The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1898-12-15
LESSON IN FORESTRY.
(SOuthern Pines Free Press. J


Recently we have been reading
some very good articles in the Phila-
delphia Times concerning the preser
walton Of our forests, and We believe
that it will become a question Of much
interest to any we'll thinking citizen
when he once realizes how fast the
smaller trees are being destroyed by
the common method, among timber
owners, of slashing down every large
tree and removing the main trunks,
leaving the limbs and useless branches
10 become as dry as finder; thus a
passing locomotive or spark from the
pipe of hunter or berry picker will
kindle fire that will ravage thousands
of acres in spite OF the efforts Of
thousand men to stay its destructive
progress.
In fact, says the Times, "it has been
found so difficult to inculcate Ameri-
can forest with any practical
ideas about the cutting oftimber with
out destroying the forest and rendering
it barren waste for all the future that
the Department Of Agriculture at
Washington has decided to furnish
some free instruction on this score. I"
A circular issued early in October con-
tanned proposal to forest-owners to
prepare plan for harvesting the mer-
camille timber on any given tract
under the supervision of an agent fur
nished by the department al the gov
ernment's expense, the only condition
being that the government should have
the privilege of publishing the financial
results of such harvesting for the benefit
Of other timber-owners.
Timber-owners representing 1000,
900 acres of land, 100000 acres of
which are in the Adirondack region,
have filed applications for government
supervision. This will insure giving
the experiment a fair trial, aud if it
shall prove successful other timber
owners will undoubtedly try the new
plan either under government super
vision or otherwise. The adoption of
this sensible plan in the harvesting of
the mercantile timber on a million of
acres should furnish lot of education
in forestry to the timber-owners of the
entire country beside saving million
of acres to grow forests in the future
instead Of becoming 6reswept desert
after the removal Of the first crop
The plan adopted by the govern
ment to keep the forest fires out of the
sections from which the large trees
are removed will furnish the critical
test of the value Of this attempt to
teach a rational method of forestry.
The smaller trees will continue to
grow and propagate other trees after
those that are mature have been
harvested if they are permitted to do So
Those who have the public interes,
at heart will be glad that the govern.
ment has undertaken this work, and
will hope that the experiment will be
an effective one. 1t smacks a little O
paternalism, but as the plan is de-
signed to be purely educational and
all public education is paternal in it
nature, this objection should have bu
little weight. 1t is essential that thu
American people shall learn how te
protect and preserve the remaining
forests while utilizing the mature fores
growths, and as they have not acquired
this necessary knowledge themselve
the government is fully justified il
furnishing some practical lesson on tn
subject if it can.