THE PERIOD OF BEGINNINGS 27 



very sensibly felt in the large cities, where the complaint is every year 

 becoming more serious, not only of excessive dearness of fuel, but of 

 the scarcity of timber. Even now inferior wood is frequently substi- 

 tuted for the White Oak ; and the Live Oak so highly esteemed in ship 

 building, will soon become extinct upon the islands of Georgia. "^^ 



In 1839, a very interesting paper was issued by Romero, minister 

 of the interior at Mexico, on the subject of forestry. He said that the 

 republic had for some years suffered from droughts, that harvests 

 failed and cattle died; and that reason, tradition and experience 

 pointed to the devastation of the forests and denudation of the hills 

 and mountains as influential causes of such calamities. In 1845, a 

 series of regulations were adopted for California to prevent the indis- 

 criminate destruction of wood and timber, and restricting cutting to 

 the owners of the land.^^ 



A book published in Boston in 1830 contains the following: "The 

 indiscriminate clearings of the agricultural settlers dnd the conflagra- 

 tions which occasionally take place, are the causes which in a few 

 centuries may render North America no longer an exporting country 

 for timber."^® In 1832, J. D. Brown, in his "Sylva Americana," wrote : 

 "Though vast tracts of our soil are still veiled from the eye of day by 

 primeval forests, the best materials for building are nearly exhausted. 

 And this devastation is now become so universal to supply furnaces, 

 glass houses, factories, steam engines, etc., with fuel, that unless some 

 auspicious expedient offer itself and means speedily resolved upon for 

 a future store, one of the most glorious and considerable bulwarks of 

 this nation will within a few centuries be nearly extinct. With all the 

 projected improvements in our internal navigation, whence shall we 

 procure supplies of timber fifty years hence for the continuance of 

 our navy? The most urgent motives call imperiously upon our Gov- 

 ernment to provide a seasonable remedy for such an alarming evil."^^ 



In 1837, Massachusetts provided for a special survey of the state's 

 forest resources, and after several years' work, George B. Emerson 



17 Michaux, F. Andrew, "The North American Sylva," p. 4, 



18 Hittel, "History of California," II, 364. 



19 "Library of Entertaining Knowledge; Vegetable Substances, Timber Trees," 

 67. 



20 Brown, "Sylva Americana," Preface, p. v. 



