18 TRANSACTIONS OP THE ILLINOIS 



me, plant from instinct, or from some other reason than the pecuniary 

 reward. We ask more than land owners are willing to give. I am not 

 complaining of this, I am only stating the' fact, and this fact can not be 

 got out of the way. Men are slow to invest money at three per cent, 

 when they can get ten per cent.! 



Dr. Warder — Where can you find a farm of one hundred and sixty 

 acres that has not land on it that will not produce ten per cent., and that 

 might not be planted to timber, and bring satisfactory returns ? 



Mr.Wier — I think this subject one of the most impracticable and un- 

 profitable subjects that you can bring before this Society ; for the reason 

 that men are not going to grow timber for making money. This is the 

 business of the Government. I would go in for the Government owning 

 a great part of the land — for the purpose of timber growing ; we can not 

 and will not grow it. Farmers are all the while cutting down timber, 

 " so the grass can grow, and they can make money." Timber is worth- 

 less to them. I would encourage timber growing, but not as a profitable 

 industry. 



Mr. McWhorter — I can sanction the remarks of my friend Wier, 

 for I know that in Mercer county groves of timber are given away to have 

 it taken off. To the farmer, the land is more valuable without than with 

 the timber. Still, I would encourage the planting of timber, but not on 

 tillable lands as a pecuniary investment to the farmer. 



Mr. Robison (of Tazewell county) — We want some kind of a pro- 

 vision to encourage the planting of timber. The land covered with trees 

 should be exempt from taxation, or some consideration allowed to enable 

 land owners to enter into this industry. Gentlemen say we have more 

 trees than we had twenty-five years ago ; we may have more trees, but we 

 have less timber. We have not the large trees, and' most of the timber 

 land is pastured, which keeps down the undergrowth, so that when the 

 present crop is taken off that will be the last of it. The timber growth 

 is also inferior now to what it was twenty-five years ago ; where 

 white oaks are cut off, red and yellow oaks take their places. Railroad 

 ties are now being cut from young timber, and at a great waste, as 

 young trees are cut which make but a single tie to the cut, and sold for 

 twenty-five cents if black oak, or fifty cents if white oak. Some induce- 

 ment should be offered to save the young timber ; for if we can induce 

 men to save their young timber, perhaps we can afterward induce them 

 to set out trees. 



This discussion was terminated here by a call from the President for 

 a report from the committee on 



