EXPERIMENT STATION BULLETINS. 



WHY NOT PLANT A GROVE? 



Bulletin No. 45, Department of Botany and Forestry. 



These few pages on forestry have not been written to secure the applause 

 of those who see little use for a bulletin unless it contain some new truths 

 brought out by conducting careful experiments. On the contrary, they have 

 been prepared with the view to help awaken an interest in the subject by 

 calling attention to a few simple facts in the plainest way possible, and then 

 to give some elementry hints on the selecting, planting, and management 

 of young forest trees in groves and screens. 



For the past ten years or more the lumber cut in Michigan has been 

 steadily on the increase, and during this time the great waste has been with- 

 out a parallel in the history of nations. In the southern counties of the 

 state, people are already beginning to be more careful about wasting the 

 timber. 



The average capacity of the saw mills in Michigan is nearly one fifth that 

 for the whole United States. About sixty per cent, of all the yearly cut of 

 white pine in North America is taken from Michigan. Still, she has left 

 much hard wood of certain kinds, though that is fast going into market. 

 After all, we must admit that a timber famine is yet a long way off, but it 

 takes a long time to recuperate in case of a shortage in the timber sup- 

 ply. Of the three greatest interests of our country, manufacturing of all 

 kinds ranks first, agriculture second, and forestry third. 



" The evidence is ample and conclusive that we are making fearful inroads 

 on our forest stores. We are cutting oft' a much larger crop than can pos- 

 sibly be replaced by natural growth within the period when, at the present 

 rate, we shall have cleared the original forest off the ground. We are wast- 

 ing our forests by the ax, by fire, by pasturage, by neglect. So far as tim- 

 ber is concerned we are eating into our capital with little care for the 

 future."— Dr. E. J. James in Forestry Bulletin No. 2 of U. S. Agrl. Dept. 



Congress has appropriated large amounts of money for investigating and 

 encouraging the growing of oysters, crabs, lobsters, and fish, and the money 

 already appears to be giving large returns. Our own state for some years 

 has done a little by way of experiment to foster the production of fish in our 

 lakes, ponds, and streams. We legislate to protect birds and wild game and 

 appropriate money to encourage a large number of worthy objects, but for 

 " our forests, from which we are drawing a larger amount in natural wealth 

 than from any other source of supply, or from all other sources together, we 



