Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1911-06-30
GROW BE Trees
N Twenty Y[lRS
Fa49MAN ThoRp, or MINNESOTA,
NAe NEW sYsrEM or pRopA.
CATION.
CONSERVATION Or WATER Z
CROWDS oAowrH or TheEs


Pvvpssss Grown IN Comparatively
Short Timss - Federal Aushe~ttiss at
Washington study systsr-Misht
Dc AppIisd - Al Creps-
Washington, June 4O-That it is pos
sible to reproduce a pine forest In
twenty years Is. the substance OF repre-
sensations 1nst made to the Officials Of
the federal forest service by Freeman
iThorp, Of Crow Wing county. Mime
sots.
Government officials are so strongly
suppressed BY tie story told them by
Mr.. Thorp about his experiments in
iMinnesota that It has been decided to
send Chief Forester Graves and others
to tho stake to look over the remark
able farm Of Mr. Thorp-
Mr. Thorp not only claims credit fof
discovering method Of reproducing
q forest In twenty years, but he de-
clares the same method applied to
other crops will greatly enlarge the
productivity Of Minnesota and other
agricultural states.
Mr.. T4sorp has told the department
ofIefals that inside of twenty years he
can raise pine tree sixteen inches In
idia5neter. He starts his trees from
seedlings.
He insists, that the practice Of the
forest service in transplanting trees
will prove Q failure. Mr.. Thorp has
experimental with transplanted trees.
Most Of Them die at ,an carly age. ana
he predicts ali the occupants OF a
itransplauted forest are certain to per-
tsh In twenty years.
His Msst1ed Simple.
Mr.. Thorp's method Of reforestration
is simple It Is comprised in the main
Of conserving water that falls in the
forest. Instead of permitting the
water to run OF the land, Mr.. Thorp
impounds IT in small reservoirs He
holds the water in store by building
entertainments around the lands on
which the trees stand.
The Minnesota man has been IN
Washington the past week in confer
ence with government officials His
erp1anation' Of the way in which he
proposes TO conserve the wooded re-
sources Of the United States has made
profound impression on Chief Forester
Graves ana other officials concerned.
Mr.. Graves will visit the Thorp farm
in Grow Wing county this summer
Other experts Of the government also
win visit the Thorp place. These visits
may result in radical change in tho
policy Of the federal forestry service.
.Expsrimsntina for ssvsntssn Years.
II have been experimenting in forest
reproduction for seventeen years" said
MI. Tl1ofp, 'and have demonstrated
forest Of merchantable timber can be
grown in twenty years. BY mesns OF
embellishments thrown up at intervals
thru the forest I have created reser-
yo,rs mat win hold the rainfall and
promote tho growth OF all trees at
more than four times tho rate of
growth under natural conditions.
have shown Secretary Wilson and
Chief Forester Graves . section OF an
oak tree grown by my method which
WAS twice tbs diameter of the tree
grown within 100 feet Of 1t. but out
side the embankment. Norway pine
grew IN sixteen years to twice the dia-
meter Of q tree outside the embank-
ment that was ffty-one years old.
Minnesota white pine grows four times
as fest with the conservation OF mols-
ture as under natural conditions, and
have shown sections Of trees grown
under both conditions as a practical
demonstration"
Mr. Thorp added that any land could
,ha prepared for the growing Of trees
~ small expense under his system. He
4erec&s his entertainments With plow
ana harrow. Tho initial cost does not
exceed 50 cents an acre. and the an
tnusl expense for maintenance - In
nitesimal.
i1ransplantsd 1rses Have Small 0sses.
Speaking OF the federal method OF
transplantinG seedlings as compared
with his plan offreforostin Mr.. Thorp
said:
IT tried transpaanting In the hope
,nf gaining q year or So The trAns-
PLANTED trees all died IN q COMPARE
lively short time, while the trees
grown from seeds lived Those that
planted In my hrst year will mature
within the nextsfour years. or in TWEEN
sty years after planting. found the
roots Of the tramsplanted trees did not
reach out more than six or seven feet.
while the most Of the seed trees
reached as much as twenty feet and
ioften to q depth Of twenty-five feet. 1
predict that al Of the trees planted by
1.-THE FEDERAL seYSice-on the slopes of the
iRoc3,y mountains Will die within
twenty years"
~ Thorps insists he has proved the
sbarrens Of the northwestern states can
he reforested. He has 1000 acres OF
forest which - was cut ever and burnt
over ana which cost him approximate
Nv a. m acre When the trees mature
the timber win be worth 500 IN acre.
he declares.
Forest ~ Every Farn-
tEvery farmer IN Mimesota can
Start asforest,- said 1fr. Thorp, (which
WIN be as profitable to him as wheat
ior any other cereal crop. The farmer
iion the prairie land In Minnesota and
the Dakotas can start forest which
win Yield him moro substantial proht
I'm his own lifetime than the crops he
has been raising"
The Thorp farm is near Hubert,
CROW wing county. It covers 1000
acres and 4 part Of It Is devoted to
rxperimsaats IN growing grains and
forage crops under the same method
he uses Tor promoting the Srowth Of
treas. 49, - Z. g..
ID have demonstrated the crop yield
can be practically doubled in seasons
s. ordinary rainfall. and q normal
Weld can De secured IN the seasons Of
iarcuthy,' Mr.. srhofp sAid. Last year I
produced 100 pounds Of clover on =