262 THE FORESTER. November, 



taxed for the support of local government no permanent benefit to the community, 

 and improvements. Both these objections The only feasible way of putting these 

 are, to be sure, based on imperfect knowl- lands to the use for which they are adopted, 

 edge, and short-sighted enough. Yet and by which they can ultimately yield a 

 they are made in good faith by men of in- profit, would be to place them in the hands 

 telligence, standing and influence. They of the State for rational forest management, 

 must be overcome by practical reasoning But this will require the sinking of a large 

 and the spread of correct information. amount of money in an enterprise that 

 Perhaps the most serious problem to be cannot yield appreciable returns for a num- 

 solved in Wisconsin as well as its neigh- ber of decades. If the State is to acquire 

 boring States is what shall be done with title by purchase, a very considerable 

 the immense areas of denuded timber amount of cash will be required, or else 

 lands, which are now growing into vast payment must be made in bond or scrip, 

 wildernesses of worthless scrub, subject to The latter would seem the most econom- 

 the ravages of fire and a constant menace ical means, but unfortunately the State of 

 to the standing timber adjoining. There Wisconsin is prohibited, by its constitu- 

 are no physical obstacles to the reforesta- tion, from incurring an indebtedness except 

 tion of these tracts. But the financial and for a few narrowly defined purposes. A 

 political difficulties are enormous. Most number of owners of large tracts of land 

 of these lands are still the property of the of this class have expressed their willing- 

 lumber companies which harvested the ness to cede their holdings, which are 

 timber. Not a little of it, however, has practically valueless to them, to the State 

 been sold for taxes and bid in by the if it will take proper care of them. It is 

 counties. These do not know what to do probable that the solution of the problem 

 with such lands, and from time to time will be approached from this direction, 

 sell them to speculators at nominal prices, But in order to make this possible, some 

 sometimes for less than a dollar a " forty." legislation will be needed, and for that 

 Now there can be no question that much purpose the friends of forestry in Wiscon- 

 of the land of this kind is fairly good for sin look forward to the meeting of the 

 agricultural purposes, although it cannot Legislature during the coming winter, 

 be compared in quality with the hardwood There is the best possible reason to be- 

 lands where the timber is still standing. lieve that a bill for the establishment of a 

 But the greater portion is barren sand, just rational forestry system will be passed by 

 enough to bear a fair crop of Pine, but un- the next Legislature. It will be devised 

 fit for field crops after the slight accumu- substantially on the lines laid out in the 

 lation of humus is exhausted. To per- bill that failed of passage at the last session, 

 suade ignorant settlers to locate on such with certain modifications required by the 

 lands and try to make them into farms, is rise of a new factor since the Legislature 

 little short of a crime. adjourned. The State University of Wis- 



Thc great mass of the people of northern consin has now under consideration a plan 



Wisconsin arc well-meaning, upright folk, for the establishment of a forestry school, 



and they know well enough that much of as nearly as possible on the model set by 



this land is unfit for settlement. But as it the schools at Cornell and Yale. For this 



is not possible to draw a hard and fast line purpose the express authority and aid of 



between the fit and unfit tracts, the tempta- the Legislature will probably be sought, 



ti'.n is -Teat to find invariably that the and it is obviously proper to bring the 



V unlit land is just beyond the boun- State Forestry College into as close rela- 



daries of the next township. So the set- tions with the forest department, as the 



itinue to take up these sand barrens, difference between administrative and edu- 



th disastrous results to themselves, and cational functions will permit. 



