ARBORICULTURE 



423 



OLIVER CIIANUTE. 



We had the pleasure of traveling with 

 Mr. Chanute through Southern Illinois 

 recently, where, with the officials of the 

 'Big Four Railway, he was selecting lo- 

 cations for tie-preserving plants. Now 

 that timber is so rapidly advancing in 

 price, the railways are greatly interested 

 in methods of wood preservation. 



Arboriculture is strongly in favor of 

 everything which will make the stock of 

 timber in America last longer, do bet- 

 ter service, and prolong the time which 

 our forests may be continued. 



While we advocate the extensive plant- 

 ing of economic trees ; yet it is quite ap- 

 parent that, with the rapid decrease in 

 forest areas, it will be impossible to se- 

 cure the planting of trees in sach num- 

 bers as will maintain an equilibrium, 

 unless Congress and the various State 

 Legislatures shall become aroused to the 

 necessity of prompt and vigorous meas- 

 ures to check the waste and fires, and in- 

 sure the planting of greater forest 

 areas, and until the farmers are educat- 

 ed to the profitable character of tree cul- 

 ture. 



It thus behooves us to increase the use- 

 fulness and durability of common 

 woods. Through the efforts, study and 

 careful experiments of Mr. Chanute, the 

 durability of beech, elm, maple, gum, 

 and similar woods, is trebled-, and thus 

 we are enabled to perpetuate the more 

 valuable woods by substituting those of 

 short duration through methods of wood 

 preservatives. Along in the sixties the 

 writer, then a correspondent of the 

 Lawrence (Kans.) Journal, made a visit 

 to the Missouri river bridge at Kansas 

 City, which Mr. Chanute was then build- 

 ing. This was a wonderful piece of en- 

 gineering skill. 



Another instance of Mr. Chanute 's 

 foresight was the planting of large 

 bodies of catalpa timber on the line of 

 the L. L. & G. Ry., of Avhich he was the 

 president forty years ago. 



PROFIT IN PINE TREES. 



John Murphy, a farmer of Fayette 

 county, Indiana, is now 68 years of ag«. 

 When he was 18 years old he planted a 

 number of evergreens on the farm 

 which has ahvays been his home. Arbor 

 vita, fir and pine were planted, all of 

 which died except the white pine. The 

 top of this was broken by a cyclone. 

 Then Mr. Murphy cut the tree and had 

 it sawed into lumber. 



Only one twelve-foot log was saved 

 from the broken tree, which was 24 

 inches in diameter at top and 31 at the 

 stump. It made 300 feet of lumber. 



Mr. ]\Iurphy is the owner of 227 acres, 

 part of which is yet in woodlands; asli, 

 oak, etc., which he does not consider of 

 great profit on account of the inferior 

 character of the wood. Now suppose, 

 that when this pine was planted one 

 hundred acres of his farm had been 

 used for the same purpose, the trees set 

 20x20 feet, or 100 trees per acre. He 

 would now have for sale three million 

 feet of white pine lumber, which, at $10 

 per 1,000 feet, net— a low price, truly, 

 but safe for an estimate — that portion of 

 his farm would now be worth $30,000, 

 which is equivalent to 6 per cent, inter- 

 est compounded annually on an invest- 

 ment of $2,000 for fifty years. 



Mr. John Murphy can not turn the 

 wheels of time backwards and begin life 

 anew by planting his farm in white pine. 

 Yet there are a million farmers in the 

 United States who can and should begin 

 now to plant pine, walnut, catalpa and 

 other trees with which to supply the fu- 

 ture manufacturers and commerce with 

 lumber, and incidentally to provide an 

 ample income for their old age. 



White Pine Seedlifi^s for forest plant- 

 ing may be obtained very cheaply from 

 Thomas Meehan & Sons, Dreshertown, 

 Pa. Write for prices. 



