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TREE PLANTING FOE, RAILROADS. 

 By Dr. John A, Waeder, North Bend, Ohio. 



Not long ago some suggestions were advanced by the New York Post, or the Nation 

 newspaper, intended to show how great operations in Forestry might be carried forward 

 by the combination of capital united in joint stock companies. The contributions of 

 many persons, even of limited means, could thus be brought to bear upon the subject 

 effectively, and the company could be enabled to carry forward operations of a magnitude 

 that would be altogether beyond the ability of most individuals to conduct separately, 

 and thus a number of persons could unite in a work, the undertaking of which would be 

 impossible for most of them separately. To grow a forest of any extent, deserving the 

 name, requires a large capital ; the land must be pui'chased and put in order whether we 

 pursue the plan of conservation of the natural growths or by sowing or planting anew. 

 Not only for land, material, and labour, will money be required, and a good deal of it, but 

 the returns will necessarily be slow. The long rotation of most trees put the profits of 

 the harvest beyond a generation of men, hence they who plant can rarely expect to reap. 

 This tree planting, however, is to be a permanent and a sure investment of capital, and 

 being for a while without annual returns, it has little attraction for the poor man, who 

 needs to keep his means in circulation. Like insurance, it is a continuous drain until 

 the trees are established, but when they reach maturity the returns are eminently satis- 

 factory. How many persons constantly bury their capital in the hidden recesses of the 

 earth by taking stock in companies to explore and develope the mines, and wait for many 

 years before the glittering gold appears in the shape of the coveted dividends. But men 

 are led on by hope of the eventual returns. 



The forest is a long investment, but a certain and safe depository for our means, 

 where bountiful Natiire is ever adding to the capital. The trees are growing while we 

 are sleeping, and a well-managed forest is ever increasing in value, in it the rich lode may be 

 worked continuously, the veins are never exhausted nor cut off, like those of the mine, by 

 " horseback nor fault." Hence the desirability of such an investment, and in the corpora- 

 tion the combined small contributions of the many, in sums that they can spare by using 

 economy, are enabled when thus aggregated to carry on works that would usually be 

 possible only for the rich landed proprietors. Even small amounts of subscriptions to 

 such stocks, aggregating a sufficiently large amount, will enable the company to procure 

 land and proceed with the plantations. 



The railways are already incorporated ; thanks to the lavish aid of our Government, 

 they are in possession of millions of acres, they hold large principalities of lands just 

 where forests are most needed to meet their own enormous demands for future construction 

 and repairs, as well as to supply the necessities of the rapidly increasing populations 

 which they invite into the country — and just where, for the sake of their influence upon 

 climate, the forests are most required — for it is firmly believed that the disastrous storms, 

 hurricanes and cyclones, that seem to be bred upon those arid regions, or on the mountains 

 beyond them, will at least be greatly modified, if not entirely prevented on the plains, 

 wherever a sufficient amount of the territory in question shall have been covered with 

 trees. 



These railroad corporations are wealthy and abundantly able to carry on such works. 

 Years ago, some attempts were made by these Pacific roads, which, however, were rather 

 experimental and intended to prove the possibilities of tree-growing on the plains ; but 

 from lack of practical knowledge on the subject by those in charge, and for want of per- 

 severance by the managers of the roads, these spasmodic efforts were abandoned during 

 the financial panic. The Northern Pacific, under the persevering efforts of Mr. Leonard 

 R. Hodges, and the Union Pacific with the enthusiasm of J. T. Allen, sustained by Land 

 Commissioner Burnham, have again undertaken the good work, and within the past two 

 years have been planting groves about the station houses along their lines — even where 

 irrigation was necessary to sustain the trees. Experiments have also been made with 



