﻿556 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  raw 
  material 
  at 
  low 
  cost. 
  This 
  fact, 
  in 
  conjunction 
  with 
  its 
  

   abundant 
  and 
  cheap 
  waterpower, 
  must 
  inevitably 
  make 
  it 
  one 
  of 
  

   the 
  ultimate 
  chief 
  manufacturing 
  districts 
  of 
  New 
  York. 
  

  

  The 
  real 
  value 
  of 
  the 
  Adirondack 
  region. 
  In 
  regard 
  to 
  the 
  

   Adirondack 
  region 
  as 
  a 
  whole 
  we 
  may 
  consider 
  that 
  the 
  climate 
  

   is 
  mostly 
  too 
  severe 
  for 
  the 
  ordinary 
  agriculture 
  of 
  the 
  lowlands 
  

   of 
  the 
  State 
  of 
  New 
  York. 
  During 
  several 
  years, 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  

   writer 
  was 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  in 
  the 
  northern 
  forests, 
  frosts 
  occurred 
  

   there 
  each 
  season, 
  at 
  an 
  elevation 
  of 
  about 
  1800 
  feet, 
  in 
  both 
  of 
  

   the 
  months 
  of 
  June 
  and 
  August, 
  July 
  being 
  the 
  only 
  month 
  

   entirely 
  free 
  from 
  frost. 
  Under 
  these 
  circumstances 
  it 
  is 
  impos- 
  

   sible 
  to 
  raise 
  corn, 
  wheat 
  or 
  barley. 
  Oats, 
  potatoes 
  and 
  meadow 
  

   grass 
  are 
  the 
  ordinary 
  agricultural 
  crops 
  raised, 
  and 
  even 
  these 
  

   only 
  with 
  difficulty 
  because 
  of 
  the 
  vast 
  areas 
  of 
  boulders 
  with 
  

   which 
  the 
  region 
  is 
  largely 
  covered. 
  As 
  an 
  economic 
  proposition, 
  

   therefore, 
  the 
  Adirondack 
  region 
  is 
  useful 
  for 
  but 
  three 
  purposes 
  ; 
  

  

  1) 
  for 
  cultivating 
  timber, 
  which 
  can 
  be 
  easily 
  done 
  under 
  rational 
  

   forestry 
  administration 
  without 
  prejudice 
  to 
  the 
  other 
  interests; 
  

  

  2) 
  for 
  water 
  storage, 
  which, 
  because 
  of 
  the 
  numerous 
  natural 
  

   reservoir 
  sites, 
  may 
  be 
  more 
  cheaply 
  carried 
  out 
  here 
  than 
  in 
  any 
  

   other 
  locality 
  in 
  the 
  eastern 
  states; 
  and 
  3) 
  for 
  a 
  great 
  State 
  

   park, 
  which 
  ultimately, 
  by 
  the 
  construction 
  of 
  good 
  wagon 
  roads, 
  

   may 
  be 
  made 
  an 
  easily 
  accessible 
  pleasure 
  resort 
  for 
  the 
  people 
  

   of 
  the 
  State 
  of 
  New 
  York. 
  

  

  Rather 
  singularly 
  the 
  great 
  mass 
  of 
  the 
  people 
  who 
  go 
  into 
  the 
  

   woods 
  for 
  pleasure 
  regard 
  forestry 
  and 
  water 
  storage 
  as 
  inimical 
  

   to 
  their 
  interests. 
  They 
  assume, 
  indeed, 
  that 
  the 
  Great 
  Northern 
  

   Forest 
  should 
  be 
  preserved 
  as 
  a 
  pleasure 
  resort 
  alone; 
  and 
  many 
  

   with 
  whom 
  the 
  writer 
  has 
  conversed 
  are 
  apparently 
  unable 
  to 
  

   see 
  that 
  the 
  State 
  owes 
  any 
  duty 
  to 
  its 
  manufacturing 
  interests. 
  

   This 
  position 
  of 
  the 
  woods-going 
  pleasure 
  seekers, 
  fishermen, 
  

   hunters, 
  etc. 
  while 
  extremely 
  unsatisfactory, 
  has 
  still 
  a 
  certain 
  

   rational 
  basis 
  underlying 
  it 
  all. 
  It 
  is 
  due 
  very 
  largely 
  to 
  the 
  

   indifference 
  of 
  the 
  lumbermen 
  in 
  former 
  years, 
  when 
  many 
  acts 
  

   of 
  vandalism 
  were 
  laid 
  at 
  their 
  door, 
  though 
  to 
  some 
  extent 
  

   unjustly. 
  At 
  the 
  present 
  time 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  the 
  leading 
  lumber- 
  

   men 
  of 
  the 
  State 
  are 
  members 
  of 
  the 
  American 
  Forestry 
  Asso- 
  

  

  