EDITORIAL 



197 



Thus in the Northeast Maine is considering the regula- 

 tion of cutting on private lands through the establish- 

 ment of auxiliary State Forests. The New Hampshire 

 legislature has before it bills providing for the leaving 

 of seed trees on pine lands, for compulsory forest fire 

 patrol, and for the disposal of slashings. Massachusetts 

 is planning to continue its purchases of State forests and 

 to acquire the picturesque Mohawk Trail. Connecticut is 

 proposing to modify the present system of forest taxa- 

 tion and to enlarge the State Park Commission into tlie 

 State Park and Forest Commission. 



In the Central States, Indiana is endeavoring to im- 

 prove its present fire protective system and to encourage 

 timber production through tax exemptions. In the South, 

 and reforestation, and also the adoption of a severance 



tax similar to that already in force in Louisiana. In the 

 Texas is considering the adoption of a comprehensive 

 forest policy with particular emphasis on fire protection 

 far West, California has established a State nursery, 

 is co-operating with timberland owners in slash disposal, 

 is planning greatly increased expenditures for fire pro- 

 tection and a revision of its present system of forest 

 taxation, and is looking forward to the establishmenr 

 of State forests. 



These are but samples of the widespread interest which 

 the States generally are manifesting in the protection 

 and perpetuation of their forest resources. It is to be 

 hoped that the movement will bear fruit in the enactment 

 of a considerable number of progressive and effective 

 forestry measures. 



FOREST TAXATION IN CALIFORNIA 



'"PHAT California is alive to the desirability of some 

 * change in its present methods of forest taxation is in- 

 dicated by the proposed amendment of its Constitution to 

 enable the taxation separately of forest land and of the 

 timber on such land. The specific resolution now before 

 the legislature provides that "the legislature shall have 

 power to provide by general and uniform laws for the 

 taxation of land on which there is standing young timber 

 or mature timber separately from the timber, and for the 

 taxation of timber at the time it is cut or otherwise 

 utilized only." 



This is a long step in advance of present practice, 

 which requires the taxation annually of both land and 

 timber. In other words, the owner of a stand of young 



growth which will not mature for a hundred years must 

 pay taxes on it one hundred times before it is ready 

 for cutting. What would the farmers think if a similar 

 procedure were applied to them whereby a crop that 

 requires one hundred days to mature were taxed ont 

 hundred times before it were havested? The com- 

 parison is by no means far-fetched, for the forest is 

 nothing more nor less than a long-time crop, the pro- 

 duction of which takes years instead of days as is the 

 case with most farm crops. 



If forest production is to be put on a business basis, 

 as of course it must be, it is imperative that the crop 

 character of forests be recognized and their taxation ar- 

 ranged accordingly. In attempting to do this the pro- 



FRUIT BOXES AND FORESTRY 



TJ'OW many lovers of oranges, apples, peaches, and 

 '-'- other fruits realize that their supply of these deli- 

 cacies is dependent on the practice of forestry as well as 

 of horticulture? Nevertheless this is actually the case, 

 and the explanation is simple. Fruits are almost uni- 

 versally shipped in wooden containers. Wood comes 

 only from trees. And we are rapidly approaching the 

 point where trees will no longer be available in sufficient 

 numbers to meet even our present needs unless we prac- 

 tice forestry. 



Boxes now absorb 15 per cent of the total lumber cut 

 of the country. In Florida alone the growers of oranges 

 and grapefruit already require more than 12,000,000 

 boxes a year to get their crop to market. If production 

 continues to increase at the same rate that it has in recent 

 years, by 1930 they will require 40,000,000 boxes, or 

 some 220,000,000 board feet of lumber. In addition the 

 truck-growers of the State require 13,000,000 boxes an- 



nually and their demands are also increasing. These 

 are but samples of the box requirements of farmers 

 throughout the country. 



Where is the lumber to build the boxes to come from? 

 Florida fruit growers are already becoming alarmed at 

 the steadily waning supply of southern yellow pine and 

 are considering ways and means of meeting the situation. 

 The answer is simple to assure a permanent supply of 

 timber by practising forestry. This involves the har- 

 vesting of present stands in such a way as to secure the 

 renewal of the forest, the reforestation of lands now de- 

 nuded, and the regulation of the cut so that the amount 

 removed from the forest each year will equal approxi- 

 mately the amount grown. Producers and consumers 

 alike are vitally interested in seeing that a definite and 

 comprehensive program along these lines is put into 

 effect without delay. 



