86 



forgotten. Thouyli iiiulonl)tedly requirod liy the necessities of civilization 

 and popnlation, it lias been carried too far, and future generations may 

 have to curse the wanton waste of the past. Our fathers had a constant 

 grudge against trees. The best were cut iuto rails or hewed into sills, 

 or used for tirevrood. Regular logging bees were held and tree after 

 tree was cut, rolled together and burned. There is not a farm iu the 

 county today but would, if left in timber, have been worth six times its 

 present value. And worst of all, this same policy is being continued. 

 Every year forest owners, either through carelessness or ignorance, are 

 wasting valuable property. Concerning the market value of the various 

 (•i'oi)s which the farm produces the farmer is usually posted, but concern- 

 ing the market value of the various trees making up his timberland he is 

 usually ignorant. The amount of timber that has been allowed to go to 

 utter waste in the past history of the county, liecanse of the failure to 

 appreciate the true value of forests. Avould have been sufficient, had it 

 been preserved and sold at current prices, to have paid for every acre 

 of land in I lie county. Save for occasional groves, almost all the ))l;ick 

 walnut has been removed ])ecause of its great value, and yet on every 

 farm in the county, rows of rail fences l)uilt of lilack walnut and poplar, 

 imncheon floors, rnftci's of old barns ;ind sheds attest to its reckless use 

 in the past. 



In this country whci-e all the land is in the liands of private owners, 

 nothing can be done save tlu'ougli tlic intelligent co-operation of land 

 owners. 



No land in tlie county has l)een reforested by ai'titicial means. A num- 

 l)er of farmei-s, however, maintain groves of catalpa and black locust 

 which furnishes material for posts and poles. Numerous instances could 

 be cited where a few acres of black locust furnish a constant supply of 

 posts for the fencing of farms containing linndreds of acres each. Such 

 groves are easy to i)ropagate and furnish the best of posts, which can 

 not be purchased on the market for less than thirty cents each line post. 

 The catalpa groves have not proved so successful, owing in some instances 

 to the planting of catalpa l)ignonoides which is of small growth, crooked 

 and seldom forming a well-shaped tree. The A'aluable variety to plant 

 is C. speciosa, which is a very rapid grower and furnishes wood valuable 

 for posts, ties, telegraph poles and luml)er. 



Not only has there been no planting of forest tracts, but there has 



