An Area That Should Immediately be Purchased by the State. 

 The character of the land a'nd soil in all of these ranges 

 is quite similar, but perhaps seventy-five per cent of all the 

 area of these moraine hills will remain continuously in for- 

 est. The reconnaissance survey work now being carried on 

 by the forest rangers and patrolmen will locate quite defi- 

 nitely the extent and character of these morainic hills. In 

 addition the timber growth will also be shown. Practically 

 all of the land has been logged over and burned to a greater 

 or less extent, and it will undoubtedly lie idle for an indefi- 

 nite length of time. If forest fires can be kept out of these 

 areas, the value of the young timber now growing will soon 

 become apparent. In those parts where fires did not follow 

 the logging operations there are some excellent stands of 

 young pine, mostly Norway pine. In the vicinity of Mantrap 

 Lake, east of Park Rapids, there is an area of approximately 

 two or three townships on which stands of young pine timber 

 are almost continuous. A smaller area, but one more acces- 

 sible and more densely stocked, lies a few miles west of 

 Menahga, where there are seven sections on which the Nor- 

 way and White pine stand as thick as they can grow. This 

 timber has been growing for fourteen years, and has an aver- 

 age height of seven feet. Some individual trees were noted 

 which had attained a height of fifteen feet or more. The soil 

 is remarkably well adapted to the growing of Norway pine, 

 and an area such as this is should immediately be purchased 

 by the state. It can be had at a nominal price per acre, and 

 in twenty years the crop of timber will more than pay for 

 the investment. Ranger DePuy estimate that in his district 

 alone there are approximately 600,000 acres of land better 

 suited to growing timber than agricultural crops. The enor- 

 mous benefits which would accrue to the communities adja- 

 cent to these ranges of hills, if they were bearing contin- 

 uous crops of timber, can scarcely be estimated. The fertile 

 valleys, furnishing homes for thousands of prosperous farm- 

 ers, will always offer a ready market for forest products. The 

 prosperity of the farmers will in a large measure depend 

 upon the readiness and cheapness with which these products 

 can be obtained. 



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