The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1911-09-15

IS no QOuDl out Ill luOSL cases Tue
prodigal policy has been the result of
ignorance rather than prompted by
wanton spirit as some Of the critics
would have US believe.
The general public has heard most
regarding the wastefulness and extravaganza
of American methods Of numbering since the
development within the past few years of the
movement in behalf Of the conservation of our
natural resources However, for years before
that crusade began, and with redoubled energy
since. returned European travellers have been
eXclaiming upon the contrast between forestry
methods in the old world and the new. Now.
it has been very impressive to hear how in
France and Germany great forests are cult
waited with the care of well-Ordered garden,
and how even the twigs that fall from the
trees are picked up and sold for fuel, but as
a matter of fact the boasted German methods
of forestry would not be at all suited to the
United States
However, for all that, as has been hinted
there are two sides to this question of the
wasteful American methods of numbering the
fact remains that people have not made
the most of the priceless heritage of our for
ests. Nor has all the fault in this respect
been at the door of the professional lumber
men who, given a seemingly almost inexhaust-
able source of supply, naturally gained con-
measure responsible also, have been the
farmers who were the pioneers in the settle
ment Of the various sections of our country
Eager to clear the land they had taken up and
to get to the actual work Of tilling the soil
these settlers were prone In many instances
to think only of the quickest and cheapest
ways of getting rid of the timber In many
cases they took no pains to get the most out
= the standing timber to so cut It that a
maximum yield would be insured.
It is the professional lumbermen who have.
hguratively speaking, slashed right and left
without much regard to consequences in get.
ting out their timber. Trees have been felled
without the proper regard to the damage done
to other forest monarchs in the crash of the
heavy trunks to earth, and logs have been
snaked' or dragged out Of the forest with
few, II any, precautions against damage to the
young growth-the source Of the lumber SUD-
ply Of tomorrow. Added to these and worse
than all else In effect, is the deadly destruc
ton wrought by forest fires. These wholesale
annihilations Of standing timber have been
largely traceable to human carelessness and
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. in extinguish
ing camp fires and other forms Of human neg
ligence that precipitate the fires, and short.
sightedness in not providing adequate alarm
systems and fre-fghting facilities to combat
the flames once they have gained Roadway.
very spectacular form of lumber waste
and one that never fails to astound Europeans
who tour the United States, Is the lavish use
made of marketable timber in providing facil-
tiles for logging operations. In the states OF
Oregon and Washington. for instance, there
may be seen in the lumber regions ponderous
bridges. the piers Of which are formed from
crossed logs placed criss-cross on top Of one
another. 1t is no exaggeration to say that
such bridge contains the makings of lumber
sufficient to build all the houses and other
frame structures in good-sized village An
other utility Of the American logging system