The Virginia enterprise., 1908-01-03

4 =. .a' +
MOVEMENT FOR DEMONSTRATION z
Growing Rapidly through Effects Of.
Wisconsin ana Michigan Cor d !
4 i: poratioas., r
The movement toward the re-
forestration of :cut-over lands, made
the more necessary through a grow
ing realization of the devastation of
the timber supply Of this rich north
country, is growing rapidly through
the efforts of the big corporations
and many northern Wisconsin and
Michigan cut-over tracts will again
be made into producers of wealth.
The reforesting movement is
growing every day. Ever since the
attention of the timber users was
drawn to the fact that our timber
supply is dwindling at an enormous
rate. there has been a move on foot
to replant the tracts cleared.
The Cleveland Cliffs Iron Co. was
the first to move and now the c. &
N. w. railway company has taken
up the work and propose to plant a
large tract of it's. Northern Michigan
lands. In regard to this proposed
move the Mining Journal has the
following:
The Chicago & Northwestern
Railway company has withdrawn
all of it's timbered land in Wiscon-
sin and Northern Michigan from
the market, and will use them for
the growth of tie and bridge timber
for it's $500 miles of track, following
the example of the Cleveland Cliffs
Iron company, which is systematic-
ally reforesting it's more than l,OOO,.
GOO acres in the upper peninsula.
Concerning the intention of the
company, c. H. Kelsey. formerly of
Marquette, writes The Mining
Journal from Milwaukee that the
Northwestern has upward of 25o,O00
acres in the upper peninsula and
10000 acres in Northern Wisconsin,
and that not an acre will be sold at
any price. The cutting will be done
scientifically and the underbrush
and refuse cleared away. Trees will
then be planted which will make
good tie timber, the planting being
done on plan approved by Clifford
Pichot, head of the United States
forestry department. Cedar, hem
lock, tamarack, oak, maple and elm
will be used for ties, all being treat
ed with the creosote, preservative
process at the company's great
plant at Escanaba.
In the time near at hand the com.
pany secs great demand for tie
timber by the railroads of the
United States. In figures, by re.
serving it's forest lands from the
market, to supply all it's needs in
coming years for it's great system
and to obtain much of it's bridge
timber from the same source. The
Cleveland-Cliffs company has been
engaged in the work of reforesta.
ton on the largest scale yet at
tempted in this country by any cor
poration or private owner. Its
figured that in twenty-five years the
company will have it's money bach
with 4 per cent interest and in fift,
years it will have it's investmen,
more than quadrupled.
The success of this company
makes the Northwestern's attemp
a certainty from the start and vii
give to the upper peninsula o.
Michigan the reputation of having
the two largest forest reserves
maintained on the continent by
private or corporate enterprise
1t's meaning to the peninsula can b<
understood from the fact that thu
Northwestern alone owns more
land in Delta, Marquette, Alger anc
Schoolcraft counties than is nov
under cultivation in the entire
upper peninsula. Leo NJ. Giesmar
superintendent of the upper PENN
sula agricultural experiment sta
tion, Chatham, Alger county
figures the farm area of the PENN
sula of 235,257 acres, or 2 per cen
of the total area, while the acreag,
under cultivation in the lower pen
insula is 36 per cent of the tota
area.
The maintenance of these two
great forest reserves in the uppe
peninsula means steady industry
for future years., as the companies
will conserve the native fores
wealth and add to it by constant re
planting, putting stop to tht
ravages of forest fires which leave
the land barren waste and giving
an example which will undoubted
ly be followed in the restoration o1
some of the immense pine barrene
of the lower peninsula.
Other railroad companies have
turned their attention to the growth
of tie timber, notably the Illinois