NEWS AND NOTES 



7^7 



Germans Planting Forests in China 



Tn a portion of the Celestial kingdom 

 earnest efforts are now being made to re- 

 establish a forest-cover by planting. Con- 

 sul Wilbur T. Gracey, of Tsingtau, China, 

 reports that the Germans in that region 

 are making- successful attempts at refor- 

 estation. 



When Tsingtau was occupied by the 

 Germans about eleven years ago the hilh 

 were found bare and barren, with only a 

 sporadic growth of scrub pine and weeds. 

 Plans for reforestation were at once made, 

 and about 2,965 acres have already been 

 planted. About half of this is planted in 

 acacias, the balance in pine, larch, walnut, 

 oak, ash, maples, and alders. So successful 

 has this planting been that the point has 

 already been reached where the sale of tim- 

 ber can be made. Small branches are sold 

 for firewood, and some of the timber is used 

 for mining purposes. The sale and exporta- 

 tion of acacia is expected to become a con- 

 siderable source of revenue during the next 

 few years. 



The work of reforestation has been re- 

 tarded by lack of moisture, but especially 

 by insects. Caterpillars have been especially 

 hurtful. 



During 1908 over 7,000,000 caterpillars 

 were gathered by hand, smashed, covered 

 with lime, and afterward used as fertilizer. 

 This method has been successful in protect- 

 ing the greater part of the plantations, but 

 on the mountains on the border of the terri- 

 tory the trees are eaten bare. Acacias ap- 

 pear to withstand the attacks of the insects 

 better than any other species; and the sum- 

 mits of the mountains are now being planted 

 with these trees in an effort to check future 

 destruction. In addition to these enemies, 

 Chinese thieves are another source of diffi- 

 culty, and on one occasion a band of thirty- 

 six thieves was captured in the act of steal- 

 ing wood. 



In spite of these drawbacks, however, the 

 work has been so successful that the Chinese 

 government is now undertaking forestry 

 schemes in a number of places under advice 

 from German experts. This work centers 

 about Mukden, Manchuria. 

 ^ The first Chinese forest school was estab- 

 lished at Mukden two years ago. Six hun- 

 dred and twenty-five acres have already been 

 set apart for cultivation, and 24,710 acres 

 are to be purchased for afforestation. 



Three large mines in China, in the prov- 

 inces of Ch;hli and Shansi, which are under 

 the management of Europeans, are making 

 plans for afforestation, and the Shantung 

 Railway is planting acacias along 260 miles 

 of its track. This, however, is simply a 

 beginning of the work, and the Chinese gov- 

 ernment now has in contemplation the in- 

 auguration of extensive afforestation work m 

 different parts of China. 



Forester Hawes Utters a Warning 



State I'orester A. F. Hawes, of Vermont. 

 says of the situation in that state: 



"Lumbering in the old way is responsible 

 for the conditions in Vermont. The moun- 

 tainous, or central part of the state, and Essex 

 County in the northwestern part, have been 

 greatly injured by this method of stripping 

 the land clear of forest and leaving it to 

 take care of itself. The new growth can 

 just as well be made to produce as valu- 

 able a crop of lumber as the one removed, 

 or even a more valuable one. 



"Not only does the thoughtless cutting of 

 trees from the land without regard to the 

 future detract from the wealth and future 

 prosperity of the state, which has found lum- 

 bering one of its most profitable industries, 

 but it takes money out of his own pocket. 

 The floods which last week overflowed the 

 banks of the rivers in that stale and caused 

 a large number of mills to shut down might 

 not have occurred but for the stripping of 

 the mountain sides, thus letting the snow 

 melt quickly. 



"One of the most important functions of 

 the ofiice of state forester is that of fire 

 warden. The fire warden in each town is 

 the local warden, and they are all under the 

 direction of the state forester, who, with 

 two assistants, last summer made a thorough 

 investigation throughout Vermont as to for- 

 est fires, causes, amount of damage, and 

 means of protection. 



"The state forester will cooperate with 

 lumbernien and farmers desiring to improve 

 •lieir lands and prevent them from going to 

 waste." 



»<i j!^ tii 



To Merge Nova Scotia Timber Lands 



Two Americans have been endeavoring 

 to secure a merger of every acre of the 

 timber-producing land in Nova Scotia Prov 

 ince. They state that they arc representing 

 American capitalists who arc willing to in- 

 vest $5,600,000, the idea being to bond the 

 lumber properties, the requirement being that 

 the properties must have an output capacity 

 of 200,000,000 feet annually. They say that 

 the output of lumber in tlic province to day 

 is 150,000,000 feet, but that this can readily 

 be increased to the amount desired. The 

 nucleus of this contemplated enterprise is 

 already in operation on tlie Clyde River, in 

 Shelburne County, where 94.000 acres have 

 already been purchased, and 16,000 acres 

 more near by. '{"his company is now erect- 

 ing mills and settlement houses in Shelburne 

 County, and figure that they will cut 3,000,000 

 feet during the first year. A connecting rail- 

 way will be built, also dams and sluices.— 

 /'a/rr Trade Journal. New York. 



