Los Angeles herald., 1908-03-02
FUEL FAMINE
THREA TENED
GOVERNMENT FOREST AGENT
GIVES HIS IDEA
ENos A. MILLS POINTS OUT MA.
TlcNAL WEAKNESS
Declares Wood Is Being Used More
Than Ever Before and the
Country Is Still Prod
iuaI

Enos A. Mills of Estes Park, Colo,
government forestry agent, with head
quarters at Washington, d. c., is stay
ing at the Hotel Angelus and Will
speak before the Ebell club this after
noon at 2:30 o'clock.
Mr.. Mills is no stranger to Califor-
mia, having worked on the Bixby ranch
near Long Branch. and also up in
the mountains near Los Angeles, Tor
about year, eighteen years ago.
"I.os Angeles has changed wonder
fully i'm that time,' he said when seen
at his room at the Angelus last night.
1.-THE last two years have shown a
marked increase in interest IN forest-
ry," continued Mr.. Mills. Il receive
seven requests every day. on an av-
erage, asking for addresses on for
estry. Commercial clubs, women s
clubs, high and state schools, county
fairs and similar organizations seek
information along these lines.
1.-THE women's clubs are carrying on
a great educational work in this sub
iect of forestry. The southern states
are particularly progressive in for
estry, while California peop,' on the
whole, are enthusiastic on the theme.
Farming with Trees
Forestry is simply intensified farm
ing with trees. 1t aims at protecting
ali the trees and planting others as
fast as you use any. Forestry aims
at the Improvement and use of trees,
dead or alive-by dead l mean lum-
Der.
Now there is tendency to advance
the price OF fuel. And we are coming
more and more to depend upon WOOD
for fuel. Such modern devices as steel,
cement and clay are saving wood, but
these inventions are more tnan oHset
by the new uses to which wood is being
put a.,
American forests will be extinct, at
the present rate of consumption. Ihen
we would have a timber famine: That
means a supply famine. And the et-
feet would be simply appalling. can
conceive of nothing so terrible.
"Older nations than ourselves placed
in similar positions on this forestry
question took precautionary measures
+o save their forests. and were then-
selves saved: while other nations which
neglected the question of saving their
forests suffered and suffered bitterly.
Among these latter l would place
China and Spain. ...
Forestry is nothing new. In SWltz-
erland for a thousand years forestry
in some form or another mas peen
practiced, while in Germany Is TO pc
found the most general ana perIect
forestry. All the forests of the latter
country are domesticated, even tile
famous Black Forest.
''In the first place, I wish to say
that the application of the principles
of forestry is practical, IT pays couh-
try Second, the protection of the tor-
ests is necessary to a country to pro-
tect it from floods.
Have Only Begun
"Our government has made a begin
ning-but a beginning only-ln scleh-
tific forestry. The government owns,
for forestry purposes, 161, 000,0O0 acres
of wooded land. 20O0O,O00 acres OF
which are located in California. Most
of these lands are in the western
states and territories, and are under
the control of the forestry service of
the government. The service plans to
use only those trees which are OF usa-
BILE size, and to protect the remainder
from fires. They plan to follow the
methods of forestry as used III Ger
many and Switzerland, that IS, TO use
all the trees wanted provided they
plant all they need.
"Perpetuating the forests VIII regu-
late the flow of water-and you real
ize the value of water to this state OF
California, in particular. The per-
petuating of the forests also checks
eyaporation, and evaporation is quite
heavy in California. 1t regulates the
running off of the water and dis
tributes the precipitation OF water
evenly throughout the year instead OF
in larger amounts suddenly.
81 must say. in summing UP, that
the forestry situation in the United
States is quite serious. Last year we
used 100 OO0, 900 600 feet of lumber. What
then if the forests We're allowed TO be-
come extinct? Would we not feel 1t?
ION the other hand, the situation IS
in a way raging-especially So
from the number of requests coming
in to the department for addresses ana
information on the subject of forestry.
"But we should work on this sub
ject. Elementary forestry should be
taught in all the schools. A tree Is
the most valuable plant that grows,
so anv child should know about It,
Arbor day exercises should be far
more practical in nature than they
are. | am sorry. but l Will be III Sc
attle when Los Angeles holds her Ar
Dor day on March Z. l should ike TO
see the exercises here.
"I doubt if congress will appropriate
one-quarter of a cent per acre Tor
forest land this year. But in Ger
many they spend from 81 to So per
acre on forest land already in excel
lent condition, while our forest lanos
are not anywhere in a good condition.
america is behind all other large
countries of the world in this subject,
and our forestry service is twenty-five
years behind what it should be III
making this reform of forestry.
ALREADY a timber famine is begin
ming to be felt in some states, par
ticularIy so in the eastern and central
states. Only last year hundred car
loads of timber We're shipped from
California to Pennsylvania, while just
a short time before that state had
proudly declared that its forests were
inexhaustible.
"The forestry service says to the
country just tfis: Use your forests
every year as much as you need, but
only be sure that your planting and
your cutting balance.
Mr.. Mills goes from here tonight to
San Francisco. and will be in Seattle
on March Z. During the past year he
has been in every state in the Union,
and yet receives more invitations to
speak than he can possibly accept. He
will address the Ebell club of Los An
geles this afternoon at 2:30 o'clock.