Forests and Forestry in Wisconsin. 151 



to save it ; be cut back the top, put ashes, leaf mould, and manure 

 under it, and it is alive to-day and growing thrifty as the others. 

 He believed we could save them in this way. 



Mr. Scholzka : There is no economy in sparing the old trees. 

 When they have become old they are deteriorating in value, and 

 had better be cut down and others put in their places; then you 

 will always have thrifty, rapid-growing trees, that are continually 

 increasing in value. The proper place for groves and forests is 

 on the hills and mountains. Much of this land is unaccessible to 

 the plow or is unfit for cultivation. No other crop will grow there 

 but trees. If these places are left bare, they will become drier 

 and drier, and more worthless every year, and the heavy rainfalls 

 will wash off what little soil there is and leave nothing but rocks, 

 and so the land will be lost for centuries. Covered with trees, it 

 will not only yield an income in the timber, but will give fresh, 

 pure air and health to the country all around and will increase 

 the area and the productiveness of the tillable land. 



Mr. Wood, of Baraboo, said that coming from a country where 

 the question was not how to preserve our trees, but how to get them 

 out of the way, he could not appreciate the feelings of those who 

 advocated the planting of forests. In all heavily timbered regions 

 the country is slow of settlement. It requires a long time, much 

 hard labor and many privations on the part of the settlers to 

 bring the land into good tillable condition. Where the timber is 

 nearly all cut off, the few patches left have some value, but where 

 the most of it remains, it has no particular value, but is rather an 

 incumbrance. In a prairie country, true, it would be different. 

 Notwithstanding all that is said in regard to raising timber for 

 economical purposes, he did not believe it could be done to any 

 advantage except for firewood. He had seen a great many trees 

 that had been planted and had grown to be of good size, but had 

 never seen one that would make a good saw-log. Nature in the 

 native forests gives straight, smooth and long bodies to the trees, 

 but those that are cultivated are not usually long enough for one 

 decent log. He said the black walnut is easy to raise and grows 

 rapidly. AVhen a boy he gathered nuts from trees in the forest 

 and planted them, and they had grown into fine large trees, which 



