any lands. She owns them now and all that is necessary is to 

 amend the constitution in order to retain them permanently 

 for state forests. 



European countries have followed out progressive forest 

 policies for centuries. Switzerland has had forests under 

 management for over six hundred years. France and Ger- 

 many follow as close seconds. By. a systematic rotation, by a 

 systematic cropping, by a systematic handling of these for- 

 ests on a basis of a crop and not on a basis of a mine, they 

 secure large revenues annually from these forests. 



State Forests Abroad. 



The state forests of Hungary yield a net revenue annually 

 of $600,000. France has twenty million acres of state forests 

 and she has recently reforested over 2,600,000 acres. The net 

 returns of the forests of Switzerland range from $3.00 to $9.00 

 per acre per annum net profit. Saxony has nearly a half mil- 

 lion acres of state forests yielding an annual net return of 

 $5.30 per arce. Prussia has six million acres of state forests. 



Compelled by Dire Necessity. 



The progressive forests policy pursued in these nations was 

 not adopted for sentimental reasons; for aesthetic purposes 

 or the whimsical attitude of forestry enthusiasts. These coun- 

 tries were compelled by dire necessity to adopt a policy which 

 would perpetuate their forests. Forests had to be perpetuated 

 to protect their streams, to provide shelter against hot and 

 dry winds which would endanger their crops. Forest products 

 were required and natural prosperity is immensely enhanced 

 by putting to use lands which otherwise would be unproduct- 

 ive. With the start already made almost all of the European 

 countries are enlarging their forest areas. 



As many as seventy-two different kinds of wood are. used in 

 the manufacture of umbrella handles, canes and whips in this 

 country. 



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