Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1898-09-22

consin is estimated in million feet b.
M. by counties, as follows: Ashland,
$50; Barren, $50; Bayfield,, 5000; Bur
nett 200; Chippewa, 500; Clark, 200;
Douglas $500; Dunn, %; Eau Claire,
| so; Flore- ce. $50; Forest, 800; Iron,
| 400; Jackson, 100; Langlade, $50;
/ Lincoln, $50; Marathon, 200; Mar
inette, 1900; Oconto, rs; Oneida, l.
200; Polk, 24O; Portage, 20; Price,
200; Sawyer, 1000; Shawano, 300;
Taylor. 200; Villas, 1900; Washburn,
$50; Wood, 100; total, 1885.
The impcr ance Of the forest to the
state Of Wisconsin as a factor of
" alth is very great. The statement
that "the wood industries have built
E. cry mile OF railway and wagon
road, every church and school house,
and nearly every town, and that in
addition they have enabled the clear
ing. Of half the improved land Of
north Wisconsin," is by no means ex-
trayagant eXaggeratiCn. says Mr..
Ro h. Retween 1873 and 1898 more
than IS billion feet of pine alo le were
cut from This forest and even then
the lumter industry was in a -four
ishing condition on all the streams
and had built up La Crosse, Eau
Claire, Chippewa Falls, Grand Rapids,
Wausau, Fond du Lac, Oshkosh,
Green Bay and many Other places.
The output Of the lumber industry
alone f}r the year 1897 was in mill On
! feet b. m, as follows: White and
Norway pine, 2,19O.7; hemlock, 1854;
hardwood, 273. To this enormous
amount of marketable material must
be added large quantities of cedar
timber, ties, poles, pests, piling, etc,
also ties, piling, and construction tim
Der of hardwoods and hemlock; ship
timbers, the exploitation of which
has brought spec al crews from
QUEBEC and other points to these
woods; large quantities of cooperage
and wagon stock; many million feet
of mining timbers; besides many
more millions of feet Of material for
home use. fuel, and charcoal. The
value Of these materials according to
the state census of 1895 exceeded in
that year the enormous sum Of S53.-
100000 for lumber and articles Of
wood" alone. This sum amounted to
more than one-third the entire value
of the products of agriculture. Be-
sides these materials there were large
quantities never recorded by the
census and still larger amounts were
used in home consumption as fuel
fencing, construction material, etc
which may be safely valued at $10,-
$1,000.
In 1890 according to the very in
complete federal census Of that year,
he value Of the rough lumber, COOP
erage, and wagon stock, ties, posts.
piling, and all products of the wood
industries as they leave the first hand,
amounted to 0,400, 900 dollars. If to
this is added the value OF the pulp
and tanning material, of mining tim
Der, and that of the large home con-
stump ion, it brings up the total to
fully $4,000, 900 for these products at
first hand and shows them, like the
census figures of 1895 to exceed one
third Of the value of all farm products
of the state.
Besides their own value, the
products of the words stimulate Sec
ondary manufacturing industries, sup
ply planning and pulp mills, furniture
cooperage, and wooden-ware estab-
lishments, wagon and car shops, whose
aggregate output in wooden articles
amounts to over 100000
In 1890 there was invested in the
saw milling industry alone, according
to the census of that year, fully s84,-
100000 or a sum equal to one-third
CT the assessed value Of ell lands in
the state. or about one-sixth Of the
value Of all real estate and over one
eighth of the assessed value Of the
entire wealth of Wisconsin. Of this
over $13,00C.000 fall to the milling
plants and machinery, 81 100000 to
logging equipments, logging railways.
Ctc., including also logs on hand at
the time and over $31, 100000 to tim
Der land. tributary and belonging to
the saw-mils These same establish
merits paid during that year nearly
100000 taxes, a sum equal to the to-
tai sta e taxes of Wisconsin; they
paid over 100000 for running ex-
penses aside from wages; about S15,-
100000 for wages and logging con-
tracts and over $780, 900 for the keep
Ct animals alone.
The lumber industry gave employ
rent IN a regular way to over SIS 900
men, besides purchasing several mil
lion dollars worth of logs. Of those
| persons employed in these operations
a large per cent. are settlers who
through this industry alone are en-
! abled to support themselves until
their slowly growing clearings fur
| nish sufficient harvest 1t is the taxes
on timber land (not waste land how
ever), and its industries which fur
nish the road money and it this
same fund which builds. equips, and
/ largely ma ntains in the thinly set
tied backwoods of Wisconsin, schools
equal to if not better than those Of
the country districts Of any other
state 1t is this same industry which
for years has made farming in the
F., backwoods mere profitable, and the
d, farmers more prosperous than those
&, Ct some other states with milder eli
3, mates and equally fertile soil. Nor
is it the pine alone which has done
and is doing so much for this coun-
try. For owing to an unnecessary
and injurious competition in the eX-