1906 FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION 127 



creasing in its sale value, and in our The natural resources of the conti- 



state is wisely released from taxation nents have in all ages for a time at 



for a period of fifteen years. least been squandered by man without 



On those rugged ridges in western regard for the future. Private enter- 

 Rhode Island, where planting is un- prise usually has but one aim in the 

 necessary or unprofitable, the mixed use of these resources, namely, to ob- 

 forest of evergreens and hardwoods tain the largest possible personal and 

 now existing could be much improved immediate gain. The interests of fu- 

 by judicious forest management. Very ture generations lie with the state. The 

 little of the wooded area of the state state very properly guards against the 

 is producing as large a money return exhaustion of its natural resources in 

 as it is capable of doing under less fish and game resources inconse- 

 wasteful forest methods. Imported quential as compared with its forests. 

 pine, oak, maple and walnut range By the adoption of a wise forest pol- 

 higher in price per thousand feet board icy the state could not only enhance 

 measure than our native product, its forest wealth, but also incidentally 

 which has become inferior in quality increase the flow of the brooks and 

 and dimensions. rivers upon which our varied indus- 



To any student of the subject it is tries depend for water power, and all 



very evident that the nation's supply this is possible without materially in- 



of white pine, our most useful timber vading private rights so dear to the 



tree, is fast decreasing. The valleys hearts of us descendants of Roger 



of our many small rivers are strewn Williams. Indeed the state could in 



with glacial eskers and hummocks many ways instruct and encourage 



too light and sandy and well drained owners of woodland to their own per- 



for profitable tillage, yet just the kind sonal profit. 



of land on which the pine reaches its A , , 



, , ,1 i . r nAi i ,,.,+. Maine, New Hampshire, Massachu- 



hiQ-hest development. 1 he largest ' . * . ' . , 



4. t d- o r.**,^*., a-uc f^rrc setts and Connecticut have alreadv es- 



speciment of Finns strobus thus tar re- , , . ,. [, 



ported as standing in North America tabhshed bureaus of forestry which by 



today, is in the town of Gloucester, educational and promotive measures 



\w4.u- 4.1 4. t~ r t-u^c^^A* are rendering valuable services to 



Within the past few years thousands . , , . 



c t *%.- o~ 4- Juj u^ a k qq farmers, lumbermen and the commu- 



of acres of this sort ot land have been . ; . t - 



j j j t *.u v : :~ ~a o^ nitv at large. Annual losses by hres 



denuded of their virgin pine and sec- > & , , * . 



i ,i i --I, t :t o^,- have been greatly reduced by effective 



ond growth, and with few, if any, & J , , f 



i.t, a. \ n (4. ; 4-u^ ,r,v;^;f,, 4-^^ m fire laws. A number ot states are ac- 



mother trees left in the vicinity tor re- . . . , . 



seeding, are growing up to gray birch, ^ m S reservations and in some in- 

 scrub oak, r?d cedar and brush, with * ances are P a >' in g the town taxes on 

 only a sparse intermixture of seedling e same - 



pine. With better laws to protect President Roosevelt says : "If the 



against fire, this area could be made present rate of forest destruction is al- 



again to yield a heavy growth of tim- lowed to continue with nothing to off- 



ber, and, if taken in time under for- set it, a timber famine in the future is 



estry methods, the tree weeds now oc- inevitable, and it is difficult to imagine 



cupying the ground would serve as a what such a timber famine would 



pioneer growth to furnish shade and mean to our natural resources, for 



protection to the young pine seedlings, there is a steadily increasing demand 



Nature, with all the time since Noah's for wood even in our manufacturing 



deluge, has produced on an average industries. I am going to work with, 



only about 5,000 feet board measure and only with, the man who develops 



per acre of pine in states like Michi- the country. Our policy is consistent 



gan, while experiment in New Eng- to give to every portion of the public 



land has proven that five times that domain its highest possible amount of 



amount can be grown per acre and use. and, of course, that can only be 



harvested by the man who in youth done through the hearty co-operation 



plants the pine seed. of the people." 



