3i6 



AMERICAN FORESTRY 



"The conservation of timber and mineral 

 lands, and the control of all water power 

 now owned by the government, the building 

 of reservoirs to conserve the waters of our 

 country for transportation, power, and for 

 irrigation purposes ; and reforestation of 

 lands unsuitable for agricultural purposes, 

 the farmers feel is in the interest of the 

 entire people, and urgently demand in the 

 future interest of agriculture should receive 

 the favorable and speedy consideration of 

 Congress by the enactment of effective laws 

 that should be rigidly enforced." 



^ )^ i^ 

 Up and Be Doing 



In the matter of the proposed Appalachian- 

 White Mountain forest reserve, three con- 

 clusions seem to be established : 



That there is strong popular demand in 

 the east that the forest areas indicated shall 

 be set aside as a national forest. 



That there is a substantial majority in 

 both houses of Congress for this legislation, 

 and that action is being delayed mainly 

 through the failure of the House Committee 

 on Agriculture to report on it. 



That recent papers on forests and stream- 

 flow issued from the Weather Bureau and 

 the Bureau of Forestry show a sharp differ- 

 ence of scientific opinion between the two 

 bureaus of the department of Agriculture in 

 a matter which involves the welfare of the 

 nation. 



With the .experience of China as a guide, 

 Professor Moore's opinion that forests have 

 nothing to do with floods is interesting, but 

 not much more. That it should suffice to 

 withhold from the people a thing of prime 

 importance to the entire Atlantic seaboard is 

 preposterous. Let the Agricultural Depart- 

 ment reconcile the academic differences be- 

 tween its branches when it pleases. But as 

 to the protection of the east from flood and 

 dry stream-beds — 



The day is short, the work great, the 

 workmen lazy, the wages high, the master 

 urgeth; up, then, and be doing! — Baltimore 

 Nezvs. 



^ ^ ^ 



The Real Fight at Hand 



Now that the Appalachian national forest 

 reserve bill has been favorably reported by 

 the house committee, the real fight for its 

 passage is at hand. It is undoubtedly true, 

 as the majority report of the committee says, 

 that there is no more important measure 

 before Congress, and that the almost unani- 

 mous sentiment of progressive citizens de- 

 mands favorable action ; yet there is an 

 ostensible divergence of congressional opin- 

 ion, which, in reality, is based to a consid- 

 erable extent on selfish individual interests 

 rather than on a sincere desire" to prevent 

 the proposed expenditure — "investment" would 



be a more appropriate words — of public 

 money. It may be argued, with truth, that 

 the opposition to this bill constitutes rank 

 ingratitude, coming as it does from quar- 

 ters which have benefited tremendously by 

 the bounty of the federal treasury, through 

 the enthusiastic help of New England and 

 the Southern Appalachian states. That goes 

 without saying; but if those quarters are 

 disinclined to do the square thing and rec- 

 ognize the proverbial deserts of "one good 

 turn" — or, as in this case, many good turns — 

 the only remaining course for the champions 

 of the bill to pursue is that of compelling its 

 passage in spite of the selfish opposition. 

 This course will be pursued, and it is bound 

 to succeed — perhaps at the present session of 

 Congress, but if not, at a session not far in 

 the future. Sentiment favorable to the Ap- 

 palachian national forest reserve project is 

 increasing by leaps and bounds, and even now 

 has all but reached a stage where serious op- 

 position would be futile, if not absurd. 

 Whether or not it has quite reached that 

 stage will soon be determined. — Manchester 

 Union. 



«? l« ^ 



The Growth of a White Pine 



The state forester of Vermont recently 

 received from Middlesex, in that state, a 

 cross-section of a white pine thirty-two inches 

 in diameter and seventj^-seven years old, as 

 shown by its rings. From the tree were cut 

 seven twelve-foot logs, measuring 1,495 f^^t- 



An analysis of the growth of this pine 

 throws light on the growth of trees in gen- 

 eral. Its diameter inside the bark at va- 

 rious ages was as follows : Ten years, three 

 and one-half inches ; twenty years, nine and 

 one-half inches; thirty years, fourteen and 

 one-fourth inches ; forty years, eighteen and 

 three-fourths inches; fifty years, twenty-two 

 and three-fourths inches; sixty years, twenty- 

 six and one-fourth inches. This shows that 

 the greatest diameter growth was made dur- 

 ing the second decade. In fact, during the 

 first twenty j^eafs of the tree's life the rings 

 averaged nearly one-half inch in width. As a 

 matter of fact, however, the production of 

 lumber in a tree is not proportional to the 

 diameter growth, but the growth of the whole 

 cross-section, or the square of the diameter. 

 Now, the cross-section of the base of this 

 tree at various ages was as follows : Ten years, 

 seven-one-hundredths of a square foot ; twenty 

 years, one-half of a square foot ; thirty years, 

 one and one-tenth square feet ; forty years, 

 one and nine-tenths square feet ; fifty years, 

 two and eight-tenths square feet ; sixty year.s, 

 three and three-fourths square feet; seventy 

 years, four and sixth-tenths square feet ; 

 seventy-seven years, five and one-fourth 

 square feet. In other words, the growth of 

 the cross-section in the second decade was 

 four-tenths of a square foot ; in the third 



