Mower County transcript., 1900-03-14

An Earnest p5eoifor the Preservation
and Wise Manaxeuent of
O1f.f6fSS6.x

- =
Gen. G. g. Andrews, state IRE var.
den. gave . most iatersssing illus-
trstsd lecture on forestry 10 high
school hall last week Tuesray, ., We
briefly mentioned 10 our lsst Itsaue.
In his address on this subject Gea.
eral Andrew said: The several states
of Germany own in the aggregate ten
million acres Of forest on non-sgricul.
tural land which is managed on for
estry principals and from which 10 de.
rived annually q net revenue of
$4,000, 600 year just from the raw
material. The subsequent manufac-
ure of the product gives steady en-
ployment to vast number Of people.
The forests are treated as permanent
capitalsnd no more .s cut III 4 year or
series Of years than equals thegrowth
Ia the same period. The forests are
better to-day than they we're thirty
yesrs sgo:1nd viii be % good thirty or
q hundred yesre hence as they are to.
day.
The Heading principles of forestry
are these: Forest should occupy only
such land as is not good enough for
agriculture. When young the trees
should be crowded 30 as to promote
height aud growth. Iu this way they
shed their lin be: the weak trees die
out and those that endure yield long
clear stems. The forest should DO
perpetual.C When It reaches Its nor
NAL condition only 10 much should be
cot 10 each year or series @of years "a
equals.the total growth In the same
period. The cutting should be done
80 az to promote'natural reproduction
80 that on the cleared land trees
will grow up from the seeds which fall
fromIneighboring trees.
No country was ever so rich In for
est as was ours, butjthree centuries Of
consumption. have almost exhausted
our forest:.resources- In each Of the,
last two yearse this country. has im-.
ported logs andslunnbe % the value
Of e2o, ,0oo, 900. IThespulr required for
the paper for one Of the newspapers
in New York takes 5000 acres OF
spruce stumpage year. In these
days one of the best mills will saw 5OO,-
600 feet Of lumber lin day-enough
to make ten first-class houses. In our
state scores ofloRginR railroads reach
out into the pineries and huge trains
loaded. with logs come laundering
down to mills or to some river every
day the year round. In Minnesota
pine that's has.been two hundred years
growing can be brought In logs from
the forest by railway, put into the
boom, pulled into. the. mill, sawed,
kiln dried, matched'and be ready for
use In the construction of q building
In sixty hours. The most Of the re.
maining virgin pine in Minnesota is
owned. by private individuals who
will, as it Is their right, cut it as fast
as they can sell.it. But there is con-
sidera Die pine only partly grown and
j which will mature If protected from
fire. Probably there are fully 3,000,-
600 acres of non.agricultural land in
the state q part of which has been cut
over, which II planted with pine would
yield q net revenue per year Of three
per cent compound interest on the
capital required for planting and car
ing for it,. On soil too sandy for agri-
culture 1t might take 80 years from
the time of pla nting for pine to be.
come merchantable. Therefore We
cannot expect individuals to engage
in such an enterprise. It is the opin-
ion Of competent foresters that the
state should acquire possession of
such land aud hold 1t for forestry pur.
poses. Such plan would help per-
petuate our forest wealth.
Postoff1ce Stamps In Books.
The poston1ce department has given
notice that, commencing in May,
stamps will be offered for sale In books
OF convenient size for carrying In the
pocket. The stamps will be bound In
little books six to page and 60 ar.
ranged that there win be no danger
Of their becoming gummed together.
The books will be sold In three sizes
MN Aainino fve1ve tVAntv.fns,p and