624 



AMERICAN FORESTRY 



work in this country we find that it began 

 in Florida by Congress appropriating in 

 1825 the sum of $10,000 to buy live oak 

 lands on the Santa Rosa Sound, in Western 

 Florida, and subsequently other Florida 

 lumber lands. 



"Young oaks were planted on the Santa 

 Rosa lands, but there was much difficulty in 

 inducing the young trees to grow, and 

 finally a large quantity of acorns were 

 planted, a fair proportion of the crop com- 

 ing to perfection. 



"But even at that time the chief efforts 

 of the foresters' were directed toward prun- 

 ing, training and caring for the wild trees. 

 All this was done that we might have tim- 

 ber to build war ships. Then came the civil 

 war and brought a complete change in war 

 vessels by substituting iron for wood, and 

 forestry work was stopped. 



"The timber lands were neglected and 

 soon began to be occupied by squatters, and 

 after a number of years all reserves except 

 some of the Florida lands were opened to 

 settlers. As long ago as 1885, 25 years ago, 

 a Congress of Forestry was held at De 

 Funiak Springs, at which Profesor A. H. 

 Curtis read a paper on the forest trees of 

 Florida. Professor Curtis enumerated 202 

 native trees." 



Beech Leaf Moth in Massachusetts 



Considerable damage is being done in 

 Massachusetts by the beech leef ^skeletonizer 

 known as Bucculatrix canadensisella. No 

 permanent injury to the trees is anticipated, 

 since past outbreaks, like that of 1901, have 

 been quickly suppressed by natural enemies. 



To Conserve Lake George Region 



The Lake George Association will lay 

 before the New York legislature at its next 

 session plans for conserving the forests and 

 streams of the Lake George region, by 

 making it either a part of the Adirondack 

 Reserve or a separate park. 



Teak Forests of Siam 



The great teak forests of Siam are in 

 Payap or northern Siam and in the upper 

 parts of the Nakonsavan and Pitsanuloke 

 provinces. The teak tree grows scattered 

 among trees of many species at an elevation 

 not exceeding 2,500 feet, and prefers the hill- 

 sides and comparatively dry land in dis- 

 tricts where the average annual rainfall does 

 not exceed fifty inches. The total exports 

 of teak from the port of Bangkok, Siam, are 

 nearly 8,000,000 tons, valued at over four and 

 one-quarter million dollars. It ranks second 

 in the exports of Siam. 



The survey of these forests was begun in 

 1907 and is not yet finished. They are now 

 under the supervision of a well organized 

 forestry department, based on the India- 

 Burmese system, with trained European of- 

 ficers in charge. Only trees of seventy-six 

 and one-half inches girth can now be girdled 

 or barked near the ground and a certain num- 

 ber of trees must be left untouched within a 

 given area to seed the ground for future. 

 After being girdled the tree soon dies and 

 is left standing to season for about two years. 

 It is then cut down, dragged by elephants or 

 buffaloes to the nearest stream, and floated 

 to Bangkok or Moulmain. The teak industry 

 forms one of the most important resources 

 of the country and thousands of people arc 

 engaged in cutting, hauling, and rafting the 

 teak logs to the Bangkok markets and saw- 

 mills. 



The chief uses for this wood are for ship- 

 building, furniture, the better class of wooden 

 houses, and rolling stock. Besides its hard- 

 ness and durability, it contains an oil which 

 prevents the rusting of iron or steel imbedded 

 in it, and it is not attacked by the white 

 ant, which is so destructive to other woods 

 in the tropics. Forestry in Siam, however, 

 is by no means limited to teak, as many other 

 valuable woods are found in the extensive 

 forests, both in the north and south of Siam. 

 Exchange. 



