Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1900-12-22
FORESTRY IN MICHIGAN.
It's Present Condition as De-
scribed by an Expert.
OBSERVATIONS OF F. E. sXEELs

tercsts From n Business Point of
vfew-PoIfcy Advocated For Use of
Abandoned Lands.
At the recent meeting OF the Michi
gan State Horticultural society in
Grand Rapids F. E. Skeels, state agent
of agricultural lands, spoke in part as
| follows:
Il am expected to say something Of
the interest the state has in the forest
ry problem. In this short paper we
shall treat only Of the interests OF the
| state from a business point of view.
| Without going into detail, we find
| from as careful estimates as can be de-
duced from any statistics obtainable,
that the average annual cut of lumber
| of all kinds in Michigan is about 2,000,-
000.000feet The capital employed inthe
manufacture of this lumber runs far
into the millions. and an army of $1,000
| men is engaged in the work In this
state So great has become the area
| of stripped lands that many of the
| smaller mills have ceased operations.
and many of the large ones are seek
| ing new fields In the forests of the west
| and south. Can the state of Michigan
afford to lose this great Industry
Working upon the presumption that
| the state will finally perfect It's title
| In these stripped areas, what is the in
| terest of the state In this proposition?
| What is Michigan to do with this tract
! of millions of acres? Let us consider
| first what she has done. In the gener-
al tax Of 1893 certain provisions are
| made by which the auditor general was
| to deed to the state certain lands,
which then became subject to entry as
| tax homesteads. There is one clause Of
this law that has created much COM
ment and no little censure. We find In
section 127, 1T becomes the duty Of the
auditor general and commissioner of
the state land office to cause an exami-
nation of lands delinquent for taxes in
certain townships, and, If 1t shall ap-
pear that said lands are barren, swamp
or worthless lands and have been aban-
doned by the owner, then the auditor
general Is authorized to make trans
fer by deed to the state etc.
"The state, in it's desire to settle the
northern counties. has offered these
lands to the actual settlers at 10 cents
per acre, exempting the settler from
taxes except upon improvements. for
the first FIVE years, at the end of which
time the state gives deed. TO the
people who were looking for homes,
cheap homes. this was an alluring bait.
To the timber thieves Ii was 'bonan-
"a Let us for moment return to
one clause of this law as passed. If
1t shall appear that said lands are
barren. swamp or worthless lands and
have been abandoned by the owner
then the homesteader can find home.
Ye gods. What benefcence is thisi
What philanthropy does this great
commonwealth deal out when she
takes a man who Is already SO poor
that he has nowhere TO lay his head
and palms off on him barren. swampy
land AT $4. takes him and his family
from friends ana kindred and places
him on worthless tract of land to
exc out miserable exlstencel
us ii not of more interest to use
these lands for the purpose for which
they were adapted than for the state
to pauperiZe q portion of its popula-
ton or to offer such inducements for
people to come here from other states?
make the assertion that 80 per cent
of the tax homesteads taken up ar
complete failures as homes. More
than so per cent are taken by men
who never intended to occupy them and
but for the timber that may be grow
ing on the land would not make ap-
plication Many never erect any sort
of building at all. but remove and sell
all valuable timber Before the time to
prove up Others erect a rough by
10 log hut, put in an old stove and q
table of rough boards and with this
bluff at a residence proceed TO cut
and remove the timber. Others. orig
inal owners. claim that the states title
| is not good and boldly proceed to take
the timber, second growth, from lands
on which they have refused TO pay
taxes for from 10 to 20 years.
by virtue of this act the state of
| Michigan is not only alluring certain
class of her population to a state of
! bankruptcy. but she is also tempting
| and making 1t possible for another
class to commit crime by perjury and
| false pretense by entering claims for
! these lands. Would II not be of more
and better interest to the state to use
| these abandoned lands for the purpose
for which they are adapted the grow
! ing of timber-rather than for the cues
| tionable purposes related? Much the
! larger portion of these lands is spring
ing up to a thick growth of poplar
| osiers and other material, useless as
| timber. but hidden among and protect
ed by this growth are thousands of
! seedlings of the pines, spruces and
4 some hard woods
1.-THE forestry problem, from bust
ness view. will show some of the inter
ests of the state to be: The growing Of
| the raw material to keep the vast lum-