The evening times., 1900-10-09

cradle breakage when one of them falls.
Such tree strikes the ground with the
force of many hunGred-or even thousa nd
tons, so that every slight iaequality
is sufficient to smash the brittle trunk at
its upper extremity into almost useless
fragments
The great diameter OF the logs and. in
spite of the lightness OF the wood. their
enormous weights, make it impossible to
handle many of them without breaking
them up. For this purpose gunpowder is
he most available ;naeaps. The fragments
o1 the logs blown apart in this way are
aot only often of SastefuI shapes, but
unless very nice judgment is exercised in
preparing the blast, a great deal of wood
itself is scattered in useless splinters
At the mill where waste is the rule in
the manufacture of lumber in the United
States the big tree makes no exception.
This waste, added as 1t is to the other
sources of loss already mentioned, make a
total probably often considerably in ex-
cess of half the total volume of the stand
ing tree.
The big tree stauds as rule In a mixed
forest composed OF ny species The
destruction caused by the fall of the enor-
nous trees is IN itself great but the prin-
cipai source OF damage is the immense
amount of debris left on the ground-the
certain source OF future fires. This mass
of broken branches trunks and bark is
often i've or six or even more feet in
thickness, aud necessarily gives rise to
fires OF great destructive power even
though the big tree wood is not especially
infiammable. The devastation which fol-
lows such numbering is as complete and
deplorable as the untouched forest is un-
paralleled, beautiful, and worthy of pres
ervation.
AS rule it has not even had the ad-
vantage of being profitable. Very much of
this appalling destruction has been done
without leaving thz owners of the big trees
as well OFF as they were before il begun.
The ownership OF the big tree timber
lands is divided among the State, the Fed
eral Government, and private individuals.
California owns but one tract, which in
eiudes the Mariposa Grove. This was ced-
ed to the State by the United States in
1865, to hold and protect as State parks.
The Federal Government owns and in part
controls two considerable areas, comprised
within the Sequoia and the General Grant
National Parks 1t can only be said Of
these holdings that the Governments in
terest is considerable in big trees, but i'm
perfectly defined and poorly protected.
Private holdings include by far the great
er part of the big trees, and except some
groves in Tulare county they are held by
sawmin or logging companies. The famous
Caiaveras Grove which has been carefully
preserved since the early hfties. has been
recently disposed of to man who is said
to represent q lumber syndicate.
Prof. William Z. Dudley, filling the
chair OF forestry in the Leland Stanford
University. California, recently urged
upon the Government the Importance of
securing title TO the two tracts Of land
in Caiaveras and Tuolumne counties.
known as the ManEnonth Tree or Calave-
ras Grove and the Stanislaus. South
Park Grove. and setting the same apart,
with such additional lands as may be
necessary, as a national park Add tioa-
al pressure WAS brought to bear upon
the Government by the friends Of the
big trees. During the last session of
Congress a Joint resolution passed the
Senate and the House, providing fer the
acquisition Of these lands, which au
thorized the Secretary of the Interior at
the earliest possible Gate to open neso-
tiations for, and if possible to procure,
bond upon. the lands occupied by these
groves, with sufficient adjacent lands Tor
their preservation, management, and
control and to submit the same TO Con
gress for action
Acting under this authority and d.
rection. the Commissioner Of the G neral
Land Office, in his annual report, Is-
sued recently. states that the Depart
ment has ordered temporary withdraw
ais of all vacant lands in the immediate
vicinity of the tracts covered by the two
groves. and n{thin the intervening AREA.
amounting TO $50 acres.