306 AMERICAN FORESTRY 



choice and thrifty trees. Such thin production of lumber, being exceeded 

 stands of second-growth pine, chestnut, only by the State of Washington, while 

 red oaks, yellow poplar, and cotton- Mississippi, North Carolina, Arkansas, 

 wood will produce from 5^0 to 1,000 Virginia, and Texas follow in the order 

 board feet of merchantable tituber per named, all leading the principal North- 

 acre a year. It is desirable to defer ern and Western timbered States. I am 

 cutting young timber until the maxi- told that the lumber industry of the 

 mum yield per acre can be secured. It South employs some 217,000 persons, 

 is equally as desirable to cut it before it and that the allied industries require 

 has become old and its rate of growth over 200,000 more. We are therefore 

 has declined. dealing with a problem of gigantic pro- 

 portions and one which because of its 

 ADORES magnitude is not of local importance 



In opening the lumbermen's confer- merely but touches the welfare of the 



ence Mr. Graves made an address upon entire nation, and calls for the nation's 



the problems which are to be considered full recognition, 



in the South. He said: "Originally the forests of the South 



"In any consideration of the indus- covered over 220 million acres. The 



trial development of the South, the process of clearing land for agriculture 



problems which stand out as most im- began early in our history and extended 



portant are those connected with agri- rapidly throughout many sections of the 



culture and forestry. We have met in South, so that today the total forest 



this special conference to discuss for- area has been reduced to some 150 



estry, a subject most intimately related million acres. This great area com- 



in many ways to agriculture, but which prises a large amount of land which is 



is of such great importance in itself susceptible of agricultural development 



that it deserves separate consideration, as the forest is removed. It is of vital 



"The South is favored with climate importance to the South that the land 



and soil especially advantageous both suitable to agriculture be devoted to 



for agriculture and for the production that purpose and just as rapidly as pps- 



of forests. The original forest was sible be actually used for the growing 



characterized not only by trees of large of crops. That is the problem of those 



size but by a great variety of species of promoting the development of practical 



peculiarly high quality and of value for and scientific agriculture. There is, 



widely diversified uses. The hardwood however, a vast area of land, some of 



forests were unmatched in any land and it in great blocks in the mountains and 



the products of the coniferous forests elsewhere, and some in small patches 



now have a world-wide use. within the agricultural areas, which is 



"It is unnecessary for me to remind suited only to the growth of trees. It 



you of the important role played by the is estimated that this aggregates some 



resources of the forest in the industrial 100 million acres. The problem of for- 



upbuilding of the South. Suffice it to estry concerns primarily this area, 



recall that the cut of lumber aggregates which is of such a character that it 



some 24 billion feet a year, or over half should be continued in productive use 



of that used in the entire nation. In f r growing timber, 

 addition to the lumber interests, other 



such as the production of FORESTS AND FLOODS 



urpentine anc. rosin, the manufacture "From an economic standpoint we 



pulp and paper, cooperage, must recognize that forests render 



furniture, wooden service to the public not only through 



and carnages, and the in- the production of timber for use and 



ed with wood distilla- the maintenance of important industries 



preservation, bring the engaged in the manufacture of these 



of the forests to- products. In the case of many forests 



day to upwards of 550 million dollars, important benefits are derived from 



second in the their action in preventing erosion and 



