ADVANCEMENT OF FORESTRY 793 



growing of annual agricultural crops. Other large portions have a 

 thin, acid soil of almost pure sand on which it is difficult or impossible 

 to raise profitable crops. There are also vast tracts of rough, rocky, 

 stony, peat and swamp soils which are unsuited for agricultural de- 

 velopment. Time did not permit of a detailed check of the^ acreage 

 of these various kinds of land, although the information can probably 

 be obtained from the State authorities or Agricultural College. How- 

 ever, there is very good reason to believe that out of this total of 34 

 million acres of idle land, at least 5 million acres are essentially un- 

 suited for profitable agriculture and are, on the other hand, best adapted 

 for the growing of timber, in which use they are capable of producing 

 maximum financial returns. Probably very much more than 5 million 

 acres of this land is better suited for timber growing than for any 

 other crop. But to be conservative, let us restrict our estimate of the 

 area of true forest land to 5 million acres. 



Now the question is, can Wisconsin afford to have this empire of 

 5 million acres remain idle and practically useless and unproductive 

 as it is at present ? One-seventh of the State — doing nothing and good 

 for one kind of crop only. This timber crop is the kind of a crop 

 which, once started, will require very little attention or labor but will 

 go right on working night and day, year in and year out, producing 

 wealth. The universal cry these days is production and more pro- 

 duction yet right here in our midst is a productive resource of tre- 

 mendous and vital importance to every citizen of the State w^hich is 

 not only idle but almost entirely ignored and neglected at a time 

 when Wisconsin is paying millions of dollars a year in transportation 

 charges to import lumber, pulp wood, and other forest products from 

 the West Coast and Southern pineries. 



This idle land is not only not a productive asset but on the other 

 hand, it is actually a liability to the State. Such waste land becomes 

 a football to 1)c kicked back and forth, frequently abandoned for 

 taxes or serving the purpose of speculators in robbing and deluding 

 settlers who should be devoting their resources to the development of 

 good argicultural land. The danger from forest fires is excessive on 

 such land for no one cares what happens to it and it becomes a menace 

 to surrounding lands. The rest of the State is required to provide 

 roads, schools, public institutions, and other State activities for this 

 unproductive waste land area. All tax payers share in this unnecessary 

 expense. 



