The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1909-05-17

includes Mount Pisgah. which juts
up above the clouds to a height OF
over a mile above the level of the
sea. After he had secured tIhs lit
tie empire, the question that arose
was how he could best make 1t serve
his purposes. Timbermen say that
If all the good trees were cut off
today Mr. Vanderbilt would get so
mu n money from the lumber that
he would be far more than 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 It
pay for itself and yield enough
money yearly to meet the expense OF
fencing It, with taxes and other out
lay. Thus it is that the "Biltmore
Rangers" as they may be called,
have a working ground yet a play
ground 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
WIZ udb SOOu Itu DlOOu III MS Ntlih
for It is life in the open, where the
tree, the bush, the leaf and blossom
are daily giving him knowledge of
woodcraft: where the mountain chal-
challenges him to ascend Il; where
he is continually in the midst OF the
air and sunshine of the country.
No wonder boys have come here
from homes from Maine to Cali-I
fornia as these Rangers are n ma
tional organization, numbering few
from the surrounding 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 acquaintance with the great Out |
doors. which Is Just as beneficial.
Every month in the year there Is
something to do at Baltimore. Even
in the winter they are busy in the
open. for between November and |
April their headquarters are in Bal
tmOre village, laid out by the |
founder of the estate like a model
English town. On the outskirts is
a forest Of 5000 acres, which you
will find divides into over twelve
square miles. From this comes a
third Of the fuel burned by the city
OF Asheyllo. Here the boys study
the trees best suited for iirewood,
the way to handle the AK for telling
them. how to saw and pile cordwoOd.
also to calulate how much fuel wood
is contained in an acre of standing
easy task when you know
how In and about this forest are
stretches OF old farm lands aban
doned by the former owners because
regarded as worthless, but the young
woodsmen have proved that they are
fit for tree-growing. Part Of their
duties is the "reforeSting," as 1t is
called, OF his bare soil They set
out ash, cherry and other hard
woods found on the estate, and dur
ing the last year thus turned a hum
dred acres into a tree plantation,
When this crop is ready to cur,
the value of the wood will be 50
much as to well repay the time, la
Dor and expense Of reroresting. The
frewood industry is so profitable be-
cause those who burn Biltmore
wood" can always rely on getting
the kind that gives the most heat,
as It is the produt Of a scientIncal-
y conducted woodward.
With the April days the young
'oresters pack their instruments, ,
coils and clohtes, mount their pom
es and trail through the wilderness {
20 the foothills OF Pisgah. Here they
get among the tan-bark trees, and
for a month or so they work in {
leeling off the bark. figuring on how ,
much bark will yield packing the
park for shipment, also IN analyz- |
ng such wood as chestnut, which {
contains valuable sap used for {
preparations. In a year the ]
boys harvest" 1900 tons Of tan !
lrk, which goes into fannie acid {
It an Asheville factory. With the {
middle of May camp is again struck {
md the party go farther into the 4
Wild until they are miles away from c
wen the border of civilization. Here c
hey are woodsmen i'm truth. Under S
he shadow of old Pisgah they are L
lmid the primeval forest. They
become timber cruisers, which y
means they go through n tract, I
the quantity Of hardwood c
md other lumber II contains, with {
,ut cutting down a tree. Scaling d
he trunk Of a big oaH or pine, the a