VALUE OF FOREST INDUSTRIES. 15 



it is seriously in the way and far in excess of the fuel demands 

 of the settlers on those lands for a score of years to come. There 

 seems to be something incongruous in the fact that while one- 

 half of our state is prairie, and sadly in want of fuel and othci 

 forest supplies, the other half has such a superabundance of 

 these products that they are going to waste, and only a small 

 portion is considered worth marketing. 



Value of Forest Industries of Minnesota. The market- 

 ing of the products of the virgin forest in Minnesota has added 

 greatly to the wealth and prosperity of the state, and under 

 proper management this source of wealth would continue indefi- 

 nitely. The value of the forests of Minnesota is most easily seen 

 by showing the number of men employed. According to the 

 report of the Bureau of Labor, there were employed in logging, 

 in the year 1899-1900, 15,886 men and 8,285 horses. The average 

 time of the men was about twenty weeks. They were employed 

 in 329 camps, and cut 1,112,000,000 feet board measure. The 

 total wages was $2,988,900, besides board, or about $4,180,000, 

 including board. 



In the wood-working industries, the following men were 

 employed in the year 1000: 



Sash and door manufacturers 1,186 



Sawmills, shingle and lath mills 9.179 



Planing mills 1,707 



Rattan and willow works 48 



Paper mills 229 



Lumber yards 276 



Wood-working shops 830 



Furniture and fixtures 1 ,405 



Cooperage 772 



Box manufacturing : 356 



Total 15.988 



Making a total in the wood-working and lumbering industries, 

 besides carpenters and builders, of 31,874 men employes. 



Possibilities of Yield of Our Forest Area. The best 

 authorities agree that the' normal annual increase on our 12,000.- 

 ooo acres of forest area should be about 2,000,000,000 feet board 



