1901. AMERICAN FORESTRY ASSOCIATION. 21 



the Auditor General is authorized to make remove the timber. Many lumber firms 



a transfer, by deed to the State,' etc. The furnish the cash for these entries for the 



State, in its desire to settle the northern purpose of getting the timber. (Others, 



counties, has offered these lands to actual original owners, claim that the State's title 



settlers at ten cents per acre, exempting the is not good and boldly proceed to take the 



settler from taxes, except upon improve- timber, second growth, from lands on 



ments, for the first five years, at the end of which they have refused to pay taxes for 



which time the State gives a deed. To the from ten to twenty years.) By virtue of 



people who were looking for homes, cheap this Act the State of Michigan is not only 



homes, this was an alluring bait. To the alluring a certain class of her population 



timber thieves it was a bonanza. Let us, to a state of bankruptcy, but she is also 



for a moment, return to one clause of this tempting and making it possible for an- 



law as passed, ' If it shall appear that said other class to commit crime by perjury and 



lands are barren, swampy or worthless false pretense by entering claims for these 



and have been abandoned by the owner.' lands. Would it not be of more and better 



Then the homesteader can find a home. interest to the State to use these abandoned 



Ye gods ! what beneficence is this, what lands for the purpose for which they are 



charity, what philanthropy does this great adapted, the growing of timber, rather 



Commonwealth deal out when she takes than for the questionable purposes stated ? " 



a man already so poor that he 'hath " In a journey across almost any portion 



not where to lay his head' and palms of this district (The Lower Peninsula) we 



off on him ' barren, swampy, or worth- find deserted farms with the remains of 



less land' at $4 per forty, takes him and good buildings and fences, abandoned and 



his family from friends and kindred, going to decay. If we trace up the orig- 



places him on this miserable tract of land inal owners and enquire as to the cause of 



which has already, perhaps, starved out these apparent failures we find in almost 



some one else and leaves him to eke out every case that ordinary farm crops and 



a wretched existence and, if he sub- the hardier fruits were successfully grown 



sists at all, to rear his familv in ignor- until some large tract of timber was cut 



ance, for if he pays no taxes he can that had stood near enough to afford a 



have no schools or highways ! Is it not wind break. After the cutting, the winds 



of more interest to use these lands for blew all crops out of the ground or be- 



the purpose for which they were adapted came veritable sand-blasts that mowed 



than for the State to pauperize a por- down the grain and ruined the fruit. It is 



tion of its population or to offer such probable that every member of this So- 



inducements for people to come here ciety fully understands the value of a tim- 



from other States. I make the assertion ber wind-break and the chances for success 



that 90 per cent, of the tax homesteads or failure that would be probable on a 



taken up are complete failures, as homes. sand-plain farm, or on farm lands in the 



The 10 per cent, who are able to stay on vicinity of such plains, where no timber 



their claims have found land that is not growth prevents the sand-laden wind from 



'barren' or 'worthless' or are enabled cutting down everything in its path. We 



to earn a living by work in the woods or have as good agricultural lands in Northern 



mills. More than 50 per cent, are taken Michigan as can be found anywhere else 



by men who never intend to occupy and in the State, or in any other State, and, 



but for the timber that may be growing with the protection offered by tracts of 



on the land would not make application. timber, the efforts of farmers and fruit 



Many never erect any sort of building at growers are generally successful. It is of 



all, but remove and sell all valuable timber vast interest to the State to aid these in- 



before the time to prove up. Others erect dustries, and it can be done in no better 



a rough 8x10 log hut, put in an old stove way than by converting these 'barren, 



and a table of rough boards and, with this swampy or worthless ' lands into vast 



'bluff' as a residence, proceed to cut and forest areas." 



