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  the 
  new 
  lands 
  will 
  be 
  exhausted 
  long 
  before 
  the 
  supply 
  of 
  coal 
  from 
  

   the 
  more 
  accessible 
  and 
  important 
  veins 
  are 
  gone. 
  

  

  From 
  the 
  standpoint 
  of 
  the 
  ownership 
  and 
  use 
  of 
  the 
  land 
  the 
  

   opportunity 
  of 
  forest 
  planting 
  presented 
  to 
  the 
  coal 
  companies 
  is 
  a 
  

   remarkable 
  one. 
  In 
  acquiring 
  the 
  land 
  for 
  a 
  mining 
  plant 
  and 
  its 
  

   accessory 
  properties 
  a 
  coal 
  company 
  gains 
  title 
  to 
  considerable 
  sur- 
  

   face. 
  It 
  is 
  sometimes 
  necessary 
  to 
  purchase 
  the 
  whole 
  farm 
  in 
  order 
  

   to 
  secure 
  ownership 
  of 
  the 
  underlying 
  coal 
  vein. 
  The 
  majority 
  of 
  

   such 
  properties 
  must 
  be 
  retained 
  by 
  the 
  company 
  until 
  the 
  coal 
  has 
  

   all 
  been 
  worked 
  out. 
  The 
  use 
  of 
  these 
  farms 
  is 
  sometimes 
  a 
  perplex- 
  

   ing 
  problem. 
  Many 
  coal 
  companies 
  do 
  not 
  care 
  to 
  enter 
  into 
  a 
  sys- 
  

   tem 
  of 
  farming, 
  especially 
  if 
  only 
  a 
  small 
  number 
  of 
  farms 
  are 
  ac- 
  

   quired. 
  Others 
  find 
  that 
  their 
  holdings 
  steadily 
  deteriorate 
  through 
  

   wasteful 
  management 
  of 
  the 
  farms 
  by 
  tenants, 
  and 
  that 
  the 
  income 
  

   under 
  such 
  a 
  system 
  is 
  relatively 
  small. 
  Still 
  other 
  companies 
  raise 
  

   crops 
  on 
  the 
  better 
  soils, 
  and 
  allow 
  the 
  poor 
  portions 
  of 
  the 
  farms 
  or 
  

   the 
  areas 
  covered 
  by 
  sink 
  holes 
  to 
  lie 
  idle 
  except 
  for 
  a 
  little 
  grazing. 
  

  

  Under 
  these 
  conditions 
  not 
  only 
  is 
  forest 
  planting 
  advisable 
  from 
  

   the 
  standpoint 
  of 
  complete 
  utilization 
  and 
  productiveness 
  of 
  all 
  the 
  

   land, 
  but 
  a 
  great 
  opportunity 
  is 
  presented 
  to 
  improve 
  the 
  final 
  sale 
  

   value 
  of 
  such 
  lands 
  when 
  their 
  possession 
  is 
  no 
  longer 
  essential 
  to 
  

   mining 
  operations. 
  In 
  addition, 
  forest 
  planting 
  will 
  furnish 
  a 
  valu- 
  

   able 
  supply 
  of 
  pit 
  props 
  before 
  the 
  underlying 
  coal 
  veins 
  are 
  gener- 
  

   ally 
  exhausted. 
  Several 
  coal 
  companies 
  have 
  had 
  this 
  matter 
  under 
  

   consideration, 
  and 
  have 
  begun 
  to 
  make 
  plans 
  for 
  forest 
  planting. 
  

   One 
  of 
  these 
  is 
  the 
  H. 
  C. 
  Frick 
  Coke 
  Company, 
  which 
  has 
  sought 
  the 
  

   assistance 
  of 
  the 
  Forest 
  Service 
  in 
  making 
  a 
  forest 
  planting 
  plan 
  for 
  

   several 
  hundred 
  acres 
  of 
  waste 
  land. 
  An 
  account 
  of 
  this 
  plan 
  follows 
  

   later. 
  

  

  INSECTS 
  AN 
  OBSTACLE 
  TO 
  PLANTING. 
  

  

  INJURY 
  BY 
  A 
  DEFOLIATING 
  CATERPILLAR. 
  

  

  In 
  southwestern 
  Pennsylvania 
  the 
  forests, 
  woodlots, 
  and 
  orchards 
  

   have 
  been 
  severely 
  damaged 
  by 
  a 
  measuring 
  worm 
  which 
  defoliates 
  

   the 
  trees 
  early 
  in 
  the 
  spring. 
  In 
  1905 
  its 
  destructive 
  work 
  was 
  

   observed 
  in 
  Somerset, 
  Westmoreland, 
  Fayette, 
  Allegheny, 
  Armstrong, 
  

   Butler, 
  Washington, 
  and 
  Greene 
  counties, 
  Pa. 
  The 
  State 
  zoologist, 
  

   Mr. 
  H. 
  A. 
  Surface, 
  reports 
  damage 
  also 
  in 
  Cambria, 
  Bedford, 
  Blair, 
  

   Huntingdon, 
  and 
  Indiana 
  counties. 
  This 
  defoliation 
  of 
  the 
  trees 
  has 
  

   been 
  a 
  serious 
  trouble 
  for 
  several 
  years 
  throughout 
  the 
  forests 
  of 
  

   Laurel 
  Hill 
  and 
  Chestnut 
  Ridge. 
  In 
  the 
  open 
  agricultural 
  country 
  

   west 
  of 
  these 
  ridges 
  exceptional 
  damage 
  has 
  occurred 
  in 
  local 
  spots 
  in 
  

   the 
  counties 
  already 
  named. 
  This 
  measuring 
  worm 
  appears 
  to 
  attack 
  

   all 
  hardwood 
  trees, 
  except 
  locust 
  and 
  walnut, 
  and 
  is 
  especially 
  injuri- 
  

   ous 
  to 
  red 
  and 
  chestnut 
  oak, 
  chestnut, 
  hickory, 
  ash, 
  and 
  maple. 
  

  

  