The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1909-09-02

to reclaim more than FIVE per cent.
of all the arid land. This area,
together with that used for dry
farming, will barely suffice to
counterbalance the reduction of
the productive area in the United
States through the growth of cit
les, the building OF railroads and
the general development of COM
merce and non-agricultural indus
try. The possibilities for increas-
ing the productiveness of the 500, =
600, 900 acres of our public grazing
land are very great.
About two per cent. of the total
land area will forever remain de-
sert. There are but few areas
within the United States which,
on account OF the intense heat,
very low temperatures, alkali or
lack OF rainfall, are unfit for the
use of man and may be truly con-
| sldered desert land. Such land is
found in the Southwest about the
Cult Of California, in Nevada, in
Utah and in Oregon in the torn of
arid basins. Ice-bound deserts
are found in Alaska and on the
glacier-Covered mountain. This
land must, so long as the climatic
conditions of the country continue
as they are, remain reproductive.
| The land chiefly valuable for
growing forests Will shrink TO
about 500, 900, 900 acres, less than
one-hfth of the extent of the Unit
ed States proper. Together with
the wood lots, which will continue
to form part of the farm land, the
total forest area will amount to ap-
proximately $50, 900, 900 acres, or
a fourth Of the total land area.
Will this area be sufficient to
provide population Of so, ooo, 900
| peoples with all the timber needed
for construction, ties, poles, pulp
and all the various uses for which
wood seems to be the only suitable
material and to protect the soil
from erosion, regulate the stream
flow and exert its wholesome in
fuence upon the lives of the peo-
pie?
With the exception of those
countries which have naturally a
numid climate, like Great Britain
or the Netherlands, the countries
with forest area of only 20 per
cent. or less show usually to a
marked degree bad climatic condi-
tions, with prolonged droughts,
frosts and alternating floods and
low water, result Of the reduced
forest area. Portugal, with for
est area of only 315 per cent. of
the total; Spain, with 6 per cent. :;
Greece, with - per cent; Turkey,
with 20 per cent, and Italy, with
II per cent, are good examples.
While the area absolutely neces-
sary for the regulation of streams
and the protection of soils can be
determined only approximately
and indirectly, the area necessary
to make a country self-sus tanning
as regards to the production OF
timber an be found with greater
accuracy. If we compare the ex-
ports of the different countries
with the forest area for every 100
inhabitants we find that countries
with 90 acres of more per 100 in
habitants have surplus of exports
over imports, while those with IS
acres or less have a surplus or i'm
ports over exports. Apparent ex-
ceptions to this rule appear in the
cases of Bulgaria and Servia. These
countries, while at present import
ing more wood than they export,
possess considerable areas of forest,
now inaccessible, and, with the
development of means of exploita-
ton and the increased demand for
/ lumber they will in time become
exporting countries.
From this we infer that coun-
try in order to be self-sustaining as
regards its timber supply must
have an area of'about 100 acres of
forest land for every 100 inhabi-
/ tantS. The area necessary to SIM