TAX LANDS AND FORESTRY. 77 



true that much of the pine lands after the timber is cut and fire burns 

 the refuse, grows up to popple and cherry, with black and raspberry 

 bushes, followed later by the pine. If this growth could be protected 

 from the fires, a few years would sufQce to reproduce valuable timber. 

 To make the forest equally uniform, it might be essential either to 

 plant or provide for other means of propagating the second growth. 



The hard timber lands when cut and burned over, if not cleared, 

 grow up to popple, cherry with black berry and raspberry bushes; if, 

 however, the ground is not burned over or if the green hardwood is 

 standing near by, the hardwood will be reproduced usually in dense 

 thickets. 



The great enemy to the reproduction of our forests is the forest 

 fires. Could these be controlled it is certain vast quantities of our 

 worthless pine lands would soon be covered by a valuable growth of 

 timber; not large enough for saw timber but for many other useful 

 purposes. 



Yours truly, 



E. S. PRATT. 



Turner, Mich., Nov. 30, 1907. 

 I think "there should be a classification of the State lands into three 



First: Those forties that are more valuable for timber than for 

 farming purposes. Upon these the timber could be sold down to a cer- 

 tain size or the timber held as the best policy of the State shall decide. 

 Second : Lands which, have been valuable for timber and now have a 

 thrifty growth of popple, pine and other timber, should be reserved 

 absolutely till they can be placed in class number one. There is a 

 large amount of this land, and it should be kept for a future timber 

 supply, but individuals cannot afford to buy and hold it. Third: 

 Lands which have more or less value for farming purposes but are not 

 valuable for any present growth of timber. These should be sold or 

 homesteaded as at present except that the sales should be at the county 

 seat. This class would mostly be pretty poor, but I have more faith 

 in their agricultural value than I used to have. 



Yours sincerely, 



A. H. Phinney. 



DetFoit, Mich., March 9, 1908. 



I have owned, for a number of years, about 200 acres of forest land 

 just five miles from the east arm of Grand Traverse Bay. Before I 

 acquired the property all of the largest of the white pine had been re- 

 moved. There were a few smaller white pine left, forming part of the 

 mixed stand. From these few trees a very considerable and encourag- 

 ing amount of seeding has taken place, and I now have many white 

 pines from seedlings up to fifteen and twenty years old. There is 



