of the year is the
best one for gathering the seeds of the
pine, and it is therefore impracticable
to combine it with the lessons of the
spring Arbor day successfully but Gen.
Andrews has an idea that by the offer
ing of prizes to schools which make
collections of the seed and plant them,
healthy interest may be awakened.
He is now endeavoring to secure the
cooperation Of people interested in
forest preservation, to secure fund
for the offering of such prizes, and
hopes that before the present crop of
cones is wasted that the schools in
the northern part of the state will have
placed before them an incentive to the
furtherance of this branch of forestry.
There is reported to be an eXtraordi-
narily large crop Of the cones this year,
and the schools will have every oppor-
The seeds themselves can easily be
gotten at by drying the cones. These
could then be planted, and the warden,
enthusiast as he is on the subject Of
pine forestry, urges that the farmers
might as we'll be nursing young pines
on their lands as the cottonwoods.
The majesty of the pine is a more
stately beauty than any other tree in
digenous to this soil presents, while
its culture is not essentially more diff
ficult. 1t is true that the young pine
is sensitive to heat and drouth, as in
its native. soil it is sheltered by the
shade of it's elder sisters, but youth
is the only time that this nurture
would be required. After the first few
years the pine is a stalwart new
woman, well able to take care of her
self
AS to therschenical effect of pine Gull
ture on the land, Gen. Andrews was
not equipped with analysis of the soil
yesterday, but that the pine did not
exhaust the land Of elements neces-
sary to successful farming and garden
ing, he pointed to the fact that in the
countries of the state in which the pine
has been cut in comparatively recent
years, and where much still remains
there have been grown some of the
finest products exhibited at the state
fairs, showing conclusively that the
centuries of growth of the stately for
est monarchs has not taken from the
soil the elements essential to finely
developed green groceries.
Az 10 fha coptjrnartal value Of the
new Arbor day, Gen. Andrews is es-
pecially enthusiastic, not only on ac-
count of the fond memories which
would cluster about the young pine,
its swelling trunk and towering top
measuring almost identically the
growth and development of the youths
who planted them. In other trees of
more rapid growth the lesson is not
so marked and, while the growth of
the pine for the first years might not
be so swift and perceptible, it was true
to the sentimental comparison. This,
however, is not it's only recommended
ton.
It's positive value as an offset of the
ravages made into the forests annu-
ally, by fire and commerce, at least
for a few years Until the trees began
to develop well. would be almost in
considerable, but there would be
negative value. The fostering of these
young pine plants on the homestead
or school grounds would teach not only
the children, but elders as well, the
value of the gradually decreas-
ing pine forests, and thereby
produce a greater carefulness
on their part about starting
| fires in the woods. Statistics show
that even the tremendous amounts of
lumber annually cut in the Minnesota
forests are hardly equal to the amounts
destroyed by purely wasteful fires
which serve absolutely no end except
to denude the pine country of the for
ests and destroy the economies of ma
ture there.
The effects of this denudation on
the rivers and climate are already too
well known in other communities, like
Maine, where the timber has been ex-
tensively cut for many years, and
while in Minnesota the river currents
| have been cared for to a certain extent
by the construction of costly dams in
the headWaters of the Mississippi, yet
the state should awaken to the effect
Of this denudation and take some pos
tive steps to counterfeit the influences
thus created. This is Gen. Andrews
idea, and the suggestion that the school
| children gather and plant the pine
seeds is intended to foster this thought.