Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1900-05-10

shlngle varieties. But more numerous
than these infrequent members of the
family, save the chestnut oak, are
the short-leaf pine, chestnut. hickory.
black gum, maple, and tulip tree the
latter sometimes called the yellow
poplar The black locust and the sas-
safras have increased OF late years
while the black walnut has about
died out as forest tree.
In addition to those mentioned
there are distributed in various parts
of the estate, all of them being of
natural growth, this list of trees: Gu
cumber, papaw, Eastwood and white
Eastwood, holly sweet buckeye sugar
maple, black maple, soft maple. red
maple, box elder, staghorn sumac and
poison sumac, both the black and
honey locust, wild plum, wild cherry
Of both the black and red varieties
crab apple, haw, scarlet haw and sum
mer haw, shadbush. witch hazel, flow
ering dogwood stagbush, sourwood
laurel and great laurel or rhododend-
ron, persimon, rattleboX, white ash,
fringe tree, red elm, blackberry. red
mulberry sycamore, hickories OF the
bigbud, sdellbark, pignut and bitternut
varieties, chincapin, beech hornbeam
or ironYood, both river and black
birch, black alder, black willow, pop
lar, balsam cottonwood, red cedar,
hemock and pines of the white. pitch,
scrub table mountain and short-leaf
varieties.
Not all OF these have a mercantile
value and before the estate was pur-
chased by Mr.. Nanderbilt they were
allowed to grow unfortunately and
in the most promiscuous fashion by
the number of small farmers who
owned the properties of which the es-
tate is made UP. That so many varie-
ties of trees and shrubs viii thus
grow naturally is of advantage in
view of the fact that Mr. Vanderbilt
is establishing here one of the most
complete arboretums in the world.
The forest comprises a little over
one-half of the estate, which stretches
along the banks of the French Broad
for about six miles In all, there are
1891 acres of woodland The forest
comprises a little over one-half of the
estate, which stretches along the
banks Of the French Broad for about
six miles. In all, there are 1891
acres of woodland. The forest is
very irregular, as result of the clear
ing operations OF the many previous
owners, all of whom had their own
necessities and their own IDEAS of how
land should be cleared The axe has
in some parts entirely denuded the
land of trees, and fire has served
similar purpose In other portions
Density of growth, therefore, varies
considerably, both as to the young and
the mature trees. Two things have
at least been proved by the work that
has been done at the forest. These are
that larg trees, surrounded by dense
growth of smaller ones, may be felled
and removed with comparatively very
unimportant injury to the young crop,
and that the additional cost OF the
necessary care beyond that Of ordinary
destructive numbering is 50 small as
to be out of all proportion to the re-
suit. If this latter fact should be es-
tabished later on in other parts of the
United Startes, its Importance to the
future success of Intelligent forestry
Will be of inestimable value to owners
Of woodlands.
This selection system will be car
rled on over the two-thirds of the es-
tate that is situated on the west side
of the French Broad On the other
side of the river the regular High For
est system is to be adopted There
the land has been divided into nienty-
two sections, and there, in theoreti-
ealy perfect forest, the trees viii be
cut in one section after another in ro-
tation until the whole ninety-two sec
tions have been cut, when work will
again begin or section J. and be fol-
lowed year after year until the whole
ninety-two sections have again been
gone over with, when the rotation
work viii begin again Mr. Wander
bilt, young man though he still is, can
hardly expect to see this plan carried
out and the theory OF perfect forest
growth proved That will be left to
his heirs