The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1903-01-28
IGNORANT HEWERs ARE HURT.
Fell Timber Without Judgment
and Contribute to Ultimate
AnniiiIation.

Charles G. Howardson, a Washing
ton lumbernaan, is in the city. Mr..
Howardson is naturally interested in
the forest lands OF the country mas
much as his company is dependent
upon them for existence. He is an
ardent advocate of legislation looking to
their preservation that the supply may
be made inexhaustible In converse
tion this morning with reporter for
The Evening Post he spoke interest
ingly on the subject.
What are requisite and necessary
for the country, said Mr.. Howard
son, are statutes that will prohibit
wanton waste of timber. There are
thousands upon thousands Of acres of
valuable lands now and even at the
present rate of destruction they will
not last a long time. But unless
steps be Immediately taken toward
preserving these tracts, future genera
tions will value timber as the most
precious metal is now valued. 1t will
only prove detrimental to allow igno-
rant men to continue to hew trees in
discriminatory in order to provide for
the present and allow the future to
care for itself.
'sThis is wrong policy and one that
is hurting more as time passes. 1t is
all right as long as these tracts Of
virgin timber, capable of supplying
millions of feet, are still untouched,
but the demands of these United States
are constantly and steadily growing,
and this course is a serious menace to
the nation as whole.
with our increasing population and
greater demand for lumber, trees are
falling fast. No judgment is exercised
in the selection Of sticks for mill use.
Whatever tree meets the requirements
of the market must come down. The
sooner our wise legislators realize and
appreciate. the danger, the better.
They should open wide their eyes and
inaugurate an earnest movement for
the protection Of the forests. 1t is
true that the national bureau of forest
ry is aiding il. this good work but its
efforts require the second Of the law
making bodies of the several States
if anything is to be accomplished.
Men are being trained to care for
forests, but they are not given author
ity to enforce strictly measures which
should be adopted. They have the
knowledge, skill and information, and
are handicapped by insufficient inves-
titure of power TO make proper appll-
cation.
1.-The request on its own initiative
of local lumber plant asking for an
expert forester to survey their tracts is
ablecommend; it is step in the right
direction. At present there is body
of men going carefully over their
property, marking trees which can be
felled without detriment to the tract.
Their work means that other trees will
be given decent opportunity for growth
and the lands will yield vastly more
timber than they would if iniudici-
ously used, or rather abused. This
action can be followed with profit by
other kindred concerns hereabouts.
The fruits may not Immediately be
manifest, but later they will surely
become apparent. Rigid measures
are REQUIRED if the valuable timber
tract of South Carolina and other
States are to hold out. Posterity
should be cared for and this can be
done without hurt or harm to this gen
Grafton. Your Legislature would do
well to investigate this matter and
provide plans for protection and pre-
servation Of the orests.-Charleston
Post.