The Dawn of a New Constructive Era 219 



brious sections of France. A century ago these lands had no 

 value. It is said that "$1.00 would buy land, in extent, as far as 

 the voice would carry." Yet today this reclaimed land is worth 

 from $2.50 to $25.00 per acre. The forest pine land stocked with 

 2-year-old pine seedlings is worth $9.00 per acre ; stocked with 

 10-year-old pine it is worth $30.00; stocked with 30-year-old pine 

 it is worth $80.00, and with 50-year-old pine it is worth $160.00 

 per acre. 



Is this sort of development not worth while and may we not 

 heed the lesson and plan for its application in much of the region 

 we are now considering, as part of a forest policy yet to be 

 adopted ? 



Again, a hitherto unutilized resource of waste material in 

 manufacture, another by-product, has come to Southern pine 

 and it has come to stay, if provision be now made for future 

 supplies. I refer to the paper pulp industry, now so acute in 

 this country. The Great Southern Lumber Company at Boga- 

 lusa has already learned this wonderful economic lesson of closer 

 utilization of waste material for paper pulp, and it is demon- 

 strating it to the world. The ultimate exhaustion of virgin sup- 

 ply and the problem of future supply is even now receiving the 

 attention of Mr. Sullivan, the manager, and experiments in grow- 

 ing native pines to meet the situation are under way ; and it 

 would appear that our native loblolly or old field pine, less 

 resinous, hardy, quick growing and persistent, might prove it- 

 self adequate, and it is indigenous to all the region under con- 

 sideration. 



However, our forest problem here is not one merely of lum- 

 ber, trees, turpentine, and paper pulp. "There is involved the 

 principle of the productive use and occupancy of the land, 

 whether it be in agricultural home building or the growing of 

 trees." And in its further consideration I want to lay down as 

 a fundamental proposition that forestry, like agriculture, is a land 

 problem, an economic problem, an educational problem. 



Foresters everywhere recognize and practice these prin- 

 ciples, viz.: First, that all land should be utilized; second, that 



land should be put to its best and most economic use ; third, ^^f* ^^ ^^ 



1 ,1 , , /- r -1 1 11 1 1 1 , an Asset to 



that all land fit for agriculture shall be devoted to, or reserved Aqriciilture 



for, agriculture ; and fourth, that all land not fit for agriculture 



shall be devoted to some kind of forest growth, for let it be re- 



