TOWN FORESTS AND THE LINCOLN HIGHWAY 



175 



near the highway in each community could well become 

 a part of the general plan of beautification. 



We shall not discuss here the actual benefits that would 

 accrue to the town from such a forest, but how would it 

 affect the highway itself and the millions of travelers who 

 will pass over it in years to come? The more beautiful 

 the highway, the more popular it will be. Imagine your- 

 self one of those travelers passing through certain forest- 

 less, if not almost treeless, regions of some of the Middle 

 States, or a cut-over, burned-over section of Pennsyl- 

 vania ! What a relief it would be to pass at intervals 

 through stretches of beautiful forests! They would 

 surely lend variety to the landscape and comfort to the 

 traveler. Especially would this be true if he could stop 

 for refreshments in the cooling shade of the forest, just 

 as the visitors to the European town forests can do, and 

 enjoy the music furnished by the feathered orchestra of 

 the woods. 



It has already been suggested that provision should be 

 made to establish an abundance of bird life along the 

 route. This cannot be done on an effective scale unless 

 wooded areas are provided. Shade trees and shrubs 

 alone would not attract the birds. On the other hand, 

 forests, under proper management, will contain enough 

 undergrowth to encourage nesting, and an area set apart 

 in each town as a forest could readily be made a bird 

 sanctuary. State legislatures should carry this work fur- 

 ther by permitting and assisting owners to establish bird 

 and game sanctuaries on all woodland property in the 

 vicinity of this highway. The birds soon learn where 

 the safety zones are. and such sanctuaries distributed 

 along this route would soon result in a population of 

 songsters. 



Nothing is more pleasing to the average person than 

 the beauties of the forest, with all the comforts and 

 enjoyments that naturally accompany it. If some thought 

 is given to the landscape treatment of the forest, the 

 result can be made all the more pleasing. In the develop- 

 ment of town forests, such as we are advocating, the 

 areas immediately adjacent to the highway should be 

 given special attention. By the careful selection and 

 artistic arrangement of the species, the creation of attrac- 

 tive vistas, and the application of the principles of silvi- 

 culture the most picturesque effects can be obtained. The 

 towns will naturally do all in their power to make the 

 highway beautiful, and it is to be hoped that the creation 

 of town forests will be incorporated in the scheme of 

 decoration for this great National Monument. 



LUMBER COMPANY'S GOOD ADVICE 



MR. W. L. GROOM, president and general man- 

 ager of the Tar River Lumber Company, of 

 Rocky Mount, North Carolina, on being asked by 

 American Forestry to write his advice, based on his 

 company's successful experience in preventing forest fires, 

 said: 



"It is certainly high time that every American should 

 know or be taught the danger and loss by forest fires. 



Nothing should be left undone to educate our people to 

 this real, important fact. 



"I will briefly touch on how to prevent, not about what 

 has happened, but how to avoid a reoccurrence, of forest 

 fires : 



"First. Lumbermen operating logging locomotives, us- 

 ing coal or wood, can do so much to prevent fire by rak- 

 ing back, say, 80 feet from their track when it passes (as 

 is usually the case) through the forest and burn all 

 leaves, straw and other material that will take fire. Then 

 by all means equip their locomotives with the very best 

 device they can buy to keep the locomotives from throw- 

 ing sparks (and, by the way, the best thing I have tried 

 is the South Bend spark arrester, made by the South 

 Bend Spark Arrester Company, South Bend, Indiana) ; 

 also to use all possible means to prevent employes from 

 carelessly putting out fire. 



"Second. Farmers should make it a point to see that 

 their tenants or employes do not start fires they cannot 

 control. While to clean up land a fire is as much needed 

 as a plow, it must be controlled. Fire is a very impor- 

 tant thing, but good judgment must be applied in its 

 use. Many a splendid neighbor has been made much 

 poorer by some careless fellow letting a fire get away. 

 Seldom do we hear of one farmer paying his good neigh- 

 bor's damage when he or his hands have let fire get away 

 and damaged him. 



"Third. Hunters should more fully understand how 

 to protect our forests and what a destructive forest fire 

 means. Thousands of dollars' damage has been done by 

 fires that have started from a match, a lighted cigarette 

 or cigar that has been carelessly thrown away in the 

 woods. 



"Lumbermen operating locomotives and stockholders 

 holding stocks in railroads have, to my mind, paid out 

 many a dollar for fire claims when fire was put out by 

 others than their employes. These people have had a 

 hard time in the past. Let's all do our best to cut out 

 this big fire loss, and let's see who can report the least 

 forest fires in their section during the year 191G." 



WOODMAN, CUT THAT TREE 



THE following verse, written on the inspiration of 

 the moment, upon hearing a recitation of the well- 

 known poem, "Woodman, Spare that Tree," is 

 teeming with sound advice, and in six lines delivers a 

 sermon on forestry which should be far-reaching : 



Woodman, cut that tree; 



It's dead and takes up space. 

 Put the money into more. 



Plant another in its place. 

 Plant your old pastures to white pine 

 That's what I'd do if they were mine. 



J. Harry Rich. 



