Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1897-02-19
TREES OF THE SOUTH
A Great Forestry Exhibit at the
Atlanta Exposition.

To BE One of the Most Elaborate Di..
plays of the Wood industries nver
Witnessed In This Country
Promised Surprise.
Forestry will share with minerals q
beautiful building, eighty by three
hundred and twenty feet, built all Of
tree trunks, with the bark intact, and
ornamented within and without with
minerals and many interesting plant
forms peculiar to the south, such a.
gray moss and palmetto. The central
portion OF the building is an octagonal
rotunda that rises above the roof in the
form of q low tower, and in which q
frst-class restaurant will be conducted.
The roof, reached by a spacious stair
way in the central dome, will be used
IS q promenade and garden. As the
building is adjacent to 1.-The Terraces"
the Midway Of the exposition, and
faces the plaza, the view from this
roof will make it favorite resort Of
visitors. The rotunda will contain the
exhibits of the Forestry division of the
Agricultural department and of the
United States geological survey, which
will stretch into the wings on either
side.
The Forestry division, says the
Washington Post, is preparing an elab.
crate exhibit Of the forest resources Of
the southern states which will aston
ish even the southerners themselves
with the extent and richness of their
domain. Especial attention will be
given in this division to the results Of
the tests Of southern pines recently
made by the forest division, and a test
ing machine in operation, with many
blocks showing the result Of tests, will
be one Of the features.
DR.. Fernow is having prepared series
OF relief maps to show the effects Of
erosion in southern states in places
where lands have been cleared for cul-
tivation that had better been left to
forest growth, and the process Of re-
claiming such lands by brush dams and
reboisement will also be shown. An
elaborate display of the naval store in
iustry and a collection of foreign woods
suitable for cultivation in the southern
states will also be included in the
government exhibit.
The remainder of the east wing of
the building will be devoted to the
general exhibits of the forestry de-
partment. The roof of the building is
supported by two rows of massive tree
trunks, which divide it into three aisles.
The central isle is to be ornamented
with colonnade of polished columns.
Each column is made of selected woods,
carefully joined to show their grains,
then turned and polished. They are
twelve feet high and one foot in diam
cter, and each one will be surmounted
by a group Of flags. On either side of
the colonnade the exhibits OF the
southern shipping ports will be ar
ranged. A walk through this colon
made will thus reveal to the visitor the
leading characteristics of all of the
great shipping ports of the south, from
Norfolk to Galveston, and it is expected
that this will prove unique feature Of
the exposition.
The southern railroads, with charac-
teristic enterprise, are devoting great
deal of energy toward being adequately
represented at the Atlanta exposition,
and several of them that are largely in
terested in the understanding trade
are preparing to show the northern
visitors the forest wealth along their
routes by rich displays in the Forestry
building.
The side aisles will be devoted to the
displays of lumber manufacturers and
to forest products, On one side will be
grouped the coniferous timbers-the
pines, cypress and cedar, while on the
other the numerous economic varieties
of southern hardwoods will be dis
played. Very few people have any idea
of the great timber wealth of the
south, and Mr.. Fernow has planned a
collected exhibit of lumber and wooden
manufacturers that shall Mt once be ed
ucational and attractive in character.
The southern pines have within the
past few years become formidable RI
walls of the white pine of the north, and
with reason; for the long-leafed pine is
in every way better adapted to heavy
construction than any of the northern
species, while the short leaf is deserved
ly popular us a house-fnishing lumber.
The cypress is now coming rapidly to
the front as a rival of the southern
pines. Few woods present the beauty
and variety Of grain that are found in
curled and wavy cypress, while its
great durability is creating for it con-
stantly increasing demand. The Cy-
press association will make a special
exhibit of cypress lumber, and it will
be well worthy of inspection.
The states of North Carolina, Ken
lucky, Tennessee and Arkansas are
peculiarly rich in hard woods, which
also abound throughout the northern
part of the gulf states. All these will
be deliberately displayed, and the re-
suit will be collection Of peculiar at
to the true lover and one
calculated to arouse interest in the
mind of every visitor.
For those who care more for the ap-
plications Of natural wealth, the ex-
hibit of forest products will command
attention. In this class the processes
Of manufacture are to be everywhere
illustrated. Aside from the many