FOREST commissioner's REPORT. 185 



especially the cull and waste of our prol)al)le future luniber- 

 inir operations, would have an ahnost limitless source of sup- 

 ply. I do not now mean poplar, which was the first wood to 

 be used for paper manufacture in the State. Our resources 

 of that nature I do not believe are sufficient to maintain an 

 industry of ureat volume. I refer to the stai)le old-arowth 

 hard woods of the State which have not so far been consid- 

 ered available for any such purpose. 



There is another resource, however, to which we might in 

 case of emeraency turn. It is in the direction of pine. Pine, 

 those who have tried it say, has a good fibre. AVhathas kept 

 it out of use till the present is the large amount of pitch in 

 the wood which increases cost of reduction. Now if through 

 new methods of manufacture reduction could be cheapened, 

 or if our mills by a scarcity of spruce should ever i)e driven 

 to seek other sources of supi>ly, we could cover the whole 

 southwestern portion of the State over with this species. 

 Pine is almost a weed in that section now. It propagates 

 freely, and grows often iu thick groves of great producing 

 poAver. The production of these could be vastly increased by 

 a little simple manipulation in accordance with scientific for- 

 estry principles. Study in this direction by the State, even 

 in advance of any pointed demand for it, would be a very 

 promisinsi' thiuij. 



The feeling then which study of the forests of pe^t'ifope- 

 the State thus far has induced is a thoroughly ^"^" 

 hopeful one. The volume of business based on lumber has 

 room for many years yet to grow. Shrinkage in some regions 

 and lines of business will doubtless be largely offset by devel- 

 opments in new directions and by the manufacture of raw 

 material into forms that require uiore labor. In general, we 

 may feel hopeful, feel that we may use freely the resources 

 stored up on the land. 



The things that need correction, too, it seems the'state 

 that in most cases enliirhtened self-interest can be *'"' 

 depended on in time without legal regulation to correct. Xot 

 that there is nothing for the State to do. Self-interest is not 



