The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1909-05-14
BY JAMES WILSON
Secretary Of Agriculture.

1t is an undeniable fact that We
are using our woods faster than they
are growing great deal faster. l,
Is necessary that we should grow
more woods. There are mountain
ranges In our country that are moi
At for agriculture which should be
sfOwlng wood. In one part of our
country there Is not very much land
that we can spare-which is the corn
and bluegrass belt Of the West, the
upper Mississippi, the prairie coun-
try. That land is needed to prepare
bread and beef for the people. But
In every other part of the country
there is much land lying idle that
might be growing wood.
Now, every man looks to the fut-
ure. He looks to the welfare Of his
family. He wants to leave something
behind him. Why not leave growing
trees behind him? Why not do that?
Let us not sit down and make a face
at congress because they will not buy
Appalachian and White mountain
ranges.
Let us be practical, each Of us in
our own locality, and get our own
people to do the right thing along
these lines. We did plant In Iowa,
when we went there first, which was
over half century ago. The winds
had a magnificent sweep there at
that time. 1t was SO bad have been
driven off hay stack many times
| could not wait there on the hay
stack long enough to get sufficient
Gay Tor team Of horses, half cen
tury ago. We began planting trees
and we planted them along the lines
OF the roads; we planted them along
the subdivision lines Of the farms,
We planted the first thing we could
get, which means we went to the bot
toms and got cottonwoods. They
nave been despised a good deal, vet
they are valuable. We are discovering
now now to prepare those soft cot
tonwood trees SO they will last.
Then we thought the white will
low was better, and we planted many
OF those. 1 have had as much as
hve miles Of white willows on my
home farm. Then along came the
automobile men, and they went to
The legislature and got them to enact
statute compelling us to cut all 4
hose hedges down to four feet in
height, SO they would not hold snow
and keep the roads in bad shape for
he automobile people; and SO we
lave to begin cutting and slashing
hose trees that broke winds off us
n Iowa.
The next question is how to get
rec seeds to grow, particularly out
vest In the forest ranges. We have
-68, 100000 acres now. Last sum-
ner went out west among the trees.
- had done for several summers.
nice question has been in our
ninds, how to get reforestation done.
u course you can plant seeds in a
ed and then take them up with a
pade and set them out where you
rant them set, and all that. If the
apartment Of agriculture had all the
rmy and all the navy they could
ever get 1t done In time. We have.
robabIy, 100000 acres to plant.
We ought to be reforesting 100000
cres year-think of that! You can :
ever do that with spade in the :
orld; you could never get it done. :
azure should be followed along !,
lose lines.
l recollect the first time | went out :
lere and discussed this proposition :
lth some OF the people there If },
ere wanting to get field to grow a
ASS that had no grass on it, would :, :,
w the grass seed on the last SHOWS :,
the spring, and the seed would sink !.
'wn into the soil and would be =,
oistened and would terminate be- :,
re the moisture from the spring !,
ms and SHOWS affected deletriously !,
9 roots. That is the way we get !,
stures more quickly. Sow the seeds :, -
the last SHOWS in the spring, and =
U Will attain that result. Il wish =,
u would try that with regard to re- -,
restation," ! said to them q was =.
en- in the Black Hills, speaking to E,
me OF our forest people.) They "
q they would try 1t. advised them
get their seed in ample quantity in ar
rail-, take an eighty-acre tract in Id
spring and SOW on the last SHOWS. nv
vas out there last summer again. tn
was three years since | had been ri
ire and made that suggestion, and m,
y had carried out that suggestion, no
lroye thirty-five miles to see that ".