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AMERICAN FORESTRY 



THREE WAR SCYTHES NOW HANG IN 

 ONE TREE 



BY H. E. ZIMMERMAN 



NEAR Waterloo, New York, stands one of the most 

 interesting trees in this country. In October, 1861, 

 fifty-seven years ago, James Wyman Johnson, who had 

 a farm outside this city, hung his scythe in the crotch 

 of a tree and went off with a New York regiment to the 

 Civil War. 



"Don't touch the scythe until I come back," he told 

 his wife. . 



He never returned. In deference to his wishes the 

 scythe was allowed to remain where it had been placed. 

 When the scythe was placed on the tree by Mr. Johnson, 



Now two more scythes keep it company. On the 

 day the United States entered the war Raymond L. 

 Schaeffer, son of the present owner of the place, hung 

 up his scythe and donned the olive drab. Today 

 his brother, Lynn, placed his scythe alongside it and 

 went away from Auburn in the navy's blue. 



THE TREE OF THE SCYTHE 



And now two more have been hung on the same tree, by two lads who 

 have gone to fight for Democracy in the present great conflict. 



the tree was only 8 inches in diameter, while it is now 

 13 feet in circumference. Only 7 inches of the scythe 

 now protrudes, and strange to say, points in the direc- 

 tion of Johnson's grave in the South where he was 

 buried. All except the scythe blade was removed some 

 years ago. The local Relief Corps keeps the stars and 

 stripes floating above the scythe. 



NEW PURCHASES OF LAND FOR THE 

 EASTERN NATIONAL FORESTS 



'"PHE National Forest Reservation Commission has 

 *- just approved for purchase 54,672 acres of land for 

 National Forests in the White Mountains, Southern 

 Appalachians and Arkansas. All of these lands solidify 

 the Government holdings and carry out the present 

 policy of the Commission to consider no lands which do 

 'not tend to block in with others previously approved 

 for purchase. 



The largest tract is one of 31,667 acres in Polk 

 County, Tennessee. It fills out the entire southern end 

 of what is known as the Cherokee Purchase Area. The 

 price approved was $6 an acre. A large portion of this 

 tract is well timbered; there is more than 20,000,000 feet 

 of merchantable timber on the entire tract. 



On the Natural Bridge Area, in Rockbridge, Amherst, 

 and Bedford Counties, Virginia, there were approved 

 3,990 acres at an average price of $5.52 per acre. The 

 largest tract included is one of 1,800 acres in Rockbridge 

 County. There were also approved 4,058 acres in Shen- 

 andoah, Highland, Augusta, and Frederick Counties, 

 Virginia, and 134 acres in Hardy County, West Virginia, 

 at an average price of $6 an acre. 



In the White Mountains 2,756 acres in Grafton and 

 Coos Counties, New Hampshire, was approved, at an 

 average price of $10.80. These lands contain consider- 

 able valuable spruce timber. 



On the Unaka Area, in Unicoi County, Tennessee, 

 i the purchase of one tract of 3,000 acres was authorized, 

 at a price of $4 per acre. There were also approved for 

 purchase 28 different tracts embracing 6,200 acres, in 

 Winston and Lawrence Counties, Alabama, at an aver- 

 age price of $4.38 per acre, and 2,552 acres in Avery, 

 Watauga, Caldwell, Burke and McDowell Counties, 

 North Carolina, at an average price of $5.15 an acre. 

 In Arkansas 997 acres were approved for purchase in 

 Pope, Montgomery, Garland, Perry and Polk Counties, 

 at an average price of $2.86 per acre. These are the 

 first lands to be acquired in Arkansas through purchase. 

 They block in with lands in the Arkansas and Ozark 

 National Forests, which were created by the reserva- 

 tion of lands formerly a part of the public domain. 



CAPTAIN RINGLAND TRANSFERRED 



TNFORMATION has just been received that Captain 

 * A. C. Ringland, Regimental Adjutant for the 10th and 

 20th Engineers (Forest), American Expeditionary 

 Forces, has been transferred to combatant service with 

 the Pioneer Engineers, after having taken a two-weeks' 

 training course. It is reported that Captain D. T. Mason 

 will succeed Captain Ringland as Regimental adjutant. 



