The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-09-29
ENCOURAGING TO FORESTRY.
4 Matter to Interest Landowners Gen
 nraIVw

A Matter to Interest Landowners Gen. orally.
 Engineering News.
 The cost of forest planting by the Pennsylvania Railroad. appears to be so moderate as to warrant the hope that similar forestry work will be carried out by many individuals in the near future, as well as by railway and other corporations. The greatest drawback to forest planting is the long period that must eIapse before any return on the investment will be received. This
 as Mfr Sterling points out. is of less concern to a corporation than to a private individual, but in the near fu- ture we may expect to see many prt-
 vate individuals gladly entering upon i longtime forestry investments for the good of posterity, whether of next kin or no kin. There are possibilities of forestry revenue. however. well with in the life expectancy of young man or even one of middle age. especially if trees suitable for railway ties. fence posts and like purposes not demanding large timber are planted.
 As a result of organized enort, MT .
 Sterling, Forester of the Pennslvania
 Railroad, has reduced the cost of
 planting seedlings by nearly half,
 bringing 1t down in 1907 to an aver age of $11.29 per thousand, or $lb.sS per acre, for both the seedlings ana the labor This, of course. was on relatively large scale. involving nearly a half-million seedlings; but the work was somewhat scattered and was done under other conditions not wholly favorable.
 When one considers how much rela- lively unproductive land, well suited to forest planting, there Is in various parts of the country, and how rapidly the available timber supply is falling, and how speedily timber prices are rising, 1t seems a pity that more forest planting than has yet been other than dreamed Is not being undertaken on every hand. Much of this virtually waste land is actually deteirioating In value, through losses of top sou by erosion and through growing up 10 timber of low value or to worthless bushes. Even on & small scale many of these nonproductiNe areas could De planted at $25 or perhaps S2o per acre. assuming that all seedlings were bought and all labor hired at market rates. For most small plantings. seed lings would douhtless be cheaper, and also of more certain growth. if bought rather than raised in home nurseries, but considerable areas now embraceo in small mi-abandoned farms, couio be planted without requiring muon or any hired labor. Wniie the Adhho time should, in any proper system or accounting, be charged against tne cost of any forestry wcrk done by him. vet 1t does nave a big difference to the ordinary small farmer whether he mas to nay out what to him is usually scarce article. With a little instruc- ton. any farmer could plant forest seedlinrs. thus reducing his actual cash outlay to a few dollars per thons- and trees or per acre planted.
 There are many reasons why the whole subject of forestry should be or great interest to the readers Of this Journal, and also why our readers can contribute largely to the adoption or national forestry work in the United States. There are few among them who cannot bring about the plahlls of some little amount of land in trees or perhaps themselves do the plantlns' loo acres. ten acres. or even one acre, ere Ana each one, without exception. can aN as ,s much -needed educative work, for both the planting of new and the pre- servation of old forest areas.