Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1904-10-07

Staring Her In the Fascinating a
Beginning BY Planting Eighty Thou
sand-lsss0ns From Miehissn's For
sstry Eshibit-some Of the Romance
Of the Northern 6ays-ttow Old King
strans. the Mormon Leader, Met His
Death Fifty Years Aso-Thinss That
Divert One From the Usual sishtsse-
ins-The New Abrasives That Save
Labor and Patience and Make Life
More Like Holiday.
ESPECIAL CORRESPONDENTS BY
MARK BENNlTT.l
Two square carmine spots on a
white ground OF the shape OF lower
Michigan tell Of states first feeble
efforts TO recover her prestige In lum-
Der production. Those spots look
about as large as two wild ducks float
ing across the atmosphere before the
eyes OF an amateur hunter. There is
so much room around them that II
looks like a hopeless case. But the
chart which hangs in Michigans for
estry exhibit indicates brave spirit.
and the two red spots represent 10000
out of the 6.OOO,OO0 acres Of denuded
pine lands OF the lower peninsula.
Michigan is actually going into the re-
forestatiou of her sandy barrens that
are worthless for any other purpose
except to grow the huckleberries that
have sprung up where the pine has
been cut out. Not only have the big
trees been taken, but the small trees
of pine and spruce are now going TO
the paper mills, there to be Clipped,
cooked, digested and run out into
miles of paper web. Even this article
may he printed upon sheet OF paper
made from Michigan spruce tree.
The foresters have figured II all out
and Michigan feels that she is up
| against the forestry problem in its
most acute form. The doctors Of for
estry urge her to take her medicine
| bravely and she has consented to the
amount of homeopathic dose-name-
| ly, $4,000 acres. That much of the de-
nuded area will be planted anyway.
| Every year considerable amount of
barren land is forfeited TO the state
| through tax sales, and a thrifty state
desires TO see the ground put to some
use. The southern two-thirds OF the
lower peninsula is 81 per cent improv-
ed land, vast expanse of rolling coun-
40 Of ~
ing farms and happy homes. The north
ern one-third reverses the figures. The
land is still wilderness except In
| spots and is destined so to remain. 1t
will cost n prodigious sum to plant
100000 acres to pine trees, but they
will grow In value at the rate Of $780,
100000 year, so the foresters assert
for fifty years. when they will be worth
Sl,00o.0O0 900. Then the timber may be
cut at the rate of S30,0OOO00 worth a
year without ever decreasing the sup
ply. 1t remains to be seen II Michigan
is so prudent
But Michigan is still great lumber
state and many of her best towns still
thrive upon the lumber industry, with
a little help from summer tourists.
HeInlock and hard woods are still be-
ing cut, millions of feet annually. and
the woods and shores lave lost little OF
their romance if one but has an eye
out for things Of the sort. Ask Ivan
Swift to tell you about the Michigan
forests If you should stop at the exhib-
1t, and he will weave you n tale that
will rival any you have heard in its
romantic quality, for Swift is both
painter and writer. Some Of the old
French frontiersmen who came TO
Michigan from the lower ST. Lawrence
in 1910 or thereabout are still alive
and earning their SIPS Il day, as they
have done for many year. They still
dwell among the lumber piles and
and when not Alleging are pursuing
the ever fascinating occupation of
catching fish, Ameng them you may
still hear the tale OF how old King
Strang, the Mormon leader Of the
Beaver island colony, was shot at St
James by Billy Bedford, whose wife
the old king had coaxed away. And
then will come the sequel of the TRACE
: dy, the scattering Of all the colony by
the outraged French fishermen and the
, hopeless distribution of the Mormon
women at every settlement around Lake
Michigan. That was in 1854, and
though fifty years have passed the
ruins of old King Strang's castle may
still be seen on Beaver island, and you
! may follow the twenty-five mile road
, which the Mormons built, the length of
the island. to connect their inland
farms with the island landings.
Along with the fine specimens OF
commercial woods in the Michigan ex
hibit are many photographs to show
the industry Of numbering in all Its
details. Here, too. are fine groups OF
: deer by hunters lodge and great
, strings of fish by shore tent. Here
is a big black bear in trap with q
wish-I-hadn't expression on his face
Here are strings of partridge too big
to seem real all bespeaking fine sport
and fine dinners to follow.
All sorts Of things butt in to inter
fere with ones sightseeing. Here
: comes brass band of fifty pieces from
some big eastern, western, northern OF
, southern city playing the Louisiana
March" Behind them, marches regi
ment Of soldiers, and the earth trem
bles with their rhythmic tread. There
is band of Indians wrapped in bril-
liant table spreads and bareheaded
j.. The round poles of papooses wabble