Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1902-12-23
! OUR
! N AT " E:
! TREES
! THOMAS H. MhCBRIDE. Phi. D.,
Professor of Botany, Io,Do State
!. UnipcrsitH
VII.-Forest Products.

VII.-Forest Products.
IN EFORE an American audience
B& there is one consideration to
- which speaker may always
safely appeal. That considera.
ton is profit. Nothing commands at
tention or respect until it can be shown
to be in some way or other profitable.
Thus far we have studied trees largely
from the viewpoint of science. We have
had regard to their curious structure,
their strange longevity, their persist
cnce and their distribution over the
lands Of the earth. and more particu-
larly the relation of forest areas to the
general stability Of terrestrial condi-
tons and the welfare Of mankind.
However, the considerations brought
forward in our last chapter really per-
tain to the veal Of living creatures
generally as we'll as to that Of human
ity. Nature changes, 1t is true, but
never with abruptness. At least only
the slow, imperceptible changes of the
ages are consistent with the general
progress and general welfare Of the
world organic. But let US for awhile
consider the simple matter Of actual in
come which civilized men derive from
the standing forest. Unfortunately sta
tistics are not always accessible to rem
der possible such a presentation as
were desirable, but we may at least In
stitute some comparisons, we hope not
without profit.
The earliest use made by man of for
est products was probably to make a
fire. To this day, as we know, this
earliest use remains the most nearly
universal Notwithstanding our many
appliances for the consumption OF coal,
wood is still in all forest bearing re-
rions Of earth the fuel of mankind.
Now, it is impossible to sum up in dol
lars the value of the worlds supply or
fuel. 1t is manifestly great. But we
NAV form some conception of the Sit
uation if we confine our study to some
limited rcgion-to our own country, Tor
instance. Even prairie state may be
made to furnish basis Of estimate.
In Iowa there are. say. half million
homes. One-half of these, let us say,
use wood rs fuel. This is probably far
below the truth. Allow to each family
ten cords of wood per annum at 81 q
cord, and we have SS,0O0.000 for one
single state. and that not the largest
/ MS the firewood bill Of single year.
| Taking the country over. 1t Is evident
! from this that the value OF wood con-
sumed as fuel in the United States in q
single year is probably not much less
than S2OO,0OOO00. The department OF
j agriculture in 1895 made it S450.0OO,OOO
per year for fuel and fencing.
Bat this is confessedly one OF the
least important Of our forest products.
I So much is waste, so much we throw
away, does not ordinarily count at all.
Prairie farmers commonlJ raise their
I own fuel anC do net reckon 1t on either
! side of the economic or domestic bal
ance. Let us, therefore. take another
view of the subject, estimating the for
est products which are generally val
ued and of which our census regularly
gives us some account. Secretary Nor
ton in the report already quoted placed
in 1895 the value of mill products In
the United States for that year at
about 100000 00-tilat is. the gift OF
the forest to the people OF the United
States for the year 1895 was in round
numbers about one-half the whole of
our national debt. But let US make
another comparison. The coal output
for the same year is quoted at $780,
600, 00O-that is. the simple mill prod
net of the trees was in value nearly
three times as much as that Of all the
coal mines of Pennsylvania and Nir-
ginla and Kentucky and all the Mis-
sissippi valley! The gold and silver
for the same year are put at 100000.
/ S4O.OOO,O00 gold-that is to say. the for
ests Of our country give US in lumber
every year four times as much value
as all the gold and silver put together
ten times as much value as all the gold
Of all the valleys and mountains OF the
west. How we boast of our mineral
wealth. 1t is great The mines of
Alaska and the Yukon command the
attention Of the world, and yet the
broad pine slabs Of our nature boarded
trees bring us year by year wealth that
the Yukon will not in fifty years at.
tain. and this great nation accepts it
simply as matter of course and new.
er stops once to estimate the CONNER
cial value of our native trees.
But we may 60 further yet. The to-
tai product of the iron mines Of the
country for the year 1895 was only
S5O,O00.000 more than the product of
the sawmill. Or let us take still wild,
err view. If we add to the product OF
the mill the estimate for fuel and fenc'
ing, the value of manufactured arti-
cles in wood or in wood in part, If we
credit our American forest with all
that is properly its own, we have the
surprising total Of 1881 100000! Now,
take all the gold and all the silver and
all the coal and all the other sub
stances exploited from the earth-the
coal oils. mineral waters. gases, rocks
and stones and clays-take them alto.
gether, even in the marvelously produc-
tive year 1899. and we have S7O0,O00..
600, vast sum, and yet the total yield
Of all the efforts of our people to win
| the stored up treasures of the earth Il.