Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1899-11-01
STATE HOUSE.
Views Of a Maine Man on the Spruce
Timber Supply.
ne Claims II Will Last But rs Years-Other
News.

A Maine man interviewed. the other
Jay, in New York, said that the spruce
{ supply of Maine is good for another 30
years, at least, but he is not sure
ABOUT the future, though he believes
the pine and other woods can be used
Tor wood pulp when the necessity ar
ilNes. He points out the fact that al
ready u chemical process has been dis
covered chat will remove the pitch
from ONE, and thus render it efficient
ioF use as Il pulp product.
Just now that Commissioner Mat
theWs is getting the points on the pulp
trade, and the possible extinction of
spruce in Maine 1t Is becoming inter
esting Some Of the pros and cons that
VIII be set forth in his report will
doubtless cast new light upon the mat
ter. but of all the discussions that
nave sprung up since he begun his re-
searches, il would seem as though the
entire ground had been covered
This Maine man who was interviewed
is interested in the water and pulp
supplies of Maine said
Il predict that within the next % or
30 Years the Visible supply of pulp
wood in the New England states will
br about all wiped out | also predict
that there win never be another saw
MIL built on either the Androscogein
the Penobscot, or the Kennebec rivers
AS a basis for this prediction | need
only say that today 1000 feet of spruce
is worth only so for timber. whereas
that number Of feet is worth $40 as
pulp wood. This fact tells its own
story. l also predict that all the saw
II IS oN on the rivers above men
tioT VII simply decay for want OF
business"
Continuing he said: Spruce logs in
the boom are now worth s11 Der 1000
feet. This is IS higher than the usual
price. To lessen this expense I think
that hereafter the logs Will be cut into
four-foot lengths to facilitate descent.
The spruce supply Of Maine Is. az
said before. sufficient to last 30 years
at the present rate Of consumption. AS
the spruce is used up the other woods
will probably be utilized Poplar Is
very abundant in the State of Maine.
In fact there is more poplar than
spruce. This wood succeeds spruce In
the order fixed by Mother Nature. So.
over that portion OF the State where
the spruce was burnt or cut off l look
for large supply of poplar in about Is
years. In this connection | should like
70 mention the fact that white birch
succeeds spruce when that wood is cut
away or destroyed by fire and that
after lapse of 20 years young poplar
trees follow the white birch Under
meath these little poplar trees you may
see. if You look carefully. the shoots
Of new crop Of spruce"
Speaking of the timber resources Of
Maine this gentleman said: our State
can easily furnish all the spruce that
is needed in the whole United States
for some years. 1t is estimated that
800 million feet of spruce is used an
nually in the manufacture Of paper in
the United States. Now. a single
township in the State of Maine CON
tains over Sc square miles. and. al
though it takes a pretty good one t.
supply 100 million feet Of spruce there
are many townships that can do it,
So you see that it would take only five
townships to furnish the total supply
for one year if necessary. The aver
age production or growth. on each
township is. however. somewhere be
tween % to 20 million feet Of spruce.
The townships located ut the head
waters of the rivers are very fertile in
spruce.
For timber purposes the lumbermen
up there cut trees Of good size. The
pulp men cut smaller ones. This is q
mistake, as they should cut only the
full-eroWn trees. leaving the smaller
ones to mature. BY 50 doing they
would profit better in the end.
THE real danger in regard to the
pulp lands Of Maine is that they may
fall into the hands Of small combina-
ton Of men. This is perfectly possible.
and everything considered. | wonder
that it had not been done before. To
do it, however. the right man should
undertake the task.
NOW surposng that there was such
a combine perhaps you think that the
capital invested would have to lie idle
without earning anything. This is
wrong The fact is that the money
now invested in pulp lands in Maine
earns per cent. interest by the in
crease in the growth Of the trees. Al
ready there are number Of large
holdings in pulp lands in Maine. Two
men. PinGrce of Lewiston. and COe OF
Bangor. together own 1,0G0,0O1 acres
When asked If the cutting away Of tn
woodlands had materially affected the
| water supply, this gentleman answered.:
| Yes perhaps ii has but not to any great
| extent. as the cutting has been done near
the larger rivers. Later the effect will
! become more noticeable when the pulp
! wood near the small rivers. which feed
| the large ones. is cut away.
| do YOU know" continued he. that
| geographically speaking. every thirteenth
foot Of territory that goes y make up
| the State of Maine is water. This is true
but in addition ! want to say that the
| State has natural advantages for reSer-
voirs beyond those of any other State.
| These could be easily utilized. especially
| by means Of storage basins. and by 50 do
ing. the power Of rivers can be Increased
100 per cent. There are hundreds Of lakes
and ponds in Maine that could be greatly
| improved by dams.
THE storage of water in Moosehead
| lake is controlled by the Log Driving
Company. but just as soon as the logs %
| down this powerful mass of water is al
| lowed to run to waste. Now. with prop
| er regulations for holding back the water
under the system used by the Log Driv.
ing Company. the same to be placed at