Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1908-01-03
The Forestry Problem for ver-
mont.


mont.
In proportion to its area no other State
in the union is more strongly concerned
in the question of forest preservation
than the State of Vermont
Possessing extensive natural forests
and soil which, invariably fairly exults
in timber growth, even after it has been
exhausted of its agricultural resources;
permeated with trout streams of extern
sive power, but dependent upon forest
covert for their enduring supply; album
dainty stocked with game which needs
only the protection of this wild covert
for it's continued production and increase;
covered, over its whole extent. with hills
and mountains which are am ever in
creasing attraction TO the multitudes of
its nearby city denizens, 80 long as they
are kept dressed in the covering prime
val Nature ordained, Vermont, the
acknowledged Switzerland of America,
yields to none of her sister states i'm her
interest i'll the protection and preserva-
ton of what is her browning glory.
That her many mountain sides should
ever be stripped bare, and burned down
to bed rock, through needless neglect or
careless oversight, would be, not only
local but also a national, shame and loss.
EXTENT OF AREA.
From the Massachusetts, to the Canad-
ian boundry there is stretch of noun
tains nearly without break, and COW
cred with forest to quite its whole extent.
One can journey northerly from the
Massachusetts border for at least hun.
dred miles and not come in contact with
cleared space. In the two southern
counties alone one can traverse at least a
hundred thousand acres and not cross an
open field, the only break being the nee
essary opening for four highways, with
these, even, to a large extent so over
arched as to afford uninterrupted shade.
RAPIDITY OF GROWTH.
1t is surprising how soon Nature will
assert herself in the matter of reproduce
ton, when left undisturbed. Land which
our fathers plowed over fifty years ago,
but deserted through what was then
called shiftlessness, is in many places
our most valuable asset today. And the
thrifty farmer who then kept his back
pastures cleared, oftentimes sashing
down acres of young spruce, destroyed a
legacy to his children which would now
have made them independent, Fairly
matured second growth produces, as a
rule, by far more feet of merchantable
timber to the acre than the soil bore in
its original state.
The "bull spruce" the quick growing
balsam, poplar, and white birch. not
many years ago considered a nuisance,
are now of great and increasing value.
And there is no soil in the State but what
will readily produce crop of some kind,
requiring, as a rule, only to be let alone.
Seed planting, sprout planting, cultiva-
| al tn
hasten, are unnecessary. Each species
knows and sees its place. If the tract is
swampy, the hemlock and balsam are
soon there. The dryer soil is soon occu-
pied by the hardy spruce and hardwoods.
And it is astonishing how soon a single
pine upon the top of some sandy, barren
knoll, will soon beget a multitude of pro-
geny.
There is, in the State intervale land,
easily worked, sufficient for our wants.
The rest man should keep bis hands off
from until Nature bids him partake of
the matured increase. The larger portion
of the land in Vermont is Improbable
for tillage. Why not allow it to grow
up,"-"A thing of beauty and a JOY for.
everT'
HOW SHALL WE PROTECT THEM?
Is the burning question of the day. 1t
is useless to talk to the average, near
| sighted land owner how he should look
ahead and not give away his Christmas
trees at penny apiece which would, if
left alone, bring his children dollars in
stead of cents. With him the piece of
copper CLOSE by glitters stronger than the
piece of gold at distance. He never had
| listened, ard never will listen to the voice
of posterity. If he has piece of timber,
he sells the stumpage to some man with
! the portable mill who soon strips it bare
and naked.
Under private ownership, it is only to
large and combined interests whose ter
ritory is large enough to give growth for
supply. that we can look for any meas
ure of true discretion in this matter,
but it is unnatural for them to care for
watershed, game. or scenic affairs, or to
provide for fire protection.
| THE STATE SHOULD CONTROL.
| Absolutely, these forest stretches.
There should be no risk run that some day
they will be devastated for pulp or char
coal purpose. They should be absolutely
reserved public property, for combined
watershed, game, scenic and lumber pur:
poses. Thus, and thus only can the true
combination be formed. Only under
State. or government, ownership can we
have true guardianship.
We want here in Vermont no Corbin
parks, or lordly English estates The air,
the water, the scenery. the magnificent
coverts, of these grand old mountains,
should never be allowed to be wired up;
but every son and daughter of Vermont,
/ should feel that they, and any of their
guests, are upon home soil when they
step within their bounds.
That they will be wired up unless some
preventive action is soon taken, is as GER
tain as that the sun will rise in the morn
ing. Already the process has begun.
and upon the tracts in general we have
longer escape such calamity as burned
down to bed rock thirty-five thousand
acres as in the White Mountains, leav-
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