FORESTRY COMMISSION. 



85 



cut, was scattered among a heavy growth of hardwoods the forest has 

 generally held its own, and it is often difficult to see that the forest 

 has ever been visited by hand of man. In these distri(^ts the hardwood 

 is now being cut by the lumberman and the farm settler is following 

 to subdue the land and build homes as fast as the forest disappears. 

 It is here where the real settlement of our State is continued and 

 where it will continue for many years to come. 



From these considerations it appears that Michigan, like several other 

 States of the Union, repeated the experience of the Old World. Cen- 

 turies of experience indicate that in the settlement of forested lands 

 the clearing of part of the forest is a necessity, that this good work 

 is always carried too far and is extended to lands which are not suited 

 to permanent argriculture, that the farming of such poor lands is an 

 injury to the State, and that the countries having most experience in 

 this matter have fully demonstrated that: 



1. Xot all land is ploicland. This probably applies to every state 

 in the world. In Europe we find in Great Britain little over one-fourth 

 of the land cultivated and less ploAvland now than thirty years ago; 

 in Germany but little over half of the area cultivated; and even in 

 France we find a remarkable per cent of untilled lands, and in all these 

 states, long and densely settled as they are, the amount of actual waste 

 laud is surprising and has engaged the attention of statesmen and others 

 for years. In our own country we have the striking example of the 

 New England States. Here several million acres of land w'hich were 

 regarded as agricultural as long as the forest cover protected the soil, 

 were cleared and farmed and led into poverty thousands of families 

 who tried in vain to eke out a livelihood on lands which should never 

 haA'e been deprived of their cover. But other states have fared little 

 better and today the following figures from the census of 1900 clearly 

 show the correctness of the above statement. 



The per cent of improved land is as follows: 



All Xorth Atlantic states together 



All South Atlantic states 



All forested states east of Mississippi river 



Michigan 



Wisconsin 



Maine 



Massachusetts 



New York 



Pennsylvania 



Virginia 



Remarks. 



Me.-Pa. 

 Del.-Fla. 



