The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1925-04-30

L.
Americans throughout the land
are being urged to give thought
to the condition of the forest
lands in the nation.)
Maids on-Wisconsin has greater
need for new forests than she has for
new farms, according to DR.. G. S.
Wehrwein of the department of land
economies of the University of Wis
consin.
In discussing the problem OF idle
lands and the zeforestation problem,
Mr.. Wehrwein made the following
comments:
eve are still living under the spell
of the ''farms must follow forests"
ideal. Up to about 1880 this was actu-
ally the case; in fact farms trampled
upon forests and trees were removed
as so much trash. But since then our
situation has changed. The lumber
man has cut over more land than set
tiers could clear, or the nation could
use as farms, There are almost a half
billion acres of eut-over lands lying
idle or working less than half time
and between 100000 and $4,000
acres in Wisconsin alone. Idle acres
are as useless and expensive as idle
men or idle factories. These great
tracts of. land should be put to work.
What is their proper jobg
"The first reaction of most people
will be to suggest that they be put
into farms, to produce something, to
create values IN the land thereby
making room for more people and Civ
ing the state taxable basis. Where
there is no production there is no
revenue.
"Such a proposal neglects the fact
that we have too many farmers and
too much farm land now We are no
longer in the self sufcing stage of
agriculture and every new farm is
a competitor of every already estab-
lished farm. If it were not so, why
the depression in agriculture? Ac-
cording to survey made in Missouri
last fall there were 28,500 farm homes
fit for habitation unoccupied, about 8
per cent of the total number of farm
houses. Other states also report an
unusual migration of farmers into in
dustry. About a million acres of
abandoned farm lands in the East re-
vert each year to brush and forests
and this process is not confined to the
East. The job is rather to hold the
land already in farms than to create
new farms. This is no time to consid-
er rapid expansion of agricultural
land. Agriculture cannot be rehabili-
tated by creating new farms and by
stimulating more peopre to become
farmers. Few business men will put
their money into tractor manufactur-
ing when the country is flooded with
unsold tractors, and the same reason
ing should apply to farms.
"Of course, population is increasing
and there is need for more farms
but there is no need to worry about
the supply with railroads, land COM
panies, states and the United States
reclamation service contending for all
available settlers to settle their man
hungry acres.
'If then the idle land should not be
put into farms what should it do?
Judging from the rising price Of lum-
Der and forest products it would seem
to be a good business to let it grow
trees. And this brings up another
angle: Namely the fact that some of
THIS idle land is unfit for agriculture
for all time to come. 1t is rough,
stony, wet, cold, or sandy and is by
nature reserved for forests even
though it may not be the best soil to
grow trees. Trees respond to good
soils as we'll as potatoes. Nevertheless
this fact should be recognized and all
effort to sell submarginal agricultural
land be. discouraged.
Urges Classification First.
But there are also thousands of
acres which are not ready to go into
farms because the present prices of
farm products do not justify the ex-
pense Of clearing the land for farms.
Such land should be put to work grow
ing trees until the time is ripe for the
transition to farms However, with
the growth of population there will
be just as great an increase in the de-
mand for forest products as for food
and clothing and it may we'll be that
forests on land fairly well suited for
agriculture will be more profitable
than if such land were in crops.
"The first step in the proper utili-
zation of idle land is classification.
Land obviously forest land is not hard
to designate and ought to be put to
work growing trees-whether by pri-
vate or public agencies is immaterial.
The main consideration is to grow
trees to put this land in use and to
ease off the forest famine that is in
evitable. Lands not 30 easily placed,
land on the frontier between forest
and farms will offer more difficulties
bit in view Of the present over ex-
pansion OF agriculture and the coming
scarcity of wood and timber the land
classifer will not err if he leans to-
ward timber and away from farms"