COMMERCIAL FORESTRY 



commercially with a reasonable profit. As a long 

 time investment the returns must be considered as 

 offering exceptional opportunities. The rate of 

 interest under each example cited, per year, for 

 the principal first used, at the end of the forty 

 year period, is in each case as follows : 



Per Cent. 



(1) Oto 16 



(2) ', 25 



(3) . . 41 



(4) 4 



(5), . .. ... . v . 9 



(6), . ... . . 29 



No matter how attractive we may make it, the 

 fact still remains that few people are willing to 

 make long time investments and wait for their 

 fruition. The time is coming, however, when far- 

 sighted business men will recognize this source of 

 investment as a safe and profitable one. The 

 State of Massachusetts, it is believed, can well 

 afford to make a beginning in this direction by 

 purchasing at low cost much of our cheap lands 

 and restocking them as forest reserves. Not only 

 can they be made a valuable asset in the future 

 to the Commonwealth, but to serve as examples 

 of forestry methods. 



Forest fires are a great menace to practising 

 modern forestry in Massachusetts and are un- 

 doubtedly one of the greatest drawbacks to for- 

 estry undertakings. Our present laws regulating 

 this problem are not effective enough. We have 

 bills before the present General Court of Massa- 

 chusetts looking toward an improvement in this 

 direction. [Has become a law.] 



The laws relative to the taxation of forest lands 

 are in no way systematized or deduced to secur- 

 14 



