Forestry. 95 



Even the State that sold her birthright — one hundred and fifty 

 oillion feet of forest for nine hundred million dollars, is not with- 

 out influence for good. But what shall we say more ? Others, 

 with these, have obtained a good report,- and through the schooling 

 of '• Arbor Days," have awakened a public sentiment that is march- 

 ing rapidly toward the throne, and the greatest nation will speak ; 

 when that voice reaches the General Government it will be magnified 

 in tones of thunder, for the people are waiting at the foot of the 

 mountain for their Moses to come down. 



All these little acts of the States and ol the people are of much 

 more importance than they seem. They are still small voices that 

 can be heard afar, for the Government of the nation is not deaf to 

 the will of the people, and is by this will ready to take the front in 

 every good work, and in everything profitable. And in this direc- 

 tion it certainly would be an enterprising and profitable act on the 

 part of the General Government to withdraw from sale or entry for 

 one hundred years, if not perpetually, all remaining forests and 

 all arid lands, or where the annual rainfall is below twenty inches ; 

 and place the same under the management of the Secretary of 

 Agriculture, with ample powers and appropriations to build up a 

 grand system of forestry, surpassing in extent and wealth com- 

 bined, all those of the kings, emperors and lords of Europe. For 

 timber-wood has something attractive besides the climatic influences 

 it yields. It is wealth that becomes a never-failing source of rev- 

 enue. It certainly would be sound policy for the Government to 

 make liberal appropriations as investments, for the benefits that may 

 be received in future forest returns. 



Xo one can deny that something must be done ; for the destruc- 

 tion of timber will go on increasing with the lapse of years, until 

 the whole country is depleted of its woodlands and rendered hope- 

 lessly barren and sterile. The interest to the nation is too important 

 to permit the Government any longer to pass by on either side in 

 silence. 



Statistics show that the annual forest crop of the United States 

 exceeds seven hundred million dollars in value; which is more 

 ^han the yield of all the gold mines and silver mines, coal, iron, 

 copper, lead and zmc combined, and if we add to these the value 

 of all the steamboats, sailing vessels, canal boats, flatboats and 

 barges in American waters, the sum would be still less than the 

 value of the forest crop by an amount sufficient to purchase at cost 



