3 o8 PRACTICAL ARBORICULTURE 



THE WASTE OF THE LOGGERS. 



The farmers of Oregon, together with a large number of prominent citizens, 

 oppose the forest-fire bill, mentioned elsewhere, very largely from their dislike of 

 the timber owners and their methods. 



It is a well-known fact that for a score or more years the timber land has been 

 accumulating in the hands of a comparatively few wealthy operators, until the vast 

 tracts of forest in the Northwest have come into their possession. While some 

 of the present owners have come honestly into these possessions, yet in very many 

 cases there have been grossly fraudulent methods employed to secure the valuable 

 timber from the government. 



High officials have connived at these transactions, and are believed to have 

 profited by them. These various facts are current topics among the public and 

 by legislators, many of whom say they would rather see the entire forest burned 

 over than that the present system of lumbering should continue. 



Others affirm that the sooner the timber is destroyed by fire, the more speedily 

 will the land come into cultivation and sustain a denser population. 



It is evident that a breach exists between the rural population and the lum- 

 bering interests, and that it is of broad proportions. 



Strangers visiting the Pacific Coast see the terrible waste which is practiced 

 in the lumber camps, the fires which are never quenched at every sawmill, and 

 along the various routes of travel where fire is used to destroy vast quantities of 

 timber, in the first instance to facilitate logging operations, in the second case to 

 burn slabs and timbers of lesser value, and the latter instance to clear the land 

 for crops which will never equal in value the trees destroyed, and with one accord 

 all condemn the pernicious practice. 



These adverse interests combine to prevent the perpetuation of Oregon's 

 forests, and unless a more patriotic sentiment can be aroused, the future of Ore- 

 gon will be a dark one. 



The sawmills, logging companies and timber land owners are fast cutting 

 their own throats. Lumber is sold at a ridiculously low price, so great is the 

 competition. Fear of losing the timber by forest fires becomes the incentive to 

 force the product upon the markets as rapidly as possible. Export lumber brings 

 from $8.00 to $9.00 for carload and cargo shipments. Lumbermen publicly assert 

 that logging and milling costs $7.00 per thousand, which is approximately correct. 

 They claim that this is an income to the State because it is expended for labor. In 

 one sense this is true. 



Besides there are many expenses for office work, taxes, interest, commissions 



