Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1914-12-16
TERMS
CUTTING CHRISTMAS TREES.

In the matter of Christmas tree "for-
estry'' the Barton Monitor concludes
that "the fact is, most of the supposed |
harm of the practice comes from the
hysteria of the newspapers, whose
editors know little or nothing of the |
practical side of the question" This
settles it-possibly. The writer of
this article has farm, on the back |
pine, spruce and fir, with some cedar. |
began to spring up around twenty odd
years ago. [ desired it cut off. and |
several times gave instructions to that
end. However. this was not done. |
and several acres were rapidly covered
by this growth in the years following. |
Today there is thousand dollars
worth of good sawmill stock on this lot |
worth that on the stump. AS to "the |
practical side of the question" these
facts are respectfully referred back to
the cocksure editor of the Mont
tor, with the assurance that once in
a great while a newspaper writer has
first-hand knowledge of what he may
be talking about-The Advance.
If the land in Brother Harris's back
pasture is so poor that it will not make
done the proper and economic thing in
letting it grow up. The Monitor has
no contention with any man as to the
right and proper thing to do with
waste land-land that cannot be made
to produce. To be sure there are
pastures and farms that never should
have been cleared. By all means let
such grow up to timber. Let such
waste land be planted to trees. Let
reforestizing be rapid and complete.
Let scientific cutting conserve the
present supply. Let every effort be
put forth to curb the ravages of forest
fires.
On the other hand the Monitor can :
not see the economic side of allowing
producing land to grow up to
timber. We cannot see the economic
side of allowing pastures that are
needed for grazing to grow up to
spruces.
From the observation of the MONT tor
majority Of the Christmas tree cut
ting is done on land where the en-.
croachment Of the evergreen tree is q
problem. No one with any real knowl-
edge of the situation will for minute
claim that the growing of timber anc
the grazing of profit-making stock OF
the growing of crops can be carried or
upon the same ground at the same
time Either the Christmas tree anC
the abandoned farm, OR the5dairy anc
the thriving rural communities. That is
the ultimate problem.
The number of Christmas trees cut
in this state this year is estimated by
one would-be authority as high as
a million and a half, land, no pub
lished statement Of the number OF
seedlings taking natural root each year
has ever been seen by the Monitor, but
those with some knowledge of such
things estimate that natures seeding
is many times the Christmas tree cut
So again we see that the final problem
is one of being crowded out of stock
raising and the production of milk
of our young men to the cities ant
allowing timber to cover the state.
The Monitor knows nothing abou
the pasture in question, but if it i
land that could produce good feed, thu
$1,000 for timber said to be on that 10
now. looks like 80 cents compared wit
what might have been realized by
good husbandman from that land b.
farming it for the past 20 odd years.
The Monitor has not happened to Sc
any authority on the subject condemn
ing unqualifedly the cutting of Christ
mas trees. On the other hand tn
New Hampshire state forester says
believes proper cutting may be bene
fetal and inasmuch as our own forestr
department says little or nothin
about the subject, we must still loo
to the writings of uniformed new
paper men and the back pasture
question to prove that all Christine
tree cutting is crime, waste and sig
Of shortsightedness.
If anyone has followed thus far tn
dissenting opinion from the high cou
Of Christmas tree experts-John !
Harris of Burlington, and Howard
Hindley of Rutland-let them read tt
following on "cocksureness.
We are told by Mr.. Harris that the
is $1,000 worth of 'good sawmill stock
on the stump in this pasture from sof
wood timber which "began to spring I
around twenty odd years ago." No
the writer does not own back pa
ture, but has knocked around on
farm, in the woods, lumber camp al
sawmilI several years Of the few yea
he has lived, and is informed by reco
nized timber experts that a cut
soft wood may be had on lot once