Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1909-01-27

countries.
Vast Unused Land Area.
The total land area of continental
United States is 1,900,000,000 acres.
Of this but little more than two-fifths
is in farms. and less than one-half Of
the farm area is improved and made
a source of crop production. We have
nearly 100000 farms; they average
LAG acres each. The value of the
farms is nearly one-fourth the wealth
of the United States. There are more
than 100000 600 acres of public graz
ing land. The number of persons en-
gagged in agricultural pursuits is more
than 100000.
The Forestry Problem.
Next to our need of food and water,
says the report, comes our need of
timber.
Our industries which subsist wholly
Or mainly upon wood pay the wages
of more than 100000 men and wo.
men.
Forests not only grow timber but
they hold the soil and they conserve
the streams. They abate the wind
and give protection from excessive
heat and cold. Woodlands make for
the fiber, health, and happiness of the
citizen and the nation.
Our forests now cover 550,000,000
acres, or about one-fourth of the Unit
ed States. The original forests covered
not less than 85O,00O,000 acres.
Forests, publicly owned cover one
fourth of the total forest area and con-
tain one-fifth of all our standing tim
Der. Forests privately owned cover
three-fourths of the area and contain
four-fifths of the standing timber. The
timber privately owned is not only
four times that publicly owned but Is
generally more valuable.
Forestry is now practiced on 70 per
cent of the forests publicly owned ana
on less than / per cent of the forests
privately owned, Or on only Is per
cent of the total area of forests.
The yearly growth of wood in our
forests does not average more than
IL cubic feet per acre. This gives a.
total yearly growth of less than 1900
100000 cubic feet
We have 100000 acres of mature
forests, in which yearly growth is ball
anced by decay; 250,000,000 acres part
ly cut over or burned over, but re-
stocking naturally with enough young
growth to produce merchantable
crop, and 100,000,000 acres cut over
and burned over, upon which young
growth is lacking or too scanty to
make merchantable timber
We take from our forests yearly, in
Guiding waste in logging and in manu-
facture, 23,000,6O0,0O0 cubic feet of
wood. We use each year 100000 900
cords of firewood; 100000 100000 feet
of lumber; more than 1000, 600
posts, poles, and fence rails; 11S,OU0,-
900 hewn ties; 1,500s000,000 slaves;
over 1873, 100000 sets of heading; near
ly 500,000,000 barrel hoops. 100000
cords of native pulp wood 165 100000
cubic feet of round mine timbers, and
1,250,000 cords of wood for distiIlation.
Since 1870 forest fires have des-
troyed a yearly average of so lives
and $50000,O00 worth of timber Not
less than 50000,000 acres of forest is
burned over yearly The young growth
destroyed by fire is worth far more
than the understandable timber burned
For Waterway Improvement.
The report discusses at length the
problem of waterways and calls at
tention to the truth that it has re
Gently been declared by majority of
our leading statesmen that it is an
imperative duty to enter upon a sys-
tematic improvement, on a large and
comprehensive plan, just to all por.
lions of the country, of the waterways
and harbors and great lakes, whose
natural adaptability to the increasing
traffic of the land is one of the great
est gifts of a benign Providence, while
the minority Endorsed the movement
for control of the waterways still more
specifically and in equally emphatic
terms.
National Efficiency.
The concluding paragraphs of the
report deal with the subject of nation
al efficiency and declares that since
the greatest of our national assets is
the health and vigor of the American
people, our efficiency must depend on
national vitality even more than on
the resources of the minerals, lands,
forests and waters.
The average length of human life in
different countries varies from less
than twenty-five to more than fifty
years This span of life is increasing
wherever sanitary science and proven
tive medicine are applied. 1t may be
greatly extended.
Our annual mortality from tuber-
culosis is about 10000. Stopping