50 
cutting will go on without regard to the end, its rate depending merely 
on considerations of market conditions and facilities for handling tim- 
ber, so that the end of the greater part of Pine lumbering is likely to be 
quite sudden and its effect correspondingly severe. 
The cut of Hemlock, though still small, may at any time take on 
considerable dimensions. There are several good reasons which make - 
this desirable. The wood is much better than is commonly assumed, 
and it is mere prejudice—and more prejudice of the carpenter than the 
consumer—which prefers poor Pine to good Hemlock. For some time 
the old Hemlock has been dying out quite rapidly in most parts of this 
area; this process will certainly continue, and unless the old stands 
are cut much valuable material will be lost. 
Hard-wood lumbering will continue for a long time, though proba- 
bly at a very variable pace. As things are now, the present cut of 
400 to 500 million feet per year can be continued for more than fifty 
years, unless settlement and consequent clearing should progress at 
a very unusual pace. 
The outlook for the forest itself has been indicated in the preceding. 
The hard-wood forest is being reduced by logging and clearing, the 
pineries are disappearing, and fires assist in both, besides burning out 
the swamps. 
As pointed out, both White and Red (Norway) Pine are perfectly 
capable not only of continuing as forests, but of reclothing the old 
slashings, but are generally prevented from doing so by fire. 
The Hemlock is in a process of natural degeneration, and even the 
hard woods, though thrifty while intact as forests, seem to fail on most 
cut-over lands wherever fire has run. Thus about 60 per cent of the 
cut-over and burned-over lands are to-day devoid of any valuable grow- 
ing timber, producing only firewood at best, and the other 40 per cent 
of the 8,000,000 acres of cut-over lands are entirely bare. And this 
unproductive area is rapidly increasing in extent under present methods. 
Assuming that 100 feet B. M. could be grown as the possible annual 
increment per acre on lands entirely without care, save the protection 
against fire, the State of Wisconsin loses by this condition of affairs 
annually 800,000,000 feet B. M. of a marketable and much needed 
material. This loss is primarily a communal loss, a damage to county 
and State, for the individual owner does not suffer; the land is bought 
for the timber, and when this is cut the land is only held if it appears 
that a low ce assessment and opportunities to sell, ete. -» Wil promise 
more profit in holding than in abandoning it. 
FORESTRY OR AGRICULTURE. 
The argument is advanced that this land is needed for agricultural 
purposes; that all of it will soon be settled, since even on the poor sand 
lands improved methods and potato crops have proved a success. 
While this statement is certainly true of all good clay or loam lands, it 
