214 PRACTICAL ARBORICULTURE 



grown in northern localities. So far, all the trees used in manufacture of pulp, 

 are of natural growth, no extensive artificial plantations having as yet been made. 

 but undoubtedly forests of rapid growing trees, planted systematically and man- 

 aged in a rational manner, will be good financial investments. 



It is by no means impossible, under these conditions, to attract great paper 

 industries toward the points where suitable wood may be most profitably grown, 

 and thus improve local conditions in the South. 



IMPROVEMENT OF SOIL CONDITIONS. 



To secure a satisfactory growth of annual farm crops, which always have 

 surface feeding roots, a certain quantity of humus, or decayed vegetable mould is 

 essential, and the greater the proportion of this material which may be incorpo- 

 rated in the soil, the more productive does the land become. The hummock lands 

 of Florida, the Delta lands of Mississippi, and the alluvial tracts in Louisiana 

 are productive because of the large proportion, sometimes amounting to the entire 

 soil to great depth of humus in the composition. These are simply an accumula- 

 tion of plant roots, decaying foliage and those annual growths which have be- 

 come mingled with the sand, and are usually lower levels, the moisture preventing 

 fires from destroying them. Any decaying vegetation will, in time, promote this 

 condition. 



In the Northern States clover, rye, buckwheat and blue grass sod are plowed 

 under to increase soil fertility. In the South, cow peas and various leguminous 

 plants are grown for the same purpose. Wherever there are falling leaves from 

 a forest, if not destroyed by burning, the same condition is maintained. Burning 

 the annual growths removes all nitrogenous and carbonaceous matter, leaving 

 cnly a modicum of potash. The mechanical mixture of leaf mould is not secured 

 where fires are of frequent occurrence. 



It is most important, therefore, that fire protection be secured, if the soil is 

 tc be improved. 



Forests of deciduous trees rapidly improve soil fertility, far more so than 

 do the pines. The creation of great forests of Catalpa, or other deciduous trees, 

 would in a short time entirely change the upland sand areas into highly valuable 

 farm lands which will be productive of revenue to the State as well as to the 

 owners of the land. 



The author does not advocate the preservation of these trees, but the forests 

 should be perpetuated. We do not find fault with lumbermen who are furnish- 

 ing the world with much needed boards and timbers for the commercial trade 

 .iiid the arts; we do deprecate the waste, however, and would urge a more ra- 

 tional system of forest perpetuation. 



We hold that our children should have some trees from which to make lum- 

 ber and sell ties, telegraph poles and other very necessary articles. 



We visited one saw mill recently, which saws one thousand trees into lumber 

 every twenty-four hours, cutting from these trees three hundred thousand feet of 

 lumber daily ninety million feet each year and clearing twelve thousand acres 

 of timber. Yet, this was but one mill of the many which are cutting up the pine 

 trees at a rapid rate every day. 



