WOELD'S TIMBER RESOURCES 203 



Mississippi basin. Both in Canada and the 

 States the settlers used it extensively for fences, 

 slabbing work, hog pens and rough buildings 

 generally, as well as for fuel. Its destruction in 

 this fashion, and the requirements in later years 

 of the home and export trade, have brought 

 about the exhaustion of the mature timber in 

 most states. Its scarcity in Kentucky, Ten- 

 nessee and Missouri is shown by the fact that 

 it is now sold at a fixed rate per tree. Sycamore 

 and Elm are plentiful along the basins of the 

 Ohio and Lower Mississippi ; the Maple attains 

 its best development in the Northern State of 

 Michigan. It is used for flooring, furniture and 

 interior panelling of houses and railway cars." 



The greatest and most valuable forests in the 

 world are those of the United States ; neverthe- 

 less, there is no country which has permitted 

 such enormous destruction and waste of its 

 timber. But httle of the forest land is con- 

 trolled by the State. The opposition of 

 lumber men, of graziers, of all those in short 

 whose temporary interest lies in the misuse or 

 free occupation of forest lands has been success- 

 fully concentrated in obstructing or securing the 

 withdrawal of all protective measures. 



The existing government reserves lie in eleven 

 states and cover 40,719,000 acres ; the most 

 extensive are Arizona, Grand Canyon reserve 



