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ieopy STATE OF NEW YORK

FOREST, FISH AND GAME COMMISSION

_ ANNUAL REPORT

OF THE

Superintendent of State Forests

ALBANY

J. B. LYON COMPANY, STATE PRINTERS
1907

eet

Photo. A. Knechtel.

Mixed species.

View in State forest, Adirondack Park.

STATE OF NEW YORK

FOREST, FISH AND GAME COMMISSION

ANNUAL REPORT

OF THE

Superintendent of State Forests

ALBANY
J. B. LYON COMPANY, STATE PRINTERS
1907

Report of the Superintendent of Forests.

- ALBANY, N. Y., January 2, 1907.
Hon. J. S. Wureete, Forest, Fish and Game Commissioner:

a 9 . ° :
Sir.— The forest law of this State requires, in section 232, that

(79

the Superintendent of Forests “shall report annually to the Com-
mission, showing the annual timber product of the Adirondack and
Catskill forests and, also, the extent of the forest fires and losses
therefrom”; and “ shall make such other reports from time to time
as may be required by the Commission, or may be necessary for its
information.”

Pursuant to this requirement I respectfully submit in the follow-
ing pages a report of the work done by the Forest Department of
your Commission during the year 1906. The duties devolving on
this Department are varied and numerous, including, among the
more important ones, the prevention of forest fires, the suppression
of trespasses and timber cutting on the State Preserves, the survey-
ing of woodland tracts to settle questions of disputed boundaries, the
litigation of land titles where the ownership of the State is ques-
tioned, the prosecution of all trespasses, whether intentionally com-
mitted or otherwise, the reforesting of the waste or denuded lands
of the public domain, the maintenance of nurseries for ‘the propaga-
tion of forest tree seedlings, the preparation of publications giving
information on the subject of forestry, the examination and ap-
praisal of forest lands offered for sale to the State, and all other
business incidental to the care and custody of the vast landed estate
constituting the Forest Preserve of New York.

REFORESTING.

In my previous reports I have each year described briefly the work
done in connection with our efforts to reforest the denuded lands in
the Forest Preserve. This work has attracted the favorable notice
of many citizens throughout the State who have written to the De-

2

partment asking for further information as to the methods employed
in our tree planting and nursery work, and some of them have already
undertaken work of this kind. As a reply to these numerous re-
quests for instruction I have made here a more detailed report of
our reforesting operations, and have described at some length the
methods employed in our nurseries for the propagation of forest
tree seedlings. This report, when printed, will be mailed to persons
seeking information as to these matters, and will save the time
hitherto used in answering their letters.

The planting of seedling trees for the purpose of reforesting
waste lands in the Forest Preserve was commenced by this Depart-
ment in 1901, when some small areas of mountain land in the Cats-
kills were set out with white and Scotch pine. Since then planta-
tions have been made each year in the Adirondacks, over 500,000
seedlings trees having been planted in 1902, and about 450,000 in
1904.

These plantations were made at various places, the largest ones
as follows: in Franklin county, on the burned lands situated on the
south side of the highway running from Lake Clear Junction to
West Harrietstown, and beginning at a point about one mile east of
the former; another, on the line of the railroad from Lake Clear
Junction to Saranac Lake village, beginning at the three-mile post
and occupying the denuded lands on either side of the line for a
distance of about one mile in length and a half-mile in width; an-
other, in the same county, on the highway from Paul Smith’s to
Meacham Lake, occupying the barren plains both sides of the main
road north of Mountain Pond and covering the open fields along the
branch roads leading on the one side to Osgood River, and, on the
other, to Slush Pond; and in Essex county, along both sides of the
highway from Saranac Lake village to Lake Placid, at a place
known as Club Hill, about five miles beyond Ray Brook; and
another on the abandoned fields situated on the south side of

Ray Brook, opposite the new State hospital for consumptives.

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underplanted with white pine.

5).

Waste land occupied with young poplars and bird cherry

3

The plantation on the West Harrietstown road, made in 1902, is
in a very satisfactory condition. Coniferous species only were used
on this tract,— pine, spruce and larch. The Scotch pine and white
pine planted there have now attained an average height of five feet,
while many of them are taller than an ordinary man.

The plants used were mostly three and four-year old transplants,
the balance of the stock consisting of two-year old seedlings, un-
transplanted. The latter were tried because of our inability to
obtain larger plants. The transplants varied in height from eight
to fourteen inches. For the first two years these infant trees made
but little growth, as their vitality was sufficient only to recover
from the shock of transplanting and in ‘establishing the new root
growth necessary to further development. But in 1905 and 1906
the pines put on each year “leaders” or tips from fourteen to
twenty-three inches long; and if the present rate of growth con-
tinues these trees will attain ten years hence a height of twenty feet
or more, the crowns will meet, and the young forest will be in
evidence. The accompanying photograph taken this year shows the
condition of this plantation at the present time, all of the trees being .
alive and in a thrifty condition.

The soil in which this planting was done is so poor that the
undertaking seemed at one time a hazardous experiment. The land
had been burned over repeatedly, destroying every vestige of humus
and leaving only a clear sand that would not adhere when pressed
in the hand. The ground was covered with a low, scanty growth of
ferns and huckleberry bushes, while here’and there young poplars
were making their appearance. It was certainly an unpromising
site for any future tree growth of merchantable species. But
as our Northern pines are found largely on a sandy soil these
species were used for a large part of the plantation, and the
result has justified their selection. The percentage of plants that
died was unusually small, much less than in operations of this kind

as observed elsewhere. The blanks were filled the next spring, and

4

now that portion of the plantation occupied by white and Scotch
pine shows unbroken rows of young trees without a dead one any-
where in sight. ’

A few of the white pines on this tract (West Harrietstown) were
taken up in 1904 and others set out in their place. These plants
were not dead, but their main stems were covered in spots with
a white powdery substance showing that they had been attacked by
a genus of bark lice, the chermes pinicorticis. As a result these
plants showed a dwarfed, distorted growth, and although they may
have lived they would not attain a desirable height or shape. There
was danger, also, that the other trees of this species would soon
become infested, and so the worst of them were taken up and
burned, their places being filled again with healthy plants.

A thorough examination was then made of all the white pines,
and wherever any sign of this pest was found the young tree was
sprayed with a kerosene emulsion of medium strength. This re-
moved ail traces of the insect, and the stems soon showed a clean,
healthy color. The young trees which were attacked were all in
one place near the Harrietstown road. The large area of white
pines planted on the ridge a half mile or so to the south was free
irom this evil. As this insect seems to confine its work to the
white pine, the Scotch pines in the same plantation escaped, and
show no sign of disease from this or any other cause.

The growth of the Norway spruce in this plantation has not been
so encouraging. The plants, though alive, seem to stand still, or,
at best, put on short leaders. In places, where the location is
favorable, some of them make a promising appearance; but on the
whole their behavior is disappointing. It may be that the soil is
too poor and sandy; and, I noticed that on many of these plants
(Norway spruce) the leaders were cut back by the spring frosts.
As the use of this species in subsequent plantations has been at-
tended by similar results we have decided to discontinue its propa-

gation in our nurseries. At the same time, we have on hand in

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Photo. A. Knechtel.

A young white pine, nursery stock, showing four years’ growth. Note
the growth made in the last two years. State plantation.

5

our nurseries 439,080 plants of Norway spruce, three and four years
_old, of which 100,683 must go to the planting grounds next spring,
and hence we cannot discontinue its use until this stock is disposed
of. It is hoped that by selecting sites where the soil is better
adapted to this species it may develop a more satisfactory growth.

The large plantation near Paul Smith’s was made in the spring of
1905. The species and quantities used were: 300,000 white pines,
three years old, once transplanted, imported from the nurseries of
J. Heins’ Sons, Halstenbek, Germany; 25,000 Scotch pines, four
years old, once transplanted, purchased from the Evergreen Nursery
Co., Sturgeon Bay, Wis.; 20,000 white pines, four years old, once
transplanted, from the nurseries of D. Hill, Dundee, IIl.; 5,000
Scotch pines, twenty to thirty inches high, from R. Douglas’ Sons,
Waukegan, IIl.; and 5,000 Norway spruce, four years old, twice
transplanted, from the exhibition nursery maintained by this De-
partment at the St. Louis Exposition; in all, 355,000 plants.

The plants imported from Germany cost six marks, seventy-five
pfennig ($1.62) per thousand, f. o. b. on steamer at Hamburg, and
were entered at New York free of duty. But the ocean freight,
express charges from New York, and cartage over the eight miles
from Paul Smith’s railroad station made an additional expense of
$1.03 per thousand. Hence this German stock cost us $2.65 per
thousand delivered on the planting grounds, or a little over one-
fourth of a cent per ‘tree. The stock bought in Illinois and
Wisconsin cost more, so much so that we have discontinued pur-
chases from American nurseries, and will inthe future confine our
planting to the output of our own nurseries; or, if that proves in-
sufficient will supplement it with importations from Germany.

The cost of the labor in setting out the plants in the field is $325 per
hundred thousand, or about one-third of a cent per tree. Two men
working eight hours can set out, on an average, about 1,500 plants
ina day. So this plantation, or so much of it as is occupied by

imported stock cost six-tenths of a cent per tree, including both the

6

purchase or propagation of the seedlings and the labor in setting
them out in their final position; and it may be assumed that the
expense per tree of subsequent plantations can be figured on this
basis. The cost per acre, however, will depend on the spacing, or
number of trees per acre, as will be explained further. on.

That our foresting operations have thus far cost more than these
figures indicate is due to the establishment of new nurseries, the
high prices which we are obliged to pay for stock from American
firms, the expense of filling blanks in two of our plantations, and
the minor mistakes or failures incidental to experimental work
under new and untried conditions.

In addition to the 355,000 nursling trees set out on the plantation
near Paul Smith’s in the spring, there were shipped from the State
nurseries 193,000 more to the plantations made in the fall of that
year at Chub Hill and at Ray Brook, making, in all, 548,100 trees
used in our reforesting operations. for 1905, not including plants
used for filling blanks at other places.

At Chub Hill we used 65,000 white pines and 50,000 Scotch pines.
-At Ray Brook we used 61,000 Norway spruce, 5,000 Scotch pine,
5,000 white pine, and 7,000 European larch. The percentage of
trees that died in these plantations was much larger than in any of
our previous work, and was due, in my opinion, to fall planting.
Our appropriation that year, as usual, did not become available
until too late for the spring work, and, rather than carry it over
to 1906, we decided to risk the experiment.

The stock used consisted entirely of four-year old transplants
from our own nurseries, and in size and thrifty appearance were all
that we could desire. But many of these little trees, weakened by
the shock of removal from the nursery beds, were unable to with-
stand the wintry exposure that immediately followed and the severe
frosts that occurred in the ensuing spring. Most of the dead plants
at Chub Hill were replaced the next spring with live ones, and as
the latter have lived and thrived it is evident that the failure of the

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others was not due to any lack of vitality or to the barren soil. |
am aware that in some places, where the climate and other conditions
are favorable, fall planting of seedling conifers has been successful ;
but if attempted on the Adirondack plateau the long, severe winter,
followed by the usual late spring, will cause too large a percentage ot
failures. With this experience in mind we shall hereafter make our
plantations in May.

In addition to the 548,100 trees set out in 1906, some work was
done that year near Paul Smith’s by the seed-spot method. Forty
acres were planted in this way with seeds of white and Scotch
pine. In 1906 about eleven acres more of spots were made in which
the forester used seeds of Norway, white, native red, and Douglas
spruce; also, some balsam and Norway pine.

The spots were made by hacking up the sod or soil with a mattcck,
exposing a small area of fresh ground twenty inches or more acrss,
which was worked slightly to prepare it for the seed. The !90se
earth on the surface was then slightly firmed with the foot — an
important and necessary part of the work —and eight to twelve
seeds scattered over it, after which they were lightly covered with
a handful of pulverized earth. The spots were made at spaces of
six feet from centre to centre in each direction, though four feet
would have been better. Hereafter we shall use the latter interval
for plantations of this kind.

The germination was satisfactory, the spots, with few exceptions,
showing from one to ten sprouts. In three or four years, when these
seedlings have attained a suitable size, the most promising ore will
be selected for permanent growth, and the superfluous ones pulled
up and thrown away. Of the latter, some will be transplanted in
the nearest blanks.

It was noticed in our seed-spot work that the spruces showed
the highest percentage of germination, contrasting favorably with
the disappointing behavior of these species in our plantations where

only the best nursery stock was used. This suggests that, while

8

spruce seedlings of natural growth will live and thrive in the shelter
of our Adirondack forests, they may not do so well when exposed to
the bleak winds and severe frosts that prevail on the open plains
where we make our plantations.

The seed-spot method of reforesting is used to a considerable
extent in Europe, especially in Saxony, and in our own work the
indications thus far are so favorable that we intend to continue it
on a more extensive scale. The cost for labor on a plantation made
this way is substantially the same as one in which seedlings or trans-
plants are used; but we avoid the expenses incurred in the main-
tenance of nurseries and propagation of stock. Furthermore, there
is such a vast area to be reforested, and the appropriations for this
purpose are so disproportionately small that we feel impelled, as a
matter of economy, to use this method so far as practicable.

We did some broadcast sowing, also, in 1905, but it was confined
to comparatively small dreas, and was undertaken as experimental
work rather than with an idea of getting satisfactory results. For
this purpose seeds.of white and Scotch pine were used. Before
sowing they were coated with red lead or with a solution of blue
vitriol to prevent the birds from eating them. No birds were poisoned
through this precaution, as they evidently distinguished these seeds
from uncoated ones and did not eat them.

Most of the pine sown broadcast near Paul Smith’s did not sprout,
although they may come up later on; but an area of a few acres near
Ray Brook, which was also sown broadcast was thickly covered
with young seedlings this summer. \

The results, thus far, from our broadcast sowing have not been
such as to encourage an attempt to do any extensive work of this
kind. The germination, for the most part, is too uncertain or
uneven. It would, undoubtedly, he highly successful if done on a
field of freshly turned, well harrowed earth; but such a preparation
of the ground would be more expensive than the use of nursery

plants. For these reasons, in gathering our supply of seed this

Photo. A. Knechtel.

Broadcast sowing of tree seed on snow.

Reforesting waste land in the Adirondacks.

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Photo. A. Knechtel.

Near Upper Saranac Lake, Franklin County, N. Y.

Underplanting white birch with coniferous species.

9
vear we limited the work to collecting only such species and amounts
as were necessary for the seed beds in the State nurseries and for
seed-spot plantations. As the Norway pines bore only a scanty
supply of cones in 1906, we had difficulty in securing the few pounds
of seed of this species required in our nursery work.

The only plantation of hardwoods undertaken as yet was made
in 1904. The land selected for this purpose was a grassy field con-
taining seventy acres, situated at Canoe Point on the lower end of
Grindstone Island, St. Lawrence river. It is one of the numerous
reservations owned by the State on the south shore of that river and
maintained for the free use and recreation of the public. From a
tidge of moderate height, the highest in the Thousand Islands, the
land slopes evenly to the shore. It was set out with plants of
broad-leaved species taken from a temporary nursery which the
State was operating in the Catskills at that time. The species
planted at Canoe Point consisted of red oak, pin-oak, chestnut,
black locust, black walnut, white ash, and hickory, 79,580:in all,
mostly oak. A few acres of hardwood seedlings were set out at
Cedar Point also, another one of the State reservations on the
St. Lawrence.

Fully one-third of these plants were destroyed during the next
winter by field mice, which, burrowing under the snow, gnawed
the bark away or cut off the stem completely. When the damage
was discovered measures were taken to poison the mice, and large
quantities of corn meal mixed with strychnine were distiibuted over
the field. The plants which escaped injury are now alive and doing
well. As the cattle which previously pastured on this ground have
been fenced out the grass grows so thick and high that the dead
seedlings cannot well be replaced with plants of ordinary size. They
would be smothered by the rank, tall grass. As soon as our pro-
posed nursery for the propagation of hardwoods is established we
will select large plants and use them for replacing the ones destroyed
by the mice.

IO

In 1906 we did comparatively little in the way of new plantations,
and confined the work to extending the area of the ones already
made. We could not, undertake anything further as our annual
appropriation for reforesting was cut down one-fourth, and a large
part of this fund was needed for the establishment of additional
nurseries, without which we cannot do much planting and do it
economically. Hence we bought no stock, and used only the output
of our nurseries. A part of these plants were sent to the Chub
Hill and Ray Brook plantations to make good the losses incurred
by the fall planting done in 1905. Such, in brief, is a résumé of
our reforesting operations for the last five years.

The question naturally arises here, How much does it cost per
acre to make a forest tree plantation? The answer depends largely
on the number of trees per acre which are set out, and that again
on the spacing. If the plants are placed at intervals of six feet, in
rows six feet apart, there would be 1,210 trees to the acre, assuming
that there were no obstacles on the ground to prevent the planting of
the entire area. By using stock from the State nurseries the plants
will cost when set out in the fields half a cent on the average, includ-
ing both the propagation and the planting, or $6.05 per acre. But
in planting a tract of several hundred acres the number of plants
used, and the average cost per acre would be materially less because
of the numerous small areas which cannot be planted owing to
“swampy or rocky conditions or to scattered thickets of second
growth. The plantation at West Harrietstown, made in 1902, was
spaced at six feet for the greater part of the tract and cost between
five and six dollars per acre. Subsequent work done with smaller
intervals and a greater number of plants per acre cost proportion-
ately more. ‘

We intend to do our planting hereafter, to some extent at least,
at five feet intervals. We shall adopt this spacing, however, for
evergreen or coniferous species only. Where we undertake any re-

foresting with hardwoods or broad-leaved species we shall space

Photo. A. Knechtel.

Second growth white pine grown from wind sown seed.

a 5 latiiiitiieaeds

Photo. A. Knechtel.

View in State forest near Sacandaga Lake, Hamilton County, N. Y.

Under the hemlocks.

iLL

them at intervals of seven feet or more. Pine and spruce have
such a tendency to throw out branches all the way down to the
eround that the young trees of such species must be crowded enough
to force a proper height growth at the start, and, by bringing their
crown covers together as soon as possible secure a density and
shade that will induce them to shed the lower limbs. Our tree
planting is done for the purpose of raising merchantable timber,
trees of maximum height with clean trunks free from limbs. Such
trees furnish the best logs and most valuable lumber. The shedding
of the lower limbs, caused by crowding, enables the tree to take on
wood clear of knots; then, having attained as great a height as pos-
sible by these means, it can be left to exert its energy in adding to
its diameter. In Europe the foresters plant at intervals of four
feet, and as a result a plantation of spruce or fir, twelve to fifteen
years old, shows a thicket with interlocking tops that cut off the
light from the lower branches.

In our own work we expect that after fifteen years or so thinnings
will be made from time to‘time, and that the revenue from this
source will reduce in some extent the first cost of a plantation.

One object in making regular intervals is to have the largest
number of trees per acre at a given cost. Irregularity or careless-
ness in spacing would defeat this object. It has been pointed out
in some text books that where trees are set out at the same intervals
as the space between the rows — each at the corner of a square area
— they would not be equi-distant in a diagonal direction, and would
not have the same space in which to grow. For this reason triangu-
lar instead of square areas are advocated by some foresters, and in

our plantation near Paul Smith’s one field was laid out that way.

NURSERIES.

The forest department of the Commission maintains at present
four nurseries for the propagation of forest tree seedlings for use in
reforesting the waste lands belonging to the State. Each nursery

has an enclosed area of two acres. Two of them are situated near

12

Saranac Inn railroad station; one at Wawbeek, on Upper Saranac
lake ; and one at Axton,— each in Franklin county.

With the exception of a nursery in the Catskills which was ope-
rated by the Commission for temporary purposes and then discon-
tinued, the first one permanently established by this Department is
located at Saranac Inn railroad station. The work in this one
has been attended with highly satisfactory results, and its present
condition is all that any forester could desire. During the past
season the beds and paths presented a neat, orderly appearance,
without a weed in sight, the seed beds show a maximum density
of growth, and the transplant beds are filled throughout their entire
extent with healthy, thrifty stock of good height. |

This nursery has a complete system of water pipes and hydrants
for sprinkling the plants in times of drought, the supply coming
from a large tank located on a hill near by. The tank, which is
well housed, is kept full by a hydraulic ram placed in the outlet of
Little Clear Pond near the nursery. A neat, paling fence, painted
green, surrounds the enclosure, and the tank house, tool house and
forester’s office are painted the same color.

This site was ‘selected because there was a railroad station close
by affording shipping facilities, and on account of the areas of waste
land to be reforested which are situated within a day’s haul or less.
There was no tree growth of any kind on the ground and so no
expense was incurred for clearing the land; but it was covered with
a thin, tough sod on which there was considerable quack grass that
had to be dug out thoroughly before plowing.

The earth was entirely free from stones, or even small pebbles, a
desirable condition ; but the soil was very sandy, and, though favor- |
able on that account for the growth of pines, it lacked the fertility
necessary for general nursery purposes. To remedy this we used
a large amount of fertilizing material. Several carloads of horse
manure, purchased at lumber camps, were shipped in %y rail, and

scattered over the ploughed ground before the first snowfall. Some

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of the manure was reserved and used in making compost piles for
future use.

Our principal reliance, however, was placed on a liberal use of
black muck in making the beds, which is valuable for retention of
moisture, although of doubtful value as a source of plant food. A
rich deposit of this material was found at a place four miles away,
and after letting a contract for its excavation it was piled in a large
heap by the side of the adjoining highway to dry. When freshly
dug this muck was so wet and heavy that hauling it on wagons
would have been too expensive, and so it was moved on sleighs the
next winter. A chemical analysis of this forest muck calculated on

a basis of dry matter showed:

=» CBSRNGIIG SONEN AWE pitas dle Core ne Gene CeCe eure nesta 67.41%
INMGRO Setanta ne sea ee aie PN ere WNC ale a 1.21%

The important constituents in muck are the organic matter and
the per cent. of nitrogen. In this case the organic matter has a
high percentage, while the proportion of nitrogen is about normal.
There is always a little phosphoric acid, and still less potash, but
so small in amourt as to be insignificant in passing on the value
of a muck. Where practical it is well to use a little lime with
the muck as was done when the ground was first prepared. To
neutralize any sourness or acidity in the muck a liberal quantity
of hardwood ashes, unleached, forty bushels per acre, was worked
into the beds. ‘lhe ashes served as a fertilizer, also, for this
material contains all the elements essential to plant growth except
nitrogen, the lack of the latter being supplied by adding a proper
quantity of nitrate of soda. By these means a barren, sandy soil
was rendered highly fertile, and the dry, dusty surface ‘converted
into ground of desirable consistency.

This nursery is operated for the propagation of- coniferous
species only, pine, spruce, and larch. Of the various kinds of

*Analysis by Prot. George W. Cavanaugh, College of Agriculture, Ithaca, N. Y.

14

pine, we are raising white, red (Norway), and Scotch; of the
spruce, Norway and our native red spruce; of larch (tamarack),
preference is given to the European species. We have some beds
of Douglas spruce and bull pine (P. ponderosa), but as these
species are used sparingly in our reforesting operations they will
be given a place hereafter in another nursery recently established for
experimental work. The Norway spruce did surprisingly well in
the nursery beds, but so poorly in the plantations that we intend,
as already mentioned, to discontinue its use and confine our plant- *
ing, for awhile at least, to the three pines. This cannot be done,
however, until we have used up the large stock of spruce which
we still have on hand.

The arrangement of the beds and paths is the same as in the
best European nurseries. -The transplant beds are four feet wide,
fifty feet long, and raised four inches above the paths. A wagon
road divides the enclosure equally in one direction and a broad
foot path in the opposite one. The foot paths between the beds
are narrow, but wide enough to permit the use of a wheelbarrow.

The seed beds are few in number and occupy only a small part
of the enclosure, for one bed of this kind will furnish the seedlings
for a large area of transplant beds. The seed beds are twelve
feet long and four feet wide, and are made of carefully prepared
earth. They are protected on the sides and ends by a framework
of boards eight inches wide, placed on edge. These boards are
pressed into the ground until they project about six inches above
the level of the bed. Large openings made in the boards on the
sides and ends, covered with wire netting, allow a free circula-
tion of air and lessen materially any tendency in the plants to
damping off.

Before planting a seed bed the ground is thoroughly moistened,
after which the surface is slightly firmed, and then the seeds are
sown broadcast as evenly as possible. For the latter purpose, three-

fourths of a pound of white pine seed is used on a bed four by

Photo. A. Knechtel.

f their fourth year.

in spring o

View taken

Beds of Norway pine, 38-year-old transplants, in a State nursery.

Photo. A. Knechtel.

10n.

State nursery. Four-year-old transplants ready for removal to plantat

ine ina

Beds of Scotch p

2 as

cofkve

15

twelve feet; and half a pound of Scotch pine, red pine, or Norway
spruce. The seeds having been sown they are lightly covered, not
over one-eighth of an inch, with fine earth sifted through a hand
screen. Any thicker covering will retard germination and increase
the liability of failure. If the work is properly done the sprouts
will appear in fourteen days or thereabouts, the larger seeds of the
white pine germinating somewhat later.

When a bed is sown it is covered immediately with a wire screen
of small mesh to keep cut the birds and squirrels which, otherwise,
would eat the seeds. Then a lath screen for shade, with open
spaces just the width of a lath, is laid on, with its frame resting
on the edges of the boards that enclose the bed. As both the wire
screen and the lath shade are made as light as possible, they can
be lifted and removed quickly whenever it is necessary to examine
the germination closely.

As soon as the seeds are sown the open spaces in the lath screen
are closed with loose lath, and the openings in the sides and ends
of the board frames are covered with heavy brown paper to
exclude the light. In this way the bed is kept dark until the
sprouts appear, a humid condition is maintained, and any sudden
change in temperature is avoided. In my opinion the remarkably
high percentage of germination in our seed beds is due largely to
this precaution.

When the surface of the bed is fairly well covered with the tiny
sprouts the loose lath in the shade frames and the paper on the
sides of the boxing are removed, admitting light and air.

Our seed beds are laid out east and west, so that there will be
a moving light and shade below the lath screens, making an even
exposure along the entire surface. At the end of the season the
seedlings cover the bed with an even, green mat that hides the
ground completely and prevents the growth of weeds. In such
of our seed beds as are sown broadcast we save the expense of
weeding, but in those where, for experiment, we sow the seed in

drills six inches apart we have to do considerable weeding; and

16

the latter work forms one of the principal items of expense in the
maintenance of a nursery.

At the end of the first year the lath and wire screens are
removed, and the boxing taken up. During the second season the
seedlings, now known as two-year olds, attain an average height
of four inches and show a dense mass of young foliage that has
to be separated by the hands in order to get a glimpse of the ground
in which they are growing.

The two-year old seedlings are now ready for removal to the
transplant beds, where they are reset and remain two years more.
Some careful work is necessary in taking up the plants in a seed
bed, especially if it was made by broadcast sowing. The tender
roots are intertwined and tangled to a much greater extent than
if the seed were sown in drills. For this reason many foresters
prefer to plant their seed beds so that the seedlings will be in rows
six inches apart, despite the extra expense incurred thereby for
weeding and the loss of moisture by greater evaporation from the
exposed surface. But with an exercise of proper care the seed-
lings can be removed from a broadcast bed without injury. Be-
ginning at one end of the bed the workman pushes a sharp spade
into the ground below the roots and then with an upward, prying
movement breaks up the earth until the seedlings can be loosened
by hand. The dirt is shaken off, after which the roots are easily
and quickly disentangled without injury. If some of the long
roots are cut off by the spade no harm is done. Many expert
nurserymen make a practice of trimming the long slender roots
before the seedlings are placed in the transplant beds.

As fast as the seedlings are taken up from the seed beds they
are carried immediately to the transplant beds where they are set
out four inches apart in rows running across the beds. The rows
are placed six inches apart. The rows in the transplant beds could
run lengthwise, and this is done in some nurseries; but for con-

venience in weeding we make our rows crosswise.

17

In setting out the two-year old seedlings in the transplant beds
a planting board is used, four feet long and six inches wide.
Notches are cut in the edge at intervals of four inches, and the
holes in the bed in which the seedlings are planted are made at
these notches. By this method we obtain a regularity in the rows
both ways, which is conducive to a proper growth and attractive
appearance. When the seedlings have remained two years in the
transplant beds they are ready for the plantations. They are
then called four-year old transplants and are from fourteen to
eighteen inches in height. The expense of removing two-year old
seedlings into the transplant beds is a trifle over one dollar per
thousand.

The reason for transplanting in a nursery is that the seedlings
develop a better root system as a result of this process, and hence
make a better growth when sent to the plantations. No time is
lost as the little trees grow as fast in the transplant beds as in the
field. We could use three-year old transplants in our work; but
having incurred the expense of transplanting them in the nursery
they may as well remain the additional year. The only additional
expense is the weeding.

I am aware that in some European countries the foresters use
two or three-year old seedlings raised in seed beds, and which have
not been transplanted. But this is feasible only on ground which
“has been prepared at considerable expense, or on land that offers
favorable conditions. In our Adirondack work we have to contend
with unfavorable conditions that necessitate the use of large four-
year old transplants. The soil is burned to the sand or quite sterile,
and so only strong large plants can make a start. Moreover, the
ground to be planted is, in most places, overgrown with ferns,
huckleberry bushes, weeds, and briers, that smother the growth of
anything less than a four-year old transplant. We have had some
experience in the use of two-year old seedlings for field work and

much of it has resulted in failures.
2

18

The Department is operating also a nursery at Axton, and one
at Wawbeek, both in Franklin county. They are used for the
propagation of coniferous species only. These two nurseries were
established by the Cornell Forestry School, but were abandoned
when the work of that institution was discontinued. Part of the
stock had been removed, after which for three years these nurseries
were neglected and allowed to grow up to weeds. Still considerable
stock remained, especially in the seed beds, and rather than allow |
it to become a loss we decided to re-establish these nurseries and
utilize these plants.

This was done at considerable expense, not only for transplanting
the seedlings but in clearing out the wild growth which had taken
possession, and in keeping down the rank weed growth which
appeared immediately in the newly-made beds. Another unfavor-
able feature was the large proportion of Norway spruce left by
the college management, the use of which we prefer to discontinue.

We intend, however, to operate the Axton nursery as a temporary
arrangement only, and abandon it as soon as the stock now there is
large enough to go to the field plantations. But the one at Waw-
beek should be maintained as a permanent nursery, and as soon as
the Norway spruce now there has been used it should be devoted
to the propagation of white, Norway and Scotch pine; also larch,
to a small extent.

This nursery is well located, on the highway running from the
Wawbeek Hotel, on Upper Saranac lake, to Tupper Lake railroad
station. It is situated in a high forest, contains something over
two acres, and is surrounded by a good wire fence. The soil is
composed of the original forest humus underlaid by a rich, black
earth, and owing to the shelter of the adjoining forest and moist
conditions will not require any irrigation plant. At present the
soil is so heavy and stiff that it is not worked easily, and weeding
by hand is somewhat difficult. A liberal application of hardwood
ashes or sand may be necessary to reduce the earth in the beds to
a desirable condition.

-1vek YANO; I9y4 JO SuLids ul weye, MolA “AdOSAMU 94849 ¥ UT ‘squeidsuv.1y pro-1ved-g ‘outrd ABMION JO Spog
‘Teqyoauy “V “010Nd

‘SPpllq Worf MOroa}ord IoJ SM9eIOS OTM pu ‘epeYs IOJ sueedIOS YIe_ Surmoys A1osinu 04v4g ¥ UT spaq pseg
‘PEMpouy “y ‘ojoyg

19

In 1906, at the suggestion of the United States Forest Service,
at Washington, D. C., an arrangement was made for the establish-
ment and maintenance of a co-operative nursery, one-half the
expense to be borne by that Department. <A site of two acres was
accordingly selected on the small plateau at the top of the hill just
east of the Saranac State Hatchery. The woods were cleared, the
ground ploughed, and the area was planted with peas, preliminary
to making the beds. One acre was then enclosed with a neat
substantial wire fence to keep out the deer which had already done
some damage to the seed beds. Transplant beds will be made next
spring and filled with two-year old seedlings from the Saranac Inn
Nursery, where we happen to have a large surplus in the seed beds.

This co-operative nursery will be maintained largely for experi-
mental work in the propagation of various untried species, a class
of work which we cannot well undertake in our other nurseries,
as their capacity is insufficient to furnish the kinds of stock needed
for our reforesting operations. A part of this enclosure will be
set apart for raising hardwood or broad-leaved trees, and an attempt
will be made to introduce on the Adirondack plateau certain nut
bearers —oak, chestnut, and hickory— which cannot be found
there now except on the low altitudes of the surrounding foot hills.

At present the seed beds in the Experiment Nursery contain the
following species: Silver, sugar, Jeffrey, white, Austrian, bull,
Scotch, Norway, and jack pine; white, red, Norway, and Douglas
spruce; incense cedar; California white fir; European larch; and
native balsam. ‘The coniferous species occupy 36 seed beds, 4 by
12 feet each. The hardwoods, sown in drills, include the following =
Basswood, honey locust, common locust, mocker nut hickory, black
walnut, butternut, box elder, chestnut, and horse chestnut. Other
species will be added this coming spring.

All seed beds in this enclosure are sown broadcast except one of
Norway pine and one of Scotch pine, which were sown in drills

four inches apart to test some questions as to the best way of

20

making a seed bed. Experiments were made to ascertain the
proper density of seedlings. Five beds of Scotch pine were sown
with the following amount in each: One bed with one-fourth of a
pound of seed; one with three-eighths of a pound; one with half
a pound; one with five-eighths; and one with three-fourths of a
pound, When these seedlings are two years old we may get some
idea as to the quantity of seed per bed necessary to the best results:

' The expense of this nursery thus far is:

Labor inicleanne and ‘cleaning Tind\25 ola a2 cate at $39 25
Plowing and. hathine ‘off brush. 2 oa. etc. 3 eee 88 00
} abor 1 OLS Wneuts: ab 2aGe ites s. caciner See 222 64
Wite and posts for tenee.ic 22. Sve. ss ate eae 28 56
Bed; iranies;. dumber “and -frevhb..': > wae eno ee ee 24 AG
Wite screens for sted sbeds.25 nye se ee ee eee 44 00
SESS. Oia BY asic eae odes Saat Eee i tes 25 05
Peas; 2A: ‘btsheliocs vi. ca coe Sasate toe we cat ee eee 28 34
Insceticides atid =tunsicides «cs. Gy el ae een eee es 30 39
$530 70

Less amount received from U. S. Forest Service... 200 00
$330 70

The transplant beds, which will be an additional expense, will
be made in the following spring, and will be stocked with seedlings
from the Saranac Inn Nursery. Some of these beds will be set
apart for an experiment in the use of one-year old seedlings as
transplants.

The stock of four-year old transplants now on hand in the State

nurseries and available for the spring: planting in 1907 18:

Saranac Inn Nursery:
White pines ove oae: gS Yee a pid Wea bbae As aiieentapaa eo aan 85,370
SICOUCH Pie Se Saher i ae tee ba wee Ces wo pe 4,716

Norway pine

Bull pine

Norway spruce
Douglas spruce

European larch

21

400.0 010050 O80E6"0 CONG) OND: CONDE ONO OF Gs ORON ORO OSU OSU EL sia

miretiallcl latins felol lela ele eielTe ce) (e)(elsme ele e..0101) 8) .0:1\8))\8)(e))6))\e)9))\e)\8 -¢, ele

Fy On BoD ClO 40 “ONOSCE-OUON DES 0. OSC ORO, ON OF ORO ROMO O a IBC Ioe eax Set)

eoeereeeust eevee t eee one eeeeee ee eee eee 8

sikeuiaiieticiiclieliel.eale ie) elcelie) leflefe).0) (6!) 4 .6yr@{le; 0). 6.50/70) 0) 0). 6 (0))0/ 0. 6ee> e

Wawbeek Nursery:

Norway spruce

White ash

Arborvitae ..

6 OOot DO. 08 CO! ONS 0080 0500 10 DONC OO OFOR ONO ROR ORONO CECT)

66-0008. 5-00 10) CLO eIOy OPO LONG) sd! 1050 00000080 DRO OR OOO OS Os)

st letlal eivellel.e eyel-e).0, eee) le))0) 6) 1050) e):e)1e/.e (eee) ee) e).9 06) @ 0) 06) .@

Axton Nursery:

Norway spruce

Co-operative Experiment Nursery:

Black locust

Siaiutalisttpitellojemsehiemeleieliies ellaiie le lietieleneireiie:-0) 0 (8) 0/0 [ele (ee) 0) ‘sa

eevee wneseec eee eee ee eee eee oe te ee he wee ee ee 8

Stock by spectes:

White pine.
Scotch pine.

_ Norway pine

Bull pine

Norway spruce
Douglas spruce

European larch

Arborvitae
White ash

Black locust

eecececeoere ree eee eco ee ee ee ee ee ee eee ee ee el 8

ees es ee eo roe Oe ec © we © ee 8 ow ee ee 8 ee 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 ee

eseeveee se eee He te ce oe we we ee we ee ee ew ee ee ew

ee 22 © © © © © © © © 8 ow ee 8 ew oe ew 8 ew 8 8 8 8 8 ee 8 8 8 8 ee 8

eee ec ee ew oe ec eo eo ew we ee ee ew ew ee ee ee eee ee

oe ee ets eo ee wee eee ee ew ee we ee ee ee eee ee ee

2 2 ee © © © © © ew wo © ew © ew 8 ee ee ew ee el 8 8 le ew ee 8 ee 8 8

eee te ese eo eo © © © ew ow ew ew we ee ew ew ee 8 8 8 ew eee ee eee 8 8

pe «€ @ «© #@ © © © © © oe © © © 8 eo 8 8 8 ew ew ew 8 ew ew ee ee ee ee 8 8

ceoscece ee eee ee eo ee ee ew ew wo ew ee eee ee ee ee ee ee

ee

36,288
5,627
8,605
1,000
4,000

55,800
300

goo

46,278 -

3,000

251,884

22

Stock furnished by each nursery:

Satanic Nursery. 5 otic it oh eee 145,006
Uses. Experiment Siptiony. sincn6 ates serene ei 3,000
Wawbeek Nursery..... Sy: Sie ee a aS ‘ad coe eh ete Ee ee 57,000
Amtog Nursery. iss.ac. ¥ Gee oe ee 46,278

LOA ris 'c ms bis tsacaieherede tesa eine chy Soke meas Re ee 251,884

This comparatively small output is due to the fact that the Axton
and Wawbeek Nurseries were not re-established until last year
(1906), and that the United States Co-operative Nursery is still
lying fallow with the exception of the seed beds.

In addition to the stock described above as available for the spring
planting in 1907, there is a much larger quantity of one, two, and
three-year old plants which will be ready for the field plantations
later on.

I take this opportunity to recommend the establishment of a
nursery for the propagation of hardwood or deciduous species. As
we expect to abandon the one at Axton within two years the
number of nurseries will not be increased by this proposition. This
hardwood nursery should be located in the Catskills, preferably in
the valley of the Esopus creek and near some station on the Ulster
and Delaware railroad.

The State has now over 100,000 acres in the Catskill Preserve
and these areas will be increased largely each year by further pur-
chases. Some of these lands are sparsely covered with forest
growth and can be greatly improved by underplanting with mer-
chantable species, while other portions, consisting in part of aban-
doned farms or cleared land, should be reforested with nursery
stock. We started a nursery in the Catskills four years ago, at a
place about two miles from Brown’s Station. The site, which was
selected without consulting the superintendent, was an unfavorable

one, on a hill farm, and the gravelly, stony condition of the soil

2

made its operation difficult and expensive. It was abandoned with
the intention of selecting a better site somewhere on the fertile
fyottom land of the Esopus valley, but for lack of funds nothing has
been attempted yet to carry out this plan.

In asking for appropriations to carry on our nursery work and
tree planting we are often confronted with the question, why not
let these lands grow up to trees and reforest themselves naturally?
In reply we point out that the waste lands in the Adirondacks do
not always reforest themselves naturally. The Indian Plains on the
south branch ,of the Moose River are entirely devoid of woody
growth, and were so described in the field notes of John Richards
when he surveyed that township ninety years ago. The Mineral
Plains, a treeless expanse of several hundred acres near Cranberry
Lake, were in that same condition in 1772 according to the field
notes of Archibald Campbell, one of the colonial surveyors who
located the great Totten & Crossfield Purchase. Near the Red
Horse Chain, on the trail to Witchhopple Lake, is a large opening
in the forest where the ground is covered only with ferns and has
always been so as far back as the oldest guide and hunter in that
locality can remember. Surveyor O’Hara, in 1791, described an
Indian cornfield of 100 acres or more, in Arthurboro Patent, Ham-
ilton county, and this field is still bare of trees, or even shrubs. The
burned lands and sandy plains in West Harrietstown, near Lake
Clear Junction, remained for many years in a denuded condition
until they were reforested by the State.

Let it be conceded, however, for the sake of the argument, that
the waste and barren lands in the Preserve will in time reforest
themselves naturally. But in such a case the tree growth will be
composed largely of worthless material and unmerchantable species.
The wild forest that will take possession of the land is not worth
one-tenth the cultivated one that could be established there. The
primeval forests of the Adirondacks, at their best, have only yielded

about 4,500 feet of soft wood timber on an average, the remainder

24

being unmerchantable. But our planted forests when fully grown
will cut 40,000 feet of pine per acre. A wild forest, with its haphaz-
zard,‘ undesirable growth, will increase but little, if any, in value,
for there is none in it to start with; but a planted forest, every tree
a pine or spruce, will increase in value with every rise in the price
of lumber. Our people want wood, need wood, and must have it.
It is the mission of the forester to grow wood and thus make pro-
vision for this ever increasing demand.

FOREST FIRES.

In the year 1906, the period covered by this report, the loss-of
standing timber by fire in the Adirondack and Catskill forests was
comparatively small. While in some of our Northern States there
were widespread destructive fires in their forest districts, the State
of New York was exempt in a fortunate degree. This was not due
entirely to favorable weather conditions or a wet season. The rain-
fall was slightly below the normal, and at one time last May there
was a period of drought during which it was deemed necessary to
order out patrols. Many fires started up at this time along the rail-
roads, but they were extinguished promptly by the firewardens be-
fore any damage was done.

On the forest lands belonging to the State 292 acres of timber were
destroyed and 1,026 acres of waste or brush land were burned over.
The latter was covered for the most part with ferns or huckleberry
bushes and the sandy soil had been bare of humus for many years.

On private lands, in the Adirondacks, timber on 1,376 acres was
destroyed or damaged, and 4,266 acres of brush or meadow land were
burned over.

In the Catskills no fires occurred on State land: but timber on
2,535 acres was damaged, and the ground fires ran over 3,005 acres
of wild meadows and brush lands. A compilation of the figures ob-
tained from the reports of the various town firewardens indicates that
the loss in standing timber amounted to $2,715 in the Adirondacks,

25

and $5,620 in the Catskills. I think, however, that the firewardens
in many instances overestimated both the area burned and the
amount of damage, especially in the Catskills. This was evident
from the statements of the chief firewarden who in some of these
cases, after reading the firewarden’s report, made a personal exam-
ination of the burned territory. Furthermore, only a small per-
centage of the trees were consumed by the flames. By far the
greater part were slightly charred, and, though killed by the heat,
were still valuable for fuel, and, to a considerable extent, for lumber
or other purposes. But the firewardens reported most of the
scorched timber as a total loss.

In all there were 98 fires in the Adirondacks, and 44 in the Cats-
kills. With the exception of a few that caused the damage here re-
ported, they were attacked without delay and extinguished before
they reached any standing timber.

In the Adirondacks there were 1,294 acres less of timber burned
than in 1905; but 1,750 more of brush, or fern growth. In the Cats-
kills there were 410 acres more of timber burned than in 1905; and
I,II0 more of waste land.

The largest fire in the Adirondacks occurred May 19, in the town
of Greig, Lewis county; it burned 200 acres of timber and spread
over 600 acres of waste land. It was started by some incendiary, in
the opinion of the firewarden, but all efforts to detect the criminal
were fruitless.

The most destructive one in the Catskills occurred April 21, in
the town of Lumberland, Sullivan county; it damaged 450 acres of
timber and 50 acres of brush land. The loss in timber was estimated
at $2,000. This fire was started by some children who were playing
in the woods.

The number of fires in all — including incipient, slight, harmless

or otherwise — in each county were:

Adirondacks.
Clinton comity: yes re te cern nh oy I
ESSEX COUNLY ai. sone rot REG chiatry Se pa en a 16

20

Bere rakdin te Gut js 20.67 ae ao cjon stake Seek i ed es tro. II
BMALOM: COUNTY Sc iekcjs 3h SSS Deep eee cates rhe 2
Efeaniltor, GOusiby ...!5 5 noes dst wn ae ee vee ee Rn Sc 2c 12
FeSWis COUMLY 15. 5b ss asc 2 Sahersie td sae a ee a aR soe 7
Oneida county. Josie lists ess see Ss bie ete ee 3
Saratoga coutltys. (cs tsk leche ete we see eee 5
St: Lawrencé..cotintyss t6 ahs ite Se ats i be ee 4
Warten county: 2:5 c<iiacent sve a's be it eines iy eerie eee ee ©:

98

Catskills.

RSE CUS KOMGEY sco vinti tae she chara aah sistas RS o ees eee 3
Welbwate COUN scl... Yeas ae eee ee ee eee 12
iseer | COUNTY. pees ont eee eae VEER Ree 6
SSULivan COMEY : 3%. conn ts dco coco ate ohn tes tee ear ee 2a

The number of fires, large, small, incipient, or otherwise, in each

month were:

PRB Foo meses a dado che asa, nae Oe aR 1 dy oe hag eee 49
BAY esein gin Seine ae Shu airaing odd ene SRO mieten 51
PUNE oi, bso ae bin hee oe term one UG Ror ae RRS oe a 2
PBB Aas lisa wdc cans aga Seat tte nes eC Cae vo ne ree

WUC USE i s:as, sca aetna De TE OU Stic ak fs a 12
SEPLOMDER Aa dish sa lew aaa ate e Sa a rad ata we cate ee eee 13
CUOMEE OS pitas a maids LES claw bie oak ate Ce a ee See ee 3
November .......... Last Uae OEE ERO nas aoe Il

27

The causes, as reported by the firewardens were:

Pine OCOIMOLIVIES! she te sc ec 6G we oe ee le eee se 20
WN IRCRMSTIROKCLS ) Slee se ses ecient oie Ae ee eee oe te eles 14
WME MMe s,s ew ke es pa rarete ec Be rah Son Realm eet N al 14
TE SIS. a Gas eee eee DRDO ONO RECS NCdEe Bar rte cease clicncarapers ace 8
SORUDEPS 5 oo enon Foo mado p oo Once cme od coco at 6
Supposed imcendiaries ........-....------ +e s sees eee eee iil
Cleansing EG! aa oe acre Pee Se ee eee 9
@hildrenat play «......-.-.- cea SO a peat en GMC A 4
Eephy OKGtS 92 6c00QRObUceGuc 5 soe Gobble Aum MUO Oncor Z
e® [Mime Goa poe nee Ue creer ok ekaic SE SISTA err Ne aE I
GMPCS ee ee ee ee I
Eclmulelee INOWSEoi 4 se Apiaceae oo co cone ms op bag coed moon I
T rally ON WShES ilk Owe eco: Gughen bao BiG IAs ime) oe CNcueb ene Coen cue a pa, imeuenieaT Re 51

142

The fires caused by tobacco smokers were not due to cigar stubs
or ashes from a pipe so much as to the careless habit of these people
in throwing down lighted matches in the dead leaves. on the ground.
The great decrease in the number caused by farmers who were burn-
ing brush — at one time the most prolific source of forest fires — is
due to the rigid enforcement of the law prohibiting the burning of
fallows during certain months in the spring and fall. Still, there
were 25 violations of this law, each of which was prosecuted by the
chief firewarden and a conviction obtained. The fines imposed in
these cases by the local justices varied from $20 to $100, and
amounted in all to $493. In four other cases the defendants were
acquitted; and one case is awaiting trial.

With the constantly increasing number of people in the Adirondack
and Catskill districts there is a corresponding increase in the number
of forest fires started. It is well to consider here the direful results
that would have ensued from the 142 fires mentioned here had there

been no organized force to extinguish or fight them.

28

In fighting these fires there were 1,021 days’ labor expended in
the Adirondacks, and 982 in the Catskills. The cost to the State,
including all other expenses incurred by the firewardens, was $2,-
949.13. A part of this sum was expended in the prevention of fire,
—for the payment of patrols, posting of the “ Rules and Regula-
tions’ along forest roads and trails, and services of firewardens
superintending the burning of fallows where permits had been issued.
Of the 131 forest towns there were 71 in which no fires occurred, and

in which no expenses were incurred for any purpose.

FOREST PRODUCT OF NEW YORK.

But few people ever think of the Empire State as one of the forest
States of the Union. Its far famed pre-eminence rests on its great
cities, large population, railroads, canals, navigable rivers, productive
farms, and diversified industries. And yet, according to the twelfth
census 39 per cent, of its area is in woodlands. It includes not only
the mountain forests of the Adirondacks and Catskills, but also large
wooded areas in other parts of the State, while, on most of the farms
there are productive wood lots. The annual product of these forests
and woodlands attains an amount that gives New York a place ~
among the lumber producing States, contributes materially to its
wealth and. industrial development, and constitutes an important
factor in the forestry question that is now engaging everywhere the
attention of thoughtful men and women.

This percentage of area in forest and woodlands (39 per cent.) as
given in the last U. S. census is evidently too large. If added to the
area of farm land as stated by the same authority it would exceed
greatly the total area of the State. The only way the discrepancy can
be reconciled is by assuming that this 39 per cent. of area includes
wild or brush land already included in the farms. In our calcula-
tions we are unable to find over 27 per cent, of forest and woodlands.

In order to formulate an intelligent forest policy and conserve the
interests dependent on our forest resources it is highly necessary

that we should know, not only the extent of such resources, but how —

‘SHOUPUOIIPY Of} UL ‘oYVT] WALA JB SsoyT 10J punois surpueg

‘jajyoouy *V °0}0Ud
—= or

29

fast these are being depleted. Yo this end we have devoted con-
siderable time each year to the compilation of statistics showing the
actual amount of timber that is being cut for lumber, wood pulp,
cooperage, chemicals, furniture, and maintenance of various other
industries that obtain their supply of raw material from our forests
and woodtands. We undertook this work in 1891 and since then
have made an annual report of the same. The steady increase each
year demands serious consideration, for with this constantly grow-
ing demand there is a corresponding decrease in the supply. The
annual inerement of growth in the remaining trees is so small in
comparison with the removal of timber that it is a negligible factor
in the question. F urthermore, it will be many years before the re-
foresting operations conducted by the State will assume proportions
that will in any great degree offset the annual loss.

It is necessary to state here that the great increase in our forest out-
put, as shown in the following statistics for 1905, is due to the fact
that-in previous years we compiled returns from the Adirondack
and Catskill forests only, and did not obtain the product from the
small mills in other parts of the State. We were unaware until re-
cently that these out-lying woodlands, much of them in the farming
districts, were producing lumber and other wood material to any
considerable extent. Having decided, however, to make our statistics
as complete as possible, and inclusive of the entire State, we submit
here figures showing the entire forest output of New York, based on
the written returns furnished from the office of each mill, factory, or
industry consuming logs obtained from the forests and woodlands
within our borders. To this end, and in order to secure accuracy,
each firm or individual was cautioned in our printed instructions to
omit all stock obtained from Pennsylvania or Canada.

The statistics given here are for the output of 1905. As explained
in our previous reports we cannot give the figures for the current
year, 1906, because the returns cannot be obtained in time for our

annual report.

30

Product of the forests and woodlands in the State of New York

for the year 1905:

LUMBER.
SPRUCE.
Feet, B. M.
Adirondack ‘counties. 25.27 snes op ieee 203,589,532
Catskull ccantiessia tees. =e eee 2,933,393
Hamniine’ GOUliESs: . 25 .ohe = too, pee ee 4,553,549
HEMLOCK.
Adirondack counties >.<. sss 27catee ee 73,051,932
Gatskall ‘counties ass Soo. x5 ee eee 23,504,088
Bathing counties: 2oie of eee ce 82,993,198
PINE
Adirondack eoutities: 75.34.52). kaa 59,838,239
(Catslall> counties. ...< se", cae ai 12,530,468
Rarmutic counties) y255 bese eee j Ges = S32 ON oae
HARDWOOD.
Aditondacie. counties...2.....%e-os cee 78,817,818
Catelall counties. . 2s .i..3: 4: eee ees 41,250,682
Rarining counties <3. 5553 fcc oles a o8 26% 127,515,722
PULPWOOD.

Adirondack counties — 536,580 cords — -
equivalent BOM oo. 2. > Ge St aoe ee ae

Feet, B. M.

211,070,474

179,549,818

112,069,951

247, 584,222

294,582,420

31
ROUNDWOOD.

(For Cooperage, Excelsior, Wood Alcohol, etc.)

Feet, B. M. Feet, B. M.
Adirondack counties — 51,040 cords —
eamnaventols wis ci oe eee ahs Seal ee 28,020,960
Catskill counties — 129,351 cords —
Somiealern tals eae nrnih ec eccs tee fans 70,914,879
Farming counties — 124,356 cords —
eauwalient BN he Se re 68,271,444
: ——— 167,207,283
SNe etl ere ig eee ee aes Ah ares Se yin a ee 1,212,070,168
PMA eatin vate et i A ie ae Areata ale s oq) eieleiere 53,374,000
eral In Aan Ce nh et a GeO oS a 67,908,300
* SUMMARY.
Propucr By LOCALITIES.
Feet, B. M.
PMO ACK COUTMLIES) (ct iici auc el see cracks 8 o's 737,900,901
ere alcotics seine et, Ce Re ie a vee es 151,134,110
FE MUMMUNOGCOUAIGIE Simin yo ic cua aa ee ke col oa e's oul 323,035,157
1,212,070,168
Propuct By INDUSTRIES
Fcet, B. M.
PRMD OPP ee ce io iwc veele aces: 750,280,465
PUNBMOOR socio. Coe nee aie nee 294,582,420
Ineiundiicol en. = 5 Se pcte a Peek we 167,207,283

1,212,070,168

32

PRODUCT BY SPECIES.

Feet, B. M.
SS PREUA CEs 25. sce eke de Soap Bale a Oe ee aM ratte Ea 476,200,652
Balsa: ). 632.2 ee eee he eas Sooo Cee 29,458,242
Hemlock °c 3. S25 Sette eee cate 5 Wa eset ee 179,549,818
PANG: coce 5 ote hie Risto eee e te ane Sa a este ise nvang ed ee 112,069,951
Hard woods7icz case to cits oak sae yet tee ea 414,791,505

1,212,070,168

The amount reported as consumed for pulpwood includes some
balsam, estimated at ten per cent. Of the 84 pulp mills in this
State, three of them use poplar almost exclusively. These three mills
make a pulp which is used in the manufacture of a high grade of
paper needed for books and magazines, and for which spruce is not
available. In making calendered paper a large proportion of rags
is necessary, and poplar is the only species of wood that can be used
as a mixture with good results.

In the classification of the product by localities the term “ Farming
counties,” includes the entire State outside the twelve Adirondack
and four Catskill counties.

The term ‘“ roundwood” includes not only logs, but also the
largest of the round branches which are.used in the manufacture of
wood alcohol, furniture, excelsior, and for fuel in brick kilns. As
the material for these industries is to a large extent cut into four-
foot lengths the mills make their returns in cords instead of logs, and
it is impossible to separate the smaller wood from the logs.

The amount of shingles reported are made from logs cut, or set
apart at saw mills, for this purpose. Shingle makers estimate that
one thousand feet of logs will make from 8,000 to 10,000 shingles,
the estimate varying according to the quality of the logs, and the
length of the shingles — sixteen or eighteen inches. The figures
given for the total output may therefore be increased accordingly. A
large proportion of the shingles made in the Adirondack counties are

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38)

cedar, and this fact should be noted in connection with the classifica-
tion by species.

The term hardwoods used in these statistics includes several of the .
broad leaved or deciduous species. Thus far we have omitted any
subclassification under this general head because many of the mills
had not kept any such record of their hardwood logs. Some of the
mill owners intimated that they did not want to be bothered by at-
tempting a further addition to their returns, and as their responses to
our requests for information are entirely gratuitous, it did not seem
advisable to press the matter. We are able, however, to arrive ap-
proximately at the proportion of species embraced under the reports
of hardwoods from our knowledge of the standing timber and forest
composition in the localities whence these mills obtain their logs.
The hardwoods cut by the Adirondack mills are confined to birch,
maple, beech, and basswood, and in this order as to quantity. There
is also a very small proportion, but very small, of elm, cherry and ash.
There is no oak, chestnut or hickory on the Adirondack plateau. But
the hardwoods sawed in the mills throughout the rest of the State in-
clude a large proportion of the latter species.

The 112,069,951 feet of pine. reported is almost exclusively white
pine, especially so in the Adirondacks. In other parts of the State
there are small quantities of Norway, pitch and yellow pine, but if
cut they did not probably exceed five per cent. of the total output of
pine. The tamarack (American larch) grows freely in some parts of
the Adirondacks, especially on low swampy lands, but as yet it is not
used in the sawmills to any noticeable extent. It is cut occasionally
by farmers to furnish frame timber for barns or houses, for which
purpose this species is well adapted. White cedar, as already men-
tioned, is used largely for shingles, and a great many trees of this
species are cut every year for telegraph and telephone poles. But ©
the timber removed from the forest for the latter purpose does not

enter into the returns from the mills, and as the work is done by

3

34

jobbers and farmers we are unable to arrive definitely at this par-
ticular, but important, product.

The figures showing the forest product consumed by the pulpmills
do not indicate the extent of that industry in this State, for many of
them obtain a part, or all, of this stock of wood from Canada. There
are 87 pulpmills in New York. Wisconsin comes next, with 38; then
Maine, with 30, and New Hampshire, with 10. In daily capacity
New York leads also, with 3,561 tons ; Maine comes next, with 2,185
tons; then Wisconsin, 1,404 tons, and New Hampshire, 1,048 tons.
The daily capacity of the New York mills is divided into 2,459 tons
of ground, and 1,105 of chemical pulp. The mills consumed in 1905,
a total of 1,301,986 cords of wood, of which 536,580 cords were cut
in this State. The total production of pulp for that year was 977,-
313 tons. The average stumpage value of spruce pulpwood in the
Adirondacks is about $2.60 per cord, the price varying with its ac-
cessibility, density of stand, and proximity of a desirable stream or

railroad.

FOREST RESOURCES OF NEW YORK.

In view of the large amount of timber removed each year from the
forests of this State it becomes necessary to make a careful inquiry
as to the amount that is left. How long will it be before our re-
sources are exhausted ?

Various estimates have been made by professional foresters and
experts during the last twenty years showing the amount of stand-
ing timber in New York. In each case the amount was underes-
timated. Some of the estimates are already disproved, because a
larger amount has been cut since, and the cutting is still going on
with a larger annual output than ever before.

We have recently expended considerable time in efforts to ascer-
tain the acreage of woodland in New York and classify it according
to its forest composition. As a result of this work I submit an esti-

mate of the amount of standing timber now remaining in the Adiron-

35

dack and Catskill forests and in the woodlands throughout the
State:

Feet, B. M.
Coniferous species (softwoods or evergreens).... | 7,660,000,000
toad leaved species (hardwoods)...,.......... 38,400,000,000
SiNcrralleoe tea derek et et ee 46,060,000,000

No great degree of accuracy is claimed for these figures. It is
submitted as an approximate estimate based on such information as
the Departnient has been able to obtain after a careful study of the
acreage and forest composition. It is tentative rather than final,
and will be revised from time to time as further information is ob-
tained. Its value consists chiefly in the fact that there is an entire
lack of any other definite statement or estimate.

Of the 7.66 billion feet of conifers we estimate that 5.075 billion
feet consists of spruce, nearly all of which is in the Adirondacks, and
the greater part of that on State lands. Of the 38.4 billion feet of
hardwoods, we estimate that 32.95 billion feet is composed of maple,
birch and beech; and that, of the latter, 3.9 billion feet is situated in
the woodlands outside the Adirondack and Catskill counties. The
other hardwood species in the State consist of chestnut, oak, bass-
wood and elm. The most of the white ash and hickory, because of
their greater value, was removed years ago. Nut bearing trees
may still be seen in isolated positions on the farms, but these are not
included in the estimates of forest or woodland. Prior to 1875, or
thereabouts, there was a large quantity of whitewood or yellow
poplar (tulip tree) in the woodlands of southwestern New York
noticeably in Chautauqua county; but owing to the demand for this
highly merchantable species, it has been cut, and now a tulip tree is

seldom seen outside of parks or lawns.

36

TRESPASSES.

The State forestry law relating to trespasses or cutting trees on
lands of the forest preserve provides that: .

“A person who cuts or causes to be cut or carries away or causes
to be carried away any trees, timber, wood or bark from state lands
in the forest preserve is guilty of a misdemeanor; he shall also be
liable to a penalty of ten dollars for each tree cut, taken away or
destroyed by him, or under his direction. The penalty so incurred
may be recovered in the action to recover damages for trespass or in
a separate action.” (Chap. 20, Laws of 1900, Part II, Article
XIII, Section 222).

Attention is called to the provision of the above section by which
a trespass is constituted a misdemeanor instead of a felony. For this
reason petty trespassers have been punished by the imposition of a
fine equivalent to three times the value of the timber cut, or in some
cases by a penalty of ten dollars a tree, and imprisonment is enforced
only when the defendants refuse to pay the fine.

At the same time, offenders of this class can be prosecuted for
larceny under a section of the penal code, and hence, in cases where
there was a flagrant violation of the law, an intentional trespass of
great extent, indictments for grand larceny have been obtained and
the defendants are now waiting trial. No trespasses of this kind,
however, occurred in 1906, the year for which this report is made.

During the year 1906 the legal department of the Commission has
collected and turned into the State Treasury $19,651.25 which was
obtained from fines imposed for cutting trees on State land. Of
this amount $18,566.25 was in settlement of offences committed prior
to the current year, and $1,085.00 for trespasses during 1906.

The forest inspectors, game protectors, and other employes of the
Commission are now required by law to report immediately to this
office each trespass when discovered, its location, and number of

trees cut; also the kind of trees and diameter of the stump. They

37,

are provided with printed blanks on which to make out these re-
ports, and which must be mailed to the superintendent as soon as
‘the offender is discovered and the stumps counted and measured.
When the report is received at the Albany office it is entered on a
book of record and then handed to the legal department of the
Commission for immediate prosecution. In no case will:a settle
ment be made for less than three times the value of the timber ; and
in aggravated cases or repeated offenses the defendants are indicted
for grand larceny.

There are no lumbering operations now on State land as formerly,
and the only trespasses committed by lumbermen are where the old
blazed line of a State lot has become obliterated, or where there is a
disputed boundary. The most of the trespasses in 1906 were by
persons who cut trees for firewood.

If the question is asked why these trespasses were not stopped
before, I would respectfully call your attention to the fact that prior
to the passage of chapter 285, Laws of 1905, the business connected
with the suppression of trespasses was entrusted by law to officials
belonging to another department of this Commission. When the
business was placed in my hands by this law of 1905 all lumbering
on State lands was stopped immediately, and timber cutting on the
Preserve was suppressed so far that no violations occurred last
year, except the petty cases among the poorer class of residents. who
took trees for firewood, or persons who cut timber along some dis"
puted line or on some lot to which they claimed title and on which

they had paid taxes for many years.

27 AREACOFP FORES® PRESERVE:

The Forest Preserve as defined by law includes the lands now
owned or which may be hereafter acquired by the State within the
county of Clinton, except the towns of Altona and Dannemora, and
the counties of Esséx, Franklin, Fulton, Hamilton, Herkimer, Lewis,

Oneida, Saratoga, Saint Lawrence, Warren, and Washington, in the

38

Adirondacks ; and the counties of Delaware, Greene, Ulster, and Sul-
livan, in the Catskills, except

1. Lands within the limits of any village or city, and

2. Lands not wild lands acquired by the State on foreclosure of
mortgages made to loan commissioners.

The area of the Forest Preserve at this date is:

Acres.
Adirondack Preserve ... 2... + -+- ees ee reer sete eee 1,415,775
Catskill: Presefive 2.4 S25. 220 eee ee 104,524
1,520,299

The increase in acreage, over that given in my last report, is due
to purchases made during the year.

Of the total acreage in the Preserve, 1,296,852 acres are situated
within the Adirondack Park, and 94,468 within the Catskill Park.
The lands outside the parks have a total area of 128,979 acres, and
each lot or parcel was acquired by the State through a tax sale.

These outlying, scattered lands are located as follows:

Acres
Adwondaclk comntiess’, .s.c.5 -0% «csr ays arenes ane 118,923
Catskill counties. o. 25. cvs, hese ahs gees pene 10,056
128,979

THE JOHN BROWN FARM HOUSE.

By a deed of gift dated March 29, 1895, Henry Clews and wife
conveyed to the people of New York the tract of Adirondack land
situated in North Elba, Essex county, known as the John Brown
Farm, and this deed was subsequently accepted by an Act of Legis-
lature.

John Brown lived on this farm prior to his participation in the

slavery war in Kansas, and his family were living there at the time

39

of his raid at Harper’s Ferry. After his death his body was brought
there from Virginia for burial, in accordance with a request made by
him shortly before his execution, which occurred at Charlestown,
Va., December 2, 1859.

In 1870, an association of twenty persons was formed through the
efforts of the late Kate Field, of Washington, D. C., for the purpose
of purchasing and preserving the property, and the farm which had
already been offered for sale was bought accordingly. Through its
agent, Mr. Clews, the association transferred the property to the
State.

The farm contains 243 acres, of which only 4o acres have been
cleared ; the remainder is covered by the forest. The two-story, un-
painted farm house, built by John Brown in 1850, stands near the
little enclosure in which his remains are buried.

As the care and custody of this propery devolves on the Forest
- Commission, a custodian was appointed who lives in the farm house.
He receives no pay, but he has the use of the house and farm free of
rent. : 7

As the house was built 57 years ago it needs repairing, and a
failure to do this may incur a charge of neglect. I respectfully rec-
ommend that an item of $300 be inserted in the Supply Bill to pro-
vide for a proper care of this historic place.

Very respectfully,

WILLIAM F. FOX.
ALBANY, December 31, 1906.

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