148 Proceedings of the 



ant to utilize thin saws instead of converting an un- 

 warrantable amount of good material into saw-dust. 



This tendency to economize in the manufacture of 

 lumber is the suggestion that the end is in sight. 

 Thoughtful people who are interested in forest lands, 

 as well as those who derive an income from the 

 products of the forests, are giving timely heed to 

 advice and information now being given by the Bureau 

 of Forestry as to the importance of reforesting lands 

 which have contributed to the demands of civilization. 



Wise assistance given to the meagre natural condi- 

 tions of reproduction will yield profitable results, and 

 the lumbermen are not alone in their anxiety about 

 future supply. Railroads and telegraph companies are 

 considering and experimenting with methods of pre- 

 serving timber which enters into their needs. If an 

 economical wood preservative will add 50 per cent, to 

 the efficiency of timber, the demands on the forest will 

 be correspondingly decreased, and those who use, as 

 well as those who provide, are much interested in the 

 progress of this feature in the Bureau of Forestry. 

 France, Germany and England have practiced this 

 economy and demonstrated the practicability of treat- 

 ing wood for railroad ties and telegraph poles, but 

 their lesson has been one of necessity, not of foresight. 

 We do not anticipate and practice these economies 

 because timber has been abundant. We are, however, 

 passing through a period of transition and the admi- 

 rable work of the Bureau of Forestry in cooperating 

 with the different States to achieve results which will 

 mark a new epoch in forestry will be to the lasting 

 benefit of future generations. 



Along with the accomplishment of reforesting, we 

 should not be unmindful of the tremendous waste and 

 permanent destruction of the soil resulting from forest 



