Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1905-12-15


despoiling of Rutland County forests by
Christmas tree buyers ought to be re-
printed in letters a foot high and posted
at every cross road in Vermont 1t is az
follows:
"The Tribune has made careful can
vass of the district from Cavendish to
Cuttingsvlle inclusive, as found by the
records of the railroad stations, and
arrives at the appalling conclusion that
104 carloads of Christmas trees where
shipped from these and intervening
stations. Estimated at an average OF
1 800 trees to car, the round total of
1866, 900 is reached. These are handsome,
straight saplings, the pick of their kind.
ruthlessly slashed from their stumps and
trussed like fowls on flat cars for ship
ment to large cities
The detailed reports are as follows:
Proctorsville | car
Healdville % cars
Summit Z cars
Mount Holly 16 cars
E. Wallngford 90 cars
Cuttingsville cars
Total 104 cars
Commenting on this wilfull and Inn
provident destruction of natures efforts
| to reforest our naked hills, Mount
Holly farmer said: II got S25 for all
the trees had in one pasture and it was
worth $25 more to have the pasture
cleared up"
Against such blind, unreasoning folly
argument seems to fall fiat. This pasture
worth at its best few dollars to the
acre, was doing what 1t could to become
a woodland, worth almost any price, an
owner is willing to name. But along
comes the Christmas tree buyer and
offers that farmer one cent tree of
those priceless spruces. A days slashing
by the expert woods-strippers and the
long, patient years of natures work are
swept away for paltry sum of money.
Leaving out all sentiment connected
with the affair, where is that boosted
business sense that Vermonters are sup
posed to possess in superior quality?
If they will rob their farms of these
tender trees, why not demand a pro-
portionate share of the profits? Candid
confession on the part of these Christmas
tree buyers reveals the fact that the
customer IN New York, Philadelphia OF
Pittsburg never pays less than one dollar
for his tiny Christmas tree and the price
| ranges lIOIu llldJ 10 SC.Ou LOT Ine finest
selections.
Where does the Windsor and Rutland
county farmer figure in these fine profit:
with his cent of two per tree:
Scientific forestry apparently mean.
nothing except a long, hard name tC
these misguided landowners. If they
could see government experts carefully
growing tiny plant from its seed
cherishng and traneplanting it to {
kindly soil, lovingly protecting it until il
could be left to grow alone, and ther
waiting for the long years to make it I
tree. the criminal savagery of destroying
natures best output would be better
understood.
Selfishness lies at the root of it, prob
ably. No immediate return in ou
generation, comes from careful forestry
Our children and our children's children
may reap the benefit, not us And s,
we rudely sweep away, not only wha
the earth, air and gentle rains have don,
for us, but all that may be done for oul
heirs, when we permit the Christina
tree vandal to come in and pay us $2i
for what, in Gods good time, might pay
our children 90, 30 or even 100 time
that sum.
S25 invested at six per cent and com
pounded annually, produces $257 in IL
years.
$500 trees left to the ministrations o
the elements would be rated cheap in II
years at 81 900.
Where's the profit, especially AS WI
promptly spend the S25 and never in
vest il AT ally