HARDWOOD RECORD 



27 



to Belize to enjoy this season of feasting 

 anil pleasnre. They work hard and save 

 their earnings dnring the year, apparently 

 with no other aim than to have a big time 

 on this sopremc occasion, and when the 

 time draws near they begin coming in from 

 the many small islands and from the 

 lagoons along tlie coast. They come from 

 the woods or bush and down from the moun- 

 tains and from the little towns along the 

 seashore and the interior, and all congre- 

 gate at Belize. The population of this beau- 

 tiful city, which is estimated to be about 

 ten thousand, is suddenly raised to twenty- 

 five or thirty thousand. During one of these 

 occasions over twenty years ago, from the 



effects of too much drinking and an insuf- fass, Flint. Ba.l. Tlttnb.iwasscc. Sugar. Pine, 



„ . , , , 1- »i ■» 1 CcKlar. Suit, I'hlppewa. Shiawassee. Tobacco. Mo- 



ficent force to properly pol.cc the c.ty and ,_,J^;,„,„ ;^ „„X,. .,, „,„,, ,,,,^„,. „^„e the 



keep order, the ignorant mass of humanity i,,,,^ Kuwkawlln ami Augres rivers, emptying 



became enraged, excited and uncontroUa- iiu'ii- wati-i- liiio Siiglnaw ba.v. floated down hun- 



blc. Disputes and contentions arose, which ■Hews of mllll.ins of feet of logs which w-cre 



,,,.',, - 1 I. T 1 1- „„ rafted to the Sagluaw river to be mnnufac- 



resulted in the loss of several hundred lives [and! 



and the destruction of much property. Since The country was peculiarly adapted to lum- 



then it has been the custom of England to bcring and It was conducted f<.i- forty years 



, . , ^ i, ,. » 1-1 under conditions nowhere equaled. .Vnd when 



send a warship down to that country, which ^^^^ ^.^^^^^^ ^^_,_^^. ^^^ ^^_.^_^_^^ ^^.^^ ^.„, „„ ,„^ „„. 



appears regularly each year in the harbor ,.„(i,is penetrated to the interior and brought 



of Belize at a certain time and remains till down the rough logs to the Sagluaw river mills 



the season of festivities is over and the 'o be manntaclmed. The old Flint & I'ere Mar- 



,,.^ , , ^1 . ^4. X, -i „j ,„ (luette railroad hauled from 18S2 to IsftO a total 



multitude has mostly left the city and re- ^^ 1,255,000,000 feet of saw logs and from 1880 



turned to their respective homes. The sim- j^ ^^^^ ,i,(, Michigan Central has hauled on its 



pie knowledge that the red jackets are there Mackinaw division between Bay City and Wol- 



has ever since been sufficient to insure peace verine more than 2,.-.00,000,000 of unmanufac- 



lured logs exclusive o£ the quantity manufac- 



aud order. ^^^^^^ ^^ ^^^.,1^ ^^1^^^ ^^^^ ,i„g ^C the load. This 



division is now hauling 130,000,000 feet of logs 



NCtlOS MltSCCllCitlVm '^Thc panic of 1836 affected the lumber business 



of the valley seriously, and not until late In 



It is time Sagluaw awakened to the states and tlie forties did it begin to revive. In 1857 there 



nation's needs of earnest consideration and ac- were forty-four mills in operation, and 113.000.- 



lion of and on forestrv matters. dOO feet of lumber was manufactured. No regu- 



You are here, and I know that all the Sagl- '"'• compilation of figures showing t'>«/'''«°t 



naw vallev needs .0 do as its share in the of the industry was uudertakep until 18b... >ince 



great work is the start that this meeting will which the cut has been annually compiled. These 



give. That this meeting, having for its pur- "gures furnish some idea of the output : 



pose the devising of ways and means for the Year — TVl "mVoOO 



saving for economical use the trees still grow- '.^-'A ."jTC.tL'iV.C.OG 



ing. and making the lands that have once jj^i.j '.'.'.".'.'.'.'.'....'..'............ filO.SijT.iJ^'l 



grown trees grow another and continuous crop, 1880 ^i?'!i-i''tn- 



should be held here in Saginaw seems most -..'<K2 (high water mark) ......... .l.^ii--^^-;j'og 



approjuiate. isiii; 318,707,879 



Saginaw for nearly three (|uarters of a cen- i;iiu; (being but one-half the annual 



tury has been known the world over as the home ;:,':'i;}i'';"r''ues alone!''''"'''''"' ■ 114.817.500 



of the white pine lumber industry— one of the loads toi ties aio.iei 



srealest industries ot our country. -Many of our In round ligures there has been produced since 

 oldtimo lumbermen have passed away, others in records have been kept a grand total of -o.OUO,- 

 Iheir declining years no longer are actively en- 000.1)00 feet of lumber on the Saginaw met. 

 ;;a^ed in business, but are gentlemen of leisure. The pine timber became scarce in lS9o anu 

 The sons of Saginuw lumbermen are many of since then the cut has been mixed with hard- 

 them following their fathers' business here or in wood and hemlock. Uuring the last three or 

 other states four years only one sawmill has manufactured 

 The old Saginaw lumberman is as true and pine exclusively and that was destroyed b.v fire 

 sturdy as of vore. This generation of the Sagi- October of the present year. .\11 the territory 

 naw valley I "know will join heartily with you. from the Saginaw river to Cheboygan county and 

 and will not be backward in doing everytuing extending from the west lini; ot the tier ot 

 possible to help save, renew and perpetuate the counties of which Gladwin, Koscomnion, t raw- 

 forest growth of our state. ford. Otsego form a part, east to Lake Huion 

 Mr. Oarfleld said that long winded papers contribute to the supply of the Saginaw iner 

 and drv stntistics would be largely cut out this mills, though within the territory named l^ere 

 vear and the meeting would partake of a -talk are scores of sawmills also engaged in '''.'■""""■ 

 in meeting" nature. My reference to the valley laeture ot lumber, shlng.cs and la h. '"'s^^'-- 

 aud its lumber business will not seem com- lion of the state '"''Vy.rTio^wH "r ^of n.ml^r' 

 plete without a few figures. I will make them naw valley, produced ■»«:•«'«•"'';' ^--'^^ ,"'"■"!;': 

 In round numbers and skip tractions, and Mr. pine forming but one-third of the output, hem- 

 (larlieid will pardon me I know, for bo knows lo<k and hardwood being easy to •>■»">'•«• 

 what -skipping fractions" means. Lumbering in the state began a ^"' ;■"'■; ^ay. 

 My friend V.. U. Cowles is my good helper nuring a period covering nearly flft > ears Micbl- 

 when I want ligures on the white pine an.l lum- gaii led the world in the P™l'"'' "" i;^- . '^'^ 

 her industry. 1 was in hopes he could present pine timber, ^s far back as 18,4 be production 

 them in person, but be writes that with lots of lumber In the slate '"l'''^^;'?'' ■±'.' •.'^-' I'f- 

 of work to do and with health not of the best and in 1875 the output was -•;■?' '^"•'•■'f' "^^J- 

 he could not spare the time and strength to .Uler that date it Increiised lei. .^^^l^J'^" 

 come; yet I hope he will drop in on us, for ihe llgu.es show an output of 3'^''''.l;''''f- ;^" 

 he knows more regarding the history of the and the high water ■"»;,'< »;"\.'«"''"^:^^.'" "^^^^ 

 lumber industry ot Michigan, past and present. v.heu the output was 4,39_,ia..Jl4 liei. 

 than any other man in the state. So the fol- decline since then has ^^^^^ jl"^""'-. . „ . ,„ 

 lowing flsures are Mr. Cowles' : In 1001 it was I.U98,.i4-.000 feet and In 

 "The Saginaw river lumber manufacturing 1005 it was l.-!)3.31*.,l]l feet and last jeai It 

 district, a strip ot territory stretching a distance was 1,920.000,000 feet. 



of twenty miles on both banks ot the Saginaw In 1874 was produced '"''"=/'"'/„, '^^^'I'^L 



.iver from Us entrance to the hay, was tor many 000 nearly all white pine shingles, «"<^ ^^« 'f 



years the most prolHic producer of pine lumber water mark was reached in 188... 'j^'« » ' P"\ °,J 



in Ihe United States. Lumbering was started that year reaching the l°'"'"f, -'";•■, -'7,^; 



in 1832 by Gardner D. Williams & Bro.. who shingles, of late years a steady decline has 



built a .«mall mill at .Saginaw to cut luralier for taken place. ., .^...^leg 



local purposes. In 1835 another sawmill was The output la 1004 ";?^f /•°-;,;;^-;-;,^,f "sl" 



erected and thence on for a number of years and in 1903 it '^"%l^f '^'^^f ""• 950 pTcc" 



increased attention was given to the business. The lath output in 1904 was l^^'-l^'^"" f^^^' 



The Saginaw river drains a large area through Some Idea ot the ''■'<>;™°''-r^"*;"' ° ^".V he 



Its tributaries and the pine timber was cut her Industry in Uic slate '% '"" 'Jl".^ '"^gog 



In the territory traversed and contiguous to the ligures showing a production from I880 to luuo 



Michigan Forestry Association. 

 The third annual meeting of the Michigan 

 Forestry .Association was held at Saginaw, Nov. 

 12 and 13. .John 11. Bissell. president ot the 

 association, made a notable address, as did also 

 Hon. Charles \V. Garfield, Hon. Arthur Hill, Wil- 

 lUim H. While and other prominent lumbermen 

 and educators. 



The sessions were well attended by dele 

 gates from Canada. .Michigan and other lake 

 states. The subjects under discussion were the 

 bfneflts of forestry to a state : best methods of 

 (aiation to raise money for forest preservation, 

 forest reserves, lire protection, and other issues 

 of equal importance in carrying on this great 

 work. \ resolution was offered and adopted 

 reco.iiniending that lands and limber be taxed 

 separately, the latter only at the time of cut- 

 ting: another resolution reconiniending uniform 

 legislation in the three slates re(iuiring the burn- 

 ing of slashings al.so received support. I'rof. 

 Samuel B. Green of the University ot Chicago 

 offered the following articles, which were 

 adopted : 



Whereas. We appreciate the great importance 

 of forest wealth for best national development ; 

 and 



Whereas. There is great need of education In 

 forestry ; and 



Whereas. The land grant colleges and experi- 

 ment stations have been a great u|)lifling force 

 In the development of American agriculture .ind 

 have fully Justified the expenditure of national 

 lands for their support : and 



Whereas. These institutions are admirably 

 adapted to teaching forestry and will do so if 

 provided with means ; and 



Whereas. 'J'he income from the national forest 

 reserves has reached the sum ot $1,500,000 a 

 year, which is now paid Into the national treas- 

 ury and Is used for general expenses of govern- 

 ment : and 



Whereas. There is a certain titness which ap- 

 l>eals to us in using a portion ot the income 

 from the national forest reserves for teaching 

 forestry and thus aiding and perpetuating our 

 forest wealth. Now. theiefore, be It 



Kesolved, That we recommend that a liberal 

 Iiortlon of the income from the national forest 

 lenerve? be appropriated by Congress to the sev- 

 eral slates and territories for instruction and 

 I'xperiii.enlnllon in forestry In the agricultural 

 colleges. 



William B. Mershon, who welcomed the visitors 

 10 Saginaw, delivered one ot the most Interest- 

 ing addresses of the day. It Is herewith repro- 

 duced. 



I asked Mr. Garflcid and Professor ISoth to try 

 lo have the annual meeting of the Jlichigan 

 Forestry Association held this year in Saginaw 

 l>ecanse I felt that the Saginaw valley needed 

 an awakening In forestry matters. A meeting 

 lo discuss forestry has never been held here. 



