21 



in the States. The Hon. T. M. Edmonds (Report of the 

 Department of Agriculture of U.S. for 1868) foresees the 

 exhaustion of the timber resources of the United States in 

 half a century under existing circumstances, whereas by that 

 time the demand will be quadrupled. Mr. Simmonds calcu- 

 lates the importation of wood into France during 1865 at 

 154,000,000 francs, or about 6,000,000, the ratio of import 

 being at an increase, notwithstanding that the forest area of 

 that empire was reduced, within a century, to one-half 

 namely, from one-third, in the latter part of the last century, 

 to hardly more than one-sixth now. But if the population of 

 Middle Europe consumed proportionately as much native 

 wood as the inhabitants of the United States, then, in less 

 than half a century, no forest whatever would be left in 

 Europe. These conclusions are borne out by the U.S. Com- 

 missioner of Lands, the Hon. Jos. S. Wilson. In the states 

 east of the Mississippi, 6,000,000,000 cubic feet of wood were 

 consumed for timber and fuel in 1860, at a time when no war 

 laid hand on the forests. Hence 1,000,000 of acres of forest- 

 land must be cleared, in the eastern states of the Union, to 

 find the wood for a year's local requirements. The shipment 

 of lumber, in one of the latter years, from Chicago, was 

 1,400,000,000 cubic feet, besides 217,000,000 laths and 

 928,000,000 shingles. In 1866, the products of the Califor- 

 nian lumber trade were 190,000,000 of cubic feet, and 

 38,000,000 shingles; in 1867, about 200,000,000 cubic feet. 

 Quebec exports about 100,000,000 of cubic feet since a long 

 period annually, irrespective of home consumption. In the 

 Pacific States exists only a supply adequate to the prospective 

 wants of their people. The West States of the Mississippi 

 import already timber that formerly existed in their own 

 native forests. Likewise so in North America an enormous 

 lot of trees is destroyed by girdling, and subsequent burning, 

 for clearing agricultural lands or pastoral runs. Thus, in the 

 earlier part of the next century every natural forest east of 

 the Mississippi will have disappeared, if, with an increasing 

 population, the same rate of consumption is going on. For 

 the states west of the great river, in which forest-land is much 

 less extensive, the prospects are still more alarming. Hence 

 Australia cannot indifferently look forward for softwood from 

 these places. 



To give some idea how long a time will elapse before actual 

 timber, not merely firewood, is obtained from planted trees, I 

 subjoin a brief list of the more common Middle European 



c 



