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HILL-COUNTRY HOMING PLACES 45 
easily reached, buried though it is in the 
depths of the forest. The quaint little 
hamlet of. Shokan, reached by railroad, 
is only five miles from Moonhaw Lodge, 
and the drive is made to seem but a frac- 
tion of the distance by the enjoyment of 
the picturesque scenery. For the first two 
miles the road leads through Watson 
Hollow, and then, turning to the right, 
the traveler faces Wittenberg. Then traces 
of civilization disappear one by one, and 
the drive is finished between Mount Cor- 
nell and Wittenberg in a depression known 
to fishermen as Ketcham’s Hollow, in 
which is situated Wittenberg Park. The 
surroundings areattractive—donein Nature’s 
best humor, one might fancy—and offer 
all that a lover of the forest could desire. 
Besides affording pleasure and recreation 
to its members, the park association is of 
great help in the preservation of our vanish- 
ing forests. There is a constant struggle, of 
ever increasing sharpness, between the 
‘captains of industry,” whose aim is to turn 
the forests into lumber and set the clear 
mountain waters to driving their turbines, 
building huge dams and flooding enormous 
areas, on the one hand; and on the other, 
those who desire to protect the forests for 
posterity, not only for the sake of pleasure 
but to ensure a supply of the timber for the 
future. Private preserves are safe and 
every owner is doing his part of a good work. 
The actual battle is largely a legislative one; 
for the laws made for the protection of the 
forests are subjected to constant attacks by 
_ those who care nothing for the forests except 
in so far as they can be converted into cash. 
Interest in the preservation of the forests 
is fortunately increasing rapidly, and the 
State land in the Catskills and the Adiron- 
dacks has been increased by 47,799 acres 
since 1900. The total area of State pre- 
serves 1s now 1,487,787 acres, the greater 
part of which is in the Adirondacks. It is 
interesting to note that the price of land 
purchased by the Government since Ig00 
has averaged a little less than four dollars 
an acre; while ten or twelve years ago the 
same land could have been bought for a 
dollar and a-half or two dollars an acre. 
There are many reasons why the forma- 
tion of clubs for purchasing “‘homing” 
places like Wittenberg Park is to be com- 
mended. The members are afforded the 
recreation and relaxation they require, and 
are made healthier and doubtless better 
men thereby; the forests and streams are 
preserved intact for the benefit of those 
who come after us, instead of being sawed 
up into chairs, or mashed into paper to be 
hastily read and thrown away; and, finally, 
the money put into such land is well in- 
vested, for the value per acre is constantly 
increasing, and the value of a preserve 
would, of course, be enhanced by the roads, 
bridges, buildings and other improvements 
made. Indeed, the capital invested should, 
in a few years, represent only a compara- 
tively small part of the real value of the 
property. 
To have an interest in a place like Wit- 
tenberg Park makes it possible for the 
townsman to enjoy, without great expense, 
the advantages and privileges of the owner 
of an estate. The plan has succeeded 
admirably wherever tried, and will no doubt 
become more and more popular. For it is 
doubtful if there is a lover of the great out- 
of-doors who has not always longed to have 
a cottage somewhere in the mountains— 
his own cottage—out where the cares and 
worries of business cease to call, but where 
the thrushes keep chanting all day long. 

