46 First Annual Keport of the 



part of this area and when all of the governing factors are care- 

 fully considered, it is probable that the cut was not less than five 

 times as much as the growth. The increase in stump age prices 

 and advent of the portable mill are to-day producing an extraor- 

 dinary amount of material and will soon result in a greatly 

 diminished annual product. The owner who applies forestry 

 principles to the management of his land and cuts conservatively, 

 is making an excellent investment. 



REFORESTING, 



The correspondence, examinations, personal requests and gen- 

 eral interest in this subject has increased so rapidly, that the 

 department will soon need to assign at least two foresters per- 

 manently to this work. The five established nurseries at Saranac 

 Inn, Lake Clear Junction and Salamanca were operated to their 

 full capacity. A new nursery of about seven acres was made 

 near the Coosa springs at Saratoga and plans are now being put 

 into effect for another at Comstock. At the latter place a very 

 large nursery will be established and prison labor utilized. The 

 recommendation of Gov. John A. Dix to use this labor for the 

 purpose of producing desirable planting material at a low price, 

 that waste land may be made to produce necessary wood material, 

 will be commended by all; and his plan will doubtless solve the 

 problem — how to secure sufficient trees at a low price for re- 

 foresting the enormous area of idle land suitable only for forests. 



Stock on Hand. 

 The six nurseries now contain the following stock: 



White pine transplants, four years old 535,000 



White pine transplants, three years old 3,336,500 



White pine seedlings, two years old 3,329,000 



White pine seedlings, one year old 3,775,000 



Scotch pine transplants, three years old 1,541,500 



Scotch pine transplants, two years old 230,000 



