REPORT ON FORESTS. 19 



more than equaled the abandoned clearings which have grown 

 up again. Where there has been a considerable loss in area of 

 improved land in farms it may be traced to growth of cities. 



In all of the southern counties, south of Monmouth and Mer- 

 cer, there has been steady clearing. These counties show an 

 increase in improved farm land since 1860 amounting to 173,000 

 acres, or about 13 per cent, of the forest area has been cleared. 

 Ocean county has lost about 4 per cent, of its forest area, Bur- 

 lington 12 per cent., Atlantic 4 per cent., Camden and Gloucester 

 17 per cent., Salem 30 per cent., Cumberland 21 per cent., and 

 Cape May 13 per cent. This clearing has been mostly on the 

 clay and marl belt, and the western border of the pines, extend- 

 ing well into the pine region in Cumberland, and about Vine- 

 land, Hammonton and Egg Harbor City. 



The decrease in unimproved land in farms is explained by 

 some of this clearing-up of land in southern counties, but also 

 to a considerable extent by the abandonment of unproductive 

 farms containing a large proportion of unimproved land, which 

 is evidenced in the pines in Ocean, Burlington and Atlantic 

 counties and also in the extreme north, in the hilly portion of 

 the State. 



CHANGES IN PHYSICAL CONDITION. 



Although the area of forest has not sensibly diminished in 

 northern New Jersey, and has decreased only about 13 per cent, 

 in the southern counties since 1860, it may be thought that the 

 proportion of brush, stump land and small timber is considerably 

 greater now than at the middle of the century. We have inves- 

 tigated this question with some care. So far as may be deter- 

 mined from extended personal observation, the deciduous timber 

 of the State has generally increased in size and improved in 

 quality since the period of the topographic survey, from 1880 to 

 1886. 



In the Highlands and Kittatinny valley regions there has 

 been no severe cutting during the last fifteen years. Consider- 

 ably less timber has been cut than during the previous fifteen 

 years. A considerable amount of timber was formerly cut at an 

 age of from 20 to 25 years, or even less, for charcoal, cord wood, 

 hoop-poles, etc. The profit in this has grown less and the 



