FORESTRY. 



229 



practical way this subject of forestry. To 

 this end there should be a proper presenta- 

 tion of the matter to the lumber trade, em- 

 bodying : 



"A statement of the position and in- 

 fluence of the Association. 



"A declaration of its intention to take 

 up in a practical way the question of for- 

 estry, with a view first to the education of 

 its members ; and secondly, to the establish- 

 ment of some uniform system which shall 

 govern the lumbering industry. 



"Reasons for belief in the success of 

 such effort, provided it receives the sup- 

 port of a fair proportion of those engaged 

 in the business. 



"A direct appeal for membership based 

 on the proposed new line of work. 



"With such action on the part of the 

 Association we could have 1,000 members 

 instead of 300. The establishment of a 

 bureau of forestry would naturally follow 

 and would prove second in importance to 

 no branch of work which has been taken 

 up. 



"The appointment of a special committee 

 to take up the subject and submit a definite 

 plan of action would be proper as the first 

 step to be taken by the Association." 



To all of which I say "Amen." 



THE LIVE OAK. 



One of the most interesting and pictur- 

 esque members of the vegetable world is 

 the live oak. Oaks have, more than 

 other trees, from time immemorial, com- 

 manded admiration, and even reverence, 

 because of their stateliness and sturdiness. 

 They have always stood as the somber sym- 

 bol of stability and strength. Whether the 

 word "live" in the name "live oak" refers to 

 the evergreen foliage, the long life of the 

 tree or the durability of its wood is a ques- 

 tion, although it is fully applicable from 

 every standpoint. 



"The monarch oak, the patriarch of trees, 



Shoots rising up and spreads by slow de- 

 grees; 



Three centuries he grows, and three he 

 stays 



Supreme in state, and in three more de- 

 cays." 



Nine centuries are thus alloted by the 

 poet Dryden to the growth of the Euro- 

 pean oak. The same is even more applica- 

 ble to the broad spreading live oak giants 

 of our South. 



Especially venerable and somber does this 

 tree appear when festooned, as is usually 

 the case, with great masses of Spanish moss. 

 This so-called moss is an air plant, which 

 does the tree little if any injury. It is not 



a moss at all, but a flowering plant, closely 

 related to the hard, rasping pineapple 

 which it appears so little to resemble. 



The wood of this oak is famous for its 

 durability, and before the replacement of 

 wood by steel it was extensively used in 

 ship construction. The live oak was to 

 this country what the teak was to India. It 

 was one time a "royal tree," a tree reserved 

 for governmental purposes, especially for 

 naval construction. 



It was the endeavor to preserve this tree 

 that marked the beginning of our reserva- 

 tion policy. As early as 1799 the federal 

 government recognized the need of action 

 for the preservation of live oak timber. 

 On the 25th of February, 1799, $200,000 

 was appropriated for the purchase and 

 preservation of live oak and cedar timber 

 in the South for naval purposes. Beyond 

 small purchases in Georgia, nothing was 

 done until 1817, when the act was renewed 

 and the President empowered to select and 

 reserve public lands bearing a growth of 

 live oak or cedar suitable for the navy. 

 This act resulted in a reservation of 19,000 

 acres on Commissioners, Cypress, and Six 

 islands in Louisiana. This was followed 

 by an appropriation of $10,000 in 1828, 

 with which more lands were purchased on 

 Santa Rosa sound. For some time there 

 were even attempts at cultivation, which 

 were made under the more general act of 

 March 3, 1827, by which the President 

 was authorized to institute proper meas- 

 ures for the preservation of live oak tim- 

 ber. March 2, 1831, an act was passed pro- 

 viding for the punishment of persons who 

 persisted in cutting live oak timber and 

 cedar on public lands. In all, 244,000 acres 

 of forest were reserved in Alabama, 

 Florida, Louisiana and Mississippi. 



Endeavors to protect the live oak mark 

 the beginning of the efforts to protect 

 our public lands, and especially forests, 

 from depredation. 



The distribution of the live oak is of 

 interest. It begins in Virginia, and, unlike 

 most of our trees, extends Southward 

 across the frost line to the Southern part of 

 Florida, and then on into the tropics. 



Nothing is more suggestively beautiful 

 than an old Southern mansion surrounded 

 by these magnificent trees, draped with 

 masses of gray moss. 



No tree is more worthy of preservation, 

 and, in certain places at least, it should 

 still be classed a "royal tree," and placed 

 under the ban as of old. 



Lawyer — When I was a boy my highest 

 ambition was to be a pirate. 



Client — You're in luck. It isn't every 

 man who can realize the dreams of his 

 youth. — Life. 



