210 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



of the same board. And Michigan is just the one to lead the van of States 

 in this, as she has in so many other new lines of work." 

 A paper was presented by Eugene Davenport of Woodland, Mich., on 



THE SUGAR MAPLE, 



in its relation to the forestry question. He opened with the following 

 announcement: 



"It will be the purpose of this paper to show, that, within the maple belt, 

 no other tree lays equal claims to the attention of those interested in the 

 preservation of our forests, nor offers so good and economical means for the 

 accomplishment of that purpose. To this end I shall endeavor to show : 

 First, that the sugar maple fills all desirable conditions for forestry pur- 

 poses better than does any other tree; second, that, everything considered, 

 the maple sugar industry pays a better profit than does any other ordinary 

 farm enterprise; third, that it may be considered in the light of a permanent 

 investment, and that by virtue of this tree our forests within the maple belt 

 may be rendered sources of revenue for all time — the most certain means to 

 their preservation." 



He called attention to the fact that timber trees declare dividends only at 

 death and that nut-bearing trees and sugar-yielding trees make annual divi- 

 dends, the trees still surviving. Of the two latter the sugar trees have the 

 advantage, because, from their limited habitat, there can never be an over- 

 production. 



To illustrate the profits that may accrue from a " sugar bush " Mr. Daven- 

 port gave the record of his own business briefly as follows: 



We tap one thousand trees which are scattered over forty acres of land. It 

 is by no means a choice piece of timber, as the same number might, and 

 oft^ do, stand on twenty acres. Besides the land our cash investment is 

 about ^750.00, divided as follows: 



1000 tin pails @ 25 cts |250 00 



2000 Post's spiles @ 3i cts 70 00 



Sugar house with tank .. 150 00 



2 evaporators. 250 00* 



Miscellaneous 30 00 



Total $750 00 



Our annual product sells for from ^350.00 to $500.00, with an average 

 of about §400.00, from which we deduct expenses, as follows: 



Labor, fuel, etc $100 00 



Wear of apparatus. 15 00 



Interest on $750.00 @ 6 per cent 45 00 



Total cost of manufacture $160 00 



This leaves an average annual net profit of $240.00. I make no deduction 

 for taxes, as I consider them offset by the value of the land for pasture and 

 of the timber for fire-wood. As all expenses have been deducted, the $240.00 

 may be considered as the income from an investment in forty acres of maple 

 timber, which is sij per cent on the value of the laud at $100.00 per acre. 

 This is above its market value. If the money value of the land be $50.00 

 per acre, the investment yields a dividend of twelve per cent. This is a net 

 profit of twenty-four cents for each tree, and every maple tree thus repre- 



