776 Forestry Quarterly 



as blazed paths for us to follow. If by our careless indifference 

 we allow those paths to become obscure, chaos will continue in 

 our forests. Last, but not least, please remember that a free, 

 intelligent and progressive people govern this good old Granite 

 State. If we fail to make good, we shall lose our job. We 

 should demand of those people reasonable taxation laws. Laws 

 that will encourage the retention and propagation of undersized 

 trees, those that really possess little stumpage value but if allowed 

 to stand will soon develop a second gleaning, for in the end the 

 bread line rather than sentiment will be the deciding factor. 



In 1872, the writer acquired title to 100 acres of forest land from 

 which had been removed every tree possessing a stumpage value. 

 There were in large numbers scattered unevenly over the lot 

 rejected trees with short gnarled trunks and long widespreading 

 branches, occupying small space on the groimd, but shading 

 (which discourages the growth of small trees) a large part of it. 

 I recall taking measurements of a section shaded by one straggling, 

 obnoxious looking tree, and found the dimensions to be 60 by 80 

 feet, 4800 square feet. Think of allowing this scavenger of the 

 forest to control sufficient, almost ideal, forest land for upwards 

 of forty years to grow, according to approved methods of forest 

 estimates, 4,000 feet of box grade lumber, whose stumpage value 

 in that location is $32. I succeeded in marketing those trees for 

 cordwood for a small margin above cost of operating. For ten 

 years I did not cruise the lot. After that period nearly every 

 five years I did so, removing poplar trees that mature early and a 

 stand of matured softwood growth. This lot is now covered, 

 without an acre of waste land, with a mixed growth of hard- and 

 soft-wood trees in various stages of development, from which 

 trees can be taken in large numbers and of almost ideal formation. 

 Around this lot, although not always contiguous, I have acquired 

 title, and applied similar treatment to 10,000 acres of forest land, 

 removing timber in large quantities from the same. This land 

 is in all stages of development from the entirely denuded to per- 

 fect stands of matiu-ed growth. With approved methods of 

 forestry there can be continuous operations on these lands without 

 reducing the quantity of stumpage with the organization now 

 perfected of about 60 horses and 100 men. 



I also note a marked change in my sentiment toward forest 

 growth. At first, my methods were almost brutal, no matter 



