The daily morning journal and courier., 1907-01-24
GROWING TRIES
 WILL SHOW PROFIT
OBJECT LESSON AT STATES
 FOREST RESERVE.


 Wants Reserve of at Least One
 Thousand Acres in Each of the
 Eight Counties.
 It is probably unknown to large number in Connecticut that the state owns 8 forest reserve of three hundred acres in the town of Union, Holland county, where Tor the past two years forestry work has been done under the direction of the state forester, Austin F. Hawes. This part of the state is the least populated of any, owing to the soil being unfit for farming except in small isolated fields, and is there- fore mostly second growth woods, which have been culled out and re- peatedly burned over. Such is the state land, but by the forestry man agement which is being inaugurated it will be covered with a productive for est. It is the intention of the state forester to increase the area of the re- serve as funds for that purpose become available. The present tract was pur- chased at an average price of $3.57 an acre.
 Up the the present the work has been chiefly planting up the old pas lures and fields within the reserve. Last spring fifteen acres were planted with twenty thousand white pine seedlings, at a total cost of $S50 per acre. In forty to fifty years a return of per cent. compound interest will be realizedon the investment During the coming spring forty thousand more seedlings will be planted, thus fully stocking the remaining open areas. The trees used for this work will in aprt be twenty thousand seedlings now in small nursery on the reserve, and will be collected from the woods in New Hampshire, and III part be plant ed partially as an experiment, to test the practicability of planting trees naturally generated in the forest. The following year the planting will be done entirely with trees taken from the state nursery at Rainbow, where about half a million plants are now in the nursery beds, and will be ready for setting out in the surfing of19OS.
 Recently a system of fire protection has been started on the reserve, and a fire line half mile in length has been cleared. dvAantage was taken of an old road the brush being cut away from it's sides to open lane twenty five feet wide. The line passed an old cutting, so that in places it was necessary to clear away large piles of tops and limbs which were adjacent to the road. All brush was burned, which, owing to the dampness, it was difficult to do. The cost of this work was about thirty dol lars per mile, but it is believed that when done in drier weather the cost can be reduced to twenty-five dollars.
 As the reserve develops, it is intend ed to extend the system of fire lines, using old roads as a basis for their From these, fires which obtain headway before being discov- cred can be fought, and the area of damage confined to narrow limits. In looking forward to future crop of timber, it is the probability of loss by fire which looms up as the greatest danger; so it is of the utmost impor- tance to have this under control. The fire question is of universal interest the state, and cooperation with the recently appointed fire ward ems in suppressing fires is earnestly de- sired.
 Results from the work done on the Union reserve are already apparent in the form of an awakening of interest in forestry in the vicinity. Planting is of especial interest to the people of this part of the state, owing to the fact that the land is better suited to forest than to agriculureal crops. On account of the recent rise in the price of lumber, the farmers owning even scattered and poor lots of white pine and other merchantable trees, such as oak and chestnut, have reaped a darge profit, and have learned to value their holdings for the forest crops which they will produce. sAs a result of the planting demonstration by the state, there will be quite little done in this line by private persons this coming spring. The state forester and the best methods of planting them.
 It is the policy of the state forester to establish reserves in each county as fast as the funds are available, and it is hoped that at the present session the legislature will appropriate at least ten thousand dollars for the pur- chase of land for this purpose. The object is to have a reserve of at least one thousand acres in each of the eight Such state forests would furnish examples of the management of forest areas, and show the possibilt- ty of profitable utilization of non .agri- , cultural lands which are now lying dle, if not actually deterioratins, from nismanagement and frequent injury o1 fire. In addition the state wiU Cb- tain good income from the sale of timber from the reserve.
 1Mamples of states already well started along the line of acquiring reserves are New York and Pennsvl- galiia tA the present time New York | 1aS two reserves. one in the Adiraa- lacks and the other in the aCtskilis, to over 100000 acres and | Is gradually acquiring more through | -he buying up of tax title lands | Pennsylvania, starting a few wears : ago with small tract, has now seven | hundred and forty thousand acres pur-