FEB. 42, 1962.1 
nto lumper or pulp, while the cutting of roadways to 
( the skids would destroy another host. 
There is one very important fact in connection with 
:ree cutting to which but small attention has been given 
ay the press. If these spruces be cut, the tops will be 
left in the forest ; no matter what rules may be made the 
tops will remain on the ground, and will become the 
! breeding places of uncountable hosts of insect enemies of 
j the trees. • The Adirondacks are now in fair condition 
is regards- these insects, but the danger of destructive 
visitations is steadily increasing. In proof that this is not 
i light danger, let the reader secure "Insect Enemies of 
the Spruce in the Northeast" and "Insect Enemies of 
i Forests in the Northwest" — Bulletins 21 and 28, U. S. 
Department of Agriculture. These two bulletins are 
ilone worth the cost of the scientific work of that De- 
partment for a year. On pages 28 and 29 of Bulletin 28 
ife statements of damages done by insects. In 1876- 188 1 
[he destruction of spruce on the tributaries of the St. 
fohn River was estimated at 1,000,000,000 feet. "In some 
I places 90 per cent, of the spruce is said to have been 
«lled; in fact, all the grown timber." 
The beetles that destroy these conifers are now to be 
found throughout the Adirondacks, but they have been 
tept in check by their natural enemies save in certain 
sections noted in Bulletin 28. But to turn loose the 
1 .umbermen in the great stands of spruce will result_ in 
l furnishing these insects with such abundant breeding 
blaces that they will multiply into a pest that will sweep 
iur forests, as the geometrid larva swept "the hemlock 
ind Sitka spruce in a belt between an elevation of about 
150 and 1,200 feet above tide" in Clatsop and Tillamook 
•ounties, Oregon, a few years ago. 
Bulletin 30, already mentioned, will be found interesting 
dso in this matter, for it says a saw fly destroyed the 
mtire tamarack stand in the Raque,tte Lake region a few 
rears ago. 
Of the danger from fires nothing need be said, for 
[hat is well known. Of the dangers from fungi a word is 
\ 'necessary. In felling the large spruces many a small 
ree will lose branches and slashes of bark. In skidding 
,ogs and making roads many a root will be scraped. The 
I ftingus that produces witches' brooms on the spruce and 
balsam, is now spreading up the West Canada Creek, 
Killing every tree it attacks. Fungi of several kinds 
[spread through wounds in trees, ' and this destructive 
Egency will be greatly increased by the proposed lumber- 
ing operations. 
1 Lest this warning be thought the talk of a mere alarm- 
ist, I beg the reader to procure "Some Diseases of New 
England Conifers," the admirable work of Hermann von 
■Schrenk, Bulletin 25, U. S. Department of Agriculture, 
together with the English translation of Hartig's "Dis- 
eases of Trees." 
One more point of fact is to be noted : The forests into 
which the lumbermen are to be admitted are the original 
latural growths. In these solid green woods the roots 
do not penetrate as deeply into the ground as the roots 
of trees growing in open ground. Therefore, they are 
not so well supported as trees in old fields. It follows 
that when the big spruces are cut out, and to the wind 
is thus given a stronger sweep against the remaining 
trees, many will be thrown over. An example of this 
fact can be found at Northwood. One land owner cleared 
DUt all the pulp-sized spruce in his wood lot, but touched 
no other trees. Since then the spruces and hemlocks 
have been rapidly falling before the wind in an adjoining 
lot 
How does it happen, it seems fair to ask, that the For- 
est, Fish and Game Commission have shown such notable 
activity in the interests of the pulp and lumber operators? 
It was through their initiative that Mr. Ralph S. Hosmer 
and Eugene S. Bruce, of the U. S. Agricultural Depart- 
ment, came to the Adirondacks and developed "A Forest 
Working Plan" under which the last accessible 12-inch 
spruce is to be cut and made into pulp. A force of twen- 
ty-six men went, at the expense of the State, into Town- 
ship 40 to develop this plan. Steadily — with "damnable 
iteration" — this commission that was appointed to pre- 
serve our forests, strives to overthrow the constitutional 
safeguard. They ask that "a constitutional amendment 
be provided for the application of scientific conservative 
forestry to State lands." The fact is there is nothing in 
the Constitution that forbids "the application of scientific 
conservative forestry." They are permitted to plant, and 
their preliminary work done last year is worthy of praise. 
They are permitted to apply remedies, if a tree is in- 
jected with fungus. If insects multiply they are per- 
mitted to make trap trees in the interests of "conserva- 
tive forestry." There is no "conservative" work that is 
forbidden. In short, the desire of the Commission is 
permission to sell trees, miscalled mature, to the lumber- 
men. They wish to cut out every tree of 14 inches diam- 
eter, or more, and to say to the people, "Henceforth no 
more forever shall an accessible full-grown spruce be seen 
in the Adirondacks. Such spruces are worth money. A 
few sentimentalists may object to their removal, but in 
fthis practical age sentiment shall not interfere with busi- 
ness men willing to pay their employes an average of 71 
'cents a day." 
And the Governor comes and says that "fourteen inches 
is too large. You shall not leave a stick above ten. If 
you wish to see larger spruces, you must beg or buy 
permission to visit the private lands of men rich enough 
t* keep big trees standing. Your sentimental regard 
-fpr an eleven-inch spruce is sheer nonsense. Get out of 
the way when the pulp man comes." 
John R. Spears. 
NorthwOODs, Adirondacks, N. Y. 
Scientific Forestry. 
New York, Jan. 25. — Editor Forest and Stream: I 
have read with the greatest of interest of the contro- 
versy now going on concerning the future treatment of 
our Adirondack forests, and since the appearance of Mr. 
Wolcott's article in your last issue, I feel called upon to 
say a few words as a probable enlightenment upon the sub- 
ject. I say "probable," because there are people who 
never can and never will be enlightened upon a certain 
question, for which they have a fixed idea, clinging to it 
with stubborn desperation, only to awaken one morning 
to find out, that after all their struggles and opposition, 
theirs was a matter of mere short-sightedness, ignorance 
and prejudices. 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
This class, to judge from practical experience, while in 
the minority among the brotherhood of American sports- 
men and lovers of the forest, is the very one which is 
raising most of the dust and smoke with their cry for 
"absolutism" — "absolute forest protection." These may 
will be classed as 'extremests." They are the ones who 
like to see a fence put around the forest forbidding every- 
body else to enter; who like to see the forester watch and 
protect every tree therein, so it may not be damaged or 
removed by human hand, but who do not care a wink if 
the monarchs of the forest, after having reached ma- 
turity, succumb to the laws of nature which govern every- 
thing in this world, and becoming enfeebled by old age, 
are easy victims of diseases and decay, and are finally 
blown down by the storm — an entire loss to man — a 
hindrance to his progress in the forest. These "extrem- 
ists" with their monstrous taste delight in the admiration 
of the jungle, brambles and briars of the down and 
decaying timber — never giving a thought to the possi- 
bility that man by his ingenuity has found a way, by 
which this immense loss of trees occurring each year in 
forests left entirely to nature to care for, may be turned 
into a source of financial remuneration, by the removal 
of trees which have reached that point where growth 
is stopping and decay is likely at any moment to set in 
thereafter. They do not believe the scientific forester 
when he tells them that by his methods he has it in his 
power 'to produce more than double the quantity, leave 
out the quality, of valuable trees per acre, than nature 
alone can do it, and that it has taken nature centuries to 
produce — what few monarchs we find in a virgin forest 
and which would take the forester just half the time to 
produce — less in size, but larger in bulk and number of 
trees. With other words, he can produce in half the 
time double the amount of valuable wood in bulk per acre 
that nature herself if left alone can do. 
This is an absolute fact that has been proven to the 
satisfaction of every civilized nation in the world except 
our own, simply because we have had no occasion and 
.necessity to try it. 
To condemn a thing before trying it is unfair, and, in 
this particular case, where the management of our public 
preserve in the Adirondacks is concerned, it is simply a 
matter of short-sightedness and ignorance, and belittles 
the public-spiritedness as expressed in our President's 
message to Congress, in which he refers to the perpetua- 
tion of our forests by scientific forestry methods, and 
also put forth in the recommendations of Governor Odell 
to our Legislature. Mr. Wolcott claims that scientific 
forestry cannot be introduced and carried on in the 
Adirondacks without destroying the wilderness of the 
preserve — as it is desirable to have it preserved by him- 
self and friends ; but why not, he does not say. 
Does he imagine that scientific forestry means the mak- 
ing of parks of our forests ? If he does, and if this was 
the case, all of the professional foresters of the country 
would fight hands and fists against such introduction. 
But nothing of the kind is intended. There is one branch 
or system known to the scientific forester, called the 
"selection system," by which only those trees are removed 
as referred to above, and I leave it to the reader to judge 
for himself, if such a system once adopted and tried would 
not be found an entire success. . It would not destroy 
the wilderness nor hundreds of thousands of smaller trees, 
as Mr. Wolcott seems to fear under the guise of scientific 
forestry, as he delights in putting it, but on the contrary it 
would improve the growth of millions of younger trees 
struggling for life. The cutting would be done care- 
fully and scientifically, and above all, the revenues from 
such cuttings would at least balance all money outlays 
for the sustainment of an efficient corps of foresters. 
I agree with Mr. Wolcott in claiming that the "clear cut 
policy" in the Adirondacks would be an entire failure, 
with very few exceptions — in fact, we find this throughout 
our entire country, also that German methods cannot 
bodily be applied to our forests, owing to the fact that 
we have not got the material to apply them to — the "selec- 
tion system," though, is well adapted for the Adiron- 
dacks. I can say this from practical experience, and the 
future will bear me out in my claims. In speaking of the 
laws governing our preserve, Mr. Wolcott fails to see 
that they were enacted at a time when the majority of 
our citizens did not know anything about scientific for- 
estry — he does not consider the fact that only a very 
minimal number of voters know and care anything about 
the Adirondacks — the greater majority never going there 
on account of not having means or time enough to do so 
and caring little or nothing about their future. This ma- 
jority of voters are always prejudiced against any consti- 
tutional amendment "out of principle." It is this ma- 
jority of disinterested voters who Mr. Wolcott trusts 
will vote down any amendment opening the way toward 
the introduction of scientific forestry in the Adirondacks 
— may be he is right — but I sincerely hope he is not. 
This is a time of progress and expansion. Our country 
has made and is making continually tremendous strides 
forward in every direction; a good many of our laws 
have outlived their usefulness, and have become inade- 
quate — the laws governing our forest preserves particu- 
larly so — what great pity would it be to keep them on the 
books simply to please a few selfish and short-sighted 
citizens at the expense and to the detriment of the ignor- 
ant multitude? 
This much I claim: "If every voter of the Empire 
State were taken and the aims of scientific forestry in- 
telligently explained to him, 99 per cent, of all would 
vote 'for' instead of 'against' the proposed amendment," 
but since this cannot be done, we must rely upon the 
educational system, which has done so much during the 
last few years in awakening interest in all forestry 
matters. 
That scientific forestry is an established fact in our 
country nobody can deny at this date, and even if an 
amendment should be voted down in the near future by 
the indifferent voters — you cannot stop its passage sooner 
or later. It has got to come before long — the earlier the 
better for our commonwealth, for us and our children, 
who will have nothing but praise for us, for our "far- 
sightedness and intelligence." 
F. von Hoffman, C. E., Forest Engineer. 
All communications intended for Forest and Stream should 
always be addressed to the Forest and Stream Publishing Co., and 
not to any individual connected with the paper. 
148 
1 1. -m- -r 1 — m-f- ----- 1 1 .-.T-u li. " I - 1 
— » — 
Musk-Oxen in Captivity* 
There is now on exhibition at the Sportsmen's Show 
in Chicago the first living musk-ox that has ever been 
brought to the United States. It was captured not far 
from the shores of the Arctic Ocean by Capt. II. H. 
Bodfish, of the whaler Beluga. The place of its taking 
was east of Lady Franklin Bay, and about thirty miles 
inland, 
Capt. Bodfish sent out four Esquimaux hunters on this 
expedition in March. They found the musk-oxen, and by 
means of their dogs succeeded in rounding up the herd 
and killing the adults. Capt. Bodfish states that he 
ordered the faunters to make every effort to capture young 
musk-oxen alive, but they killed two young bulls that 
were with the herd. Two female calves left alive after 
the old ones were killed came to the hunters for protec- 
tion from the dogs, and were captured. After the two 
calves had been brought to the ship they did well, living 
on grass and willow twigs, but on Baillie Island, where 
they were turned out, the Esquimaux dogs got after them 
one day and killed one. 
The survivor did well until the Beluga reached Port 
Clarence, where timothy hay was secured, and from that 
time on she subsisted largely on hay, until, when San 
Francisco was reached, she was eating hay altogether. 
Since then she has done very well, and appears in per- 
fect health. 
It is well known that there was a time when the musk- 
ox ranged almost from the southern portion of Hudson 
Bay north to the Arctic Sea, but owing to pursuit by 
man, its range for many years has been continually con- 
'i 
YOUNG MUSK-OX IN THE LONDON ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
From the London Field. 
tracting, so that now it is found only in the barren grounds 
of the far North. Long ago it no doubt ranged over the 
whole of the northern hemisphere about the pole, for its 
remains have been found in Siberia, Germany, England 
and France, as well as in Alaska. It is no doubt a very 
long time since it became extinct west of the Mackenzie 
River. 
Hearne, writing toward the end of the eighteenth cen- 
tury, says that he saw the tracks of a musk-ox not far 
from Fort Churchill, in latitude 59 degrees, and that 
during his first journey to the north he saw many in 
about latitude 61 degrees. 
Dr. Richardson says: "The districts inhabited by the 
musk-ox are the proper lands of the Esquimaux, and 
neither the Northern Indians nor the Crees have an 
original name for it, both terming it bison, with an addi- 
tional epithet. The country frequented by the musk-ox 
is mostly rocky and destitute of wood, except on the 
banks of the larger rivers, which are generally more or 
less thickly clothed with spruce trees. Their food is simi- 
lar to that of the caribou, grass at one season and lichens 
at another; and the contents of its paunch are eaten by 
the natives with the same relish with which they de- 
vour the 'nerrooks' of the caribou. * * * When this 
animal is fat its flesh is well tasted and resembles that 
of the caribou, but has a coarser grain. The flesh of 
the bulls is high-flavored, and both bulls and cows when 
lean, smell strongly of musk, their flesh at the same time 
being very dark and tough, and certainly far inferior to 
that of any other ruminating animal existing in North 
America. The carcass of a musk-ox weighs, exclusive 
of the offal, about 300 weight, or nearly three time% as 
much as a barren-ground caribou, and twice as much 
as a woodland caribou. 
"Notwithstanding the shortness of the legs of the musk- 
ox, it runs fast, and it climbs hills and rocks with great 
ease. One, pursued on the banks of the Coppermine, 
scaled a lofty sand cliff, having so great a declivity that 
we were obliged to crawl on hands and knees to follow 
it. Its foot marks are very similar to those of caribou,, 
but are rather longer and narrower. These o^ren as- 
semble in herds of from twenty to thirty, rut about the 
end of August and beginning of September, and bring 
forth one calf about the latter end of May, or beginning 
of June. Hearne. from the circumstance of few bulls 
being seen, supposes that they kill each other in their 
contests for the cows. If the hunters keep themselves 
concealed when they fire upon- a herd of musk-oxen, the 
poor animals mistake the noise for thunder, and forming 
themselves, into a group, crowd nearer and nearer to- 
gether as their companions fall around them ; but should 
they discover their enemies by sight or by their sense of- 
smell, which is very acute, the whole herd seek for 
safety by instant flight. The bulls, however, are very 
irascible, and particularly when wounded will often, 
attack the hunter and endanger his life unless he possesses 
both activity and presence of mind. The Esquimaux, who 
are well accustomed to the pursuit of this animal, some- 
