MICHIGAN ROADS AND FORESTS 



MICHIGAN FORESTRY ASSOCIATION. 



The Michigan Forestry Association was organized in Grand Rapids August 30, 1905, having for its object the promotion of a ra- 

 tional system of forestry in Michigan. The society is managed by the following roster of officers : President, Hon. Chas. W. Garfield, of Grand 

 Rapids; Vice-President, John H. Bissell, of Detroit; Secretary, Filibert Roth, of Ann Arbor; Assistant Secretary, Henry G. Stevens, Detroit; 

 Treasurer, W. B. Mershon, Saginaw, W. S. Board of Directors Hon. J. E. Beal, Ann Arbor; J. J. Hubbell, Manistee; Mrs. Lena E. Mautner, 

 Saginaw; Prof. James Satteriee, Lansing; Fremont E. Skeels, Cadillac; W. E. Williams, Pittsford; Dr. Lucius L. Hubbard, Houghton; Mrs. 

 John C. Sharp, Jackson. 



HE SECRETARY'S CORNER. 3S / 'SS^ t SS$. 



Mrs. L. L, Mautner of Saginaw, and it is hoped 

 WASTE AND MORE WASTE. that the members of the Forestry Association 



The following is part of a letter received by will write letters and do all they can and do this w Scott Smith of Washington. DL C in a 



the Secretary of the Michigan Forestery Asso- at once, to make their wishes known in this mat- ' 



C i at j on . - ter. Write to your Congressman and thank him letter to the ^ew ^ ork Sun, quotes a letter writ- 



"I am just back from Coffeeville, Miss. There for voting the right way on the Appalachian Bill ten by Ethan Allen Hitchcock, then secretary of 

 is a tremendous waste of forest production go- and let him know that you appreciate his effort, the interior, to President Roosevelt on Nov. 30, 

 ing on there. It is expensive for the settlers 1906. The letter followed several personal in- 

 to draw in logs to the railroad station and the PINE CUT O F SAGINAW VALLEY. terviews between him and the President and env 

 four SS XhTcof: The - - f^ of the Saginaw Valley bodied detailed mformation regardmg a careful 



n vva f s i fu h d f t r , ectedlo h gs - G r ^JSMfimSsXiyuz inve t gation rv nde v he s r tary ' s *- 



How,-if I had them up here they ' dwindled to 114 million in 1909. tlon bv trusted offi rs of the Interior Depart- 



ThSwi rt^tnrd'imeterlnd^mplfbSuse And while in the years previous to 1890 this -nt as to the station in Wyoming, diseasing 

 it had a heart check it was thrown out. The cut was practically all pine, and mostly live White an open disregard of a criminal statute in the 

 heart check came right where you would make Pme > il is today practically all hardwoods and illegal appropriation of public land by corpor- 

 your first cut in four-quarter sawing anyhow, hemlock with only 9 million feet of old dead ations and individuals. 



Negroes with cross-cut saws were sawing off the stubs, remnants of Norway Pine and a little Although the matter occasioned consternation 

 ends of this log into firewood lengths, and the J ack pine - From 1,000 feet of good choice ma- in restricted official circles, the matter did not 

 owner of the premises told me that anyone that terial down to 9 million feet of scavenger stuff, become public owing to the prompt steps taken 

 would come and cut firewood was welcome to do And this in a district where over 90 per cent ot by the President to prevent any "leak" occurring 

 it. In other words, the logs were given away tne land is not improved or used for agriculture, in the Interior Department or the Attorney-Gen- 

 for that purpose. But the howl of a few interested timbermen, eral's office. The reports were all suppressed and 



I hunted through acres of timber land where la "d sharks and politictians has more weight than pigeonholed and no prosecutions followed as in 

 great big trees had ben girdled. They are left a11 this kind of truth . and we st"! 1 refuse to learn other land fraud cases. As the matter never be- 

 for several years. In the meanwhile they plant our lesson, we keep on destroying and burning came public, no senatorial investigation or call 

 cotton amongst them and each year they are set and make no provision for tomorrow. for the papers followed. 



afire and gradually burner up. The land is con- Secretary Hitchcock was not a party to this 



sidered more valuable with the timber off of it, nnmr A rnnn WOPTf condition, but put on record his unrelenting hos- 



the old fashioned notion, so that thousands and tility to any fraud, whether by a member of the 



thousands of fine trees have been and are being E Bowles of Linden, Mich., is planning or, Senate or one in the lower walks of life The 

 wasted. setting out 1200 black locust trees on an acre of extract from Secretary Hitchcock's letter to the 



In 1880 Buffalo hides were sold at $1 apiece hls P lace west of that village. It is claimed that President is as follows: 



and the animals killed for this $1. In 1890 it the trees wil1 S row into ood * enc . e P osts in five Mr. President, I entered the service deeply im- 

 was practically impossible to get a Buffalo hide, - vea rs. At the present price which is about seven- bued with the importance to the people of our 

 even for museum purposes. Headless, senseless teen cents eacn ^ and it; is not liable to be any great public domain. It is the nation's priceless 

 waste. Will our tSate and National Govern- Iess ) an acre would produce a yearly average of heritage and I feel that every available rod of it 

 ments allow history to repeat itself with regard about $36 worth of posts. The cost of the young should be regarded as sacredly dedicated to the 

 to our forests, as in the case of the Buffalo? trees to P ! ? nt an acre >s about $20. Mr. Bowles purpose of homes for the homeless. I believe that 



The above conditions are a serious reflection, wi!1 tr > this as an experiment. This might be a this would best promote the welfare of our citi- 

 not only on our government and its utter lack g od thin S for others to look into. zens and afford the best security for the stability 



of forethought, but they reflect equally strongly This is good work, may it succeed, and may of our government. I was impressed that every 

 upon our business ability. Today, at a time when Mr. Bowles not get discouraged when he learns law enacted for its protection should be rigidly 

 the furniture factories of Michigan have to im- that fence posts do not grow in five years in enforced, and this has been a cardinal policy of 

 port practically every foot of oak they use, there Michigan. We are still hearing too much of that my administration, but I regret to say all my 

 are districts in the South where oak is a cum- "hot air artist," the seedling agent, who charges efforts to release it from the grip of its despoil- 

 brance on the land and is destroyed and wasted, ten prices to our farmers and tells them all sorts ers have been met by every embarrassment that 

 Are we really the great ingenious people, the of impossible and untrue stories. human ingenuity could devise; powerful influ- 



great railway builders and the 'practical' men of Within the year farmers have been asked and ences have been concerned, and they have not 

 affairs, or are we chiefly the most wasteful ?'' have paid as high as $30 per thousand for Locust hesitated to aggressively exert every agency they 



and Catalpa seedings when $3 would have been could command to weaken the hand of the law; 



APPALACHIAN FOREST RESERVE. ample to secure them from a good reliable nur- eve . n loca l land officials have been subservient to 

 The \\eek~s bill, providing for the purch- se ry. their purposes;' their machinations seemingly have 



ase of lands in the Appalachian and White at times not been without paralyzing effect upon 



Mountain Region is again before Congress, ana WORKTNP FOR CONSFRVATTDN ? e machinery of justice; too frequently the of- 



it is necessary that all friends of forestry and 1TALY WORKING FOR CONSERVATION ncers o f th e ] aw appear to have been under the 

 lovers of their country assert themselves and Italy is now among the leading nations bewitching spell of their power; the punishment 

 makes their position known. working for the conservation of forest re- imposed by the courts has in many cases been so 



Last year the Michigan delegation in the sources. The report of the Italian Secretary conspicuously inadequate as to encourage rathei 

 House distinguished itself and it is with no small of Agriculture, just published, shows that than deter violations of the law. Whether this 

 pride that we can record that only three out of extensive operations in reforestation have official stagnation is due in any degree to local 

 12 members voted against the measure. But this been going en for forty years. In the last political influences to which these officials are 

 is still three too many, for there is little doubt thirty years 122,000 acres have been planted more or less indebted for their commissions and 

 that if Messrs. Fordney, Gardner and Young in twenty-five of the provinces of Italy. Of the retention of their positions it is not impor 

 had had time and chance to look into this matter this area 69,000 acres, or approximately 108 tant to discuss in this paper. It is the deplorable 

 a little more closelv, they would have voted yes. square miles, were planted in the year 1907 fact, however, that too many of those charged 

 The whole matter is not one of party affairs, it alone at a cost of $2,000,000. Reforestation with the administration of the law are bringing 

 s not a matter of continued expense, for the has been so vigorous that only 36,000 acres reproach upon the public service that impels me 

 land pays for itself. It is a simple business af- of government land now stands in need of to call your attention to the grave difficulties 

 fair, very much desired, especially by all the peo- planting. In addition, in the last forty years which beset the administration in any efforts it 

 pie of the district affected, so that there is no the Italian government has distributed over may make to rescue the public domain from a 

 real opposition on the grounds of agricultural 130.000,000 young trees and 237,600 pounds serious peril. 



use or for any other good reason and surely un- of seed, sufficient to restock 100,000 acres of I do not care to refer to the animus against 

 der these circumstances there ought not be any land, says our forest service. The total forest myself, so unmistakably reflected in some of tht 

 dispute whatever. The matter is especially urged area of Italy is 10,000,000 acres. correspondence in this case, further than to say 



