Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1908-11-24


the six states was Governor James II
Higgins of Rhode Island, who is absent
on his wedding trip. There were -four
governors elect in the gathering, Bert
NJ. Fernald of Maine, Henry 3. Quinn
by" of New Hampshire, George II
Prouty of Vermont and George L. Lii
ley of Connecticut.
The morning session tomorrow will
consider the protection and promotion
of the supplies of sea food, while the
conference will end in the afternoon
with discussion on Highways and
| Their Use
| National Forester Pinchot said in
part:
New England's interest in forest
planting began before the independence
of the United States and no other part
of the country has taken a more active
interest in the subject or done more
effective work in recent years. No 9TH
er port of the country offers greater
opportunities for profitable forest
| planting and the conditions in none
are more favorable. The New England
| forests now standing are of impressive
value in connection with the demand
| for wood, which is going to become
more and more urgent as time passes.
| You have a big problem before you
To manage your present merchantable
| timberland in such a way as to make
| them meet the pressing needs Of the
next quarter of a century as fully as
you can. and to perpetuate them for
continued usefulness It is equally nee
! "a VIII, Oh
has been denuded and which is now
either bare or growing up to inferior
| species should be made productive
through planting profitable trees. There
are at least 100000 acres in New Eng
land which could be devoted to forest
planting, six per cent. of the whole
| area.
| New England was a pioneer in for
est planting. The earliest work here
began as long ago as 1860, when a sue
| cessful attempt was made to raise ship
timbers. Between 1920 and 1880 there
We're probably 10000 acres of pine
planted in Massachusetts. Nowhere
else in the country in recent years has
so much planting been done on so lin
| tied an area as on the waste land in
eastern Massachusetts. Since 1884 the
practice Of forest planting has been on
the increase, especially during the last
few years. The purposes of this plant
ing have been very definite, and older
piantations-mary of which have been
harVeSted-ShoW that the undertaking
is both practicable and profitable Not
only does 1t offer a means of probably
utilizing waste sandy areas unfit for
agriculture but it has been a great aid
in the fiXation of shifting sands. Water
companies in Connecticut and Massa-
| chusetts have done a large amount of
| planting in order to keep pure the
source of their water supply. Private
individuals and companies have pur-
chased abandoned farm and pasture
land and have planted it as an invest
Inent. Box board companies and stave
and heading manufacturers have taken
ur planting to provide future supplies
for their factories. Not including old
plantations that have been cut ap-
approximately 25,200 acres of forest
have been planted in New England. 1t
is estimated that 100000 board feet
Of white pine and $4,000 feet of hard
woods could be harvested today from
plantations in New England
Most of the white pine plantations have
been established within the last few years
and will not be ready to cut for p or
80 years. Two hundred million feet is a
conservative estimate Of what NAV then
be obtained. From the trees that have
been planted during this year of 1908
| about 6o.CG0,0O0 feet can be obtained when
the plantations become merchantabe
And only q beginning has been made
towards rendering productive the I'M
mense area of land in New England
which can be devoted to forest growth
better than to anything else.
If the two and one-half million acres
in New England that need planting are
set with trees, it will mean the produce
ton Of fifty billion feet of timber or %
times as much as was cut in New Eng
land in 1900. The profits of such an UNI
dertaking will be millions of dollars. 1t
will mean in many parts of New Eng
land the building up again of forest
industry.
A good beginning has been made in
each of the New England states in franz
ing good forest laws and in demonstrating
to the people the practicability CT forest
planting, but the Keynote of success In
laws. vigorously executed and a realiZa-
ton by the people of the great need
there will ne in the future for local sup
ply of timber.
In speaking Of New ErGland's Oppor-
tunity in Orchards" Prof. John Ctaic Of
Cornell reviewed at some length the his,
tory of fruit growing in New Ergland.
especially Of apples, claiming that this
section of the country was the cradle of
fruit industry of the United States.
The present day orcharding," said
Prof Craig, should develop two lines
of effort in New England. the planting
of the new orchards and the renovation
of old orchards. There should be an en-
tire change of front in orchardng meth
DDS in New England.
'The old orchard has been regarded
as ar adjunct. instead of an integral
part of the farm" Prof Craig read re-
ports to substantiate his claim from Yer
| mont and Rhode Island. although admit
ting that the San Jose scale had affected