MICHIGAN ROADS AND FORESTS 



FORESTRY NOTES. 



A government land detective caused the ar- 

 rest of Win. Schemerhorn, of Tnstin. lor steal- 

 ing timber belonging to the government on 

 land in Oseeola county. Sheriff Houghton 

 made the arrest and Schemer horn was taken 

 before Justice Kidder. He waived examina- 

 tion and was bound over to the next term of 

 the circuit court. 



Michigan forestry men have long contended 

 that certain land in Crawford and Roscom- 

 mon counties, while useful for growing trees, 

 was of much less value for agricultural pur- 

 poses. Charles \V. Garfield, former forestry 

 commissioner, has received further informa- 

 tion from the Ward properties in that section 

 telling of the destruction of crops by frost, 

 except where covered, the third season this 

 has happened, according to Mr. Ward, and he 

 states that lie does not consider the high 

 sandy lands of agricultural value but suitable 

 for forestry purposes and the river flats for 

 hay and peas for seed. These conclusions 

 agree with the opinions of Mr. Garlield re- 

 garding this kind of land. 



EWALD LEAVES DETROIT. 



H. T. Ewalcl, for live years advertising man- 

 ager of the Detroit & Cleveland Navigation 

 Company, during which time he achieved 

 a great reputation as an advertising agent, has 

 resigned to accept the position of chief assist- 

 ant to E. Lercy Pelleticr, manager of the big 

 advertising forces of the Stufkbaker Company, 

 of South Bend. Ind. Mr. Kwald is destined for 

 yet greater honors in the advertising field. 

 He had been with the D. & C. line for nine 

 years, first as a clerk in the ticket accountant's 

 office. He was the founder of the Adcraft 

 Club, of Detroit, now four years old. He 



A party of five timber experts is just com- 

 pleting a comprehensive and detailed estimate 

 of a portion of the timber resources of the 

 Sitgreaves National forest in east central Ari- 

 zona. The immediate object of the estimate 

 is to determine accurately just how much tim- 

 ber would lie available if a railroad were built 

 from Holbrook to make the timber accessible 

 and to enable forest officers to handle prompt- 

 ly applications to purchase. 



NO INJUSTICE TO SETTLERS. 



That the grazing ranges of the public lands 

 in the west are being regulated to the best in- 

 terests of the settlers, is the report Secretary 

 of Agriculture Wilson brings after a trip 

 through the west. He also declares there will 

 be a bumper crop and that there has been 

 great development and large appreciation on 

 the part of the people for what has been done 

 for them by the government. 



Wilson investigated the complaint that the 

 rnment, in a too far-reaching policy, took 

 large areas of good farming land and turned 

 them into forest reserves. He found that the 

 extent of such lands capable of being farmed 

 was of little consequence, he said. 



PROPOSED NEW HIGHWAY. 



That the proposed new road leading west 

 across the river is attracting attention, is very 

 evident. 



Much interest is being manifested by all parties 

 concerned. The road as proposed is a continua- 

 tion of the road leading west from Sherwood, 

 crossing the river at Alfred Gehring's corner 

 and continuing west almost one-half mile, or to 

 the bend of the river ; thence north one-eighth of 

 a mile ; intersecting with road running west from 

 the William Taylor farm, better known as the 

 Harvey Dane farm. The entire length will not 

 exceed" one mile and a half, but it will necessi- 

 tate a bridge and much filling across the low 

 lands, a distance of one-half mile. Opposition 

 argument sets forth the extreme cost, yet it is 

 claimed $5,000 will grade the low land and place 

 the same in good condition. 



The benefit to be derived by Sherwood through 

 the opening of this road, means much. While it 

 would not shorten the distance to Colon yet, at 

 the same time, it would eventually form a better 

 road besides opening up new territory. 



Only last week a Mr. Baker residing 2^4 

 miles west was in town but the second time this 

 year, for the reason of a 6/4 mile drive. While he 

 prefers Sherwood as a trading point, yet distance 

 intereferes and our neighbor town Colon gets 

 the benefit. 



The Record is not saying what shall or shall 



not be done. We are prone to see the good it 



would do Sherwood, loosing sight of the cost to 



j construct, as we are light taxpayers. Let the 



1 good old maxim, "The greatest good to the great- 



st number," prevail. Sherwood Record. 



HENRY T. EWALD. 



has been secretary and vice-president and has 

 held some active connection with the club ever 

 since it was organized. He is a member of 

 Palestine Ledge, No. 357, and editor of the 

 lodge's monthly bulletin. He also is a mem- 

 ber of the Y. M. C. A. and a director of the 

 advertising course there. 



Prior to Mr. Evvald's departure for South 

 Bend he was tendered a dinner by the mem- 

 bers of the Adcraft Club. He was presented 

 with a handsome traveling bag. 



J. M. Robinson, who has been in the employ 

 of the D. & C. line for several years, has been 

 appointed advertising agent. 



BRANCH MUST IMPROVE R. F. D. 

 ROADS. 



During the past three or four years Branch 

 county has made considerable advancement in 

 the matter of good roads, and while Union 

 township paved the way for this good work, 

 during the past two years Girard and Cold- 

 water townships have been occupying the 

 front seats. 



Last year Girard township did splendid work 

 on the 'Coldwater-Union City road past Morri- 

 son lake, eliminating the heavy sand as far as 

 Reed's corners. This year Coldwater town- 

 ship took up this good work and made that 

 highway a splendid road to the Coldwater city 

 limits. While this was under way Girard 

 township turned its attention to the Marshall 

 road, and under state reward is making that a 

 splendid thoroughfare, a fitting continuance of 

 the magnificent stretch of road that Coldwater 

 township built last year under state reward 

 from the city limits to the Girard line past the 

 county farm, which at this writing is by all 

 in! Is the 'best piece of roadway in the county. 

 Farmers are drawing immense loads over it, 

 showing the value of good roads. 



Coldwater township is now giving its atten- 

 tion to the Quincy road. Work was begun 

 some time ago at the city limits, and if time 

 and the weather permits it is hoped to con- 



tinue the good work as far east as the forks 

 of the road, east of the Fisk school house. 

 From the forks to the top of the following 

 hill this road was put in good condition tw > 

 or three years ago. Beyond that point steps 

 have already been taken by the Coldwaicr 

 township board to obtain state help for next 

 year and complete the rebuilding of the Quincy 

 road to the cast line of Coldwater township. 

 Quincy township is also plannin;: to apply to 

 the good roads department cf the state for 

 financial assistance and join with Coldwater 

 township next year in making the Quincy road 

 the splendid highway it ought to be, for it cer- 

 tainly is the most traveled road in Branch 

 county, 



The postorfice department has its eye on 

 some of the bad roads in Branch county, and 

 there is a prospect that Ovid township will 

 lose some of its rural mail delivery. 



The reads of Ovid township are sometimes 

 a fright. If the general government should 

 discontinue the free delivery of mail in Ovid 

 township, it would of necessity interfere with 

 pcints beyond. That would get Ovid busy, and 

 then the voters cf that township would regret 

 having voted against the county road system 

 last spring, for under the present system the 

 township will have the whole expense to pay, 

 while under the county road system that was 

 rejected by the voters the city cf Coldwater 

 would have joined in the expense. This would 

 demonstrate clearly that when the county road 

 system was voted down by the farmers of 

 Ovid township last spring they threw away 

 gold dollars. 



COUNTY CLAIMS RE'vVARD OF $2,OCO. 



Unless the calculations rf the Alger county 

 read commission and of County Engineer L. 

 E. Adams are at fault, a state reward of $2,000 

 is due Alger county, due application having 

 been made for the reward on two miles of 

 macadam read. And this is not the end. En- 

 gineer Adams expects to have the highway 

 macadamized as far south as the South Shore 

 railroad before snow flies. The building of 

 part of the two miles of the county road for 

 which the state reward is now claimed was no 

 small undertaking. The chief difficulty was 

 due to a considerable stretch cf black muck 

 through which the highway had to pass. To 

 roll this muck sufficiently so that the road 

 would stand under the pressure of heavy traf- 

 fic was the problem which had to be solved. 



PREPARING FOR GOOD ROADS. 



Under the direction of the county highway 

 commissioners of Kaiamazoo county Engineer 

 Harris Winslow has made a survey of those 

 reads which it is intended by the commission 

 to improve next year under the state reward 

 system. A two-mile stretch of highway com- 

 mencing at the east line of Kaiamazoo town- 

 ship and running through Comstock village is 

 one of the roads slated for improvement. An- 

 other is a piece of road one mile in length 

 running from Augusta to Gay's corners in 

 Charleston township. From the survey the 

 plats and profiles will be made up to be sub- 

 mitted to the board cf supervisors for approval 

 at the regular October session as required by 

 the state laws. 



GETTING EVEN WITH TOLL ROAD. 



The farmers residing in Fort Gratiot and 

 Clyde townships, St. Clair county, are at war 

 with the managers of the Stone Road Com- 

 pany. They claim that the road is in bad 

 shape and refuse to pay toll. A road has been 

 cut through a field and around the toll Kate. 

 and the receipts of the company are diminish- 

 ing. and the keeper of the toll house threatens 

 lo rcMgn. 



According to Read Commissioner Godfrey, 

 cf Chippewa county, the roads throughout the 

 county are in excellent shape ( n the wh ile. 

 and what work has been done recently was 

 finished with an idea of permanancy. 



