The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-09-27
FORESTRY PR oBLEMS.
Gen. G. G. Andrews on the Necessity
OF Pine Planting.

Gen. G. G. Andrews ON the Necessity
of Pine Planting.
1t will often be found in history that the
greatest rulers have shown a lively inte<-
est IN good husbandry Of the soil. 1t was
one CT the greatest popes, Sixt1s W. who
ordered the planting of mulberry trees
throughout his temporal domnions 1t
was Frederick the Great who caused frs
to be planted on all the sand hills be-
longing to Prussia. These men exercised
autoeratic power. When they were sat
isaed a thing was proper they spoke the
word, and it was done. In our popular
form of government the great mass of
the people must be convinced before an
important measure can be carried into
effect. 1t Is SO in this state in the matter
OF forestry-the people must be instructed
on the subject before anything very use
full can be accomplished
In Michigan the cutting down of the
forest has been going on much longer
than In Minnesota. and standing pine
there is now worth IS per 1000 feet 1t
has risen In Minnesota the past year 81
per 1000 feet, and Is now worth on an
average, just as it stands IN the woods
81 per LEGO feet. Much the greater part
Of the pine forests in Minnesota has been
consumed, and with the continuance Of
the present destructive ways of lumber
ing-cutting small as well as large trees
clean, leaving the tops and limbs as food
Tor Tires, and doing nothing for forest re-
genera tion-luRlber will grow dearer and
deafer. There is now scarcely a lumber
yard in Minnesota in which there are MT
red cedar shingles and yellow spruce
from the Pacific coast competing with
our home products, and the owners of
the railroads to the Pacific are looking
forward to the time when the bulk of
the lumber required by people in Mime
sofa Will be hauled by them from the
coast. Almost everyone IS interested in
the cheapneSS of lumber To the major
1ty OF farmers, especially, it will make
difference of hundreds Of dollars in the
next ten or twenty years whether we go
on as we are doing or adopt forest econ
omy.
The United States still owns pine lands
or considerable extent in this state, but
Is practically giving them away This it
should stop doing. It should hold such
OF these lands as are better adapted for
timber than for agriculture as a forest
reserve, the mature trees to be cut. the
small ones left to grow, and the lum
bering conducted so as to lessen the dan.
ger OF forest fires In a word, the forest
reserve to be managed on forestry prin
eiples.
There are 100000 acres, more or less.
of waste, rocky. billy or sandy land, un-
mt for agriculture in detached localities
IN Northern Minnesota, which the state
ought gradually to buy and plant with
pine Some Of these lands already con
tain small pine and would not require
to be planted. The experience Of many
countries shows that such q measure
would return a good net revenue on the
capital invested, besides furnishing re-
muerative labor for many thousands of
people and maintaining a continuous SUP
ply Of lumber, and, besides, affording
many indirect advantages from forest
conservation.
These, briefly. are the two forestry
propositions before the people Of Mime
sofa. No enc, nor two, nor dozen, persons
can bring these measures about. All pub
Hc-spirtted citizens should manifest in
terest in the matter and make 1t a point
at once to have their candidates or mem
bers- elect to the legislature committed
to progressive action in forestry.
The state of New York built the great
Erie canal when It's pepula ton was less
than that Of Minnesota today. Our state
has never begun to do anything SO great.
But If 1t would with courage make an
advance movement in forestry it would
earn the applause Of cur whole country.
There is hardly any other state that has
such a golden opportunity, ana because
nature is so strongly on her side
&C. @. Andrews.
st. Paul, Sept 10.