AN "ABANDONED" FARM 

 Deeply Eroded Gullies on a Slope Formerly Cultivated. Slowly Growing Up to White Pine 



left where its presence will invite fires 

 or in any other way endanger young 

 trees. The law provides likewise for 

 thinning timber stands so as to pro- 

 mote forest growth and prevent over- 

 crowding and deadening, but such thin- 

 ning is to be conducts 1 under strict 

 regulations and is not to be taken as an 

 excuse for violating the spirit of the 

 law. The penalty for violations of the 

 proposed law is a tinr of twenty-five 

 to one hundred dollars for each offense, 

 to which may he added imprisonment; 

 and each tree cut in violation of the 

 law is made to constitute a separate 

 offense. 



Tin- proposed law not only defines 

 and delimits offenses an 1 name's penal- 

 ties, hut also vets forth the realms why 

 the law is though; advisable. Timber 

 is becoming -carce. it say--, and ought 

 not to be needlessly waste 1. F<<' 

 destruction will carry with it other 

 evils besji'e a dearth of wood. It will 

 cause destruction, soil erosion, and in- 

 crease floods and drouth: to the 'lam- 

 age of the whole people. Furthermore. 

 the forots >hould not be wholly cut 



down, because they assist in obstruct- 

 ing the progress of disastrous torna- 

 does. 



A recent ruling of the Supreme Court 

 of Maine declares that that state may 

 lawfully restrict the clearing of priv- 

 ately owned forest land, if it is shown 

 that the general public would be en- 

 dangered by such clearing. \Yhile fol- 

 lowing the lines of the opinion rendered 

 by the Maine Supreme Court. Louis- 

 iana's proposed law goes still further in 

 the same direction. It is worthy of 

 note that the two states which have 



been first to take so advanced a stand 

 in the matter of forest proteciion are 

 1.500 miles apart, and their forests ;,re 

 not at all alike in character. They have 

 different soils, climates with few jx>ints 

 in common, crops ,,f wholly different 

 kinds, geography and tojx>graphy of oj>- 

 poxju- extremes: \ et to each of these 

 states has come a full realixatioii of the 

 immense im|x>rtance of the forests and 

 how absolutely essential their protec- 

 tion is to the continued prosperity of 

 the people. 



