The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-04-03
TIMBER AND INSECTS
Treated I'm Bulletins From State Ex-
detrimental Farm.

detrimental Farm.
Samuel B. Green, horticulturist at
the state experimental farm, has pre-
pared, with the assistance of H. B.
Ayers, of Carleton, Mimi, an fmpor-
tant bulletin of some 100 pages show
ing the rate Of increase on the cut-over
timber lands of the state. The bulletin
shows the slowness with which the peo-
pie of Minnesota are rejuvenating the
forests. 1t also shows the great loss
by the annual forest fires. In speaking
of the future of the timber lands of the
state, the bulletin says:
The maintenance Of the lumber industry Is
not hoped for by the men engaged in 1t. AS
1t goes now there are no reproductive cuttings
and no improvement cuttings. Young and
growing stock is cut with that which is
mature. Fires destroy what is left, whether
young stock, seeding trees, seeds, seedlings
or the fertile soil. Not only Is the forest
thus destroyed but non-prOductive land Is
made by the same disaster. Much OF our
once forested area is naturally agricultural
land. but only a small percentage of it is now
in demand for agriculture, and under the
present wasteful process this land also be-
comes nOn-productive, while, if these lands
were kept growing timber until they were
needed for agriculture, the industries de-
pendent upon our forests might be main
tanned a long time. AS it is, our forest is
being worked like a mine that cannot grow
The body Of timber remaining measurable and
the condition of our stump land and other
forest areas DGlnS almost Dy
reason of fire, we divide our present
amount of standing timber by the annual cut
then add an attenuation and approximately
find the end. ~.
Another bulletin was also issued by
Otto Lugger, of the chronological d.
vision showing the effects of injurious
insects in 1896 Speaking of the chtnch
bug, the bulletin says:
During the early part Of the year 1895
but comparatively few chinch bugs could be
found in our state, and owing to the general
wet spring many Of those that had wintered
over successfully became infected with a
disease and died. This happy condition did
not however, prevail everywhere, and some
Of the counties along the Mississippi and Min
nesota rivers started with a fairly large num-
Der Of these pests. Whether 1t is a c0inci-
dence or not one thing became very apparent
wherever large numbers of the disease spores
had been scattered during 1885, few chinch
bugs survived autumn, winter and spring,
and in some localities where the bugs had
been exceedingly numerous before, but few
IL any, could be found early in 1896. Numer
Gus letters that were received from farmers
living in such localities plainly proved that
the bugs had gone, had been killed by a
disease, and on that account fewer boxes
with disease-spores were asked for in such
places where the entomologist would have
been glad to distribute, if only to make as
surance doubly sure. 1t is very unfortunate
fact that If farmers do not actually suffer
losses caused by insects they will not apply
remedies against the few they know to be
in their fields, simply because these cannot
cause any great damage; they do not bear in
mind the wonderful fecundity Of their enemies
and how rapidly they can multiply again and
overrun their fields. 1t is this fact that
among other things, has assisted the destruc-
tive potato beetle in 1896, and enabled it
to multiply so that next year 1t will again
become numerous enough in many fields to
cause losses.