9 ot) pane 4 of 77. 
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182 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
The effect of fires upon hardwood lands, those that will in time be 
needed for arriculture, is not in Minnesota, as seems to be presumed by 
many, a benefit by diminishing the growth and reducing the cost of clear- 
ing. The facts are that, the better wooded land in Minnesota is, the 
greater value it has—and it may be well, also, to remark, that usually the 
well grown forest of hardwood costs less to clear, after the wood is off, 
than brush land. 
Some of the evils of the present system are: 
(1) Loss of the timber and fuel destroyed by fire. 
(2) Prevention of an annual growth of 4,752.000,000 feet B. M. 
(3) The giving of a bounty to the timber land grabber and speculator. 
(4) The reduction of the bounty to the agricultural pioneer, by de- 
stroying without utilization the valuable growths of timber on agricul- 
tural land before it is claimed by the settler. 
Until 1889, the United States timbered lands of Minnesota were open 
to homestead, pre-emption, scrip, and cash entry. 
Under these privileges no difficulties were presented to capitalists or 
speculators in securing title to any vacant land they might desire, ata 
nominal figure. In the prairie and hardwood regions, but little land was 
taken except with the view of making a homeonit. The non-agricul- 
tural pine lands, however, have been sought under every privilege, and 
very often under the false pretense of settlement. The pine thus ac- 
quired is, as arule, immediately converted into money. This money is 
virtually a bounty on the destruction of the forests and an incitement to 
fraud. 
Here, also, we touch the vital reason of the present apathy concerning 
the forest fires. The simple fact is, that usually it is not necessary to 
fight fire; and in other cases it is impossible to controlit. The lumber- 
man, whom the uninitiated would expect to carefully guard against it, is 
the one who really cares least, for with his broad perception, he masters 
difficulties or avoids them. He discovers that pine killed by fire will 
make good lumber if cut the next winter, and so before deciding where 
to cut, he waits until the fires have stopped running and takes thein- - 
jured parts first. 
Thus we see that,under the present system,the lumberman,who only of 
those living in the woods has capital enough to fight the fire, cares noth- 
ing for the young or succeeding growth for his own use, and his patriot- 
ism, like our own, is likely to end in words. 
The nation’s stores are thus being wantonly burned up, merely because 
the state fails to comprehend the situation, and stands idly gaping at the 
big fires, hardly feeling a twinge of conscience to suggest that it should | 
hustle and put themout. Nodoubtour state government serenely dreams 
that in making laws against fires her dutyis ended. Should we not puta 
longer brad in the goad stick, and at our legislature again? Our pros- 
perity is in danger and these fires must be put out, or our lumber industry 
will dwindle from the present $35,000,000 worth of raw products to the 
paltry work of threshing engines here and there picking up snags and sap- 
lings. 
We will have no place for our big boys to work in winter. 
Our market for grain and vegetables will be reduced. 
There will be less demand for our cattle and horses and beef. 
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