Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-08-11
Movement in Their Favor Began
Three Decades Ago.
WHITNEY, VANDERBILT AND WEBB
All Owners of Magnificent Estates
Follow Late Methods.
PLANTING ALONG STREAMS

The Department of Agriculture. being
anxious to have circulated through the
country knowledge Of what has thus far
been done in the United States by private
parties to promote forestry. has issued a
document on the Practice Of Forestry
oy Private Owners" 1t is also hoped that
the Efforts being put forth by the depart
ment will result in more land owners de-
voting a part at least of their holdings TO
the promotion OF forestry. In part the
paper referred to states:
The general movement in the United
States In favor OF conservative forestry
began about twenty-five TO thirty years
ago. Some of the results OF the agitation
or the subject have been the withdrawal
from sale OF about ii, 0uo, 600 acres OF public
land. to be held federal forest reserya-
lions, the establishment OF state reserva-
lions in New York and Pennsylvania, the
institution of a system OF fire patrol In
Maine, New York, New Hampshire. Mime
sofa, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania; the ap-
pointment of forest commissioners or SINH
ar officers in Maine. New Hampshire. New
York, Pennsylvania, Minnesota Wisconsin
and Kansas. the organization Of two forest
schools In the east and two in the west,
well as the establishment OF courses of
lectures on forestry in many agricultural
colleges. and the creation of a lively inter-
est IN the subject throughout the country.
Inc earliest attempt al conservative for
estry. 80 far as is shown by the records,
was made in Connecticut in 1890 wheE ia
red Eliot, In connection with Governor
huxley and Mr. Livingston Of New York.
started a small blast furnace near Old
salisbury. The wood used in making the
charcoal needed in the furnace was cut
from the neighboring woodlands and in
stead OF clearing the forests. was
usually done. careful system of thinning
vas adopted. Only the large trees were
cut while the small specimens were left
standing to shade the ground and to grow
10 a larger size. Tradition states that un-
der this system the owners returned for
successive crops every twenty years. and
It is reported that timber is still being cut
periodically from this same land.
Planting on large scale begun in
eastern Massachusetts in the present CEN
fury. as early as the '40s. The best known
OF the plantations are those of Richard
Fay. at Lynn, who planted about 200 acres
IN ls4o-S with oak. ash. maple, Norway
spruce, Scotch and larch. and OF Joseph s.
Fay. at Woods Hole who few years ago
stocked about l25 acres with trees. In
many sections of the country planting by
pwners OF small holdings is very important
and should be encouraged I'm every way
possible, but the proper care of existing
woodlands is of much greater importance.
Many observing farmers have already
studied this problem and manage their
wood lots with great intelligence.
The most extensive work in forestry by
lumbermen has been done Ia the spruce
forests OF New York and the New England
states. The pioneer of this movement was
T. s. Coe Of Bangor, Me, who saw very
early that II only the large trees were cut
and the small ones left standing the lanI
could be cut over at repeated Intervals A
large number of owners have followed his
example and limited the cutting Of spruce
TO a certain size, but SO far as is known
the cuttings have not been regulated in
systematic way except the tracts be-
longing to DIR. W. S. Webb ana Mr. w &.
Whitney 0ormer Secretary of the Nayy)
AdirnndarkS rhar sh.. las, y
been numbered under a system devised by
the United States division of forestry. The
International Paper Company has within a
Few years adopted system of restricting
the cutting OF spruce on a part OF its lands
n Maine. New Hampshire. Vermont ana
New York. On one trac; OF l29.OD acres In
New Hampshire inspector Is employed
% watch that the lumbermen do not cut
any small spruce for numbering purposes
except for camps, bridges. dams, cribs
piers and corduroy.
The first large forest put under system
atlc management with definite working
plan was that belonging to @. W. Van
derbilt, at Biltmore, n. C The work was
organized in 1891 by Clifford Pinchot now
the forester of the Department of Agricui-
ture. on about 1000 acres. Additional tracts
have since been purchased TO the extent
OF about 10000 acres. and the whole area
has been brought under systematic treat
ment.
The most perfect system of fire protec-
ton In this country is that used by DIR. W.
Adirondacks. The park Is divided into four
sections. each watched over by an expert
enced woods man, who lives at a point from
which all parts OF his section can ne easily
and quickly reached. The houses of the
rangers are connected by telephone and
there is an admirable system of reads ana
trails In case of fire in the park the super.
tntendent and the rangers are notified BY
telephone, and all available men are called
out to extinguish It, In case of severe
fire along the railroad which traverses the
ri rh.a &c .r4s.Nl 49,. -
a locomotive is dispatched to draw the fire
service to the scene. This consists of a
large tank placed on fiat car to which -
attached a box freight car containing a
small engine used to pump the water from
the tank. and complete outfit of hose
axes and other tools used in fighting fires
The great bulk of the forest painting has
been done in the states west of the Mis-
sissippi river. In the eastern states ex-
cept in n few instances the planting has
been Gone on a smaller scale and usually
as an experiment. An interesting p.anta-
ton is that belonging TO Isaac Adams at
Moultonboro', n. H., covering altogether
about fifty acres. and was composed OF
white pine and Norway pine set out about
twenty-five years ago. The trees have
grown admirably, and, far as showln:
what planted pine will produce. the expert
ment is very valuable. A very instructive
plantation has been established by Mr. H.
G. Russell at East Greenwich r. l. cover
ing about $50 acres. Like many American
planters, he began with imported trees
namely, scotch pine, austrian pine and
Norway spruce. but later used native spe-
cies. The work was begun in ISIS the infen-
ton being to form a wind-break. and in ad-
dition to provide an object lesson in for
est planting.
The most extensive planting In Pennsyl-
vania has been done by the Girard estate
bear Pottsville- About 80 acres were SCI
aside IN 1851 to be treated under the meth
DDS Of forestry. This tract was fenced and
surrounded and crosscut by fire lines
wherever there existed no roads adapted for
that purpose. The trees used were whitc
pine. Scotch pine, Europs an larch and while
oak The cost of planting varied from SIS
per acre for the pines to s15 for the oaks.
The planting of trees on the barren gravel
at the edge o. the reservoir is of special
value. Another interesting experiment In
planting in Pennsylvania has been under
taken by the Morrison * Cass Paper Com
pany at Tyrone. About 1000 Carolina pop
lars were planted In 1898 at an expense OF
sJ34.5o. About half the trees were ten TO
sixteen feet high, and the remainder some
what smaller. They were planted twelve
feet apart in rocky. worthless land.
The planting of trees along the banks OF
streams to prevent erosion has been under
taken in a number of instances. Thus. In
Arkansas one man has Planted red birch,