No. 6. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 247 



of good white piue shingles could be made from such timber, which 

 is now Wi^U seasoned and for the most part practically free from 

 knot. To utilize this niaterial, while it is still valuable, contracts 

 should be made with reliable men to make it into shingles as fast 

 as possible and pay a royalty per thousand to the State for the 

 product. There are thousands of cords of good paper wood on 

 the reservations which should be thinned out to give the remaining 

 timber a chance to grow rapidly. We have, likewise, a vast quantity 

 of good young oak and chestnut suitable for producing tanning 

 extract, which might be removed with advantage to the remaining 

 timber. 



Another source of revenue, not, however, to the State but to the 

 agricultural community, should be considered; I mean pasturage 

 of cattle on State lauds. It is a cardinal doctrine of scientific for- 

 estrj' that this should not be allowed. I am not, however, prepared 

 to take, off-hand, so ultra a view of the case. There are many in- 

 stances where, in my judgment, no harm is done by the cattle. If 

 trees are mature and the stand of timber dense enough, or if the 

 growth is so large that the lower limbs have commenced to fall 

 off, but little injury is done. Under such conditions, I am of the 

 opinion that it is wiser to cultivate amicable relations with th« 

 farming communit}', and allow the pasturage of a limited number 

 of cattle upon State land, providing the owners of these cattle 

 will lend their immediate and hearty co-operation in extinguishing 

 forest tires when these occur. I am glad to say that such a co- 

 operation has been most happily established in portions of Clinton 

 and Centre counties. On the other hand, 1 believe no one living 

 near enough to State land to pasture his cattle upon it has any right 

 to expect such a i>rivilege unless he returns an equivalent to the 

 State in the way of help, when his services are so urgently needed. 

 In my judgment, this matter should be systematically entered upon 

 by the contracting parties. On the other hand, no cattle should 

 be allowed to range over ground where seedlings or young sprouts 

 are coming forward. 



Forestrv is a new movement in this countrv. There are govern- 

 inents where, by long experience, a definite, permanent forest policy 

 has been established and from which policy an ample revenue has 

 constantly been derived. Take, for example, Germany. I find that 

 the annual receipts from her forests are, according to Fernow% 

 |l()0,00(),()()i), or $3.00 gross and probably fl.To net per acre, from 

 soils that are mostly not fit for any other use, and which by being 

 so used contribute to other favorable cultural conditions. This 

 net income, figured at 3 per cent., would make the capital value of 

 soil and growing stock nearly |G0 per acre, and the value of the 

 entire for('t?t resources of Germany two thousand million dollars. 



