The Portland daily press., 1897-01-06
FUEL FROM TREES.
ri. Edison Talks About the Money
Value of ArbOrieuIture.
The Coal Equivalent Per Acre in Forest
Growth Every Year.
Washington Star.)


5Ae notld's luel supply and the fensible
ways for making nature do good deal
more cf mans work than at present,
homas a. Edison said:
''Nnturos resources are ample Il we
will only take advantage of them. Men
say that we shall be out of fuel for heat
and power production in a comparative
Is short time, just because they forsee
the possible exhaustion nf the coal sup
tly. But there need be no alarm, even
in behalf of future generations. 1t is
true that, in time, the available coal will
all be gone, providing its burning is con-
tinued. But, while that is being done,
nature will be making more fuel, If men
will only encourage her little, and, as
a business, this encouragement Will be
Quito as prof1ta BILE as most occupations.
GAS long as the sun shines we can get
power. We get 1t all from the sun now,
for coal is only sunshine stored Ill trees
grown ages ago and slowly transformed
to almost pure carbon. But we don't
have to wait for trees to turn to coal in
order to burn them. Trees will grow
wherever there is sunshine and soil.
Once their growth is started, nature will
give man the equivalent OF a ton 10 for
est growth every year on every acre OF
soil in any vf the non-arid parts OF the
sartb. And there is enough waste
ground-that is, ground that cannot be
Cropped because it Is too hilly or too
wet or something-to make room for all
the fuel growth required. All that is
needed is few years of patience, care
full study of forestry and the laying down
and observation of certain rules for the
growth, preservation and proper QUITTING
of srees, and the man who owns few
acres of waste land will be able to make
as big a net profit out of his fuel crop as
he who raises any other sort of crop. AT
present prices, indeed, the equivalent of
Il ton Of coal TO the acre OF waste ground
would yield better profit than almost
any other crop known"
SUPPLY FOR A CITY.
A little Investigation Ia sufficient to
show that Mr.. Edison's notions as to the
worlds fuel supply, above briefly stated.
are of stupendous Importance. Within
twenty five miles of New York there are
probably, in rocky hills and marsh lands,
both of which could be made to support
heavy srawths of fuel timber. but not
to rafse farm or garden crop, more than
100 COO acres of ground, aud this area,
according to Mr.. Edison, would produce
the equivalent of 100, 900 tons of coal
wear, The total annual coal consump-
tion of New York, however, is 5000, COO
tons, and 1T would be necessary to go
moro than twenty-five miles to get the
supplv needed bur within the territory
from which the coal supply OF the pres
ent is ohtalnsd, the amount of fuel that
might he produced by tree-groWIng
youid be more than enough to supply
.Sew York, ana all the cities within that
territory how using coal, for An 1ndefl-
4lte Hrr3od.
= is district includes eastern Pennsyl-
eaDia anG northern New Jersey, and is
- n"i hy tho southeastern part of New
ynrs, n vast region that is largely noun
7.+:fcns, ahuunding in steep hillsides and
rceRF vetcLes. Only small portions OF
lis resion ara good for farming and the
, dula vpss originally covered with heavy
:nd iuxaiious forest growth. This for
est las been mostly crIt away and not re-
Wewe9 = most wasteful proceeding, to
r.1, ely which the various much-ta1ked-
{ forestry commissions are now begin
t.,ne tn labor.
The proftableness of forest growing for
frcl production would vary greatly in
different localities, hut at present prices
it would be quite IS great as farming
prnbably greater, when it is remem bered
that no yearly cultivation would be need
ed. that the labor of cutting of the trees
would be less than harvesting the crop.
and that the original value OF the land
would be much below that of farm land.
Hundreds of thousands Of acres now al
most bare of trees and unfit for anything
in their present condition could he
bought for S20 an acre, that in ten or ff-
teen years-at most twenty-would yield
:, gross of SIS or So an acre, or net of
eS or 81.
BEAUTY OB THE LANDSCAPE.
The 100, coo acres of waste land cpmpar-
atfvely close to the city of New York. now
altogether unproauctive. would then
yiaid, at the lowest figures. 100000
year. At the same time the raising of
trees for fuel wo uld add immensely to
the beauty of the landscape. q nintersst-
ing semi-marshes and bare and SCARED
hillsides would be clothed with living
green in the summer. ind with the gor-
gsous colers Of dying leaves in the au-
Dumn, while even in the winter the fats
and hills would be- more beautiful be-
cause of their forestizatiOn than as they
are now. Still further, the systematic
and continuous cutting of the timher as
fast as it reached the proDer size, would
give employment to large numbers Of
yuen, and the forests would afford shsI-
ter to all sorts of game, SO that sport
might again flourish. And what is true
of the vicinity Of New York is true al
most generally, nearly every big city in
the country having territory compare
lively near by, whore wood, as substi-
tute for coal could be produced at good
profit.
Mr. Edison believes that all this will
intimately he brought to pass, and he
delights to dwell upon tie economic and
esthetio possibilities of the scheme.
But there are some other schemes for
the utilization Of natures forces in
which MIR. Edison fails to see suob prac-
tioal possibilities rs are something's fore.
told, One of these is the utilization Of
the rise and fall OF. the tides. Away back
in the remote past men living III the ssa-
coast built tide mills and gathered power
for ths grinding of -four and meal and
for other purposes, from the passage
throuah these mills of the ehbing and
flowing tides. One by one, however,
these mills have baeR abandoned, until
now only few are in praeticAl opera
tion. Mr. Edison says tna this is be-
o,,.-o 45,t, ,are-19 baG Oot baU0ud them