The daily palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1904-1905, 1904-04-05

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unit I'll sympathy WIZ aa5 movement
which VIII advance it to it's highest
possibilities.
Because OF the unorganiZed 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 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 oc-
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 nee
means has not permitted anything like
satisfactory road building
Progress of Reforestration.
A very satisfactory beginning was
made the past summer at cultivat1ng
the young timber. The greater
amount of the timber now covering
the larger portion of the tract is dense
coppice of 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
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 of seedlings from
the seeds present task of culture
which at first sight seems hopeless
as far as making progress, but the
contrary is the result. It is the most
encouraging feature of the work.
About one hundred acres of this forest
was cultivated to determine the re
suits of the work when accomplished.
All the trees unfit to remain for per-
manent forest, by reason of injury or
otherwise worthless as species, were
cut and removed to a fuel yard. The
same thing was done with all the
down timber. The trees left standing
and selected to form the future per-
manent forest were properly pruned
to admit of the best trunk formation.
All the litter and rubbish were level
ed to the land surface and left to de-
cay and form a leaf mold and cover
to the soil as well as prevent evapora-
ton and keep down the weeds. 1t
was not piled into heaps, as is usually
done. This is always the better meth
cd to follow when a strict guard can
be maintained against fire. The re-
suit of this work showed that there
remained from 900 to 1000 perfect
young hardwood trees to the acre,
from which, by following successive
Trimmings when crowding occurs, to
select the permanent forest for large
growth. 1t is very evident that such
large number of trees cannot be sus
tanned to the acre into large trees,
but periodical trimmings will be made
necessary to secure the best grade of
forest. All Trimmings will be utilized
for whatever uses suitable and from
which the most can be realized. The
area now in timber which needs this
culture is about 1,400 acres. 1t will
require several years to perform this
work.
There has been very little done
toward planting the cleared land to
! trees and seeds, because the purchase
of the land was not completed till al
ter the crops were planted and the
planters reserved the right to mature
and harvest hem, and also because
forest seeds could not be secured in
time to do much planting this year
The seed crop in Indiana was very
meager In yield and inferior in quail
ity, and consequently the greater
amount of the seeds secured were i'm
! ported from other states, which has
| greatly delayed the planting, besides
! increasing the expense of the same.
| There are now stored in sand at the
| n1o