No. 6. DEPARTMEMT OF AGRICULTURE. 553 



into them. It takes money to develop forests, but you might just 

 as well throw your money away, if you do not propose to follow up 

 purchase with a good road system. Iloads are necessary in order 

 that everything may be used at the proper time and that these areas 

 may be properly developed so they may return to the State the very 

 largest value per acre, much more than it is possible to get from 

 them without means of proper access. 



The law gives the Department the right to lease valuable minerals 

 found on such lands. The minerals so far found are mostly valuable 

 rock. In one of the counties in 1903, a lease was entered into to 

 run twenty years. To date it has run about eight years. This land 

 cost the Commonwealth two dollars and seventy-five cents per acre, 

 and the protective measures since its acquisition have added a few 

 cents more to the investment. The whole tract leased cost something 

 over one thousand dollars. The royalty derived from the lease to 

 date has more than paid for the original cost of the land, plus the 

 protective exi)ense, figuring interest at 2 per cent., which value the 

 Commonwealth receives on its deposits in bank. It has left a very 

 considerable margin after paying all the costs, besides its primary 

 value to the State: In addition, we have some twelve more years 

 for the lease to run. Now, that is but a single instance of the profit- 

 able development of a piece of land primarily bought for timber. 



The Department of Forestry grows young trees upon these lands. 

 For this purpose it has established three large nurseries, and a num- 

 ber of smaller ones which furnish thousands of seedlings each year. 

 These nurseries cover about forty acres. One is located at Mont Alto, 

 Franklin county, one at Greenwood in Huntingdon county, and one 

 at Asaph in Tioga county. Last year the planting of trees in the 

 fQrest reserves equaled nearly two million young trees. Wherever 

 there is a bare space it is the purpose of the Department to plant 

 it with 3'oung trees and protect them in order that they may grow 

 into fniure good timber. Pennsylvania started out with this point 

 in mind, that forestry is a great economic problem, and involves 

 the economic principle of producing the greatest possible return in 

 the least possible time. 



The new School Code, passed last year, provides that the net re- 

 turns of these forest tracts shall be applied to the public schools of 

 the State. It is not likely that the schools will receive much return 

 in the near future, because most of the land is stripyjed. The State 

 acquires land only after the lumbermen have stripped it of every- 

 thing they can remove, and then starts in to re-establish the forest. 

 It is only after the forests have been restored and have become cap- 

 able of making a return, that a large net profit will be derived. This 

 will take a long time, because it is not possible to grow woods over 

 night. 



To show that the work of the State has some magnitude, last year 

 about a thousand pounds of seed of Coniferous trees (mainly pine) 

 were planted, and about three thousand pounds of broad-leaved 

 tree seeds like the oaks and maples. In all, four thousand pounds 

 of seed in one year put into the ground for raising young trees. This 

 is only a beginning, and the future, I think, will show this work 

 doubled and trebled, unless it is so we will not be able to plant these 

 areas in the short period in which they should be covered. 



