The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1904-04-14
IEDIkNA'S LAWS Oil FORESTRY.
State Has Recently Established
Practical Experiment Station,
Where the Growth OF Hardwood
Timber Is Being Encouraged by
Successful ExampIe-What Recent
Legislatures Have Done.
Especial Correspondence

passed by the legislature. 1t provided
that upon certain conditions land own
ers could set apart one-eighth of their
land as a forest exemption. The land
so set apart should he appraised for
taxation at 81 per acre. The legisla-
ture Of 1901 passed an act establish
ing State Board of Forestry, with an
Office at the state capitol and sala-
ried secretary. The last General AS
sembly increased the number of mem
bers on the Board of Forestry and the
appropriation for carrying on it's work.
IL also provided $4,000 with which to
purchase 1000 acres of cheap waste
land in the state for a forestry expert
mental station, and made an annual
appropriation of $4,000 to conduct it,
The bill providing for the purchase
of the reservation was approved Mar.
8, 1908. Activities were Immediately
begun to secure a site. BY the aid
of the county auditors in such coun-
ties as possessed lands and conditions
available under the law, responsible
parties were secured to locate lands
and take the options. In reasonably
short time thirtytwo tracts were Of
sered to the board for its considera-
ton. The board met and deliberately
considered the various offers and
from their points of advantage reject
cd all but eleven, and so notified the
bidders. These favorable sites were
visited by the secretary Of the board
and thoroughly inspected, and of
these all were rejected but three. The
president and secretary of the board,
together with a few invited friends,
visited these three choice sites and
thoroughly considered the merits and
dement's of each frnn all the points
of adaptability, public convenience
and public influence, and ordered the
site and secure optionS in writing for
the final decision of the board at its
meeting April Gath.
The Site Purchased.
Upon the convention CT the board at
that date the offer of Ramey R. Free
man and M. H. Dunlevy, of Henry
vile, Ind, was accepted and a written
contract entered into fer the final pur-
chase and transfer. On May 2Sth
the completed deeds and abstracts
were presented and accepted by the
attorney general, and the owners of
the seventeen farms contained in the
tract were paid in full and the state
took possession of the land.
The general Improvements on the
land are very meager The entire
tract was in an unorganized state.
and far the greater amount was wild
waste by haphazard farming and will.
full devastation of every sort. Prior
to the present tine the boundaries
were indefinite, and in some instances
not known at all. The timber land
has been devastated constantly by
cutting and fires. Fields were farmed
without rotation or fertilizing until
unproductive and then abandoned as
waste land. Every possible magnif-
cence of the tract was abused and dis
regarded. But the great majority of
the people in the neighborhood are a
unit in sympathy with any movement
which will advance it to its highest
possibilities.
Because of the unofganized condi-
ton and of the opportunities to make
the site attractive and therefore in
viting to the public and consequently
influential in stimulating the public
sentiment to the purposes for which
It is intended, the first efforts of the
board were directed toward placing
the tract in q definite, organized form
for operation and protection. One of
the most commanding elevations,
Grand View Knob, was selected for
the headquarters buildings and resi-
dence of the custodian. This high
land has an elevation of 1,025 feet
above the sea level and AS feet above
the mainland of the reservation. The
object of the selection were the ad-
vantages for detecting and locating
fires by the custodian. should they &C.
cur, and the climax Of view afforded.
The old home which was formerly
occupied by the proprietor of the
KNOBS Fruit Farm" and which was
located on the above, has been re-
moved and made a comfortable home.
A small but sufficient barn has been
erected, with other outbuildings, for
the shelter of teams, feed. implements
and the general convenience of the
custodian. Two other residences
have been preserved for homes OF the
permanent assistants and laborers on
the reservation. All other buildings
are being removed, as they are rude
huts for the most part Some roads
have been roughly made for the nec-
essary travel and transportation, but
means has not permitted anything like
satisfactory road building.
Progress Of Reforestration.
A very satisfactory beginning was
made the past summer at cultivating
the young timber. The greater
amount of the timber now covering
the larger portion of the tract is dense
eoppice q both sprout and Seeding
growth and averaging in age from
one to fifteen years. Very little of the
largely timber remains and is all more
or less damaged by forest fires which
have occurred almost annually for
many years. The constant fires, the
Jungle from cutting timber for years
and allowing the rubbish to lie, the
abundant sprouting from the stumps
and the rich growth o. seedlings from