Waterbury evening Democrat., 1908-06-22
WASTE LAND-FoREsT GROWTH
The White Pine Disappearing for
 Ornamental Purposes.

The writer of popular tree book
 once stated that the white pine of
 our northeastern states was destined
 to disappear except for ornamental
 purposes. There are many reasons
 to believe that that time will never
 come, yet the nature and habits of
 the tree and the shortsightedness of
 the people make the statement more
 than mere suspicion.
 Not a great many years ago with
 in the white pine region theie were
 magnificent stands of old growth
 pine. Every old inhabitant to-day
 will tell you how they stood on his
 fathers farm when he was a boy,
 their clear, straight trunks and
 gnarled flat tops high above every
 thing else. Many an old nouse back
 in the country has floor boards and
 cupboard doors that are more than
 three feet wide which were made
 from such trees.
 These old monarchs of the north
 ern forests are gone now, except for
 isolated trees or clumps scattered
 widely over the region. A wood
 lot owner recently guided me sev-
 eral miles back into the hills in
 order to point out three magnificent
 pines which have been standing pror
 ably for more than 250 years. Ono
 could never mistake them from oth-
 CTS of later generation.
 | Before the advent of tLe portable ! S1wni11 if tN
 and haul logs any great distance to
 market. The trees were felled, rolled
 together and burned when new lands
 were cleared. Log rolling" days
 are still pleasant memories to New England's oldest inhabitants. Those
 were the days of the large farms
 with great herds of cattle and many
 oxen. Sheep roamed the hills ill
 far greater numbers than they ever
 do to-day. Immense areas were re-
 quired for pasturage, and extensive fields supplied the hay and srain for the winter feed. OK pastures are not
 known to-day, yet they were com mon in the days gone by.
 To-day, farming has moved west ward, and large farms in the hills have been reduced or abandoned en- tlrely. It is true, of course, that men have learned to cultivate small areas often as profitably as their fathers dld larger tracts of land. Every in- dustrious farmer went over his pas ture each year and removed every chance pine that had seeded from some adjacent tree. Now every wise farmer leaves the young pines to grow. It may not be very strange to know then that to-day there are more acres actually growing trees than there were fifty or sixty years ago. There is not more timber, oi course, for much of the valuable for ests have been removed within the last fifty years. Such land is now covered with poor quality of hard woods. The valuable forests to-day are the old fields and past: es whicl have grown up to pine.
 Everyone knows that broad leaf trees. such as birch, mapl1 and oak, usually take the place of Dine wher 1t is cut. The pines do not sprout as rule, and when a pine forest | has been cut over without leaving any trees for seed, there j.; no chance | for young pines to again occupy the 1 land. Worthless birch and maple, l with their light seeds, u.,.ally take | possession of the cut-over lands.
 This type becomes known as | sprout growth and is of lit .ie value to mankind. White pine, deprived | of its right to the cut-over lands, is, however, the predominating tree of | the abandoned fields. The owners no longer cut down the young pines, but encourage their growth. In a soil, with sufficient light and with occasional mature trees to sup ply the seeds, the abandoned fields alone are providing for our future timber.
 A southern New Hampshire lum- herman recently stated that if he had a few sturdy pines for seed trees on the wood lots he has lum- bered during the last thirty years, the present value of the young growth would me worth more than all the timber he has cut during his lifetime. There are thousands of acres of land, once growing pine, which are now producing nothing better than gray birch and maple. Often fires have been allowed to burn over the ground until the only growth remaining is scrubby and worthless. But fires arc not the menace they used to be. Farmers are learning the value of young pine growth and the starting of fires to clear land is not common. Fires set along railroads and by eareless boys are now the most serious ones.
 With increased safety to forest planting becomes more and more a desirable investment. Every acre of land should be producing of value to its owners is the general opinion of every land owner fin this era of progress. The planting of white pine is often the only means of getting an income from some lands. All the vacant land and | pastures cannot seed themselves and | the cost of planting them will soon be paid for by the increased value of he land.
 But many people say. ''lt will nev- sr do me any good. will never live ong enough to realize anything from my labor and expense" Experience 'f hundreds has shown that this is a sraEe mistake. One does not have to wait until their planted lands have srown merChantabIs timber. Every Ehsre people are seeking to invest their money in young timber. and hey are willing to pay good prices Tor it.