APPENDIX. 73 



Our largest rivers have their source -in these lands. Under State 

 ownership this vast forest, equal in area to the States of Massachu- 

 setts. Rhode Island and Connecticut combined, would ever have 

 remained, as it now is, the most extensive and attractive fish and 

 game preserve in the world. 



It is believed that under a wise forest management the ripened 

 timber could have been made to pay the entire running expenses of 

 the State government forever. By cutting only ripened timber the 

 flow of water in the rivers could always be maintained at the highest 

 possible point during the dry months of the year. This would give 

 a far greater value to the undeveloped water power in these rivers 

 than it now possesses. The water power of rivers is always 

 impaired by clearing away the forests along their course. We need 

 not go out of our own State for examples of this. 



I append herewith a letter from Gov. Davis, giving a case in 

 point, that of the Kenduskeag. Many such are to be found in this 

 State and throughout the group of states in which we have included 

 Maine. It is useless to multiply them here, when we have one so 

 strong and well authenticated as this. 



As before stated, our product of lumber in Maine in 1880, appears 

 to have been equal to about sixty-two feet b. m , per forest acre. 

 The average annual growth of lumber trees per acre in the spruce 

 forests of the State can be approximately determined. The result 

 shows that the cut of 1880 was largely in excess of the average 

 annual growth in these forests. 



As an illustration : Take a well timbered township, such as 

 Gov. Davis cites in his letter. Suppose that 2,000,000 feet per 

 year be cut from it for twenty years, and that after an interval of 

 twenty years rest, 2,000.000 feet per year be cut for another twenty 

 years, the product will be 80,000,000 feet in sixty years, an average 

 of 1.333,333 feet per annum, and fifty-three feet per acre for a town- 

 ship, containing 25,000 acres. It is evident, however, that our 

 period should have been extended to eighty years, so as to include 

 the following twenty years of rest, and this gives an average product 

 of 1,000,000 feet per annum and forty feet per acre. Cutting of an 

 average of 100 feet per acre per annum has been regularly carried 

 on for years in some of the townships, apparently without diminish- 

 ing the supply, but this seems to be far above the average annual 

 accretion per forest acre. 



