1905 



FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION 



165 



relenting chiefs who were guilty of the 

 almost complete extinction of this val- 

 uable asset to the island forests. So 

 harshly did they drive on the serfs 

 in the gathering of the crop that these 

 oppressed people destroyed also the 

 young trees, in order that they and 

 their sons might be relieved from toil, 

 so heavy in the years to come. Short- 

 ly after, 1840, the chiefs suddenly re- 

 alized their blunder and the taboo 

 which they then put on the trees has 

 saved for us a few species in the deep 

 woods. 



In India to-day a similar species, the 

 S ant alum Album, is successfully cul- 

 tivated, under government control, 

 and the supply of the wood is kept 

 up by large plantations. The trees 

 attain their maturity in twenty to 

 thirty years, the trunk then being one 

 foot in diameter. It is to be hoped 

 that on the new forest reserves of 

 Hawaii attempts will be made to res- 

 tore the groves of this valuable tree 

 and we may yet live to hear that the 

 trade in sandalwood, grown in the 

 Hawaiian Islands, has been revived. 



FORESTRY IN NEW YORK STATE 



BY 

 J. Y. McCLINTOCK 



\Y7HILE there are many persons gation of invested wealth. It is im- 



who are scattered throughout possible to explain why in the inter- 



the country convinced of the wisdom est of the people the great Empire 



of establishing public forests, there State, after making a good start in 



are few in any one community know- the direction of purchasing the forest 



ing enough about the subject to form lands, should suddenly stop, while 



an intelligent opinion ; and yet any that which it already owns is being 



action by the authorities in that dir- neglected, and that which it will be 



I ection must be sustained by public necessary to buy, is continually ad- 



! opinion. Therefore I desire to pre- vancing in price or being ruined by 



sent some points in connection with burning, after every growing tree has 



! the problem in New York State, and been removed by the wood alcohol 



ask for an expression of opinion by and charcoal manufacturers, follow- 



this convention, knowing that it will ing after the lumbermen, tanners, and 



have great weight with our citizens, pulp men. 



The people of New York have long The subject has been treated in 

 been convinced that its forests should 

 ;be preserved and that its hills and 



mountains which have been denuded 

 should be reclothed with woods. Each 



such a way, that the public are led 

 to believe, that either the friends of 

 forestry are not convinced by their 

 own arguments, or that the depart- 



political party favors it and there has ment is not able to handle so large 



jbeen no adverse criticism of the .ex- a business. The State began to buy 



penditure made during a few years forest land, and secured several 



for the purpose of beginning the hundreds of thousands of acres, at 



work. prices which seemed reasonable to 



The State is practically out of debt, all men conversant with the subject, 



land is being run without appreciable and yet the appropriations were cut 



direct taxation. There are few places off and the work stopped. The State 



where intelligent forest operations assisted in establishing a school of 



will be beneficial to so large a number forestry the importance of which can- 



people, or to so large an aggre- not be overestimated ; and at the first 



