MICHIGAN ROADS AND FORESTS 



and secured fur Connecticut its independent 

 government. 



1 have frequently seen what is called the 

 Washington Kim in Cambridge. Massachu- 

 setts. Under this famous tree George Wash- 

 ington assembled a portion of the Continental 

 forces and took formal command of the army 

 July II. 1T7.">. While I am not absolutely sure, 

 1 believe this tree was destroyed something 

 like two years ago. 



Me who plants a tree, he plants love. 

 Tents of coolness, spreading out above 

 Wayfarers, lie may not live to see. 



To impress upon yon the value of trees, I 

 .have found the statement that the lumber in- 

 dustry and the products resulting from it is 

 the fourth industry in the United States in im- 

 portance, and in the year I'.MI:>, amounting to 

 five hundred million dollars. Michigan, during 

 the last twenty years, has played a very im- 

 portant part in the wood industry of the 

 United States for the next few years we will 

 not be able to make so good a showing, for 

 two reasons that the greed of the loresl own- 

 ers has permitted them to cut down the tree.s 

 and attempt no replenishing', and because of 

 the great carelessness of the railroads in caus- 

 ing and permitting forest fires. Some years 

 hence. Michigan \\ill again assert pre-eminence 

 in her forest industry because of her wise for- 

 estation laws and agitation. 



The forests of the United States now cover 

 about live hundred and fifty million acres, or 

 about one-fourth of the bud of the whole 

 country. The original forests covered not less 

 than eight hundred and fifty million acres, or 

 nearly one-half. 



The forests owned by the government cover 

 one-fourth of the total forest area, and con- 

 tain one-fifth of all timber standing. Forests 

 privately owned cover three-fourths of the 

 area, and contain four-fifths of the standing 

 timber. Besides having three times' the area 

 and four times the forests, the timber land 

 privately owned is generally more valuable. 



By reasonable thrift, we can produce a con- 

 stant timber-supply beyond our present need, 

 and with it conserve the usefulness of our 

 -tieams for irrigation, water supply, naviga- 

 tion and power. 



Under right management, our forests will 

 yield over four times as much as now. We 

 can reduce waste in the woods and in the 

 mill at least one-third, with present as well as 

 future profit. We can perpetuate the naval 

 s industry. Preservative treatment will 

 reduce by one-fifth the quantity of timber used 

 in the water or in the ground. We can practi- 

 cally stop forest fires at a total yearly cost of 

 one-lifth the value of the standing timber 

 burned each year, not counting young growth. 



We shall suffer for timber to meet our needs 

 until our forests have had time to grow again. 

 Km if we act vigorously and at once, we shall 

 escape permanent timber scarcity. 



We have in Grand Rapids a man above all 

 others in the state who is accomplishing prac- 

 tical results in the matter of new tree grow- 

 ing. I refer to Mr. (iarlield and he can leave 

 no more lasting monument 'to his honor and 

 credit than the result of his wise and patient 

 and persistent work. 



Shakespeare says: 



Our life finds tongues in tree-. 

 Books in running brooks, 

 Sermons in stones. 

 And good in everything. 

 Another poet sings: 



Then, here's to the oak, the brave old oak, 

 Who has ruled in the green wood long. 

 Here's health and renown to his broad green 



crown 



And his fifty arms so strong. 



A. W. Bell before the Hoard of Trade of 

 Grand Rapids. 



Operating a Spruce Swamp for Pulpwood 



THERE IS MONEY IN GROWING 

 TREES. 



A valuable experiment in artificial forestry- 

 has just been concluded in Greenwood county, 



Kansas. The result has demonstrated that 

 many thousands of acres in Kansas not util- 

 ized for pasture and not adapted for fruit 

 trees can be profitably planted with quick 

 growing hardwood timber. Locust has been 

 tried in many parts of the state, but with the 

 exception of Clark and Mead counties, it suf- 

 fers so severely from the ravages of the borer 

 that it is practically useless when cut. A 

 variety of catalpa, catalpa speciosa, however, 

 appears to be immune from this pest. This is 

 the tree that has been tried in Greenwood 

 county. 



In 1*87 and l.ss.s George M. Hunger bought 

 a quarter section of upland eight miles north 

 of Eureka, Kan., for $1,000 and planted 130 

 acres in catalpa at a further cost of $1,500, in- 

 cluding the price of trees, breaking out, plow- 

 ing and cultivation for two seasons. It was a 

 poor class of soil with a large proportion of 

 alkali spots, but after ten years growth he 

 began to cut and in four years netted $4,000 

 above the cost of cutting and handling. Tn 

 I'.HK! he sold the farm to E. P. Riggle for 

 $16,000, thus making a net profit of $17,500 

 on the whole transaction. The present owner 

 has now cut and shipped the balance of the 

 first growth. After deducting the purchase 

 price and cost of cutting and handling he has 

 netted $10.0110 in these five years. Next year 

 he will be able to begin cutting the second 

 gri iwth. 



Besides the advantage of a sure and easy 

 growth, the wood of the catalpa speciosa is of 

 a better quality for fence posts than walnut 

 ,ind locust. It does not shed its staples like 

 they do, -any man who has been "ridin' fence" 

 will tell you. Much of the material sold j by 

 E. P. Riggle went for fencing range pastures. 

 A buyer said when asked why he could not 

 use some heavy split walnut posts that were 



offered him: "I haul these posts over 75 miles. 

 1' can load 200 of these little posts and haul 

 them with my team. Of the walnut I can only 

 load 75 and then it takes two teams to haul 

 them." Regarding the comparative strength 

 of the two kinds of posts, another buyer ex- 

 plained as follows: "We can't build a fence 

 strong enough to hold cattle on a stampede, 

 anyway, and these catalpa posts will hold them 

 as well ;:s any when they are not stampeding." 



The trees are planted as yearlings four feet 

 apart, making 2,300 to the acre. They are 

 left alone for 12 months and then cut clean off 

 at the ground level. After this there is noth- 

 ing to be done, but wait eight years, when 

 they will be ready to cut for market. The 

 close planting makes a straight growth and 

 under the shade of the broad leaves the unnec- 

 essary shoots die off. 



The following list shows the proportion of 

 posts and telegraph poles cut by G. M. Mun- 

 ger and E. P. Riggle on the Catalpa Knob 

 plantation. The posts are graded in thickness 

 varying from two and one-half to five inches. 



First grade posts 8,017 



Second grade posts 102,700 



Third grade posts 133,770 



Fourth grade posts 142,480 



Fifth grade posts 48,750 



Telegraph poles 19,045 



Total 454,762 



The average price received for each post 

 was just under seven and one-half cents; the 

 cost of cutting, one cent, and of hauling, one- 

 half cent, thus netting about six cents a post, 

 or about $27,285 on the whole crop. 



There are two other successful catalpa plan- 

 tations in Kansas the Yaggi plantation at 

 utchinson and the Hunnewell at Farlington. 



