Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1907-10-26
NUMBER II
PLANT TREES.
The SehtIne Is a Long Time Invest
nent, but II Pays.

The Sehtne Is a Long Time Invest
ment, but II Pays.
"Plant trees on waste places" Is the
slogan which the American Forestry
association has adopted.
"If timber cutting and timber waste
90 on at the present rate" said Sec
retary of Agriculture James wilson,
who. among other things. is the presi-
dent Of the American Forestry associa-
ton, "and there is no forest planting
In the meantime, we will in twenty
five or thirty years be treeless ma
tlon"
OF course the United States VIII
wake up some time on the subject or
trees and forests. There appears to be
considerable ethical interest through
out TIE country now but when wood
becomes as scarce and as high priced
as 1t is IN Germany, for instance, we
can depend upon it that there will be
rush TO plant forests, because trees
will be of more crop value than wheat,
even Oh the best wheat land.
But ii is the waste, unused places
land that IS not considered tillable-
that should receive the first tree plant
ing attention. There are vast areas or
such lands, in the aggregate varying
in extent from plots Of few acres to
huge tracts. that can be successfully
planted to trees.
O., 14cfa INF
average man imagines, when the In
creased price Of lumber will make uec-
essary the planting Of trees even on
good agricultural land. The price OF
timber lands is doubling every few
years. The Philadelphia Commercial
museum is authority for the statement
that within the past six years lands In
the southern Appalachian timber re-
gions have increased from So or SO an
acre to SIS and $50.
But the man who gets In now and
plants to trees any waste land Is the
man who will have bank account, all
right, when his forest begins to yield.
1t takes forty or fifty years to grow
big logs. but it takes only twelve, fif-
teen OF eighteen years to grow fence
posts, railroad ties and telephone poles,
and the prices for these are increasing
by leaps and bounds.
The forest service at Washington Is
issuing a lot of little leaflets, each de-
scriptiye Of tree species. If you have
a "waste" acre or ten Of them drop a
line to Clifford Pinchot, chief forester,
and you VIII get some advice that may
be helpful Part Of your taxes, the
indirect ones, goes to support the gov
ernment forest service. It is a most ad-
mirable institution, which ought to be
twice as big as it is, but If you have
patch of land which should be In trees
and which isn't you ought to decide to
plant It aad then 90 after the govern
ment and get at least your share of re-
turn from your forestry taxes.
And the forest service can tell you
that tree planting does pay not only
on waste land, but even on good land
where other crops could be grown.
How does the following statement OF
the growing Of catalpa posts and poles
on the Yaggy plantation near Hutchin-
son. Kan. strike you? Catalpa may
| not be the most suitable tree for plant
| ing in your section, though it has
very wide range but it Is part Of the
business of the forest service to assist
every farmer to know just which Is
the most profitable tree for his climate
and land. In 1890 Mr.. Yaggy planted
eighty acres Of cltalpas in rich soil.
During the next twelve years the total
cost of the project, including rent OF
| land. planting. cultivation and even
marketing was $5654 an acre. The
value Of the crop. however, was $315.S1
an acre, a net return of S25S.67, or an
| average annual return Of $2l.6o per
acre, and with very little work or wor-'
ry. Catalpa posts and poles are the
longest lasting according TO govern
! ment foresters, OF any wood In the
country, and they are worth more to-
day than they were in 1902. and they
will be worth far more twelve years
from today than they are now.
The fact that it is going to take ten
or fifteen years to get trees into mar
ketable condition shouldn't deter any
| one from beginning to plant II he
sells his farm. with a part of it in
trees. half grown to ties or poles, that
plantation as part of the farm will
be worth and will bring its real cash
value just as when a man sells his
farm with a crop Of wheat or corn
half made Philadelphia Record.