25 



wood, and, therefore, it must either be preserved or its growth provided for. 



There is no coal in Wisconsin, and all that may be used in the State must 

 be brought from a distance of at least 300 miles, and at an expense greater 

 than the first cost, and thus place it entirely beyond the reach of the common 

 people for fuel, even in our cities and villagel. We must, therefore, look to 

 our forests for our supply of fuel. The county of Rd*ok contains 36,033 in- 

 habitants ; it also has 720 square miles of territory, or 50 inhabitants to the 

 square mile This is about an average of the population of the southern coun- 

 ties ; and gives to each square mile 10 families of 5 persons each. To supply 

 the present population with fuel for all purposes, including what is used in the 

 houses, shops, schoolrooms, stores and offices, it will take at least three cords 

 of wood to each person, or 108,099 cords of wood every year for the use of 

 the people of that county. Culculating again 40 cords of wood to the acre, 

 and allowing that the same land may be cut over once in 25 years, and it will 

 take 67,562 acres, or 94 acres to each square mile to grow the fuel of the 

 county. If to this be added the land necessary to grow the timber for build- 

 ings, fences and other uses in which wood is indispensible, we shall not 

 over-estimate, if we set the amount at 120 acres, or 18f per cent, of all the 

 terriotry of the country, as necessary for this purpose. 



If this amount of land be stretched out in one belt it would be one mile 

 long and 60 rods wide, or placing it on two sides of each forty acres, it 

 would be 'Ji rods wide, leaving a surplus sufficient to require a double row of 

 trees along the highways. The French and German economists have esti- 

 mated the amout of land necessary to be covered with trees in those coun- 

 tries, excluding fruit trees, at one-fourth the entire surface. The remaining 

 6i per cent, of forests might be advantageously placed upon the 'broken and 

 more barren lands, where other crops would not grow, and along the road- 

 side._ 



The quantity of land here given might be perhaps reduced one-third by 

 thickly planting only the most rapid growing of the hard woods, that are 

 rated also high as fuel ; and giving to them careful culture and trimming. 



CONSUMPTION BY RAILROADS. 

 The railroads of this State must ever consume vast quantities of wood for 

 for fuel, sleepers, bridges, piles, cars, buildings and other uses where it is ab- 

 solutely indispensible. Take the Milwaukee & Prairie du Chien railroad as 

 an example, and the amount of all may be arrived at It takes 180 cords of 

 wood as fuel for each mile of this road to move its freight, for one year. 

 Apply this rate to all the roads in the State, already nearly 1,200 miles in 

 length, and we have an annual consumption of 180,000 cords of wood burnt. 

 If 40 cords of wood be cut from the acre, it will take 4,600 acres to be cut 

 over every year to supply this demand, and as the same land if replanted to 

 to trees, cannot be again cut over, under 25 years, it must take 112,500 acres 

 of land to grow wood for railroad fuel, even if there be not that increase in 



