St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1920-12-04
WHY FORESTRY
is IMPORTANT
CONSIDERATION
In THIS SECTION
Great Southern Lumber Co.
Conducting Campaign
of Education.
WASTE LANDS
CAN EARN MONEY
Paper Pulp Can Be Grown
On Lands Not Put In
Cultivation.
(By The Great Southern Lumber Co.
Bogalusa, La.)

(By The Great Southern Lumber Co
BOgalusa, La.)
The Great Southern Lumber Com
pany has been studying the question
of forestry four or five years. Sew
eral times within that period Mr.. M
l.. Alexander, Commissioner of Con
servation of this State has prevailed
on us to send representatives t.
Urania, Louisiana, to observe thu
work in reforestation and conserva
ton of young trees carried on by Mr.
Henry E. Hardtner, under the super
vision of the Forestry Division Of
this Department. We had, of course
learned something from Mr.. Hardt
ner's advanced ideas concerning the
utilization of cut-over pine lands fol
reforestation. We have visited Mr.
tardner's place more than once dur
ing the last year or two and largely
due to what we have learned from
these demonstrations, have arrived
at some definite conclusions, and
adopted certain policies which we
think are workable and permanent,
These, We are now practicing on oul
own lands.
Seed Trees.
A few years ago we left standing,
as We thought, sufficient old trees to
reseed the land. Experience has
taught that these large trees are no.
successful. Nearly all of them have
either died or blown down. The
cause of death in some cases being
electric storms, but principally, NJ
doubt, it has been due to beetle,
which was pointed out to us by Nh.
Craghead, Entomologist, in the SER
vice of the United States Govern
ment. Subsequently we have relied
on the small trees left behind the
logging crews to supply seed in the
future. A great many Of these
small trees, especially when the land
was cut over in the hot summer
months, have died from the same
cause. The cutting away of the
other timber, and many times bruis-
es incident to the logging operation,
sufficiently weakened the trees left
standing rendering them susceptible
to the attack of this particular kind
of beetle.
We have now adopted method
of clearing all the slash from around
the small trees left standing and in
addition We are entering the forest
in advance of the cutting, locating
our seed trees in schools or clusters,
painting ring around them. In
structions are given to the men 10
leave the seed trees thus selected
untouched. This is being done on
the theory that natural reforesta-
ton or reforestation by natural seed
ing methods will be far mare eco
nomical than by artificial paintings.
Artificial Seeding.
Experimentally, We have fenced
500 acres Of aenuded area near b.
galusa, non-agrieultural lands, most
Of which We have ploWed in rows
eight feet wide running East and
West; from four to six burrows pillow
ed to each row. This, we are plant
ing to slash and loblo.ly. We be-
lieve that within fifteen years cut
tings can be made on this planted
plowed area for pulp wood.
We have collected some four or
five hundred pounds of loblolly seed
which We are now sowing ON the
ploWed area. At the suggestion OF
Mr.. Austin Cary, and taking advant-
age of this years wonderful seed
crop, we have collected three thou
sand pounds of long leaf pine seed.
We expect to scatter these long
leaf pine seed on non-agricultural
areas of denuded land where Mr..
Forbes, State Forester, thinks there
is not sufficient seed trees left to
warrant hope of natural repro
luetion.
Our Purchasing Department has
been requested to secure prices on
wire fencing AS soon as we can
secure this, five thousand acres more
land will be fenced and where this
years seed fall did not properly seed
The ground we will do artificial seed
ing.
Land Classification.
The Great Southern Lumber Com
Dany has applied to the Federal Gov
for technical men to make
1 geological survey of their lands in
order to have the record Of experts
as to it's merits for farming and re-
We propose to see such
Is should be used for agricultural
purposes and use for reforestation
he rest ct it.
Fire Control.
We think that the annual grass
Tres is the greatest enemy to the
'apid reproduction in pine trees.
The cut-oVer areas are more apt to
)urn over than timbered lands. The
Forestry Division Of the Conserve
ion Department of our state govern
nent has during the past three or
our years, accomplished a great deal
If good In the State, including this
section, through its patrolmen, who
lave created no small interest thru
out the region, on the part Of resi-
lent farmers, in trying to control
and prevent the woods grass fires.
Availing ourselves of the growing