35 



est States. In 1880 this bad been reduced to 4.335.161 acres, or oue-fiftb 

 of the State's area. The records show that up to that time the forests 

 had been removed mostly in the interests of agriculture and that no large 

 bodies of the original tracts remained. At this period Indiana ranked 

 fifth in her lumber manufacturing interests, 1)ut the statistician records 

 the warning that, at the present rate of consumption, the forests of the 

 State must soon cease to be commercially important. 



In 1890 one-twelfth of our total area remained in forests, and the de- 

 cade between 1S80 and 1S90 may be said to mark the greatest real los.s to 

 the State. The large decrease before this period was so closely connected 

 with the clearing by settlers for cultivation that little of the timber in 

 tracts not suitable for ai'giculture had been disturbed. 



Between 1870 and 1880 2.854.143 acres of timber were removed and 

 3,829,459 added to cultivated lands, indicating a gi-eat demand for all 

 tracts cleared in the past and also such open areas as might be tillable, 

 while between 1880 and 1S90 2,604.(X)5 acres were cleared and but 1,173,- 

 744 acres added to cultivated fields. Over 260,000 acres were cleared annu- 

 ally during this period, or an excess of 60.000 acres yearly over what was 

 removed in the most active immigration period just preceding. Timber 

 was cut for revenue, and the demands of the manufacturing and ship- 

 ping interests caused the owners to forget the relation of forests to our 

 general prosperity. How the statistician's prediction has been fulfilled 

 may lie realized by reference to the statement of a well-known forester 

 who, last year in reviewing the forestry interests of each State, says of 

 Indiana that her forests have long since ceased to be of any value eommei-- 

 cially. While this is not strictly true, it does illustrate the drift the State 

 is making in this direction, since we now have but 1.227,141 acres, or one- 

 twentieth of our whole area, in forests, and much of this has been cut over 

 and the valuable part removed. The State no longer has any important 

 supplies of valuable timbers, like oak, walnut, poplai', etc. 



At present our largest tracts of timber are in the extreme southern 

 part, in Franklin. Harrison, Brown, Jackson, Lawrence, Martin, Perry 

 and Washington counties and a small tract in the north in Allen and 

 Kosciusko counties. A few scattered tracts may be found elsewhere, but 

 in the main these bodies are small and the timber of little consequence. 

 The western border of the State contains but little timber and is the 

 eastern edge of the great treeless region that extended over the north in 

 Benton, Newton and'.Tasper counties and over much of Lake. Porter, La- 



