The daily morning journal and courier., 1896-04-21
FORESTS IN CONNECTICUT.
Features shown on New Map-Large Area
 of Them,


 At the time the preparation of the to- geographical map of this state arrange ments were made also for the delinea- ton of the forests of the United States Geographical survey, which had the matter in charge. These were depicted on map of much smaller scale. It was published some time ago, but only a few copies were struck off, it attract ed almost no attention, and only few days since Governor Coffin is quoted in a speech as referring to the map as yet to be printed.
 On the map the forests are depicted in green shadings. By the old fashion ed expedient of cutting out from the map the shaded areas, weighing them and comparing the total with the weight of the whole map within the state boundaries, the approximate area of forest was ascertained to be about SS1a per cent. of the whole area of the state. As nearly all the mountains of the state are forest clad, the actual for est area in ratio to the whole state is somewhat larger
 In their distribution the Connecticut forests show some interesting features. Fairfield county has almost no large tracts, but many scattered small ones. This condition extends with one break northward to about central east and west line through Litchfield county, the upper part of which is thickly wooded and the same reach of forest extends over the northwest part of Hartford
 s4Al. I <1 curiously denuded region made up largely of the towns of eBthlehem Nor ris, Woodbury and aWtertown. the two former decaying from towns. It is ac- counted for in part by large expases of wild moorland. The northeast re- zion of the state appears also as pretty thickly wooded. From the center of the state southwestward to the boundary is a curious reach of almost denuded land, perhaps ten miles wide, which cannot easily be accounted for The trap rock ridges reaching northward from East and West Rocks, and includ- ing the Hanging Hills of Meriden, are clearly outlined by forests as is another parallel ridge reaching north and south from Mount Lamentation further east ward.
 The most continuous and dense forest area is marked by a great crude triangle in the eastern part of New Haven county and the southern ex- tremity of Middlesex county. It in cludes perhaps fifteen square miles, takes in much of the towns of Killing worth, Guilford, Clinton, Chester Had dam and Madison, and appearing graph ically in an unlocked for quarter is a very impressive feature of the map. A striking part of the map is a denuded area reaching in a kind of channel north and south through the state near ly parallel to the eastern boundary line and a few miles from it. It is but partly accounted for by the line of the Norwich and Worcester railroad. Another feature is curious region of comparative denudation reaching some distance eastward from near the cen ter of the state. Railroads in general are graphically shown by channels of denudation, especially the main stem of the New Haven Railroad company between New Haven and the northern boundary. This is partly due to the old epoch of wood burning locomotives. Very little primeval forest remains in the state, most of that part spared by the old water power sawmills having fallen before the latter portable saw l mills run by steam, which in certain regions have devastated the woodlands But the secondary .growths combined with brush lands show a remarkably | large proportion of the state still wild and attests tine decay of the farm towns | where the uncleared regions are beyond doubt increasing steadily.