STATE NEWS 



North Carolina 



Another important step in the campaign 

 for better forest laws for North Carolina 

 was taken at North Wilkesboro on Tues- 

 day evening, October 8. At the call of Mr. 

 C. C. Smoot III, Vice-President of the 

 North Carolina Forestry Association for 

 that district, a meeting was held for the 

 purpose of organizing the forces in Wilkes 

 County which are favorable to forest pro- 

 tection, so that something definite might _ be 

 accomplished in this direction at the coming 

 session of the Legislature next January. Mr. 

 J. S. Holmes, Secretary-Treasurer of the 

 North Carolina Forestry Association, was 

 present and explained the objects for which 

 the State Association had been organ- 

 ized and what could be accomplished by a 

 local club. A permanent organization was 

 unanimously agreed upon, and the_ Wilkes 

 County Forest Protective Association was 

 formed, the twenty men present all agreeing 

 to become members. Mr. A. A. Finley was 

 elected President and Mr. W. E- Pharr, 

 Editor of the North Wilkesboro Hustler, 

 Secretary. Mr. C. C. Smoot, of the C. C. 

 Smoot & Sons Tannery, was elected Vice- 

 President for North Wilkesboro Township. 

 These three officers were appointed as a 

 temporary executive committee, to draw up 

 by-laws and put the Association in thorough 

 working order. One vice-president for every 

 township in the county was appointed._ 



A strong resolution was passed calling on 

 the Wilkes representatives in the next Leg- 

 islature to do all in their power to secure 

 adequate laws for the protection of the 

 forests of the state from fire. 



This is the third County Association or- 

 ganized since the forming of the North Car- 

 olina Forestry Association some two years 

 a^o It is composed of the most live and 

 progressive men of the county, and they 

 mean business. They are determined that 

 men favoring state forest protection shall be 

 elected this fall to represent Wilkes County 

 in the next General Assembly. 



Vermont 



State Forester A. F. Hawes of Vermont 

 has recently returned from Brandon, where 

 with an assistant he has been marking trees 

 for this winter's cutting on the land 

 Newton-Thompson Manufacturing Company. 

 This concern is taking a very progressive 

 stand in the management of its extensive 

 forest areas, having become interested in 

 better management through some work 



under the state forester two years ago in 

 Brandon on land belonging to Miss Julia A. 

 C. Jackson. Mr. Bump, the president of the 

 company, told the state forester that when 

 the forestry work was started in Vermont 

 he thought that the doom of the lumber busi- 

 ness was at hand. He has now become sat- 

 isfied that the lumber industry can only be 

 perpetuated through forestry. 



The Newton & Thompson Manufacturing 

 Company is one of the most interesting wood- 

 working establishments in the state, making 

 all kinds of novelties, pill boxes, toys, etc., 

 that are made from wood. Their machinery, 

 which is nearly all automatic, turns out an 

 immense amount of work a day, and about 

 eighty men are constantly employed in the 

 sawmill, machine shop, and turning mill. 

 Practically every kind of native lumber is 

 used, from white pine down to soft maple. 

 It is this opportunity to use inferior woods, 

 and even small pieces, which gives this com- 

 pany such a splendid chance to practice for- 

 estry. 



The company owns about 6,000 acres in 

 the region, and has now begun a systematic 

 thinning of its more accessible areas so as 

 to insure more rapid growth and a per- 

 manent supply of lumber. The areas marked 

 by the state forester this year are mostly of 

 pine growth in the vicinity of Forestdale. 

 The smaller and poorer pines were marked 

 to be cut as well as the inferior hardwoods, 

 such as soft maple and beech. In no case 

 were there any large openings made since an 

 undesirable growth of underbrush is almost 

 sure to follow such a course, especially in 

 that region. In some of the lots the ground 

 was covered with little pine seedlings which 

 have started within a year or so. Wherever 

 these occurred light was admitted by a heavier 

 cutting so as to allow the young seedlings an 

 opportunity to grow. This is a rood illus- 

 tration that pine may easily succeed itself if 

 properly treated, despite the common belief to 

 the contrary. The state forester estimates 

 that much of this land after thinning will 

 grow from 500 to 800 board feet per acre per 

 annum. 



Not only is the Newton & rhompson Man- 

 ufacturing Company practicing forestry on 

 its own lands, but it is persuading some of 

 the other woodland owners in (lie neighbor- 

 hood to do likewise. Since tlieir supply 

 comes partially from these n TS, their 



interest in the welfare of these wood lots is 

 not altogether unselfish, but ii furnishes an 

 excellent illustration of a most advanced 

 forest policy. 



In the industrial future oi Vermont there- 

 will probably be fewer and fewer companies 



747 



