20 ' SEVENTH REPORT. 



entirely to an end as the pine of the Saginaw valley (the American Lum- 

 berman says that pine is on the toboggan), or the countless herds of 

 Buffalo of the western plains, which were sharply wiped out between 

 1877 and 1887, so that the buffalo coats which the street car men wore 

 when I was a sub-freshman were a luxury of the rich when I was grad- 

 uated. Usually as the cost increases it tends to cut down the consump- 

 tion until a certain balance, depending upon available substitutes, is at- 

 tained, and so the price slowly rises and consumption keeps on decreasing. 

 That is the way in which our anthracite coal fields, and the British coal 

 and iron ores are becoming exhausted. Moreover in many cases there 

 may be both an accumulated stock and a continuous supply. For in- 

 stance, it is so to a certain extent with our forests. The magnificent 

 growth the pioneers found here was an accumulated stock. But in many 

 eountries forests, like the farmer's wood lot here, are looked to for a 

 continuous suppl}'. We must soon be in that case. Originally the great 

 white pine belt extended over 400,000 square miles and there may have 

 been 700 billion feet of it at the beginning, say in 1851. By 1901 there 

 was but 110 billion feet, which Avas going at the rate of 7 billion a year. 

 So within 10 years there will be no more white pine — it will be hem- 

 lock, jack-pine, anything. As the annual consumption in the United 

 States is some 25 billion cubic feet, and the total forest area of the United 

 States is some 500 million acres, from Avhich American lumbering practice 

 will only get 420 board feet per acre a year, it is obvious that even though 

 we improve to the standard of the German practice of 600 board feet per 

 annum we must still either reforest large areas or find substitutes. It 

 is difficult to see the national economy of rushing through our timber 

 pell-mell at a low price and then buying that of our neighbor, Canada, 

 at a high price. 



Beside stored up treasures of wood and coal the loss by extermination 

 of any animal or plant is one which ma}- indeed be small, but may easily 

 be irreparable. The last survivor of those flocks of wild pigeons which 

 once darkened the sun seems to have v/inged his solitary way to that 

 bourne whence no traveller returns, which the fowler's eye may vainly 

 strain to discern. The same thing is almost true of the wood-duck. 

 Logging operations have absolutely cleared many a stream of trout, and 

 it might easily be that grayling, whitefish and sturgeon would become 

 as unknown as the wolverine in the Wolverine State. The, gain or loss 

 of all this or of preventing these exterminations I am not prepared to 

 state. I presume in some exterminations like those of the rattlesnake 

 and the wolf there is a distinct gain. But it is not well that we should 

 let these exterminations of our animal neighbors go on in sheer heed- 

 lessness, but take some pains to preserve and propagate those most 

 valuable. A great body of laws on game ])reservation and fish culture 

 show that we realize something of this. Yet I venture to say that we 

 still know far less than we might of what animals should be preserved 

 and especially how best to do it, or which of our animal friends are 

 being exterminated and how best to stop it. Many a well meaning 

 action fails in its object because based on imperfect knowledge. 



First, then, as regards these exhaustible resources we should know 

 what is happening. Again we should try to make the consumption as 

 little wasteful as possible, so that we may get the full benefit of all that 

 is used. As we shall see, unwise action may almost force extravagance. 



