The Cook County herald. [volume] (Grand Marais, Minn.) 1893-1909, 1900-10-06


for growing pine. The white pine loves5
good soil, but 1t Is not an exactinx tree,
and will thrive on poor SOIL. True
economy demands and It is a funda-
mental principle OF forestry that good
soil be reserved for field crops. It
takes eighty years on an average to
This Is too long for individuals to walt
for q crop, and. if the business IS to-
be undertaken sA extensively 1t u must
be BY the state. The one great truth.
to be impressed on the public mind Isl.
that we have in Minnesota about three.
million acres Of idle land which is At
only for bearing pine, and which, if
planted with pine and administered on
forestry principles, would earn a net
revenue of 3 per cent per ann UNI, COM
pound interest on the capital expended
in the work. 5$5 8S$.2t55# $@ IA
Should Lay the Foundations of sus-
Il tanned Forest Yield. nj
K To-day we are cutting fifteen hun
dred million feet Of pine in our Mime
sofa forests each year, but in twenty
years the demand on our forest re-
sources will be far greater than now.
We should begin to lay the founda-s
tions Of sustained forest products, be-
cause nature will work with U.S. II
was Frederick the Great who started
forestry in Prussia, and the people OF
Minnesota can do as much for their
state, if they will but give the matter
attention. Fortunately, we have not
the incentive that he had when, after
six years absence in a foreign war, he
returned to country reduced as1Car-
lyle says, to skin and bones" Sc
The value Of the 10;00O,000 acres OF
state forests In Germany, being on
land unfit for, agriculture, is 100000, 81
900, an amount equal to the total as
sessed valuation Of property in Mime
sofa. The average net revenue there
from is $23,000,000. And the forests are
more in the nature of a park than of
wilderness. The principles of forestry
are the same here as in Germany, but,
owing to the denser population, cheap
err labor and higher value of products,
the profits OF forestry there are much
greater than could be expected here
for a time. However they would be
fair here, and prove from the start the
mother of wages. The sun, air and
rainfall great factors in forest growth
are ready to go into partnership with
our state in the forestry business, the
state to furnish It's sandy soil as capi-
tai, and receive all the dividends. ~.
Proposed National Park-Vandalisn
A year ago last August visited Cass
Lake, and found, to my surprise and
delight on its south shore, such an
ideal pine forest as, with the remarka-
bly, clean and sandy beach, formed one
of the most beautiful spots for health
and summer resort that could be i'm
agined. gave to the press some ac-
count of it at the time. Later a joint
committee Of the state medical socie-
ties made a visit there, and through
the influence of a committee of wo-
mans clubs the legislature memorial
lied the president to postpone for two
years the sale Of the land, so that the
State of Minnesota might, it 1t should
then deem it expedient, buy the same
for a park. e y NJ =, .s.s% - :.
Judge OF my surprise and indigna-
ton, then, to find, as did, on visiting
the same spot again in the early part
of July, 1899, that a dozen or more
acres of this. beautiful forestswere lunn7ss
bered and cut over the preceding WIN
ter. son the fraudulent pretense OF IL
being "dead-and-down timber" The
tops and branches OF the trees-slash-
ings as they are called-are now lying
there, endangering the rest Of the for.
est In the event Of dry weather. Not
withstanding the terrible injury and
Disagreement the forest is not ruined
for a park. But in May 1892, fires
xr,o,>o cot ~, tho ST rra. eiSo &fhn <rocoo
of which cover quite an area, and were
set for the purpose, as is generally be-
lieved, of making pretext for another
contract the coming winter to lumber
it as idea d-and-down timber =
This sad and wicked despoilment OF
one OF the most beautiful pieces Of
scenery Minnesota possesses was per-
petrated under the fraudulent system
of-lumbering "dead-and-down timber, -
system which offers premium for
firing the forest, and which was cum
ningly devised to enable rascals to OBJ
tain standing pine at pricesfar below
it's value. The government at Wash
ington is directly responsible, and our
people should hold their senators and
representatives in congress accounta-
Bile and responsible that nothing Of the
kind occurs again, for they are the OFF,
GERS elected to conduct the affairs OF
Minnesota with the executive depart
ments at Washington and with con-
gress. 2 w ~ %st..$ fl*; y >i5s .ss :.
= Some Reasons for the Park. 5
If the park be acquired it will be
mana ged on forestry principles. The
mature pine will be cut and honestly
accounted for. OF course, some groves
Of the handsomest pine on lake shores,
will be preserved. The younger growth
of forest will be protected; bare spots
will be planted; substantial yield
and revenue will be maintained; yet,
in fifty years, the forest in the park
will be more valuable, and the park It
self more beautiful than at present.
If here and there are tracts Of good
agricultural land, they will be culti-
waited The establishment of the park
will give a wonderful impulse to for
estry, and prove a boon to the North
west that few now can realize. We
have not In Minnesota, the White
Mountains nor the fCatskills, but we
have as beautiful pine forests. and as
beautiful clear lakes in their midst, as
can anywhere be found; and future
genera tons will reproach us il we al
al OF such 5Snonpy.xy