AN EARNEST PROTEST. 
The Proposed Adirondack Park. 
Can we Afford it? 
There is a movement on foot among a 
number of our prominent citizens looking 
toward the establishment by the State of a 
vast park in the Adirondacks, comprising 
over 2,000,000 acres within its boundaries, 
and the reason given for its existence is 
that if this vast area of forest land were 
placed under the State control the forests 
would be maintained, and the head-waters 
of the Hudson preserved. The State 
already owns 800,000 acres, and it is pro¬ 
posed to buy 1,400,000 acres owned by 
private parties, at an average cost of $5 per 
acre, and this plan is one that is recom¬ 
mended by the Forest Commission. If this 
measure should become a law, what does it 
mean to the tax payers of the State ? It 
means an expenditure of $7,000,000, and 
that large sum would go out of the pockets 
of the real estate owners of the State—for 
real estate pays 90 per cent of the taxes— 
and into the pockets of a few favored Indi¬ 
viduals. What would we receive ? A large 
tract of land of questionable value to the 
State at large, but a pleasant summer re¬ 
sort for a few thousand rich people in the 
great cities. Alaska, with all its seal 
troubles, gold mines, vast forests, etc., and 
about 580,000 square miles of land, was 
purchased for $7,200,000 
The navigation of the Hudson River is 
affected by the tide as far up as Troy, 151 
miles from its mouth. The tide rises over 
a foot at Albany, and below Albany a bar 
is formed by its action, damming up, as it 
were, the current of the river. In fact, 
from Albany to its mouth, the Hudson is 
not, properly speaking, a river, but an 
estuary or frith, “an arm of the sea.” It is 
navigable for large ships to Hudson, over 
100 miles from New York, and is deep 
enough to float the largest river steamers 
as far as Albany. From these facts it ap¬ 
pears that the H ud son derives its chief val ue 
as a highway of commerce, not from the 
waters of the mountain streams, but from 
the blue waters of mother ocean. The river 
above Troy is of little account for the pur¬ 
pose of trade, but as soon as the fresh 
waters mingle with the waters of the ocean 
at Albany then, and not until then, does 
the Hudson become of any importance in a 
commercial sense. The friends of the park 
scheme would have us believe that at pres¬ 
ent lumbermen are cutting all the trees on 
the mountains as fast as possible, big and 
little, and that soon the entire range will 
be denuded of timber, and the result will 
ultimately be that at certain seasons of the 
year there will be great freshets in the 
mountains, causing the Hudson to become 
a resistless volume of water, overflowing 
its banks in places, and carrying death and 
destruction to all in its pathway, while in 
the summer the water would be so low that 
the river commerce would be destroyed. 
Now, if this were all so, such a result would 
be a serious calamity not only to New York 
city and the strip of country lying along 
the Hudson, but to the entire State as well. 
It is an established fact that when the 
lands drained by any stream are covered 
with timber the volume of water is more 
uniform, but there is no apparent danger 
to the Hudson by the so-called wholesale 
destruction of the forests on the Adiron¬ 
dacks. It is true that there are numer¬ 
ous lumber companies at work in these 
mountains, and they are getting out a 
great deal of lumber every year, but their 
lumber is made out of trees one foot or 
over in diameter. Any lumberman will 
tell you that it is unprofitable to handle 
hemlock or pine under a foot in diameter, 
and consequently trees under that size are 
not cut at all. 
The removal of the larger trees gives 
the smaller ones a chance, and they soon 
grow up and take the places of those that 
have felt the woodman’s axe. It has been 
urged that where the timber has been cut 
off, forest fires are more frequent, and are 
very destructive on account of the dry 
limbs and brush being so combustible. 
This is true, but the control of the forests 
by the State would not help the matter any, 
as the Forest Commission proposes to sell 
all the trees over 12 inches in diameter, and 
the brush would be there whether the prop¬ 
erty was owned by the State or individuals. 
Not long ago I drove over 100 miles through 
a region that had, 25 years ago, a heavy 
growth of hemlocks on it; since then the 
larger trees have been cut off and Dame 
Nature, ever ready to cover the naked 
earth, has sent a plenteous growth of sap- 
liDgs and underbrush covering the ground 
with shade perhaps as dense as when the 
Indian roamed through the primeval forest 
In search of game, and the river that drains 
be appropriated by our legislature for any 
one purpose, instead of using the money for 
founding a game preserve, let it be applied 
for the Improvement of our country roads, 
which are to-day a disgrace to the civiliza¬ 
tion of the great Empire State. 
EDWARD F. DIBBLE. 
Livingston Co,, N. Y. 
this region carries practically the same 
volume of water as it did 25 years ago. In 
the Adirondacks the land after it is cleared 
is not available for the purpose of agricul¬ 
ture on account of the rough and broken 
character of the country, and the clearings 
are growing up with a vigorous, dense 
growth of underbrush that has the same 
effect on the uniformity of the water sup¬ 
ply for the Hudson as did the original 
forest. Farmers all know that when they 
have cut off their timber, if they neglect 
the timber lot a few years, the land will 
have to be cleared over again, and this 
object-lesson that we have seen demon¬ 
strated so many times applies to the moun¬ 
tains. Another reason why, it is alleged, the 
State should take charge of the forests is 
“that the supply of water for the Erie 
Canal is in danger, as the Black River fur¬ 
nishes a certain per cent of water for the 
canal.” I can certainly say that the Erie 
Canal has an abundance of water, and 
there is no more danger of the supply being 
cut off than that the Hudson will go dry. 
The proposed park would take in a large 
part of Essex County, the northwestern 
part of Warren County, the northern parts 
of Hamilton and Herkimer Counties, and 
large tracts in the southern parts of St. 
Lawrence and Franklin Counties, In all, 
over 2,000,000 acres. A careful study of the 
topography of this region shows that the 
Hudson River does not drain over one half 
of it. The northwest portion of Hamilton 
County, and nearly half of Herkimer, are 
drained by the Black River, which empties 
into Lake Ontario. All of the mountain 
lands in the southern parts of St. Law- 
ence and Franklin Counties lying around 
the head-waters of the Oswegatchie, Grass, 
Racquet, St. Regis and Salmon Rivers are 
drained by these respective streams and 
empty into the St. Lawrence. The Saranac 
and Ausable Rivers, emptying into Lake 
Champlain, which in turn runs into the 
St. Lawrence, drain the southeastern part 
of Franklin and the northwestern part of 
Essex respectively, so that in reality the 
head-waters of the Hudson are found in 
less than one half of this vast domain that 
the friends of this project would turn into 
a State park, ostensibly for the purpose of 
preserving the head-waters of the river. 
Now, the question naturally comes up, 
what do they want ot the million or more 
acres that is drained by the many small, 
non-navigable rivers which empty into 
Lake Ontario, and the St. Lawrence ? Cer¬ 
tainly not for the preservation of their 
head waters? No. Ah, here are two rea¬ 
sons that are considered of such minoi im¬ 
portance that they are barely mentioned in 
the report of the Forest Commission, and 
they are the preservation of a natural 
forest, and the establishment of a great 
game preserve. In view of the facts 
already presented, does it not strike you 
that these gentlemen really want the park 
established more because it would make an 
excellent game preserve and hunting 
ground, and less because of its supposed 
value to the continued commerce of the 
Hudson River ? Who are the gentlemen 
anyway who are advocating the founding 
of this park ? Most of them are the 
wealthy inhabitants of the great cities like 
New York, and others are the owners of 
these valuable lands, some of which are 
worth perhaps 10 cents an acre, while they 
hope to sell them to the State at $5 an acre, 
and among these land owners we find 
a number of men who are now, or 
have been, members of our State Senate 
and Assembly. Of course, all these people 
favor the founding of the park. Do 
we farmers need a State park and game 
preserve? Do we have time to rusticate, 
hunt and fish in the Adirondacks, or if we 
had the time, do we have the money to get 
there and back? No. If the city of New 
York wants to make a pleasure ground out 
of two million acres of Adirondack moun¬ 
tain sides, we are willing, but let the city 
of New York foot the bill. 
If we wish to prevent this infamous prop¬ 
osition from becoming a law, let us over¬ 
whelm our Assemblymen with a deluge of 
letters instructing them to fight it tooth 
and nail. If seven millions of dollars are to 
In writing to advertisers please always 
mention The Rural New-Yorker. 
our CATALOGUE op 
NORTHERN?^ 
SEEDS FOR 1SQ1 
Contains over <>;><) illustrations 
and 2 colored plates. The only 
one published illustrating Ev- 
1CRYTHINO in SEEDS, 
BULBS and'PIiANTS.TKUIS 
TO NATURE. FREE on 
application, tow Freight 
Kates to the 'West. 
Northrup, Braslan & Goodwin Co. 
Seed Crowers, 
JIINXEAPOMS, . JUNV. 
How to Evade the Tariff. — Why 
should any man who isn’t a born dude, an 
Anglomaniac or a fool send to England for 
his woolen stockings ? Why shouldn’t 
every sensible man and boy wear home¬ 
made, leave his money at home, where all 
of us can be benefited by its circulation 
and show himself a loyal, patriotic Ameri¬ 
can citizen in his business as well as his 
politics ?—Mirror and Farmer. 
A Monstrous Mistake.— The Hon. Jerry 
Simpson wears socks and always has worn 
them, the same as anybody else, since he 
came to years of accountability, as the 
Tribune is prepared to substantiate. More¬ 
over, anybody who rubs up against the 
Hon. Jerry with the idea that he is a fool 
or a greenhorn will find himself seriously 
mistaken.—Chicago Tribune. 
PICKET MILLS, 
Drapr and Wood Saws, 
HORSF. POWERS, 
MARSH STEAM PUMP. 
B. C. MACHINERY CO., 24 I.evl St., Battle Creek, Midi. 
IT WILL 
Cultivate 
CORN and 
COTTON 
to a Height of 
THREE FEET 
Throwing the 
Soil to or from 
the Plant. 
Send for Special 
Circular. 
Sole Manufacturers HIGGANUM, CONN, 
New York Office, 183 Water St. N EW YORK, 
Chilled Iron and 
Steel Plows 
ingle and Reversible 
Sulky Plows. 
Hillside Plows. 
SYRACUSE 
PLOWS 
Horse Hay Forks and Conveyors 
Steel Frame Cultivators. 
Spring Tooth Harrows 
Shovel Plows 
Rodi i Scrapers. 
UNEQUALED BY ANY OTHERS Manufactured 
Agencies In All Cities and Towns. Send for Free Illustrated Catalogue. 
SYRACUSE CHILLED PLOW CO., Syracuse, N. Y. 
formerly called liy 
u« “TRIUMPH." 
SPADING 
HARROW 
Angle of Teeth Adjustable 
to work at desired depth. 
LATEST AND GREATEST 
Fob SUMMER FALLOW, 
FALL SEEDING and 
STUBBLE GROUND. 
Style A has two gangs. 
Style B has four gangs. 
.leaves No Furrows or Ridges. 
PULVERIZER 
IN THE WORLD. 
WHl do work no other can . 
AGENTS 
WANTED 
Mention this paper. 
For circulars 
and testimonials, write D. S. MORGA 
Brockporv N.Y 
UPRIGHT and HORIZONTAL, 
STATIONARY,PORTABLE AND SEMI-PORTABLE./ 
ALL SIZES FROM 3 TO 26 HORSE POWER. \ 
Unexcelled in SIMPLICITY, EFFECT IVE WORK- 
ING QUALITIES and IlUlt ABILITY. Guaranteed 
to give full power claimed and to be as represented. 
Over 4000 in Successful Operation, 
It will pay you to write us before buying. Illus¬ 
trated Pamphlet free. Address 
theJAMES LEFFEL&CO. 
SPRINGFIELD, O. or 110Liberty St.N.Y.City. 
■ 1 H IS Wt9 H B Jjj R njl I hLJ2 ELijf 8Usl I I aiS ■ mm fifteen years. Its object will be to show all 
™ ® ® ™ m * m ™ who raise potatoes, whether for home use 
solely or for market as w< 11, that the yield may be Inert ased threefold without a corresponding Increase In the cost; to show that the little garden patch, of a fortieth 
of an acre perhaps, may just as well yield ten bushels as three bushels : to Induce farmers and gardeners to experiment with fertilizers not only as to the kind, that is 
to say, the constituents and their most effective propoi lions, but as to the most economical quantity to.use ; to experiment as to the most telling preparation of the soli, 
the deptn to plant, the size of seed, the number of eyes, the distance apart. These will be among the subjects considered, not In a theoretical way at all. but as the 
outcome of tlfteen years of experimentation earnestly made in the hope of advancing our knowledge of this mighty Industry. It Is respectfully submitted that these 
experiments so long carried on at 'he Rural Grounds, have, directly and Indirectly, thrown more light upon the various problems involved In successful potato culture, 
than any other experiments which have been carried on In America. 
Price, cloth, 75 cents; paper, 4U cents. THE RURAL PUBLISHING COMPANY, Times Building, N'ewYoik. 
