The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1919-08-18

n they go 10 the Dig pup anu poPci
mills owned by corporations that lonx
ago bought up hundreds of thousands
of acres of the best timber in Maine.
Logging used to begin In November
and end in March. Now 1t goes on at
all seasons
Saw Mills Small Factor.
The saw mill Is q small factor In
the great game of turning Maine for
ests into n The long log
ger. that Is, he who cuts for sawmills,
Is almost extinct. The big sawmiH
drives are seer no more. This Is the
day Of the sfour-foot stuff' which
makes up most of the drives and gives
business to the railroads. The pulp
mills eat up SO many millions OF feet
OF spruce that speculative and statfs-
tical persons wonder where 1t all
comes from and how long the supply
Will last. So far as Maine Is con-
| cerned there need be no fear of a wood
famine very soon, but at the pres
emit rate OF cutting there Is bound to
be a scarcity In the United States with
In a few years that will send prices
kiting.
The present annual consumption OF
ru;p wood east Of the Mississippi
river is about 100000 cords, or $500
100000 feet. That Is using wood NJ Z
reckless rate. ever with a big supply
In sight. But there Is a greater drain
upon our wood u Fire takes
more than the mills. The eastern
slope of the Rockies Is 75 per cent
burnt land. and the timber map Is
splotched with great black patches all
the way from Puget sound to the
Penobscot. In some parts of Maine
the burnt area greatly exceeds the
green. In the South the pine and the
cypress are being cut away at an
alarming rate, and in the Pacific states
the Douglas fir and other growths are
being turned into money as rapidly
as possible.
L. To make up for all the cutting, lit
tie Is being done. Scientific forestry
IL making some progress. but as yet
efforts In that direction are as nothing
compared with tree slaughter. Re-
4 IOItttuliOn 10 OCtnS Vh ~ SOaat
states, as on a small scale, In Maine,
but a tree doesn't grow In a day. A
big spruce may be felled In five min
utes, but its reproduction will re-
quire 40 years.
1t Is not altogether a question OF
wood supply, either. As the forests go
the floods will come, waterpowers
will fail and all industry will suf-
fer. Therefore, there must be a lot
OF tree planting In this country, else
pretty much everything will go by the
board.
Advance In Pulp Wood Values. !.
The advance in pulp wood values
within 80 months has been remark
able, even for the times. Before the
entrance of this country into the war,
peeled wood delivered In the mill yard
In Maine was worth so a cord.
Now the price is SIS In Maine and In
New York state $26 a. cord. This adj
vance is due In part to higher wages
and in part to a little ~profiteering or a
turn Of thrift by the land owners
Wages before the war. that Is. up to
the spring Of 1917, were $50 to $50 q
month and board. In 1918 and 1919 the
rate jumped to $50 to $65 a month. and
in some instances as high as $75 OF
SS5 has been paid. Just now. because
Maine Is pretty well stocked, the de-
mand for labor and the price show q
declining tendency. But In the United
States as a whole the supply of wood
Is short Of the demand, and there
; seems to be no prospect of lower
! prices either of labor or product.
: One operator In Maine, a Massa
chusetts man, who got into the lum
Der business through his love of ma
! ture, cut last year on Molunceus ant
! the east branch Of the Penobsco'
! 10000 cords, or 100000 feet. Of pull
wood and 100000 feet Of long logs
and will cut this year 10000 cords, Of
: 2O,OOO.OO0 feet Of pulp wood, employ
ing 600 men at $62 a month and
! board or for piece work, $3.50 to $3.7s
! Z cord.
The common impression Is that al
wood pulp Is made into paper ant
that the increased demand for news
print alone Is responsible for the 0e
nudation Of our forest lands. 1t Il
} true that most OF the pulp goes Il
! satisfy the appetite Of the printing
presses. but there have been devel
( oped In recent years many and vari
Gus other uses for the fiber Of tn
! spruce and poplar. Innumerabl'
4 articles are now made Of wood pull
q doors. dishes, buttons. boards, boxes
pie plates by the million. trunks ant
Z car wheels. and milady who parade
" the avenue, proud Of her gown o
( tricolette. may be surprised to lear
. that In that silken fabric Is wovel
the fiber Of the s~pruce-that she owe
. something Of the luster and durabl
r texture Of her inery to the fragran
. forests Of Maine.