45 



Some of the other causes of the forest's decline may be properly con- 

 sidered in turn. 



The greatest foe that attacks our forests is fire. No other destructive 

 agent leaves us with so little in our hands to mourn over or to form the 

 incentive for future care and protection. The great destroyer engulfs 

 ■eveiything it reaches and we are left with ruined and blackened tields 

 that indicate the cost of its visit. The loss and danger is two fold: First, 

 the destruction of old and marketable standing timber that could soon be 

 converted into cash, and the stunting and scarring of many young trees 

 that never recovei- or make at most an insufficient growth, in the end to 

 I)e discarded as poor or unsound timber; second, the loss of forest humus 

 and of young sprouts and seedlings that represent the working capital 

 of the farmer or forester. Upon this the hopes of his future profits depend, 

 and while the loss seems difficult to estimate at the occurrence, it becomes 

 more manifest as time passes and the fields become simply waste land 

 covered with herbaceous and shrubby vegetation, scattering noxious weeds 

 over all the reg'ion and bringing no returns to the owner. 



The extent to which Indiana has suffered from forest tires can hardly 

 be discovered. We have had no historic fires, such as those of Michigan 

 or Wisconsin, to use as a suitable text for vigorous protestations against 

 carelessness on the part of farmers, hunters and railroads, but careful 

 t^stimates show that we ai^e annually losing large suras in this way, and 

 a little care and foresight would relieve us of this useless waste. In 1880 

 9(>,427 acres of timber were burned ovei", resulting in an estimated loss of 

 !i^l30.335, and during that year no unusual fires occurred. This indicates 

 approximately our annual loss. AA'e should take immediate steps to check 

 this waste. 



Something must be done to secure immunity from tlie great loss we 

 suffer from browsing animals, which now prevent the reforesting of many 

 tracts that would otherwise soon naturally gi-ow up to young trees. The 

 pasturing of our wood lots prevents the possibility of natural increase in 

 the forest acreage and deprives the forest soil of much of its value from 

 the destruction of its litter by the stamping of cattle. This can be more 

 efficiently remedied by securing the cooperation of the ownei- than by 

 legislation. 



The State also loses much from destructive lumbering. A visit to any 

 of our large timber tracts shows the reckless waste from this cause. 

 Without any tliought of the future a. tract is cleared of its timber and only 



