The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1909-07-08

called woodsmen, for they are living
and working amid the woodland to
gain such q knowledge of the tree
that they can earn livelihood from
their skill in what the scientists call
forestry. The geography tells us in
a general way that our forests are
among our greatest resources. On
the maps of many States you will find
here and there big black or darkened
patches that are marked forests"
These patches are especially notice.
able on the maps of such States as
Washington and Oregon, In the Pa
sin and Michigan, in what we usually
term the Northwest. But turn to
North Carolina, South Carolina and
Tennessee, and here you will see the
patches that the geography notes as
the forests of the Appalachian Noun
talns.
Yes, the woods of America are one
of its greatest sources of benefit to
us, for in a single year the lumber
that is sawed from the trees, the fuel
that comes from them for our fires,
the wood pulp made into paper, the
telegraph poles, the bark covering
that goes into leather and acids are
some of the items that pay the Nation
revenue of nearly billion and a
quarter of dollars. Why, the fagots
and kindling which heat our homes
and cook our food amount to over
one-third of billion dollars alone.
Just the beams, planks and shingles
that are cut in the $4,000 mills re-
quire forty billion "board" feet an
nually. So 1t is that great army is
employed in our woods just to handle
the ak and the saw in the timber in
dustry. Such have been their inroads
that really enormous tracts of forest
have been stripped. The numbering
has been done recklessly and waste
fully, without regard to caring for the
young trees. Often the timbermen
have left great stumps to rot and de-
cay, 80 that fully third of the value
of the woodland thus "cut oyer" has
been wasted.
About twenty years ago a New
York millionaire went down among
the highlands of North Carolina. So
pleased was he with the scenery, the
climate and other attractions of ma
ture, that here he determined to have
his home, and, cutting off the top of
mountain, he built a mansion,
which, with the grounds surrounding
it, forms what is probably the most
beautiful country seat in America.
Well, 1t ought to be, considering the
millions he spent in laying out boule-
wards, landscape gardens and other
vistas, but the story of how George
Vanderbilt created Biltmore is too
long to be told here, and is referred
to because If he had not been drawn
into the wilderness, this article would
probably have never been written.
The wilderness, the bigness of the
woodland, fascinated him as it has
other nature lovers. He wanted to
preserve it, yet to make it of use, and
to retain its beauty, so he began
adding forest after forest to his es-
tate, until he is now the actual lord
over domain that comprises 200
square miles of hill and valley, much
OF which Is tree covered. 1t includes
Mount Pisgah, which juts up above
the clouds to height of over a mile
above the level of the sea. After he
had secured this little empire, the
question that arose was how he could
best make 1t serve his purposes. Tim
bermen say that IL all the good trees
were cut off to-day, Mr.. Vanderbilt
would get so much money for the
lumber that he would be far more
that repaid for the cost of the land,
because the forest Is SO dense in many
places. But he wants to keep the
woodland growing perpetually," yet
make 1t pay for itself and yield
enough money yearly to meet the ex-
pense OF fencing 1t, with taxes and
other outlay. Thus it is that the
"Biltmore Rangers" as they may be
called, have working ground, yet
playground, which Is unlike that pos
sessed by any other set of youngsters
In the world. Here they live the sort
OF life that appeals to the boy who
has good red blood in his veins, for
1t is a life in the open, where the
tree, the bush, the leaf and blossom
are daily giving him knowledge of
woodcraft; where the mountain chal-
lenges him to ascend 1t; where he is
continually in the midst of the air
and sunshine Of the hill country. No
wonder boys have come here from
homes from Maine to California, as
these Rangers are national organ
ization, numbering few from the sur
rounding country. They are here, as
stated, to learn of the tree-its
growth, its value, but they are also
gaining an invaluable knowledge of
nature in general and an ac-
quaintance with the great outdoors,
which is just as beneficial.
Every month in the year there Is
something to do at Biltmore. Even.
In the winter they are busy in the
open, for between November and
april their headquarters are in Bilt-
more village, laid out by the founder
OIL the estate like a model English
town. On the outskirts is a forest
OF 5000 acres, which You will find
aivides into over twelve square miles.
from this comes third of the fuel
burned by the city OF Asheville.
mere the boys study the trees best
suited for fire wood. the way to
handle the ak for telling them, how
10 saw and pile cordwood, also to cal
cuiate how much fuel wood A com