10 



MICHIGAN ROADS AND FORESTS. 



tion of the subject was forced upon public atteiv 

 tion by our own Dressing necessities. 



Forestry Not a Fad. 



Forestry is not a fashion or a fad as sometimes 

 thought by superficial observers or others who 

 have formed their opinions from hearing only 

 academic discussions of the main subject. It is a 

 practical, serious business involving the investment 

 of capital, and the application of scientific knowl- 

 edge and can only be practiced by the state or 

 municipalities or private individuals prepared to 

 conduct business on a large scale. And, it differs 

 from the investment in ordinary crops only by 

 reason of the length of time necessarily involved 

 to secure any reasonable results. 



DR. SEAL'S ADDRESS. 



Dr. J. W. Beal. of Lansing, read a very inter- 

 esting paper Wednesday morning on "Agricul- 

 ture and Forestry, Botli Have a Place and Room 

 In Our State." He said: 



"Agriculture and Forestry Both Have a Place 

 and Room in Our State." This topic was assigned 

 me for discussion at this meeting. For thirty-five 

 years I have made a good many observations in 

 nearly every county of the lower peninsula, always 

 having in mind forest trees and their growth. I 

 must confess that I have never been able to get 

 rid of a lurking suspicion that it would for years 

 yet, if not always, be a perilous undertaking to 

 grow conifers for profit in Michigan, especially 

 where the soil is thin. I give some of the reasons 

 for this lurking suspicion. 



Speaker Voices Some Suspicions. 



1. A week or ten days of warm weather with- 

 out rain brings on a severe drought. 



2. The forest floor where conifers grow, makes 

 a better fire than the leaves of oaks and maples. 



3. There are yet too many persons in the 

 northern part of the state who wish to do as they 

 please regardless of the consequences and the in- 

 terests of others. 



4. From childhood, they have been taught to 

 consider trees of little value ; that young trees 

 following the lumberman were of no value what- 

 ever. 



5. Many of the people have no scruples what- 

 ever regarding the breaking of laws in this matter 

 of the rights in trees. 



6. Hence we have our share of timber thieves 

 and their ability to cover their tracks by setting 

 fire to rubbish. 



7. From what I read, I judge the laborers of 

 Germany and of France have greater respect for 

 the arm of the law than the people in this free 

 land of America. I fear we must work hard 

 before we can bring about a change of heart in 

 this matter of forest protection. 



A good many illustrations can be given to sus- 

 tain these lurking suspicions. A fine block of 

 white pine near Harrison, Clare county, was left 

 as a remnant, and the owners very much desired 

 to hold it uncut for a few years, at least. They 

 employed reliable men to keep watch of this pine, 

 which was not near a railroad. In the neighbor- 

 hood were laborers out of work, and they saw 

 but one chance to earn a living during the follow- 

 ing winter, and that hope was, that fires should 

 kill this remnant of pine, and thus make it neces- 

 sary to harvest the logs to save them. It was not 

 found out that some of these laborers contrived 

 to start the fire in a dry time, but many suspected 

 it ; the pine was killed and some men procured 

 jobs for the next winter. 



Deliberate Attempt to Destroy Plantation. 



Some nine or ten years ago I planted at the 

 Agricultural College on a rough piece of ground 

 five and a half acres of white pine. A man own- 

 ing adjoining land objected to the planting, on the 

 ground that it obstructed his view from a main 

 road some thirty rods distant. He was a pecu- 

 liar man. since gone insane. I calle_d on him soon 

 after the planting was over, and in a mild way 

 solicited his care and watchfulness of the beautiful 

 young plantation. After three or four years of 

 growth, some two feet of the tops of a hundred 



trees on the side next to the adjoining farm were 

 clipped off, apparently with a view of showing 

 displeasure and injuring the trees. This was really 

 of little account, as new leaders soon took the 

 place of those cut off. Later, in two different 

 years during very dry weather, this neighbor 

 burned some brush near these young pines which 

 he had been asked to protect. The last burning 

 was in 1907 and spread to the grove killing about 

 ten pine trees, and injuring many others. Two 

 or three times a portion of a neighboring forest 

 of beach and maple and other broad leaved trees 

 was burned over, doing slight damage, showing, 

 as we all understand, that a forest of such trees 

 is less liable to injury by fire than a forest of 

 pine. 



More Money In Present Mode. 



From all we can learn, including the season of 

 1908, no man in Michigan can be found who 

 would think it wise to invest his money in grow- 

 ing young pines on the thin sands of the northern 

 counties, even if he had no taxes to pay. Has not 

 the State Forest Commission been doing its best 

 to convert the people of Roscommon county to 

 its plan of planting and growing conifers? Per- 

 haps the recent sensational report of the commis- 

 sion of tax and forestry lands authorized' by the 

 last legislature may throw some light on this 

 subject, and show why some men are still opposed 

 to planting and growing trees on cut-over lands. 

 Some of these men can make money if the present 

 old mode of management is continued. 



At present it certainly looks as though the state 

 would not find much profit in growing trees in 

 Roscommon. It looks to me as though a better 

 selection of sites could be found in other counties, 

 where the leading men all favor the growing ot 

 young trees, and where there are very few, if any, 

 settlers. And after planting has been inaugur- 

 ated, see that such areas are patrolled in a most 

 thorough manner, even if it is expensive and 

 seems to be extravagant. Such planting should 

 be considered in the line of an experiment, even 

 for twenty to thirty or more years. 



Small Areas Should Be Planted. 



This long preamble prepares the way for what 

 I have to say concerning what I believe to be the 

 most prominent fields for action. 



Encourage in every way possible the planting 

 of small areas by the farmers south of Saginaw 

 and Muskegon. 



Plant mostly to broad-leaved trees ; patch up 

 and enlarge wood-lots ; plant in small areas as 

 much safer than large ones from destruction by 

 fire; plant mixtures of trees most suited to each 

 piece of land. 



In moist soil, plant basswood, butternut, red 

 oak, swamp white oak; on gravelly soil on hills, 

 plant chestnut, locust, shagbark, hickory, white 

 oak: in dry, rich land plant catalpa and sugar 

 maple. 



Where practicable, even if it does cost more, 

 cultivate trees in rows from two to four years. 

 Of course keep all cattle of all kinds out of the 

 woods. 



Farmers Should Grow Own Seedlings. 



Teach young farmers to grow their own seed- 

 lings, instead of buying. First, because it should 

 be the cheapest way ; second, because it is instruc- 

 tive and more interesting, because the whole pro- 

 cess will educate children and neighbors, giving 

 additional things to talk about and show to 

 friends. In the meantime, this interest, with prac- 

 tice, should gradually increase and invade the 

 northern counties. 



For some time yet we should have, not farms 

 and large tracts of forests apart, but great num- 

 bers of small areas, amounting in the aggregate, 

 possibly, after a few years, to one-third of the 

 area of the five southern tiers of counties. 



A. C. SHAW'S ADDRESS. 



A. C. Shaw, principal examiner of the I'nited 

 States Forest Service, made an address on For- 

 est Taxation as follows : 



The spirit of the constitutions of English- 

 speaking countries prohibits unjust and excessive 

 taxation and requires that the burdens of gov- 

 ernment be distributed equally among the people. 



True equality must consist in equality of sacrifice, 

 and each citizen should be required to discharge 

 the burden according to his ability. Because of 

 this principle military service is required from the 

 young and physically strong, since they are best 

 able to supply it. 



Taxation has always been considered an inci- 

 dent of sovereignty and co-extensive with it, and 

 very few limitations on the taxing power are 

 found in the early constitutions of the states of 

 the United States, and I believe that few such 

 limitations are found in the Canadian constitu- 

 tions at the present time. After the creation of 

 the original states the constitutions of some later 

 states which may be referred to as a second-class 

 of constitutions undertook to prevent inequality 

 of taxation by general constitutional limitation. 

 The purpose of such limitation was to dispense 

 with officeholders who might discriminate in favor 

 of one class and against another, and whose salar- 

 ies formed a large item of public expense. This 

 limitation was generally expressed in a require- 

 ment that taxation should be uniform and equal 

 and according to valuation. From this require- 

 ment arose the general property tax, which might 

 be defended if all classes of property were equally 

 productive and all classes of property holders 

 equally able to manage their property, and if the 

 public derived the same benefit from all classes. 

 Xone of these conditions, however, exists, and 

 later constitutions permit the states to classify 

 property for taxation so that it may be taxed 

 according to its earning capacity or ability to pay; 

 and provided that other property may be ex- 

 empted from taxation to the extent that it per- 

 forms a public service which would justify 

 exemption in whole or in part. Reduction in 

 taxation by classification or exemption is also 

 justified if made for the purpose of creating a 

 subject of taxation or encouraging enterprises 

 which result in benefits to the whole community. 



Uniform Rules Cannot Apply. 



I believe the Canadian constitutions have left 

 the taxing power of their legislatures to a great 

 extent untrammeled. The modern thought which 

 applies alike to the states and provinces of the 

 two governments seems to be that no uniform 

 rule can be prescribed for the production of prop- 

 erty, and consequently no such rule for its taxa- 

 tion ; and that accuracy of valuation with a 

 broader comprehension of the public service which 

 may be performed by different classes of prop- 

 erty, as well as the public benefits which may be 

 derived by them, can only be attained by edu- 

 cated, competent, and honest taxation officials. 



The movement of the last few years in both 

 countries has been to eliminate favoritism from 

 taxation administration. But the overburdened 

 have been considered only indirectly by correcting 

 the charge against the undcrburdened. 



Both the United States and Canada were 

 originally endowed with magnificent timber pos- 

 sessions. Both have rapidly and recklessly, par- 

 ticularly the L'nited States, invaded these posses- 

 sions. 



Where the timber was located upon rich agri- 

 cultural land it was an encumbrance, and its 

 removal was necessary and proper. It served no 

 useful purpose except supply and was in many 

 cases a detriment to the development of the 

 country. 



Devastation of Water Sheds. 



Of late years in the United States the cutting 

 has been extended into higher elevations of land 

 and to the water-sheds. The devastation of these 

 water-sheds has injured and alarmed the agri- 

 cultural interests. The farms of the lower lands 

 have been injured by the soil which has eroded 

 and come down from the mountains and have been 

 inundated by the frequent flood waters which 

 the timber formerly held on the mountain sides. 

 The work of reparation and conservation has be- 

 gun, and the United States now has about 150,- 

 000.000 acres of nationally owned forest lands, 

 mainly along the water-sheds of its western states. 

 But east of the Mississippi the farm la_nds in the 

 valleys are without any such protection except 

 that given by privately owned timber lands. Al- 

 though the price of timber has rapidly increased 

 in the last decade it has not checked the cutting 



