77 6 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



lumber produced by our forests as $210,159,327, and that there were 

 63,928 establishments engaged in the manufacture of articles made 

 entirely of wood, besides 109,512 establishments in which wood is an 

 important part of the material used as in the manufacture of car- 

 riages, agricultural implements, etc. It has been estimated that the 

 value of the products annually drawn from our forests exceeds $1,000,- 

 000,000, and of the vast imports of Great Britain two thirds are said 

 to be of vegetable character. Such facts show at once the very promi- 

 nent place which the forests of the world hold among national inter- 

 ests. But, in addition to the bearing of the forests upon the mechani- 

 cal industries of life, they have an important relation to climate and 

 to the meteorologic conditions on which agriculture and commerce and 

 the health and life of the people depend. When all these things are 

 taken into account, as until recently they have not been, it becomes at 

 once apparent that no subject, perhaps, deserves more consideration 

 among the resources of a country, and that the special attention given 

 it in the compilation of the present census is abundantly warranted. 



Accordingly, the endeavor has been made to ascertain, with more 

 completeness and precision than ever before, the situation of the 

 country in respect to its woody covering ; to learn to what extent the 

 several States and Territories abound in trees in masses ; of what 

 species of trees the forests are composed, their location, and their com- 

 mercial and industrial value. The work of ascertaining these facts, 

 and presenting them in proper form as a part of the census returns, 

 was committed by the Department of the Interior to Professor C. S. 

 Sargent, of Harvard University, who is also manager of the Arnold 

 Arboretum at Brookline. In carrying out the work assigned to him, 

 Professor Sargent divided the whole country into several districts, 

 each of which was given in charge to one or two competent persons, 

 with the needful assistants, for the purpose of making a personal ex- 

 amination of the districts, and also ascertaining facts by correspond- 

 ence with residents of different parts of the districts, so that a suffi- 

 ciently exact report might be made in regard to the timber-growth of 

 the country. Professor Sargent personally undertook the exploration 

 of the Pacific division, including California, Oregon, and Washington 

 Territory. 



The result of this forest survey will be to give us a knowledge of 

 the species and varieties of trees indigenous to our country, with the 

 districts where they most abound, and where they attain their best 

 development. It will show us what our forest resources are, whether 

 for the production of lumber, or fuel, or for ornamental planting. It 

 will show how far and how fast our forest supplies are diminishing, 

 and from what cause or causes ; whether from the axe of the lumber- 

 man, estimating the forests according to the number of feet of boards 

 or timber which they will yield, or from the axe of the woodman or 

 the miner ; whether from the fire kindled by the pioneer, eager in the 



