River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1903-11-19

riod has been As per cent; that is, that
each inhabitant of these islands con-
sumes more timber than was the case
20 years ago.
The manufacture of pulp and cellu
lose alone is now consuming immense
quantities of our spruce and other
woods. Taking the whole consumption
of wood the world over for the various
uses to which it is applied, and then
taking into account the visible means
of supply, and the outlook is by no means
reassuring. One thing is certain, and
that is, that timber famine is shortly
to be felt if the timber producing coun-
tries do not at once commence to hus-
band the forest wealth which they pos
sess, and of which so many of them
seem to be oblivious.
The history of the Increase In the
value of forest products in Europe with
in the past 100 years may be
taken as indicating what the advance
in price of these products will probably
be in this country within the present
century
This question was very FULLY discussed
at the last two meetings of the Royal
Scottish Arboricultural society, and l
will take the liberty of making few
quotations from recent reports of tran
sactions at those meetings. In the re-
port of 1900, DR.. John Nisbet, in his adj
dress makes the following quotation
from an article which appeared in the
London Times of March II, 1899:
Canada possesses in great quantity
certain raw materials which are essen
tial to the maintenance of some import
ant American industries. Among these
none are more important than timber.
It is a fact, that in the northern hem
isphere, Canada is rapidly becoming the
only country which can afford to export
timber The other countries which pos
sess it in excess of their manufacturing
requirements are Russia, Norway and
Sweden. 1t is Typographical peculiar
ity of the Russian empire, that the rivers
traversing the principal districts flow
into the Arctic ocean. They are, there
fore, useless for the purpose of floating
out logs to the markets of the world;
and, so far, NJ method of land transport
has ever been devised which will carry
llluD6i IOA lOlS QASldASCo CuSdpty
enough to bring it into practical COM
petition with water-carried logs. The
forests of Russia may ror the present be
regarded as commercially inaccessible.
Norway and Sweden, which do export
timber, are hardly able to supply the
deficiency of Germany All other ma
tions requiring timber of the sorts
grown in the northern hemisphere must
look to Canada for their supply.
First among these nations will soon
rank the United States. 1t is fully recog-
nized that, owing to the depletion of
the forests of the northern states, the
timber supply OF the United States for
all ordinary purposes of building and
manufacture will not last more than a
very limited number Of years. The
American supply of spruce for pulp
wood will fall far below present require
ments in five or six years, and in ten
years, assuming the present rate of man.
ufacture to remain unchanged, will be
entirely exhausted. This being the case,
the United States must evidently, with
ing very short period, look to outside
supplies for the raw material upon which
many of her most important industries
are based. When it is considered to
how many of these full supply of tim
Der is an essential condition OF existence,
it will be seen that there is little exag-
geration in the statements commonly
made by the far-sighted Canadian lum-
bermen, that the position hitherto held
by cotton in the markets Of the world
is as nothing compared with that which
timber is destined within few years to
occupy. The extraordinary develop
ment OF the single manufacture of wood
pulp, which only a few years ago was
practically unknown, and is now used
not only for making paper, but for
clothing and an immense diversity of
other articles is a sufficient indication