48 



ARr.ORTrULTl^RK 



be in (Kinaiul at rapidly increasing 

 values. 



Pine lumber of better grades is almost 

 exhausted, and so wifli t\ik and other 

 Woods, something must be provided to 

 take their place. 



The landowners who are wise will 

 devote a portion of their farms to the 

 growing of fence post.^, cross ties and 

 other fomis of timl)er. 



We append a table, carefully prepared 

 after a third of a century's observations 

 and measurements, showing the annual 

 rate of growth of our principal trees, 

 and also estimates of growths which may 

 be obtained in a series of years for each 

 acre planted and properly cared for. 

 This data will enable you to determine 

 the probable results in a given nunilxT 

 of years. 



A inajorily of trees will ha\o room to 

 develop if planted i6xi6 feet or 170 to 

 the acre. 



The Catalpa spcciosa increases one 

 inch in thickness each year if reasonably 

 cared for ; thus by the end of twenty-five 

 years the trees become 24 inches in 

 diameter, with a uniform taper to the 

 top. 



Such a tree will contain 150 feet B. 

 M. of lumber, 25,000 feet to the acre, and 

 bring, at prices which will prevail twenty- 

 five years hence, $60 per thousand, or 

 $1,500 per acre, net, while the cost of 

 planting and caring for them will be 

 inconsiderable. 



If such trees are sawed into cross ties 

 they will produce 1,700 ties, and will 

 bring one dollar each on account of 

 durability. 



In the vicinity of mining operations, 

 where mine timbers are constantly in 

 demand, the income will begin in eight 

 or ten years, each tree making probably 

 two lengths, or 1,360 timbers per acre, 

 the trees for this purpose being planted 

 8x8 feet. 



One great railway company will plant 

 Catalpa timber on a large scale upon 

 their lands, under which lie vast beds of 

 coal. It is now difficult to procure a 

 sufficient number of mine timbers to sup- 

 port the roof of the mines. These trees 

 will, in eight years, make better props 

 and ties than the wood now being used, 

 while transportation from long distances 



will be a\uidcd. Six hundred and eighty 

 !'trces, making 1,360 props and ties for 

 the mines, grow upon each acre in eight 

 years : the wood being so much more 

 durable than what is ordinarily used, 

 will, of course, be of greater value. 



If a railway comi)any can do this, what 

 op]>ortunity does it offer to the farmer 

 to supi)ly such wood for the mines? 



DEM.ANDS OF RAILWAYS. 



There are in the United States now, 

 218.000 miles of steam railways and 50,- 

 000 miles of electric roads, the mileage 

 increasing daily. It takes 3,000 cross 

 ties and thirty telegraph poles for each 

 mile of track ; ties must be renewed once 

 in five to sevai years, poles once in 

 ten or twelve years. The telegraph and 

 telephone lines have in use 5.000.000 

 poles. Thus three thousand millions of 

 cross ties and thirty millions of ])oles will 

 be required during the twenty-five years 

 before us. In addition to this three 

 hundred and fifty millions of fence posts 

 will be required to fence these roads in. 



It will be seen that a vast area of land 

 must be planted and maintained in tim- 

 ber to provide for these three items — 

 cross ties, poles and fence posts. 



If rapid growing trees should be 

 planted at once, 170 trees per acre, it 

 would require five million acres to grow 

 enough timber for this purix)se. 



There is no danger of our planting too 

 much timber, and the farmers who begin 

 now and plant a fair projxirtion of their 

 lands in such timber as is in constant 

 demand at high prices, will in due time 

 reap their reward, and it will come when 

 they begin to feel like retiring from 

 arduous labor of farm life. 



Of course, if the planting is done and 

 no further interest taken it will result in 

 failure just as any other crop would do. 



I shall leave to the great lumber manu- 

 facturers and dealers the problem of 

 future supply of lumber for the market. 

 I'ires. excessive cutting, imwise exports 

 at unremunerative prices, competition 

 which is entirely unnecessary, waste 

 upon every hand ; how long can this 

 continue? 



There is a great benefit to the land 

 from growing forests, its fertility is re- 

 newed, by the annual deposit of leaves 

 and decay of twigs and roots. 



