8 FOREST COMMISSIONER'S REPORT. 



These facts are not at all new to many of our citizens but 

 perhaps the results of such cutting if much longer continued 

 have not been considered as they should have been by the 

 people at large and it is for this purpose of bringing the facts 

 to the attention of the public that I attempt to show in a sim- 

 ple manner the bearing they may have upon the general pros- 

 perity and business interests of the State. 



The first thing to consider perhaps, is the exceedingly 

 wasteful manner in which our lumber was cut in the past — is 

 being cut even to-day but perhaps in a lesser degree, and the 

 effect it may have on the business interests. 



The old style of cutting pine was to make what was called 

 ton timber, or timber that after felling was hewed square with 

 a broad axe in the woods, and then floated to where it could 

 be manufactured in the mills or shipped to England to be 

 whip-sawed into the desired shape. 



Ton timber to be salalile was required at that time to be 

 at least sixteen inches square, and nothing but the very 

 choicest and best lumber would pass inspection. 



A small rot, or shake, would condemn a stick even after 

 it had reached market, and the utmost care was taken by the 

 operators to have every stick perfect. Any one can imagine 

 what resulted from such cuttino-. Tree after tree was felled 

 only to be condemned while of those from which timber was 

 taken the larger portion was left on the ground to decay, or 

 furnish fuel for forest fires. Millions upon millions have thus 

 been wasted, and much of it, for only very slight imperfec- 

 tions. 



Nor was this all. The spirit of wastefulness seemed to 

 pervade the whole atmosphere and in order to get the pine, 

 enormous quantities of other lumber was sacrificed in clear- 

 ing the way and supplying skids or materials for bedding the 

 trees as they fell. 



Having once started the spirit of Avastefulness among the 

 operators it is hard to make decided changes in the methods 

 em{)loyed, even u}) to the present day, and probably never 

 will be stopped until the people have the fact brought home to 



