R£sUMt. 55 



The industries exploiting this resource represented in 1890 

 one-sixth of the total taxable property in the State, paid to over 

 55,000 men the sum of over 15 million dollars in wages, and 

 the value of their products was equal to more than one-third the 

 entire output of agriculture. Of an original stand of about 

 130 billion feet of pine, about 17 billion feet are left, besides 

 about 12 billion feet of hemlock and 16 billion feet of hard- 

 woods. The annual growth, which at present amounts to about 

 900 million feet and of which only 250 million is marketable 

 pine and over 500 million feet hardwoods, is largely balanced by 

 natural decay of the old, over-ripe timber. In almost every 

 town of this region logging has been carried on and over 8 mil- 

 lion of the 17 million acres are "cut-over" lands, largely burned 

 over and waste. The wooded area proper is steadily being re- 

 duced by logging and to a smaller extent by clearing. 



At present nothing is done either to protect or restock the 

 denuded cut-over lands of which fully 80 per cent, are now im- 

 productive wasteland and probably vrill remain so for a long 

 time. This policy causes a continuous and ever growing loss to 

 the commonwealth, which at present amounts to about 800 mil- 

 lion feet per year of useftd and much needed material, besides 

 gradually but surely driving from the State the industries which 

 have been most conspicuous in its development, depriving a cold 

 country of a valuable factor in its climatic conditions and affect- 

 ing detrimentally the character of the main drainage channels 

 of the State. 



To remedy this matter and stop the great loss, it will be neces- 

 sary to adopt active measures both to protect and restock. Both 

 these processes are adaptive and may be done with a variable de- 

 gree of thoroughness and consequent outlay. 



