276 



THE GARDENER'S MOXTIU. Y 



ySeptember^ 



terost would protect the plantations, and whose 

 labor would be. given at a miiiinunn cost. In 

 riiilatlelphia the building associations have 

 learned anil (aui;ht how to aggregate small savings 

 of money, and demonstrated (he potentiality of 

 "many nickles" laid by to enrich the mechanic. 

 The fanner, though he has little money, yet has 

 many spare hours, which if he could spend them 

 on the company's forest, might grow into money. 

 If a wise plan were digested for local forest com- 

 panies, they would likely become sporadic, and 

 idlewilds of live, twenty or one hundred or 

 more acres might come to be devoted to forest 

 culture of such timber as would be more remu- 

 nerative. In some places it might be railroad 

 ties, in others fence timber, in others slow grow- 

 ing or ornamental woods might prove the only 

 ones worth the cost of transportation to market. 

 Economy of administration has been, in build- 

 mg associations, a vital element of success, and 

 this would be especially true of forest companies, 

 where interest and compound interest would en- 

 ter so largely into the calculation. Each town- 

 ship, I imagine, might find a field for one or 

 more such companies, and each Grange or Far- 

 mer's Club serve as a nucleus for such organiza- 

 tions. Second. The Pennsylvania Legislature 

 has passed some laws promotive of building as- 

 sociations, and perhaps our laws even now aflbrd 

 all the facilitj' for forest companies that is neces- 

 sary. Third. Dr. Rothwick indicates the grounds 

 where charcoal has been burned as especially 

 favorable, but all our counties, or even towui- 

 ships afford ample opportunities for selection of 

 favorable locations." 



[The paper referred to by our correspondent, 

 by the editor of this magazine, on forestry com- 

 panies, appeared in the Pznn Monthly for 1876. 

 It is gratifying that our correspondent refers to 

 it, as from the fact that no allusion whatever is 

 made to it in the recent collections of forestry 

 topics presented as a report to the Government, 

 b}"^ Dr. Hough, it might fairly be interpreted by 

 those who missed it there as being beneath all 

 notice. 



In that paper it was shown that forestry com- 

 panies promised as much profit when properly 

 conducted as any well managed corporation. 

 The paper is too long to transfer to our pages, or 

 we w'ould ask permission of the Penn MorJhly 

 to do so ; but presuming that all who are particu- 

 larly interested in the subject have seen or can 

 see the article there, we will here merely note 

 our correspondent's numbered questions. 



First. The land would have to l)e purchased 

 in just the same manmr as a body of men would 

 associate together to buy land to farm, to l)uild 

 houses, start a cenn'tery, or even lay a railroad 

 tra<-k. Of course the estimated cost of the plant- 

 ing and care till returns were made would be 

 with the land purchase, part of the capital stock, 

 but the shares would be made to cover these 

 contingencies, and only installments called for 

 as required. The chief concern would be for a 

 live president, for on him the selection of super- 

 intendent would fall, and on his good manage- 

 ment much of the success, as it does in all com- 

 panies, would depend. 



Second. It does not appear that an)' legisla- 

 tion more than the general association laws of the 

 Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and probably 

 such other States, alieady furnish is necessary. 

 Trees are agricultural products, and have thesame 

 protection, and the same general encouragement 

 as agricultural products already have. The cul- 

 ture of trees for timber, needs no more legisla- 

 tion than the culture of trees by a mirseryman 

 for sale, and the A. B. C. Company, Limited, 

 has been found quite equal to the purpose. 



Third. Locations and aspects depend entirely 

 on the nature of the prospective market. If it 

 were foreseen that there would be a demand for 

 Cypress shingles, the location might be a Missis- 

 sippi swamp ; if fire wood for a locomotive away 

 from coal mines, it might be the Table Mountain 

 Pine on a Western Kansas desert; if Oak ties, 

 it would be a rich alluvial tract along a main 

 line for the White Oak; a rocky ridge for 

 the Chestnut, and so on through the whole range 

 of objects and spots. 



Fourth. There is not a tract of land in the 



Union that would not grow some tree well, and 



probably no one tree but has its uses. The exact 



answer could only be given by the superinten- 



j dent of a forestry compan)^ when the details 



were being arranged. There are plentj' of ])laces 



where it would be folly to plant the Oak, though 



\ the best of timber; plenty of places Avhere Pop- 



j lar or Willow would pay better than anything 



I else. It Avill depend on whether we have cricket 



I bats or punch bowls, or railroad ties or bridge 



' piles as likely to be most called for. 



Small local companies would not effect much. 



The owners of a large timber plantation should 



I be men who can see just where there certainly 



1 wdll be a demand for timber in the future, and 



where the land on which the timber stands will 



increase in value while the timber grows. There 



