Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1909-02-11
TREE PLANTING ON
A LARGE SCALE.
Buyers OF a Trout Preserve Go
In For Forestry and Set Out
Seedlings In Thousands.

of sentiment, but are now governed
by the commercial side. with the ad-
ded satisfaction of knowing we are
beneftting the public at large" said
William B. Mershon, of Saginaw,
Mich, who is deeply interested In for
estry and kindred subjects.
"a good many years ago." said
Mr.. Mershon, "f1fteen or twenty of
us bought the Wingleton property,
about 100 acres of land west Of
Ludington, where w. d. Wing had
been conducting lumber operation
for years. We bought it for the trout
streams. About all the timber that
was worth anything at that time had
been taken off; few young pines
were growing around the little lakes
and on the plains so-called scrub oak
or red oak was growing, but not Of
much size.
Had we at the time planted the
land with Norway pine, the prop
erty would have been worth 100000
to-day, for the scrub oaks in the eigh-
teen or twenty years we have owned
the property have become of good
size, big enough to make railroad
ties and the little pines that were
around the lakes have now become
practically merchantable timber and
forest growth has developed to such
an extent that photograph taken OF
the locality shows a wonderful I'M
provement over one taken of the same
place years ago.
''Three years ago we put out 5000
Norway and white pine on the prop
erty, and two years ago we put out
5000 more. The Norways are hard
to get, but white pines are easily OBJ
tanned This year another planting
was made, so that our total now for
three years is 800. Those planted
two years ago have grown well. This
is forestry undertaken by few gen.
tlemen who have Clipped in, so to
speak, to defray the expense.
THE Au Sable Forest Farm Co.,
on the north branch of the Au Sable
River, has just completed its first
planting About thirty-five acres have
been prepared so as to enable us to
plant II 900 trees this year. OF course
we had to take out logs and rubbish
that might cause fire among the seed
lings. We put out $4,000 more trees
in temporary beds for transplanting
next year and we hope to have suffi-
cient land cleared up so we can put
out 100000 trees and two years from
now we hope to make our annual
planting pretty nearly 100000
trees. We estimate that 100000
trees will be required to reforest our
property there.
Norway is what really should be
planted. We have about fifteen
pounds of Norway seed this year and
estimate 10000 seedlings to the
pound, but we should have liked TO
have gotten three times this quantity,
We have also put out 1900 Eastwood
and 1000 black ash on the flats, for
we have a lot of rich bottom lands.
Fire has to be guarded against,
and we have plowed fire breaks TWEEN.
ty feet wide around the planted Sec
tions and are now engaged in fencing
the 100 acres on which the planting
is made to keep cattle out. This be.
ing done, we shall follow by putting
fire breaks around the entire property
just as fast as possible and keep a
crew of men at work there all sum.
mer.
Railroads set many fires. When
up on the north branch last week
fires were burning fiercely, and it was
a shame to see the destruction to
young growth that was taking place.
Whit pine and Norway trees eight
and ten feet high were being con.
sumed by the fires set by railroads,
though they had escaped the fire for
years. This was on account of no
protection or provision for protection
being made by the State or private
individuals"