The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1909-02-24

throw away.
At any rate the destructive dlsposi-
tion of our people is strikingly seen In
the determination OF the Wild buffa-
loes, millions of which roamed upon
the Western plains OF this country
within the knowledge and experience
OF many persons OF the present gen
Grafton, but Of which today not one
exists in the wild state, and but few
under private ownership.
The prodlgaltty with which the vast
American forests are being cut down
without any effort at reforestation Is
another example of wholesale Ameri-
can wrste. When the first English set
tiers landed on American soil three cen
turtles ago the entire region from the
Atlantic coast to the Mississippi, and
from far up in Canada to the shores OF
the Gulf of Mexico, was densely covered
with virgin forests. Today, the great
est part of that vast region of one mil
lion square miles has come under the
woodmans ak and has been denuded
Uf its forest growth.
West of the great river the forest
growth does not extend westward for
more than one hundred miles, and
thence to the Rocky Mountains there
are few or no trees except along the
banks of the streams and among the
hills where there happen to be such
prominences in the broad table lands
20 hn ha raniHiiy with uhIph
the American timber supply is being
exhausted has recently been brought to
view by report made by United States
Inspector of Forests II. s. Kellogg.
His report shows that the value OF
the annual output Of forest products is
about one billion dollars or more He
shows that the country now consumes
every year between three and four
times more wood than all It's forests
grow in that time. Actually, there
fore, we are exhausting our forest cap
ital at terrific rate, and though the
total supply continues to be enormous
certain kinds of lumber are rapidly
decreasing, and great sections of the
country have passed the maximum OF
their producing power and are on the
decline.
AS regards consumption and popula-
tion, there Is the following statement
Rapidly as the population OF the
United States has increased, the lum-
ber consumption Of the country has
increased still more rapidly. In round
numbers, and allowing for incomplete
reports, the lumber cut in 1880 was 49,
100000 feet; in 1890, $4,000 900, 600
900 feet, and in 1900, $4,000 ,O00, 600 900
feet The increase In population from
1880 to 1900 was 81 percent, but in lum-
ber cut "a percent. The United States
is now using annually 400 board feet of
lumber per capita, while the average
for Europe is but 60 feet per capita.
AS the timber lands belong chiefly
to private owners, there Is no law to re-
strain those owners from guiding and
destroying the trees at their pleasure,
and It Is only where there are govern
ment lands still bearing forests that
any public care can be given them.
OF course, the Northern forests have
received the worst treatment. Ohio,
Indiana and Illinois were first cleared
of theid forests hciefy to open the
land to agriculture. The trees were
cut down, and to large extent burned
in vast piles to get rid Of them, but up
to the present time the chief Northern
timber supply has been drawn from
Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota and
Pennsylvania, which since 1880 have
had an aggregate output Of nearly 1885,
000,000,0 900 feet, or SO percent Of the
country's production. Until 1870 the
Northeastern states dominated In lum-
ber production, ranging from 54.5 per-
cent in 1850 to 1858 percent in 1870, and
then declining to 16 percent in 1900.
Today large drafts are being made
on the Southern forests, Texas standing
first in Southern production, Arkansas,
Georgia, North Carolina, Mississippi,
Alabama and Louisiana following in
the order named. The passing Of the
dominancy from the Lake States to the
OOutn HAS Dccu duOuJ COiuSiuoinb Win
the passing Of the day Of white pine, in
dicated by the statement at the begin
ming of this year that since 1895 nearly
$50 firms, representing an aggregate
annual output Of 4,250,0O0 feet of pine
lumber, had quite business because of
the exhaustion of the lumber supply.
At present the South is cutting about
Il, 900, 100000 feet OF yellow pine, or
more than onethird the total cut of all
lumber in the country.
United States Inspector Kellogg
shows that while within the period
from 1880 to 1900 the population Of the
United States inrceased but So per-
cent, the lumber cut increased from 49,
00,000,000 feet to 35,000,000 ,000, 900
feet, or "a percent. That is one Of the
striking facts emphasizing the conten-
tion that the forest wealth Of this coun-
try is being rapidly exhausted with the
present annual consumption Of wood in
all forms from three to four times as
great as the annual increment of the
forest and pointing to the absolute ne
coccftv frr- rrOnnt aud wi io,oroa,c x.ro,-ly