The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1903-09-11

extensive aotio'. taken, the entire
country will be punched. Our tim,
ber supply will be exhausted, and
we shall suffer wood famine far
worse than the coal famine which
England is now fronting.
What we must do is to study the
soil. A fewyears ago all our fine cigars
were coming from Cuba and other
West Indian points. sent men to
these various places and had them
collect samples of the soil on which
the finer grades of tobacco were
raised.
This was brought to Washington
and analysed. Having found the
properties Of the soil, sent out over
the United States to find the same
kind, and as result we are now
growing the finest cigar tobacco in
the world light here in our own
country.
My mon found the exact soil wanted
in Texas, Ohio and Connecticut and
in these States we raise better tobacco
than is grown in any of the Southern
islands.
So it is with forestry. The ground
that has produced the big trees and
the hard wood trees must be anal
yzed and seed must be planted i'm
mediately. If the necessary elements
are lacking in the soil, it must be
manipulated until it will grow tim.
ber.
Every agricultural college in the
country should have forestry de-
partment. Yale is the only institu-
tion that has regular course, Cor
nell having abolished hers. l recently
attended the graduation exercises of
a Western agricultural school that
received an annual endowment from
Congress of $4,000 year, and out
of the 45O graduates not one knew
anything about forestry. This is
robbery.
A few figures will give fair idea
of about how long the timber of the
country may be expected to last at
the present rate of consumption
There are now 700,O00,O0O acres
of productive forest land in the Uni
ted States. The annual cutting of
lumber amounts to 35,00O,O0O,OOI
feet year; of timber, 5000, 100000
feet; for railroad ties, 22,0O0,O0O, and
for fence posts, 100000
The lumber industry amounts tc
07G,O00,0OO year, and of this the
farmers receive $100, 100000 for tim
ber cut from their personal property
If this industry is to be exhausted
the result can only be surmised.
Science is learning how to trea
soft woods, which grows rapidly, sc
that they can be made to last az
long as hard wood, This will asss
in reducing the annrel consumption
Of ties and fence posts, which are NJ
small factor. We can only hope TO
greater development in scientific re
search.
The fuel question must also b
considered. Every farmer shoulc
grow his own fuel. Those whicl
are suitable for the purpose are sof
and grow quickly, and every farme
should therefore have his fuel patel
rs we'll as Ills produce garden.
Every child should be taught th
zoe Ing time of trees and know whel
to go to them to find the seed, an,
then they should plant them. Th
seriousness of the situation must b
impressed upon the coming genera
tion for they are the ones who wi
suffer in event of famine.
Therefore, | say let every agricu
tural college have forestry depar
ment, and in the department stud
the soil. Teach your children frol
infancy the value of every tree an
the need of planting trees, and yo
who are Older, enter in with the OF
thusiasts of the association, advocat
a State forest reserve and plant
tree whenever you have spare me
ment.
, | MT II