15 



THE FORESTER. 



July, 



shows a straight, fluted trunk, perfectly 

 symmetrical, rising with a slight taper 

 for two hundred feet to the lower 

 branches. The bark is covered with thin 

 flakes of epidermis, lying parallel to the 

 stem. The foliage is dull green in color, 

 fine and drooping. It is a most beautiful 

 tree, both in form and color. 



There is one cause of destruction from 

 which this tree is entirely exempt that 

 is, fire. Containing no pitch, but on the 

 other hand, a large amount of water, it 

 will not burn when green. No fire can 

 run in a redwood forest. We shall, 

 beyond reasonable question, have the 

 use of our supply of redwood ; shall not 

 have the pain of seeing it go up in smoke. 

 It is the only one of our coniferous lum- 

 ber trees which is thus exempt. 



The best lumber and the heaviest 

 growth is everywhere in the valleys and 

 on the flats. On the hillsides the trees 

 are smaller and not so close. Nowhere 

 is there any young growth. 



When the timber has been cut there 

 is no sign of reproduction from seed. 

 In many localities sprouts are growing 

 from stumps in the cut areas, but even 

 this form of reproduction is limited. 

 Indeed, everything appears to indicate 

 that for some reason, probably a pro- 

 gressive drying of the climate, the present 

 environment is not favorable to the 

 growth of redwood, and that with the 

 clearing away of the present forests the 

 end of the species as a source of lumber 

 will be at hand. Henry Gannett. 



The Trend of Thought. 



A Hopeful Sign. 



The agitation for the protection of our 

 forests is bearing fruit in almost every 

 direction. The State of Massachusetts 

 continues to set an excellent example for 

 the rest of the country by reserving large 

 tracts of land, which possess great natu- 

 ral beauty, for the enjoyment of future 

 generations. Greylock, the noble moun- 

 tain in the northwestern corner of the 

 commonwealth, was threatened with the 

 loss of its charms a few years ago by the 

 reckless assaults of lumbermen, who saw 

 in the extensive forests along its slopes 

 only so much wood. Happily, there were 

 public-spirited citizens who recognized 

 the shame which it would be to their gen- 

 eration if these mountain-sides should be 

 swept bare, and a movement was organ- 

 ized which, with the co-operation of the 

 Legislature, ended in the permanent ac- 

 quisition for the community of a great 

 tract of land. 



Greylock being secure, Wachusett, a 

 fine mountain near the center of the State, 

 next invited attention, and the State will 

 soon come into possession of 10,000 acres 



of land there, covering not only the sum- 

 mit, but also its approaches on every side. 

 The readiness of a democracy thus to 

 spend large sums of public money in the 

 interest of beauty and taste is one of the 

 most hopeful things in the development 

 of our institutions. Editorial, Newport, 

 R. I., News. 



Moderation in All Things. 



"Timber is like wheat or any other 

 crop. If we wish to harvest it again and 

 again on the same land we must grow it 

 there. The timber limits are practically 

 fixed by the immutable laws of climate, 

 and particularly of rainfall, and our forest 

 resources therefore are not inexhaustible. 

 With our enormous population and vast 

 demand for lumber it is easy enough to 

 denude thousands of square miles and to 

 destroy the supply of the most desirable 

 woods faster than unaided nature can re- 

 place them. But if we treat our forests 

 half as well as we treat the other forms 

 of vegetable and animal life that enrich 

 us, they are just as inexhaustible as the 

 cattle on our plains or the fishes in our 

 lakes and rivers." N Y. Sun. 



