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FORESTRY PAMPHLETS

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MINNESOTA
Vol. VI.

"The l\forthwcodsTT

Official Bulletin of the
Minnesota Forestry Association

and the
Minnesota Forest Service.

January, 1914

to
May and June, 1918^ incl.

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.Ion! ,8191 ,a£ I

A gric . - Forestry . M am Library

"Forest Schools the Foundation of Forest Wealth."

THE NORTH WOODS

Volume III. JANUARY, 1914 Number I

A Recorder and Promoter of the Forestry Movement in Minnesota.

OFFICIAL BULLETIN OF THE MINNESOTA FORESTRY ASSOCIATION
AND THE STATE FOREST SERVICE.

Published Monthly for members of the Minnesota Forestry Association

Annual Membership Fee $1.00. This includes membership in the Minnesota

Horticultural Society, entitling evf ry such member to all privileges of

thit organization as well as the Forestry Association. Remittance

should be made payable to PHIL H. HANSON, Treas..

care State Forester's Office, State Capitol,

St. Paul, Minn.

Entered :is Second Class Matter, September 14, 1912, at the Post Office at St.
Paul, Minnesota, under the Act of August 21, 1912.

CONTENTS

Planted Forests in Minnesota .... 3
What Federal Cooperation Has Done . . 12

The Forestry Club .14

The Problem of Taxation . . . . .15

The Forest Insect Problem .... 23

The Work of the Forest Ranger ... 25

£50934

O fish and hunt far and wide
by day — farther and wider
— and rest thee by many
brooks and hearthsides without
misgivings. Remember thy Creator
in the days of thy youth. Rise free
from care before the dawn, and
seek adventures. Let the noon find
thee by other lakes, and the night
overtake thee everywhere at home.
There are no larger fields than
these, no worthier games than may
here be played.

From "Walden."

— Thoreau.

$

Planted Forests in Minnesota

By W. H. Kenety

In Charge — Cloquet Forest Experiment Station

$

CONSERVATION is one of the main themes at all our
state and national gatherings where ever natural re-
sources or their products are discussed. All of our
statesmen who have the public interest at heart preach con-
servation. All our government and state experiment sta-
tions with their experts going out into every county are try-
ing to help the farmer raise more on the land he farms so
as to better increase the welfare of the state as a whole.
One of the strongest things set forth to the farmer, is that
of full utilization of everything possible. This principle is
one of the dominating factors in every industry. Take the
packing house; everything is utilized. Compare the sawmill
of today with that of twenty years ago and note the change.
Every little stick is used. Look at the up-to-date farmer.
All of his land is utilized to the best advantage. A farm
with weeds in the corners of th'e fields, acres which support
nothing of value are no longer found as they were in the
years gone by. It would seem that our state were the home
of conservation and complete utilization. Is it?

Why have we millions of acres of land in this state which is
not put to any use? Part of this question must be answered
by the immigration department, the irrigation department
and other departments, but the part of the question we must
answer is, why are there thousands acres of cut-over land which
the state now owns, a great deal of which has reverted to
the state because the land was too poor for the owners to
pay taxes on.

This question of why is it possible for the state to have
so much land capable of raising the finest timber in the
country lying idle is a natural one.

Who, driving along the road where well managed farms
meet his eye on both sides of the road would not ask the same
question if in part of one farm he would see a field going to
waste? If that field were utilized it would more than pay

3

General View of Nursery Beds

the taxes on the whole place. There are countries in Europe
where the state forests not only pay all the taxes but bring
in a revenue as well. This same land which is now lying idle
and not producing a stick of timber is the home of the white
pine, the king of woods. This same land has not only yielded
millions but billions of dollars to the private enterprises
which have worked them.

If this land subject to the Tavages of fire and with no pro-
tection can produce such a revenue what may we not expect
it to do if protected? We now have a forest service which
watches over these barren lands to see that fires in them
do not get under way to destroy timber now standing or
homes and lives adjacent to them. Would it not be better
to have this supervision over the same land with young tim-
ber growing on it instead of brush? It is to everybody's

advantage to reclaim these barren areas which will never be
fit for farming and are the natural home of the trees. What-
ever land is suitable and which will return a greater revenue
if used for agriculture should be so used, but the vast amount
of land which is too poor for such a purpose should be used
for the purpose that nature intended it should.

The process of putting the trees back into their natural
home is not difficult.

Different methods of reforestation are in use and a short
description of each will be given.

Starting with the seed; the seed of our native conifiers is
collected the latter part of September and the fore part of
October before the trees have begun to release their seed.
The seed is located in the cones of the trees.

It takes these cones two years to mature on the pines and
they occur in abundance only every four or five years. If
these cones are picked too soon and the seed is not ripe it
will be no good and if they are not prcked soon enough they
will open and let the seed drop out. This makes it neces-
sary to collect the cones at the proper time, and to have the
areas located where the seed will be found. Some parts of
the state will have a good seed crop while in other parts
there will be no seed.

There are several methods of selecting seed; one is by
climbing the trees and pulling the cones off with hooks. This
is a slow method unless the trees are heavily loaded, and
works well only with white pine. This year at the forest sta-
tion at Cloquet, the white pine were loaded with cones and
it was possible for one man to collect from 4 to 5 bushels
by this method.

Another method used in the collection of cones is to gather
them from the hiding places where squirrels have stored
them for winter. Sometimes as many as 10 bushels will be
found in these squirrel caches as they are called, but this is
rare. The cones found in these squirrel caches are always
the best as the squirrels seem to know which cones contain
the best seed although all the cones look alike.

The last and best method where it is possible to do so, is
to gather them from trees as they are felled in some lumber

camp. The cones can be collected much faster by this method
and as high as 10 bushels of white pine cones were collected
by this method in one day this fall. The only trouble with
this method is that it is sometimes hard to find camps run-
ning the latter part of September where there is a good seed
crop. This year the Norway cones were collected around
Kelliher and the white pine around the forest station and
in the logging camps of the Rainy Lake Lumber Co., near
Cusson, Minn.

After the cones are collected they must be heated to get
the seed out of the cones. The cones of white pine open the
easiest of all the pines, and jack pine is the hardest, to
open. The temiperature at which cones open best is a high
temperature, up to 170 degrees; but this is too high to get
the best seed, temperature as high as this lowers the seed
vitality and kills a good deal of it outright.

Very careful experiments were carried out at the Cloquet
forest station to determine the best temperature for the ex-
traction of seed compatible with the highest germination per
cent. This was found to be around 130 degrees. Lower tem-
peratures do not hurt the seed but the time and fuel used
was so much greater to get the seed out as to make the ex-
traction of seed at lower temperatures than 130 a very costly
one.

Pine seed is very expensive ranging from $2.50 for white
pine seed to $8.00 per pound for Norway pine.

After the seed has been cleaned it is stored for planting
time in cool, dry places.

To bring about reforestation on barren areas, three methods
are used; the easiest and most expensive method and so far
as we have found the least successful one is to scatter the
seed broadcast on the ground. With birds and squirrels nu-
merous very little of the seed is left and what is left gen-
erally fails to reach the soil on account of the litter of leaves
and needles which cover the ground. To secure results it is
necessary to throw 6 to 7 pounds of seed on the ground. This
raises the cost to where it is prohibitive.

The second method is to plant the seed with a hoe the
same as the old-fashioned method of planting corn and beans.

As the seed is very small it must be only slightly covered,
this is generally done by pressing it down into the ground by
stepping on it as it is dropped on the spot made with a hoe.
In some operations it has been found advisable to rake some
of the needles over the spots to act as a mulch when the
young trees have started to grow. This prevents the soil from
drying out too rapidly in dry years until the young trees have
developed a root system which is deap enough to not be af-
fected by the drying out of the top few inches of soil. About
ten seed are sown to a spot. Allowing twelve hundred spots
to the acre and ten seed to the spot this method will take
half a pound of white pine seed to the acre, a fifth of a pound
of Norway pine seed, a sixth of a pound of Scotch pine, and a
tenth of a pound of jack pine seed. At the average cost of
seed this method will cost for seed per acre $0.70 for white
pine, $1.00 to $1.25 for Norway pine, $0.40 to $0.50 for Scotch
pine, and $0.30 to $0.40 for jack pine. The cost of sowing
will range from $1.25 to $1.50 per acre.

The third and most successful method so far found out at
the Cloquet station is to raise the young trees in seed beds
where they can be watered and protected by wire screen from
birds and rodents. The beds are generally made 12 feet by 4
feet for convenience in weeding and watering. The dirt in
them is well worked up and made as rich as possible without
getting it sour or too heavy. If it does get too heavy a dis-
ease is very apt to start in the stems of the young trees after
they have come up and kill them off. The beds are generally
sown in the spring about the time general garden seeds are
sown and the seed is covered about one-eighth to one-quarter
inch deep. The bed is then shaded with a lath cover with
the lath spaced about one inch apart. It takes the seed about
two weeks to come up. If the seed is good and conditions are
favorable a bed of this size, 12 feet by 4 feet, will raise 15,000
to 20,000 trees with less than a pound of seed to the bed.
This year at the forest station where only half a pound of
seed of Norway pine seed was sown over 210,0'00 trees were
raised in beds this size. The second year, the trees are not
shaded and are watered as little as possible to make them
hardy and drought resistant, so that when they are planted

they will have a root system that will enable them to draw
water from quite a distance down in the ground. The third
year the trees are transplanted, this is in order to give the
roots a chance to spread out and grow, as with 20,000 trees
in a bed 12 feet by 4 feet there is not much space for root
development. The young trees when dug up out of the beds
to be transplanted are either wrapped in wet moss or placed
in tubs of water a couple of inches deep. This is the whole
keynote of success or failure with young pine trees; if the
young roots once become dry for only a minute the tree is
dead no matter what heroic means are taken to bring the
tree back to life. The tree may not show that it is dead for
weeks afterwards, but the cause will be in the roots becom-
ing dried out. This is 'the reason that so many people have
evergreens die on them after planting them. After the trees
are dug up and means taken to keep the roots moist they
are ,put out in rows about two inches from each other. The
rows are placed from 6 inches to a foot apart so that they
may be cultivated with a hand cultivator and the weeds kept
out. The trees are generally left in these transplant rows
for one year, by which time they have developed a fine root
system. The next year they are dug up as early in the spring
as the frost will permit and are planted out in the cut-over
and barren and burned areas.

In this final planting the same thing holds true as in trans-
planting, the roots must be kept moist. This year at the
Cloquet forest station we planted out in the cut-over and
burned-over land 60,000 trees and over 99 per cent of them
are growing and flourishing. These were all carried in pails
with water in them while they were being planted.

The trees are planted with a spade or mattock. We have
found the spade to be much the better tool. The corners
should be cut off and a hole made that is deep enough to
allow the tree to be planted as deeply as it was growing in
the transplant bed and not too small so as to crowd the roots,
yet not too large as to make it difficult to pack the dirt
around the roots. After a little practice this is soon found
out.

This year we planted for over two weeks straight and with

8

31,000 Young Norway Pine Trees — in a bed 12 ft. by 4 ft.,
from 6 oz. of Seed.

a crew of five men. Five men can average over 5,000 trees
a day by the method I have described and with over 99 per
cent of the trees strong and healthy this fall is good proof
that the planting was done well this spring by this method.
The trees planted were all large four-year-old trees, so that
with smaller trees the work would probably progress faster.
After the trees were dug up from the transplant beds they
were bundled up in bundles of 100 and buried in the ground
with the tops left out — this is known as "heeling in" — and I
found it, too, an advantage to plow a furrow and heel the
trees in, in this furrow. When they were carried out to the
field for planting they were put in a wagon box, the bottom
of which contained wet moss, water was then thrown on them
and they were hauled out. The advantage of having them in

9

bundles is seen in the handling of them; all the roots were
on the bottom and shaded by the tops, and could be easily
kept from drying. When the field was reached, the bundles
were buried in the ground, with the tops left out, at regular
intervals along the field so as to be near when planting.
Two men making holes, two men planting, and one man car-
rying trees made the best combination. The trees were all
carried in pails containing 4 to 5 inches of water.

Form the gathering of the seed to the time the trees are
left in their permanent place to grow into saw logs seems a
great deal of work and the general impression would be that
it would be very costly. It might be if only a few trees -were
grown, but where any number of trees are grown, 100,000 or
more, the cost is not great. A tree raised and set out the
way described can be put out in its final 'place for less than
one cent. This includes seed, labor, transplanting, cost of
seedbed and everything connected with the raising and plant-
ing of the tree.

When this cost of less than one cent for a tree planted is
considered and the fact taken into consideration that there
is no more cultivation necessary and you are through with
the tree when it is planted, the wonder is that so few trees
have been planted ere this. With private parties the answer
is, long time to realize on the trees, fire, and taxes.

With the state which pays no taxes, and which lives on
indefinitely, the answer was fire and1 the present laws. Hav-
ing now the state forest service, fire is no longer an argu-
ment, and if the people will realize what it means to them
and to the state the amendment to the constitution which the
legislature is putting up to them to vote on this fall at the
regular fall election providing for the setting aside of non-
agricultural state lands for forestry purposes will be passed
and this state will be a true conservationist.

Pennsylvania and Louisiana have already revised their tax
laws and now in those states it is a profitable investment for
a private individual to start plantations of trees, as it is to
start any other plantation as sugar, rubber, etc., in countries
other than ours, where all of the American capital goes to
developing countries other than our own,

10

Young timber may be compared with young stock. A man
buys a bunch of calves not for their present value but for
their future value in beef and milk. Young trees represent a
future value which at the present time it is hard to estimate.
But with No. 4 boards selling at $19:00 a thousand, it is a
surety that the man who owns a nice stand of young timber
will not have to cut it to sell it, and the man who holds it
until it has matured will have a snug sum in his old age with
no cost of growing aside from the penny he invested in start-
ing each tree. Taxes, etc., would have to be paid anyway.

The state which has been one of the forerunners in lumber-
ing and forestry matte; s, should follow the example set by
Pennsylvania and devote some of its rocky land which is not
good for agriculture to trees and in time have a revenue that
will surpass its mineral lands or any other asset it now has.

U'hile there arc fire hemlocks in the United States, only two
are of any commercial importance, common hemlock and West-
ern hemlock. Of these tivo Western hemlock makes the better
lumber.

The Philippine bureau of forestry uses a launch for service be-
tween islands. The l\ S. forest service employs several, both
on inland lakes and in salt water, in Alaska and Florida.

Trunk manufacturers in Colorado are abandoning the usual
bass-^'ood and cottonwwod for the trunk box, and arc turning to
llngelmann spruce, which combines lightness, strength, and ease
of working.

A randier Jias applied for tlie rental of 320 acres on the Pike
national forest, Colorado, to be used in connection with other
private land, for raising elk as a commercial venture.

Tlie government has just sold 43,000 cords of cedar wood for
shingles from the Washington national forest. The shingle man-
ufactured from this wood, laid si.v inches to the weather, would
cover 2l/2 square miles of roof.

11

«3

What Federal Co-operation Has Done

143

INCREASED efficiency in the state service and fire loss
reduction in the Northern Minnesota forests of 25 per
cent during 1913 are among the results of the aid given
to the state by the federal government, according to a report
prepared by State Forester William T. Cox and forwarded
to Washington January 1.

The state received $10 ,000 from the federal forest service
for the protection of forests at the headwaters of navigable
streams. This is the maximum amount given to any state,
Washington, Oregon and Maine being the only others to re-
ceive this appropriation. The money is distributed under the
terms of the Weeks law.

According to the report, the federal appropriation paid for
one-fourth of the cost of the forest patrol system during 1913.
As a result the money which would otherwise have been used
for this purpose from the state funds was used for mapping,
trail-making and the building of telephone lines and fire-
breaks. It was possible for the patrolmen to devote much of
their time to the work of improvement during the season
when the danger of fire was not great.

500 Patrolmen Employed.

During last year there were 193 state and 157 federal pa-
trolmen employed. In addition the railroads employed 126
patrolmen along their rights-of-way in the forest country, and
townships hired 27 men in fire protection work.

The report says that the heaviest fire losses occurred dur-
ing April. The total loss for the year in Minnesota amounted
to $100,000, of which $90,000 was due to fire during the dry
period last spring.

The people of Northern Minnesota have co-operated with
the service, due in a large degree to the presence of the
federal patrolmen, says Mr. Cox. He adds:

12

The way Pines Cones are heated at the Cloquet Forest Station

Calls Aid Justified.

"It is not possible to express in dollars and cents the direct
protective value of the federal paid patrol. It is safe to say,
however, that without the improvement work which it has
made possible the efficiency of the patrol force in the field
would have been reduced 25 iper cent. Or, in other words,
the fire loss in Minnesota would have been increased one-
fourth. Instead of being $10'0,G|00, it would have been nearly
$125,000, and might have been much more. No small part
of the increased loss would have been borne by the growing
forests which protect the navigable streams and their head-
waters in the vicinity of which much improvement work has
been done. It., is clearly the duty of the federal government
to assist at least in preventing the destruction of forests
which influence stream flow. Hence its financial aid has
been amply justified."

13

s

The Forestry Club

(College of Forestry)

$

THREE principal events marked December for the For-
estry Club of the College of Forestry.

On Wednesday evening, the 10th, the club gave a
dancing party in the new engineering building on the campus.
There were just enough couples to insure a really good time.
Mr. and Mrs. Dillon P. Tierney chaperoned.

On Monday evening, December 15, the Dramatic Club of
the university produced "A Pair of Spectacles" in the agri-
cultural chapel, under the Forestry Club's auspices. A neat
sum rewarded the work of the committee in charge, which
will be devoted to the purposes of the club.

Semi-annual election of officers occurred at a special meet-
ing December 15th. Geo. C. Lindeberg was elected president,
Frank Dunn vice president, and Oscar S. Johnson secretary.
The new officers assume their duties next semester. The
present treasurer, S. A. Graham, holds over for the entire
year.

The seniors will be absent in January on an inspection
trip, really a month's work at hard labor, in the Northern
lumber camps. From the information gained, each one will
write a report on lumbering costs and conditions. This an-
nual absence of the seniors, and the exodus of the juniors in
April, depletes the members of the club considerably twice
a year. Nevertheless, the under-classmen will maintain an
active interest in the club and keep it going.

The forest service collected 40,000 pounds of tree seed last year
for use in reforestation work. The total area reforested was
about 30,000 acres.

There is promise of a large turpentine, industry in West and
Southwest, the raw product being supplied by the resinous gum
of Western yellow pine.

14

The Problem of Taxation

THERE is no taxation problem facing the people of Min-
nesota of greater importance than that of the taxation
of forests. This problem must be met and it must be
met soon. Legislators will be asked to consider it seriously
during the next session. In view of the importance of this
proposed legislation it will be of great benefit to open up a
discussion of the subject. The reiport of the special sub-
committee which reported to the national conservation con-
gress is herewith presented. The North Woods will publish
the views of the people of Minnesota on this subject. Con-
tributions will be welcomed. The conservation congress re-
port follows:

"All sound authorities agree that the forest crop should
not be taxed until harvested. They disagree somewhat as
to the degree to which the land tax also should be deferred
in order to insure the desired result, as to the extent to which
reform should be based on conditions under which the forest
owner contracts certain performance, and as to concessions
of theory to expediency generally.

Objects Sought in Taxation of Timber.

"A consensus of opinion, however, is that the following
objects should be sought:

1. The perpetuation of forests in private hands by wise
use.

2. Greater permanent revenue to state and county than is
possible under the present system of destroying the taxable
source.

3. Assurance that the total burden of taxation will have
a fair relation to the income obtained, making the tax bur-
den on forest growing as nearly as possible proportionate to
the burden borne by other kinds of useful industry.

4. Assurance that the owner will do his share to make
and keep the land productive.

15

5. Assurance to the owner that future action by the com-
munity will not confiscate any property resulting from his
effort.

6. Division of 'risk, so both owner and community will
seek highest production and safety from fire.

7. Simplicity in adoption and operation.

Practically all forest tax reforms along these lines, whether
already adopted in Europe or this country or now being
agitated, fall, under the following classification or are com-
binations thereof:

1. Annual taxation of deforested land, solely upon its land
value unenhanced by any growth thereon, with no taxation
of the crop when harvested or at most only at the rate then
prevailing for personal property.

2. No annual taxation of the land, but a yield tax upon
the harvest at a compensating Tate specified now by law
(from 15 to 20 per cent is usually suggested).

3. A compromise between the two above by applying both
an annual land tax and a yield tax, each reduced accordingly.
Various ways of reducing the annual tax are proposed, a com-
mon one being a flat assessment prescribed by law, sugges-
tion varying from $1 to $4 an acre. The best authorities seem
to favor fixing it at about half the prevailing rate and re-
stricting the yield tax to 10 per cent.

"Either of the three plans outlined is logical. Their rela-
tive merit is a question of expediency, taking into account
the time at which the community most needs the tax and
the time at which the forest grower can best pay it. The
ultimate amount paid would be the same in all, if the yield
tax is scientifically based on the productive value of the land,
which is the only correct basis.

To Encourage Reforesting.

"For taxing new forests the following plan is presented:
1. Any land in this state which has been practically de-
nuded of the merchantable timber thereon by cutting or by
fire but is adaptable for growing new forests may, at the
option and request of the owner, be separately classified

16

White Pine Cones with Seed Extracted

under the title of reforestation land and which so classified
shall be taxed in the manner set forth in this act, in lieu of
all other taxes except such as may be imposed by law upon
improvements other than forest growth.

2. Classification of land under this act shall be by the
state forester, who shall determine whether all or part of any
land covered by application therefor is suitable for refor-
estation and prescribe for all lands separately classified for
this purpose such regulations as shall be necessary to insure
the growing and protection of new forests thereon.

3. Application for such classification shall be made to the
state forester upon blanks by him provided and contain such
information as he requires, including a legal description and
plat of the tract or tracts and a guarantee to pay the reason-
able expenses of any further examination he may direct.

17

4. In case the state forested shall find that any or all of
the land covered by an application is suitable, he shall be
empowered to enter on behalf of the state into a contract
with the properly authorized owner of the land which shall
condition its separate classification as reforestation land, and
its continuance under su'ch classification, upon compliance
with regulations for fostering and protecting forest growth
on lands so classified and with all other provisions except it
shall be provided that if the state forester shall at any tin^e
find the timber upon the tract or part thereof sufficient!)*
mature and merchantable to be either cut or more properly
taxed [under] laws then existing for the taxation of mature
timber, he may require the owner to elect between its cut-
ting and taxation under this act within two years or its re-
classification under said laws for the taxation of mature
timber.

5. Upon acceptance and execution of such a contract, the
land covered thereby shall be separately classified as re-
forestation land by the state forester, who shall certify to
this effect to the owner and to the assessor of the county
wherein the land lies, forwarding the latter a plat and de-
scription thereof. Upon such certification to the county as-
sessor, said land and the forest growth then or thereafter
thereon shall be separated for purposes of taxation as long

'as said separate classification continues. The assessor when
making the annual assessment shall assess only the value of
the land alone, not enhanced by reason of any forest growth
thereon, and upon no higher basis than upon which he as-
sesses contiguous or nearby wild unforested land of the same
character not separately classified under the act. No tax
shall be paid upon the timber until it is cut, when it shall
be assessed and taxed upon its full stumpage value at the
rate then applied to general property in the same county.

6. Before the owner of such land cuts or permits the cut-
ting of any forest material thereon he shall notify the county
assessor of the extent and duration of the proposed cutting
and the assessor shall determine and advise him as to the
necessary frequency and dates of such reports of the cutting
as may be required for proper assessment of the timber cut.

18

In compliance therewith the owner shall as required make
or cause to be made to the assessor sworn statements of the
kind, qaulity and quantity of material cut, and, unless shown
to be in error, such statements shall be the basis of assess-
ing and taxing its stumpage value as hereinbefore provided.
If there is reason to believe that any statement of timber
cut is incorrect or incomplete or there is failure to make
such statement, there may be required from the owner or
his agents such further information as may be deemed neces-
sary and in event of inability by the county assessor to arrive
at a correct assessment the state forester may, upon request,
designate an agent to conduct an examination who shall have
access to any books or papers bearing upon the matter. Any
person or corporation who shall fail to file any sworn state-
ment required by this section shall be liable for the cost of
any such examination thereby necessitated and shall also
pay, in addition to such cost and the tax found to be due, 10
per cent of the stumpage value of the material determined
to have been cut, and if any person shall wilfully falsify or
cause to be falsified any statement required by this section
he shall be liable for the costs of examination and the full
value of the material cut and also be guilty of perjury and
liable to indictment and punishment therefor under the laws
of this state.

7. All taxes due under this act shall be due and collect-
ible as other taxes in the state and subject to the same liens
and processes of collection. Taxes due thereunder upon for-
est material shall be a lien upon all the owner's land and
timber classified thereunder, until ipaid, and in event of the
possibility that removal of forest material upon which taxes
due are not paid may leave insufficient security therefor, the
assessor may, if he deems necessary, require sufficient bond
to insure their payment.

8. Failure on the part of any owner of lands separately
classified under this act to comply with any provision thereof
or of the agreement upon which its classification is condi-
tioned shall be cause for cancellation by the state forester of
the certificate of classification, in which event the state for-
ester shall notify the county assessor and the timber shall

19

be at once taxed in a sum equivalent, as far as this may be
determined, to the accumulation of the taxes it would have
paid if not separately classified; provided, that this section
shall not prevent dissolution of the contract and reclassifi-
cation of the land without penalty at any time by mutual
consent of the owner and the state forester on behalf of the
state.

9. To the end that cutting of standing timber shall be
conducted so as to place the land in the best condition for
reforesting, uncut forest land may be subject to examination,
plan and contract as provided for by this act and the sep-
arate classification of the land for taxation shall take effect
within one year after the standing timber is cut and removed
in full compliance with the terms of said contract.

Taxing Mature Lumber.

"For taxing mature forests the following is the summary
of the plan:

1. Owners of mature timber may apply to state forester
for separate classification, agreeing in event of approval to
co-operate in fire prevention and apply precaution in logging
to a specified extent as long as classification continues.

2. Certification of classification made by state forester to
owner, county assessor and tax commission. Assessor there-
after includes only land value in annual assessment. Land
tax paid annually.

3. Forest material taxed only where cut, at rate, (deter-
mined as previously described), amounting to present rate
on full value applied to full value at time of cutting and
multiplied by number of years since classification, provided
that in ten years and every ten years thereafter tax commis-
sion with advice of forest board may readjust this rate If
necessary to prevent from becoming excessive.

4. Provision for establishing value of cut and preventing
fraud.

5. State treasurer keeps account with each county, debit-
ing or crediting each, and drawing from or paying to county

20

treasurer, as necessary to equalize excesses or deficiencies
due to yield tax system and its dependence upon quantity
cut locally. If, due to insufficient development of lumber
industry, total yield tax fails to permit satisfactory equal-
ization between counties, state issues bonds to meet defi-
ciency, payable after increased cutting, stimulation of forest
preservation, etc., permit placing burden on chief benefici-
aries.

6. Penalties for bad faith.

The navy department has asked the forest service to investi-
gate uuijo, a Philippine wood, for possible use in decking boats
and ships. Longleaf pine, sugar maple, and beech are the do-
mestic woods most used for decks.

The state university lands in Arizona are to be lumbered under
a co-operative agreement between the government and the state
land commission. Arizona is the first state in the Southwest and
one of few in the country to cut its timbered lands on forestry
principles.

The annual meeting of the American Forestry Association will
be held in Washington on January 14. A president, twenty-one
vice presidents, a treasurer, an auditor and five directors are to
be elected and plans made for an active campaign for forest con-
servation during 1914. The association has 8,000 members.

German pencil manufacturers are looking to California in-
cense cedar for pencil wood. The establishment of a pencil fac-
tory in California is not improbable.

More than 120 million board feet of timber was given away
free by the government last year to settlers and miners living in
or near the national forests,

The forest service maintains nine experiment stations for
studies in reforestation and similar subjects.

21

1

National Organization to Study
Forest Insect Problem

®

THE enormous losses due to forest insects have led to
the formation of a society for the advancement of for-
est entomology in America. The members of this so-
ciety hold that the work of insects has not received the at-
tention which it deserves.

Henry S. Graves, U. S. forester, the newly elected president
of the society, on being asked about the purposes of the or-
ganization, said that they were, in general, to call attention
to the part which insects play in forest problems. "We have
had," he said, "widespread and specific interest in insect pests
such as the San Jose scale and the boll weevil, which affect
all of us as to what we eat and what we wear. Forest in-
sects through their destruction of timber increase the cost of
a necessity which enters quite as much into the daily life
of the individual as do the products of the field and orchard.
If the importance of the protection of our forest resources
from insect depredations is generally recognized, a large part
can be prevented or avoided.

"Right now in the national forests the bureau of entomology
and the forest service are co-operating to stop insect ravages
by discovering their beginnings, and stamping them out. A
few isolated trees attacked by insects may form the nucleus
of a mountainside devastation quite as serious as that from
a forest fire. The opportunity for combatting insects, how-
ever, is in one respect better than that in the case of a fire,
which runs rapidly, because it takes several years for an in-
sect devastation to spread until it becomes of such propor-
tions as that which overspread the yellow pine forests in the
Black Hills in 1906. Watchful care on the part of forest
officers, lumbermen, and private individuals will make it pos-
sible to catch these infestations before they get a good start.
By cutting and burning the trees, or stripping off the bark,
the insects can be killed. As in all such cases, an ounce of
prevention is worth a pound of cure."

23

"Who make up the membership of the organization?" was'
the next question asked of Mr. Graves.

"It is open to anyone interested in the subject," Mr. Graves
replied. "It seems to me that the relation of forest insects
to fore'st (protection touches almost everyone. Of course we
expect that new members shall be recommended by the pres-
ent membership, which is made up largely of persons who
have studied the forest insect problem at first hand. In
order, however, that the objects of the society shall be kept
foremost, it is required that at least four of the seven officers
must be chosen from among professional forest entomologists.
It is expected that honorary vice presidents representing fed-
eral, state, and private interests will be elected to promote
the objects of the organization in many localities through the
country."

"How will these objects be attained?"

"In the first place, the objects of the society are largely
educational. As in all questions of large public importance,
the main idea is to give the public an opportunity to know
just how important they are. In the second place, the so-
ciety will form a clearing house for information, and its meet-
ings will discuss the most advantageous methods of insect
control. Take, for example, the ravages of the gypsy moth
and the brown-tail moth in the Northeastern states. If we
can bring about a general knowledge of these insects and
of the harm they do, and are able to instill into the mind of
the individual the necessity for and the proper methods of
their control, how much easier it will be to combat them
than when the work is confined only to governmental agen-
cies!"

There are 16 maples in the United 'States, most of them being
Eastern species. The most valuable, not only because of the
product of its sap but also of the lumber, is sugar maple.

It has been demonstrated that over-grazed stock ranges on the
national forests can be brought back to use under a system of
regulated grazing faster than if they are left unused.

24

s

The

Forest

Ranger's

Work

S

THE place the forest ranger will bold in the history of
America is now being made. America has had many
romantic heroes, the early trapper, the cowboys of the
plains, etc. Now there is but the one outdoor hero remain-
ing,— the forest ranger.

The work he does, the things he accomplishes, will always
remain of interest to the American public. In a recent fea-
ture article in The Chicago Tribune, the forest ranger was
called "outdoor America's only remaining romantic hero."
This article set forth in "racy" style some of the problems
the fire fighter has to meet. It is worth quoting.

"The forest ranger must know his arithmetic well," says
the Chicago Tribune story. "He must see that the growth
of timber is not injured by injudicious cutting. He must
select the trees that are to be cut and he must be able to
scale the timber at the mill, to see that cutting in excess of
contract is not being done. And always — always, night and
day, there is a thing for which he must be waiting, watching,
ready.

"The forest is being swept by the fire monster! Its tongue
of flame lashes to a height of 100 feet above the treetops —
200 feet above the ground. Its hot breath climbs until the
quiet of the autumn day is lapped into a roaring wind. Its
appetite is whetted by resin and turpentine and its forked
tongues flash out to span rivers and even lakes.

"If the scene could be contemplated calmly there would be
something grand and fascinating in the terrible spectacle.
The flames dash from treetop to treetop as beacon lights
flashing along a distant shore. The fires climb giant firs with
the rapidity of a lightning flash. Cinders descend in great
showers and sparks shoot from the blazing forest like rockets.
The flames rush through the woods with the roar of artillery
and the fury of a wild thing. Otherwise the woods seem
strangely silent, as if deserted by all animal life. And it is

25

well, for nothing could have lived in that pathway of flames.
Here and there a belated settler dashes out of the smoke and
the blaze into the road and joins in the flight toward safety,
but as a rule everyone has gone long before. Everything has
been turned over to the flames to do with as they please.

On, on the fire fiend rushes at a speed of ten miles an hour,
maintained and unabated for days at a time. And then — as
far as the eye can see everything is burned. Not a scrap of
green is left in the waste. The ground is covered with ashes,
in places six inches deep. A lumber camp is located by a
sidetrack and the trucks of a train that was burned. Not
even the ashes of the lumber piles remain — the wind was so
strong that they were blown away.

Wreaked Havoc Over Miles.

Those acquainted with the history of the great woods are
familiar with the tragedies caused by the fire monster in the
period before the fire fighting brigades maintained by the
government became what they are today.

One of the earliest forest fires was the great Miramichi
fire of 1825. It began its great destruction about 1 o'clock
in the afternoon of an October day at a place about sixty
miles above the town of Newcastle on the Miramichi river
in New Brunswick. Before 10 o'clock at night it was twenty
miles below Newcastle. In nine hours it had destroyed a
belt of forest eight miles long and twenty-five miles wide.
Over more than 2,500,000 acres every living thing was killed.
Even the fish were afterwards found dead in heaps on the
river banks. One hundred and sixty persons perished and
nearly 1,000 head of stock. The loss was estimated at $300,-
000, not including the value of the timber.

The Peshtigo fire of October, 1871, was still more severe
than the Miramichi. It covered an area of more than 2,000
square miles in Wisconsin and involved a loss in timber and
other property of many millions of dollars. Between 1,200
and 1,500 ipersons perished, including half of the population
of Peshtigo, at that time a town of 2,000 inhabitants.

Another most destructive fire started near Hinckley, Minn.,

26

Young Oaks from Acorns

Sept. 1, 1894, when the loss of life and property was heavy.
Hinckley and six other towns were destroyed, and except for
the heroic conduct of locomotive engineers and other railroad
men the loss of life would have been much greater.

In 1908 the forest fires made 12,000 persons homeless in
Minnesota and Wisconsin, destroyed four towns, and caused
a loss of $3,750,000. After the monster had gone its way the
town of Chisholm, Minn., particularly, presented a scene of
ruin and desolation. Blackened and smoking piles of charred
wood, little heaps of gray ashes, scorched gaunt skeletons of
brick and mortar, all canopied with a dense pall of smoke,
comprised what was one of the most nourishing towns on
the great Mesaba range.

Toll of Dead Unknown.

The fire monster that once had such free reign over the
forests holds as its own secret the details of hundreds of
instances where human beings caught in its mad sweep failed
in their flight for safety. But each big disaster has had1 its
known train of suffering to stir the government into more
strenuous effort to smother the demon.

During the big Northern Minnesota fire rescuing parties
brought into Warroad the bodies of seventy-five persons killed
in the fires which were burning over the surrounding country,
and they reported that they saw scores of bodies but were
unable to recover them. Several families were known to
have plunged directly into the deep woods with the approach
of the blaze, with the result that they were cut off without a
chance to escape. Two thousand fugitives escaped from
Beaudette in a long train of boxcars. The mob of men,
women, and children waited' for the train while their homes
were in flames. The track over which they escaped ran
through the forest fire for miles and they were forced to
Gross many burning bridges.

At the time of the Michigan fire in 1908 a 10-year-old boy
came into Millersburg carrying in his pocket handkerchief
a little pile of ashes — all that remained of the incinerated
body of his little sister.

When fire swept the north fork of Lewis river in Cowlitz
county, Washington, in September, 1902, a party of nine pleas-
ure seekers had been camping at the foot of Mount St. Helens.
They were driving ahead of the fiery storm in an attempt to
reach the open prairie, when they suddenly found the road
barred by the fallen timber. There was no escape for them
and all perished together. When found by a relief party the
nine charred corpses lay close together near the iron — all
that remained of the wagon. The horses had managed to get
only a few steps from the wagon when they, too, became
victims.

On the occasion of this same fire one settler, when leaving
home in the morning, told his wife that should the flames
come near she was to take the children and seek refuge in
the green timber. She followed his advice, but the flames
devoured the green timber with fierce rapidity.

28

How They Start.

How do all these fires get started? The causes are many
but practically all can be classified as preventable. The usual
causes in the order of their frequency are: Railroad engines,
lightning, careless campers, fishermen and hunters! settlers
burning brush to clear land for cultivation; logging engines
and sawmills; malicious incendiaries.

The railroad's right-of-way is usually from ICiO to 200 feet
wide. In many places within, the national forests the brush
and debris has never been properly cleared up on the right-
of-way after the large timber has been removed, and dry punk
logs and debris form the most inflammable kind of material
for ignition by a spark from the engine. Despite the improve-
ment both in engines and spark arresters the railroads still
hold first place as a cause for forest fires.

The second cause of fires, and the only one which can be
classified as non-preventable, is lightning. During dry sea-
sons many electrical storms occur over mountain regions and
set numerous small fires when lightning strikes a tree and
starts a fire in the debris and humus on the ground below.
If the storm is accompanied by rain there is, of course, little
or no danger; but it is more usual for these mountain elec-
trical storms to be unaccompanied by rain.

Unfortunately many of the campers either are careless or
are ignorant of the proper handling of campfires. The care-
lessness takes the form of leaving the fires unextinguished
or in throwing about cigar or cigarette stumps or knocking
out pipes. The usual Turkish cigaret is a slow fuse that
burns continuously to the end. The ignorance is shown in
the failure to keep campfires small and in not building them
in fairly open spaces and away from punk logs and debris.

Many fires unquestionably have incendiary origin. Various
motives prompt this act, which is as hard to explain or to
anticipate as any other wanton violation of law. In addition
there are many fires which occur from miscellaneous causes
— the burning wad from a shotgun cartridge, the concentra-
tion of the sun's rays through a glass bottle.

29

Pillar of Smoke a Cry of Alarm.

Whatever be its cause, the faintest pillar of smoke in the
sky is the cry of alarm that calls the United States forest
rangers of the national forests into action. And the role of
the forest fighter is quite different from that of the city fire-
man. There is no clanging bell, no spectacular rush through
busy streets. No applause comes to his ears. He has gone
into the valley to replenish his supply of cold water from
the spring. As he climbs slowly up the steep side of the
mountain towards his "lookout" the pine needles crackle un-
der his heavy boots like little firecrackers in the dry, still
air, shimmering with waves of heat. Arriving at the top, he
mops his wet forehead and gives one swift, sweeping look
around the horizon that marks the limits of the 30,000 acres
of pine forest he is watching.

As his gaze has almost completed the circle he stops, one
hand raised and pointed toward the northeast. A small black
cloud seems to speck the heavens, and instantly he brings
his field-glass to bear upon the speck. His first impressions
are confirmed. A forest fire has started on the southern slope
of the second range of mountains to the northeast. He
watches it, motionless, for ten seconds. He gets his range-
finder to locate the flame more definitely than his vision,
trained to accurate measurement of space and location though
it is, could do. And then —

Fighting the Flames.

The forest becomes a scene of battle! Just such an emer-
gency has been prepared for. Every sawmill or railroad
force, every permanent cow camp, every logging operation
or other business going on in the woods has been carefully
listed. There are records which show how many men are
available at Jones' camp, how soon they can get on the
ground, how much provisions are kept on hand there. Notifi-
cation by telephone is made to the various camps. There is
a rush toward the danger that threatens.

A hand-to-hand conflict is on between the ranger's army
and the flames. Using gunnysacks, coats, whatever there is

30

at hand, the men go after the fire to try to beat it out. They
flail at the fire as though it were a den of shakes. Dirt, if it
is loose, is dug up and hurled upon the creeping foe. The
conflagration has broken out at too remote a place to permit
of the use of water or chemicals. In spite of the brave fight
it is gaining headway.

Light trenches are dug ahead of the enemy in its direct
line of march and the fight is made doggedly over these
trenches. But the timber has been exceedingly dry, the
wind gains strength, and the fire climbs the giant firs to the
tops. Now the foe begins to move along the tops of the trees.
It is a "crown fire" — the sort in which the greatest danger
lies. It moves with a new rapidity because of the air that
fans it. It begins to jump great distances. Sparks are thrown
for miles.

The foTest ranger issues a new order to his crew. A point
is selected some distance ahead of the fire and a trench is
dug; the trees are cut for a space twenty feet wide. Then
a back fire is set near enough to the advancing fire for the
back draft to bring the two together and cause them to burn
out.

It may be days before the fire is overcome. Then it will
be just the luck of the tired, blistered ranger if another blaze
breaks out in another part of the reserve.

A life that is hard as well as lonely? Perhaps. But the
green-clad ranger loves it.

Twenty states have published reports of their wood-using in-
dustries.

There are 703 bighorns or mountain sheep in the national for-
ests of Nevada.

A good grade of excelsior is being made from fire-killed Alpine
fir and llngelniann spruce in Colorado.

It is predicted that Western yellow pine zvill furnish an excel-
lent source of turpentine as the Southern pine becomes exhausted.

31

"Forest Schools the Foundation of Foresi Wealth.'

THE NORTH WOODS

Volume III. FEBRUARY, 1914 Number 2

A Recorder and Promoter of the Forestry Movement in Minnesota.

OFFICIAL BULLETIN OF THE MINNESOTA FORESTRY ASSOCIATION
AND THE STATE FOREST SERVICE.

Published Monthly for members of _the Minnesota Forestry Association

Annual Membership Fee $1.00. This includes membership in the Minnesota

Horticultural Society, entitling evrry such member to all privileges of

thit organization as well as the Forestry Association. Remittance

should be made payable to PHIL H. HANSON. Treas..

care State Forester's Office, State Capitol,

St. Paul. Minn.

Entered as Second Class Matter, September 14, 1912, at the Post Office at St.
Paul, Minnesota, under the Act of August 21, 1912.

CONTENTS

The Coming Convention ..... 3

The Passing of a Race ...... 5

Conservation of Life in the Lumber Camps . . 9
Working Together Some Results . . .14

Plans for Reforestration in Wisconsin . . .17
Division of Responsibility in Protective Work . 23
Income Tax Recognizes Forestry . . .28

g

The

Coming

Convention

$

THE executive comittee of the Minnesota Forestry asso-
ciation has selected March 24 and 25 as the dates for
the annual meeting. Subjects of the utmost importance
are to be discussed at this gathering and every effort will be
made to interest the largest number possible. The exact
meeting place has not yet been decided upon.

The preliminary plans already outlined indicate that this
coining meeting will be set a new record so far as forestry
meetings in Minnesota are concerned. Heretofore meetings
have been held in connection with other societies. The im-
portance of the topics coming up for discussion precluded any
possibility of a joint meeting this year and it was decided, to
have a two day session devoted entirely to forestry and kin-
dred subjects.

Big Men Coming.

The biggest men in the field will be asked to attend the
meeting and deliver addresses. Some of these have already
indicated their willingness to be present. Gifford Pinchot,
former chief forester, always interested in forestry policies
being pursued by the various states will be invited. Henry
Graves, present chief forester of the United States, is another
on the list of those requested to give addresses. W. T. Horna-
day, head of the New York Zoological gardens, looked upon as
the leader in the movement for the protection of big game in
the North American continent, will be asked to tell of legisla*
tion needed in Minnesota for the protection of the wild life.

The Predominant Issue.

The constitutional amendment providing for the setting
aside of non-agricultural lands for forestry purposes will occu-
py the attention of the convention. This subject is perhaps
predominant. Interest in it on the part of the people of the
state must be aroused almost to fever pitch if the amend-
ment is to prevail at the polls. There will be no better time
to start the active campaign of education on this amendment

than at this convention. Everyone interested in the matter
will see to it that he is well informed en the necessity of the
passage of such an amendment. There are irany reasons.
These wi?l all be brought out by the various speakers.

One session of the convention will be devoted to the wild life
of Minnesota. It is for this section of the program that Mr.
Hornaday is being invited. The steps necessary for further
protection of Minnesota's game and fish will be given a prom-
inent place. There will likely be an illustrated lecture in
this connection.

The lumbermen, the class of business men intimately con-
nected with forestry, will be represented and will have promi-
nent places assigned to them on the program. Some interest-
ing discussions are bound to follow the papers. Leaders in the
lumbering industry are to be invited to be present and speak.

The part the railroads must play in the forest protection will
also come in for attention. Heads of the railroads will be
asked to discuss policies they are pursuing.

The subject of forest taxation, one that is certain to come
before the next session of the legislature and one on which
there is much divergence of opinion, will be taken up.

The program for the association meeting is being so ar-
ranged that it will attract everyone interested in any phase
of the forestry question. Every member of the association is
asked to book the dates ahead of time and plan to be present.

Get Out and Hustle.

This will be a concrete way of displaying real interest in the
forestry movement in Minnesota. It will be one of spreading
the gospel of forest protection. It will be one of helping to
pass the constitutional amendment at the coming election.

If the meeting is well attended, the results to the forestry
movement in Minnesota will be untold. Everyone attending
the session will not fail to catch the spirit of the meetings.

Here's a chance to do some real missionary work. Adver-
tise the coming meeting. It is going to be the biggest thing
in Minnesota ever attempted along this line. The full details
of the program, etc., will be announced at a later date. In
the meantime, HUSTLE.

The Passing of a
Race

By "Bill" Allen

M

INNESOTA has seen
the passing of a race.
The lumberjack is
gone. Not that. Minnesota's
pine forests are gone, nor the
cutting of them. But the
lumberjack — the simon-pure
lumberjack— like only unto
himself is cleaned out of the
big woods.

The Passing Slow.
His passing has been slow,
his grip tenacious, but he has
finally succumbed. First his
original habitat in the Maine
woods was cut from around
him and he moved westward
into Michigan. There again,
he clung for a few years along
the Saginaw and then into
Wisconsin he was driven.
Finally across into Minnesota
and here he made his last
stand. There are still scat-
tering old grizzles here and
there, mourning for his fel-
lows, sticking around the
shanty growling at the brave
days that are gone. But he
has sunk to a mere "shanty
boss" or "bull cook" and
there, is rancor in his heart.
"Sacre," he mutters, "only
jabbering heathen here now,"
and his head shakes mournfully.

No Employment Offices Then.

What of the lumberjack, that has been sung in story, his
deeds placed besides those of the coeur d'bois, the early
voyageur and the extinct frontiersman? This is what. Early
in the fall he packed his turkey and hiked. Yes, hiked. There
were no employment offices to ship him and his mates like
cattle. Forty or fifty miles he would go straight into the
heart of the pineries. He said goodbye to town and red water
for the winter. He picked his boss. Chances were it was the
same boss he had worked for for years before. But at any
rate he picked and once picked his loyalty was settled for all
time. To him the bosses ambitions and trials and drivings
became personal. The season's cut became the one goal he
would work for with the last drop of energy in his knotty
body.

Poor Cooks Start Riots.

Money? Oh, just the usual wages, maybe $25 a month, —
wages and grub. Grub was really more essential than wages,
for if there was one thing the good old-time lumberjack de-
manded and would fight for quicker than anything else it was
good grub. A poor cook would start a riot and evacuation
where nothing else would pry a man loose till the last log
was on the landing in the spring. Twenty years ago, many
a bcss came out in the spring with the same crew he had
taken seven months before. Not a man flinched; not a man
quit.

The Winter grind.

Then the grind of the winter. There was the scrap among
the "sky-men" to see who could put the best peak on the load;
there was the scrap among the sawyers to see who could put
the best of logs on the skidways. There was the scrap among
the teamsters to see who could show up at the landing with
the biggest haul. Even the "road monkeys" were keen for
the slightest hint of the best piece of road on the job. There
was always the battle of red-blood and big tasks.

All winter long and never a trip to town, did these scraggy
old scamps fight and tug and haul, full of the joy of their job
and the anticipation of the spring to come.

The Last "Forty" Cleaned.

Then when the last "forty" cleaned, backs straightened
and the eye took a new light. There was the trip to town and
the winter's check, intact, with nothing to substract but the
"Peerless" and "Spearhead" of the wanagan.

Three days in town. That was all. No good lumberjack
ever required more. His stake went to the last cent. He
bought and bought lavishly. Drunk, dead drunk, all that time.
Then the awakening. Not a complaint, though. There was
never a lumberjack had a morning after. He knew it was
coming, had known it all the winter he was slaving. He had
had his fling. Then it was the drive and a month or so on the
boom, another stake, another drunk, a month or so in town,
then back to the woods and the cycle repeated itself. Those
were the lumberjacks in the days that have gone.

His place has been taken by the foreigner, the swamper,
the sawyer, and machinery. The hook men have been sup-
planted by the steam jammer. The ice roads by the iron rail.
The log shanties by the sawed lumber ones. The romance is
gone and once gone, the lumberjack pined and has disap-
peared.

Dr. C. D .Marsh, of the federal bureau of plant industry, is
dclh'crini) a series of illustrated lectures to stockmen in the West
on the subject of plants poisonous to stock.

The Biltinore forest school, established in 18^8 and therefore
the oldest forest school in America, has been discontinued. Dr.
C. .}. Schenck, its director, has returned to his home in Ger-
man \.

The forest service is compiling a new volume table for cal-
culating the board contents of standing ll'estern yellow pine trees
in the Southwest. It is based on actual measurements of 6,000
trees.

In trying to find uses for blight-killed chestnut, it has been
found that it cannot be utilized for crating stone; quarry owners
say that chestnut wood leaves an indelible stain on the marble
or granite.

1

s

Conservation of Life in the
Lumber Camps

By Miss Viable T. Boardman

$

THE Red Cross Societies in all countries, though primarily
organized to take charge of volunteer aid to the sick
and wounded in time of war, have broadened the scope
of their work to include the mitigating of suffering after great
disasters. To fulfill their duties sucessfully and efficiently
under both of these conditions necessitates the maintenance
of a permanent, if skeleton, organization with a trained,
skilled and experienced personnel. This means not only an
expenditure of considerable funds, but also the creation of
departments for special work. Organized and maintained,
these departments have proved not only of untold value dur-
ing war or disaster relief, but have become capable of ren-
dering a constant, patriotic and humane service to the country
in its every-day life.

The vital statistics of our country are as yet far from perfect,
and no data concerning accidents in the lumber industries
could be obtained from the Census Bureau. For this reason
we are forced to base our statistics on those obtained from
the State of Washington, where 47, 400* men are employed in
this industry. In twenty-three months' time we find 251 fatal
accidents occurred, 990 persons permanently partially dis-
abled, and 8,420 suffered from temporary total disability. To
bring this down to monthly averages gives us more than ten
killed, forty-three permanently partially disabled, and three
hundred and sixty-six temporarily disabled in one month.

I note in his address last year, Major E. T. Griggs said that
802,290 are employed in the lumber industry, one six-
teenth of that number being employed in the State of
Washington. We have no reason that I know of to assume
that lumbering is a more hazardous occupation in that
State than in any other. Therefor, I think we are jus-
tified in multiplying the above figures by sixteen for one
month, then multiplying this by twelve to obtain a rough esti-
mate for accident statistics in the entire lumber industry.
This will give us 1,920 killed, 8,256 permanently partially dis-

abled, and 70,272 temporarily totally disabled, annually; or
about 5 killed, 22 permanently partially disabled and 182 tem-
porarily totally disabled a day. This is, of course, an estimate
based on the Washington statistics, and may not be accurate
as to the rest of the country.

Major Griggs, in his address, said:

"With an industry affecting throughout the United States
over 45,000 sawmills and 800,000 employes, regardless of fam-
ilies dependent on them, you will agree with me that we are
all vitally interested in workmen's compensation."

If we are vitally interested in compensation laws, should
we not be still more vitally interested in the prevention of the
need of such compensation; that is, in the instructions for
the prevention of accidents and in the practical application of
first aid to the injured for the lessening of fatal, serious or
prolonged results of accidents when they do occur, interested
not only for the sake of 800,000 men employed, but for the fam-
ilies dependent on them?

There is almost no labor utilized in the lumber industries
that has not some danger involved in it. The sharp edge of the
axe or the jagged teeth of the saw in a moment may cause an
injury where unchecked hemorrhage will result in death in a
brief space of time. Physicians have signed many a death
certificate of men who bled to death from slight injuries and
whose lives might easily have been saved by some knowledge
of first aid. The application of cobwebs or some other tradi-
tional remedy to an open wound or the use of soiled rags in
binding it up often produce an infection with crippling or fatal
results.

There is danger to the sawyer from the falling tree, espe-
cially when a rotten heart or high wind makes the direction
of the fall uncertain; or on steep slopes if the tree shoots
sudenly downward, or if a badly strained tree breaks with
great force. The handling of the logs at the skidway and the
loading onto the trains require skill and agility on the part of
the loaders to avoid being caught and crushed by these great
pieces of lumber.

The temporary nature of most of the railroads provide their
share of accidents, and danger lurks even in their construc-
tion, in the blasting of stumps and rocks, and the thawing out

10

of dynamite in the colder camps. Nitroglycerin may be ab-
sorbed through the hands, causing severe headaches to the
men who use it.

Those who have never seen a lumber camp have yet had
vividly impressed upon them by graphic stories the hardships
to which the log drivers are exposed, the great personal dan-
ger to the river drivers in the excitement of freeing jammed
logs, when a single slip may mean the crushing out of life be-
tween the heavy logs or drowning in the water below them.
Nor does the danger end with the logging, for the saw-mills,
with their powerful and sharp-edged machinery, add their
quota to the number of yearly accidents.

Recognizing, as we must, the hazards, dangers and accidents
in the lumber industry, our desire is naturally aroused to do
something in the way of prevention and in extending to the
lumbermen the knowledge of first aid.

I note in the Washington law for workmen's compensation,
which is a sort of State insurance, the employers of labor
paying the premium, that if statistics show an undue number
of accidents among the employes of any given company be-
cause of poor or careless management, the rate charged that
company is increased. It seems to me this law should also be
made to work the other way, so that any company making a
good showing in the way of fewer accidents than may be
taken for the normal number, should have its rates corre-
spondingly reduced. Even if this is not done, the less that
has to be paid out in compensation by the State will have a
tendency to reduce the general rates paid by the companies.

The Red Cross will gladly co-operate with the Bureau of
Forestry and the lumber companies in arranging for first aid
instructions. Conditions in lumber camps differ greatly from
those in mines, railroads and other industrial plants. There
can rarely be physicians resident in such close proximity to
lumber camps that their services for instruction can be easily
made available. For this reason, it would be advisable to se-
cure the entire time of a certain number of doctors for this
purpose. To make an experiment — and we learn best by ex-
perience— the Red Cross makes this proposal: Towards a
fund of $3,000 it will contribute $500, if a number of lumber
companies in a given locality will club together to raise the

11

additional $2,.">im, each conti ibuting according to tile number
of their respective (amps and employes. This fund will pro-
vide for the salary and expenses of a physician specially
trained by the Red Cress for instruction to men engaged in
the lumber industry both for the prevention of accidents and
first aid to the injured. In connection with logging camps,
there should be added certain simple but important instruc-
tions in camp sanitation for the benefit of the general health
of all the men.

Such a doctor devoting his entire time to this work would
travel from camp to camp. In cases of remote camps, he
would stay Icng enough to give the men daily instruction for
a short time. In cases where a number of camps could be
reached moie easily from one place, he would arrange to give
one or two lessons a week at each camp. The classes are
formed from volunteers who are given practical training.
The men soon realize the importance of such knowledge and
are anxious to learn. Even those who gather abcut as spec-
tatois pick up not a little useful information. Each camp
should be supplied with first aid outfits suitable to the needs
of logging accidents, and these the men taught how to use.
This is naturally but a tentative p'an, with many details to
be worked out; but may I commend it to the consideration of
tbose interested in the lumber industry and suggest that they
apopint a committee or representative to confer with the first
aid department cf the Red Cross upon this matter?

Again I am tempted to quote from Major Griggs' able ad-
dress. He said:

"Legging is a hazardous life at the very best and calls for
strong, dare-devil men and men who are willing to take
chances. Danger is always present and men become so used
to it that they get careless. This, however, is no excuse for
needless loss of life and limb."

He commends: "the benefit of co-operative effort in con-
serving human life and in protecting the bread-winners, upon
which depend the life and happiness of so large a population."

The American Red Cross offers to do its share in this co-
operation for the conservation of the life of the lumber-jacks
in the logging camps throughout our country.

13

1

Working

Together— Some

Results

®

THE results the Weeks law has accomplished and the
promise which it gives for future accomplishment was
the basis of th« discussions at a conference held in
Washington recently by representatives of states receiving
federal aid. The conference was attended by men from all
of the New England states, New York, New Jersey, Pennsyl-
vania, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina,
Ohio, Michigan, Minnesota, Oregon and Washington.

A report of the conference has just been issued by the fed-
eral department of agriculture.

Ideas Exchanged.

The representatives of the various states exchanged ideas
on the subjects related to forest protection and considered
means for tetter legislation in all of the states.

The meeting was called to discuss the section of the Weeks
law which authorizes co-operation between the federal gov-
ernment and the states in protecting from fire forests sit-
uated on the watersheds of navigable streams. The confer-
ence considered not only the details of carrying out the law,
but the results which the law has accomplished and the prom-
ise which it gives of future accomplishment.

The various subjects discussed included patrol work, co-
operation with private owners of timberland, and co-operation
with other protective agencies and with railroads. The con-
ference is said to have established beyond a doubt the great
value of fire lookout stations and towers, and the imperative
need of telephone communication, as well as other permanent
construction work, to include roads and trails. In all of these
activities the value of co-operation between the various
agencies was emphasized, and it was brought out that effi-
ciency could be raised and expenses lowered when state,
nation, lumber companies, and private individuals work
together in accordance with a plan evolved by all.

14

Slash Disposal.

It was shown that the disposal of the slash left after lum-
bering means the elimination of a great source of danger
from fires. In some cases it was shown that it was best to
dispose of this material by burning it under supervision when
there was little danger from fire. In other cases it was proved
to be sufficient to Lop the branches, so that all would lie close
to the ground and decay quickly.

In the discussion of actual fire fighting it was pointed out
that the secret of the suppression and control of fires in the
woods is not essentially different from that in the city, and
lies in having a trained and dependable fire-fighting organiza-
tion.

Receipts from ihc use of national forest resources were (/reat-
est in .-I rise, mi last vear.

Railroads caused nearly half the forest fires in Colorado and
iryominy last year, and almost one-sixth were set by light niny.
In California lii/htnin;/ started more than half, with railroads a
comparatively insignificant cause.

Two tons of cascara bark have just been sold from the Sius-
law national forest, Oregon, at one cent a pound.

The northernmost national forest is the Chugacli in Alaska:
the southernmost is the Luquillo in Porto Rico.

!•<>]• shiinjles alone. 75') ;/////;•;/ feet of timber is cut in that
part of the state of U'ashiin/ton which lies west of the Cas-
cades.

The American forestry Association has just elected Henry S.
Drinker, president of Leh'ujli 1'niversity, and P. S. Ridsdale, as
its president and secretary, respectively.

15

. »a

«

Plans for Reforestation
in Wisconsin

s

THE state of Wisconsin is planning an extensive system
of reforestraticn. There is considerable opposition to
the scheme on ihe part of several interests. Land coin-
panles, for instance, owning cut-over lands, are lined up
against the new policies. Then, too, even county officers are
fighting the proposed measures. But the work is going to go
en, say those in Wisconsin interested in forestry.

Wisconsin is iv.uch like Minnesota. In the neighboring
state, however, the great pine forests were denuded until
hardly a stick of the "cork pine" can be found. The refores-
traticn schemes being pushed in Wisconsin will be of inter-
est to those in Minnesota interested in this same subject.
Wisconsin's problems are similar to those that Minnesota
faces. A review of the Wisconsin situation will for that rea-
m prove of inteiest.

Northern Wisconsin has a wonderful tract of over 1,000,000
:res, the natuial habitat of the pine giants. Studded in this
-ea are thousands of lakes. The million acres of proposed
>rest reserve is largely land better suited to forestry than
sriculture, and in most cases agricultural lands are badly
scattered, but the forestry board is entirely willing to help
build up communities where there is a sufficient area of
agricultural land. This enormous tract, almost unpopulated
except for owners of summer resorts, is the section selected
by the state for a great forest reserve, a prcje^t with three-
fold aims:

First. This forest is planned to become a source of rev-
enue to the state by the production and sale of pine timber.

Second. This timber area, headwaters of great rivers,
would provide a reservoir, a natural storage place, for water
to be used in industrial plants on these streams, in the new,
rapidly growing centers of the state.

Third. The establishment in the North of a great summer
resort area, of enormous value for the amount of money an-

17

nually spent by city seekers for recreation in the open air.

This reforestration problem, according to State Forester
Edward M. Griffith, who is leading the battle for the preser-
vation of the forests, is intensely practical in every one of
these three phases.

On the Black Forest Plan.

The first phase of the problem, the sale of timber, is the
same as that which has been successfully demonstrated in
the Black Forest of Germany, and is practical, not mere
theory. : ,

Wisconsin, though once a great timber state, and now
chiefly prominent industrially for the number and variety of
its woodworking plants, is already calling on other states and
Canada, as well as Mexico and the tropics, for $20,000,000
worth of timber a year. Unless the source of supply is kept
intact, these industrial plants will inevitably, as fable tells
of Mohammed, go to the mountain. Wisconsin's problem,
therefore, is to keep the supply existent, forming the double
economical gain of the sale of this enormous value of tim-
ber by keeping within the state the industries now employ-
ing tens of thousands of workingmen, and maintaining whole
cities by the wages of these men and their expenditures with
the shopkeepers of those cities.

Not less valuable, however, from a financial value, is the
water-power benefit to be derived from the maintenance of
the reservoirs in the headwaters of the streams which plunge
over great rapids from the lake region of the North to the
slower flowing Mississippi.

Enormous Development Possible.

Wisconsin's water-power, potential, is about one million
horse-power, or more than four times the total power of
Niagara, and a large part of this great total is derived di-
rectly from the Northern lake region, the district proposed
as a forest reserve. The forest reserve is, fortunately for
the plans of the state, inclusive of the larger portion of the
lake region, which is nearly worthless agriculturally, but the
home of the pine tree. It is not necessary to go into the prin-
ciples of forestry as related to water flowage, and the feser-

18

voir phase of extensive timber tracts, except to point out
that these well-known principles, applied in the headwaters
of the Wisconsin rivers, will mean an enormous development,
eventually, of the cities along these streams, for hundreds of
miles below the source of the waters.

The forest reserve is at the headwaters of several river
systems, rivers flowing into the Mississippi river, Lake Mich-
igan and Lake Superior, from within a radius of half a dozen
ii'iles. Each of these rivers, in the 600-foot descent to the
irain bodies, provides a series of rapids, each capable of de-
veloping its own industrial center. On the Wisconsin river,
for instance, there are the cities of Merrill, Wausau, Stevens
Point, Grand Rapids, with an average population already of
over 10,000, and still in their industrial infancy. The use of
the natural forest reservoirs, retaining the water for the sum-
mer, instead of subjecting the river courses to disastrous
early spring floods, followed by comparative drouth, is pro-
posed to be supplemented by artificial reservoirs, the lakes
most tactically suitable for enlargement with storage reser-
voirs being secured under state supervision, by private cor-
Iporations, and the flowa^e being retained until most needed
for the industrial operations along the streams.
The financial value of this part of the state's conservation
problem is impossible to be figured in dollars and cents.
Summer Resort Area.
The third of the chief aims of the state forest service, the
development of a great playground, a summer resort area,
conserved in part for the fishermen and hunters, seems to
be the least of the three from an economic standpoint. But
in many ways it is the most important. While in the eventual
scheme of things it might become least of the three in finan-
cial value to the state, at present' it is the most immediately
productive, and even though apparently a devoting of stale
resources to the rich sportsmen, must be considered as a
revenue producer to the state.

Wisconsin's receipts last year from summer resorters to-
taled nearly $700,000, and when the district is developed for
the West as the Adirondacks are for the East, Maine's figures
as $20,000,000, New York and New Hampshire with $10,000,000

19

•each, will be equalled if not surpassed. The growth of the
business is shown by railroad reports of last year, one train
out of Chicago carrying thirteen sleepers for the. forest re-
serve area on a single Saturday night. Chicago people leave
that city at 6 o'clock at night, and by daylight are in the
heart of the woods, 400 miles north of their homes, ready to
eat breakfast with a guide on some bass-populated lake.

There are already ninety-one resorts in the reserve area,
and last year they cared for over 13,000 visitors, with a le-
tum financially of $350,000. So, this third part of the pro-
gram is not negligible as a financial investment for the state.

Annual Value of Six Millions.

Roughly tabulated, therefore, Wisconsin's forest reserve
can be estimated at the following annual value, in ten years
from now, presuming that present plans are not blocked by
the petty private interests which would rob the state of an
income of tens of millions, that they might themselves reap
a few thousands:

Sale of timber, leases, etc $1,000,000

Resort receipts 5,000,000

Total $6,000,000

Six million dollars a year, not including the water-power
value, is a considerable sum for a state to derive from its policy
of conservation, yet this possibilitp is imperiled chiefly at pres-
ent by the interests of a few land companies which wish to
colonize this forest reserve area, and reap profit by selling
to colonists at $15 an acre land which the state is buying for
less than $4 and also by the grasping for a few thousand dol-
lars, by officials of the Northern counties, which have thrived
by heavy taxation on lands owned by lumber companies.

The fight against the forest reservation has been a steadily
declining battle; two years ago the lumbermen being its chief
opponents. Four years ago the water-power interests were
active, and again active work was staved off. Now, a third
effort is being made by the land companies and the officials
of the Northern counties.

Xo\v has come the hardest fight of all, the battle with the

21

small landholders who are trying to hold up purchases of
lands by the state, so that the other land can be sold at a
higher price to settlers who would probably find their hold-
ings valueless for agriculture. The officials of the various
counties, which collect large sums in taxes from the present
owners of the lands, sums which give these counties a far
higher proportionate income than the more settled parts of
the state enjoy, are also fighting the extension of the forest
reserve.

For the present these enemies of the modern theory of
reforestration have won a victory. Their efforts to force a
delay have been successful, the state refusing to authorize
any more expenditures for purchases of more land in the
reserve area until another survey of the soil has been made
to determine if it is suitable for agriculture. If not, the land
will go eventually to the reserve, but in two years the price
may have soared like a skyrocket, making the added cost of
the reserve enormous.

Griffith Outlines Policy.

The forest policy of the state, according to State Forester
Griffith, is being worked out to accomplish the following ob-
jects :

"1. The protection of extensive forests upon the head-
waters of four important rivers.

"2. Supplying the wood-using industries of the state with
a considerable amount of timber, thereby, it is hoped, keep-
ing many of them within the state.

"3. Preserving the forests in the beautiful lake region of
Northern Wisconsin.

"Fire is the greatest enemy of the forests of Northern Wis-
consin, but the state board of forestry is doing everything in
its power to protect the forest reserves from this scourge.

"Over 200,000 young trees have been planted, and the for-
est nurseries now contain more than 1,400,000 seedlings, so
that within two years the state will be planting from 1,000,000
to 1,500,000 trees annually."

The war department is reforesting a large area near Fort
Bayard, New Mexico, for use as an army hospital site.

22

1®

Division of Responsibility in
Protective Work

By Henry .c. Graves, chief V. S. forester

2

(P;i| er picpnrcd for recent meelinjz of Western Foresiei v ;unl
Co:»serv.ition ;issoei;itlon meeting, held in Vancouver)

THE ir.ost important single factor in forest fire preven-
tion is the weather. Where the rains are regularly dis-
tributed during the year the problem, of protection is
relatively simple. Thus in the Eastern forests it is seldom
that more than a few weeks pass without some precipitation.
Under such circumstances the fire hazard is far less than in
the West where there is regularly a long dry season. Again
in the West the fire hazard is in direct proportion to the
length of the dry season. The most difficult problem of fire
prevention in the country is in California, because there the
season during which there is little or no rainfall lasts from
three to six months. The lack of rain combined with fre-
quent hot, dry winds make the forests excessively dry and
inflammable.

In every forest region, however, there is a great variation
of seasonal conditions of m.oisture. In the first place there is
a general cycle of wet and dry periods occurring at intervals
of from 10 to 15 years. The series of dry years corresponding
to the period of minimum precipitation is accompanied by the
greatest forest fire damage. Ihere is also in every region an
occasional year of exceptional drought when the usual sea-
sonal rains do not occur. It Is in such years that our greatest
forest disasters have occurred. These critical dry years are
not confined to the West. They occur also in the East. I
have only to refer to the great fires of history. The Miramichi
fire of Northern Maine and New Brunswick, in which over two
and one-half million acres were burned, 160 lives lost, six
towns wiped out, and great loss of livestock. It occurred after
an unusual drought. The great Peshtigo fire of Wisconsin
and Michigan in 1871 followed a prolonged dry period. The
same condition existed at the time of the Hinckley fire in
Minnesota in 1894, as also in 1903 when such damage was
dono by fire in the Adirondack Mountains. The critical dry

23

year occurred in 1910 in Idaho. The usual spring and sum-
mer rains failed entirely. From March until September prac-
tically no rain had fallen. The usually more or less damp
forests became thoroughly dried out and the 'matting of
needles and humus was like tinder. Every little fire that
ordinarily could be extinguishel with small damage became
almost immediately a conflagration. A damage of $12,000,000
to the timber, and a toll of 85 deaths, tell the story.

As one travels in the forests, particularly of the West, one
finds in every region evidences of great conflagrations which
swept over extensive areas and destroyed thousands of acres
of virgin forests. In Colorado there are evidences of many
such fires and we have excellent accounts of them through
the records of early settlers. Again in Oregon, one of the
most impressive sights I have ever seen was in the Siuslaw
section of the Coast Range, where fires in 1829 and 1866 swept
over the country and wiped out one of the heaviest stands
of timber in the Northwest. These greatest fires occurred in
years of unusual drought, the critical dry year that inevitably
comes some time to every region.

Any adequate plan for forest fire prevention must Icok to
security during the worst seasons. In an unprotected forest,
fires may do an enormous damage any year. Thus during the
season of 1912, which, so far as weather was concerned, was
one of the most favorable in the Rockies for a number of
years, 518 fires were started in the national forests of Idaho,
Montana, Colorado, and Wyoming. They were all put out
promptly by the forest force, thus preventing a damage which
would have been enormous if the forests were unprotected.
During 1910 in Idaho and Montana alone there were 1,873
fires, showing the difficulties of the season of drought.

Skeptics say that it is not possible to protect our forests
during the season of great drought, the critical dry year; that
while the damage may be prevented during the average year,
the time will come when a great fire will undo all this work.
Many point to 1910 and the damage in the national forests,
and say: "What's the use?" Time was when people said
that fires could not be prevented during the average year.
Probably the majority in the Northwest Pacific states re-

24

/

A Beaver at work.

garded the "smoke season" as inevitable. Yet the forest
service has mastered the fires so far as the average season
is concerned, even with their inadequate force of fire guards.
Even today in certain portions of the East, people wag their
heads and say fire prevention is impossible; the reason being
that no organized effort to prevent them has ever been under-
taken in these sections.

Forest fires can, however, be prevented everywhere, even
in the year of greatest drought. But it cannot be accomplished
without adequate preparation. The plan of fire protection in
the national forests is not confined to the problems of the
ordinary or normal season. It looks far ahead and works to
a full preparation during the worst season that may occur
and some time will certainly occur. It looks to the prevention
of such a loss as resulted in Idaho in 1910.

This result will be obtained not merely through the pres-
ence of guards and fire fighters — these are, of course, an ab-
solute necessity — but through an adequate development of a
system of roads, trails, telephone lines, fire lines, lookout sta-
tions, tool caches, ranger stations, and other improvements
which are necessary to make it possible to contend with fires.
These improvements are being built in the national forests
as fast as available funds permit. They are being built ac-

25

cording to a definite, consistent, and far-reaching plan, which
considers the need in fire prevention. So far there have been
constructed atout 17,160 miles of trail, 2,050 miles of road,
800 miles of fire lines, nearly 200 lookout stations, 15,000 miles
of telephones, 1,200 buildings for the location of rangers at
the right points, and many hundred tool caches. This is a
good start, but only a start. At least 65,000 miles of trails
remain to be built, and 40,000 miles of telephones, not to speak
of the roads and fire lines needed for full development of the
forests for protection.

The work so far done is yielding enormous returns. The
past season in California has been a hard one because of the
frequency of electric storms. Local officers estimate that the
saving to the nation in property which would have been
burned, if the present improvements did not exist, amounts to
many million dollars. *

I have shown the steps which the government is taking to
increase the effectiveness of its work and to prepare for the
severe conditions of the unusual dry year. The necessity fpr
the work is clear and there is only required the appropriation
to carry it out. The same need exists on private lands and
state lands.

I need not dwell on the need of co-ordination of fire patrol
work among various owners. The menace of the unprotected
tract to the entire region is too well appreciated arnong prac-
tical men. But there is equally a need of co-ordinated im-
provement work to tie up the entire protective unit by means
of transportation and communication, no matter who owns the
land.

Co-operation is the solution, but the co-operation must ex-
tend beyond mere friendly working together of owners. There
must be a definite system of organization under a competent
and authorized direction. There must be something more
than a provision for the work from year to year. There must
be a permanence of the system which will justify expendi-
tures in improvements as well as in patrol, and a system that
will not be affected by changing ownership of the land. Right
here is where the public must enter as a partner. Where
public lands occur the public is in a position of any other

26

co-operating owner. But there should be assistance also by
the public in the co-operative system on private lands. This
is a task for the state governments to furnish the important
link in the chain that unites all owneis in a co-ordinate or-
ganization. Already many states have undertaken this plan,
with the federal goveinnient doing its part on its own lands,
and on navigable streams contributing directly to the state
work outside of the federal property. The policy is already
under way in various places and is producing real results. I
urge a rapid extension of the plan, with a still greater em-
phasis on the idea of permanence of the system which will
justify a larger participation of the public in the whole en-
terprise.

There are .?(!. 500. (!','!) young trees in the government's forest
nurseries.

t'/'lic biological survey and the forest service have been co-oper-'
tiiu/ in the extermination of g round squirrels on national for-
sls in California, '/he annual loss of range feed and (/rain crops
roni yroitnd sauirrels is enormous.

Tlie light-house reservations on the Great Lakes are able to
///"<<'<v all t/ie -labile cedar needed for spar buoys in their district.

The Kaibab and t/ie Coconino national forests adjoin each
other. Yet it takes fri;in tico to three days to go front one to
the other across ihe Grand Canyon of the Colorado.

There are several bands of the Persian fat-tailed sheep on the
national forests of Southern I'atb. The large fat tail sometimes
"weighs as much as forty pounds, and, like the /lump on the camel,
is a reserve supply of nourishment when food is lacking.

27

Income Tax Recognizes Forestry

FORESTERS and lumbermen see in a decision of the
Treasury Department in regard to the administration of
the income tax a strong argument for forestry. As they
interpret the opinion of the Treasury officials they understand
that no timberlands shall be subject to the tax until the tim-
ber is cut and marketed and that then the profit only will be
subject to an income tax assessment. In other words, all
costs will be deducted before the tax is levied, and these will
cover the cost of growing the timber, including the cost of
planting where necessary and of protecting the growing crop
from fire and other depredation.

Forestry Secretary Makes Request.

This decision was based upon a request for information
made by P. S. Risdale, secretary of the American forestry
association. He asked if there would be a tax on the value of
the yearly growth of timber whether it was cut or not, and
also whether an income tax would be assessed on the value of
the timberland. In reply, the Treasury Department said that
"the gain from the cutting and disposal of stumpage is realized
in the year during which the timber is cut and disposed of,
and that the amount received in excess of the cost of such
timber is profit, and should be so accounted for as income for
that year."

California led last year in timber sold from national forests,
though Montana had the largest number of sale transactions.

Dr. B. E. Fernoiv, dean of the forest school of the University
of Toronto, and Bristow Adams, of the U. S. forest service, have
just been elected president and secretary, respectively, of the
Society of American Foresters, the only organization of profes-
sional foresters in the Western hemisphere.

28

"Forest Schools the Foundation of Forest Wealth."

THEJMORTI^WOODS

Volume III. MARCH, 1914 Number 3

A Recorder and Promoter of the Forestry Movement in Minnesota.

OFFICIAL BULLETIN OF THE MINNESOTA FORESTRY ASSOCIATION
AND THE STATE FOREST SERVICE.

Published Monthly for members of the Minnesota Forestry Association

Annual Membership Fee $1.00. This includes membership in the Minnesota

Horticultural Society, eMitling every such member to all privileges of

that organization as well as the Forestry Association. Remittance

should be made payable to PHIL H. HANSON, Treas..

care State Forester's Office, State Capitol,

St. Paul, Minn.

Knioml ;is Second Class Matter, September 14, 1913, at the Post Office at St.
I'aul, Minnesota, under the Act of August 21, 1912.

CONTENTS

Lost Millions . . . . . . " 3

A Revelation- Some Poplar Facts . . 7

The Open 12

The Beaver in Itasca State Park . . . 13

The Lumberjack 24

Many Forest Fires But Well Controlled . 27

White Pine Growing Profitable 31

*v

*

Lost Millions

WHEN the Constitution of Minnesota was drawn up, the
state was a wilderness. The prairies rolled away to
the westward like an untamed sea and the vast for-
ests of the North had been scarcely nicked around the edges.
Little was known of the land hidden beneath these forests.
No one even dreamed of what its future might be. How could
they? For the existing conditions at that time veiled the
future so completely that the later developments, as they have
actually occurred, would at that time appeared the most
ridiculously impossible of all the conjectures open to it. Tim-
ber land was so plentiful and so cheap that the idea of the
state ever wanting any of it for its own purposes was pre-
posterous. The question was, how could the state best rid
itself of this white elephant. Millions of acres of the timber
had been given the state by the federal government for the
public schools and it was the duty of the makers of the con-
stitution to find some way through which it would produce a
revenue. At that time, there seemed only one possibility in
sight— to sell them. All of the lands that they knew at that
time in the West and South were good farm lands and de-
sirable for homes. Why then should not all the other land
under that limitless blanket of forests be good for the same
purpose?

Things Have Changed.

Therefore it was decided to insert a provision in the con-
stitution by which this land could be sold by the state auditor
whenever it was desired for settlement. Such was the de-
cision of the lawmakers, and considering the evidence which
they had in hand, it was an eminently wise decision. It has
added money to our school funds and made us in that way
the richest state in the Union. No flaw can be picked in their
action, if we consider it in the light of the times in which
they live; but things have changed. The development of the

3

country has gone steadily and rapidly forward since the time
these wise men made this constitution. The great forest
cover has been torn aside from the northern part of the state
and has revealed not the fertile farm lands which they thought
were there but in many instances a rocky, hilly, and sandy
soil entirely unsuited to agriculture.

New Facts Discovered.

This is not merely a change of condition since those early
days, but a discovery of actual facts of which they were igno-
rant. Furthermore they thought the timber supply in the
North was inexhaustible. They could not conceive of a time
when those great merchantable forests would be cut away.
The practice in European countries of growing timber crops
was considered entirely unnecessary in this country, if in-
deed it was considered at all. They not only knew nothing
of the possibility of growing timber as a crop, but they knew
nothing of any necessity of ever growing. For them there
was no possible need of the land as forest. Their object was
to convert the land into money and they took the only pos-
sible way then open to them. But what would these same
men say today if they could see things as they stand at pres-
ent? If they could see millions of acres of cut-over land
unsuited to farming lying idle, producing absolutely nothing,
not even taxes, and with no possibility of ever producing any-
thing? If they could see the condition to which our great
Northern forests have been reduced, the big mills shutting
down and moving to the west, the great stream of logs which
used to pour annually down the Mississippi reduced to a
mere intermitting dribble, the price of stumpage which could
be obtained for a song, and a poor song at that, in their day
soaring up to $10.00 and $15.00 a thousand? If they could
know how European countries which are now producing from
$2.50 to $8.00 per acre per annum net revenue from their for-
est areas often of poorer soil than ours? If they could see as
we do that these same lands, which are being sold under their
orders for from $4.00 to $6.00 an acre, could be made to pro-
duce as a forest at least 20 per cent of the appraised value

of the land annually, which is entirely possible? If they could
see that the present system when the land is sold and the
money put at interest yields but 3 per cent to 4 per cent and,
that the land itself remains as a worthless burden upon the
state, paying no taxes and producing no wealth, would they
persist in their old views and hang to the old law, because
it had been wise at the time it was made? They certainly
would not.

Big Revenue the Object.

As we have said before, in the light of what they knew,
they acted wisely. In the light of what they would know
now, we would expect them to act wisely again. Their ob-
ject was to produce as big a revenue as possible from the
lands entrusted to them and they would adopt the course
which would best answer their purpose now. They would
cease selling land which it was no longer profitable to sell
and start in the production of timber which has been proven
a profitable state investment in all of the other civilized coun-
tries in the world.

The time has come when this change must be made. We
have three millions of acres of land in the northern part of
the state yet unsold. At least one million of that is non-
agricultural land. This land should be put to work at once
in the only way that such land can be made to work, by
changing it into state forests and planting it up to trees.
It is mere folly to sell it for a poor price when we know it
will degenerate into a desert^and produce absolutely nothing
in the future. Had this been done with all of the non-agri-
cultural land that we owned twenty years ago, the state of
Minnesota would be far in the lead of its neighbor states,
both in policy and in forest wealth.

Modernizing the Early Law.

It is the object of this constitutional amendment which
comes up before the people next November to modernize the
law as laid down by the makers of the constitution, to bring
it up to date, to make it a wise law in the light of the facts
as they appear today as those men would have us do. It is

the object of the meeting of the Minnesota State Forestry
Association on March 24th and 25th to see that these old law-
makers get justice. It is a problem of vital interest to the
state as a whole. It is not a sectional question. The main-
tenance of these forests in the North are quite as vital to
the counties in the South as they are to the counties in which
the forests grow. It is a state-wide problem and demands
state-wide attention. We are proud of our school fund. We
want that fund to grow. Why then do we sell land for a pit-
tance which will bring big yields if retained? We owe it to
our schools to make the change. Our ancestors viewed the
conditions and the facts as they saw them and made laws
which we have thought worth supporting for fifty years. Let
us do the same now. Let us make some laws of which our
children can be proud and1 not have the future generations
curse us for the millions that we have lost for them.

Receipts from the use of national forest resources were great-
est in Arizona last year.

Dr. C. D. Marsh of the federal bureau of plant industry is de-
livering a series of illustrated lectures to stockmen in the West
on the subject of plants poisonous to stock.

The forest service is compiling a new volume table for calculat-
ing the board contents of standing Western yellow pine trees in
the Southwest. It is based on actual measurements of 6,000 trees.

In trying to find uses for blight-killed chestnut it has been
found that it cannot be utilised for crating stone ; quarry owners
say that chestnut wood leaves an indelible stain on the marble
or granite.

Railroads caused nearly half the forest fires in Colorado and
Wyoming last year, and almost one-sixth were set by lightning.
In California lightning started more than half,' with railroads a
comparatively insignificant cause.

6

A Revelation— Some Poplar Facts

JUST as men once thought that corn could not be raised
in Northern Minnesota so they held to the idea that pop-
lar, technically called popple, was worthless wood. Home-
steaders used to burn it when clearing their land. Now comes
the word that poplar, of which there are billions of feet
standing in Minnesota, is one of the most useful of woods,
that it can be utilized for many things and that it is worth
millions of dollars to the state.

Extensive Investigation.

The state forest service has conducted an extensive inves-
tigation into the utilization of poplar. Earnest O. Buhler has
been in charge of the work for five months.

Here is the message that goes out to the homesteaders:
rou can realize more than the cost of clearing by the sale of
the poplar on your land. It is a valuable timber. It is mer-
chantable. What was once burned can now be sold. Clear-
ing the land of the poplar will be just like harvesting a big
crop. It will net returns, instead of being simply a big initial
expense.

Many Tests Made.

The tests made of the once despised wood show that it can
be used to advantage for boxes, wooden ware, building pur-
poses, slack cooperage, etc. And that all means that through-
out Northern Minnesota there will be added one more wealth-
producing industry.

Already several plants for the manufacture of boxes, wooden
ware, etc., have been put into operation. Many more are
promised. Michigan men, finding that the supply of bass-
wood, etc., in their state is fast diminishing, are coming into
Northern Minnesota where they can get the good grades of

popple. They are starting factories. Small portable sawmills
are springing up. The poplar is being used. Predictions are
that millions of feet will be cut this year.

Demand Is Increasing.

The need for the utilization of a cheaper wood is seen at
a glance when the rise in the price of white pine is consid-
sidered. Thirty years ago white pine land sold for $2.50 per
acre. There was approximately 25,000 board feet per acre.
This made the price of stumpage about 10 cents per 1,000
feet. Twenty years ago the price had risen to one dollar
per 1,000 feet. Last year the price received at state sales
was $9 per 1,000 feet. A rise from lOc to $9 per 1,000 feet
within 30 years.

The same story can be told with regard to Norway pine.
Ten years ago a homesteader would not settle on land that
was covered with Norway pine. Last year, at the state sales,
the price for Norway was about $8 per 1,000 feet.

What is true of white pine and Norway is also true of
tamarack, cedar, spruce, Wisconsin hemlock, Southern gum,
cypress.

While the price was rising rapidly for all these other woods
there remained unused in Minnesota millions of feet of pop-
ple, or poplar. There are approximately 1,000,000 acres of
popple timber in the state, according to the findings of Mr.
Buhler. It averages about 2,000 feet per acre making a grand
total of about 2,000,000,000 board feet. Much of it is in the
northwestern part of the state.

There were many reasons, says Mr. Buhler, why this pop-
ple was not utilized. First, there has always been a super-
stition connected with popple, a superstition that has been
hard to overcome. French-Canadian lumberjacks would not
sleep in shanties built of poplar logs. If on a "drive" they
tied onto a popple log, it was looked upon as a bad omen.

Had a Bad Name.

The bad name that poplar had dates back a great many
years. In Scotland the superstition prevailed that Christ was

crucified on a cross made of popple logs. For this reason, the
people there always shunned the wood.

But people in Minnesota, not generally so superstitious,
looked upon poplar for a long time as simply a worthless
wood. It was said that it would shrink, that it would warp,
that it would not retain paint and that it had a disagreeable
odor.

Severe tests the wood has been put to shows, however,
that the exact opposite is true in most cases. Mr. Buhler
found —

That poplar was stronger than spruce and more elastic.

That it holds the nail well.

That it does not split when nailed.

That it retains paint as well as basswood.

That if painted it will withstand rain, sun and wind as suc-
cessfully as white pine.

That it is perfectly odorless, and as such is fitted for slack
cooperage and boxes.

That it is light of weight, easy to stencil, etc.

These findings will surprise many. But they are true. The
state forest service will soon issue a bulletin setting forth
these facts and many more regarding poplar. There are some
bad qualities. For example, it was found that poplar would
not last as long if placed in contact with the soil, that it must
be painted if used for outside purposes, that the boards are
usually of narrow width, and that it is a little harder to work
than pine.

33,COO,CGO Feet Cut in 1913.

The report of the state forest service will show that there
is a big increase in the demand for poplar. In 1913 there was
33,000,000 board feet cut. This was 2 per cent of the total
cut in Minnesota last year. Considering the bad name at-
tached to poplar, this is looked upon as a remarkable cut.

There are several well defined reasons for this increase in
the demand for poplar, according to the findings of Mr.
Buhler:

First. High prices in the lower grades of pine have led to
a demand for cheaper woods.

Second. Popple found to be of better quality and useful-
ness than reputation* warranted.

Third. Mill run popple was found to be cheaper and better
than No. 4 and No. 5 white pine.

Record For Last Year.

Last year poplar was used as follows: 23,000,000 feet for
boxes, etc., 6,000,000 feet for slack cooperage, 3,500,000 build-
ing purposes, 1,000,000 feet, for wooden ware (lard tubs, etc.).

Poplar serves the purposes for the common run of boxes.
It is not so good in appearance as white pine but being far
less expensive is serviceable.

It also serves a purpose for staves and slack cooperage. It
is not so good as basswood and elm, but makes a good sub-
stitute, according to the investigations made. The same is
true as regards the manufacture of wooden ware.

Poplar, or popple, Mr. Buhler finds, is a little harder to
mahufa'Cture than some of the other woods used for these pur-
poses. This increases the cost of production. But it can be
gotten for so much lower price that all the disadvantages are
offset.

Supplants Low Grade Pine.

Poplar is beginning to take the place of low grades of pine
for building purposes, according to forest service report. It
can be used for sheething, underfloors and roof boards. The
better grades are fitted for siding, interior finish, wainscot-
ing, flooring, ceiling, etc. It is said that it will outwear Min-
nesota pine flooring if it is properly treated.

Because of the reversal of opinion regarding poplar, it is
estimated that next year there will be twice as much cut as
was cut during the past year.

There is another feature of poplar that makes it destined
to be an everlasting source in Northern Minnesota. It grows
fast There is now a young growth that will replenish all
that is cut.

10

Besides poplar, there are other similar woods in Minnesota
that can be utilized. There are comparatively large quantities
of ash, some maple, some basswood, a great deal of birch, etc.,
says Mr. Buhler.

Poplar Raising to Be Profitable.

Much of the land that now has popple standing on it will
be utilized for agriculture in a short time, says Mr. Buhler.
It is good agricultural land. But there still remains the fact
that there are 15,000,000 acres of non-agricultural land in
Northern Minnesota. If popple is planted on this land there
will- be an everlasting source of great wealth. The setting
aside of these non-agricultural lands for the purposes of rais-
ing timber is one of the greatest needs in the state, according
to Mr. Buhler.

The results of the investigation carried on for the state
forests service by Mr. Buhler, means simply this: Minne-
sota has a great resource in popple timber that is not yet
realized. It will be a never-ending source of wealth. North-
ern Minnesota possesses most of it. Once despised, poplar
is coming into its own to contribute to the wealth of the North
Star State. The homesteader will be cheered. It will be his
salvation.

The state of Nezu York has just published a comprehensive

hnrt nf )Vc ^onnrl-n c; nn ill flu strict

report of its wood-using industries.

Minnesota has a forested area of 28 million acres, the largest
of any state east of the Rocky Mountains.

There are approximately four million acres of timber land in
AVar Hampshire of which about half is in fanners' woodlots.

Canada has established a forest products laboratory in connec-
tion with McGill University at Montreal, on the lines of the
United States institution of the same sort at the University of
Wisconsin,

11

The Open

I have heard the call,

The call of the open,

As the gray fading snow

Slips away, and the broken

Ice glides in the river.

I must go, I must go,

For the call comes ever,

Calling, calling, and ceasing never.

I have heard the call,

The call of the driven

Wind-harassed canoe,

On the lift of the riven,

Wave foaming and breaking;

To old gods untrue,

Their ways forsaking,

New vows to Red Gods now I am making.

I have heard the call,
The call of the hills;
The wind driven rain,
The battle of wills;
The roar of the thunder,
The lightning's sharp flame.
The rocks echo under
The Red Gods' acclaim.

— C, A, LAFLIN.

12

OP

The Beaver in Itasca State Park

By D. Lange

I'n-pitnd I'nclci- Direction of \V. T. Cox,
From the Annual Report of the Forester

THERE are now about four hundred beaver in Itasca Park.
These animals are all descended from one male and two
females, brought to Itasca from the Algonquin National
Park in Ontario in the spring of 1902.

The story of re-stocking the forest of Itasca with beaver
and the life history of these remarkable animals will be told
in the following pages.

In 1901, Hon. John Lind, then Governor of Minnesota, fur-
nished the Premier of Ontario some information about the
twine plant at the State Prison at Stillwater. The premier
asked Mr. Lind how he could show his appreciation of the
couitesy Minnesota had rendered to her neighbor, Ontario.
At the suggestion of Mr. W. B. Douglas, then attorney general,
who has always taken a keen and active interest in game
preservation, it was arranged that Ontario furnish some beaver
for the new state park of Itasca, and the Premier of Ontario
promised to ship the animals the following spring.

In the spring of 1902, Tim O'Leary, chief ranger of Algon-
quin Park, appeared at the state capitol before Governor Van
Sant, and stated that he had brought three beaver from the
province of Ontario for the state of Minnesota. Governor Van
Sant, who did not know about the arrangement his predeces-
sor had made with the Premier of Ontario, did not at first
know what to do with this live gift of our neighbor. He con-
sulted Attorney General Douglas, and a telephone message
to Mr. Lind cleared up the situation, and the three beaver
were accepted with thanks. Ranger Tim O'Leary explained
that at Chicago, while waiting for a train, the two male beaver
originally in the shipment had begun to fight, with the result
that one of the combatants had killed the other; one female
had also died on the way to Minnesota; so the original num-
ber had dwindled from five to three.

13

WORKING HARD.
Courtesy of Josef Brunner.

The beaver were promptly sent to Itasca and were liber-
ated on Schoolcraft Island" The animals at once started off
to explore the lake, and in the fall they had built a house on
Nicollet Creek at the south end of the west arm of Lake
Itasca.

Within ten years the descendants of these three animals
have spread over the whole west side of the park, over an
area of about twenty-five square miles, and several colonies
have established themselves outside of the park limits.

There are now from twenty-five to forty beaver lodges or
houses in the park. The following can be most easily reached
by visitors:

1. A large house in the pond of Sigfried Creek.

2. A large bank house on the east arm of Lake Itasca near
Douglas Lodge.

3. Two bank houses on the east side of the west arm of
the lake.

14

4. A large house at the mouth of Nicollet Creek at the
south end of the west arm. This house was deserted for sev-
eral years, but in the fall of 1912 the beaver repaired to it
and it was inhabited during the winter of 1912-13. It is one
of the largest houses in the park, and during the winter it
could be seen as a white dome for the distance of a mile. It
is not a pond house, but is built like a pond house on the
wide mouth of Nicollet Creek.

."). There is a large house in a pond on Boutwell Creek. In
November or December, 1912, the beaver deserted this house
and I found the pcnd drained. It will be of interest to learn
whether in the summer of 1913 the beaver will again move
into this pcnd and repair the dam and the house. There is
also an old deserted house near the mouth of Boutwell Creek.
This house I opened in 1908, when it was already deserted.

6. In a dry pond near the mouth of Nicollet Creek may be
seen two deserted houses.

Observing Beaver.

Dining the summer of 1912 I spent about a month in study-
ing the works and habits of the beaver. The animals, how-
ever, were so very shy that it proved difficult to observe them
the afternoon, a beaver would appear within an hour or two,
swim past the breach and then vanish not to return, but the
breach was repaired during the night.

As I desired very much to obtain some reliable first-hand
observations on the habits and the number of beaver in a
house, I built a platform, attached to three poplars near a
beaver house just west of the park on a point of land project-
ing into a small lake. The platform was spiked to the trees
about twenty feet above the ground, and from this place I
frequently watched for beaver from about four in the after-
noon until dark.

About 6:30 two large large beaver generally left the house
and, swimming slowly, scouted along the shore for scents of
danger. They always left under water, and I actually saw
one leave only twice. On one occasion, the dark body of the
beaver looked like a giant black turtle, and on another occa-
sion I could trace the beaver by a line of rising bubbles.

15

A BEAVER FEEDING ON THE BARK OF A TREE.
Courtesy of Josef Brunner.

About fifteen minutes later, one or more half grown beaver
came out of the house and swam about or followed their par-
ents to the feeding ground a quarter of a mile to the north.
These smaller animals I concluded were the young of the
preceding season, about fifteen months old at the time of
observation. I think there were four of them; once I saw
three close together.

Occasionally a beaver only the size of a muskrat came out
of the house and, from the anatomy of the female and the
number of yearlings, I. concluded that there were at least four
'of these little ones, but I never saw them all at the same time.
However, every evening, between six and half past, these
babies set up a kind of whine, which very much resembled
the low cry of a child.

From the foregoing observations, I reasoned that the house
on Poplar Point contained ten beaver: the two parents, four
yearlings, and four young of the season, perhaps born some
time in May.

16

The most interesting observation I made the last evening
which I could spend on my platform on Poplar Point. Beaver
began to show themselves very freely about seven o'clock;
once I saw four or five at the same moment About 7:45, a
beaver, a yearling to judge by his size, came very carefully
out of the house. He hesitated a minute, and then, almost
directly below n.e, walked slowly up to a green poplar I had
cut the night before, and with a few lateral movements of
his jaws, cut off a twig the thickness of a man's thumb. The
next moment, seizing the butt with his mouth or forefeet — I
c-ould net make sure which — he swung the leafy branch over
i;is left shoulder, from which it slid off almost immediately;
he then seized it with his teeth, dragged it into the water,
dived with it and took it into the house. No sconer had he
entered than the babies of the family set up a lively whining
in appreciation, as I imagined, of the prize the big brother
had brought in. This was the most intimate glimpse I had
of the beavers' hcm.e life and was the only time I saw a
beaver on land.

I noted that the beaver never touched the other poplar tops
I had dropped almost on their house, and they had done prac-
tically no cutting in the poplar grove near their house. They
nearly always left the house at the same exit, and after the
old ones had scouted along the shore, both old and young
often swam directly to their feeding place about a quarter
of a mile to the north. Several times I watched one swim
as straight as the crow flies, with a speed of about one hun-
dred yards a minute.

The yearlings did not always heed the danger signals of
the parents as implicitly as they would do with the writers
of nature fiction. Twice one of the parents became alarmed
at my raft moored on the other side of the point and gave
the plunge-and-slap signal, but the yearlings near the house
paid no attention to it, although the alarmed parent was not
more than two hundred feet away. The youngsters reminded
me of boys who go their own way in life, feeling satisfied
that the old man doesn't know what he's talking about.

This house on Poplar Point, like two other houses, was
also inhabited by muskrats. Contrary to a statement made

17

BEAVER CUTTING AND BEAVER HOUSE ON LOWER WEST ARM OF ITASC,'
Photo by D. Lange, Minn. Forest Service.

in an otherwise reliable natural history, the muskrats and
beaver lived entirely at peace with each other, one paying
no attention to the other. In a house below a high bank,
beaver and rats also lived together peacefully, but in both
cases the rats generally used small entrances close to shore,
and I think they lived in a small cavity in the bank by them-
selves. In a third house muskrats were also present, but I
did not learn on what terms they lived with their larger rel-
atives. The rats fed almost entirely among the lilies and
other plants in the little bay in which the beaver house was
located, and seldom traveled more than afew rods from
home, but they also ate the foliage and bark of poplar on
the beaver house. They generally appeared about half an

18

hour before the beaver came out. At first I was often puz-
zled to distinguish, in the twilight, rats from small beaver;
but after a few evenings spent on the platform I learned that
the rats were of a lighter brown than the beaver, and that
they swam with their backs slightly out of the water, while
a beaver only showed his head above water. Later I learned
to distinguish the rats even in the dark by their quick move-
ments and by the nervous puttering noises they made in feed-
ing on bark or plants as well as in diving.

I estimate that there are bout forty beaver houses in and
near the park, and allowing an average of eight beaver to a
house, this would give three hundred twenty animals. Per-
haps eighty would be a reasonable number to allow for those
living in bank burrows and not in houses, which would bring
the total beaver population up to four hundred.

Value and Increase.

Eight dollars would not be too high an average value for
a beaver skin, making the money value of the beaver in Itasca
$3,200. As near as I can tell from observations on a number
of beaver houses, the usual number of beaver produced in a
season is four, and there is only one litter during the year.
It would seem that the annual increase of beaver is probably
somewhere between twenty-five and forty per cent. This
should make it perfectly safe, in a region where beaver are
raised for the fur, to allow a catch of fifteen to twenty per
cent annually.

Re-Stocking Forests With Beaver.

There are large regions in Canada, in Michigan, Wisconsin
and Minnesota, which furnish excellent beaver range and
which should be re-stocked. The experiment which the state
of Minnesota has made in Itasca park shows that it is entirely
practicable to re-stock a region with beaver, provided the nat-
ural conditions are favorable. The animals are not generally
subject to any disease, and by their aquatic habits protect
themselves against their natural enemies; but they must be
protected against poachers.

19

SECTION OF DAM ON SIGFRIED CREEK.
Photo by D. vLange. Minn. Forest Service.

Beaver do flood some land where they build their dams, but
in wild regions the timber which they drown is practically
worthless. It generally consists of spruce, balsam, fir, tama-
rack and occasionally some cedar. In the Itasca park region
all the timber drowned in the beaver ponds if put up at auc-
tion would not bring a dollar.

The principal food of the beaver consists of the brush and
bark of the common poplar, and a colony of beaver will some-
times make a regular clearing in a poplar thicket, cutting
down several hundred trees, but the same commercial consid-
eration applies to these poplars which applies to the timber
drowned in their ponds. In a wild country far away from any
market, poplar has no commercial value. The beaver prefer

20

trees from a few inches to a foot in diameter, but they will
occasionally cut a tree as large as two feet in diameter.
Usually the effect of their cutting is what a forester would
call a "thinning."

I believe that all the state and national forests in Minne-
sota should be stocked with beaver, and the animals should
be given about five years of absolute protection. If at the end
of that time it is found that they have spread and increased
sufficiently, the state forest service might trap a certain num-
ber of animals, amounting to not more than fifteen or twenty
per cent of the estimated beaver population of any particular
forest or district.

I believe that private parties holding large estates, on which
such timber as has been mentioned has no commercial value,
might find it not only interesting, but profitable, to introduce
the beaver on their estates, — such as the holdings of the Oliver
Mining Company and the Yawkie Estate.

There are in Northern Minnesota quite a number of set-
tlers, who protect colonies of beaver on their land from
poachers. These settlers, I believe, should be allowed to trap
a certain proportion annually under the supervision of the
Fish and Game Commission. In this way the settlers could
derive an income from their wild land, and it would open the
way for the semi-domestication of the beaver on a large scale.

I believe that the time has come for re-establishing the
beaver on a large scale on its former range, for the animal's
natural range contains now many times as much food, in the
shape of otherwise worthless poplar brush, as was present
before the big timber was cut off or burned by forest fires.

For about two hundred years, beaver skins were the most
important and most valuable article of export from America
to Europe. From about 1700 to 1800, Canada may be said to
have lived on the catch of beaver. During the flourishing
period of the fur trade, North America probably produced in
the neighborhood of a million skins a year, but the number
has fallen now to an insignificant 50,000.

The beaver was originally distributed over a very large
portion of North America north of Mexico, but the animals
are very easy to find and catch, and uncontrolled trapping has

21

entirely exterminated them .over vast areas where the natural
conditions for their existence are as favorable today as they
ever were. The original beaver population of North America
must have been at least 50,000,000, and it may have been con-
siderably larger. It is not likely that there are now more than
500,000 beaver living in the whole of North America.

Habits.

Beaver are essentially nocturnal and are not often seen
except toward evening, but I have seen a few at noon. Their
keenest sense is that of smell. Their hearing seems less
acute than that of muskrats and their sight seems rather poor.
They do not hibernate, but during winter remain awake in
their houses and burrows, and feed on the bark of poplar and
birch, which they pickled in the cold water near their houses.

Intelligence.

There can be no question but that in their own sphere and
element, beaver show a remarkable intelligence. But this
intelligence is largely crystallized, so to speak, into instinct,
and they do not readily grasp new conditions and situations.
In this respect they rank below wolves and foxes. Their
works, which seem at first sight the expression of a remark-
able intelligence, should perhaps, be more truly interpreted
as the result of a marvelous adaptation of environment.

Summary.

The experiment of re-stocking the Itasca forest with beaver
has been a complete success and shows that beaver could
easily be introduced again in any region naturally favorable
for their existence. All the care they need is protection from
poachers.

Itasca park is an almost ideal preserve for deer and all
kinds of small game and wild birds. The present law which
forbids hunting and trapping at all times in the park, and
within the half-mile limit outside of the park, is a wise meas-
ure and should be rigidly enforced.

iFT AT A BEAVER WHARF. ALL, THE POLES USED ON THE RAFT
WERE CUT AND PEELED BY BEAVER.

In Itasca state park the people of Minnesota possess one
of the finest wild playgrounds in the world, and as soon as
they become more fully aware of its unique attractions they
will certainly visit the park in much large numbers.

Canada lias a society of forest engineers. Dr. B. E. Fernow,
of Toronto, is president, and Mr. P. IV. H. Jacombe, of Ottawa,
is secretary.

Of the three Pacific coast states, Oregon and Washington far
outstrip California in the work done by private owners for for-
est protection.

23

The Lumberjack

(Reprinted from The Bemidji Daily Pioneer)

T

HE lumberjack is a man of brawn
He toils in the open from early dawn,
He's deep of chest and strong of limb
A hard day's work is as play to him.
He dines on the best the land affords
The Cook his servant, the Boss his lord;
The breakfast horn is his bugle call
He goes to rest when the night shades fall.

He comes to the camp that's built of log

And chinked with moss from the nearby bog,

He has no suit-case or traveling trunk

His turkey is tossed on his straw filled bunk,

He dons his mackinaw, rubbers and stags

He's dressed in his best with these glad rags,

Ready for work whatever it be,

From rolling a log, to felling a tree.

The signal is given he's off to the wood
The dark, gloomy forest where centuries have stood
Those proud, mighty monarchs delight to men's eyes
Roots bedded in moss, tops reaching the skies,
Where up to his advent no human has trod
Where Nature's supreme and rules Nature's God,
He comes by the trail of the Moose and the Deer
Who fly from the path as his footsteps draw near.

The tools he brings are saw and steel

His sturdy stroke makes the monarch reel,

And Nature's work of centuries old

Is laid in the dust, and bartered for gold;

24

But he never stops to reck; or cares
The biting frost and cold he bears
He is doing this work for civilized man,
He's clearing the way and far in the van.

He drags the logs from the woods deep hid
And decks them high on the slippery skid
With strong steel chain coiled round each trunk
Then loads them on the great sleigh bunk,
His four-in-hand then forth are led
And hitched to the roll of the massive sled,
Down the sparkling ice road with ruts like glass
They from the branch to the landing pass.

Here he loads the logs on a long flat car,
They're shipped to mills both near and far,
Where lumber is made from the old pine tree
To build warm houses for you and me,
His work is done; from the camp built low
He vanishes now like the winter's snow,
And comes not again to his old retreat
Till the frost succeed the summer's heat.

Then here's to the lumberjack, bad or good,
Who toils in the depths of the dark green wood,
Though rough of dress, of visage grim.
Beneath it all there's a heart in him,
At sight of misery or wants appeal
He'll give his all for the sufferer's weal,
He's done his work well, the forest laid low,
Socn, in story alone we'll the lumberjack know.

—A HOMESTEADER.

25

Many Forest Fires But Well
Controlled

I

D

URING 1913 the forces on the national forests fought
4,520 fires, or nearly twice as many as started in 1912,
the best year the forests have ever had.

Fire Damage Kept Down.

Notwithstanding the great increase in the number of fires,
Forester Graves considers that the showing made by the 'for-
est service was quite as favorable as that in the preceding
year, because the damage done and the costs of fire fighting
were no greater proportionately than in 1912. In both years
practically 50 per cent of all fires were detected and extin-
guished before they burned over a quarter of an acre, and 25
per cent of both years' fires were put out before they cov-
ered 10 acres. Of last year's fires, 3,278, or considerably more
than the whole number of fires in 1912, were confined to areas
of less than 10 acres, and in 1,080 additional fires less than
$100 damage was done by each. In only 25 fires did the
damage amount to $1,000.

The aggregate loss in timber is estimated at nearly 59
million board feet, valued at about $82.000, and the damage
to young growth and forage is estimated at about $110,000,
making a total of about $192,000. About 18 per cent of this
loss, however, was incurred on private lands within the for-
ests where 16 per cent of the fires had their origin.

Care with Engines Increasing.

One encouraging feature is that the total number of fires
set by railroad locomotives was scarcely more than in the
preceding year and represented only 12 per cent of all fires,
as against nearly 19 per cent in 1912; also the proportion set
by sawmills and other engines in the woods was consider-

27

ably less than in 1912. This indicates very plainly, Mr. Graves
says, that the public is awakening to the need of spark ar-
resters and care with engines in the woods.

Causes of Increase in Fires.

Looking for the reason of the increase in number of fires,
the forester finds three main causes:

First of all, the unprecedented electric storms which swept
the whole state of California at the end of a long dry season
and set, almost simultaneously, about 700 fires. The 804 fires
set by lightning in California formed nearly 50 per cent of
the 1,628 fires on the national forests of the state from all
causes, and1 were more than half of the 1,571 lightning-set
fires in all the 21 states reporting.

In the second place, there were 757 fires which started out-
side the forests, of which 644 were stopped by the govern-
ment's fire fighters before they reached the forest boundaries,
as against 424 which started on outside areas in 1912. How-
ever, the proportion of such fires to all those which the serv-
ice battled with was about the same for 1912 and 1913.

Incendiary Fires.

The other increased cause of fires was incendiarism, but
this increase was confined to three states, — Arkansas, Cali-
fornia, and Oregon, — all others showing a marked decrease,
cording to forest officers, a growing carefulness on the part
fornia, and 142 in Oregon, where two brothers were known
to have set 72 on one forest alone. These two and other in-
cendiaries were, of course, severely dealt with by the law.
On the Arkansas forest, too, it has been assumed that the
351 fires classed under the general heading of "origin un-
known" were mainly incendiary. In California the incendiary
fires are largely attributable to what is known as the "light-
burning theory," which advances the argument that forests
should be burned over frequently to prevent the accumulation
of debris. The forest service considers this a pernicious the-
ory because it scars the standing timber and thus reduces its

28

value; it robs the forest soil of its ability to retain moisture,
and effectually prevents the reproduction of the forest, since
such fires destroy all tree seedlings before they have a chance
to get a good start.

Lightning Caused Most Fires.

In 1912, lightning caused more fires than any other agency,
followed closely by railroads, campers, and incendiaries, in
the order given. In 1913, however, the fires caused by light-
ning outnumbered the next nearest cause by more than three
to one, but the order — railroads, campers, and incendiaries —
remained the same as in 1912. A considerable decrease in
the proportion set by railroads and campers indicates, ac-
Of the 452 incerdiary fires, 128 were in Arkansas, 133 in Cali-
of the general public.

Last year, as in 1912, California led all others in number
of fires, this lead being natural because California has such
a long dry season. It was followed by Arkansas, Arizona,
and Oregon, in the order named. Kansas, which had only one
fire in 1912, escaped without any in 1913. North Dakota re-
peated its record of 1912 and had no fires on its one small
forest. Not a single severe fire occurred during the year in
District 4, which includes Utah, Nevada, and Southern Idaho,
and in which a large proportion of the forests reported no
fires at all.

Losses on Private Lands.

There was proportionately greater loss on private lands
within the forest boundaries than on the public lands. It is
pointed out by the forest officers that these lands cover ap-
proximately 11 per cent of the total area included within the
forest boundaries, yet the area burned over on these private
lands was more than 25 per cent of all. The forest service
expended more than $30,000 in protecting the private lands
within the forests and lands adjacent to and outside of the
forests. In addition to this cost, services and supplies to the
value of more than $17,OCO were contributed by co-operation
for fire fighting on these areas.

29

Fires Came at End of Season.

In the middle of the fire season, that is in July, the service
had high hopes of small fire damage during 1913, and this
hope kept up until the middle of September, when the fire
season on the national forests ordinarily is about at an end.
At that time there was less damage than had ever been re-
corded, and only 2,260 fires as against 2,470 in 1912, with
about 60,000 acres burned as compared with 230,000 in 1912
and 780,000 in 1911. At the end of the month, however, the
electric storms in California and one or two outbreaks of
incendiarism changed the whole situation.

But even in the face of these difficulties, the fire-fighting
force, with its plans and experience from preceding years,
was able to cope with the situation. In California, in partic-
ular, it was as if a military leader, represented by the dis-
trict forester at San Francisco, was holding, with a compar-
atively small number of men or a mere skirmish force, a line
of defense extending 750 miles in a north and south direc-
tion. This force received, as if from an attack by the heavy
artillery of an opposing army, the electric storms, generally
unaccompanied by rain, which played havoc all along the
Sierras and the Coast Range. That the California force was
able to cope with the situation was, according to Mr. Graves,
an evidence of the efficiency of the men and the organization.

Juniper from New Mexico and Arizona may prove an excellent
source of material for lead pencils. Manufacturers are searching
the world for pencil woods.

New Jersey has a timbered area of about two million acres, on
which the timber is worth about $8,500,000 on the stump. It is
mainly valuable for cordiuood.

Forest fires in the United States have caused an average annual
loss of 70 human lives and the destruction of 25 million dollars
worth of merchantable timber, to say nothing of the tremendous
loss in small trees killed.

30

White

Pine

Growing

Profitable

$

THE growing of white pine, says the department of agri-
culture in a bulletin recently issued on the subject, is a
profitable undertaking at 6 per cent compound interest.
To bring in these returns, the trees may be cut when not
more than from 35 to 70 years old.

The original white pine forests are approaching exhaus-
tion, according to the department, and with the growing scar-
city of large-sized, high-grade white pine lumber, lower grades
now find a ready market. Besides this, the tree grows rap-
idly, has a heavy yield, and is easy to manage.

Second-growth white pine, 50 years old, on good soil, may
yield as much as 49,000 feet of lumber per acre. On medium
soil, stands of the same age 36,000 board feet, and even on
poor soil, 24,000 feet. White pine boxboard lumber, one of
the chief products of such stands, sells for from $12 to $18 a
thousand board feet. Material for making matches, another
product, sells for from $17 to $18 a thousand. Even larger
material, suitable for sashes and blinds, some of which may
be cut from a 50-year-old stand, brings from $30 to $35 a
thousand feet. Second-growth white pine, the kind that is
<'ound on thousands of abandoned fields and pastures in New
England, and that which has sprung up after lumbering in
many. places where the original white pine forests stood, has
a value today, says the department, that makes it well worth
the attention of the owner.

Too often, caution the forest officers, the farmer or other
landowner sells second-growth white pine stumpage for less
than it is worth because he does not know how much lumber
the stand is actually capable of yielding, or else is ignorant
of the price the lumber and other products will bring. Too
often, also, the foresters say, the owner of second growth fails
to realize that perhaps by holding his pine trees for a few
years longer, or by thinning it properly at the right time, he
can obtain a great deal more and better timber, and conse-

31

quently a much larger relative return in money, than if he
allows it to be cut clear when the first opportunity offers.

The best second-growth white pine, 45 years old, will yield
about 42,000 board feet per acre, but the same s1#nd, when
55 years old, will yield 55,000 feet, an increase of 13,000 feet
per acre in 10 years. And this is not all, for along with the
increase in quantity comes an increase in quality. Not only
more, but better timber is to be had. Counting in this factor
of quality, the lumber from an acre of best white pine, 55
years old, is worth about $1,000 against a value of $750 when
the stand is 45 years old.

Apple zvood is the favorite material for ordinary saw handles,
and some goes into so-called briar pipes.

The development of quicksilver mines promises to make large
demands for cordzvood and construction timbers on the Tonto
national forest, Arizona.

Manufacturers of greenhouses and makers of boxes are get-
ting in touch so thai the latter may use for box cleats the cypress
waste from the greenhouses.

Canada has 20 million acres in timber reserves, as compared
with 187 million acres in the national' forests of the United States,
but Canada is rapidly extending the Dominion forests.

Port Orford cedar of the Pacific coast, recently tried as a sub-
stitute for English- willow in the manufacture of artificial limbs,
has been found unsatisfactory. While it is light enough, it is
too coarse and brittle.

Lodgepole pine seeds soiun broadcast on the snow in Southern
Idaho last spring germinated when the snow melted, and as many
as 60 little trees vjere counted to the square foot. The summer
was so dry, however, that most of the plants died, except where
sheltered by brush or logs.

32

"Fores! Schools the Foundation of Forest Wealth.1

THE NORTH WOODS

Volume III. APRIL, 1914 Number 4

A Recorder and Promoter of the Forestry Movement in Minnesota.

OFFICIAL BULLETIN OF THE MINNESOTA FORESTRY ASSOCIATION
AND THE STATE FOREST SERVICE.

Published Monthly for members of the Minnesota Forestry Association

Annual Membership Fee $1.00. This includes membership in the Minnesota

Horticultural Society, entitling every such member to all privileges of

that organization as well as the Forestry Association. Remittance

should be made payable to PHIL H. HANSON. Treas.,

care State Forester's Office, State Capitol.

St. Paul, Minn.

Entered as Second Class Matter, September 14, 1912, at the Post Office at St.
Paul, Minnesota, under the Act of August 21, 1912.

CONTENTS

Declaration of Principles ...... 2

A Campaign Well Started ...... 3

The Constitutional Amendment .... 4

Utilization of Non Agricultural Lands ... 6
What the Constitutional Amendment Means

to School Fund 10

The Management of Mining Lands . . . 14
The Lumberman and State Forests . . . .17

The Importance of State Forest .... 20

The Lure of the North Woods 21

Extracts from T. B. Walker's Address ... 23

The Resolutions 25

Forestry Club Notes 29

Btrlaratum of

(The Minnesota Forestry Association, in Convention Assembled,
made the following Declaration of Principles aud Outlined the Policies
it would Support.)

It is a voluntary organization for the inculcation and
spread of a forest policy on a scale adequate to our
economic needs, and any person is eligible for member-
ship. It is indepndent, has no official connection with
any state department or policy, and is devoted to a pub-
lic service conducive to the prosperity of the whole state.

IT ASSERTS that forestry means the propagation
and care of rorests for the production of timber as a
crop; protection of watershed; protection of crops from
the devastating influence of dry, hot winds; the eco-
nomic use of lands better adapted to the growing of
trees than to any other agricultural crop; the use of
forests for public "vacation spots;" refuges for game
and fur-bearing animals.

IT RECOGNIZES that forestry is an industry limited
by economic conditions, that farmers in prairie regions
and owners of timbered and cut-over lands should be
aided and encouraged by investigations, demonstrations
and educational work; that the state government should
practice scientific forestry upon state forests for the
benefit of the public.

IT DECLARES that no antagonism can exist between
the interest for the development and use of land fit for
tree growing and land fit for other agricultural crops.
The two industries are mutually dependent and must' be
developed equally but with this difference; the experi-
ence of countries old in the practice of forestry shows
that approximately 25 per cent of a commonwealth's
area needs to be used for timber crops to preserve an
economic equilibrium in its industries.

(Continued on last page.)

A Campaign Well Started

Everyone interested in the cause of forestry, in the outdoor
life, in the protection of game of fish, have heard the battle
cry sounded at the annual meetingof the Minnesota Forestry
Association held in St. Paul. It is this: "Pass the constitu-
tional amendment that will make possible the setting state
forests."

The Big Topic.
Every speaker at the meeting touched upon the subject of

state forests. Every angle of the question was discussed.

Like a silver thread, the question of state forests was inter

woven in every address. It was the all absorbing topic.
The campaign for the constitutional amendment is started.

It has been a good start.

Twin city and country press united in an effort to spread
le gospel of state forests abroad. Now the real work for the
• endment begins. From now until election time in Novem-
>r, it means active work on the part of every loyal member
the association.

The convention was one of the most successful ever held
Minnesota.

Association the First in the U. S.

The forestry association was the first organization of its
kind in the United States. By its work at the last meeting it
indicated that it was still in the first rank.

Many of the addresses delivered at the convention are here-
with presented. They speak for themselves. In some cases,
only extracts have been printed. Lack of space has prevented
publishing several of the addresses. One of these, the able
address by Mrs. C. L. Atwood, president of the State Federa-
tion of Women's Clubs, will be presented in the next issue.

The campaign has been started. Let the work continue.

$

The Constitutional Amendment

By WM. T. COX, State Forester.

1

WHAT are the duties of a state with respect to the land
within its borders? To make possible the greatest
number of prosperous homes; to see to it that the
soils are put to their best uses.

The state in its entirety may be likened to a farm on which
there is a great variety in soil and surface. We can imagine
a farm containing in part rich land susceptible to cultivation
where grains and root crops should be raised, damp lowlands
suitable for meadows, moderately poor and rough uplands
adapted to pasturage, and very rough or sandy land the nat-
ural woodlot for the farm. Can you imagine a clause in our
constitution which would compel the owner of such a farm
to handle all of his land in the same way? That, in effect, is
what the constitution of this state now requires in the case
of lands belonging to the state. We want to see this changed
at the earliest possible moment.

If an acre of deep sand land or an acre of rocks or gravel
will produce $5.00 to $10.00 worth of timber annually, why
should we pursue the policy of requiring that land to be
stripped of timber and farmed at a profit of only $2.00 or
$3.00 a year? Much of this land, as a matter of fact, when
devoted to farming produces no profit whatever. To farm
some of it at all is a physical impossibility.

We are absolutely certain that poor land will produce a
greater revenue when growing trees than when growing
meager agricultural crops. We know also that, while there
are millions of acres of the richest kind of farming land still
to be settled and developed, there are millions of acres of
rough, stony and deep sandy lands in Minnesota which should
always be kept growing timber. It is an important matter,
therefore, that the science and practice of forestry be rec-
ognized by the state of Minnesota, just as the science and
practice of farming is recognized. The state has a peculiar

interest in forestry because a large proportion of the state
lands are non-agricultural in character.

The proposed amendment would make possible the better
use of lands not suitable for farming. In other words, it
would make of them state forests, from which large and con-
tinuous returns would be coming to the school fund. No one
who has given this subject study can doubt that we have lost
and are still losing millions of dollars through not following
a business policy with regard to the lands suitable only for
timber production.

The constitutional amendment would correct this. It would
give rise to permanent industries and homes in large districts
where otherwise these are impossible. It would give rise to
increased revenue for the school fund, and would bring about
many other beneficial results of far-reaching importance to
all of us.

We ask, therefore, that every citizen awake to the neces-
sity of our adopting this amendment next fall. We are all
interested in this matter. The taxpayer is interested because
he wants the school fund increased without his direct con-
tribution; the farmer is interested because he wants increased
markets for his produce in the camps and mills; the sports-
man who wants to see big game persist in the Northern
woods, the lumberman who wants to continue in business, —
ill are interested.

It is our duty, between now and next fall, to make it clear
to every voter in Minnesota just what this amendment means.
Briefly, its object is to make possible the retention of such
lands now owned by the state as are unfit for agriculture,
and to put this land to its proper use — that of forestry. There
is no question but what the poorest rocky lands and the deep-
est sand soils owned by the state will produce a good rev-
enue growing timber. Such lands, of course, are unprofitable
to the farmer. It remains for the voters next fall to say
whether they want these light or rocky state lands to be
made continuously productive as state forests, or to remain
in the market as farming land, — a snare and a delusion, — a
detriment to the settlement and development of the really
good land in adjoining districts.

s

Utilization of Non-Agricultural Lands

A. P. Woods, Dean and Director of Agricultural and
Forestry, University of Minnesota.

$

E state still owns about 2,000,000 acres of school lands.
At present the law provides for the sale of these lands
at auction at a minimum price of $5.00 per acre. The
real value of the land is unknown. The most profitable use
to which it can be put is also largely a matter of conjecture.
Some of it is fine agricultural land, but owing to distance
from railroads and markets cannot at present be profitably
used for farming. In other cases, the land is too rough or
stony or sandy for agriculture. Other areas must be drained.
It should certainly be surveyed and: classified and its present
and future usefulness and value determined before it is dis-
posed of. This is in the interest, not only of the state as a
whole but of the man who buys it. What is the use of grow-
ing crops that cannot be marketed? Why permit a man, even
if he is willing, to condemn himself and his family to solitary
confinement in a wilderness as so many have done and are
still doing? We admire the bravery and the endurance of
the pioneer, but it is a sacrifice no longer necessary. We
should adopt the more profitable, scientific, enlightened and
humane system of planting communities, providing for roads
and drainage, schools and churches, and people who are
adapted to the development and maintenance of a harmoni-
ous country life.

For example, in north-central Minnesota, there are large
areas of sandy loam adapted to forage and root crops, but in
which there is only a moderate supply of the principal ele-
ments of fertility. Under ordinary types of farming, these
soils will be so depleted in a few generations that they would
have to be abandoned or reclaimed through expensive fer-
tilization. There is, however, no need of their being depleted.
They may be made richer every year under a system of agri-
culture that returns to the soil all that is removed in the
crops grown. Such crops as potatoes, sugar beets, clover,
alfalfa, corn, can be grown and utilized on the place, wholly

or in part, selling butter-fat, pork, sugar, starch, and return.-
ing all the rest to the land. But this can be done most suc-
cessfully by attracting to that country settlers who like and
are adapted to dairying. The co-operative creamery, cheese
factory, bacon factory, starch factory, and related industries,
spring up and develop with vigor when a community of this
kind is organized.

In other areas it will be evident from the location or char-
acter of the land that the forest crops must always dominate,
and the other industries must be based on that. The lands
best suited to forestry and largely only adapted for this pur-
pose may, under wise management be made to yield an an-
nual or average net return on a long time investment of not
less than $2.00 per acre per annum, and often $5.00 and more.
Many foreign countries are securing large revenues annually
from state forests. The state forests of Hungary yield a
net revenue of $600,000 annually. France has 20,000,000 acres
of state forest which yield a net revenue of over $2.00 per
acre, and she has recently reforested over 2,600,000 acres.
The net returns of the forests of Switzerland range from
$3.00 to $9.00 per acre per annum. Saxony has nearly a half
million acres of state forest, yielding an annual net return
of $5.00 per acre. Prussia's seven million acres yield $2.50
net per acre each year. These forests were started nearly
150 years ago, because Germany at that time, with respect
to her forests, was about in the stage of development that we
are now. She had to replant to protect her streams, as well
as to provide necessary forest products and put to use her
unproductive lands. Nearly every country in Europe is in-
creasing its forest area with profit.

The United States has now also a well defined forest policy
which should be defended and supported for the future wel-
fare of our people. Some of our states have also had the fore-
sight to prepare for the future needs of their citizens. New
York has 1,600,000 acres of state forest; Pennsylvania, 980,-
000 acres; Wisconsin, $500,000. There is no doubt that much
larger areas will soon be included.

There are probably millions of acres of land in Minnesota
that should be devoted permanently to forest crops. That
would yield a large net return of millions of dollars per year

Theburm^foreshmokeroseinflie air
And shaped itself like vanished bison brown !
Then hurtf as if if pondered, looking dowm
IVrth massive head of $hq$y curing hoi?
RefledimJ blaz/njJ pinelrees all aplow,
As leaping flames sprarg upvwrdtranbeloMi|
Amomenf dood and lookig/ ever 50,
It oWy driftd westward from the^lare,
Andn*fli^ backcameas a rumW™ roar
I Like Ihunder miles away across 1rie lea,
isfer marainc* iHralhe sunset doof
i Take heed ! Oproffytofes, Remember rne;
for I am^ne (jnd shall return no more, I
^"imk fliou offliose unborn lhaf

to the state, besides supporting many .industries, .conserving
water power, preventing floods, equalizing; -iho flcyage of our
streams, and in many other ways yielding indirect Benefits
far greater than the cash returns. It isVwprk* . foi \ the 'stn;r
rather than for private enterprise on account of the long-time
investment. We now have one of the best state forest serv-
ices in the country and an efficient college of forestry in the
university. Let us put these and other agencies to work
along these lines and prepare for our children a lasting her-
itage, increasing in value from generation to generation.

The tenth successive year without a forest fire lias just been
passed by the Powell national forest in south-central rtah.

Yellow poplar, or tulip tree, the largest broad-leaf tree in
America, lias been known to reach nearly 200 feet in height and
10 feet in diameter.

Pennsylvania lias about 7l/2 million acres of timbcrland, one-
eiglith of which is owned by the state. The total value of the
state's timber is 139 million dollars.

Arrangements hare just been made for the sale of 40 million
feet of timber on the Tonyass national forest in Alaska. This
forest is cut up by bays andt inlets, some of zvhich give an oppor-
tunity for taking the timber from the mill to the decks of ocean-
going steamers. The Tongass forest is now self-supporting, its
lumber product being used largely in local industries, much go-
ing into boxes for canned salmon.

California state inspectors at San J'raneisco have found a new
canker disease on chestnut trees recently imported from Japan.
According to Dr. Haven Metcalf, the governments expert on
such diseases, this appears to be of the same type as the chestnut
blight which is ravaging the forests of the Eastern United
States, and it is possible that the new disease would be equally
as destructive if it became established in this country.

9

What the Constitutional Amendment
Means t& the School Fund

" ' ,By fc 'G,£jiexrrey. Director, College of Forestry.

Y Y j E have all heard the explanation of the amendment
Y\/ for the disposition of our school lands. I wonder if
we realize the obligation that is upon us to seriously
consider this matter and act upon it with our very best judg-
ment. Do we realize that we are the trustees of a very great
estate? Morally the trustees of the whole state and also
legally trustees for our school fund.

That puts upon us a heavy responsibility, and a responsi-
bility that we are very apt to shirk. It is a very easy thing
to get away from a duty of this kind and pass it on back to
the shoulders of our ancestors who made the original law.

We have a right to refer the matter to them with a good
deal of confidence, because we know that they did take the
time and did give the thought to it that the thing desired.
They did not have anyone else on whom they could put the
responsibility. It was up to them to decide — and decide
wisely — what this land law should be, and truly they did
plan wisely. They so safeguarded the public land sales that
there has been built up in this state a school fund unex-
celled in any other state in the Union.

Those of us today, who have tried to get around some of
the laws they have made, know only too well how carefully
the work of these old lawmakers was done. Well and wisely,
too, for at that time there was nothing for them to do but
to sell that land.

Very little was known of that North country compared with
what we know today. They had to form their judgment upon
the knowledge they had of such land as they could see in the
prairies and the southern end of the state. They naturally
took for granted that the land to the north would be the same.
Timber was so plentiful that they could not possibly foretell
the present scarcity of it. Timber land sold by the acre then
as though the timber were not there, and no one could have
any conception of its present value. No one had yet dreamed

10

of forestry, or the possibilities of making a piece of timber
land pay continuous revenue. They had seen in the East
where towns, which the lumber industry had built up, dry
up after the logging ceased and completely disappear from
the map. That was their only experience. It was impossible
for them to see any future in a timber country. Under these
conditions, there was nothing for them to do but to sell the
land for farms. That looked like the only possible source of
revenue.

But are we fulfilling our trust by simply taking over these
laws as they have been laid for us and putting them into prac-
tice year after year without any reference to the results?
Let us suppose a case of private investment. Suppose that
some trustees of our private funds made some investments
fifty years ago, which then looked to them the best thing that
were to be had. Suppose, after they have passed their trust
on to us, that these investments appear obsolete; that many
chances turn up whereby the interest on this money can be
more than doubled. Would we consider it necessary to hang
to the old investment because our grandfathers thought it a
wise one? Would we be satisfied for a minute with their ar-
rangements? We certainly should not. No sooner would the
possibility of a better investment appear than we should
bring forth innumerable arguments to show the futility of
following the old plans. No amount of reverence for the old
people would induce us to hold to their investments, if we
could see a better one.

Yet that is exactly what we are doing with our public trust.
It is not merely a case of changing our minds, and deciding
that we no longer want to do a thing this way, but we prefer
to do it that. Our minds are still turned in the same direc-
tion. We want to make money for our schools. We want to
do the best we can for the generations to follow, but the con-
ditions— the very facts — have changed. We know that all the
lands covered by the forest in the North are not fit for farms.
We know that at least a million acres of the three million yet
owned by the state are either too hilly, too rocky, or too
sandy to make successful farming possible. We know that a
sustained revenue from timber lands is not impossible; that
it is in fact the best possible way of utilizing poor land. We

know that our timber supply — considered inexhaustible at the
time the law was made — is rapidly playing out; that the tim-
ber produced which will grow on this "land will have a value
far in excess of any interest that we can get on the sale
value of it.

Supposing this million acres is sold under the present law.
We could not hope to get for it more than $5.00 an acre, be-'
cause our public lands — so far — have only averaged us a little
over $6.00 and these are the poorest of them we have to sell.
Therefore we would add to our school fund only five million
dollars. Four per cent is the highest possible rate of invest-
ment that we could expect to get on this money, if it were
put in the school fund and invested by the state. This would
yield a possible revenue of 200 thousand dollars a year. In
the meanwhile, the land would be going back to desert con-
ditions, would be supporting no one, and yielding no revenue
to the state, either in taxes or prosperity.

This is a pitiful sum to represent the revenue of any such
area as this. Twenty cents per year per acre would yield as
much in direct returns to the state, and in addition the man-
agement of that tract of timber would furnish employment
to hundreds of men and increase the prosperity of the state,
materially. But why should we consider twenty cents an
acre as the revenue to be obtained from this land under for-
est management? Germany, over her entire forest area aver-
ages $2.50 an acre. Some of the provinces run up as high as
$8.00 an acre. One forest in Switzerland goes as high as
$14.00 an acre. Our land is as good as theirs — better in most
instances — and our trees are quite as good. We are perfectly
safe in calculating on our ultimate yield the equivalent to
this, and this would mean an annual revenue to our schools
of from 2l/2 to 8 million dollars. And this, remember, would
be a sustained revenue which would go on indefinitely and
increasing in value every year as the methods were improved
and the land improved under the forest system. Again, re-
member that this revenue would be applied directly to our
schools and not to our school fund. The forest would be the
school fund; the revenue from the forest the interest to be
expended on our schools.

12

Naturally this is an opportunity that we cannot afford to
let pass. Let us do our duty as the trustees of this wonderful
estate, so that posterity will have an opportunity to point to
us with pride and not regard us with contempt as the people
who neglected our duties and responsibilities, because too
ignorant, indifferent or careless to change the wording of the
law.

The Cry of the Hills

By C. A. Laflin

GIVE us back our trees
O mankind!

Give us back our trees.
The biting winter winds are cold,
And scorching, summer's breeze;
Our rivers foaming once are rills.
List to the cry, we die, we die,
The crying of the hills.

Give us back our trees,

O mankind!
Give us back our trees.
Our lakes reflect but naked shores,
The deer forsake our leas,
And blackened trunks a menace stand.
List to the cry, we die, we die,
The hils forsaken land.

Give us back our trees,

O mankind!
Give us back our trees.
We do not want the gouging plow;
Our rocky sides will seize
And wrest it from the plowman's hand.
Send him not nigh, to die, to die,
But heed the hills' demand.

13

The Management of Mining Lands
for Forest Purposes

Extracts from speech made by A. C. Le Due, Supt. of
Oliver Iron Mining Co., Duluth.

IN the iron ore regions there are two methods of conduct-
ing mining operations, — underground mining and open pit
mining. In each of these methods, timber is used in a
different manner.

Up to a short time since it has been largely the custom to
leave unburned from year to year the slashings incident to
logging operations in the Great Lakes region. The necessity
of burning such slashings has increased yearly for the past
fifteen or twenty years, until today it is an absolute require-
ment for the protection of life and property. There has been
and is now a difference of opinion among timber operators of
this state as to the proper disposal of slashings. We are of
the opinion that instead of in any way hampering the efforts
of our forestry service in the work of proper slash disposal,
and in the patrolling of our forests during the summer sea-
son, we should give it our hearty and undivided co-operation
and support.

Our company maintains a forest patrol service for the pro-
tection of its timber reserves against forest fires, and splen-
did results have been secured by hearty co-operation with
both the federal and state corps established for this purpose.
We also have given our state forester our best efforts in the
matter of slash disposal. In this work, our efforts date back
before the enactment of the slash disposal laws. For a jus-
tification of the proper disposal of slashings, we only need
to point to the great forest fires that have occurred in the
Great Lakes region.

These fires were not confined to one locality, but in a sense
they extended from coast to coast. Within the confines of
our own state, slashings incident to logging operations were
a great factor in adding to their fierceness. If these fires
and the lesser fires had not been allowed to run, and some-
times repeatedly, over the slash left in logging the original
stands of timber in a large part of Michigan, Northern Wis-

consin and Northern Minnesota, their arepb would now be
covered with a second growth of pine timber, some of which
would now be of merchantable value.

The cost factor of burning slash is not at all burden-
some if the burning is done at the proper time, which time
is governed by conditions.

It is a known fact that our forests are being rapidly de-
pleted. If future generations are to be supplied with tim-
ber products at a reasonable cost, it is evident that the mat-
ter of reforestation of .some of our lands must soon be com-
menced.

Much of the waste area in the northern part of this state
can be made to produce an abundance of timber in a short
period of from one hundred to two hundred years.

While we do not believe it would be good policy to require
timber operators to plant a tree for every one felled, there
can be no question of the advisability of our respective states
reforesting waste lands within their borders on a reasonably
broad scale. Our opinion is that reforestation should be of
intensive nature.

We are of the opinion that areas set aside for reforestation
should be planted instead of depending on natural seeding,
is by so doing we make certain of the production of the
laximum volume of timber the lands set aside for such pur-
>ose can produce.

To my mind this state can set a pace in reforestation that
will mark an epoch of great progress not only within its own
borders but within those of the entire nation.

Forest officers in Washington and Oregon plan to discontinue
the use of barbed wire on their forests. This tuill affect their
own pastures and public drift fences. They say barbed wire has
no advantage over smooth wire, that it injures stock, and that
it is more likely to be borne down by soft snow. Stockmen on
the Ochoco forest, in Oregon, recently constructed drift fences
of smooth wire, though with some misgivings; noiv they say they
will never use barbed ^vire again.

15

§

The Lumberman and the State Forests

Extracts from Address of J. E. Rhodes, Secy Nat.
Lbr. Mfrs. Assn.

$

WHILE the production of lumber in Minnesota has passed
its climax, not more than half of the original pine for-
est has been cut. There are at least twenty years of
active lumbering operations on a large scale in sight in Min-
nesota.

Thanks to Minnesota's splendid forest protecting laws and
the manner in which they have been administered by the
state forest service, the fire demon is pretty well controlled.
The people of Minnesota apparently recognize as they have
never before that forest destruction is a public calamity, and
that the cheapest kind of prosperity insurance is adequate
forest fire prevention. The control of forest fires is the first
and longest step toward the practice of forestry.

From, the standpoint of the future welfare of the state,
there is no question about the advisability of Minnesota set-
ting aside lands at the earliest possible moment for the pur-
ose of raising trees.

Wood is indispensable to mankind. Our civilization, indeed
ife itself, depends upon the products of the forest quite as

uch as upon other products of the soil.

There is reason to believe that the lumber production of
the United States has reached and passed its maximum.
* * * Furthermore, it must not be forgotten that the pop-
ulation of the country is increasing at the rate of nearly two
and one-half millions of persons annually. As the lumber
production cannot be increased proportionately, it follows that
the consumption of lumber per capita must decline.

There is no danger of a lumber famine in America, as some
have prophesied. When the profits to be derived from stand-
ing timber are sufficient to make it pay to raise trees, trees
will be grown, and the cutting of them will be in proportion
to their growth. This is the history of forestry in the older
countries of the world.

But while there must be land for the growing of farm crops,

17

it is equally necessary that there should be land for the
growing of trees. Minnesota has great areas of land which
are undoubtedly better adapted for the growth of forest than
of anything else. It is a mistake to assume that all land is
suitable for agriculture. It is a crime to send poor, deluded
settlers to take up lands which are suitable only for the rais-
ing of trees. The hundreds of abandoned farms in certain
sections of the Northern states speak eloquently of the fear-
ful struggle that has been made by the former settlers to
wrest a living from the unwilling soil. No punishment is too
severe for the land sharks who hold out alluring inducements
to poor and land-hungry foreigners that they can make them-
selves happy and prosperous upon lands which are more suit-
able for softwood timber than valuable farm crops. Minne-
sota has millions of acres of the finest soil in the world, which
will sustan an agricultural population a hundred times greater
than the present population in comfort, peace and plenty.

There are in the northern section of the state thousands of
acres which are better adapted for cultivation than for tree
growth, but it is a very short-sighted policy to overlook the
fact that there is much land in the coniferous belt which is
not fit for the tiller of the soil.

The time will surely come when the people of Minnesota
will be very glad that certain areas of the state are better, or
even as well adapted to the raising of trees as to other crops.
This is not true of all other states.

In addition to making land, which would otherwise be
waste, produce wealth for all the people, the products from
the state timber will in time very decidedly affect prices
which the people must pay for lumber. If within twenty to
forty years the people of Minnesota are obliged to purchase
the greater part of their lumber from the Western and Pa-
cific coast states, the price of lumber delivered here will be
very much higher than lumber manufactured in the state.
The freight alone on the average thousand feet of lumber
shipped from the Pacific coast to St. Paul is $12.00.

It must be understood that citizens now engaged in the
lumbering business cannot conduct their operations in such
a way as to perpetuate the forest. * * * The business of

18

securing a new crop of trees in Minnesota is therefore one
in which the state must engage. The state lives on while
men perish. The state should take all measures necessary
to safeguard the future welfare of its citizens, while indi-
viduals cannot be expected to do more generally than care
for their own personal interests.

Connecticut has one and a half million acres of timberland,
mainly in fanners' woodlots.

The Canadian Forestry Association, which recently met in Ot-
tawa, has selected Halifax, Nova Scotia, for its next annual
meeting place.

The stringent requirement of the forest service that all sheep
be dipped before entering the national forests has practically
eradicated scabies on those areas.

tTlie lumbermen of Maine in 1900 originated in this country
he use of mountain lookout towers with telephone connection
or the prompt location and suppression of forest fires.
Only one wood, Spanish cedar (Cedrela odorata), is commonly
sed for cigar boxes. Sometimes a cheaper wood may form the
asis of the box, with paper-thin veneers of the tropical cedar
over it.

A California firm is selling eucalyptus charcoal at $24 a ton,
as against $20 a ton for oak charcoal. Since most of the Cali-
fornia-grown, cucalypts do not make good lumber, uses for other
products of the tree are being sought.

Fifteen small sawmills are cutting timber from the Powell
national forest in ^Southern Utah, more than 100 miles from the
nearest railroad. They are run by settlers during time that can
be spared from the crops, and supply local needs since there is
no opportunity to ship timber ~in or out.

19

n

The Importance of State Forests

Extracts from speech by J. G. Peters Chief of State
Co-operation, U. S. Foroest Service, Washington D. C.

$

FORESTRY is essentially a public problem. The history
of other countries bears this out, and the United States
is no exception.

The area of absolute or permanent forest land in the
United States — that is, land which will grow trees but is
unsuited to agriculture — is probably 450,000,000 acres.

Private owners will not practice forestry generally until
the shortage of timber has forced its price up to the cost of
actually growing the trees. What is to be done in the mean-
time? The supply on the national forests already under con-
servative management will relieve the situation to a certain
extent, but the states must do their part by supplementing
the work of the federal government.

The public should eventually own most of our large forest
areas. Private owners will gradually come to practice for-
estry and can be counted upon in time to do their share in
supplementing the work of the states and federal government.
But public forests on a large scale are now necessary to
bridge the gap.

Already we have evidences of public regulation in the com-
pulsory private patrol law of Oregon and the various slash
disposal measures, especially those of New York, Minnesota,
Washington, and Oregon.

These older states furnish very striking examples of a mis-
taken land policy, which it is not too late for the newer ones
to heed. I cannot urge too strongly that the states set aside
all the public forest land now in their possession as state
forests.

Briefly summarized, the advantages to be gained from pub-
lic ownership of the forests are: A continuous timber sup-
ply; the protection of water resources; a stable administra-
tive policy; a stable lumber industry and steady employment
of labor; the educational effect of demonstrating proper for-
estry methods; public recreation grounds; game and bird
refuges; and a constant source of revenue to the state.

20

The Lure of the North Woods

By D. Lange

(Kxtracts from Address)

IP appears that the greatest lure to the North woods are
the fish, which still teem in the countless lakes. No doubt
you have all heard of the German carp which has been
introduced into the streams of this country and has now
greatly multiplied in the Mississippi and some of its large
tributaries. This fish is considered, at least in this part of
the country, as a comparatively worthless fish. In Germany
it is considered a delicacy. The principal reason that we do
not appreciate it in this country, is that no country in the
world possesses such a wealth of high-grade food fish as
North America. Pike and bass and crappie and pickerel and
trout and white fish and gold eye and sturgeon and spoon
bill, are a small random list of the most desirable ones. It
very remarkable that this enormous asset has thus far
en entirely ignored. Many carloads of fish, it is true, are
lipped every year from Lake Superior, Lake of the Woods,
ike Pepin, the St. Croix river, and other large bodies of
iter within the state, but thus far our method' of fishing
is been one purely of exploitation.
I believe the time has come when a careful study should
made of the fishery resources of Minnesota in international
well as in state waters. I believe that with scientific man-
jement the production of one of the most wholesome food
supplies could easily be increased ten or a hundredfold in
this state, but the thing that is most needed is a careful,
scientific study of the conditions governing the fish life in
the several large bodies of interstate and international wa-
ters. For instance, how could the fisheries in Red Lake and
Mille Lacs be made most productive? What would be the
best methods of utilizing the fish in the Minnesota river, and
in the interstate waters of Lake Pepin, the Mississippi and
St. Croix rivers, and in the international waters of Lake Su-
perior, Rainy river, Rainy lake and Lake of the Woods? The
white fish in Lake Superior are already so scarce that they

21

a Ipnger .commercially valuable. Lake Superior trout
are 'still secured in large quantities. The sturgeon of Lake
of the Woods have become comparatively scarce and small,
and as yet no method is known for their successful prop-
agations. The same statement is true of the spoon bill found
in the Mississippi and the Minnesota, and which once was
exceedingly common in Lake Pepin, but has now become
rare. Of this fish no successful method of propagation is
known. It is not even known under what conditions the fish
spawn, and where the eggs are hatched, and to my knowl-
edge no more young fry of the spoon bill has ever been found.
It may be news to some of my hearers that there is one fish
inhabiting Minnesota lakes and rivers which goes to the ocean
to spawn. That is our common eel. The fish seems to be
fairly common in some parts of the Minnesota river, but how
common it is, is not known. When the eels are sexually
mature they migrate out of the rivers to the ocean, and
spawn there. At a certain time of the year large number of
eel fry may be found entering the mouth of the larger rivers.
They gradually ascend into the smaller streams and remain
there until they attain their maturity. What becomes of the
mature eels that have gone to the ocean is not known. I
believe that a systematic study of the fishery question in
this state would discover some way by which our fish re-
sources can be commercially utilized without infringing in
any way upon the rights of sportsman which, of course, should
be respected.

The greatest lure of the North woods I wish to mention
last. For the health and joy and the rejuvenation of aunts
and uncles, and fathers and mothers, and boys and girls, there
is no country like the North woods. It beats all the "oso-
phies" and "ologies," all the patented medicines, and unpat-
ented medicines. It is Nature's own cure. Old Ponce de Lion
hunted through the West Indies and through Florida in search
of the Fountain of Youth. If he had only gone as far as
Minnesota, he would be living yet. Amen.

India is developing an important turnpentine industry, though
it does not yet suply the home market.

22

Extracts from T. B. Walker's Address

T. B. Walker, who stated that he probably owned and con-
trolled more timber than any man in Minesota, spoke on
forest fire protection. Mr. Walker recommended a careful
survey of the timbered regions in order that those lands that
are not suited to agriculture or grazing might be turned to
forestry purposes. He said in part:

"If, as the state forestry department believes, it is prac-
ticable and of value to turn some of these Minnesota lands
that are less valuable for agricultural and grazing purposes
into state forest preserves, and to take measures for protect-
ing and reforesting lands that will not be troubled w^ith car-
rying charges of interest or taxes and such lands to be more
serviceable, even to the counties, as a local asset for timber
culture than if held open for unprofitable farming purposes,
the department will be able to determine the question of
properly selecting certain considerable tracts to be secured
by the state forestry purposes.

"I would recommend that a. careful survey of the timbered

gions of the north half of the state be made and that the

nd best suited for timber growth and least valuable for agri-
ulture be selected and secured by the state for the cultiva-
ion of timber.

"I think the state ought to, by careful examination, deter-
mine and then secure such portions of land as will not in
general be taken up for agricultural purposes; and where
they were formerly timbered lands, they can be obtained from
the owners without much expense.

"I think there might reasonably be placed a moderate tax
on the timber lands that are to be protected, this to run
until the local settlements and the clearing of the land would
be sufficient to protect against any general conflagration."

A Pennsylvania yuu company is using the waste pieces of black
and Circassian walnut, left after veneer cutting, for gun stocks.

23

1

The

Resolutions

1

WHEREAS, Chapter 592 of the Laws of Minnesota of
1913, submitted the following amendment to Article 8
of the Constitution, to be voted on at the general elec-
tion, November 3, 1914, namely:

"Such of the school and other public lands of the state as
are better adapted for the production of timber than for
agriculture may be set apart as state school forests or other
state forests as the legislature may provide, and the legisla-
ture may provide for the management of the same on forestry
principles. The net revenue therefrom shall be used for tae
purposes for which the lands were granted to the state."

And, Whereas, the adoption of this amendment will enable
our state to better utilize its important natural forest re-
sources. The maintenance of forest on forestry land, as shown
by the experience of older countries not only yields revenue
and give employment to many people but affords many indi-
rect benefits including improvements of soil and maintenance
of water flow in streams. To adopt this amendment, how-
ever, requires a majority of all votes cast at the election;
and as there will be several tickets and matters to be voted
on, it will be liable to be overlooked by many voters unless
their attention be particularly called to it.

Resolved, That we place ourselves on record as strongly in
favor of this amendment and urge the press of the state and
all public spirited citizens to use their efforts to make it
known and adopted.

Whereas, Chapter 333, General Laws 1913, provides and pre-
vious laws to which this law is amendatory have provided for
the sale of lands which have reverted to the state for the
non-payment of taxes on the basis of 50 cents on the dollar;
and,

Whereas, This law retards the development of good farming
lands, thus placing an unfair burden on the community and
prevents the development of forest lands by the state; and,

25

Whereas, The lands of proven unfitness for farming are by
this law restored to the market to menace the promises of
our agencies for the promotion of immigration to furnish rich
farming land to the home-maker; therefore, be it

Resolved, That this association go on record as favoring
the immediate repeal of this law and the enactment of one
to provide for the classification by soil experts of lands re-
verting to the state for the non-payment of taxes, to the end
that the title to forest lands may permanently remain with
the state and that the farming lands only, so reverting, may
be sold to settlers as other state lands are sold; and, be it
further

Resolved, That this association and its members urge upon
the legislature the necessity of taking this action.

Whereas, The necessity and wisdom of a competent survey
of the soils of the state has from time to time been shown
before the legislature but so far without avail; and,

Whereas, The lack of an authentic and reliable soil map
has been one of the chief difficulties in the way of inducing
settlement of our millions of acres of good farming land and
has also lent strength to an unreasoning and blind prejudice
against plans for forest management on lands good for timber
growing; therefore, be it

Resolved, That the Forestry Association co-operate as far
as possible with such other organizations as are working on
this issue in order to hasten the completion of the state soil
survey.

Resolved, That this association use its influence to widely
distribute such information as will result in the proper selec-
tion, care and protection of woodlots, wind-breaks and shelter
belts, especially on the woodland farms of the state now being
developed; and, be it „

Further Resolved, that the experiment station and the for-
est service be urged to co-operate in the investigation and dis-
semination of information of this character through the Ex-
tension Department of the University, the county agricultural
agents and forest rangers.

Resolved, That we endorse the constitutional amendment
providing for a revolving fund of $250,000, for the construc-

26

tion of roads oh state land, — the constitutional amendment to
permit the payment of a bounty for tree planting, and urge
the hearty support of these amendments at the polls.

Resolved, That this association urge the U. S. forest service
to establish in Minnesota under the Weeks Law small for-
ests, either from the present federal domain, such as the Red
Lake peninsula, "Beltrami Island," and even small areas well
distributed through potential farming districts or by purchase
of addition to the" national forests of the state such as the
addition sought by the citizens of Bemidji to bring the bans
of the Mississippi river and the shores of Lake Bemidji under
the protection and care of the government.

Resolved, That the association use its influence for the fur-
ther establishment within the state of factories for the produc-
tion of finished products from the raw materials; and, be it
further

Resolved, That the commercial clubs and development as-
sociations of the state be urged to exercise their influence to
this same end.

Whereas, Since the burden of taxation upon forests and for-
est lands as at present assessed may at any time become ex-
cessive.

Resolved, That lands which are used for the growth of for-
ests and managed in accordance with forestry principles be
classified as forest land, and, in lieu of the present method of
assessing taxes, be subjected, as long as proper forest condi-
tions are maintained, to a land tax, to be paid annually, the
amount of which shall be fixed for periods of not to exceed 50
years; and, also, a yield tax, the amount of which shall be
determined by further investigation, on the value of the crop,
to be paid at the time it is harvested.

Resolved, That the association fully appreciates the aid that
has been rendered us by the co-operation of the federal gov-
ernment in the protection of forests on the watersheds of
navigable streams from fire, and urges that this aid be con-
tinued in the future as it is of far-reaching effect, in, and, of
great importance to the success of forestry in this state; and,
be it

27

Resolved, That the Minnesota delegation 4n congress be
urged to support a continuation of the federal aid.

Resolved, That the association tender a vote of thanks to
The Saint Paul Hotel for their courtesy in providing such
good service and accommodations.

Resolved, That the association tender a vote of apprecia-
tion to the speakers who have so courteously given us their
time and labor.

E. G. CHEYNBY,

A. C. LEDUC,

E. W. OSBORN,

A. G. WEDGE,

D. P. TIERNEY, Chairman.

Resolution Committee.

The Canadian government is using Indian fire patrolmen to
protect the forests of Northern Manitoba.

It has been suggested that certain kinds of timber on the na-
tional forests be reserved for the needs of the navy. This re-
calls the fact that the first forest reservations in this country
were made for naval material.

Ghent, Belgium, furnishes practically all of the potted speci-
mens of the symmetrical Araucaria, or Norfolk island pine, used
as an ornamental foliage house plant, in Europe and America.
The United States imports at least 250,000 of these plants in 5
or 6-inch pots each year.

The department of agriculture is trying to eliminate the dan-
ger to cattle from poisonous plants on national forest ranges.
Of \these plants, larkspur loco zveed, death camas, and water
hemlock are the most poisonous. Larkspur does the most harm,
because it is so widely distributed and is particularly bad for
cattle. Ordinarily, horses will not eat larkspur, and sheep can
eat it zvithout apparent injury.

28

1

Forestry Club News— University
of Minnesota

By Ralph K. Rhoads,

$

During the past month the Forestry Club has experienced
some of the most interesting events of the school year. The
writer wishes to call attention to the fact that these events
were not given the support of the members they deserved.
The meetings are not being attended by enough members to
warrant the club as large a space in these columns as it might
receive were a more keen interest taken in club affairs. It
is hoped that each member will read this article and wake
up to the fact that it is his duty to make the club all that it
should be and attend the meetings regularly.

Itasca Night

On the night of March 18 a very interesting meeting was
held in the horticulture building at the University Farm. The
meeting was called chiefly for the purpose of giving the fresh-
ien some idea of the things they might expect to find when
ley follow their upper classmen to the Itasca summer school,
invitation was extended to the students of the Agriculture
)llege and a large number attended. Professor Wentling
threw a number of slides on the screen while Prof. Cheney
jailed up some very humorous stories in connection with the
views. The pictures recalled many of the good times expe-
rienced by the seniors and alumni and suggested an inter-
esting future to the future foresters. The evening was ap-
propriately called "Itasca Night." It was really no wonder
that many of the "Aggies" left the building that night wish-
ing that they were "foresters." It is generally admitted by
those who have visited the state park that there is no place
like Itasca. Freshmen are urged to spend the summer there.

Forestry Club Banquet.

On the night of March 24 the club held its eighth annual
banquet in the university room of the St. Paul Hotel and un-
ler the auspices of the club, the Minnesota Forestry Asso-
ciation also held its 38th annual banquet. Plates were set

29

for sixty-two and after dinner there were toasts by prominent
lumbermen, statesmen, foresters, students and members of
women's clubs. P. C. Records and R. E. Rhoads represented
the club on the program. Records gave a short talk on the
"Purposes of the Forestry Club," and Rhoads followed with
a talk on "The Student's Viewpoint of Forestry." The event
was one of interest to all who attended. It is regretted that
there were not more of the club members present.

During the sessions of the Minnesota Forestry Association
in St. Paul, March 24 and 25, and students in the Forestry
College were excused from classes and nearly every student
attended the meetings. We are agreed to do all we can to
help pass the proposed amendment for state forests.

Professor Wendell Talks on Fish and Game.
The small attendance at the meeting on April 1st was dis-
couraging. Those who were absent missed a good talk on
fish and game by Professor Wendell of Hamline University.
Professor Wendell gave a complete discussion on the rela-
tion of game to the forests and advocated the protection and
proper care of game, just as foresters advocate the proper
care and protection of forests. It was Mr. Wendell's idea
that the protection of game was the forester's duty because
he is most closely associated with the animals in the woods.
Professor Wendell said that our game supply was rapidly
decreasing and that unless there is some step taken toward
protection there will eventually be an end to fur trading. In
conclusion the speaker gave some interesting information in
regard to trapping and fur farming. The lecture was very
beneficial.

Election of Officers.

Owing to the fact that there were not enough members at
the regular meeting on April 1 the election of officers was
postponed to a special meeting in the forestry library on
April 8. At this short meeting the following officers were
elected for the next term: C. Hawkinson, President; R.
Rhoads, Vice President; Frank Dunn, Treasurer; L. Crane,
Secretary; T. P. West and P. Blake were elected as the board
of directors. No other business was transacted.

30

School Opens at Itasca.

The forest school at Itasca opens on April 21. From that
date until September 1 the juniors will be engaged in actual
field work at the summer school. The freshmen enter in
June and remain until August. Aside from the training in
field practice there will be plenty of room for the good times
that the surroundings afford.

The forests of I'lorida contain 175 different kinds of wood.

Many of the forest fires attributed to railroads are caused not
by sparks from locomotives, but by cigar and cigarette butts
thrown from smoking-car windows

There are seven spruces in the United States. Four are con-
fined to the West; two to the Hast: while one, white spruce, has
a continent-wide distribution.

Makers of small hickory handles for hammers, chisels, and the
like, are now trying to use the waste from mills which make
lickory spokes and pick and ax handles.

There is much waste in getting out the flaivless white oak neces-
sary for tight barrel staves. The forest service is trying to get
manufacturers of parquetry flooring to use some of this waste.

The U. S. consul at Aberdeen, Scotland, thinks that American
manufacturers may have a chance to compete in furnishing
staves for fish barrels. There has been a recent rise in the price
of spruce and fir staves from Sweden and Scotland.

As an experiment, the supervisor of the Beaverhead national
forest is stripping the bark from the bases of a number of lodge-
pole pine trees at various periads before they are to be cut for
telephone poles. This girdling causes the trees to exude resin,
and it is desired to find what effect this may have as a preserv-
ative treatment for the poles.

31

(Continued from page 2.)

IT WILL DEVOTE its influence to the development
of public thought and knowledge along these practical
lines.

The association will support these policies:

Non-political departmentally independent organization
of the State Government's Forestry Department .with
liberal appropriations for its work.

Forest fire protection by state and its encouragement
and extension by co-operation; without adequate fire
protection all other measures for forest crop produc-
tion will fail.

Classification by experts of land best suited for farm-
ing and those best suited for forestry; and liberal state
appropriations for this work.

Management by the state of state owned forest lands
and the acquirement of additional lands suitable for
forest crops.

Forest planting by the state government and long-lived
corporations; and, also, planting by private owners of
wind-breaks, shelter belts and woodlots.

Closer utilization in logging and manufacturing and
use of so-called inferior kinds of timber.

Forest taxation reforms to permit the collection of
the tax at the time the timber crop is harvested at
maturity with a moderate annual tax on the land itself.
This would put the owners of timber crops and other
agricultural crops on the same basis for taxation.

"Fores! Schools the Foundation of Forest Wealth.*

THE NORTH WOODS

Volume III. MAY, 1914 Number 5

A Recorder and Promoter of the Forestry Movement in Minnesota.

OFFICIAL BULLETIN OF THE MINNESOTA FORESTRY ASSOCIATION
AND THE STATE FOREST SERVICE.

Published Monthly for members of the Minnesota Forestry Association

Annual Membership Fee $1.00. This includes membership in the Minnesota

Horticultural Society, entitling every such member to all privileges of

that organization as well as the Forestry Association. Remittance

should be made payable to PHIL H. HANSON. Treas..

care State Forester's Office, State Capitol.

St. Paul, Minn.

Entered as Second Class Matter, September 14, 1912, at the Post Office at St.
Paul, Minnesota, under the Act of August 24, 1912.

CONTENTS

Guide to Minnesota's Resorts . .. . .2
*o the Disciples of Isaac Walton .

:ish Culture in Minnesota ..... 8

ic Lure of the North Woods . 14
linnesota Clubwomen and Conservation

'roper Bass Bait 29

fo Sectional Monopoly of State Forests . . 32

A GUIDE TO MINNESOTA'S
RESORTS

Here's a Chance to List your place in an official
Magazine of a State Organization.

The "North Wocds" will, in its June number, pub-
lish a list of summer resorts and informaiton pertain-
ing to them. It will be in the nature of a complete
guide to Minnesota's resorts. Civic associations, rail-
roads, information bureaus, etc., have promised to
distribute copies. The magazine goes out to hun-
dreds of persons interested in outdoor life in Minne-
sota. Every resort owner who desires to have his
place included in the list can do so by joining the Min-
nesota Forestry Association, the membership fee of
which is one dollar, entitling the member to a year's
subscription to the "North Woods." This little maga-
zine will devote itself to advertising Minnesota as the
land of the summer vacationist. Last year, many calls
were received for the issue containing the list of sum-
mer resorts.

This information must be in the office of the editor
of the "North Woods" on June 5.

To the Disciples of Isaac Walton

WE must not speak carelessly of "fishermen" in the
mass, as though they were homogenous type like the
bank clerk; there are very few occasions when they
can properly be collected under the general heading. Let us
drop our net at random into a big school of fishermen and see
what we get.

The net is up and the writhing mass spread out on the
dock for inspection. The first to disentangle himself from
the struggling crown is a sturdy, weatherbeaten figure, com-
pletely enveloped in oilskins, with long whiskers feeling out
for the salt breezes like antennae. His every aspect breathes
of the Newfoundland Banks. He's a fisherman; his business
ride the seas in all weathers and catch the cod, yank them
>ut of the water with all possible speed and carry them off to

friendly port at the greatest possible profit.

Close behind him follows another type, very different but
icne the less a fisherman. He is a sleek, brown, naked Arab
nose pinched to an unseemly point by the constant use
>f a clothespin, whose one ambition is to develop a large

lough lung capacity to enable him to stay under the water

df an hour to gather oysters. Do you suppose he enjoys that
continuous diving? Possibly, but it is his business and his

>al pleasure comes in mauling over the sickening mass of

)tting molluscs on the beach in search of the modest pearls,
"hey are his living.

One large group which stands out peramnently among
the rest are the seine fishers, the men who sift the herring,
sardines, blue fish, salmon, mullet, mackeral and numberless
)thers from the waters of the world. The hauling of the

sine is the business of his day, the fish his wages. He must
jatch fish or starve.

And so we might follow the seas and the rivers finding
type after type of every nationality of "men who go down to
the sea in ships" and take out the fish for a living. As widely

different as they are, these men have one thing in common;
fishing mean meat and drink to them and their enjoyment is
directly proportional to the size and value of their catch.
Whether the shore be rock or sand; whether the sky be fair or
overcast; whether the water be fresh or salt; whether the
land be far or near; just so the fish are there, nothing else
matters.

The Other Fisherman.

How different from these are the men we know as fisher-
men, how different their methods, how different their purpose.
What great change will it make in their lives whether they
catch any fish or not, they will not starve; it is net their
business. In fact the fish is really no longer the principal
object with them. To be sure the fish must be there — for no
self respecting fishing trip can ever be a success without at
least the hope of a possible fish to inspire it, but his function
has changed. He is no longer the money prize of intrinsic
worth; he has become a mere bait, a lure, an excuse, indis-
pensible but nevertheless a mere excuse, to lead men on to the
better things they more enjoy. In other words fishing for
them is a recreation.

What is it this fisherman wants? What is it he really en-
joys? It is not the death of a cold blooded smelly fish; it's
not the taste of the thing he caught. Certainly he enjoys ly-
ing about it in after life; but it was not that he enjoyed most;
it was not for that that he made the trip. What was it then?
Read every book and every article that the most enthusiastic
fisherman have written, from Isaac Waltcn to the bottle fish-
erman of the present day and how much of it all is devoted to
the actual operation of catching the fish? A few technical ar-
ticles now and then, a few tense sentences here and there, and
the rest of it, what? Page after page on the beautiful stream,
the magic sunshine, the mystic shadows, the sparkling waters;
volume after volume on the wonderful woods. And there we
have it! It is the life in the open they really want. The
nervous temperament of many men, especially business men,
is such that an aimless wandering around the woods, no matter
how much they might love it would be intolerable. They must

have some definite object. The fish furnishes that object and
makes the trip possible, but it is the life in the woods which
yields nine-tenths of the pleasure. How often an enthusiast,
almost in a trance as he describes the landing of the largest
trout he ever caught, will pause in the most exciting place to
describe the play of the goldren sunlight on a snowy birch
across that enchanted pool. That is really what he enjoyed
most.

It is these men seeking the open after the fish that make up

the great bulk of the outers at this season of the year. It

means health and happiness to many a family; it means a

handsome revenue to the region where they go; it means yet

more to the contentment of the people; so much in all that it

certainly has to be reckoned with as an important factor in

the value of the forests. No man wants to fish a stream that

wanders through a desolate stretch of forlorn cut-over land.

The beauty of the surroundings is three-quarters of the fun,

ften four-quarters with the fish thrown in as a superfluous

[cuse. Destroy the beauty of these surroundings, and — no

latter how plentiful the fish — the greater part of the fishing

rill cease.

Our Debt to Fishermen.

So we owe these fishermen two things; fish in the streams to

itch, and a forest land in which to fish.

There are few sections of the United States which can offer
diversified and pleasing opportunities for angling, canoeing,
md other outdoor sports as Minnesota. Already many people
come trouping in from distant states to enjoy our fish and
our forests. It is only a matter of time and publicity until
we- possess the Adirondacks of the middle West, one of the
greatest summer resort districts of the country.

With such a prospect as this easily within our grasp is it not
a shame to sell .our state lands, to allow the timber to be cut
off and the fishing ground destroyed, because a few specula-
tors have raised the cry that these lands are needed for set-
tlement. Needed for settlement indeed! If all of these lands
so obtained would raise one hundred bushels of wheat to the
acre, they would never be worth to the state, either commer-

cially or, what is far more important, for -health half as much
as when they were the people's fishing grounds.

An.d yet these lands are being steadily and rapidly sold and
the fishing grounds destroyed. They should be saved to the
fishermen; but the fishermen must not expect a kind and ben-
evolent government to do it for them. It is up to them to
fight for those grounds themselves and the sooner they get
busy the more fishing grounds they will have. The first step
in that direction should be state forests.

Two forest officers, in Washington and Oregon, are writ in <>
popular descriptions of the trees on the Crater and Mi. Rainier
national parks, for the use of visitors to the parks.

In~ many parts of the ivest snow is leaving the mountains earlier
than usual. Foresters say that this may mean a bad fire season,
and they are making plans for a hard campaign.

New Jersey is said to have the greatest proportion of railroad
mileage of any state in the country, or one mile of railroad to
every three square miles of teritory. This makes an unusual risk,
of forest fires set by railroads.

The heavy storms in southern California during the past rainy
season znnped out many miles of trails in the national forests of
that part of the. state. They are now being rebuilt for the com-
ing summer, for use in fire protection. They are also of great
use to tourists, campers, and prospectors.

Forest officers in Washington and Oregon plan to discontinue
the use of barbed wire on their forests. This will, affect their
own pastures and publ'c drift fences. They say. barbed wire has
no advantage over smooth wire, that it in ju'res stock, 'and that it is
more likely to be borne down by soft snow. Stockman on the
Ochoco forest, in Oregon, recently constructed drift fences of
smooth wire, though with some misgivings! now they say they ivill
never use barbed wire -again.

«J

Fish Culture in Minnesota

By Charles F. Stuart

2

THE state game and fish commission this year has put
fish culture on an entirely humane basis.

Of course it is difficult even for a tender-hearted per-
son to get up sympathy for a fish* in distress, for a fish is one
of those cold-blooded creatures which never does any cute
tricks, never displays any signs of affection for human kind,
and is utilized only for sport and food.

But this fish culture business carried on by the state board
is an important feature of the state government and the com-
mission members determined this year to aid in propagation
in such a manner that not even the most tender hearted of
persons cculd accuse them of so much as injuring the feel-
ings of the fish.

Formerly wall-eyed pik<e were caught either in gill nets or
pulled from the water with seines. Both these operations
were a little rough on the fish. This year the commission,
which has just completed two successful spawn expeditions,
used what is termed the pound net.

Strange as it may seem, few persons, even old-time fisher-
men, know much about fish propagation. They probably can
tell all about the breeding habits of birds and animals, but it
is little they know about fish science.

Bass and crappie fry are gathered in the fall. Brook trout
fry are bought on the open market. Just now the game and
fish commission is busy with its pike spawn, gathering of
which is one of the most interesting operations.

As soon as the ice goes out of the lakes and streams the
pike begin to "run." By this it is meant that they start up-
stream. If they are in a lake they all find the river which
flows into the lake and away they go up the river, every last
mother son of them.

Take Lake Vermillion and Pike river, for example. The
commission has just obtained millions, of fry from there.
Lake Vermillion, on the shore of which stands the city of

8

Tower, is noted for its pike. This spring the first warm days
in Northern Minnesota saw E. W. Cobb, superintendent of
state hatcheries, standing on the banks of Pike river, which
empties into Lake Vermillion.

The ice was not out of the river many hours before Mr.
Cobb could detect the fin of an occasional wall-eye cutting
the water top as the fish headed up stream. Less than half
a mile from the lake there is a dam across Pike river so the
pike can go no farther.

The first sight of the pike was enough for Mr. Cobb. He
sent word for the commission members and the game war-
dens and special workmen who take part in the spawn catch.

The weather was ideal for spawn taking this spring. Geo.
J. Bradley, president of the commission and veteran spawn
taker, was early on the scene. With him arrived Fred Myers
and T. O. Ofsthun, members who never before engaged in
catching spawn. This year the pound net was used. No, the
pound net does not catch a pound of fish at a time. Rather
it is so fashioned as to empound the fish like dogs are em-
pounded in an enclosure.

Nets soon were out from either shore of the river. Their
inclination was up-stream. The side wings of these nets al-
lowed little fish to pass through, but larger pike could not
pass. Being bent, however, on going up-stream the pike
would nose along looking for an opening in the nets which
barred their passage. Finally in midstream they would think
that they had discovered the exit leading upstream. They
would switch their tails and pass on through.

Some fish lend themselves easily to artificial aid. Others
refuse to allow man to assist nature. The result is that those
who lend themselves to the aid of man always will be found
in Minnesota lakes and streams. The others will pass into
history unless strictly protected and given every chance to
multiply.

These two classes are divided as follows: Those which
lend themselves to the will of man are the fish from which
the spawn can be extracted when ripe. The wall-eyed pike,
properly known as the pike perch, is most amenable to the
well directed efforts of human aid. The brook trout also gives

9

up her spawn. So does the white fish of the Northern Minne-
sota lakes. But the bass refuses to have anything to do with
man. It is little aid which the human kind can give the fish.
The same is true of the crappie.

The result is that pike spawn can be taken, fertilized,
hatched into fry and placed in various lakes and streams of
the state at the price of about 3 cents per thousand fry. The
fry, be it known, are little fish hatched from the spawn, which
are eggs.

But with the bass and crappie it is much more expensive.
The bass fry cost about 4 cents each — not a thousand, but
each. Crappies cost almost as much.

But it was not to go on to liberty. They found themselves,
as soon as they had passed through this hole, in a balloon-
shaped net which allowed them tb swim around but which
denied them further progress. And en seeking to go back
they found the backward way barred.

Here they were, captives, but with plenty of water to swim
around in, lots of air to breathe, as the water changed con-
tinually with the flow of the river. It used to be that the fish
were caught by the gills in gill nets and often died before
the commission, finished with them. Even seining was rough
on them, as many were out cf water too long and others were
taken from the water before ripe. But here, according to
Mr. Bradley, was an ideal trap. From the great balloon-
shaped pound the workmen took the fish as they desire!
(hem.

Now, a word, as to why the fish went up the river; what
would have happened if man had net interfered and what is
to happen now that man has interfered?

The fish left Lake Vermillicn to spawn. It is their nature
to go up the river to a point just belcw a dam or other water-
fall, some place where the current is swift. This spot reached,
the females would have ranged themselves along the shore
lines where the water is shaHcw. The majestic males would
have held their places -in midstream, their eyes on the fe-
males.

When the female was ready to drop her spawn, tens of
thousands of eggs to each female, she would have dashed 9ut

10

into midstream and freed herself of the spawn. Anywhere
from one to half a dozen males would have met her and
sought, each one, to fertilize this spawn. Probably cnly a
sn all portion of the eggs would have been fertilized out there
in that swift current in midstream. All the eggs would have
drifted down stream to ledge here arid there close by the
shores out -in the lake.

Fish scientists say it is impossible to tell how large a per-
centage of this spawn is fertilized in this haphazard manner.
Seme say 5 per cent, others 10," All admit they are guessinz.
But all are sure that but a fraction of that which is fertilized
ever turns into fry.

For pike spawn is an appetizing dish for white fish and
suckers and spring times they are lurking close by to gob-
ble what they can grab of it as the fly or what they can find
lodged here and there under rocks or wherever it ledges.
This all means that nature allows but a small percentage of
the many eggs of the wall-eyed pike to hatch.

But here is 'what happened when man stepped in this spring,
much as he has been doing in the perscn of the game and
fish commission for a number of years past. Once in the
pond the pike were dipped cut by the men. By merely touch-
ing a female the state game and fish commission workman
detects whether the fish is ready to give up her sp^wn. If
she is not, she is tossed immediately into a netted off por-
tion of the river, to be tried once more in a day or two. If
ripe the workman "strips" her. This process consists of a
pressure with the thumb and forefinger which takes the spawn
from her. The female instantly is placed back in the water,
where <she is free of all nets, free to f relic about and snao
at any old hook until next spring.

In the same manner the male is stripped. The fertilized
eggs are washed and shipped in cases to the state hatcheries
at St. Paul, Deer River and Glenwood.

Within ten days or two weeks they hatch and shortly after
the state has millions of pike fry to distribute throughcut its
irany lakes. Mr. Cobb says tha.t while nature, estimating lib-
erally, hatches 5 per cent of the eggs of the female, the state
hatches 60 per cent at a conservative estimate.

11

Pike river near Tower and Pipestone falls, about eight
miles from Winton, Minn., supply much of the spawn. The
catch from Pipestone falls arrived at the state hatcheries last
week. In each place the "run" of the wall-eyes continues for
a week or more. There has been some complaint from North-
ern Minnesota, particularly from the vicinity of Tower, that
the fish commission is robbing the Northern waters to sup-
ply other districts of the state, .bred Myers, new member of
the board, has demonstrated to the satisfaction of those who
complained that the state was putting back mere than it took
out.

Here is the way it works about: Say a female lays 10,000
eggs; nature would turn but 500 of these into fry, or little
pike. The state takes the 10,000 eggs and superintends the
fertilizing and hatching. The result is 6,000 fry. One-fourth
of the fry hatches is taken back to the waters from which
the spawn was taken. This would put 1,500 Jry back. This
gives the waters which yield the spawn three times the fry
which nature would have given them and leaves three-fourths
of the hatch for other waters.

"Which I claim," says George Brad'ey, "is good business
method."

Mr. Bradley is a banker whose home and business are in
Norwood. He is a veteran on the commission and will leave
his bank any day at all to don rubber boots and stand in the
middle of a cold stream catching pike spawn. There is no
salary attached to these commissioner jobs. It is all honor-
ary, and the members are there because they are interested
in game and fish protection and multiplication.

The state owns a fish car, built especially to carry pike fry. It
will start out immediately delivering pike to countless lakes
and streams of Minnesota. Before June 1 the state will have
planted millions of pike fry which in a few years will be
plenty big enough to grace the frying pan; and, after all, is
there any fish much better eating than a fresh wall-eye?

The highest mountain in Montana, Granite Peak, with an alti-
tude of nearly 13,000 feet, is in the Beartooth national forest.

12

$

The Lure of the North Woods

By D. Lange

s

(The main portion of sin add res" delivered at the meeting- of the Minnesota
Forestry Association. A part of this same address was published last luouth.)

THERE are still immense regions in Northern Minnesota
as well as in cur sister states of Wisconsin and Mich-
igan, which are to this day as wild as they were one
hundred years ago. It is true that over mcst of this region
the first growth of pine has been cut, and much of the land
has been burned over, but there are still large areas of prim-
itive spruce, tamarack and talsam, and forests of birch and
poplar, and even of maple. The lakes and strsams of this
wilderness are as interesting as ever, and the region fur-
nishes new even tetter feeding and breeding grounds for
moose and deer, and better nesting grounds for the wild birds,
than it did before the great pine forests were cut, for a close
stand of tall pine dees not afford a good feeding grcund for
either beast or bird.

There is no region in the world where the hunter or camp-
er, or the general lover of outdoor life may find such absolute
freedom, as in our own North wocds, and if the resources cf
this great country, which equals about the whole of Great
Britain, were better known, the people of St. Louis, Kansas
City and Omaha, in fact all the inhabitants of the Mississippi
valley would resort to cur own North woods, just as the peo-
ple of Europe flock in hundreds of thousands to the Alps.

Permit me to take up the "lure of the North woods" a litt'e
more in detail. • Perhaps the most enthusiastic traveler in
the North woods is the hunter. Your true sportsman hunter
is a gentleman who is not trying to make a large bag. He
obeys the laws of the state in which he hunts, he leaves no
wounded animal in the wocds, and he doesn't fire until he is
sure that he fires at game, and not at a fellow hunter. As
said before, the North wcods now are a much better breed-
ing and feeding ground for all kinds of large game, with the
possible exception of the black tear, than they ever were

14

we

:

within the last five hundred years. A region that has been
cut over or burned over, does not remain, as the inexperi-
enced city dweller might think, a black and barren wilder-
ness, but it quickly grows up with a dense growth of poplar,
birch, shad bush, willow and other trees and shrubs, which
furnish abundant browse for mocse and deer, and which
would also support good sized herds of elk if they were once
introduced and acclimatized into the region.

I believe that in certain regions of Minnesota, Wisconsin
and Ontario, moose and deer are probably now more numer-
ous than they were in the time when the Chippewa Indians
still held full sway of all of that country. The Indians, it
must be remembered, while they did not wantonly waste the
game, always hunted in a given region until that region was
exhausted, and all of the old records speak cf periods when
game was so scarce that the Chippewa hunters, who knew
the country, could not secure enough game to feed their
women and children, and the actual starving to death of some

lucky hunter was by no means a rare incident amcng them.

I am aware of the fact that hunters-' stories are frequently

scounted by patient listeners who are not hunters, and are
Iways over-trumped by their friends who are hunters, nev-
ertheless, I shall take the risk of telling a few hunting stories
to illustrate the abundance of wild game in the North woods.

A few years ago I went on a hunting trip with a camera
to a certain region in Minnesota, which I prefer not to de-
note any more definitely. Our party of five spent five days
in a certain camp. We left camp in the morning about eight
o'clock and paddled along the shores of a number of lakes
until about five in the afternoon. On the first day of our
cruise we saw eleven mocse, and eight deer, and during the
five days we saw, by actual count, thirty-six moose, thirty-five
deer, one bear, and small game such as rabbits, wocdchucks
and squirrels in large numbers. We also saw eagles, grouse,
and grouse nests, spruce hens, and a beaver dam, which,
however, had -been disturbed by the Indians during the pre-
vious winter. I might add that during all of this time none
of us ever fired a gun, and I think that of the moose and deer
we saw, there were very few, if any, duplicates, because we

15

saw them in different regions. I feel quite sure that if there
had been a Chippewa camp within ten miles of those lakes
the moose and deer would not have been so abundant.

r While I am speaking of large game I should like to call
attention to the possibility, and as I believe, to the necessity
of encouraging the domestication or semi-domestication of
game and fur-bearing animals. It is now a well established
principle that if wild game is to be sold on the market, the
pot hunters will see to it that the game becomes extinct. It
makes no difference how abundant the game is — it will be-
come extinct. Within the lives of most of us there were
flocks of passenger pigeons large enough to darken the sun.
Today, as far as my information goes, there is just one pas-
senger pigeon left. He is an old bachelor about twenty years
old, and lives in the Zoological Garden at Cincinnati. Why
have these pigeons, which once existed literally in countless
flocks, become extinct? The answer is, they have become
exterminated by ruthless, lawless, thoughtless hunting. They
were shot, and clubbed and netted, in season and out of sea-
son, and shipped to the great consuming markets in carload
lots. They were so numerous that the time-worn argument
was always applied, "You can never kill them all; there are
too many." But they have all been killed. For several years
prizes aggregating more than a thousand dollars have been
offered to any one who could show, or who could find a nest
of passenger pigeons and take some reputed ornithologist to
the spot. No one as yet has earned the thousand dollars,
and I venture to predict no one will. The birds are totally
extinct.

Although it is an axiom of game protecticn that wild game
cannot be sold on the market, it seems ridiculous that in this
young country where we still have such abundance of game,
and such enormous areas of wild land, it is practically im-
possible to buy game, while in such old countries as Germany
venison can frequently be bought at least as cheap, if not
cheaper than beef. The answer is that in Germany a great
deal of game is kept in a state of semi-domestication.

I believe that the rearing of deer, and especially of elk,
under favorable conditions could be made profitable, if per-

16

mitted and encouraged by proper legislation, and I feel quite
sure that the semi-domestication of beaver, both for their fur
and their flesh is entirely practical. There is now many times
the amount of beaver food in the North woods than there
was at the time when the fur trade was at its height. The
beavers live principally on the bark and twig of the com-
mon poplar, which covers many thousand square miles in
Northern Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan, and is prac-
tically of no commercial value. About twelve years ago three
beavers, a male and two females were set free in the Itasca
state forest. These have increased so rapidly that beaver
colonies are now found in every suitable place in the park,
and several colonies have established themselves outside of
the park. The beaver may be reintroduced into the region
which they once inhabited, with less trouble and less expense
than any other valuable wild animal. The forest service has
made arrangements to bring a number of elk to the state
forest at Itasca. I believe the game and fish department is
negotiating also to place a number of elk in the national for-
est north of Lake Superior, and within a few years any citi-
zen of Minnesota who wants to make the experiment of rais-
ing elk for the market ought to be able to obtain his stock at
a comparatively small cost and inconvenience.

That a region which is still so wild offers superior attrac-
tion not only to the hunter, but to the general nature lover,
;oes almost without saying, but I should like to point out a
few of the advantages which those may enjoy who do not go
into the North woods to hunt with a gun.

The ideal way to travel through the North country in the
summer time is by canoe. The canoeist should not set out
to make a certain number of miles within a certain number
of days, but he should start out with the intention of enjoy-
ing anything of interest on the way, rather than to try to
arrive somewhere at some particular time. If one has ac-
quired a passion for increasing the business of the camera
companies, it is not so exceedingly difficult on a canoe trip
to obtain reasonably good pictures of mocse and deer as they
are feeding along the lake shores and streams, and as the
canoeist slips up on them quietly. Some of the best pict-

17

ures of moose and deer, and snow-shoe rabbits that I have
ever seen were taken by men who make no claim of being
either professional photographers or professional naturalists.
The nature lover of course should have patience and sit down
and wait for an opportunity, for one usually sees more by
sitting down and waiting for things to come to one, than by
walking around and trying to find things.

I remember very pleasantly one occasion when some friends
and myself were having our noon lunch under a big white pine,
in the top of which a pair of wild eagles had made their home.
From the ridge where we were seated, we could observe a
big moose cow feeding in the swamp on the edge of the lake.
It seemed almost a miracle that an animal of such size and
weight could walk around with ease on ground of that kind,
where horses and cattle would have been hopelessly mired.
For the first time I saw clearly why the Creator had put the
moose on stilts. It enables him to wade through almost any
marsh or swamp in the summer time and to make his way
through the snow in the winter time.

If one would study wild birds, our North woods present
unequalled opportunities. As early as two o'clock in .the
morning you will hear the first fine whistling notes of the
white-throated sparrow. An hour or so later, will come from
the thicket the wonderful, indescribable melancholy love-song
of the hermit thrush, and the wierd notes of the Wilson
thrush. All day long, except through the hot hours of noon,
the notes of white throats, thrushes and numerous other
warblers will issue from the swamps and thickets until the
last white throat whistles his belated evening song about
ten o'clock at night. But even then the woods are not silent,
for the screech owl and. horned owl will utter their wild notes,
and on the roof and rafters of your cabin the timid wild mice
will run and play through the short hours of the summer
night.

To one who has once spent a week in June in the North
woods, the songs of the hermit and Wilson thrush, the whistle
of the white throat, and the peculiar call of the olive-sided
fly* catcher, are unforgettable summer music.

Near the haunts of the birds of song and poetry grow the

18

flowers of song and poetry. The flowers of the North woods
differ from the flowers of the prairie region of this state as
much as the flowers of Italy differ from the flowers of Min-
nesota. In the dark spruce and tamarack swamps you will
find the remarkable moccasin flowers growing here and there
in clumps, and peering from the thicket like enchanted wood-
land nymphs, and everywhere, to the intelligent lover of the
cutdoors, the woods are full of questions and full of mystery.
We have all seen many full grown moccasin flcwers of sev-
eral kinds, but I wonder how many citizens cf Minnesota
have seen a baby or seedling moccasin. Again and again I
have knelt on the soft moss in the swamps, and have care-
fully scanned over the ground as anxiously as though I had
been searching for a lost diamond, tut en a patch of pe.haps
half an acre, where three thousand shcwy moccasin plants
were in bloom, I have not found a single seeding. In fact
in all the years during which I have studied and searched for
irds and trees and flowers, I have not found more than half
dozen seedling moccasins. One is almost tempted to sug-
st that there is some hitch in nature's method of propa-
gating the moccasin flowers. The plants produce innumer-
able seeds, but it seems that perhaps not more than cne seed
out of a billion ever develops into a plant.

Other North woods flowers are thoroughly characteristic of
the region. There is the poetical little twin-flower, or L'n-
nea, named for the great Swedish botanist, Linneaus, who
found it for the first time on a trip to Finland; and there is
the odd pitcher plant with its dark purple flowers, and its
leaves converted into insect-catching water pitchers. This
plant and the unique sundew have reversed the rules of the
plant and animal world. They are not eaten by animals, as
far as I know, but they do catch and eat animals. Various
flies and insects are lured to the rim of the hollow leaves of
the pitcher plant and slip down into the water, and the smooth
inside well, and some other ingenious contrivance make it
impossible for the fly to escape. It drowns and is practically
absorbed by the animal-eating plant.

19

Using the Dip Net

&

Minnesota Club Women and Conservation

By Mrs. C. L. Atwood, «>t. Cloud,

President State Federation of Women's Clubs

$

(An Address at the Meeting of the Minnesota Forestry Association.)

I Am very glad to be with you today, not because I have
anything to contribute to this meeting cf specialists, but
because it is a treat to attend such a conference and a
pleasure to bring greetings from the Federation of Women's
Clubs, 17,000 women, and to assure you of our continued inter-
est in the work of Forestry and all phases of conservation.

My personal interest has been chiefly for the educational,
social and health conditions of communities, for child con-
servation, but I am well aware that welfare work has a ma-
terial basis and that both our prosperity and cur happiness
are dependent on the conservation of the natural resources
of our country.

»It is twelve years ago, in the administration of Mrs. Lydia
Williams, that there was created in our Federation in the
mm.ittee on Legislation, a sub-committee of Forest Reserve.
iu recall what rigorous work was needful to secure and sus-
in the Morris Act, creating from the Chippewa Reservation
our Cass Lake National Forest. There was division of opin-
ion in cur ranks as in the state at large but before that ques-
tion was settled our Federation had a full-fledged forestry
committee most active, sending petitions and resolutions to
our representatives and arousing a strong sentiment in favor
of its provisions being carried out. While this Morris Bill,
even after its passage, was the subject cf much controversy
and dissatisfaction, the friends of Forestry were cheered by
the creation of the Superior National Forest. Opposition to
the withdrawal from settlement of these large tracts by the
government was I believe largely due to the fact that the
federal government had not at that time worked out a sat-
isfactory plan for use of the notional forests. Wise and lib-
eral regulations have since been made by the Secretary of
Agriculture. As we know they have been opened to all per-
sons for all lawful purposes — the people may obtain timber,

21

water, pasture, and other resources and the country is given
twenty-five per cent of all receipts from the forests for schools
and roads, and an additional ten per cent is expended upon
roads. In consequence of this policy, public opinion has un-
dergone a decided change.

The theoretical stage of conservation has passed. It is now
a household word and in the abstract in greatest good to the
greatest number— and that for the longest time is universally
accepted. The principle too of the intervention of govern-
ment to protect from waste and destruction our invaluable
natural resources is firmly established. But' in the practical
working out of conservation we continually see economics
locking horns in an issue which leaves the on-lookers thor-
oughly nonplused as to the merits of the case. One wishes
these questions cou-d be simplified like the fairy tales we tell
children, no intricate conditions involved, no balancing of
conflicting interests, but where the fairy is wholly good and
the ogre thoroughly bad.

The Hetch Hetchy Valley is a case in point where opinion
was so divided, one knew not where justice lay. Another
case is the Roanoke River Dam Bill (S. 2425) which has just
been reported from the Senate Committee on Commerce by
our Senator Nelscn and carries the approval, dated Jan. 17, of
the Secretary of War, Hon. Lindley Garrison, The National
Conservation Association has sent out a warning: "If this bill
becomes a law in its present form, it is likely to be the most
serious blow Conservation has received since it became a
National question." The bill we are told "fails to compensate
the public for valuable natural assets placed in private hands,
and fails to protect the consumers through proper regulation.'
How to deal with water power sites is, Secretary Lane admits,
one of the most perplexing problems that confronts his de-
partment. His solution is to lease these sites at nominal
rental for a term of years with provision for their eventual
reversion to the government. With our fine undeveloped wa-
ter power in Minnesota, this is a vital question to us. Without
making individual examination of these various measures, our
organization stands committed in a general way to advocacy of
bills approved by the National Conservation Association, and

22

is interested in the success of the Newlands River Regulation
bill and the Lever Co-operative Agricultural Extension bill —
notwithstanding the objectors who say the latter is an in-
sidious bounty idea calculated to put the farmer on a Federal
pension roll!

It is a matter for heartfelt congratulation that we have a
secretary of the Interior with so sane and comprehensive a
view of the proper administration of our country's undeveloped
resources, so in accord with that of Mr. Gifford Pinchot and
other prominent conservationists. No longer, he tells us, does
the old philosophy, " land is land" dominate our policy. The
new conception that land should be used for that purpcse to
which it is best fitted and should be disposed of by the gov-
ernment with respect to that use, has been evolved. In har-
mony with that progressive idea he proposes to sell the land
and the timber separately and apply the homestead law to
only such land as has been declared fitted for agriculture. " To
my mind there can be no more promising provision for the
preservation of cur forests. Too long has timber land under
the homestead law blanket been despoiled by speculators.

We are glad to ncte that our State Forester, Mr. Wm. Cox,
has advanced this same policy for Minnesota in its treatment
of its several million acres in the northern part of the state,
mostly forested, and a very considerable part totally unfit for
agriculture. It certainly seems the part of wisdom that
the merchantable timber be disposed of under such restric-
tions as will perpetuate the forests.

We clubwomen regret we can't vote for the proposed amend-
ment increasing our state forests by using non-agricultural
forested school land.

As I have traveled over the northern section at rather long
intervals, I have been surprised and delighted at the fertile
fields with their abundant crops and comfortable homes where
formerly the forest primeval had stood. But on the other hand
I have been shocked at the ravages of fire and at the many
ugly, raw, pioneer-looking towns, devoid of beauty with no
vestige of these majestic pines left, no saving forest park, not
one redeeming trace of beauty in a spot for which Nature
had done so much.

23

In early days in this country, one can understand even a
Elaine regarding as parsomonious a careful consideration of
forest waste, for the forest was really a foe to be subdued
and seemed inexhaustible. One can understand too in pioneer
Minnesota why practical business men anxious for speedy de-
velopment have decried as theorists those advocating state
and national forests, as beauty spots and playgrounds for the
people as a present economic gain and as absolutely essential
provision for future welfare, but we rejoice that forest devel-
opment is at last an assured part of our public policy. The
main question, I take it, is the rapidity with which it is
worked out, dependent on the appropriations at the disposal
of the Forest Service, and this in turn is the outcome of popu-
lar interest and enthusiasm.

Here lies the clubwomen's usefulness. Informed and en-
thused by Mrs. C. J. Backus, our Forestry Committee chairman,
who knows more perhaps than any other woman in Minnesota
about the subject we may aspire to be of assistance. For
years we have had programs on forestry, have observed Arbor
Day, have offered prizes in the schools for the best essays on
trees and their care, have sold to the children at nominal
cost many thousands of apple and plum trees, have induced
municipalities to plant avenues of trees and have written our
lawmakers urgently and often. We do not, however, accept
as quite literal Mr. Enos Mills' compliment to us when he
was here in St. Paul and addressed our General Federation
Convention. He said: "You have already done more for for-
estry than all the other organizations in the United States."

We believe much interest can be awakened in the country
in these hundreds of farmers' clubs that have been organized
this past winter. We wish speakers on forestry might be at
all times available — and plenty of forest nursery stock, as
follow up work. Their homes and their school houses set in
beautiful groves should be an ideal. The shelter belt protect-
ing the home, beautifying it, adding to its comfort at all sea-
sons and furnishing a supply of fuel is another measure to be
discussed at these clubs and is of as much interest to the farm
women as to the men.

We, in our organization, rely largely, on promulgating our

24

ideas through the medium of the schools. A year or so ago a
child was killed in New York City — getting off a street car,
and a perfect chorus of indignation went up. All the newspa-
pers said what in the world is the matter with the public schools
that they do not teach children how to get off the street cars.
And the schools met the new requirement and everywhere a
demonstrator went the rounds showing children the proper
method of alighting. Perhaps it is this spirit which expects
everything from the schools that makes me wonder if full ad-
vantage has been taken of the various educational agencies of
the state to inculcate a knowledge of trees' aesthetic and
economic value unitedly considered. We have tried to instill
in children a love of trees so they will never wantonly mutilate
them and when they grow up and become our legislators and
city commissioners and business men every measure having to
do with forest preservation will have them to champion it.
Such love can be instilled that it will be a positive physical

§"n to see forests dying as one sees them in the South from
method used in extracting turpentine, or to behold them
aged by fire or killed by borers.
Ve have tried to teach in the home that trees have always
been the greatest friends to the race and we must be their
friend. If our young people could visit a little forest nursery
as I did near Cloquet, see the seed beds and the transplant
beds and learn what delicate painstaking care these baby
trees require and how long it takes nature even assisted to
grow a tree, I am sure there would be far less ruthless de-
struction. Most of the things we do wrong or are indifferent
to are because we don't know.

A very attractive leaflet appears from the Massachusetts
Forestry Association to be used by the children for their
Arbor Day exercises. I wish we had one.

Another measure we want to assist is securing good roads
.for the country where the forests are quite unpenetrated by
aught but a trial. Miss Annie Shelland, of International Falls,
Koochiching county, helped her county secure from the last
legislature $25,000 for fire breaks, virtually highways. As
county school superintendent, she knew thoroughly the press-
ing need to provide a way for the school children to get back

25

and forth from their homes. Our federation forestry com-
mittee has broadened into an up-to-date conservation depart-
ment with several divisions and Miss Shelland is at the head
of our committee on parks and highways. They introduced
resolutions at our midwinter meeting, February 21, that
"through each available channel we work toward the beauti-
fying of state parks and established state highways" (car-
ried), also that "we heartily endorse the use of convict labor
in road making as being a healthful occupation for the con-
victs and making them of use in the state's great work."
This latter resolution was referred to committee on social
and Industrial conditions and will be considered at our an-
nual m.eeting in October. This plan has worked so success-
fully in gome states it seems worth our serious considera-
tion. This committee also passed a resolution that "the state
and United States government be urged to take every pos-
sible step to build roads on their own lands and that such
roads be built as far as possible before the lands are open
to settlement."

The conservation of our birds is of course a subject which
appeals to our heart and our head. I hope I am safe in de-
c'aring you will see no clubwoman bedecked with plumage
of cruelly slaughtered birds, — certainly no loyal clubwoman.
The building of bird houses in our manual training depart-
ments has received a gratifying recognition from many quar-
ters. Mr. Bok, of the Ladies' Home Journal, has purchased
a number of them and several other public-spirited gentle-
men have made purchases from the St. Cloud manual training
school. This work has several commendable features.

The charm of this beautiful world lies chiefly in its woods,
its streams and its birds. They make an appeal not alone
to the eye but to our sense of value. Of all plants the tree
is the most useful. When we recall Cuba, foremost in our
picture stands the royal palms, majestic in their beauty and
most valuable in furnishing a continuous pasture for cattle.
What, would Florida be without her sombre moss-draped live
caks, the South without its long-leaved pine forests? Wash-
ington has its fir, California its big trees, Colorado its spruce,
the Ohio valley its chestnuts, some the maple, others the

26

oak, Minnesota its pine. To each it is a sacred trust to be
preserved and transmitted to succeeding generations.

How grateful we are that we have had people with vision
who have saved the scenic beauty and the future industrial
prosperity of our state, people like Mr. C. C. Andrews, the
secretary of the forestry beard, and others who have con-
tinued to press the matter home till the grand stand of pri-
vate pine in Itasca park has at least been purchased by the
state.

The days my husband and I passed in that park, — the ride
on the lake, the exploration of the John Lind trail, an en-
counter with a porcupine and a woodchuck, a glimpse of a
startled deer, the visit to the home of the beaver, the drink
at the spring whence issues the Father of Waters, — those are
red-letter days in our lives.

May our playgrounds increase in size and beauty and pop-
ularity— till all the people become nature lovers and enjoy

it refreshment of spirit that comes from communion with

iture.

And we clubwomen ask for naught but a share in this bit
goodly work.

Redwood sawdust is being used by vineyardists in California
packing fresh table grapes. It takes the place of the yround
"k used for imported Spanish grapes.

Hyndman Peak, Idaho, the highest named peak in the state, is
more than 12,000 feet h:gh. Several unnamed peaks near it are of
about the same elevation. All are on the deride between the Sazv-
tooth and the Lemhi national forests.

.1 two-year-old plantation of Dougles fir on the Oregon na-
tional forest shows 94 per cent of the trees living. Extensive
plantings of young trees in Washington and Oregon are costing
only $8 an acre. Direct seeding of lodgepole pine has been suc-
cessful without exception on the Arapaho national forest, Colo-
rado. Several of the areas sown two and three years ago show
from 5.000 to 10,000 seedlings per acre.

21

1

Proper Bass Bait

By Frank E. Force

S3

THE question of baits is the one which bothers the bass
fisherman at all times of the season and numerous argu-
ments have been held o-n this subject. One angler
swears by a live bait, while another sticks to the artificial
minnow and in his narrowness each one is likely to be wrong.
The man who has any set rules for bait, is about the biggest
mark who goes fishing and the thing for each individual
angler to do is to allow his own experience to guide him.
For the first two weeks of the season, especially in the lakes
south of the pines, I believe frogs are unquestionably the
best all-around bait for casting. At that time the bass are
lying up close in the weeds and cannot be fished with any
degree of pleasure except with a weedless hook and a frog.
An expert caster can do pretty good work with a small peail
spoon and bass strike this with a terrible rush when it ap-
peals to them at all. In the lakes farther to the north I be-
lieve the artificial baits are by far the best of any, especially
the bright, attractive spinner minnows, which seem irresist-
ible to both large and small-mouthed black bass.

Many fishermen still use the long cane pole an1 a fairly
long line and are very successful. Rowing along the edge of
the lily pads the live bait is dropped in here and there and
nearly the same results as in casting with a frog are ob-
tained. For this fishing the frog is undoubtedly the best bait,
although craw-fish and large minnows have been tried with
good results. This same craw-fish, in fact, is one of the best
natural baits known for bass, but of course, can only be used
with a cane pole, as it is not at all adaptable for casting.

When the well equipped angler starts out on a fishing trip he
should certainly not think of relying on one tait any more than
he would think of taking along but a 'single line. At times
bass will not take frogs and to continue fishing with a bait
which the fish evidently are not eating, is the height of folly.
At such times as these it shows pretty good judgment to slip

29

into some other bait and what otherwise might have been a
poor day may be turned into one of good sport. As for my-
self I carry every kind of bait which I can possibly secure
and if the bass are not taking frogs I can usually hit upon
something which will be attractive to them.

I learned the bait lesson some years ago on a northern trip
and will never rely on one bait. I had gone some 200 miles
northward in search of some real bass fishing, and had taken
frogs and craw-fish along for live bait. In my tackle box I
had three spinner minnows, but thought little of them, as I
had never used them. I arrived at the lake, which was sup-
posed to be one of the finest bass lakes in the world, and it
didn't take me long to get busy with the frogs. I whipped
around for two or three hours and literally beat the lake into
a foam, with the result that I captured a couple of puny, mis-
guided bass. Disgusted with the prospect, I tried still fishing
with craw-fish and had no better result. Then, in desperation,
I began casting with one of the white minnows, and after that
there was nothing to it. I got bass and big ones, too, on nearly
ever cast. I also used pearl spoons with success, but could not
induce the bass of that lake to do anything with a frog. I have
fished, too, when bass would ignore all artificial baits and take
nothing but a frog, and all of this has convinced me that the
complete angler must be supplied with all kinds of baits.

Bass fishing in our southern lakes early resolves itself into
deep water fishing, and but few bass will be taken in by other
methods as a usual thing. For this kind of fishing, minnows,
craw-fish and helgramites undoubtedly are the best baits,
although frogs will still be a favorite with many who get
accustomed to this bait in the earlier casting season. For still
fishing shiners, chubs and yellow perch minnows are probably
the best, with the shiner the favorite. This minnow is light
In color, having a silvery appearance and shows particularly
well in dark water, such as one finds on a cloudy day. Chubs
are tougher than shiners and thus can be handled more easily
and live longer, but as a rule they do not make as good bass
bait as shinners. The chub is darker in color than the other,
and thus makes pretty fair bait for very bright days. Yellow
perch minnows, too, are very attractive in the water and great

30

success has been had with them, while some anglers swear by
the young of some member of the sucker family.

Minnows must be handled very carefully and unless the wa-
ter is changed on them frequently they die quickly. A small
piece of ice in the pail with the minnows will help keep them
lively, and a pinch or two of salt will be found effective also
in this regard.

When out for the day it is not a bad idea to have two
minnow pails, one with the big supply kept over the side of the
boat in the lake and the other containing a few minnows for
immediate use in the boat. When it is impossible to change
water on the minnows often, any method of getting fresh air
into the minnows' water will help. In fact, some minnow
pails are provided with small air pumps for forcing air into
the water, and this addition of fresh oxygen will do wonders
in preserving this bait.

/// preparation for ihe coming fire season in California, 110
miles of fire lines have been built on the Sierra national forest.

X early 4,000 acres were reforested in Montana and northern
ilio duriny 1913, at an average cost of $7.50 an acre.

The best forested area of China is in Manchuria. The prin-
il tree varieties are pine, cedar, larch, fir, yew, oak, ash, elm,
ilniit, and birch.

.Mistletoe thrives on the western coast to an extent not ap-
roaclicd in the east. In many places this parasitic (jrowth is
responsible, directl\ or indirectly, for a considerable loss of tim-
ber.

In northern .Irizona, I'tali, X evada, southern Idaho, and west-
ern Wyoming, the fires on national forests set by campers have
decreased in four years from nearly a third to approximately one-
fifth. Lightning fires have increased from less than one-fourth
to nearly one-half. The relatively larger proportion from lit/Jit-
niny, however, is due partly to decrease in other causes.

31

1

No Sectional Monopoly of State Forests

$

THE voters of Southern and central Minnesota should not
for an instant imagine that, should the forestry amend-
ment to the state constitution be adopted next Novem-
ber, all the benefits arising from the establishment of state
forests will accrue to Northern Minnesota exclusively. There
are a great many tracts of hill and bluff and sandy bottom
land in the long-settled portions of the state, the day for the
profitable use of which in agriculture has either passed away
or never existed. As Mr. Records, of the state forest service,
points out in a recent valuable paper, if the present owners
of such tracts in any given neighborhood will collectively en-
ter into some form of co-operation with the forest service, a
sufficient area may be secured for its economical manage-
ment as a state forest. In the course of a few years, the
benefits will appear in the increased value of the adjacent
farms; in a regular supply of culls marketable for various
purposes, as the growing timber is thinned; in the coming of
various light wood-working industries; and finally in an abun-
dant supply of timber for home building and such heavier
manufacturing as wagon making. Meanwhile, the country
will have been made more beautiful; waste by erosion will
have been checked; the forest will have become a game pre-
serve, where deer and other game will one day abound, and
where birds of a hundred varieties will multiply and lend
their labor to the destruction of insect pests on the farms,
and their voices to a perpetual carnival of sweet sounds.

The tenth successive year without a forest fire has just been
passed by the Powell national* forest in south central Utah.

Garnett Peak, Wyoming, nearly 14,000 feet in elevation, and
the highest mountain in the state, is on the divide between the
Bonneville and Bridger national forests.

32

"Forest Schools the Foundation of Forest Wealth.1

THE NORTH WOODS

Volume III. JUNE, 1914 Number 6

A Recorder and Promoter of the Forestry Movement in Minnesota.

OFFICIAL BULLETIN OF THE MINNESOTA FORESTRY ASSOCIATION
AND THE STATE FOREST SERVICE.

Published Monthly for members of the Minnesota Forestry Association

Annual Membership Fee $1.00. This includes membership in the Minnesota

Horticultural Society, entitling every such member to all privileges of

that organization as well as the Forestry Association. Remittance

should be made payable to PHIL H. HANSON. Treas.,

care State Forester's Office, State Capitol,

St. Paul, Minn.

Entered as Second Class Matter, September 14, 1912, at the Post Office at St.
lul, Minnesota, under the Act of August 21, 1912.

CONTENTS

iinnesota's Summer Resorts . . . 3

Call of the Red Gods . . . . . 11
l.eforestration in Burntside State Forest . . .15
inother Attraction at Itasca Park . . . 17

Day On Leech Lake 20

Post Office Department Co-operates to Prevent Fires 24

'he Fisheries of Minnesota 25

-ightning a Prolific Source of Forest Fires . . 29

1

Minnesota's Summer Resorts

A guide to many of the best equipped resorts in the state

1

THE attractions that Minnesota offers to the summer va-
cationist are just becoming known. For years, tired,
jaded city people from the middle Western states have
scurried hither and thither in search of vacations. They
have gone to the East, to the Maine woods, the Berkshires,
the Adirondacks. They have sought out the places in Mich-
igan and even in Northern Wisconsin. Many have gone to
mountains in the West. All of the time they have been neg-
lecting one of the regions that was primarily intended for
man's recreation grounds. Minnesota, Northern Minnesota
in particular, offers more to the man in search of a vacation
than other regions in America. If he wants fish, he can find

Jem in plenty. Whatever he desires in this line, is his but
r the taking. Thousands of lakes and streams abound in
every variety. From the sunfish to the muskie, the whole
fish tribe is still lurking in the virgin lakes and streams. Is

K-est and quiet, he seeks, no place offers better facilities
n Minnesota. .The canoeist will find his paradise in North-
Minnesota.
The Tide Is Turning.
.s men have learned the real wonders of Minnesota, thou-
ds of them have started in this direction. The tide is
turning. Now the summer vacationists are flocking to Min-
nesota. From St. Louis, Memphis, Nashville, Louisville, Chi-
cago, the Twin Cities and other points they are coming.

Summer resorts, well equipped to handle the crowds, have
sprung up almost like mushrooms. And still, there is room
for thousands more. With the land open only a few years,
Minnesota can boast of a splendid line of resorts ready to
care for the tired business men with their families.

A list of some of these resorts is given herewith. The pro-
prietors of every one of these resorts are members of the
Minnesota Forestry Association. They have taken out mem-

berships because of their interest in the protection of the
forests and the wild life of the state. They have shown their
interest in preserving the wonders of nature. These resorts
are located in every portion of the state. Nearly every sec-
tion is represented. As men and women, interested in the
forests, in the preservation of the people's playgrounds, they
are entitled to every consideration. Not one-half the beauties
of their various resorts have been told here. Only a mere
mention has been made. By going over the entire list care-
fully, the reader will obtain a fair idea of the resorts and the
equipment offered. Get out your maps of Minnesota. Look
up the places mentioned. Write to the proprietors of the
resorts mentioned here. They will send you additional in-
formation.

Not all of the resorts in Minnesota have been mentioned.
There are many more, many of them perhaps just as good as
those mentioned. But credit is given especially to those
listed below. They have signified their interest in those prin-
ciples for which the Minnesota Forestry Association stands.

The list has been made out alphabetically, with no attempt
at grouping by regions or counties. Read this list carefully.
It will pay you:

AITKIN, MINN. — Hotel Foley— There are' at least 15 good
fishing lakes within a radius of 10 miles from Aitkin. Boats,
guides and cottages can be obtained. Aitkin is just 90 miles
from the twin ports and 150 miles from the Twin Cities. It is
one of the best resort regions in Northern Minnesota. The
Aitkin region has not been fished or hunted "to death." W. H.
Allis, secretary of the Hotel Foley, will gladly furnish neces-
sary information.

ANNANDALE, MINN. — Shadduck's Summer Resort — Shad-
duck's resort is three miles from Annandale, 50 miles from
Minneapolis on the Soo Line. It is near Clearwater lake and
within forty rods from Cedar lake. Both lakes abound in pike,
bass, pickerel and other fish. Boating and bathing facilities
of the best. A quiet and rustic place. Equipment consists of
main building and nine cottages. Address Fred Shadduck,
Annandale, Minn.

BATTLE LAKE, MINN. — Camp Corless, Tony Marheiiie, pro-
prietor— One of nature's beauty spots nestling amidst the
wooded hills overlooking Lake Clitherall. Camp is famous for
pike and bass, fun and rest. Cottage plan with central dining
hall. Splendid place for family outing. Free use of row boats.
Bathing good. Address Tony Marheine, Battle. Lake, Minn.

BUFFALO, MINN. — Lake Pulaskl House — Located on Lake
Pulaski. Five large cottages with all home comforts. Row
boats, large launch and sail boats. One of Minnesota's best
known resorts. Easily reached from Twin Cities. Accommo-

dations for automobiles. Finest of fishing am", bat ,1 mg. 1 >e-
scribed as "most beautiful, popular, secluded, restful, perfectly
ideal resort in Minnesota." Address Frank Bannochie, Scotch
owner and proprietor.

BUFFALO, MIXX. — Lake View House — This is really a sum-
mer home, managed by Mrs. William Davies and her daughter.
Accommodations for 30 persons. !'.< st of facilities for boating,
fishing and bathing. Well 200 feet deep furnishes splendid
drinking water. Within easy distance from the Twin Cities.
Proprietor has been catering to best trade for 20 years. Ad-
dress Mrs. William Davies. P. O. Box 128, Buffalo, Minn.

( \*s I, \KIO. MIXX. — Star Island Inn — Cass Lake, known far

and wide as one of Minnesota's most fascinating lakes, yearly
attracts hundreds of visitors. Star Island Inn, located on fa-
mous Star Island, a part of the Minnesota national forest.
"The home of the permanent pine." Trails through the tim-
IMT on island lead to Lake Helen, in the center of the island.
r.nest rooms and assembly room and dining hall. Fishing,
bathing, boating of the finest. Picturesque Indians always to
be seen. Address Star Island Inn, Sutor and Seelye, proprietors.

< F.VI'KII < ITV. MIXX.— The Van der Veer— Located on Chi-
sago lake with its 110 miles of lake shore. On the Northern
Pacific, just 40 miles from St. Paul. Nearly every variety of
tisli caught in lake. Boats free to patrons when not in use.
Summer trains are met with Van der Veer launch. Proximity
to Twin Cities makes this extremely popular place. Address
The Van der Veer, George H. Van der Veer, proprietor.

IIIS\<;0 C'lTl, MIXX. — SHi It-miner's Island Resort — Located
20-acre island in Lake Chisago. Easy striking distance, of
in Cities. Two miles by water from Chisago City or four
miles by wagon road. The island is covered with fine grove of
maple. Has a good bathing beach. Good fishing and boating.
dress A. Schlemmer, Lock Box 68, Chisago City, Minn.

ove

LEMEXTSOX, MIXX. — Clementsou Hotel — Located on hill
;erlooking beautiful bay formed by junction of Rainy and
Rapid rivers. Nine miles from Baudette and Spooner. Fish-
ing and big game hunting. In heart of the "North woods," on
the international boundary. Two launches run between hotel
and Baudette daily. An ideal place. Address W. J. Lucy,
Clementson, Minn.

(OM;K\IM;, in xx — The vicinity of Coleraine is particu-
larly adapted to the demands of the summer vacationist. Trout
lake, nearby, offers opportunity for fishing, bathing and boat-
ing. The Trout Lake Boat Club, Inc., is building a $5,000 boat
house and pavilion on the shores of this lake. A large fleet of
launches, canoes and row boats is already in service. W. R.
Tonkin, secretary, will gladly furnish additional information
regarding Coleraine and the advantages it offers to the man
in search of a vacation.

I>i:i:it RIVER, MIXX. -^Forest Home, Mike Matelski, pro-
prietor— As fine a black bass fishing as is to be found in the
United States. Camps overlooking beautiful lake in heart of
lake region. Boats in 20 choice bass lakes within short por-
tage. Moose, deer, partridge and duck hunting in season.
Accommodations for 20 persons. Address Mike Matelski, Deer
River, Minn.

Courtesy of Great Northern R. R.
Caught in Lake Lizzie.

DETROIT. MIXX. — IN I ion 11 Inn — Located 14 miles from De-
troit on the waterway of the Pelican valley. Can be reached
boat or automobile. Inn is located in a natural grove of
im> acres, well timbered. It is between little and big Pelican
lakes. Sandy beaches insures good bathing. Fishing of the
best. U'ithin 200 miles of Twin Cities on the Soo Line. Ad-
s M. G. Ullemeyer, Detroit, Minn.

DOKSETT. MINN. — Pine (one Cmiip — Located on a point
nearly surrounded by water and eovered with pines of every
variety, in what is known as the great Mantrap valley. Nu-
merous lakes can easily be reached. Camping parties outfitted.
Bass and muskie fishing of the very best. Good hunting in
son. one of best equipped fishing camps in Northern Min-
nesota. Address Thomas Brothers, Dorsett, Minn.

1)1 LI TH, MINN. — Holland Hotel — Located in the Zenith City.
A fine place for summer tourists to make their headquarters.
The country on north shore of Lake Superior is unequalled for
fishing1. Several days in Duluth are always worth while.

FAIH MILLS, MIXX. — Fair Hills Summer Resort — Located on
Pelican lake in Ottertail county, 14 miles from Detroit. Group
of cozy cottages and larger buildings. Privacy of country
home with advantages of first-class hotel. Good bass and pike
fishing. Boating and bathing. Row boats furnished to guests.
Address Ashelman Bros. Resort Company, Route 3, Detroit,
Minn.

AC'KENSACK, MIXX. — North Star Camp — Located on Wo-
n lake, on the Minnesota and International railroad. Fish-
, sunfish to muskies. Good home cooking. Good hunting

in season. An ideal camp for rest. Guides .can be obtained.

Many lakes in vicinity, all of them offering opportunities for

bathing, boating and fishing. Address Mrs. W. J. Spain, Hack-

ensack, Minn.

INTERNATIONAL FALLS, MINN. — The wonders of the Rainy
lake region are widely known. Every year more people are
attracted to the thousands of wonderful islands. P. S. Pender-
gast has a number of cottages to rent and many fine camping
sites to sell or rent. Write to P. S. Pendergast, International
Falls, for information.

JENKINS, MINN. — Piney Ridge Summer Resort — Fishing,
hunting, bathing and boating are all good at the Piney Ridge
Resort. The scenery is described as especially beautiful. Sum-
mer vacationists in search of an ideal place will do well to
look up this resort. Address F. W. Palmer, Jenkins, Minn.

JENKINS, MINN Sluulyrest Camp — Cottages for rent- fur-
nished for light housekeeping. Elegant fishing, bathing and
boating. Hunting in season. O. L. Thomas, proprietor, has
some good lake front lots for sale. Lake connections delight-
ful. The place for a real vacation. Address O. L. Thomas,
Jenkins, Minn.

MARCELL, MINN. — Camp Idlewild — In the heart of the beau-
tiful uninhabited lake region of Northern Minnesota and on
one of the finest lakes. Virgin bass waters abound in this
vicinity. Central dining place and cozy log cabins facing lake
for rooms. This is in really wild country. Bass fishing is of
the very best. Address Camp Idlewild, W. A. Stickler, pro-
prietor, Marcell, Minn.

NISSWA, MINN.— Ozonite Camp Company— Located on Gull
lake four miles from Nisswa on the Minnesota and Interna-
tional Passenger boat service. First-class pike and bass fish-
ing- Rates very reasonable. A place where one can fish to
his 'heart's content. Address J. L. Rardin, Ozonite Camp, Niss
wa, Minn.

ORR, MINN. — Hotel Pedican — Orr offers many attractions to
the summer vacationist. Hotel Pelican is well equipped to
care for visitors. Located in the lake region of St. Louis
county. Additional information can be obtained from Oscar
Olson, Orr, Minn.

OUTING, MINN.— Outing Summer Hotel — Located on Crooked
lake Good automobile service to Brainerd, Pequot, Jenkins or
Pine River. Best of fishing and hunting. Accommodations
first class. "Come to Outing for your outing," say the pro-
prietors, W. H. and R. A. Andrews. Address Outing Summer
Hotel, Outing, Minn.

PERHAM, MINN. — Gran View Heights — Hotel and summer
resort located on Bige Pine lake. A number of fine log cabins.
Central dining hall at the hotel. Few cottages for housekeep-
ing. Reputation for having pike fishing that is as fine as any
place in the country. Summer resort commands view of entire
lake. Fine bathing. Address George R. Kapler, proprietor,
Perham, Minn.

PINE CITY, MINN. — Island Hotel and Summer Resort — Lo-
cated on north shore of Lake Pokegama. Can accommodate 75
persons either in hotel or cottages. Fishing unusually good.
Lots of pike. Near both the twin ports and the Twin Cities.
Rates very reasonable. Address Mrs. Joseph Wilke, proprietor,
Pine City, for further information.

PRIOR LAKE, MINN. — Graiuwood, Misses Hulland Bartlett,
proprietors — Hotel and 22 cottages. Lake has 57 miles of shore
line. Fishing, boating and bathing all good. Dancing and
tennis are provided. Ideal place for family outings. Safe place
for children. Informal social life is emphasized. Further in-
formation to be obtained from Grainwood, Prior Lake, Minn.

TOWER, MINN. — Goodwill's Summer Home — On Lake Ver-
million. Log cabin cottages and sleeping rooms apart from
hotel building. Pike, muskies, perch and pickerel abound.
Black bass and lake trout in lakes tributary to Lake Vermil-
lion. A fine place to take long or short canoe trips. Canoes
and guides can be furnished. Big game roams forest in abun-
dance. Launch meets trains from Duluth at Tower. Address
Isaac Goodwill, Tower, Minn.

TOWER, MINN. — Hunters' Lodge at Vermlllion Dam — A

rustic resort on Lake Vermillion. Numerous trails and side
trips may be taken. Wolf lake, Norwegian bay, Chain O'
Lakes, and Trout Lake are all accessible. Canoe trips afford
never-ending source of pleasure with gun and camera and
rod and reel. Rooms are rustic log cabins with screened
porches. Rates reasonable. For further information address
Loyd R. Shively, Tower, Minn.

TURTLE RIVER, MINN. — Hotel Summit, Buena Vista, Minn.

— On the continental divide. Lots of lakes and good fishing.
Patrons will be furnished boats. A home for those who want
rest. Rates are reasonable. A good plate for families. Ad-
dress Mrs. S. A. Speelman, Turtle River, Route 1, Box 25D.

8

>\ \IIKOV, Ml XX. — Rex Hotel— On Mille Lac Lake. Lake is

i'L' miles long- and 17 miles wide. Hotel is modern in every
pect. Proprietor is prepared to furnish boats, either row
its or launches. Fishing of the very best. Within easy

distance from Twin Cities. Kvery want of summer tourist is
ked after. Address K. L. Glidden, proprietor, Wahkon,

.Minn.

\> vi,i\i:u. >n>v — (iieiinnrry sprin^N — On Leech lake, sec-
ond largest lake in state. Best of pike and muscollonge fish-
ing-. Mass in smaller lakes nearby. Ideal location with all
\eniences for guests. Medicinal springs. A splendid place
-;o for a rest. All the sport that goes with a real vacation
is to be found here. Address P. H. McGarry, Walker, Minn.

\\ \ltKO\n. >ii\\. — Hotel Lnkewood — On Lake of the Woods.

Firsi -class steamers ply between Warroad and Kenora, On-
tario. 1 touting, fishing and hunting all splendid. Lake with
its thousands of islands offers every attraction demanded by
those in search of real vacations. Lake of the Woods is des-
tined to become America's most famous summer resort region.
Address S. A. Selvog, Warroad, Minn.

Zli»i»i<:i,, MI x\.— William Zippel is prepared to take care of
tourists who want to see the wonders of Lake of the Woods.
No lake in the world has the attractions that the Lake of the
Woods has. With its Indian traditions, its fisheries, its thou-
sands of its heavily timbered islands, — all these combine to
make it a "wonderland." By writing to William Zippel, Zip-
pel. Minn., information as to spending a vacation here may be
obtained.

/a,

r» co-operation with the weather bureau, forest rangers are to
isure snow depths in the western mountains.

Jack pine trees planted ten years ago in the sand hills of Neb-
raska are now large enough to produce fence posts. Last year
the first seed was gathered from this plantation.

Manufacturers have found that red alder from the Pacific
coast is a suitable material for clothespins. Alder makes a white,
smooth, springy pin. As a result of this fact, a clothespin fac-
tory, said to be the first on the Pacific coast, may be established
at Portland, Oregon.

The city of Tacoma, Washington, has entered into a co-opera-
tive agreement ivith the forest service for the protection of the
source of its water supply, the watershed of the green river,
which lies within the Rainier national forest. The two agencies
working together will protect this stream from the results of
forest destruction by fire or by other agencies.

9

Courtesy of. Great Northern R.
Where to Cast.

£

The Call of the Red Gods

How the canoeist may satisfy his desire to answer

1

/)(> you know the blackened limber — do yon know the racing

stream

ll'ith the raw, right-angled Io<j jam at the end;
And the bar of sun-wanned shiinjle, where a man may bask and

dream

To (lie click of shod-canoe poles round the bend
It is there that '^'e are yoin</, with our rods and reels and traces

To a smoky, silent Indian that we know —
To a ccuch of new-pulled hemlock, with tlie starlic/ht in our

faces
I' or the I\ed Gods call us out and we must. Kipliny.

KHE RED GODS are truly calling. He who follows the
Indian, paddling his canoe in the same streams that
the Chippewa chief has thought his own, is hearing the
" more strongly than ever,
le "land of the sky blue waters" is calling to every lover
of the birch craft. It offers everything. The fishing grounds
where the wall-eyed pike, the "muskies," the trout, the black
bass, abound are waiting.

Many Hear the Call.

Every year, more virile young men and women hear the
call of the Red Gods. -Nothern Minnesota, the real land of
the sky blue waters, is the canoeist's paradise. The trips
that may be taken are varied. They can be made to last as
long as the canoeist desires. He may take a one day, two
or three day, week, two weeks, month, or all summer trip.
Always will there be something new.

Three sample trips are here mapped out. Others will be
published in subsequent issues.. The state forest service still
has a number of maps showing possible canoe trips in the
northearstern part of the state. They may be had for the
asking. Enclose a stamp and they will be sent to you.

11

The Red Gods call out to you to take any one of these
trips or hundreds like them that might be mapped out. Get
full directions as to portages from guides. Prepare carefully
and you'll not waste your time.

TRIP NUMBER ONE.

Ely to Harding. Start from Ely. Put in at Winton.
Through Fall lake. A convenient portage to Pipestone river.
The trip down Pipestone river, portaging around Pipestone
falls, into Baswood lake. Prom here go northwest. Three
portages, through Crooked lake. Portage around Curtain
falls to Iron lake. Portage to Lac La Croix. From Lac La
Croix, portage to Loon lake, thence into Little Vermillion.
Three small portages around rapids in river, will bring ca-
noeist into south end of Crane lake. Harding is located on
this lake. From Harding stage can be taken to Vermillion
dam on Vermillion lake. Steamer to Tower on the Duluth
and Iron Range railroad. This trip will take approximately
ten days.

TRIP NUMBER TWO.

Ely to Clearwater Lake Across the Burntside State Forest.
This is an easy trip and will not take more than one day for
a good canoeist. Two or three days might be spent fishing
and the return trip made in a day. Put in at Ely and go up
the Burntside river. Portage to Burntside lake, down the
lake and then portage to Crab lake. Then portage to Wolf
lake, go down Kork creek to Kork lake. Then down the
creek into Clearwater late.

TRIP NUMBER THREE.

Grand Rapids to the Rainy River. This trip should be taken
only when the water is high. Start at Grand Rapids and go
down the Mississippi. Go up the Prairie river into Clearwater
river. * From there through Wabano (named after the old
Indian chief) into Trout lake. Wabano and Trout lakes are
beautifully situated, surrounded with hills partly timbered
with hardwoods. From Trout lake there is a one-mile portage
to Ruby lake. From Ruby lake through the Rice lake chain
there are two quarter-mile portages. The portages are all

12

cut out. "there is a convenient stopping place at the head of
Trout lake. One can stop almost any place from the Missis-
sippi up to Trout lake, which is a two days' trip. Wabano
to Trout lake is a one-day trip. From Trout lake through
Ruby lake and the Rice lake chains to Fox lake, and from
Fox lake along the river to Club House lake is another day's
trip. The territory is wild, sandy, rocky and uninhabited.
The lakes abound in bass, being very little frequented by
the tourists. At the head of Club House lake is another
stopping place. From there to Big Fork one goes through
Club House lake into Copenhagen lake and Slocum lake and
from there down the Rice river to Big Fork. From Club
House lake to Big Fork is another day's journey. From there
is a beautiful trip which takes one down the Big Fork river
along its winding banks bordered with timber, through rapids
and down to the Rainy river. From Big Fork to the Rainy is
about one week's trip and one should not undertake to take
this trip unless fully provided with provisions and escorted
by a competent guide, that is, unless he wants to rough it
and explore the country for his own sake. This applies also
to the trip between Wabano lake and Rice river. Many bays
and small outlets are so deceptive as to cause the traveler
many inconveniences. The whole trip will take about two
weeks.

Pour buffalo calves have just been born on the IVichlta national
forest, bringing the herd uf> to fifty-one.

The annual capacity of the forest nurseries of the government
is about twenty-five million young trees.

Cornell University recently dedicated a forestry building in
connection with the state college of agriculture.

Zentaro Kawase, professor of forestry at the imperial univer-
sity of Tokio, Japan, has been making a tour of the national for-
ests of this country to learn the government's methods of selling
timber and of reforestation.

13

Courtesy of Great Northern R. R.
They Taste Good Cooked This Way.

$

Reforest ration in Burntside State Forest

$

WHILE many citizens in Minnesota have been wonder-
ing whether reforestration was possible in Northern
Minnesota, forest experts employed by the state for-
est service, the forestry school of the university and the gov-
ernment have been busy planting hundreds of thousands of
trees. The planting of 160,000 trees, for example has just
been completed in Burntside state forest, under the direction
of the state forest service.

On the north side of Burntside lake and west of Crab lake,
on rough, rocky, purely non-agricultural land, these trees
have been planted. The tracts for planting had to be care-
fully selected. In some cases, the tree planters had to hunt
for places where the small trees could be placed. This is
the type oi the land that the proposed amendment to the state
constitution seeks to have set aside for purely forestry pur-
poses. It is unfit i'or agriculture or grazing.

Use of Spades Impossible.

The small trees, averaging six inches in height were planted
with the use of a grub hoe or "mattock." Two men were
employed together. One used the "mattock" to open the hole.
The other one, carrying a pail full of trees, followed him and
put in the small tree. It was impossible to use a spade be-
cause of the rocky condition of the land.

A crew of 20 men were em.ployed under the supervision of
A. F. Oppel of the state forest service. Two men planting
can put in on the average of 1,800 to 2,000 trees per day. It
took two weeks to finish the work at Burntside. Most of the
planters were Finns.

The trees were spaced six feet apart, about 1,200 to the
acre. Some were planted in groves of popple. The rest was
put in open stands.

15

Hauling Trees a Big Task.

The hauling of the trees to the place of planting was a
monumental task. The entire lot was taken in by canoe.
The trees were first hauled to Burntside lake from Ely, Minn.
They were loaded into canoes and taken across the lake.
They were then unpacked from boxes and repacked into pack
sacks. They were then carried over a portage one and a
quarter miles in length to Crab lake. At Crab lake they
were again put into canoes and taken down the lake two
miles. Another portage of one-half mile was made to Clark
lake. From Clark lake there was a portage to Little Tango
lake and from Little Tango a portage was made to Big Tango.
From a point on Big Tango, they were hauled three-quarters
of a mile to camp. Food had to be taken to the camp in the
same manner.

The region is one in which the white pine grew naturally.
Of the 160,000 trees planted, 150,000 were white pine and
10,000 Norway pine.

An Important Work.

This is but one of the reforestration plans being pushed to
completion. A magnificent forest will stand in Burntside in
a short time, where only rocks have graced the land. Three
other crews were engaged in planting, one at Itasca State
Park, one at Pillsbury State Park, and one at the Cloquet
Forest Experiment Station. A total of 1,000,000 seedlings were
planted this year on 1;000 acres of state lands. Surely this is
a work that ought to be pushed with vigor on all of the non-
agricultural land that the state owns. It will yield a big
return. It will net the state profit. As it is, the non-agricul-
tural land now owned by the state will never be of value. It
cannot be sold for the specified five dollars an acre. It
should be reforested. A vote for the state forest amendment,
which provides for the use of state lands unfit for tillage
for state forests, will be the first step towards the desired end.

More than 858,000 young trees are being set out this spring on
national forests in Utah and southern Idaho, and the season is
reported as particularly favorable to their successful growth.

16

*

Another

Attraction

at

Itasca

Park

s

TO the already existing attractions of Itasca park — where
are found the springs in which the mighty Mississippi
has its beginning; where "the forest primeval" yet cov-
ers a wide area; where woodland and meadow, glade and
swamp, lake and upland, afford an endless variety of scenery;
where colonies of beaver build their dams unmolested, and
furry and feathery creatures of all kinds multiply in free-
dom— has just been added another in the shape of a fine
herd of elk.

Elk from Wyoming.

These elk, of which there are fourteen, were purchased for

e state forest service, by Forester Cox, from Howard Eaton
Wolf, Wyo. The elk were brought from Jackson Hole,

yo., a wild and picturesque valley, surrounded by snow-
apped mountain peaks, a hundred miles south of Yellow-
stone park.

The long trip of the herd from Jackson Hole over the Teton
Mountains to Victor, Idaho, was accomplished without acci-
dent, except that one of the female elk was lost over a preci-
pice. From Victor, with various transfers, the journey to
Itasca park was performed by rail.

The addition of another attraction to Itasca park is, how-
ever, but secondary to other more important objects sought
in bringing this herd of elk to Minnesota. The main object
is the repopulating of our state with this most magnificent
of American game animals. In their present quarters — a mile
square of forests, lake and swamp, surrounded by an eight-
foot wire fence — they will multiply just as they have done in
the Yellowstone and in Jackson Hole; and by transferring
small herds to other forests, the whole state may ere long
be supplied with elk in such numbers that, by their regulated
killing, Elk steak may again become a common article of
food among our people.

17

Courtesy of Great Northern R. R.
A Quiet Place for Camping.

Vote for Amendment.

That this may be accomplished, however, it is necessary
that our citizens should remember, next fall, to vote for the
forestry amendment to the state constitution. Otherwise
there will be no state forests in which the elk can be placed.
There is plenty of waste land available — unfit for agriculture
— but under the present absurd restrictions, the state cannot
use it, either for timber growing, game preserves or any other
purpose.

TWILIGHT

The sun hangs low

In the purple west,

The boisterous breezes die,

The waters glow,

And their troubled breast

In dying ripples lie.

The stars rush out,

And the friendly woods

A deep black mystery stand;

All things in doubt,

As silence broods,

A vague ethereal land.

The snapping fire,

And the thin wood smoke,

Goes straight up in the air;

While mounting higher,

The moon awoke,

Sends golden beams so rare.

Then sharp and clear

The silence breaks,

A loon cry o'er the wood,

As far and near

Sweet echo wakes.

O, God, thy land is good!

— C. A. Laflin.

19

s

A Day On Leech Lake

By an "Old Timer"

$

TO the summer tourist or camper in search of either rest
or scenery, or fishing, or of just a succession of new
experiences or sensations, Minnesota offers a rare com-
bination of advantages. Its thousands of miles of railroads,
traversing the state in every direction, will carry the trav-
eller in a few hours from St. Paul, Minneapolis or Duluth to
any one of a myriad of points where a few steps from the
station will land him amid the silences and seclusions of
primeval woods, by the side of some sparkling lake or on the
banks of some winding stream, amid whose cascades and
pools he may, if a true disciple of Isaac Walton, find an
angler's paradise. For boating, too, whether in rowboat,
canoe or power launch, Minnesota's lakes and streams offer
opportunities beyond compare.

As enjoyable a trip as any I ever took was one to Kabe-
kona bay — as the Indians named that western expanse of
Leech lake on whose shore has grown up the little city of
Walker — which I, with three companions, made the starting
point for a day's exploration of the lake in a little steam
launch. An arrival in the early evening, on the train from
St. Paul, and a good night's rest at a comfortable hotel in
Walker, put us all in good trim for a day on the lake. Sunny
skies, a breeze just sufficient to roughen the sparkling waters
and multiply their scintillations in the sun, and such vistas
of water and shoreline as throw a landscape-lover into
ecstasies, gave promise of a delightful outing.

Chartering a launch, we were soon afloat, steaming out upon
the lake, fanned by the exhilarating breeze. To the enjoyment
of the ride was soon added wonderment, as we came in view
of what appeared to be an elaborate wall of masonry, lining
the shore and holding in check the dashing waves. "Who
built that wall?" was our exclamation. "Is it a part of the
Government works, making this lake one of the Upper Missis-
sippi reservoirs, of which we have read so much?" "O, no!"

20

replies our boatmaster, and presently it is explained to us that
the wall is a natural formation. The bottom of the lake is of
stone, disposed in strata of various thicknessses. The water
in winter freezes clear to the bottom along the shores. When
the spring thaws come, the ice rises to the top, bearing masses
of stone in its embrace. The wind dashes the ice-cakes upon
the beach, where, age after age, they have dropped their bur-
den of stones, thus forming a stout barrier along the shore.
Then other cakes of ice and other stones, driven by the waves,
have pounded away at the barrier, until a smooth perpendicu-
lar wall has been produced, looking for all the world like a
Cornishman's masonry.

We thought that wall alone worth a day's journey to see.
But what next? Indians in a boat, gathering wild rice! It
must be remembered that Leech Lake is surrounded on all
sides, save the north, by an Indian reservation, and that here
they yet follow many of their primitive methods of life. Wild
rice grows abundantly in the more shallow lakes of this region,
and affords to the Indians an important food-supply. Pres-
ently we land in the vicinity of some Indian dwellings, but
find the people uncommunicative, so we soon take to our
launch again.

It was autumn, the season of the most abundant bird life,
and as our boat again got in motion, we witnessed considerable
flights of wild geese, ducks of several kinds, loone and gulls.
A statelier presence, too, we are told, may sometimes be seen
there, when

"On thy fair bosom, silver lake,

The wild swan spreads his snowy sail,
And round his breast the ripples break
As down he bears before the gale."

And now for the "woods primeval." There are yet, in the
region surrounding Leech Lake, several tracts of primeval
pine forests. It was chiefly to see these that our present trip
had been undertaken — to renew once more the pleasure ex-
perienced in boyhood, of threading the aisles of the solemn
pines, walking on their carpet of "needles," and inhaling
their aromatic odor. We found that the passing of many

21

Courtesy of Great Northern R. R.
Walker.

years had not lessened for us the delight to be found in the
heavenward-pointing companionship of these monarch of the
forest. We heard, as ever, their call to worship; experienced
the sensation they convey of being, through them, somehow
connected with ages past and ages yet to come. And the
memory of those hours among Leech Lake's colonnades of
pines today makes us eager that by and by — through the
adoption next November of the Forestry Amendment to the
Constitution of our State — it may become the privilege of
every Minnesotan to taste, in some nearby State Forest, the
inspiration which comes from association with the "nobility
of the trees."

It was moonlight as our launch steamed, back toward
Walker, and an evening of delight on the water closed a day
of unalloyed enjoyment.

I am tired of the planning and toiling

In the crowded hives of men;
Heart-weary of building and spoiling,

And spoiling and building again
And I long for the dear old river

Where I dreamed my youth away —
For a dreamer lives forever

And a toiler dies in a day.

I am sick of the showy seeming

Of a life that is half a lie.
Of the faces lined with scheming

In the throng that hurries by.
No, no; from the street's rude bustle,

From trophies from mart and stage,
I would fly to the woods' low rustle

And the meadow's kindly page.
Let us dream as of yore by the river,

And be loved for the dream alway —
For a dreamer lives forever

And a thinker dies in a day.

— John Boyle O'Reilly.

23

s

Post Office Department Co-operates
To Prevent Fires

$

THE post office department has just repeated, in the cur-
rent postal guide supplement, the instructions through
which rural carriers are to report forest fires to the
proper authorities during the coming season. These instruc-
tions were first issued in May, 1912, and during the past two
years the co-operation has resulted in the detection and sup-
pression of many fires.

State and federal forest officers will make a special effort
this year to get even more value out of the service than has
been obtained heretofore. The usual procedure has been
for the state fire wardens or federal forest officers to send to
the postmasters lists of local wardens and potrolmen, with
their addresses and telephone numbers. These lists are given
to the carriers with instructions to report forest fires to men
whose names appear thereon, or to other responsible persons.
This year a special effort will be made to follow up the send-
ing out of the lists by having the patrolmen and wardens
meet the carriers personally and to take the initiative in
arranging such meetings, and also to map out a plan of action
to be followed.

Cooperation between the rural carriers and forest officers
will be effective in the twenty states which have established
their own fire protecetive systems, as well as in the national
forest states.

Armstrong lake, within the Beartooth national forest, Montana,
is said to rival the famed Lake Louise of the Canadian Rockies.
It lies at an elevation of 7,000 feet surrounded by towering
mountain. A good road which can be traveled in half a day by
automobile connects it with the railroad at Billings. A rustic
hotel has recently been completed, and many trails make the sur-
rounding region accessible.

24

1

The

Fisheries

of

Minnesota

£

IT is doubtful if one per cent of the people of .Minnesota real-
ize the stupendous possibilities in the fishing industry of
this State. Under favorable conditions many kinds of fish
can be made to multiply at a rate almost comparable to the
increase shown at times in insect hordes. In Minnesota condi-
tions are favorable almost beyond belief. With our thousands
of square miles of lake and river surface, the quantity of fish
that might be produced under even half-way scientific manage-
ment, and proper stocking of the waters with vegetation suit-
able for fish food, would make our tables groan and our bank
icounts swell. A friend of mine in Colorado tells me that
lis fish pond yields him more money, acre for acre, than his
jst fruit or alfalfa land. Of course, that is the result of in-
msive methods of fish culture, and is comparable to truck
irming. A small hatchery is necessary in order to obtain
ich results. Sometimes natural conditions are very favor-
)le to the installation of little hatcheries at trifling expense.
There are so many kinds of fish that most any pond, stream
lake can be made to produce quantities of fish of some kind
>r other. For this reason, it is possible for every locality, in
fact nearly every farm, to produce its own fish supply. This is
no idle dream; it is a feasible, sensible thing, and a move
which should be brought about just as soon as people can be
educated to it. Why shouldn't our farmers become familiar
with this form of "live stock" as well as with cattle and hogs
and poultry and bees? Even now, more fish than beef is
eaten in the United States. The price " on the hoof" is about
the same. Much more beef than is now grown in Minnesota
can be produced here, for we have much unused range, espe-
cially in the rich Rainy River country. Hogs and sheep may
be increased to a greater extent than cattle; but for food pro-
duction these are slow in comparison with fish.

With fish, as with trees, nature makes lavish provision for
reproduction. One crop of seed from a pine tree, if it all were

25

Courtesy of Great Northern R. R.
Lake of the Woods.

ca

to grow, would reforest a hundred acres. The eggs from one
pike perch (wall-eyed pike), were they all to hatch and grow
up to be five-pound fish, would produce three hundred tons of
pike. There are dozens of kinds of fish in Minnesota waters.
All are prolific in the matter of eggs, from the bass and crop-
pie, with an average of perhaps 2,000, to the brook trout with
20,000, and the pike perch with 120,000 or more eggs a year
for each full-grown female. As with the pine seed, so with
the fish-spawn. Nature's methods are lavish but wasteful.
Of the hundreds of millions of pine seeds produced each year,
only a few millions survive the fires and insects and rodents,
and are destined to become trees. Of the billions of eggs
laid by our game and food fishes, probably less than one per
cent even hatch. The trained forester can so regulate lumber-
ing that one crop of pine or spruce will follow another, even
without artificial planting. The fish culturist in like manner
n, by the adoption of proper methods, increase fish produc-
on not merely fifty or one hundred per cent, but in some
ases several thousand per cent. In other words, only a few
hundred young fish on an -average hatch out under natural
conditions from one hundred thousand eggs. Experts in
charge of hatcheries have actually been able to produce as
many as ninety-eight thousand young fish from one hundred
thousand fish eggs. Is this not suggestive. There are places
without number for the easy and cheap collection of spawn.
Rough, inexpensive buildings, put at some of the best points
and used only during the time when hatching operations
should be under way, seem to be much more profitable than
the costly plants usually constituting "fish hatcheries" in
most of the states. It is noticed that in Manitoba, where
white fish are propagated by the million, the hatcheries look
as if they might cost only a few hundred dollars each, 'but they
are located where they do the business.

The fishing industry of Minnesota amounts to several mil-
lions of dollars a year. This can easily be trebled and quadru-
pled through propagation of the more important species. So
far we have three hatcheries, none of them close to important
commercial fisheries. They are well worth maintaining, how-
ever, and splendid work has been done at these hatcheries.

27

Our important fisheries are: First, the international waters —
Lake Superior, Lake of the Woods, Rainy Lake, Namekan,
Sand Point, La Croix, Basswood, Knife and other large lakes.
These lakes furnish great quantities of the finest food fishes —
white fish, salmon trout, sturgeon and many other kinds. We
have no hatcheries to replenish the supply in these lakes,
though we understand Canada stands ready to co-operate.

Red Lake, Leech Lake, Mille Lacks and other large interior
bodies of water might easily be made centers of important
commercial fisheries if little hatcheries were established on
some of the suitable streams entering them.

Perhaps as important as the commercial fisheries is the
problem of increasing the supply of game fishes and the stock
of food fishes for local use in the smaller lakes and streams.
How many creeks and rivers are there in the State suitable
for brook trout? Many are already stocked either naturally
or by the Game and Fish Commission. Many others are not
Would it not be a good thing to have a study made by some
men competent to determine what species of fish exist in our
different waters; which lakes and streams are suitable for
stocking with better species; and then formulate a plan for
the construction of little hatcheries and the systematic stock-
ing of such waters as promise the best results?

On the Deerlodge national forest in Montana one lookout sta-
tion has the record of reporting accurately, by distance and direc-
tion, a fire that was sixty miles away.

Nearly three million young trees are being set out this spring
on the national forests of northern Idaho and Montana. On the
St. Joe ^national forest in Idaho three thousand acres will be
planted.

Ranchers within and adjacent to the Sierra national forest,
California, have formed a co-operative association for the pre-
vention of forest fires. They need to use fire in clearing land for
farming, and will do it on a community basis, with all member*
present to prevent the fires' spread.

28

s

Lightning a Prolific Source
of Forest Fires

s

EXHAUSTIVE inquiry has established the fact that light-
ning ranks next to railroads as a source of forest fires.
Forest officers say that the increasing care with fire on
the part of the railroads and the public generally tends to
make lightning the largest single contributing cause.

This statement represents a change of view from that held
less than a decade ago in this country, when forest journals
gravely argued whether lightning caused forest fires, though
it was known that trees were the objects most often struck.
Trees are said to be oftenest struck simply because they are
numerous, and extending upward they shorten the distance
jtween the ground and the clouds; further, their branches
the air and roots well into the earth invite electrical dis-
larges.

While certain trees are said to invite lightning, and others
be immune from stroke, it seems to be a fact that any kind
tree will be struck, and the most numerous tree species in
y locality is the one most likely to suffer.
Other things being equal, lightning seeks the tallest tree,
an isolated tree, or one on high ground. A deep-rooted
ree is a better conductor than a shallow-rooted one, and a
tree full of sap, or wet with rain, is of course a better con-
ductor than a dry one.

Lightning sets fires by igniting the tree itself, particularly
when it is dead, or partly decayed and punky, or by igniting
the dry humus or duff at its base. The forest soil, when
dried out, ignites readily, because it is made of partly de-
cayed twigs and leaves, and it can hold a smouldering fire for
a considerable period. It is probable that most of the light-
ning-set fires start in the duff.

In the mountains of Southern California, Arizona, and New
Mexico there are likely to be each year a number of electrical

29

Courtesy of Great Northern R. R.
Bemidji.

disturbances known as "dry thunder storms." They come at
the end of the long dry season, and being unaccompanied by
rain are very likely to start many serious fires. For this rea-
son the forest service has to keep up its maximum fire-fighti-
ing strength in those regions until the rains are fully estab-
lished. In the plans and organization for fire fighting the
service aims particularly to catch these unpreventable light-
ning-set fires at the time they start.

Twixt Cup and Lip

By Frank M. Comrie

Life is a song —

When the days are long,

And the summer breeze is blowing
Oh, come with me —
Where the winds Wow free,

And the river's gently flowing.

Our boat shall glide —
Where the black bass hide,
And the "muskies" are a'stirring;
We'll shout with glee —
As the lines run free,

And the reels are swiftly whirring.

Cast swift and true —
O'er the water blue,

Where the lily pa'ds are floating;
But when bass dash —
With a sudden splash,

Is not the time for gloating.

Twixt cup and lip —
There's oft a slip,

And catching is not keeping;
So, hold on tight —
For a bass will fight,

And often leaves you weeping.

— Reprinted from Outer's Book.

31

s

Notes

i

Angora goats have been used with profit to keep fire lines
clear of inflammable vegetation on national forests in California.

The New York state forest nurseries have a capacity of
twenty-eight Million young trees a year.

Approximately 750 acres on the Oregon national forest were
planted with young trees this spring.

It is said that the best times of day to locate forest fires from
lookout stations are jus,t after daylight and just before sunset.

The state of Pennsylvania celebrates two arbor days each year
— one for spring planting and one for the fall — in April and Oc-
tober respectively.

Last year the fire loss on the Canadian timber reserves was the
smallest ever known, only one-fiftieth of one per cent of the area
being burned over.

The forest service has been requested to co-oporatc with the
port authorities of Coos Bay, Oregon, in planting to control
shifting sand dunes. %

The agricultural experiment statioti at Pullman, Washington, is
establishing an arboretum in which it is proposed to grow a
group of each of the important timber trees of the temperate
zone.

Students of the Oregon agricultural college are working at the
forest nursery on the Siuslaw forest. The arrangement is said
to be mutually satisfactory since the students gain experience in
forest nursery practice and their assistance lowers the cost of
nursery work.

32

"ForeS"l Schools the Foundation of Forest Wealth.1

THE NORTH WOODS

Volume III. JULY, 1914 Number 7

A Recorder and Protnoter of the Forestry Movement in Minnesota.

OFFICIAL BULLETIN OF THE MINNESOTA FORESTRY ASSOCIATION
AND THE STATE FOREST SERVICE.

Published Monthly for members of the Minnesota Forestry Association

Annual Membership Fee $1.00. This includes membership in the Minnesota

Horticultural Society, entitling every such member to all privileges of

that organization as well as the Forestry Association. Remittance

should be made payable to PHIL H. HANSON. Treas..

care State Forester's Office, State Capitol,

St. Paul, Minn.

Entered as Second Class Matter, September 14, 1912, at the Post Office at St.
ll, Minnesota, under the Act of August 21, 1912.

Tax Payer of the Future 3

Town Forests and Health . . ... 6

The Work of Being Prepared . . . .12

Pleasures of Angling 16

Minnesota and Federal Cooperation . . .18

Taking Stock 21

Trees for Snowbreaks 24

Wood Consumption 26

Timber Preservation 29

A Warning to Campers 31

$

The

Tax

Payer

of

the

Future

1

years ago the legislature authorized the appoint-
JL merit of a state forester with sufficient funds at his dis-
posal to establish a state forest service.
Naturally the first problem which presented itself was the
prevention of the destructive fires that endangered the lives
and property of the settlers in the northern part of the state
every year. Till these fires had been brought under control
nothing else could be done. Now that a good start has been
made in this direction the possibilities are almost unlimited.
The work done so far has not made a great show for it is
irgely in the form of permanent improvements which are not
sctacular. Hundreds of miles of trail and telephone line
ive been built in the back woods where few people see
lem. Scores of watch-towers enable the rangers to keep
lard over their too large districts, and many a cleared-out
)rtage has opened up the waterways into otherwise inac-
sssible country. And last, but by far the most important
all is the well organized, well trained force of experienced
ingers and patrolmen who are now prepared for any emer-
gency.

This had been hard, unattractive work, performed away from
the haunts of men, put it is the foundation for great work in
the future. It was absolutely necessary in this first stage of
fire protection and it will not be useless in the work to come.
They are indeed permanent improvements and will last for all
time.

The direct results of this fundamental work have been a
very marked decrease in the losses from forest fires, a great
thing in itself, but the indirect results are much greater and
more far-reaching. The service has gained the confidence of
the people. The rangers and patrolmen are looked up to
everywhere and the quiet, persistent way in which these men
have attended to their business has had a tremendous in-
fluence in educating the people to the necessity of guarding

against forest fires. And just that co-operation of all the
people is the only thing that can ever stamp these fires out.

The sense of safety which the presence of this vigilant
force gives to the settlers has brought more permanent resi-
dents into the North woods and has done more to advertize
the possibilities of the North woods than anything else that
the state has ever done. The main purpose is the care of the
forests, incidentally it is settling the agricultural areas as
nothing else will.

That is a record for an infant department to be proud of,
but the real work of the service is just beginning. It re-
mains for them to change the wild, useless forests into active
producers. There are millions in those forest areas if they
can be gotten out and the state service is prepared to do it
if the people will only give them a chance. The state owns
more than a million acres of forest land now which are wholly
unproductive. We are selling them for a song in order that
we may draw a measerly 3% per cent on the song while the
land lies still unproductive on somebody else's hands. This
would all be changed if these lands were turned over to the
state service where they belong. The annual revenue from
this land, if it were managed perpetually as forest, would be
nearer 50 per cent of their present sale value instead of SV2 per
cent, and the land itself would be producing it. Not only that,
but it would be producing wages for thousands of men. Two
and a half million dollars less state taxes for the people to
pay each year and at least ten million dollars more money for
them to pay it with. The service is capable of handling this
work and we are not making the proper use of them if we do
not give them the chance.

The State Forests Amendment No. 9, to be voted on next
November, will make this change possible. This is well worth
investigating. Look up the past work of your forest service,
satisfy yourself of what they have already done and you will
be satisfied of what you ought to give them to do.

Yellow poplar, or tulip tree, the largest broadleaf tree in Amer-
ica, has been known to reach nearly two hundred feet in height
and ten feet in diameter.

4

s

Town Forests and Health

By Harris A. Reynolds

Secretary Massachusetts Forestry Association

s

(This discussion which appeared in the April number of "The.
Nautilus" is particularly applicable to the situation in Minne-
sota at the present time. It was written as a contribution to
a symposium on "Spring Tonic for the New Born." With the
campaign for the passage of the constitutional amendment
which will make possible the setting aside of non-agricultural
state lands for forestry purposes just beginning, it is inter-
esting to note the views being held in New England on the
necessity of forests as recreation grounds. State forests will
afford the kind of recreation grounds Mr. Reynolds discusses.
The law passed by the last legislature making municipal for-
ests possible is in line with the suggestions being made in
Massachusetts. Town forests are possible in Minnesota. The
creation of state forests will be an impetus to the movement
to establish town forests.)

RECREATION is the savior of tired nerves. But like re-
ligion there are many forms of recreation. We shall
discuss but one of these forms and that only in con-
junction with the means of obtaining it. This type of recre-
ation is exercise in the open air, among the trees. What most
tired people need is more oxygen in their blood, which means
that they need more pure air in their lungs. Now when we
want to get anything realy fresh we go to the source, and
why not do the same with oxygen? Every tree in the process
of growth sifts the carbon dioxide from the air and replaces
it with oxygen. To man the former is waste, the latter a
food. Therefore when you want a real fresh supply of oxygen
why not go into the woods?

Many people are learning to use the woods for recreation,
and you see them returning from their vacations in the open,
refreshed in every way. In this country there are innumer-
able places where one may go and spend a few hours, days or
weeks in the woods, the length of stay depending on his
finances, or his inclination. Unfortunately, a very small per
cent of our people really care to spend their time in the for-
ests, a still smaller proportion can take the time or have the
means to make such excursions. Besides a half day now and
then will not do much good; either you must spend a short
time each day or prolong the visit sevral days at a time. If

6

everybody would spend more time in the open, and especially
in the woods, the white plague, tuberculosis, would soon van-
ish. But, how is the shop girl, whose meager wage permits
her to spend but little each day for enjoyment, and whose
time is so occupied with work that she cannot go far from
home, if she would, to get this kind of refreshment, going to
be benefited by the forests? The forest must be brought to
her, and we will show presently how this can be done.

The Germans have learned the advantage of this kind of
recreation, and it is not uncommon to se women and girls
with rucksacks and walking staffs trudging through the beau-
tiful town and state forests so plentiful in Germany. Nearly
every town in the wooded sections of Germany has its own
town forests, and those that do not own a forest, are usually
near to one where- the people have the use of it for recreation.
Jeople will travel by train for considerable distances in order
have a tramp in the woods for half a day.

This love for the open may be an inherited tendency with

te Germans, but they have been taught from childhood to
>ve the forests. In places near to forests the school children
ire given a half holiday on Wednesday and Saturday after-
loons, and the teachers take them into the forests for play,
"hey grow up with a love for their forests.

Germany is not the only European country where the towns
and cities own their forests, but everywhere they are used for
recreational purposes. The forests are usually so near that
one can go from the center of the city or town into the for-
est by street car for the small sum of two and four-tenths
cents. Hundreds of people can be seen on Sundays and holi-
days walking, riding or driving through these forests. Good
roads and paths prevail, even into the least accessible parts.

These roads, paths, and bridges also, are built and main-
tained from the profits of the forests. Seats, pergolas and
shelters are scattered throughout and even monuments are
built in them. They are really outlying wild parks, and for
the purposes of recreation and rest are more attractive than
the well-kept ornamental city parks.

There are little refreshment houses in every forest. Some
of the larger town forests have municipal hotels situated in

Jt

8 =

the very heart of them. In some of the state forests hotels
are run by the state itself and they are connected with the
railroad stations by automobile lines.

The fact that these wild parks or town forests are self-sup-
porting is not all; a net income of several dollars per acre is
realized each year from them. In ten of the principal for-
ests visited by the writer the past summer, the average net
income per acre yearly was six dollars and twenty cents.
Many of the towns have no taxes to pay. They are all paid
out of the proceeds from the forest. The town of Forbach
in Baden, with a population of nineteen hundred, owns a for-
est of fourteen hundred and eighty-two acres, from which it
secures a net profit of over twelve dollars per acre per year.

It is needless to say that the town is kept in perfect con-
dition, and yet the people never need to worry about taxes.
Instead of having a sinking fund, as is used sometimes by
towns in this country to meet a coming debt, a part of the
forest is set aside as a reserve. Whenever a street needs
repairing or when a town hall or water system is to be built,
enough timber is sold from this reserve section to meet this
extraordinary expenditure. Hundreds of towns in Germany
are enjoying the benefits, financial and otherwise, from their
town forests.

Reference is made to the financial phase of this question in
order to make clear the fact that these parks or recreational
areas are not a drag on the finances of the towns that own
them. They are really a luxury bestowed upon the people
by their far-sighted ancestors. Thankfully these people have
protected and respected their birthright.

Providence left to us in this country a similar inheritance,
but we and our ancestors have destroyed it. We have de-
prived future generations of that which was justly theirs.
Our substance has been wasted in the riotous race for money,
and it is only when our purse strings begin to feel the pull
of the high cost of living, that we bestir ourselves. The price
of timber has practically doubled in the past fifteen years,
hence it costs more to build a house. That is why our rents
have been raised. Our forests are becoming fewer and fewer
as the years go by, and it is becoming increasingly difficult

9

to find a forest within reasonable distance of a town. In the
Northeastern states a large per cent of the towns and cities
have within their reach waste lands or lands suitable for tim-
ber growing that could be bought cheaply and turned into
forests.

The New England states in particular are specially adapted
to this system. Massachusetts alone has approximately one
million acres, or a fifth of its area, which is wild or waste
land, but which is well suited to growing trees. Why should
not the towns take up sections of this waste area and grad-
ually turn them into town forests? There is no conservation
measure which will mean so much to the local community and
the state as a whole as will this procedure. Not only will
waste lands be converted into profit-sharing areas, but the
people who are denied the pleasure of exercise and recreation
in the forests will have a place to retire from the strife of
business, into the restful atmosphere of a cool and refresh-
ing forest. We can't begin too soon, and just last year the
Massachusetts Forestry Association procured the "Public Do-
main Bill," which permits towns and cities in the common-
wealth to buy land for the purpose of operating town forests,
like those of Germany. Pennsylvania has a similar law. It
will be only a few years until all the states will have such
laws, once it is shown what can be done by towns in this
way. The application of business principles, and the employ-
ment of forestry knowledge will give to nearly every town
and city the advantage of having a self-supporting forest
which will be a park, bird sanctuary, game preserve, protec-
tion to the watershed, purifier of the waters, wind-break, if
properly located, and a health restorer to the whole com-
munity, all in one. The cost can easily be distributed over a
great many years, and the future generations will not only
be glad to pay their share, but will be grateful to us for the
inheritance, even though they are required to help pay for it.

Pennsylavina has about seven and one-half million acres of
timber land, one-eighth of which is owned by the state. The total
value of the state's timber is one hundred and thirty-nine million
dollars.

10

Courtesy Soo Line.
Sailing on Minnesota Lake.

£43

The Work of Being Prepared

s

THAT splendid organization for the training of the boys
along the lines that will lead to useful manhood, The
Boy Scouts, has for its motto, "Be Prepared." This is
the basic principle of any service that has protection for its
object. It is particularly true of the forest service. "Being
prepared" means everything. The success of failure of the
forest service, as is the case of every other thing in the world,
rests upon the preparation.

A first department in a great city that finds itself lacking
proper equipment or water pressure when the big conflagra-
tion comes fails in its purpose to the extent that things that
should have been done were left undone.

Work of Preparation Goes On.

Realizing the necessity of preparation all of the time, the
state forest service is continually at work making itself ready.
Trails have been built so that fire fighters can reach the most
inaccessible places. Canoe portages have been cut in order
to make transportation easier and quicker. Telephone lines
are being built in order to insure quick communication when
necessary to summon aid to fight fires. Fire-breaks are being
constructed. All these things are part of the process of mak-
ing ready.

The real test of the efficiency of the forest service in any
state or nation is said to come when the dry spells come on,
when the Red Demon starts its rampage. The test will show
just the effectiveness of the preparation and the precaution-
ary measures taken.

For several years, the work of trail building, construction
of lookout and fire-break and telephone lines, has gone on.
In the wet seasons, when the danger from fire was at the
minimum, the rangers and their men, have been at work
making things ready.

12

Work This Year.

The last annual report of the state forester shows what
had been done up to last fall. The work started last fall is
being completed and new work is being pushed. The all-
important trails are being built where possible. One on
Kabetogama Penninsula, between Lake Kabetogama and
Rainy lake, is being rapidly pushed to completion this sum-
mer. The trail runs along the high ridge between the lakes.
There are numerous branch trails leading to the lakes where
suitable landing points have been made. This will make it
possible to reach much of this region by water. Heretofore
it has been impossible to get in because the forest there is
almost a jungle. With this big trail and the branch trails in
good shape, it will Le possible for men to get into the region
to fight any fire that may start.

Another trail is being built from the Black river in Koo-
chiching county north to Rainy river. This will open up a
region that has hitherto been practically inacessible. Some
fires have already started and it has been extremely difficult
to get men in to fight them.

A third trail is being built on the northwest angle. The
angle contains 150 square miles, there be:'ng four townships.
There is some very valuable cedar timber here. The new
trail will assist greatly in reaching the place where this tim-
ber is located.

Other trails are being constructed under the supervision of
the rangers. During the dry spells it is, of course, impos-
sible to do much work on the trails. But the work is being
pushed.

The building of telephone lines has gone on this year as
in the past. In the Gunflint region, near North lake, in Cook
county, a line is being constructed. Lines are being built east
of Northome and in the Burntside state forest. The line near
North lake will be a God-send to that section. This country
needs telephone lines particularly. It is not thickly settled
and quick communication is essential. This region is visited
by many- canoeists and summer vacationists. The campers
are responsible for many of the small fires that takes place
up there. The telephone will aid in bringing necessary aid.

13

The line extending from Northome to Snooks Spur, in the
process of construction, will connect with several farmers'
lines. It will open up the Red lake country as far south as
Bemidji. It is planned to build telephone lines along the
fire-breaks to be constructed in Koochiching county. These
will help to form a network throughout the entire central
portion of that county.

It is interesting to note that the federal government is
making experiments with wireless telegraphy in some of the
forests of the West. With the perfecting of the wireless, it
is likely that before long forest rangers in Minnesota will be
able to go up into a lookout tower and send messages calling
for aid.

No lookout towers are being constructed this year. The
reason is simple. It is more necessary to spend the time in
other work because enough towers have been built for the
present. There are more than 100 towers in operation now.
Some of them are constructed with steel, others of timber,
others of stone.

Canoe Routes Mapped Out.

A great deal of portage work is being done. The portages
are cut primarily so that the forest rangers can get from
lake to lake with ease. It is part of the work of preparation.
But these portages, as in the case of the trails, are a boon to
the canoeists who go into the North country for their vaca-
tions. The trails and portages are being marked, canoe routes
have been mapped out, and the forest service has in every
way possible, shown itself ready to co-operate with the men
who are answering the "call" of the Red Gods.

Fires have been somewhat numerous during the past three
or four months. In April, May and June, a large number of
fires were placed under control. Large crews, sometimes as
high as 100 men, have been engaged in the work of fighting
fires.

The forest service believes in "being prepared."

The imports of matches .into China greatly exceed in value any
other wood product. Most of the matches come in from Japan.

14

Courtesy Soo Line.
Water power sites in Minnesota are being developed.

The Pleasures of Angling

4 4 'TpHEY are greatly in error who suppose that all
J. there is of fishing is to fish; that is but the
body of the art. Its soul and spirit is in what
.the angler sees and feels; in the murmur of the
brook; in the music of the birds; in the simple
beauty of the wild flowers which peer at him from
every nook in the valley,. and from every sunny spot
on the hillside; in the moss-covered rock; in the
ever-shifting sunshine and shadow, which give ever-
varying beauty to the sides and summits of the moun-
tains; in the bracing atmosphere which environs
him; in the odor of pine and hemlock and spruce
and cedar forests which is sweeter to the senses of
a true woodsman than all the artificially compounded
odors which impregnate the boudoirs of artificial life;
in the spray of the waterfall; in the grace and curve
and dash of the swift-rushing torrent; in the whirl
of the foaming eddy; in the transparent depths of
the shady pool where in midsummer the speckled
trout and silver salmon 'most do congregate;' in re-
vived appetite; in the repose which comes to him
while reclining upon his sweet-smelling couch of
hemlock boughs; in the hush of the woods where
moon and stars shine in upon him through his open
tent or bark shanty; in the morning-song of the
robin; in the rapid-coursing blood, quickened by the
pure, unstinted mountain air which imparts to the
lungs the freshness and vigor of its own vitality; in
the crackling of the newly-kindled camp-fire; in the
restored health, in the one thousand other indescrib-
able and delightful realities and recollections of the
angler's camp lii'e on lake or river during the season
when it is right to go a-fishing. It is these, and not
alone or chiefly the mere art of catching fish, which
render the gentle art a source of ever-growing pleas-
ure.— George Dawson, in the Outer's Book.

1

Minnesota

and

Federal

Co

-Operation

s

WHEN it comes to the protection of the headwaters of
navigable streams in the United States, no state is
of such importance as Minnesota. Within the bound-
aries of this state are to be found the headwaters of three of
the great drainage systems of the continent. By the protec-
tion of these headwaters, disastrous floods in other portions
of the United States can be prevented.

Realizing the necessity of co-operating with the state of
Minnesota in the protection of these headwaters, the federal
government has once more granted to the state the sum of
$10,000 to be used for the paying of patrolmen and watchmen.
This is the largest sum that can be expended in any one
state. Only five or six other states in the Union are granted
this amount. Michigan has recently been given $5,000 under
a similar agreement.

This co-operation between the federal government and the
state of Minnesota is accomplishing a great deal. It makes
the federal and state governments co-workers in forest pro-
tection. There is no "twilight zone" here.

This form of co-operating is made possible by the Weeks
law, passed by congress in 1911. It has already been taken
advantage of by the states of Maine, New Hampshire, Ver-
mont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey,
Maryland, West Virginia, Kentucky, Wisconsin, Minnesota,
South Dakota, Montana, Idaho, Washington and Oregon.

The law, besides providing for the purchase by the govern-
ment of lands on the headwaters of navigable rivers for the
purpose of creating national forests to protect these rivers,
appropriated $200,000 which the secretary of agriculture might
expend to protect similar lands in state or private owner-
ship from fire, in co-operation with the states. It was pro-
vided in the law that the federal expenditures in any state
should not exceed the amount spent by the state itself in the
co-operative work. Provision for continuance of the work in

18

the fiscal year which began July 1 has been made by an ap-
propriation of $100,000 for the year. The original appropria-
tion of $200,000 was available until expended, and with a sup-
plementary $75,000 has carried the work to the present time.

The secretary of agriculture requires as a preliminary to
co-operating with any state, that the state authorities submit
a definite plan showing in detail exactly what it is proposed
to do. With these plans are required maps showing areas to
which protection should be given. These areas must be ac-
tually on the watersheds of navigable streams, and the plan
of protection well conceived and thoroughly practical, with
an organized system of administration by state officers.

The amount spent yearly in any one state by the govern-
ment is limited to $10,000. It is used solely for paying look-
out watchmen or patrolmen. The state officials select these
men, subject to the approval of the department of agricul-
ture. The maps submitted to the government show where
each of the men will be located, the approximate routes of
patrol, and all features necessary to a clear understanding
of the state's plan of fire control, including the location of
lookout stations, telephone lines, headquarters of state fire
wardens, and the like.

Under the terms of the co-operative agreements, the secre-
tary of agriculture may terminate the co-operation at any
time that he finds it not to be conducted in a satisfactory
manner. In this way the responsibility for organizing and
maintaining the work is placed upon the state which, how-
ever, must keep its system up to a good standard of efficiency
in order to have the cc-operation with the government con-
tinued. Officials of the U S. Forest Service act as inspectors
to keep the department informed as to how the states are
handling the work. Under this plan a great advance has been
made in the development of efficient state systems of fire pro-
tection.

Four new state forests have recently been added to those in
Hawaii, making 27 in all, with an aggregate of 683-,ioi acres. Of
this amount, 67 per cent belongs to the territory, the rest being
private land administered by the territorial forest officers.

19

Courtesy Soo Line,
Summer vacationists in Minnesota.

$

Taking Stock

£

IT is well, at times, to stop in the work we are doing long
enough to "take stock," to see just what we are accom-
plishing, just the direction in which we are going and
the distance still ahead before the goal is reached.

In 1911 the state legislature created the present state for-
est service. An efficient service had been needed for a long
time. Earnest men had been working to save the forests of
the state, but they had been hampered by lack of funds, organ-
ization and m.en, the real requisites that go to make up an
efficient state forest service. The forest law of 1911, made
the present service possible. The disastrous fires at Spooner
and Baudette, no doubt, did much to arouse public sentiment
in favor of the new law. Something was needed. The leg-
islators saw what it was.

Not Merely Fire Fighters.

The old idea that a state forest service was simply a big
fire fighting machine has been rapidly dispelled. Many citi-
zens of the state still have the idea that all that forest rang-
ers have to do is to fight fires.

First of all, came the precautionary measures to prevent
the fires. The aid of the railroads had to be enlisted. For
the most part the roads have complied willingly. They have
put in spark arresters, they are helping to patrol their rights
of way, they have kept their rights of way clear.

The lumber companies had to be taken into account. The
slashings left after the cutting had always been a menace.
The proper disposal of slash became one of the chief things
the forest ranger had to look after. The timber cutting com-
panies must dispose of their slash properly. It is up to the
forest ranger to see that it is done.

The building of trails to make access to dense regions
easier, had to be started. The forest rangers have super-
vised this work. Then, too, telephone lines, to make com-

21

munication possible have been put in. More than 100 lookout
towers have been built. Fire-breaks have been built.

All these things have been a part of the program of "pre-
cautionary measures." Is that all, then? Not by any means.

Reforestation Taken Up.

The state forest service has taken up the problem of re-
forestration. Only this spring, large crews have been at
work planting trees on Burntside state forest and elsewhere.
The future has to be looked after and the state forest service
is doing that very thing.

Education has formed an important part of the work of
the service. Farmers are bing taught the value of woodlots.
Bulletins have been issued telling what can be accomplished
in Minnesota.

A study of the use of popple, a wood long despised, has
been made and the information given to the world. Other
investigations have been made and the information sent forth.

Forest fires have been fought. The rangers, with an effi-
cient force of men, to help them have kept the fires down
to the minimum.

One of the chief features of the work of the state forest
service that has helped to make it thoroughly efficient, is the
system of inspection. Inspectors are sent into the districts
every so often to see the progress the work is making. Then,
the two heads of the departments, are inspecting and plan-
ning much of the time.

In taking stock, we can say for the forest service, that
much has been accomplished, but there is still much to do.

Norivay has 144 trees planting societies. The first zvas founded
in 1900, and then 26,000,000 trees have been planted, more than
2,000,000 having been set out last year.

Florida buttonwood, a tree confined largely to the keys along
the South coast, is very highly prised for use in cooking on ship's
galleys. It burns slowly zvith an even heat and makes but little
smoke or ash.

22

lr '0 :

*

Trees

for

Snow

Breaks

s

THE Soo Line is going to buck the Northwest wind in
earnest. It has doomed the portable snow-break, which
for many years has contributed to the landscape along
its system, and has adopted a policy of tree planting to pro-
vide permanent barriers that will keep the rails clear in
winter.

In charge of the work is C. S. Galbraith as forester, re-
cently engaged from the Canadian Pacific system., where he
had spent* six years in similar work. In Canada his tree
planting along the C. P. grade would measure up to nearly
200 miles if strung altogether.

The portable snow-break never gave any kind of satisfac-
tion to the roads, according to Mr. Galbraith. It was a nui-
sance in having to be put up and taken down every year. It
depreciated fast and required constant repair and replace-
ment. It was a fire catcher. It required the labor of a con-
siderable force of men to make it serviceable.

Tree planting has already been begun by Mr. Galbraith, the
first work being done on the line east and west of Adams, N.
D. Box elder, ash and ccttonwood will be used largely, with
a hedge in front in the teeth of the wind. It is estimated
that for the first three years after planting the trees will need
attention. After that they take care of themselves.

"While the purpose of this work is mainly economic," said
Mr. Galbraith, "we do not lose sight of the fact that trees
along the right of way add to the scenic beauty of the line.
We plant on both sides of the track, about 40 feet from the
rails. In a few years we shall have breaks that will defy
any snowstorm. Stretches of track most exposed to the wind
and given the most trouble by snow will be attended to first
in our planting."

The Great Northern is said to be the only other Northwest
road that employs a forester that is engaged in similar work.

24

'$

Annual Consumption of Wood by the
Wood Manufacturing Industries

*

STATISTICS have been compiled by the United States
forest service which show for the first time precisely
how the lumber produced in the country is utilized.
About 45 billion feet of lumber of all kinds is the annual pro-
duction in the United States; of this nearly 25 billion feet,
board measure, are further manufactured, the other portion
remaining for rough construction lumber and for similar pur-
poses. This is exclusive of material which reaches its final
use in the form of fuel, railroad ties, posts, poles, pulpwood,
cooperage, wood distillates, and the barks and extracts de-
manded by the tanning industry.

Compilation of Figures Took Long Time.

The work of collecting and compiling the figures extended
over a considerable period and was carried out state by state;
but as one full year was made the basis of statistics in each
state the total is a fair average of the use of lumber in fur-
ther manufacture in the whole country. Between 50 and 60
per cent of the lumber produced is subject to further man-
ufacture. In preparing the figures in this way, however, it
should be remembered that considerable material reaches
shops and factories in the form of logs, bolts, and billets with-
out having passed through sawmills, and while this material
is included in these statistics this fact should be remembered
in comparing statistics with those of lumber production.

Nearly or quite 100 different woods are used in this coun-
try under their own names, while an unknown number find
their way to shops and factories without being identified or
separately listed, except under general names. In quantity
the softwoods, the needle-leaf or coniferous trees, are most
important, but there is a greater number of species among
the hardwoods, or broad-leaf trees. Yellow pine comes first
with more than 8 billion feet, followed by white pine with 3
billion, and Douglas fir with a little more than 2 billion. It
should be understood, however, that the term "yellow pine"

26

includes several species the three most important of which
are long-leaf, short-leaf and loblolly. Oak, including all spe-
cies, has nearly 2 billion feet, and is the most important
hardwood. Maple comes next.

Dogwood comes about half way down the list with more
than 7 million board feet, and of those species mentioned,
Turkish boxwood comes last, with less than 30 thousand feet,
followed by many others too insignificant to list but making
a total of all kinds of more than a million feet. Of the na-
tive species, laurel, holly and yucca fall very near the foot
of the list in relative quantities used.

55 Industries Use Wood.

Fifty-five principal industries use wood as raw material.
Their relative importance is hard to indicate, because quan-
tity alone is not in all cases a criterion of value of an in-
dustry to the community in which it is situated, nor to the
country as a whole.

More than one-half of the total consumption consists of
planing-mill products, the largest items of which are flooring,
siding, ceiling, and finishing. The next industry, in point of
quantity of wood used, is the manufacture of boxes and crates.
Nearly four times as much wood is demanded by makers of
boxes and crates as by the builders of steam and electric
cars, which come next, and fivefold the amount that goes into
furniture, which in turn leads vehicle manufacture. Vehicles
demand surprisingly large supplies of wood, and much of it
must be of a high class in order to meet requirements for
frames, gears, and bodies.

Chairs, listed separately from furniture, come after novel-
ties and supplies for dairymen, poultry keepers, and apiarists,
and just before handles, and musical instruments. About
midway down the list come pumps and wood pipes. Among
the products important enough to list separately are canes
and umbrella sticks, brooms, firearms, artificial limbs, and to-
bacco pipes.

The apportionment of wood among the various industries,
grades from planing-mill products, which take most, down to
aeroplanes and dry kilns, at the bottom of the list.

27

Courtesy Soo Line.
A view often duplicated in Minnesota.

s

1913

a Record Year in
Preservation

Timber

I

THE most notable progress yet recorded in the chemical
treatment of timber to prevent decay was made in
1913, according to a report recently issued by the
American Wood Preservers' Association in co-operation with
the forest service of the department of agriculture.

The report states that 93 wood-preserving plants in 1913
consumed over 108 million gallons of creosote oil, 26 million
pounds of dry zinc chloride, and nearly 4 million gallons of
other liquid preservatives. With these the plants treated over
153 million cubic feet of timber, or about 23 per cent more
than in 1912. The output from additional plants unrecorded

.would increase the totals given.
Impregnation of wood with oils and chemicals to increase
its resistance to decay and insect attack, the report goes on
to say, is an industry which has become important in the
United States only in recent years. In Great Britain and
most of the European countries practically every wooden
cross-tie and telephone or telegraph pole receives preserva-
tive treatment. In the United States less than 30 per cent
of the 135 million cross-ties annually consumed are treated,
and the proper treatment of an annual consumption of 4
million poles may be said to have scarcely commenced.

Real progress in the United States dates from 1832, when
the Kyanizing process, using bichlorides of mercury, was
developed. In 1837 two other processes were introduced, the
Burnett process using zinc chloride, and the Bethel process
using coal tar creosote. These last processes are very largely
in use today.

The idea of timber preservation at first made very slow
growth in this country, on account of the large supply of
cheap and durable timbers and the general disregard shown
toward economy in the use of natural resources. In 1885
there were only three pressure plants in the United States;
and in 1895 only 15. Since then, however, the industry has
grown rapidly; in 1913 there were 117 plants.

29

Courtesy Great Northern R. R.
A Typical Resort.

Campers ! Attention !

THE dry, hot season is here. It is the time when
the fires in the forests are most easily started.
It is also the time when campers are out in the
greatest numbers.

Everyone in the forest has to make use of the camp
fires. By using care in the building of the fire and
in putting it out before leaving, the danger of set-
ting the forest on fire is done away with. By being
careless in the building of the fire or in leaving it
to go out by itself, the danger of burning thousands
of dollars worth of property, destroying the camping
grounds, and even taking human life, becomes im-
minent.

Sportsmen are quick to protect the game. Why
not protect the forests, the home of the game?

Someone has said that matches have heads but
they don't use 'em to think with. So they mustn't
be thrown carelessly about. The cigar and cigarette
stubs are in the same class. They have caused
many a disastrous fire.

Guard the forests, sportsmen. If you see a fire
that has started and you cannot put it out yourself,
don't rest until you have notified the nearest forest
ranger.

"Fores! Schools the Foundation of Forest Wealth.'

THE NORTH WOODS

Volume HI. AUGUST, 1914 Number 8

A Recorder and Promoter of the Forestry Movement in Minnesota.

OFFICIAL BULLETIN OF THE MINNESOTA FORESTRY ASSOCIATION
AND THE STATE FOREST SERVICE.

Published Monthly for members of the Minnesota Forestry Association

Annual Membership Fee $1.00. This includes membership in the Minnesota

Horticultural Society, entitling every such member to all privileges of

that organization as well as the Forestry Association. Remittance

should be made payable to PHIL H. HANSON. Treas..

care State Forester's Office. State Capitol.

St. Paul. Minn.

Entered as Second Class Matter, September 14, 1912, at the Post Office at St.
Paul, Minnesota, under the Act of August 21, 1912.

CONTENTS

The Harvest ........ 3

Remember No. 9 6

Forestry in the United States .... 8

Woodnotes — a poem . . . . . .14

Minneopa Park — a real playground . . . 16

The House of Trees — a poem . . . .20

The Harvest— a Time to Think .... 22

Tapestry Trees — a poem ... . . 27

Lumber Industry Investigatipn . 28

Whence the Scenic Attractions of Minnesota . 32

$

The

Harvest

s

THE harvest! Artists, poets, historians and orators have
all glorified the harvests of the grain fields till the mere
mention of a harvest turns the thoughts of all to those
now immortal scenes. And yet those same grain crops which
make up this famous harvest are a comparatively recent in-
vention in the history of the human race, and the harvest of
the forest, now almost forgotten, was for centuries all suffi-
cient to man.

The owner of the wigwam knew nothing of the crops we
prize so highly. He toiled not, neither did he spin as our
farmers do, and yet he reaped a harvest more bounteous for
is needs than the ones the farmers reap today. Food, cloth-
j, warmth and shelter were all furnished him, for they were
for the taking. It was the harvest of the forest. He
inted and fished, and plucked his needs wherever he found
jm provided for him. What was the work of his life now
ikes up the 'play of ours. We hunt and fish for amusement,
did the same to live. Speak of the forests today to the
man of the cities and his thoughts instantly turn to the possi-
bilities of camping and hunting in those mysterious wilds.
The forests have become the play ground of the city people.
But we are likely to be deceived by these impressions. For
the harvest of the forest has by no means degenerated en-
tirely into a mere source of amusement. To a certain class,
to be sure, it represents a play ground, but to a much larger
class than we usually realize it still supplies the majority of
their needs. How many people there are, white men as well
as Indians, who depend on the deer, rabbits, and partridges
for their meat supply. We little know till we have visited the
forest dweller in winter, what that harvest is. How many
tons of fish are taken each year from the forest lakes and
streams? The express companies and commission men could
tell us marvelous tales of that. Many a lady pulls her warm
furs about her shoulders in winter and many a husband pays

the fabulous prices for them without ever thinking how they
were obtained. They have never even dreamed of the lonely
trappers threading their monotonous way from trap to trap in
the silent forest through the long winter months reaping the
harvest of furs.

Again think of the millions of quarts of blueberries shipped
from the forests to the cities, and for each quart shipped there
are two used for home consumption. Not a blueberry in the
country is raised in a cultivated garden. The other wild fruit
does not ship so well but the strawberries, raspberries, black-
berries, pincherries and service berries are the sole delicacies
both fresh and canned in the homes of thousands of settlers.

The forests also produce a harvest of maple sugar and maple
syrup worth several million dollars and the stupendous value
of all the by-products of the trees has never been compiled.

Nor must we forget what is commercially the most valuable
of all, the harvest of timber. Thousands of men have made
their fortunes out of it in the past, hundreds of thousands
are making a living out of it now, and as many more will con-
tinue to make their living cut of it till the end of time if we
treat our forests right. Our very civilization depends upon it.

So we must not overlook this wonderful harvest of the for-
est^-for it means much to the nation. Lumber, furs, game,
fish, berries, the thousands of open handed vacationists; the
returns from all these can be counted in millions of dollars,
in numbers not incomparable with the value of our much
vaunted grain harvests — certainly second to nothing else. Yet,
over and above it all is the far greater value, the hundreds of
thousands of people drawn for a while to the simple, natural
life by the lure of the forest; a value which must be counted
not in dollars, but in terms of the red corpuscles in the blood
of a greater, a more healthy, and a more progressive nation.

Tree planting on national forests has to be confined to com-
paratively short intervals in spring and fall. In spring it starts
when the snoiv melts and stops with the drying out of the
ground; in the fall it conies between the fall rains and first
snowfall.

4

s

Remember No.

9

$

THE Association is making preparations to conduct an
extensive campaign in behalf of No. 9, the State Forests
amendment. Amendments are as a rule exceedingly
diffiuclt to pass and this year the task will be greater than
eve,r. As there are eleven amendments on the ballot in addi-
tion to the many other tickets which will be presented, it will
be only too easy to overlook the amendments. Two Forestry
measures will be submitted to the consideration of the voter,
both of which are important.

No. 8 is a provision to establish tree bounties in order to en-
courage the raising of trees. No. 9 provides for the establish-
ment of State Forests on those State lands which are unfit
for farming. Both amendments are very important and both
of them should be passed, but in consideration of the fact that
it is very difficult to conduct a campaign for two amendments
and be successful in both, it was thought advisable to center
all efforts on one and one only, with the hope that the other
one will be carried also, owing to the publicity given to the
most important one. At the convention last spring it was de-
cided that No. 9 was by far the more important and the Asso-
ciation is therefore preparing a thorough campaign in order
to make this measure a reality.

The adoption of No. 9, the State Forests Amendment, will be
of untold benefit to the State. It will not only provide us with
a aeflnite forest policy, but it will also put Minnesota in the
lead of any State in the Union pertaining to matters of fores-
try. Minnesota is leading her sister states in many other
ways, why should she not also be the leader in forestry.

The Mistake of Our Gr.andsires.

Briefly the conditions which have brought the need for an
amendment like No. 9 are these: When our forefathers, in
1858, planned for our welfare, they thought all the lands in
Minnesota could be farmed, and so provided that all State lands
should be sold. But, as our great pineries were stripped off,

6

large areas were revealed that were too rocky to be tilled.
Cut and burned over, these areas are now barren wastes, bring-
ing no revenue and paying no taxes. They are entirely un-
productive, a burden to the community and a bad advertise-
ment for the State. Millions of dollars have been lost by this
mistaken method.

Shall We Correct the Mistake?

Under the old policy those state lands which are unfit for
farming will revert to baren wastes, after having been cut
over. The issue confronting us now is this: Shall we follow
the old policy, which we know to be partly wrong, or shall we
adopt a better method of handling our state lands?

The last legislature saw the mistake of past years and
proposed a new policy, No. 9, the State Forests Amendment,
which will be submitted to the approval of the people, Novem-
ber 3rd. This amendment provides that all those state lands
which are unfit for tillage shall not be sold but be used as
state forests.

This new policy of state forests has been followed out for
generations in Germany, Sweden and Norway. It not only
provides the country with permanent forests, but it uses land
which would otherwise be barren and unproductive. By re-
foresting such areas, the European state torests produce an
annual and perpetual net profit of from two to fifteen dollars
per acre.

New York and Pennsylvania have adopted a similar policy,
not because they wanted to but because they had to. Penn-
sylvania was forced to take immediate action owing to the fact
that the watersheds of the Ohio river were so deforested that
the floods caused by that river alone amounted to damages of
over one million dollars annually.

Our forests are going fast. Now is the time to act.

The association appreciating the importance of this amend-
ment is bending all its efforts towards bringing No. 9 to the at-
tention of each citizen of Minnesota. A full description of what
has been done and what is to follow in this campaign will be
related in our next months issue. In the meantime, every
member should appoint himself a committee of one and boost
for No. 9 — It stands for good business.

$

Forestry in the United States

By Dr. Henry Sturgis Drinker

President of Lehigh Univ. and President of Amer. Forestry Assn.

s

(A portion of an address delivered at the first annual meeting of the New York
State Forestry Association. Although Dr. Drinker does uot mention it, the
Minnesota Forestry Association antedates both the American Forestry Asso-
ciation and the Pennsylvania Association. The association in this state
was organized first in 1876.)

THE Forestry movement in the United States, originat-
ing with the early work of Dr. J. T. Rothrock in Penn-
sylvania and of Dr. B. E. Fernow in New York and else-
where as pioneers, has grown and spread to the dimensions
of a great national work. The earliest organizations for its
study and support were the American Forestry Association
and the Pennsylvania Forestry Association. There was also
an early Colorado Association. The Pennsylvania Association
started in 1886, has, continually since that date, published and
circulated its magazine, Forest Leaves. The exact date of
organization of the American Forestry Association is involved
in some uncertainty, but it appears to somewhat antedate the
Pennsylvania Association, and it has now a large and nation-
wide roll of members and through its meetings, publications
and its magazine, American Forestry, is doing good work for
the cause.

The above initial movements have so spread that the For-
estry organizations and the various Forestry associations in
the United States today cover —
33 States having Forestry departments.

17 States having Conservation Commissions and similar or-
ganizations.

2 National Conservation organizations.
2 National Forestry organizations.
23 State and local Forestry organizations.
42 Conservation, timber protective and allied associations.

And there are in operation:

23 Schools with courses leading to a degree in Forestry.
11 Schools with courses covering one or more years in For-
estry.
42 Schools with short courses in Forestry.

This is the machinery now in existence and rapidly enlarg-
ing, for the study and care of our forest interests. Now, what
in fact, do those interests comprise, succinctly stated.

The forests of the United States at this date, 1914, cover
850,000,000 acres, National, State and private, divided as fol-
lows:

295,000,000 acres corporations and individuals.
140,000,000 acres National forests.
100,000,000 acres farm wood lots.
10,000,00 acres Indian Reservations.

3,246,000 acres State forests.

2,000,000 acres National parks.

The lumber industry ranks first in number of wage-earners
and third in value of products in our country. According to
the census of 1909, the latest actual figures available, the
number of wage-earners is 734,989. The value of forest prod-

ts in that year is given as $1,156,129,000. The forest service
imates the present value as approximating $1,250,000,000.
he money paid out for salaries and wages was in 1909,

66,167,000, of which $47,428,000 was for salaries and $318,-
39,000 for wages.

Surely, interests so large are worth caring for. What are

e doing to preserve and foster them?

It was first said by, I think, Gifford Pinchot, that the two
at enemies of forestry, of our woodland growth, are forest
fires and unwise taxation. The country has measurably been
awakened to the fire danger; the United States Forest serv-
ice notably has done and is doing immensely good and val-
uable work in this direction and not less than twenty-nine
States make annual appropriations for forestry (including
fire protection) — ranging in some few states from small
amounts, up to $164,500 in New York last year, and $328,000
in Pennsylvania, the total amount in all states so appropriat-
ing being $1,340,000.

The various Forestry and Fire Protective Associations are
unceasingly active in fire protection work, led by the exam-
ticn, which embraces the States of Washington, Idaho, Mont-
ana, California and Oregon. This association set the example
of printing and distributing among the school children of

9

those States, circulars containing succinct expressive lessons
on the fire danger, luridly illustrated with pitcures of forest
fires and this example was followed in Pennsylvania in 1912
by the issuance and distribution among the 1,000,000 or more
public school, and parochial school children of the state of a
fire circular prepared and published jointly by the Pennsyl-
vania Forestry Association, the Pennsylvania Conservation
Association, the Philadelphia Commercial Museum and Lehigh
University. This circular has been copied and issued in
Massachusetts by the Massachusetts Forestry Association and
distributed among the 450,000 public school children of that
state, and also in North Carolina by the North Carolina For-
estry Association and such issue is contemplated in other
states — the importance of impressing on school children
throughout the country the danger and the useless and great
loss resulting from woodland fires being widely felt. A
burned building can be comparatively soon rebuilt, but it
requires a great many years to grow a forest. When- fire runs
through the woods practically all the young trees are killed
and most of the olders ones are greatly injured or destroyed
and so also are all the live seeds and nuts on and in the
ground, all the laurel .and berry plants, and the humus or
mould soil which holds the stored water from the rainfall and
from which our springs, creeks and rivers are kept flowing
through the summer and in^times of drought.

These views are trite and well known to foresters, but we
are meeting here to talk to and confer with the public, with
many men and women who feel interested in the forestry
question and are seeking elementary information — and to them
it is well to say — in regard also to the other important ques-
tion, Unwise Taxation — remember that a farmer growing
grain may annually harvest and sell his crop and have where-
with to pay his taxes, but the timber grower raises a crop
that does not mature for 30 or 40 or 50 years, or more, and
the taxes should be adjusted so as to bear on the yield when
it comes with the cutting of the timber and not be assessed
and made payable annually, for the owner will cut and sell
his timber to avoid the annual tax on a crop giving no annual
return.

10

Legislation of this nature is now on the statute books of
New York, Pennsylvania, Louisiana and Connecticut and is in
contemplation in other states. Massachusetts and Ohio have
recently adopted constitutional amendments permitting such
legislation. Other states are moving in that direction and its
importance is becoming generally appreciated.

Whether timber growing will be undertaken on any large
scale by private owners in this country, even under the most
favorable conditions of fire-protection, taxation and location
is problematical. The work is apparently one mainly for the
national and state governments though much can be done by
the private citizen who bears in mind the Scottish Laird's in-
junction in the "Heart of Mid-Lothian," when on his deathbed
he enjoined tree planting on his son, saying, "Jock, when ye
hae naething else to do, ye may be aye sticking in a tree; it
will be growing, Jock, when ye're sleepin'."

Walter Scott in a footnote says of this, "The author has
been flattered by the assurance that this naive mode of rec-
ommending arboriculture (which was actually delivered in
these very words by a Highland Laird while on his deathbed,
to his son) had so much weight with a Scottish earl, as to
d to his planting a large tract of country."

Finally turning to what has actually been done so far in our
ational and state forest reserves, we find that the national
government has, under the provisions of acts of Congress
enacted in 1891 and 1896, set aside for national forestry reserves
in some twenty states, areas comprising in all about 140,000,-
000 acres (not counting lands located within the boundaries
of the national reserves, but which have been alienated) in
addition to which there are nearly 27,000,000 acres in Alaska,
and about 66,000 acres in Porto Rico — 167,066,000 acres of
government reserves; if we reckon with this the land located
within the boundaries of the national forests, approximately
23,000,000 acres, which have been alienated, we have about
190,000,000 acres in all. These reserves are admirably man-
aged by the United States forest service, organized in the
department of agriculture, and under the charge of Henry S.
Graves, United States Forester.

Fourteen states have set aside areas ranging from 1,950

11

acres in one state to 231,350 in Michigan, 400,000 in Wiscon-
sin, 983,529 in Pennsylvania, and 1,644,088 in New York, as
state forests, the total areas so set aside in all states being
3,426,832 acres, and these states in their forestry or conserva-
tion departments are studying and promoting the best utili-
zation of these lands for the public needs and in this work we
cannot too heedfully remember the wise words of Dr. C. W.
Hayes, who, when Chief Geologist of the U. S. Geological
Survey, well epitomized the work of conservation by char-
acterizing it as "Utilization with a maximum efficiency and
a minimum waste."

That is the lesson of all conservation and of forestry as one
of its branches — to so conserve and handle our natural re-
sources that our people shall have their benefit and use, and
that they shall not be locked up for the possible needs of
future generations to the exclusion of the needs of the men
of today.

CANADIAN FORESTRY CONVENTION, SEPTEMBER 1 TO
4, 1914, POSTPONED INDEFINITELY.

Owing to the war the President and Directors of the Cana-
dian Forestry Association have, after the most careful consid-
eration, decided to cancel the arrangements for the Forestry
Convention which was to be held in Halifax, September 1 to 4,
1914, and to postpone the Convention indefinitely. Whatever
it is decided to do in the future, due notice will be given there-
of to the members and all others concerned.

Attention is particularly directed to the fact that all railway
arrangements as published have been cancelled, and that any-
one going to Halifax within the stated dates will have to pay
full fare back to starting point. All persons receiving this
notice are requested to make it known to any others who they
know were preparing to go to Halifax.

WILLIAM POWER, JAMES LAWLER, Secretary,

President. Journal Building, Ottawa, Canada.

12

Vacation day joys.

s

Woodnotes

i

When the pine tosses its cones

To the song of its waterfall tones,
Who speeds to the woodland walks?

To birds and trees who talks?
Caesar of his leafy Rome,

Where the poet is at home.
He goes to the riverside —

Not hook nor line hath he;
He stands in the meadows wide, —

Nor gun nor scythe to see.
Sure some god his eye enchants:

What he knows nobody wants.
In the wood he travels glad,

Without better fortune had,
Melancholy without bad.

Knowledge this man prizes best
Seems fantastic to the rest:

Pondering shadows, colors, clouds,
Grass-buds and caterpillar-shrouds,

Boughs on which the wild bees settle,
Tints that spot the violet's petal,

Why Nature loves the number five,
And why the star-form she repeats:

Lover of all things alive,
Wonderer at all he meets,

Wonderer chiefly at himself,
Who can tell him what he is?

Or how meet in human elf
Coming and past eternities?

— Ralph Waldo Emerson.

U

1

r '' * 1 *

.,; JMinneopa Park — A Real
Playground

$

MINNEOPA PARK, Blue Earth county, has had a new
feature added to its many attractions in the form of a
pavilion which has just been opened to the public.
Minneopa is one of the more recent wonder spots to be added
to Minnesota's list of state parks, and although not yet so
well known as some of the ethers it has been an attraction
for increasing numbers of sightseers and nature lovers each
year since being made state property. For picnickers and
vacation parties of Southern Minnesota it has become one of
the most popular resorts.

But heretofore visitors have found more or less of an offset
to its beauty in the absence of shelter in case of sudden
changes of weather. The new pavilion, a part of the state's
plan for improving the park, remedies this defect. It is de-
signed both as a shelter from sudden storms and as a conven-
ient place for spreading picnic tables where the sunshine is
found too strong for outdoor meals.

Attractions at Minneopa.

The chief attraction of Minneopa park are its falls, pro-
nounced by those qualified to judge as close rivals in beauty
of the famed Minnehaha. There are two descents, the main
falls of more than 60 feet, and a smaller but wider one, 200
feet farther up the stream. Apparently in earlier times these
were one fall. In the memory of persons still living the up-
per falls in early days was only about half the present dis-
tance from the lower fall. The process of wearing back the
soft sandstone is going on now and can be seen in the- crum-
bling of the rock on the walls and floor of the stream.

The falls are in Minneopa creek, the outlet of Lilly and
Crystal lakes. The stream is about eight miles long, and
flows into the Minnesota river a mile or two above the mouth
of the Blue Earth river. Beneath the falls is a glen more

16

than 200 feet deep through which the stream winds on toward
the Minnesota river. Here there are abrupt descents vary-
ing from 65 to 250 feet, which in some places can be climbed
with difficulty but in others are perpendicular and sometimes
even slope backward. At such places the state has protected
the sightseers by building iron fences. There also are stair-
ways by which these walls may be scaled. Rustic bridgs of
logs at frequent intervals and a small footbridge scaling the
rocks between the two falls have been built to make sight-
seeing easy.

Rocks Are Picturesque.

Other natural attractions are rocks of picturesque and rare
formation, and a heavy growth of timber of many varieties on
side hills and on the picnic grounds. These include oak,
laple, basswood, butternut, elm, mackberry, hickory, birch,
>plar and even a few cedars.

There are as yet no bears, monkeys or the like for little
>lk to feed, but natural residents in the person of red and
ty squirrels are numerous and tame enough to take care of
11 little dainties that visitors may have to dispense. In fact,
icy are so bold that picnic baskets will be raided if the own-
•s are not watchful. Other attractions for young folks are
swings, horseshoes and the like. There are tying posts and
feed boxes for teams and a shady stretch set aside for park-
ing carriages and automobiles.

The legislature in 1905 passed the bill creating Minneopa
irk and appropriated $5,000 to buy ground surrounding the
falls and stream. In October, 1905, Governor Johnson, with
the state auditor and attorney general, met with Thomas
Hughes of Mankato and other representatives of the Mankato
Board of Trade and made an inspection tour of the proposed
park and arranged the purchase of 35 acres surrounding the
falls. A few months later enough more ground was bought
to make the total area of the park 70 acres. Because of lim-
ited funds, however, improvements of the park came slowly.

17

Indians Named Park.

The Dakota Indians provided the name for the park. They
call it "Minninniopa," or "The Water of Two Falls," "Minne"
in the Sioux signifying "water;" "inni" meaning "falls," and
"opa" being their word for "two." The stream was called by
white men, however, "Lyons creek," previous to being taken
over by the state. The Omaha railroad shortened the Indian
name to "Minneopa" when it built* a station close to the park.

Soon after the park was made state property it was put
in charge of W. R. Williams, an old resident, and he con-
tinued superintendent until his death on December 24, 1913.
Following his burial in a cemetery at the side of the park,
his son, C. R. Williams, was made superintendent of the park.
It was under his supervision that the new pavilion and other
improvements were installed.

Minneopa is one of the most easily accessible of the state's
parks, a railway station of the Omaha line being but a stone's
throw from the falls. The village of South Bend is near at
hand, and Mankato is but five miles away, whence travelers
from any direction may easily reach the park.

In 26 states there are state foresters who co-operate with pri-
vate timberland oivners in solving forest problems.

Thirty different wood preservatives are in commercial use in
the United States; many of them utilize creosote of one sort or
another; others require chemical salts.

The total amount of land purchased in the Eastern states for
federal forests is nearly 800,000 acres. So far the principal work
on these areas has involved their protection against forest fires.

A thoroughly up-to-date sawmill with a capacity .. of 60,000
board feet a day has been erected, on the south coast of Mindanao
Island. It is of American make throughout, and uses the modern
bandsaw. This is only one of several such mills in the Philip-
pines.

18

The House of the Trees

Ope your doors and take me in,

Spirit of the wood,
Wash me clean of dust and din,

Clothe me in your mood.

Take me from the noisy light

To the sunless peace,
Where at midday standeth Night

Signing Toil's release.

All your dusky twilight stores

To my senses g-ive;
Take me in and lock the doors,

Show me how to live.

Lift your leafy roof for me,

Part your yielding walls;
Let me wander lingeringly

Through your scented halls.

Ope your doors and take me in,

Spirit of the wood;
Take me — make me next of kin

To your leafy brood.

— Ethelwyn Wetherald.

20

Minnesota still has wild animals — another "harvest."

I ^

«-t

\/ 1 :*: : i

,ct

l' \ v «-'

1 1 «• .

*"«. . l • « - *

1

The Harvest— A Time to Think

I

THE harvest of grain is on. The time for the bringing in
of the sheaves is here and the farmers of Minnesota are
reaping. Reports from over the state indicate that the
harvest is a bountiful one and that once more those who live
on the farms have much to be thankful for.

In the southern, western and northwestern portions of the
state men of the fields are gathering the crops. In every sec-
tion there are some who are gathering more bushels of grain
to the acre than their neighbors. In every county there are
those who seem to be more blessed than others. Some there
are who seem never to come up to the mark set by their more
fortunate neighbors.

As the days go on and the grain is all threshed and sold,
these less fortunate farmers may well wonder why their fields
do not bring them as much grain as do those of their neigh-
bors. And they may well study all of the conditions sur-
rounding the raising of grain on their neighbors' farms. The
chances are that they used the same seed, these fortunate
and less fortunate tillers of the soil. It is likely that the
ground was plowed as well in both instances. The same rains
fell upon the fields and the same sun shone upon them.

The Same Winds.

The same winds blew over the fields, perhaps. But did
they? The less fortunate farmer may well ask himself that
question. Did the same winds, the hot, blistering winds, get
as good a sweep over the fields of the more fortunate farmer?
This question may well trouble the man who is dissatisfied
with his yield.

The past summer saw many hot winds from the south.
These winds were enough at times to wither the grain as it
stood. In some cases they did that very thing. But why
should some fields apparently escape the destruction of those
winds from the south?

22

A look about the farms of the two classes of farmers will
soon divulge the reason. The man whose yield was large is
contented as he looks at the groves of trees, God-given and
man-planted, that protect his fields. The man whose yield
was smaller will notice the absence of these protectors on his
farm.

The drying winds did not do as much damage this past year
as they have done in former years. This was due mainly to
the vast amount of moisture that fell during the early sum-
mer. But they did do much damage just the same. In some
sections the experiences of 1910 and 1911 were repeated.

In certain sections of Minnesota fields were withered in 'a
day in 1911. Only those farmers who had had the foresight
to plant trees saved their crops. It was an expensive object
lesson.

A Time to Think.

So it is well at this time of the harvest for the farmer to
consider the value of woodlots.

Percy C. Records, in Bulletin No. 1, issued by the Minne-
sota State Forest Service, sums up the advantages of the
planting of woodlots as follows:

"Human comfort and 'looks' will always be motives of prime
importance in actuating the establishment of farm groves, but
the true value of a woodlot, or woodlots, to a farm can only
be appreciated when these are considered in connection with
additional factors of advantage. A list of the more important
follows :

1. Personal comfort — protection from storms.

2. Winter protection of stock in barnyards.

3. Shade for stock in summer.

4. Orchard wind-breaks.

5. Purification of water supply.

6. Protection of field crops from drying winds.

7. Wood products value.

8. Aesthetic value.

9. Attraction of insect-eating birds.
10. Protection from noxious weeds.

23

11. Profitable utilization of spots of poor soil.

12. Sale value of the farm.

"All the foregoing advantages may be had from a grove
set out with the initial idea of a wind-break about the build-
ings. All save the first two will accrue in some degree from
woods elsewhere on the farm if the location be chosen with
care. The sale value of a farm will be increased in propor-
tion to the degree in which the other advantages are present."

Much Has Been Done.

Much has been written on the value of planting woodlots.
Farmers of Minnesota will do well to study carefully the
entire proposition. They will then see the absolute necessity
of planting trees. Much has been done in Minnesota along
this very line. Much more can be done and will be done.

The national forest service is responsible for the following
"Tree Planters' Decalogue." It condenses the best of advice
for the farmers of the state who are now wondering how
they could have increased the yield on their farms.

The Decalogue.

I. Place the wind-break at right angles to the direction of
injurious prevailing winds.

II. Devote from one-eighth to one-fifth of the farm to tim-
ber. Its protective value more than pays for the ground it
occupies, to say nothing of the timber yield.

III. Plant only species suited to wind-break use, to the re-
gion and to the locality.

IV. Plant rapid growers for quick results; but underplant
with slower growing species, which are usually longer-lived
and more valuable.

V. Supplement a deciduous wind-break with evergreens to
afford protection in winter.

VI. Separate trees by the spacing proper to the species
used. The trees should be close enough to produce a dense
wind-break and to yield good poles, but should not be so
crowded as to produce spindling growth.

24

VII. Make the wind-break thick from the- boctoju- up, espe-
cially on the side toward the wind. This may be done by
using species which branch near the ground, by planting out-
side rows of low-growing trees, by encouraging reproduction,
and by underplanting.

VIII. Cultivate the plantation thoroughly while it is young.

IX. Do not allow excessive grazing where reproduction is
desired.

X. Do not thin your woodlot too heavily or take out the
best trees for minor uses. Remember that a timber tract
should be improved by use and that each clearing should
leave it in better condition than before.

THE WOODS OF WESTERMAIN

Enter these enchanted woods,

You who dare.

Nothing harms beneath the leaves
More than waves a swimmer cleaves.
Toss your heart up with the lark,
Foot at peace with mouse and worm,

Fair you fare.
Only at a dread of dark
Quaver, and they quit their form:
Thousand eyeballs under hoods

Have you by the hair.
Enter these enchanted woods,

You who dare.

— George Meredith.

25

A fire break.

I

Tapestry

Trees

*

OAK. I am the Roof-tree and the Keel:
I bridge the seas for woe and weal.

FIR. High o'er the lordly oak I stand,
And drive him on from land to land.

ASH. I heft my brother's iron bane;
I shaft the spear and build the wain.

YEW. Dark down the windy dale I grow,
The father of the fateful Bow.

IPLAR. The war shaft and the milking-bowl
I make, and keep the hay-wain whole.

(LIVE. The King I bless; the lamps I trim;
In my warm wave do fishes swim.

LPPLE TREE. I bowed my head to Adam's will;
The cups of toiling men I fill.^

VINE. 1 draw the blood from out the earth;
I store the sun for winter mirth.

ORANGE TREE. Amidst the greenness of my night
My odorous lamps hang round and bright.

FIG TREE. I who am little among trees
In honey-making mate the bees.

MULBERRY TREE. Love's lack hath dyed my berries red:
For Love's attire my leaves are shed.

PEAR TREE. High o'er the mead-flowers' hidden feet
I bear aloft my burden sweet.

BAY. Look on my leafy boughs, the Crown
Of living song and dead renown!

— Witfi'am Morris.

27

$

Lumber Industry Investigation to
be Along New Lines

$

THE plans now being perfected for the forest service part
of the inquiry to be made jointly by the departments of
commerce and agriculture into timber and lumber-trade
conditions in the United States provide for covering entirely
new ground.

Lumbermen are now admittedly conducting their operations
with a large percentage of waste, said to be largely due to
market conditions which make close utilization unprofitable.
There is no general agreement as to the actual causes of ex-
isting conditions and the responsibility for present undoubted
evils. With rapidly diminishing supplies of timber to draw
upon, wasteful lumbering has come to be recognized as a
matter of serious public concern and an inquiry to discover
the causes and seek for possible remedies is regarded by
forest service officials as an urgent need. It is believed that
the lumber industry itself recognizes the need and will wel-
come an inquiry conducted along constructive lines.

Private capital invested in timberlands, mills, logging rail-
roads, and other forms of equipment reach an enormous ag-
gregate and the lumber industry, which employs 739,000 per-
sons and has an annual output valued at one and one-sixth
billion dollars, is the third largest in the country. In seek-
ing to realize conditions which will safeguard the public
against wasteful methods of timber exploitation, possible tim-
ber monopoly, and other objectionable practices while insur-
ing healthy conditions and fair treatment for the lumber
trade, an understanding of the basic facts is indispensable.
These facts, however, have never been ascertained in their
entirety. It is the purpose of the forest service to obtain and
interpret them impartially in co-operation with the other bu-
reaus assigned to the study.

Lumbermen complain that the carrying charges created by
interest on long-term investments, taxes, and cost of fire pro-
tection where such protection is given compel them to oper-
ate even where lumber prices will not repay them the costs

29

involved. The necessity -of operating under these conditions
is advanced as the principal cause of waste since the market
is most easily glutted with lumber of the poorer grades,
which must then be left unmanufactured. On the other hand,
the public complains that the cost of lumber is so high. Over-
competition may result in destruction of timber resources
with no commensurate advantage to the consumer but with
the certainty of unnecessarily high prices later. Yet restric-
tion of competition on the part of lumbermen with a view to
greater profits for themselves through higher prices is both
contrary to law and highly objectionable from the standpoint
of public policy. Thus a highly complex situation exists. Any
attempt to adjust the present conflict of interests on a basis
fair both to the public and to the lumber industry demands
full knowledge of all the facts.

Lines of inquiry provided for by the plans of the forest
service include the present lumber output and demand, the
conditions known to the trade as over-production, the effects
upon production and market prices of speculation in timber
and of carrying charges, producing and distributing costs in-
cluding freight and the charges levied upon the product by
wholesalers and retailers, and the -amount of waste under
present methods of exploitation. Special attention will be
given to means of utilizing low grades of lumber and by-
products.

It is recognized that the national forests are becoming an
increasingly important factor in the timber market through
the offerings of government stumpage, and this aspect of the
situation will receive careful analysis. The question of fu-
ture supplies and the need for the general practice of forestry
to provide them is another important part of the field to be
covered.

From the cutset the data gathered by the bureau of do-
mestic and foreign commerce of the department of commerce
will be correlated with those in possession of the forest serv-
ice and the bureau of corporations, to the end that a complete
and exhaustive study may be assured. Importations of timber
products from foreign countries and the possible extension
of foreign markets for our own timber are recognized as fac-
tors which must be thoroughly considered.

30

The harvest gathered— some of the timber crop.

1

Whence the Scenic Attractions
of Minnesota

s

TO the steadily-increasing number of visitors who are
learning how delightful are summer homes amid the
forests and lakes of Minnesota, or what ministries these
afford to the excursionist with canoe and rod or camera, there
conies a frequent questioning as to the origin of all these
scenic attractions.

As best they might, the geologist, geographer and hydro-
grapher have endeavored to picture the vast processes out of
which the Minnesota landscapes of today were evolved. They
tell us of the earthquake and the volcano; of the titanic plow-
ing by the glaciers; of the harrowing and rolling by the
floods; and of the tilting of broad plains, which once had the
smooth level of lake or seashore, until their slopes today
descend a thousand feet or more — now to the north, like the
Red River Valley, now to the south, like the margin of pre-
historic Lake Agassiz, from the Lake of the Woods to the
Minnesota river, whence another reversal carries the gen-
eral downward slope northward and eastward to Lake Supe-
rior. All these forces, they tell us, now acting in uniscn, now
contending with one another, have combined to give to Min-
nesota's landscapes such a mingling of land and water sur-
faces, at all sorts of altitudes between the extremes of 600
and 2,230 feet above the level of the sea, as awakes the won-
der while it kindles the delight of the nature-lover.

Once a mountainous country, the subsidence of the heights
has been such that the maps no longer show any mountains
in Minnesota. But many regions in other states, whereon the
map-makers have sprinkled mountain ranges in generous pro-
fusion, presents to the summer visitor an appearance dif-
fering little from that of Minnesota's wooded highlands. The
obvious reason is that in the so-called ''mountain" states, the
long, easy slopes he has ascended, from plains and footland,
detract so much from the measured height above sea-level,
that the effect of superior elevation is lost to the eye.

32

But when due homage has been rendered to the formative
forces which have thus shaped the contours of our hills, val-
leys and plains, and to the adorning loveliness of our ten
thousand lakes, it yet remains that, but for the finishing
touch of the forests, Minnesota would lack much of its pres-
ent attractiveness for the summer visitor. These are -its
crowning glory. And here, alas! must allowance be made for
the one blemish which repels, and which the sensitive Min-
nesotan conceals, whenever possible, from said visitor — the
bare, black unloveliness of "cut-over" rocky wastes. To abol-
ish that blemish — to cover up that unloveliness — is the aim
of state patriotism in urging the adoption of the state for-
estry amendment to be voted on next November.

Minnesota is the natural "home of the pine." Of this the
glorious pineries still existing — and which draw forth from
the visitor an admiration akin to worship — bear abundant
witness. And where the forest mcnarchs once stood, on those
desolate cut-over areas which are unfit for farming they can
be made to stand again. To cover those wastes with trees
again, and thus to heal those unsightly wounds in an other-
wise perfect landscape, — this is the mission of Minnesota's
forest service.

The so-called Scotch pine is the principal tree in the Prussian
forests. Its wood is much like that of the Western yellow pine
of the United States.

The bureau of entomology and the forest service, working to-
gether for the control of forest insects, last year covered more
than 160,000 acres in their operations.

Last year the forest service distributed 116,000 basket willow
cuttings; 15,000 to forest schools, 20,000 to agricultural experi-
ment stations, and 81,000 to individuals.

More than 800,000 horsepower has been developed from streams
on national forests under government regulation. This repre-
sents the output under conditions of low'est streamflow.

33

One of many water power sites in Mennesota.

•Forest Schools the Foundation of Forest Wealth.'

THE NORTH WOODS

Volume III. SEPTEMBER, 1914 Number 9

A Recorder and Promoter of the Forestry Movement in Minnesota.

OFFICIAL BULLETIN OF THE MINNESOTA FORESTRY ASSOCIATION
AND THE STATE FOREST SERVICE.

Published Monthly for members of the Minnesota Forestry Association

Annual Membership Fee $1.00. This includes membership in the Minnesota

Horticultural Society, entitling every such member to all privileges of

that organization as well as the Forestry Association. Remittance

should be made payable to PHIL H. HANSON. Treas..

care State Forester's Office, State Capitol,

St. Paul, Minn.

GEORGE AKERSON. Editor

Entered as Second Class Matter, September 14, 1912, at the Post Office at St
iul, Minnesota, under the Act of August 24, 1912.

lunters of the Future 3

ild Rice in Minnesota 7

ox Raising . . . . . . . . 11

Lmendment Number Nine 15

The Nomad's Faith — verse . . . . 19

Hunting Season Open . . . . . .21

Blueberries in Minnesota ..... 24

Minnesota as Lumber Producing State . . .27
Song of the Primitive— verse . . . . 31

s

The

Hunters

of

the

Future

$

E

BACK through the crowded centuries as far as the search-
ing light of an inquisitive history has ever been able
to illuminate the age-stained records of the human race
we find the thrilling stories of the mighty hunter. On the
weathered tablets of ancient Babylon, in the dusty rolls of
Egyptian papyrus, in the stirring epics and inspired legends
of the gifted Greeks, through the myriad years from the hazy
evidence of the paleslithic relics to the contemporary lives of
the present day savage, the fearless warrior and the mighty
hunter stand side by side, the unrivaled heroes of those count-
less struggling peoples. Indeed it was not till the irresistible
advance of science and the persistent, though interrupted
progress of civilization had led the majority of the favored
nations into new occupations far removed from the primeval
life that the successful hunter lost his great prestige. Even

day the biographer cannot refrain if furnished even the

imsiest excuse from adding to his eulogy, "and he was a
mighty hunter."

An ardent spirit bred into men through all these countless
centuries cannot be lightly cast aside. We've all seen dogs
trained through hundreds of years to domestic life revert to
the savage predatory animal after only a few days' freedom
in the lonely wilderness; we've seen the Indians taken for a
time from their careless, wandering life and trained to the
so-called comforts of the civilized man slide quickly and joy-
fully back to the lower level of his untamed tribe. It's the
seductive call of the luring wild from which we all have come
— some a short way, some a few steps more — and few indeed
are those unfortunates who never feel an answering thrill.

Rare are the men, no matter how far their culture has ad-
vanced nor how highly their sensibilities have been developed,
who, if the proper game be found do not feel the challenge
and rejoice in the chance to pit their cunning or their courage
against the instincts of the wild things of the forest, and, if

there is the right stuff in them, to abide by the results. It is
that vague, mystic challenge which calls forth thousands of
hunters every fall from the newer haunts of the civilized man
to the old, old life of the forests. It is but such a very little
while since we left them. Few would give you this explana-
tion. They ostensibily go for a "rest," for a "change," for th(
"game" they'll get; but it is the unseen, unheard challenge
the pride of race which really makes them go.

And who dare say that man is not more manly, stronger
cleaner, with a truer view of life for this brief contact wit
the free, untarnished life of the forest? Brave is the man wl
would question it and somewhat foolish with all.

The time that we in our wisdom have set aside for thi
little dab of the old-time strife has come around once more
The hunting season! Hundreds of thousands of men all ovc
the country are cleaning their guns, overhauling camp equi]
ment and selecting a hunting ground; more eager for the coi
test than the game they'll get; more anxious about a go(
camp ground than the things they'll kill. And in the loi
winter evening of afterlife it will be the memories of the
camp that will be a tonic to their sluggish blood and not th(
size of the bag.

Is it not true that, the camp's "the thing?" Then it is onl
proper that at this time we should consider the camps of the
future. Each fall the selection of a good camp ground
harder, especially in the big game section. Each winter soi
old hunting ground is cut over and the camping spoiled.
places are harder and harder to find because fires and lai
speculators prevent the formation of new forests. And it
only in preservation of old forests and to the establishment
new ones that there is any chance for the camper and bi<
game hunter.

How can this be brought about? Fortunately there is
very simple way. The ninth amendment to be voted on
the November election provides for the retention by the state
of state lands better suited to forests than to farming and tl
maintenance of those lands as state forests. That amendment
will mean at least 1,000,000 acres of permanent forests in
state; a million acres of camping and hunting grounds. It

the only chance. This deserves your careful study und ac
tention. Every camper and hunter in the state who wants
his son to enjoy the same privileges he has had should vote
for No. 9 and see that all his friends do the same.

China imports wood pulp from Great Britain, Sweden, Norway,
and Germany.

The gathering and selling of acorns is a new industry, 'in Ar-
kansas, to supply Eastern nursery firms zvith material for forest
planting.

The forest products laboratory at Madison, Wis., has wade
tests on the strength of American woods.

s

Wild

Rice

in

Minnesota

i

THERE is one bumper crop that has been harvested this
year that few of citizens of Minnesota are taking into
account. Men are giving thanks for bumper crops of
many small grains. Certain Chippewa Indians and others are
giving thanks for a bumper crop of wild rice.

A Bumper Crop.

Not for many years, has there been a crop of wild rice equal
to the one harvested this year. And there will be much of
it that cannot be harvested for the harvesters are few.
In Minnesota there are notable rice fields in the waters of
Bowstring including Bowstring lake and river. There are
y other important lakes such as Squaw and Big Rice
ere wild rice grows in abundance. On the Squaw and Big
Rice lakes thousands of acres in continuous rice fields are to
be found. Net lake and the rice fields of the Vermillion river
northwest of the Iron Range are also of great importance.

Big Fields in Minnesota.

Some of the largest wild rice fields on the American con-
tinent are to be found within the confines of the state of Min-
nesota. The wild rice region extends from Western Ontario
to Eastern Manitoba in Canada and south into central Min-
nesota. Mille Lacs is about the furthest south that wild rice
grows in any great quantity. Wild rice has been planted for
ducking preserves all over Europe, United States and Asia,
but the regions mentioned are the only natural wild rice
grounds.

Wild rice will only grow on certain kinds of lake bottom.
It grows up from the bottom of the lake and thrives best in
about eight feet of water. The stage of the water is one of
the most important considerations. This year the water has
been just right and the abundant crop is the result.

The Chippewa Indians for generations have depended upon
wild rice for their chief grain food. Ever since they came
into Minnesota and Western Ontario, the Chippewas have
been the chief harvesters of wild rice and blueberries.

The Harvesting of Rice.

With the onward march of civilization the farmers of th(
Northwest have constantly improved their methods for gatl
ering grain. The Chippewa Indian gathers his wild rice ii
exactly the same manner that was employed by his fore-
fathers. The Indian bends the stalks of wild rice over his
canoe and beats it, thus knocking the rice out. If the water
is too high the wild rice becomes difficult to collect, because the
stalks cannot be bent over the canoe. If the water is too low,
the Indians find it impossible to paddle their canoes into the
rice fields. Tons and tons of rice are gathered by the Indians
in this manner. They take it to the shore where it is placed
in kettles over a slow fire. It is heated and dried so that the
chaff comes off easily. After this drying process the Indians
winnow it in the wind — by tossing it into the air, the wind
takes away the chaff. Large quantities of rice are then stored
by burying in the sand. The Indians pick out places where the
sand is dry and is likely to remain so during the winter for
these caches.

The Wild Rice King.

It is but natural that one of the best known authorities on
wild rice should be found in Minnesota where so much of th(
rice grows. For 15 years, F. R. Vance, of Popple, Minnesot
has studied wild rice and wild celery.

This man was formerly a contractor. He lost his all am
went to his homestead to live. He started at once the stud]
of aquatic plants. His fame as an authority on the growii
of wild rice has spread and nearly every winter he is called
assist in planting rice fields on private estates, etc.

Five years sportsmen found that the wild rice beds on th<
east coast of the Gulf of Mexico were disappearing. In thei
dilemma they turned to F. R. Vance. They asked him to

8

'

certain the reason for the dying out of the wild vice.
made a careful study of the situation and came to the conclu-
sion that the carp was sucking the rice plants. As the carp
multiplied and lived on the rice plant, the rice died out and
the ducks refused to come. Vance decided that the elimina-
tion of the carp was the only remedy. He suggested the build-
ing of coffer dams around certain fields. Fishermen were then
sent in to take the carp out. The dams kept other carp from
getting to the rice plants. As a result the rice is growing
well once more and the sportsmen of that region are rejoicing
at their good fortune in having found Vance of Minnesota to
advise them.

Vance gathers tons and tons of wild rice during the season.
Some of it he sells for the use of restaurants. Some of it he
saves for seed and some of it he manufactures into flour in his
wn mill.

His Own "Reaper."

The "wild rice king" has patented a boat, driven by a stern
wheel, that harvests the rice. The scow is driven through
hallow water easily. He has large reels on either side.

ese reels knock the rice out. It falls on canvas conveyors

at dump it into the bottom of the boat. From one and a
half to two tons of rice are gathered a day by the use of this
scow.

Vance has a mill of his own where he grinds wild rice flour.
This flour is somewhat like buckwheat in that it has the same
consistency and is just about as gritty. The gems and pan-
cakes made from this flour are said to be fit only for kings.

Vance has well earned the title of "the wild rice king."

Fox Raising in Cook County

TIME was when milady's furs represented hardships on
the part of trappers who spent their time hunting for
and killing the fur bearing animals. All this has been
changed and the same furs now represent scientific labor on
on the part of former trappers. Instead of spending their en-
tire winters killing the fur bearing animals, the trappers are
new maintaining farms where they raise them.

There are several farms in Minnesota where wild animals
are raised for their fur. Several skunk farms are in opera-
tion. One of the most interesting of the farms where former
trappers are raising wild animals is the fox farm owned by
the Robertson brothers in Cook county.

Caught in Spring of Year.

The Robertson farm on Devil's Track Lake has so far
proven extremely profitable. A little more than a year ago
the Robertson brothers began the catching of live foxes by
digging them out from their winter quarters in the spring of
the year, after the young ones were born. From two to six
and in some cases as high as nine animals were taken out of
a den. In a number of cases there were one or more cross
foxes in a litter, and in two cases the trappers were lucky
enough to make a catch of the very valuable silver fox.

The pelt of the silver fox is worth $1,000, more or less de-
pending upon quality. The silver foxes caught by the Robert-
sons are not killed for their pelts, however, but are nursed
with great care in order that they may be kept for breeding
purposes.

Mr. Robertson has found that by selective breeding a larger
per cent of cross foxes is obtained than if they breed in the
wild state. A silver fox is finally produced through in breed-
ing several generations of cross foxes.

Last summer the Robertsons sold their entire spring catch

11

of young foxes to one firm for $7,500. This last spring they
' bought more than 100 foxes from other trappers. They paid
prices varying from $10 for the red fox to $200 for a good
cross fox.

The Robertsons have built enclosures for their catches.
One and one-half acres have been enclosed for the fox farm
proper. Before the foxes are full grown the various catches
are kept separated, but they are later allowed to go from
pen to pen through shutes made of boards right underneath
the partition fences.

Watch Kept From "Look Out."

In order to protect the valuable stock, one man sleeps in a
"lookout" that has been provided, from which the entire en-
closure is visible. It is only from this "lookout" that the
stranger is permitted to watch the animals feed. As soon as
the animal scents a stranger, they scurry to their boxes.
From the "lookout" the stranger can neither be seen nor
scented by the timorous creatures.

The "stock" of the farm is fed on a mush consisting of canned
milk, bread, corn meal and fish. The fish is purchased from the
fisherman at Lake Superior, and is herring for the most part.
All of the feed is cooked. Nothing is fed raw, not even fish,
which is roasted in suet.

Far from being morose over their incarceration, the ani-
mals soon become used to it and are as playful as kittens at
feeding time. They pay little attention to the one who is
feeding them, save to keep a careful watch over what he does
from a safe distance.

Didn't Like the Camera.

A number of pictures were recently taken at this wild ani-
mal farm, several of which are produced in this number of The
North Woods. Considerable trouble was experienced in get-
ting these pictures. The best time to get them is at feed-
ing time, or about six o'clock in the evening. At that time
the light from the lookout is not very good. Mr. Rob-
ertson took the camera with him into the pens every night

12

for a week before his young charges became ueed to it. 'Only
in rare instances was he able, even then, to snap pictures of
animals in the same enclosure in which he was standing.

The Robertsons have eight bears which they are raising.
They paid $20 each for young cubs. The bears, unlike the
foxes, are quick to get acquainted.

The Robertson place might well be taken by the passer-by
Tor a chicken farm. In all over eight tons of wire was used
in the enclosure. The wire is doubled. It is put three feet in
to the ground and is bent at right angles extending four feet
under the pen. The foxes cannot dig their way out through
the buried wire. The wire fence is ten feet high, and
is curved-in three feet on top. The animals often try to scale
the fence by jumping; the curve-in is to prevent their escape.

Minnesota is destined to have more farms similar to the
Robertson place on Devil's Track Lake.

The Meadow Lark

By Will C. Parsons

Almost deserted, Nature's choir, but one,
His breast aglow like summer's setting sun,
Pipes from a frozen clod in snow-patched field.
His notes flash out like rays from polished shield.
To cutting Norther's blade, he scorns to yield.
"Cheery 'o cheer,
Cheery every one!

Though he, eternal summer night command,
He stays behind: defies King Winter's hand;
And gladdens saddest heart with sweetest note
That ever burst from songster's silvery throat —
A benediction in his mottled coat!
"Cheery 'o cheer,
Cheery every one!

— From Outers Book.

to

Amendment Number Nine

A MENDMENT NUMBER NINE should be clear to every
j£~\ member of the Minnesota Forestry Association. The
entire situation with regard to the passage of this im-
portant amendment to the constitution should be well in mind.

Naturally, the friends of forestry will be the hardest work-
ers for the amendment this fall. With an active campaign
already starting for this amendment, it is well for every mem-
ber of the association to ask himself this question: "Do I
fully understand what this amendment will do? Can I answer
intelligently questions that may be asked of me?"

The time is at hand when every friend of forestry must
rally to the cause. Now the time has come when real, con-
structive work can be done. Study the subject of state for-
ests. Talk state forests and the advisability of using the
state's non-agricultural lands for the planting of trees.

A few points on Amendment No. 9 are presented herewith.
They will bear careful study and enlargement:

There are eleven amendments on the ballet this year, and
the state forests amendment is the ninth in the list; therefore,
it is called "No. 9." It provides that all those state lands
which are unfit for farming shall not be sold, but be retained
by the state as state forests, and be managed according to
the economic principles of forestry.

The state originally owned 8% million acres of land; 2l/2
million are left. Much of the best is gone, and of the remain-
ing 2y2 million acres thousands of acres are entirely unfit for
tillage.

If these thousands of acres are managed according to for-
estry principles, they will eventually provide steady employ-
ment for 10,000 men in the various branches of planting, log-
ging and milling.

If these non-agricultural lands are sold as the present laws
provide, they will bring perhaps $5,000,000 — provided they can
be sold.

15

Retained as state forests and managed according to forestry
principles, this area will produce a net annual revenue of at
least $2 per acre, or a total of $2,000,000 per year, to the state
as a permanent income.

The policy of reforestation and management of fores
lands has been followed out for centuries in Scandinavia, Ger-
many and other European countries. It has proven to be a
very profitable business. Forests are raised on those lands
which are entirely unfit for farming. These lands which
would otherwise be of no benefit whatever, are by this method
made to produce money.

Prussia with an area scarcely twice as large as Minnesota
and with a population of 60,000,000 people has six million
acres of state forests, and these six million acres produce
an annual net profit of $12,000,000. Some of these forests pay
up to $18.00 per year per acre net revenue.

The state forest of Zurich, in Switzerland, called the Sihl-
wald, has been under forestry management for six hundred
years, and the revenue for this forest has been for the past
hundred years $7.50 per acre.

A nation, in order to retain its economic equilibrium, must
have a certain area of forests. Our forests are going fast, and
it is necessary that we act before it is too late.

Permanent forests will furnish us with a permanent timber
supply, and we must have timber. Our civilization is built on
wood; it surrounds us in one form or another from the cradle
to the grave, and we cannot live without it.

Forests regulate stream-flow, give shelter and warmth, pro-
tect our crops from the destroying effects of hot, dry winds;
modify climate and prevent erosion. They are the home of
our game; and they serve as recreation grounds for thousands
of people.

The wooded portion of Minnesota as yet never suffered crop
failure. This is due, to a large extent, to the protection given
them by our forest shelter belts. Countries deforested suffer
from continued crop failure.

Forests are essential to the welfare of mankind— No. 9, the
state forests amendment, is the first step toward a policy

16

which will provide us with permanent forests. Ic will permit
of a classification, in the first place, to determine what lands
are fit for agricultural, and by elimination, what lands are not
so fitted. It is upon these latter, the non-agricultural lands,
upon which it is a vast economic mistake to permit settlement
by farmers, that a permanent forest policy for a permanent
timber supply will then be developed.

17

/' ^ 3 i-! s3\ i'-}'i

- J v 3J I ^ 4 •«,* . »

The Nomad's Faith

By Robert Page Lincoln

These are the pleasures of a faithful life,
And only these are lasting and sublime:

The courage to evade the common strife,

To watch in silence the slow ebb of Time.

To love a flower and a sunset sky,

And shadows that enwrap a quiet land;

The song of birds and the soft murmuring sigh
Of winds that tune the leaves on every hand.

To breathe the nectar of the pure woods air,
To hear the music of the silvered brook;

To wander onward without cry or care —

Heaven on earth — and God in every nook.

To lie outstretched among the grasses cool
And wait the fruit to ripen and to fall;
To flee the rut and the work-ridden fool,

Who hears but one and answers but one call!

These are the pleasures of a tender lease,
And these alone reward in happiness,

Who strays along the mocn-lit shores of Peace

Hemmed in by Hope and sweet Forgetfulness.

He then will wipe from Life's besmutted glass
The taint of passion and the dims of age,

While there will by him soft and silent pass

Some shapes of goodness every night and day.

From Sports Afield.

19

Quail.

s

Hunting

Season

Open

s

THE chicken season has opened! So has the duck season,
for that matter, but for the time being the chicken is the
queen of the day. The ducks can wait, says Mr. Sport-
man. There are said to be plenty of duck this year, more than
ever in fact, but the reports regarding the chickens are less en-
couraging. Anyway the man who shoots wants to get action
on the chickens before the first frosts cause them to bunch
together.

So with gun well oiled, packs well filled with ammunition
and anxious dogs held in leash, hundreds of hunters from
jvery corner of the state have gone into the fields for game,
ind they have come from all of the neighboring states. Min-
lesota enjoys the reputation of being one of the best chicken
shooting states in the United States. Large parties of hun-
>rs have come from Chicago and other large centers.

After October 1, the toothsome partridge will be the ob-
ject of many a trip to be made by the followers of the sport.

The ducks can well wait until after October 1, say many of
the old timers. Then the great mallards and the canvas backs
and the Canadian geese, winging their way southward, stop
off to feed in the sloughs and lakes.

Several reasons are given for the splendid situation with
regard to ducks. The federal migratory bird law which pre-
vents spring shooting has had much to do with protecting
the birds. The vast amount of rain in Minnesota filled the
sloughs and ponds and the birds have nested in great numbers.

A larger crop of wild rice than was ever harvested in Min-
nesota before has been harvested this year. The crop is a
bumper one and the ducks are bound to follow the path of the
rice fields.

Sportsmen generally seem to be of the opinion that the
prairie chicken crop is only about 60 per cent of what it was
last year. The first hatching of young birds was almost com-
pletely destroyed by the heavy rains early in the summer, but

21

the second crop throve nicely. The birds, however, have had
too little time to mature, and the young ones will be poor
flyers and easy to bag this season.

On the other hand, the heavy growth of weeds induced by
the heavy rain-fall, and the increasing acreage of corn affords
the chickens added protection. The old birds will have less
difficulty in surviving the season, and this insures the crop
for next year. When the chickens take to the corn it is im-
possible to hunt them or even to keep the dogs in view.

According to W. M. Beck, of Clarkson, Minn., a well known
sportsman, who has spent much time in investigating game
conditions, the coveys this year are small and six to eight
birds is a good find. Hilly and rolling land with sandy soil
is the place to look for the birds in the greatest abundance
this year. Mr. Beck is of the belief that this year provides a
strong argument for the passing of a law that will allow the
game commission to fix a changeable date for the opening of
the season, according to the development of the fowl.

Early teal and mallard shooting will be better than usual
this year, but neither bird is at its highest development and
the meat has a stronger flavor than it has after the first of
October.

The Challenge

By Charles A. Singler

Blow forth your shot, nor have a care,
At what you aim. My flight is swift.

A mile a minute through the air,

And fast as light my course I shift.

Another shot! And still again!

What use? You're badly out of luck!
I cackle at you hunter men,

Believe me, truly yours, — A Duck.

— From Outers Book.

22

Serpent Lake.

s

Minnesota and

Blueberries

§

WITH the vanishing of forests in many portions of the
state and the coming of cattle, the succulent blueberry
has departed. Counties that once shipped thousands
of barrels of blueberries in one day now ship scarcely one
hundred boxes during the season.

But the blueberry is not absolutely vanishing from Minne-
sota. There are still blueberries to be found but they are
further' north. The jack pine regions in the extreme north-
ern part of the state abound in blueberries. The crop this
year has been good and thousands of crates have been shipped
from Bemidji, Cass Lake, Brainerd and other stations.

Berries on Non-Agricultural Land.

Where there is land that is unfit for agricultural or grazing,
there the blueberries will be found.

Pine county was at one time the banner blueberry county
in Minnesota. In 1890 and 1891, the crop of blueberries in
this county in an area about three miles wide and 20 miles
long was enormous. Business men turned their attention to
the harvest of blueberries. The superintendent of one of the
lumbering mills, employed 400 Chippewa Indians from the
Vermillion lake country to come down and pick berries. A
number of the business men of Willow River, Rutledge and
other points are said to have made small fortunes in supply-
ing the wants of his tribe of Indians in the way of "fire
water."

Enormous Shipments.

For six weeks there was shipped from Willow River 600
bushels of berries. From Moose Lake there were 200 bushels;
from Sturgeon Lake there were 400 boxes and from Rutledge,
200 boxes.

24

The shipments extended over a period of two months. The
crop of berries was so great that the next year, 1891, when the
berries were almost as abundant, a forked shovel was used to
pick the berries. This fork took with it not only the big
bunches of berries but the leaves as well.

A fanning mill was used to separate the leaves from the
berries. The use of forked shovel, however, is said to have
proved a disastrous thing. The following year the berries
were scarce.

The Indians have always been the best harvesters of blue-
berries. Their field has always been wild rice and blueberries,
and today the Chippewas are found engaged in the same
work only most of them are on the lakes in the extreme north-
ern part of the state.

In 1890 the price of blueberries was about 12 cents a quart
at retail. This year they sold in the Minneapolis and St. Paul
markets for 25 cents a quart retail.

The price of picking berries has not been raised, however.
Records kept by the superintendent of the lumber company
who devoted two months to blueberry picking in 1890 show
that the Indians were paid eight cents a quart. The same
price was paid this last summer.

Demand is as Great.

The passing of the blueberry is not considered strange by
those familiar with its growth and the soil on which it thrives.
With the passing of the forests, the blueberry has also gone.

The demand for the blueberry is just as great as it ever
was, however. It might well be made a serious study. The
raising of blueberries might prove a profitable undertaking.
Here is found another argument for state forests. The blue-
berry would thrive as a profitable by-product on much of the
state non-agricultural land, land that cannot be used for any-
thing except the growing of trees.

25

g

Minnesota

as a Lumber Producing
State

$

THE production of lumber in the state of Minnesota in
1919 was nearly 300 million feet less than in 1912, and
more than 335 million board feet than in 1911. Official
figures just issued by the United States Department of Agri-
culture on the production of lumber show some interesting
facts regarding the decrease in certain states, Minnesota in-
cluded. The figures are based on reports which the depart-
ment obtains from lumber manufacturers.

A Constant Decrease.

In 1913, 354 mills in Minnesota made reports showing that
they had sawed 1,149,704,000 board feet of lumber. In 1912
there were 484 mills that reported showing 1,436,726,000 board
feet sawed. In 1911, 467 mills reported 1,485,015,000 board
feet of lumber sawed.

According to the figures prepared, Minnesota stood four-
teenth in the lumber-producing states. The list was led by
Washington where four times the lumber sawed in Minne-
sota was produced. In 1912 Minnesota was eleventh in the
list of states. In 1911, this state was ninth in the list of
lumber-producing states.

While it is true that many mills may not have reported to
the department, the figures still show the relative positions
cf the various states and are an index to the general trend of
the lumber industry.

An Argument for State Forests.

All too eloquently do the figures show how Minnesota is
dropping down in the list of lumber-producing states. They
make a powerful argument for reforestation. If Minnesota
continues to drcp in the list the time is not far distant when
she must cease to be a lumber-producing state on anything
like the present scale.

27

With much non-agricultural land, fitted only for the raising
of trees, it would be a sad commentary upon the foresight of
the present generation, if advantage were not taken of the
opportunity to provide state forests and to keep Minnesota
well up in the list of lumber-producing states of the future.
The lumber industry has done much for Minnesota. It has
proved a tremendous source of wealth. It can well continue
indefinitely if the voters see their duty in voting for Amend-
ment No. 9, at the coming general election.

Decrease in United States.

True it is that the production of lumber throughout the en-
tire United States was less in 1913 than in 1912. The produc-
tion of lumber in the United States in 1913 was about three-
quarters of a billion board feet less than in 1912, according to
the official figures just issued by the United States Depart-
ment of Agriculture.

In 1913, 21,394 mills reported a production of 38,387,009,000
board feet, as against 39,158,414,000 feet reported by 29,648
mills in 1912, and 37,003,207,000 feet reported by 28,107 mills
in 1911. Although about 8,000 fewer mills reported in 1913
than in 1912 most of those not reporting were of small ca-
pacity and the inclusion of their reports would not, it is said,
materially increase the total.

High Water Mark in 1909.

The high-water mark in lumber production was set in 1909,
when the cut exceeded 44,000,000,000 feet. In 1907 the cut
was slightly over 40,000,000,000 feet. No other years have come
up to the record of the last two years.

The production in 1913 of nearly as much lumber as in 1912
is of special significance in view of the business conditions
which have existed in the industry. During the first three
months of the year the lumber trade was excellent, but in the
second quarter the demand for lumber fell off noticeably.
Further weakening in the demand during the summer led to
a substantial curtailment of production in the yellow pine

28

and Douglas fir regions. The fall deman,d did not .ipjprpve.
In general the year was one of over-production &nd sljac'k'.bpaiy
ness in the principal lumber manufacturing regions.

Notwithstanding curtailments in the production of yellow
pine and Douglas fir, the reported cut of yellow pine was about
seven-tenths of one per cent and of Douglas fir about seven
and a half per cent greater in 1913 than in 1912. The cut of
Douglas fir in 1913 was the largest ever reported, while in
1913 cut of yellow pine was second only to that of 1909. Had
not enforced curtailment in the output of these two woods
been necessary, the total lumber producing of 1913 would un-
doubtedly have exceeded that of 1912. In fact, had not the
cut of white pine, hemlock, spruce, oak, and maple declined
in 1913, the increased cut of yellow pine, Douglas fir, cypress,
and red gum in that year would have carried the total be-
yond that for 1912.

Washington Sets High Mark.

The increased cut of certain woods is reflected in the in-
creased production of Washington, Oregon, and the lower
Mississippi valley states, while the decreased cut of other
woods is reflected in the decreased production of the North-
ern, central, and Atlantic states. The reported production
of 4,592,055,000 feet in Washington in 1913 was the largest
ever recorded for that state or any other state. The largest
production previously reported by one state was that of
4,311,240,000 feet in 1890, by Michigan.

Of the total reported production of lumber, soft woods con-
tributed 30,302,549,000 feet, board measure, in 1913, as against
30,526,416,000 feet in 1912, and 28,902,388,000 feet in 1911. Soft
woods are more valuable for general structural and building
purposes, hence more widely salable, than hardwoods. It is to
the readily salable soft-woods that Minnesota non-agricultural
lands are peculiarly adapted. Especially is the latter true of
the disappearing eastern white pine, the most valuable and
most sought for building wood ever sawed.

29

c£

Song of the Primitive

By John P. Sjolander

It is Ho! for a sling, and a stone to fling,

And a heart that no fear can chill;
And a foot that is sure, and a will to endure,

And a hunger as big as a hill;
And a cloudless eye, and a wakeful ear,
For the feast that stalks in the thicket near.

And Hey! for a meal that fills head and heel,

And the spaces that lie between,
\Vhere, when going away, there is no one to pay,

And _no slate that is left unclean,
And the way is as wide as the day is long,
And as shcrt and sweet as a morning song.

It is Ho! for the srife that is half of life,

And Hey! for the half that is peace,
'Mid the wealth of the hills, and the woods and the rills,

And the earth for a bed of ease,
Where the heat and the cold may attack a man,
And the red blood glows through the freckles and tan.

So it's Ho! for a sling, and a stone to fling,

And a spear with the speed of light;
And an appetite, keen as a mowing machine,

And a man for a man-size fight;
For that was the way, in most lands and climes,
That they reared their gods in the good old times.

— From Sports Afield.

31

"Forest Schools the Foundation of Forest Wealth.*

THE NORTH WOODS

Volume III. OCTOBER, 1914 Number 10

A Recorder and Promoter of the Forestry Movement in Minnesota.

OFFICIAL BULLETIN OF THE MINNESOTA FORESTRY ASSOCIATION
AND THE STATE FOREST SERVICE.

Published Monthly for members of the Minnesota Forestry Association

Annual Membership Fee $1.00. This includes membership in the Minnesota

Horticultural Society, entitling evf ry such member to all privileges of

that organization as well as the Forestry Association. Remittance

should be made payable to PHIL H. HANSON. Treas.,

care State Forester's Office, State Capitol,

St. Paul, Minn.

Entered as Second Class Matter, September 14, 1912,'at the Post Office at St.
ml, Minnesota, under the Act of August 21, 1912.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

A Call to Arms . . ... .3

The State Forests Amendment . .'.. . 5

Causes Leading up to the Amendment . . 6

Interrelationship between Forestry and

Agriculture . . . . . . 8

Ancient History in Relation to Forestry and

Agriculture . . , ., > * . 9

Forestry in Our Sister States and Abroad . 1 1
Why Permanent Forests are Needed . .14

A Playground for the People . . . 15
Home Markets and Number 9 . ,v . 17

Increasing the School Fund . ' . . . 19

Forestry a Matter of Dollars and Cents . 21
How the Amendment will be Applied . . 24

Results to be Expected from No. 9 » . 26

s

A

Call

to

Arms

$

The people of Minnesota have a great opportunity. On No-
vember 3 they will have the privilege of voting for the state
forests amendment which provides for the setting aside for
state forests of nonagricultural lands belonging to the state.

It will be a difficult matter to pass this amendment. It is
difficult to pass any amendment to the state constitution.
When that amendment comes far down the list it is doubly
difficult. A vote that isn't registered for an amendment is
really a vote against it since it takes a majority of all the
votes cast in an election to pass such amendment.

A spirited campaign in behalf of this state forests amend-
ment has been waged by the Minnesota Forestry Association.
The association realizes that this is the most important work
ever undertaken for the perpetuation of the forests of the
state. But this campaign must not stop until the election day
rolls around. Every vote is needed.

In order to provide everyone desiring it with data regarding
the results of the passage of this amendment, this issue of The
North Woods has been prepared in the form of a manual of
information. The amendment is here discussed from every
angle.

The most important work that can be done for the passage
of this amendment can be done during the last week. Every
interested person will do well to fortify himself with the facts
herewith presented and then go out into the highways and
by-ways and preach the gospel of state forests.

The day of reckoning is soon at hand. There is much work
to be done. Let's all work and work hard for the state forests
amendment. Let's all answer the call to arms.

3

$

The

State

Forests

Amendment

§

THE voters of Minnesota in general and the friends of
forestry in particular will have the opportunity on elec-
tion day, November 3, to decide once for all the fate of
our forests still under state ownership.

The question confronting us is this: Shall we allow the
small remainder of our forests to be ruined by private inter-
ests as in the past, or shall we adopt a better method?

The Better Method.

This better method will be submitted to popular vote elec-
tion day. It is embodied in the State Forests Amendment, the
ninth on the ballot. This measure provides that all state
lands, unfit for tillage, shall not be sold as under our present
policy, but that they shall be retained by tfre state and the
forests on them to be taken care of and managed according to
msiness-like forestry prinicples. The amendment will ap-

sar on the ballot in the following form:

Nl || T II — STATE FORESTS —
|y H A provision to author-
1 11 1 II ize the use of certain
State Lands as State
Forests, being an amendment to article
8 of the Constitution.

YES
NO

X

In full the amendment reads:

"Such of the school and other public lands of the state as
are better adapted for the production of timber than for agri-
culture, may be set apart as state school forests, or other
state forests as the legislature may provide, and the legisla-
tion may provide for the management of the same on forestry
principles. The net revenue therefrom shall be used for the
purposes for which the lands were granted to the state."

This amendment is the last opportunity available to the
friends of a business-like policy of forestry and conservation
to save a portion of our virgin forests from final destruction.

5

Causes Leading Up to the Amendment

IN Minnesota, we have ignored this fundamental principle
of forests on poor land and farms on good land. We have
taken it for granted that all lands in Minnesota are ad-
mirably adapted for farming. This is not so. There are lands
in this state which are not fitted for farming. They consist
of bluffs, ravines, and sand ridges in the south, the eastern
and western part of the state, and in rocky cut-crops in the
northeastern portion.

Some of the rockiest lands, as shown in the pictures,
have produced magnificent forests of white and Norway
pine. From an agricultural standpoint, these lands would
produce a crop with no more success than the middle of a
concrete pavement. They will produce an excellent crop of
timber. Large areas of these non-tillable forest lands have
been cut clear and as a result they are now a barren, unpro-
ductive waste. They bring no taxes and1 pay no revenue.
They are a burden, a liability and a bad advertisement to the
state.

The state of Minnesota originally owned 8l/2 million acres
of land, and according to our constitution, these lands must
be sold, regardless of their character. This provision was
made in 1858 with the view in mind that all lands in Minne-
sota are fit for farming. Experience, however, has taught us
differently. The state still owns 2% millions acres of land.
The cream is gone and of this residue large areas are entirely
unfit for tillage. Part of this remainder is coming up to young
growth and portions of it are densely timbered. The question
confronting us is this: Shall we go ahead and treat the small
remainder of our forests according to the old policy which we
know to be partly wrong, or shall we adopt a better method?
This better method is embodied in the Ninth Amendment on
the ballot providing that all those state lands which a soil
survey shows to be unfit for tillage shall not be sold but be
retained by the state to be managed according to forestry
principles.

6

~ — TT

; - Interrelationship Between Forestry
and Agriculture

$

THE forests are a fundamental necessity for the pros-
perity of a country. This fact can be corroborated by
appealing to all leading economists. We need forests
for a variety of reasons: It is unnecessary to enlarge upon
their value as to watershed protection and stream flow, crop
protection, the equalization of climate, the regulator of rain-
fall, the permanet production of lumber.

The Home of the Game.

They are the homes of our game and they serve as recreation
grounds for thousands of people. It is almost impossible for
any nation to maintain an economic equilibrium without hav-
ing a certain area in permanent forests.

The Competition with Agriculture.

In attempting to follow a policy of forest management, we
are, of course, confronted directly with a cry that forests are
competing with land that should be used for agriculture. This
idea is very erroneous because fundamentally the difference
between forestry and agriculture is this: Agricultural crops
are raised on good soil and forest crops are raised on those
soils which cannot support agricultural crops. Forests will
produce a splendid growth, and a handsome profit on land
which is entirely unfit for any other use.

An Old Principle.

This principle of farms on good land and .forests on poor
land has been followed out for centuries in Europe. It is
being adopted now in the New England states. It has been
recognized in Canada for many years. The government there
provides that no public lands shall be sold which are unfit for
farming. They are retained by the government and managed
according to forestry principles.

8

1

Ancient History in Relation to
Forestry and Agriculture

I

ANCIENT Babylonia, Assyria, and Mesopotamia, once upon
a time the center of prosperity contains now scarcely
one-half of its former population. Crop failures are an
annual occurrence and the country is cursed with poverty.
The cities of Ninevah, Babylon, and Memphis, once the seat
of culture, refinement and riches, are now in ruins, and desert
sands are drifting over the remnants of past splendor.

Striking Examples.

Palestine, its hills, formerly fringed with the cedar of Le-
banon, a land where milk and honey floweth, is now a land of
crop failures and desolation. Morrocco, Algiers, Tripoli, and
Tunis, once the graneries of the Roman empire, are now large-
ly a desert waste, here and there only an oasis breaking the

>litude, formerly inhabited by thriving communities now

irnishing a home only for roaming bands of Bedouins.

Sicily, paid an annual tribute of 80 million bushels of wheat
the Roman Caesars. Now she is scarcely able to produce

rer fifteen million bushels. Greece, once . fertility itself is

>w suffering from repeated crop failures.

Results of Depredation.
The downfall of a prosperous nation is to be attributed to
lany reasons, but the transformation of a rich and' fertile
country to that of poverty and desolation is attributed to one
reason only, — to deforestation.

These examples are cited, not as a proof that the same fate
may take place here, by no means, but simply to bring out the
fact that forests are essential to the welfare of a nation.

M'illiam Pcnii, in his Charter of Rights, provided that for every
five acres .of forest cleared one acre should be left in woods.
Foresters today maintain that on an average one-fifth of every
farm should be in timber.

9

Forests can be handled like a crop — they need not be destroyed.

$

Forestry

in our

Sister

States

and

Abroad

&

IT might be interesting to know how this problem of perpet-
uating forests on non-agricultural lands has been met in
our sister states, as well as foreign countries.
New York, Pennsylvania, and others which were earlier set-
tled and developed than Minnesota, committed the very same
mistake which we have followed. The lands granted to them
by the government were sold, regardless of character. The
rich lands were settled and farmed, the poor lands which were
covered with forests were deforested and reduced to barren
wastes and unproductiveness. As a result, large areas in
these states became a burden to the community. Not only
that, but in a good many instances, floods were caused by
deforestation, which have done considerable damage. The
Ohio river can be cited as an example. Annual floods have
been caused by this river near Pittsburg amounting to almost
me million dollars in damages annually, and this very exam-
)le has been multiplied in other places.

Protection of Watersheds.

Appreciating the necessity of protecting their watersheds
ind preventing floods, it was decided that a different policy
lad to be adopted. Appreciating the fact that thousands and
thousands of acres unfit for farming were lying idle, which
could be made to produce timber, a constructive forest policy
has been inaugurated in these states. New York, alone, has
1,600,000 acres of state forests, Pennsylvania 980,000 acres,
and Wisconsin 500,000 acres. These attempts for a progres-
sive forests policy are very recent and there is no doubt that
much larger areas will soon be included. It should be borne
in mind, however, that these states had to purchase this land
in order to create their state forests, and much of the land
purchased, originally belonged to the public domain.

By the provision of the Ninth Amendment, Minnesota will
be in the unique position of not being compelled to purchase

11

any lands. She owns them now and all that is necessary is to
amend the constitution in order to retain them permanently
for state forests.

European countries have followed out progressive forest
policies for centuries. Switzerland has had forests under
management for over six hundred years. France and Ger-
many follow as close seconds. By. a systematic rotation, by a
systematic cropping, by a systematic handling of these for-
ests on a basis of a crop and not on a basis of a mine, they
secure large revenues annually from these forests.

State Forests Abroad.

The state forests of Hungary yield a net revenue annually
of $600,000. France has twenty million acres of state forests
and she has recently reforested over 2,600,000 acres. The net
returns of the forests of Switzerland range from $3.00 to $9.00
per acre per annum net profit. Saxony has nearly a half mil-
lion acres of state forests yielding an annual net return of
$5.30 per arce. Prussia has six million acres of state forests.

Compelled by Dire Necessity.

The progressive forests policy pursued in these nations was
not adopted for sentimental reasons; for aesthetic purposes
or the whimsical attitude of forestry enthusiasts. These coun-
tries were compelled by dire necessity to adopt a policy which
would perpetuate their forests. Forests had to be perpetuated
to protect their streams, to provide shelter against hot and
dry winds which would endanger their crops. Forest products
were required and natural prosperity is immensely enhanced
by putting to use lands which otherwise would be unproduct-
ive. With the start already made almost all of the European
countries are enlarging their forest areas.

As many as seventy-two different kinds of wood are. used in
the manufacture of umbrella handles, canes and whips in this
country.

12

$

Why

Permanent

Forests are

Needed

$

FORESTS are necessary to protect our streams and water-
sheds. Without them streams become uncertain rivers,
flooded in spring and dry in summer.

They are of distinct benefit for shelter, thus equalizing our
climate. As an example, we may take Western Minnesota,
which fifty years ago was a treeless region, hot winds in sum-
mer drying up the crops and the cold Northwesterlies in the
winter made it almost impossible for a settler to keep him-
self in comfort. To quote a report from the Hon. L. B. Hodges,
written in 1877, in the Ninth Annual Report to Governor Pills-
bury, we find this statement:

"The most prominent men of the state have organized a
State Forestry Association with the chief object the ultimate
redemption of our own portion of a treeless region of the
North American continent.

"We have accomplished enough to know that this vast tree-
less tract of 13 million acres only needs the intervention of a
tree planter to supply the only thing needful, — fifty million of
forest trees produced within twenty years where none stood
before, is nothing to brag about. We must do better in this
direction if Minnesota is to maintain her rank as the greatest
wheat producing state in the world.

"We brag over our crop of forty million bushels of wheat in
this year of our Lord 1877, but it is in fact, one of the solemn
duties of every true Minnesotan to brag about it in season
and out of season and yet, we have scarcely reached into the
borders of our thirteen million acre 'out-lot' for a few sam-
ples in making up the forty million bushels. When we have
succeeded in dotting that 'out-lot' with groves and wind-breaks,
it will be just as easy to brag over a crop of one hundred forty
million bushels of wheat per annum."

That is forty years ago. The region became dotted with
groves. The pioneer moved on and now that "out-lot" is one
of the most fertile in the state.

H

1

A

Playground

for

the

People

i

MINNESOTA some day can be made the paradise of the
tourist, the Switzerland of the United States. The
scenic beauties of our North Woods, the bracing sum-
mer climate, the sky blue waters and the abundant supply of
fish and game are unsurpassed. All that is necsesary is to
develop what we have, and Amendment No. 9 for State For-
ests, to be submitted to vote November 3rd, will help to do
this.

The Adirondacks in New York obtain $18,000,000 a year
from the tourist trade; the Maine Woods $12,000,000 annually,
and one-third of the people of Switzerland are supported by
summer vacationists. There is no reason why Minnesota
should not be as popular.

Our scenery is as attractive as that of New York or Maine.
We have the natural advantages a tourist desires and by the
development of the opportunities that are ours, the state can
be made the Mecca of thousands of tourists.

By the development of tourist trade the whole state will
ip the rewards. The farmer, the merchant, the hotel keeper,

ich will reap his- share. Already hundreds of thousands of

>llars are being spent in Minnesota by pleasure-seekers
)m St. Louis, Omaha, Kansas City, Chicago and other cities
of the Mississippi Valley. This sum can be multiplied into

le millions.

But in order to retain our natural attractions, we must take

ire of our forests. They are going fast and with their pass-

ig, the game is disappearing as well. The solution lies in
the establishment of permanent forests as provided in the
Ninth Amendment. This will not only perpetuate the forests,
but they will also serve as refuge for our wild forest life.
The State Forests Amendment is the cornerstone for a policy
of this kind.

Amendment No. 9, providing for State Forests, stand for
good business. Not to vote at all is to vote against it. Re-
member this November 3rd.

15

The fisherman's paradise.

Home Markets and No. 9

THE passage of No. 9, the State Forests Amendment, No-
vember 3rd will bring about the development of lands
which under our present laws will become wastes and
unproductive. It authorizes the management of all untillable
State Lands and the forests on them according to forestry
principles. This will provide homes and steady employment
for many families. It will build roads, start schools and de-
velop nearby agricultural tracts.

The state owns areas of nonagricultural forest land. If
our present policy is allowed to continue, these remaining
forests will be cut down by private interests with no thoughts
for reforestation and the land, unfit for agriculture, as it is,
will remain an area of waste.

But, by properly handling these lands, they can be con-
verted into a perpetual mine of wealth. Land at present de-
tested will be re-seeded and planted. Mature trees will be
it and their places taken by vigorous young growth. The
rests will be managed like a farm crop and not like a mine,
"hey will be harvested and reseeded and not destroyed.
The seasonable harvesting, manufacturing and planting of
forests crops will employ permanently thousands of men
md horses. They will need supplies. Thousands of dollars'
worth of meat, vegetbles, grain and hay will be needed. Per-
manent home markets will be created and the surrounding
farming districts will be able to dispose of their products in a
profitable manner.

The demand created for farm produce will cause the settle-
ment of nearby agricultural areas now vacant. Thriving com-
munities will be established; roads will be built; schools
started and industries developed. Our farm lands employ a
large number of men. The forest lands can be made to do
likewise. Germany keeps one steady man per every hundred
acres of forests.

17

Increasing the School Fund

THE passage of the State Forests Amendment next No-
vember will provide us, without increase of taxation,
with a tremendous increase of thousands of dollars per
year for our school fund.

The State still owns two and one-half millions acres of land,
and a large per cent of this area is better fitted for tree grow-
ing than for farming. One-third of this nonagricultural area
is cut over; another third, is in sapling pine; and the re-
mainder is in virgin forest.

Millions Now Lost.

At the present time, our school timber lands are sold and
cut over without any thoughts for young growth or reforesta-
tion. Millions of dollars are lost by this policy.

The State Forests Amendment provides that these non-
icultural school lands be managed according to forestry
rinciples; and if this is done these forests will be handled
ke a crop. The timber is to be cut down, sure enough, but
e land will be replanted. And by doing so, an annual rev-
ue of thousands of dollars will be added to our school fund,
nd this revenue is permanent and will never cease.
As two-thirds of this ncn-agricultural area is timbered, the
revenue will be immediate and the forests will be self-sus-
taining from the very beginning.

Experience of Others.

European countries have been following a policy of this kind
with success. Prussia, scarcely twice as large as Minnesota,
with a population of 60,000,000 people, has 6,000,000 acres of
state forests, and these forests pay an annual revenue of
$12,000,000.

Our forests are going fast, and we should act before it is
too late. No. 9, the State Forests Amendment, stands for good
business. It will create a bigger school fund. Not to vote at
all is to vote against it. Remember this November 3rd!

19

*

Forestry a

Matter

of

Dollars

and

Cents

I

FORESTRY is a business proposition based on profit and
loss, credit and debit and not on sentiment as so often
supposed. It is an established fact that lands which are
unfit for farming will produce revenue if growing trees.

From figures collected in Minnesota, we know that Norway
pine, for instance, in the vicinity of Sturgeon lake and St.
Louis county, showed an annual growth of 500 board feet per
acre, and near Red lake, Beltrami county, a growth of six
hundred feet. Jack pine, we find produces stand's at the rate
of six railroad ties and about a cord of other merchantable
material per acre per year.

White spruce chiefly valuable for pulp wood grows quite
rapidly in Minnesota. Under fair conditions it produces pulp
wood at the rate of ll/2 to 1% cords per year.

Poplar is our banner tree for rapid growth. On the heavy
black soil of Northern Minnesota where this tree attains its
best form, it frequently grows at the rate of 1,500 board feet
per acre per year, or approximately three cords.

Growing on the Prairies.

In plantations, such as groves on prairie farms, we fre-
quently find instances of surprisingly rapid growth. The spe-
cies used in most of our prairie planting are cottonwood,
white willow, box elder, and white elm. Many portable saw-
mills are operating in the planted groves of Southern and
Southwestern Minnesota and the quantity of lumber produced
is considerable, and yields of 20,000 feet per acre from twenty-
five-year-old groves are reported. It is evident, however, that
the growing of cottonwood, elm, and Norway spruce, for lum-
ber, on prairie farms is profitable, arid this we must remember
is upon purely agricultural land carrying a heavy rate of tax-
ation.

21

Stands for Good Business.

As forestry has not been practiced in Minnesota, we are
unable to tell to the cent just what the profits are from rais-
ing timber as a crop. We must, therefore, satisfy ourselves
with experience gathered in other countries and by compari-
sons, we will be able to see that forestry is a paying proposi-
tion,— that it stands for good business.

White pine plantations, fifty years old in New England, with
average marketing conditions have produced from $1.00 to
$4.00 per acre, per year net profit, in addition to 5 per cent
compound interest on all money invested.

Profits in Europe.

Forests in European countries have produced a net profit of
from $2.00 per acre up to $9.00. France and Germany realize
a net revenue of $2.00 per acre from all her forests. Switzer-
land from $3.00 to $9.00, Saxony $5.30.

These figures bring out, that in addition to the beneficient
effects exercised by the forests, they also produce a handsome
innual revenue.

The best excelsior is made from basswood, or linden. Aspen
ind cottonwood, however, supply nearly half of the total amount
nanufactured.

The better wood engravings are made almost exclusively of
boxwood, and the large blocks are made of small pieces glued
together. The engraving is done across the end of the grain.
Japanese wood prints, on the other hand, are made on lengthwise
sections of cherry zvood parallel to the grain.

Throughout the national forests the rangers are posting the
roads with permanent guide signs which tell distances and direc-
tions, especially at forks and cross-roads. The signs are usually
put up in the winter when other work tends to be light. On some
forests the rangers go on snowshoes, dragging loaded sleds and
nail the signboards to the roadside trees.

23

1

How the Amendment will be Applied

$

THE ninth amendment for state forests is not legislative,
it is permissive. A careful soil survey is necessary in
order to decide what state lands shall be used for state
forests.

On a rough estimate, one-third of the land in question is
deforested and barren. One-third is coming up to sapling pine,
but the remaining one-third is covered with virgin forests.

We are Fortunate.

By the adoption of this amendment, Minnesota is more for-
tunate than her sister states. We are not compelled to re-
forest large areas and wait for years for returns. We have
the forests now and all we have to do is to manage them on
a business-like principle in order that they may be perpetu-
ated for all times to come. The barren lands, of course, should
be reforested and the sooner the better, but this is to be de-
cided by the legislature. The legislature must decide whether
plans for immediate reforestation shall be undertaken, or
whether this should be postponed for future use. The big
point to bear in mind is that some of these areas are pro-
ductive now and that by their proper management, as pro-
vided by this amendment, they will be revenue producing from
the beginning and for all times to come.

Instead of following our old policy of selling these lands to
private interests, allowing their deforestation, and permitting
the lands then to lie idle, we are adopting, by the passage of
this amendment, a business-like perpetuation of our forests.
We are adopting a policy which should have been inaugurated
years ago, but it is never <too late to mend and a stitch in time
may save nine.

Authentic records show that cinders, from a forest fire in the
tree tops in northern Washington this fall, were carried a dis-
tance of twenty miles.

24

s

Results

to

be

Expected

from No.

9

s

Permanent Forests.

FORESTS are necessary for the well-being of a nation,
and the ninth amendment is a cornerstone for a policy
which will provide us with permanent forests and these
will be raised on lands which are entirely unfit for farming.

Permanent forests are essential for the protection of our
watersheds, for equalization of waterflow and for aids to nav-
igation.

We have in our state, the source of the biggest river in
North America, and it is necessary that we take all due pre-
caution to protect its watershed in such a manner as to help
to equalize this flow as much as possible. The national gov-
ernment, appreciating the importance of the watershed of the
Mississippi river is giving this state annually $10,000 in order
to help us to guard its watersheds. Even though floods, caused
by the Mississippi owing to deforestation of the headwaters,
would not cause appreciable damage in Minnesota, it would
be of tremendous influence in the states farther south, and
even though we would not find it advisable for our own sake
to protect the watersheds of the Mississippi and its tributaries,
we should consider it as a sacred duty to guard them for the
sake of our sister states. The ninth amendment for state for-
ests will provide us with the necessary watershed protection.

Protection of Crops.

Forest shelter belts are a necessity for the successful cul-
tivation of our farm crops. This has been demonstrated time
and time again in Southern countries where the forest cover
has been removed.

Two of the Southern provinces of France, for instance,
which formerly were heavy producers of olives, are now un-
able to do so, owing to the removal of forest shelter belts.

Northern Minnesota, heavily protected by forests has as yet

26

never suffered a crop failure and this fact is directly due to
the protection afforded by the surrounding forests.

The ninth amendment for state forests will be of direct in-
fluence in supplying us with permanent forests and shelter
belts.

The ninth amendment for state forests will directly and in-
directly tend to lower our taxes and for the following reasons:

Minnesota has in addition to the immense tracts of rich
agricultural lands, also areas which will never be fit for
anything else but tree growth. Thousands and thousands of
acres formerly clothed with magnificent pine are now defor-
ested, unproductive and of no value to anyone. A good deal
of this land is owned by corporations, railroads, lumbermen,
land companies, and others. Their only value lies in the pro-
duction of timber.

A Progressive Policy Possible

The ninth amendment for state forests will authorize the
state to adopt a progressive policy of forest management on
its own lands. The state will be able to show on its own land,
that forestry is a paying proposition. As soon as the state
s taken the initiative and proved the fact that lands unfit
r farming will be revenue producing if growing timber, cor-
rations will follow the example set by the state. As a re-
It areas now lying idle will be made productive, labor will
employed, industries started, communities revived and

which now are solitudes will become prosperous.
This is no idle delusion or air castle based on supposition,
but it is a fact based on European conditions. Sweden, Ger-
many, Switzerland, and France has many syndicates, compa-
nies and communities who are practicing forestry. The gov-
ernment took the lead, proved that forestry was practical and
corporations, municipalities and communities followed suit.

Many communities in Europe own municipal forests man-
aged by the community and in numerous instances the profits
realized from these forests are sufficient to pay -all the taxes
levied in these communities.

27

A Spirited Campaign.

The Minnesota Forestry Association is conducting a spirited
campaign in order to bring this measure before the attention
of the voting public. Nine out of ten amendments usually fail
and we dare not let this measure follow the fate of the others.
It is the last opportunity open to the friends of forestry to
save our pineries from final destruction.

Exhibits were held at sixty-nine county fairs illustrating
this amendment. Five reels of motion pictures are travelling
throughout the state showing the need of this amendment.
Over 20,000 posters will be distributed in every hamlet, town
and city in Minnesota. More than 200,000 booklets will be
circulated through bankers, farmers' clubs, churches,, and com-
mercial clubs to the voters of the state.

Press Supports It.

The press of Minnesota is giving the measure its splendid
support, the Federation of Women's Clubs will call up every
voter with a telephone.

Two hundred fifty motion picture theaters will run for one
feek a slide explaining the state forests amendment.
We have obtained the active co-operation of the Minnesota
>rest Service, the United States Forest Service, the Depart-
lent of Agriculture, the Department of Education, and the
Jepartment of Immigration.

The West Central Minnesota Development Association, the
Led River Development Association, the Southern Minnesota
Development Association, the Minnesota Breeders' Associa-
tion, the Minnesota Federation of Labor, the Minnesota Fed-
eration of Women's Clubs, the Minneapolis Civic and Com-
merce Association, and the St. Paul Association of Commerce
are giving the movement their enthusiastic support.

The most prominent men in the state like Archbishop Ire-
land, Bishop Quayle, Bishop Edsall, Mr. Lee, Mr. Hammond
and many others have given us their heartiest endorsement
and co-operation.

Governor Eberhart has proclaimed State Forests Day to be
observed in every school in the state. Five hundred thousand
boys and girls of Minnesota will write a card to their parents

29

appealing to them to do all they can to strive for the perpet-
uation of our forests in order that the coming generation may
be able to enjpy them as did their fathers and mothers.

But Little Opposition.

Opposition is encountered just in a few instances by people
and organizations misguided by selfish motives or misinfor-
mation, but pn the whole, the movement is meeting with
splendid success, with splendid co-operation and if the plans
under way can be carried out as planned, the measure cannot
help but become a reality.

Never in the history of the state has an amendment passed
which occupied a place lower than the fifth on the ballot. This
is the ninth and in order to pass it, we must use every chan-
nel of publicity and we must use every opportunity presented.

By the good example set by the state as proposed in the
Ninth Amendment for State Forests, we will soon see the
time when private corporations and others with nonagricult-
ural lands on their hands will follow the example of refor-
estation and make productive, lands which are now idle. By
the development of thousands of acres of land now unpro-
ductive, and by the creation of thriving communities and re-
vival of industries and territories now undeveloped, it is a
foregone conclusion that the tax rate will soon be lowered. It
may take years for this to come about but the outcome is
inevitable. We should make a start some day and November
3 is our opportunity.

Civilization Built on Wood.

Forests are necessary for the protection of fuel and lumber.
Oiir civilzation is almost built on wood. It is almost impos-
sible to get along without it, although substitutes are used in
countless cases, nevertheless our annual production of lum-
ber is increasing rather than decreasing, in spite of the fact
that substitutes are being used wherever possible. As long
as forests will grow on land unsuited for agriculture and as
long as they will pay a profit on these lands, it is folly to be-
lieve that wood will ever be substituted by some other mate-
rial. At the present time it is one of our greatest necessi-
ties. We rise in the morning after having slept on a bed

30

made out of wood, on a mattress filled with excelsior. We
arise and step on a wooden floor. In making our morning
toilet, we wash on a wash-stand made out of wood, we sit
at the breakfast table on a chair made out of wood, taking
our food from the table made from wood, eating our food
with implement containing wooden handles. The very food
was brought to our kitchen in receptacles, boxes and pails
made from wood. We arise from the table and pick cur teeth
with tooth-picks made out of wood and we sit back in leisure
to read our morning paper also made out of wood. Wood
surrounds us in one form or another from cradle to the grave.
It is essential to our civilization, and the larger its supply, the
less will be its cost.

Lumber has within the last twenty years quintupled and
it has now reached that price in this state where the raising
of lumber will be profitable.

Aside from this particular point of view, forests are also
necessary from the aesthetic standpoint. We are all lovers
of the out-of-doors, be it in fcrm of hunting, fishing or camp-
ing. The forests are the home of the game. No forests, no

ime. Their fate is inseparably linked with that of the for-
ests. Forests serve as recreation grounds for thousands of
>ple and unless we take care of them, they will be a thing
>f the past.

Remember No. 9

on

Election Day

31

" Forest Schools the Foundation of Fores! Wealth.*

THE NORTH WOODS

Volume IV. FEBRUARY, 1915 Number 2

A Recorder and Promoter of the Forestry Movement in Minnesota.

OFFICIAL BULLETIN OF THE MINNESOTA FORESTRY ASSOCIATION
AND THE STATE FOREST SERVICE.

Published Monthly for members of the Minnesota Forestry Association

Annual Membership Fee $1.00. This includes membership in the Minnesota

Horticultural Society, entitling every such member to all privileges of

that organization as well as the Forestry Association. Remittance

should be made payable to PHIL H. HANSON. Treas.,

care State Forester's Office, State Capitol,

St. Paul, Minn.

Entered as Second Class Matter, September 14, 1912, at the Post Office at St.
Paul, Minnesota, under the Act of August 24, 1912.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Matters Before the Legislature .... 3

A True Friend of Forestry . . . .4

Duluth's Opportunity . . . .5

A Famous Herd of Buffalo . . . . .8

Suggestions Wanted . . . . .10

Fire Prevention in Minnesota . . . 11

Story of a Tree . . . . . . .15

Examination for Patrolmen . . . . 16

The Grain Door Industry . . . . .17

Ranger Attacked by Linx .... 22

Mammals in Minnesota .

Matters Before the Legislature

I

THE Minnesota Legislature is hard at work grinding
away at important legislation. There are several mat-
ters now before the Legislature which are of especial
interest to the friends of forestry.

The first of these is the matter of appropriations for the
Forest Service and for the building of trails and firebreaks in
the state parks. The Forest Service is, in reality, asking for
much less money this year than it did two years ago. There
is an increase in the actual appropriation for the service itself.
That is an item that is needed and ought not to be overlooked
by those legislators who are seeking economy. It is econom-
ical to take adequate measures to protect the state's property.
Two years ago considerable money was appropriated for pur-
chasing land in Itasca State Park. Although the same sit-
tion exists in Burntside State Park, no appropriation is
asked for the acquisition of lands. The friends of Forestry
will do well to keep their attention centered on the work of the
Legislature. Tell your representatives of the great need of
the Forest Service. Additional money for the fire preven-
tion work is an absolute necessity.

The second matter now being considered by the Legislature
is the bill calling for a soil survey. The people of Minnesota,
in passing No. 9, indicated clearly that they wanted non-agri-
cultural state lands set aside for state forests. The only way
the will of the people can be carried out is by providing for a
soil survey. This is to be taken by agricultural experts. Then,
the non-agricultural lands can be set aside for the purposes
desired, by the electorate of Minnesota. The amount of ap-
propriation called for is small, namely $25,000, to be expended
over a period of two and a half years.

s

A

True

Friend

of

Forestry

$J

IN the passing of John H. O'Neil of Park Rapids, on Febru-
ary 1, the cause of Forestry in Minnesota lost one of the
most ardent supporters. As a member of the State For-
estry Board, Mr. O'Neil had given of his best efforts to pro-
mote the best interests of forestry.

A Man of the North.

Mr. O'Neil was at one time a member of the State Legisla-
ture. During his term of office he evinced considerable in-
terest in the forestry problems then confronting the legislators.
A man of the north country, he realized the needs of his sec-
tion of the state keenly. He gave his best to the development
of the country in which he labored.

Mr. O'Neil died at St. Luke's Hospital, St. Paul, following
an illness of several weeks. He was at the same hospital two
months previous but had improved and had gone to to his
home at Park Rapids. He returned to th§ hospital in Jan-
uary suffering from heart disease.

Started as Railroad Man.

Mr. O'Neil was 57 years old. He was one of the early con-
ductors on the Northern Pacific railroad, serving in that
capacity for eighteen years. In 1881 he built the Great North-
ern hotel at Park Rapids and had conducted it since. He be-
came interested in politics and was elected to the Legislature
from the Fifty-first district in 1901. He served one term, and
a few years ago was appointed to the forestry board.

Was High Mason.

He was born in Louisville, Ky., and was educated at Logan
college. He was a thirty-second degree Mason, and a Knight
Templar, holding membership in the commandery at Wadena
and in Zuhrah temple, Minneapolis. He also was a member of
the Knights of Pythias and the Odd Fellows. He is survived
by a widow.

Duluth's Opportunity

THE approach to most of the large cities of the United
States is, to put it mildly, depressing. In the country
the train rolls between cultivated farms, well-kept
homes and through wide-awake communities. A village
breaks in upon the edge of a well-groomed farm and as sud-
denly gives way on the other side to the productive fields.
The effect is always pleasing. But let the train approach
within the influence of a large city and everything is changed.
In the outer environment, there may indeed be a few fancy
farms which lend color to the landscape, but their prosperity
is obviously artificial and is recognized as a mere reflection
of the wealth of the city. The impression is pleasing, but
unfortunately is very soon wiped out by the scenes that follow.

Instead of the neat truck garden, dairy farms and wood-
land which the market facilities of the city should gather
closely around it, there are miles of unsightly waste lands,
idle, unkempt, unproductive, awaiting the growth of the city,
ese lands languishing in tin cans and ashes for the lack of
ittle labor to put them to work, next to them the crowded
slums, thousands of miserable people languishing for the
chance to get some decent work. Each is longing for what
the other would gladly give. Surely these could be combined
in some way for the good of the city. It is certainly hard for
the traveller passing through such environment to realize the
industry, prosperity and wealth of the city before him; even
after he has seen the best the city has to offer, it is difficult
for him to shake off that first impression. These things could
be made so different that it seems little short of a crime that
they should be left as they are.

Imagine the the traveller approaching Duluth from Carl-
ton, twenty-five years ago. Traversing the rim of the beau-
tiful St. Louis valley, he looks down the steep hillsides cov-
ered with magnificent pine forests, forests which flaunt be-
fore his face the impression of thrift, the ability to produce
endless wealth so long as they are taken care of. No idleness

5

there, no dumps and squalor to depress the mind. Produc-
tion, health, labor!! ! Aye, and beauty everywhere. At fre-
quent intervals, the hillside breaks away in a great gorge,
narrow— almost slit-like at the top— but widening out toward
the bottom where it approaches the valley to afford a view of
the fertile lands beyond. And on the sides of each gorge,
from the very verge of the stream which bubbles in its depths
to the rocky rims on either side, is that same pine forest pro-
ducing wealth and beauty on those almost perpendicular walls.
Producing ! Production is everywhere and nowhere is there
a trace or impression of idleness or poverty.

That indeed was an approach worthy of the live and pros-
perous city of Duluth. People have travelled to Europe for
such a drive as that along the Rhine and raved over a poorer
view. How does it look today? Like the typical back-yard
of the big city! The hills are there; the valley lies where it
always did. But the hills are bare, stripped of their former
beauty, and the jewel of the valley lies unset, in a barren
land. The gorges gash the sides of the naked hills like angry
sabre cuts and the bare rocks, tangled brush and blackened
stumps but add desolation to the gloomy scene. Here and
there a lonely gorge, which has somehow escaped the general
devastation throws out a hint of what that country might have
been. Absolute idleness has been forcibly imposed on that
glorious country. Everywhere waste and idleness, nowhere
production and thrift. It imparts the impression of hopeless-
ness and rightly so — for not in a thousand years can nature
unaided restore it to its former self, and not in twice that
time can man improve it, — save in one way. Think of the
waste and folly of mighty man! Think of it! A productive and
beautiful country doomed to idleness and desolation for a thou-
sand years within twenty miles of a great and prosperous city!

Fortunately there is a way — just one way — by which this
land can be put to work, instilled once more with life and
made a self-respecting, tax-paying member of society. This
can be done by the private individual, by the State, or by the
city of Duluth, but foolish indeed will be the city if it permits
the others to do it first.

That narrow strip of country along the Dalles of the St.

6

Louis, piled up into steep hills, torn with myriad gorges and
strewn with glacial boulders, lies useless at present in the
hand of man; but it supported a rich and productive forest
once and can do so again, — in no other way can it prosper.
Then why not make it a forest? It will cost money, of course,
but not such a prohibitive sum. Think for a moment of the
thousands of dollars that a city willingly spends on a small
park in the heart of the city. And how little they have for
their nioney. Moreover, the city park is a continuous ex-
pense as long as it exists. The money spent on a half-acre
park of this character should purchase and put in shape one
hundred acres of this land on the Dalles, which could be
maintained as a forest for a nominal annual cost and would
eventually be not only self-supporting but would furnish an
income for the support of the city parks. Surely the city
could well afford to have several thousand acres of such for-
est as this. The city could not make a better investment.
For the money revenue is insignificant compared with the
other benefits to the city.

The beauty of the old approach would be restored, the land
around the city, otherwise worthless, would be put to work,
the forest would be a real park, such as is possessed by no
other city in the Union. Many European cities have them
and they are always the pride of the city. Other noble sights
they have a-plenty, but it is this beautiful, useful, profit-paying
forest which is the pride of every citizen.

Nor does the forest block development. Summer homes and
truck gardens can be scattered through it, wherever the soil
is suitable, and the surrounding forest makes them only the
more valuable. It need not be done all at once. Make a
small beginning, add to it gradually from year to year, and
before the most optimistic can realize it, Duluth will be the
proud possessor of a magnificent forest.

Here is an opportunity for some wealthy "captain" of the
range to obtain immortality by presenting this land to the
city; an opportunity for the city to purchase the land under
the "municipal forest" law, or an opportunity for the citizens
to demonstrate their short-sightedness by letting the chance
go by. Which shall it be?

s

A

Famous

Herd

of

Buffalo

$

THE famous Scotty Phillip herd of buffalo, kept in a 3,000
acre pasture near Fort Pierre, South Dakota, has been
placed on the market by the administrators of the
estate of the late owner, Scotty Phillip. This herd of buffalo,
the largest in the United States, now includes 70 head of
yearlings, 55 head of two-year olds, and 275 head three years
old and older. These are full bloods, most of them born in
captivity. There are, in addition, a number of breeds, crossed
with the domestic cow.

The sale of the herd is being arranged by Mr. John Sloat
of Gettysburg, South Dakota, and Mr. Carson Williams of
Sioux City, Iowa. Mr. Sloat is in communication with the
Canadian government, with a view to selling the entire herd
to be sent to the reserves in Alberta, where the Pueblo bunch
of buffalo was sent a few years ago. 'Fifteen head have
already been sold to the United States government, to be
shipped to the Wind Cave National Park near Hot Springs,
South Dakota.

The disintegrating of this famous herd is keenly regretted
by those who know something of its history, and in view of
the fact that the buffalo is extinct in its native state, it is
hoped that in some way arrangements may be made to keep
the herd in this country and in one bunch.

Prior to 1876, buffalo were plentiful in South Dakota, particu-
larly in that portion of the state which lies between the Mis-
souri river and the Black Hills. The same region was also
the home of the Sioux Indians. After being for some years
in apparent subjection, in 1876, the Sioux, under Sitting Bull,
went on the war path. There followed the massacre of Cus-
ter at the Little Big Horn and other war-like excursions of
similar nature, after which the Sioux became outlaws and
wandered north through North Dakota and Montana, driving
buffalo before them as they went. Freighters and others who
travelled the trail from Pierre to the Black Hills and from

8

Fort Randall to Bismarck during the years immediately fol-
lowing 1876, say that during the next four or five years, buf-
falo were never seen in that section of the country.

In the summer of 1880, the Sioux having surrendered and
having returned to their own country, the buffalo began to
drift back again. During the summer of 1880 and during the
winter following, buffalo hunting was an all-absorbing occu-
pation for white men and Indians alike, and there occurred
a massacre of game such as is probably unparallel in history.

The Indians hunted the buffalo on horse back, using light
rifles. They hunted in bands and would spend days on the
trail, maneuvering a bunch of buffalo into a position where
they could ride in on them before stampeding the herd. The
discipline of these hunting parties was strict, and it was
almost a fatal offense for any member of the party to violate
any of the rules of the game. Often they would fast for days,
while working silently to an advantageous position. When
the right moment came, they would ride their horses furiously
to close range, where they could find the vital spot with their
light rifles. An Indian would give anything he possessed for
a good pony, trained for buffalo hunting.

The white hunters were less crafty and more brutal in
their methods. They used large 50 calibre buffalo guns, so
heavy that a support was necessary in taking aim, and which
would kill a buffalo a half mile distant. Shooting at their
prey from this distance, the buffalo would not know what
caused one of their members to fall to the ground in the death
struggle, and would gather around curiously while the hunters
dropped them one by one.

The only parts of the buffalo which were considered of any
use were the hide and the tongue. These having been re-
moved, the rest of the carcass was left for the coyotes or to
rot in the sun. The hides were sold to the traders, particu-
larly at the forts, and the tongues were used for food. A
Chamberlain paper, published in 1881, records the arrival of
a hunter from up the river with a bum boat filled with dried
buffalo tongues, for which he found a ready sale. Buffalo
hides in any quantity could be bought for $1.50 each.

So far as known, the last wild buffalo killed east of the

river was one shot by E. F. Gross, in Potter county, in 1883.
Mr. Gross came upon the buffalo unexpectedly and killed it
with a horse pistol.

The herd of buffalo which is now being placed on the mar-
ket, had its origin during the time of the great buffalo mas-
sacre of 1880 and 1881. A man named Dupree, who was ranch-
ing on the Cheyenne river, captured some of the orphan
calves which were left to look after themselves when their
mothers had been killed. He turned these orphans onto his
ranch and domesticated them, and soon had a herd number-
ing several hundred head. Some years later, this herd was
purchased by Scotty Phillips, and has remained intact up to
this time. On their large fenced range, they are living under
natural conditions, and have increased and thrived in their
partial captivity. Occasionally one has been butchered, and
the meat, on account of its novelty and not because it is really
edible, brought some fancy prices.

The herd is now about to be broken up and sold. The men
who have personal knowledge of the events surounding its
origin are scattered far and wide, many of them in fact have
already gone to the world beyond. To those who know, the
sale of this buffalo herd is more than a mere commercial
transaction, for it marks the closing incident of a bit of thrill-
ingly interesting unwritten history.

SUGGESTIONS WANTED.

The Minnesota Forestry Association needs money. The or-
ganization has some unpaid bills that must be met. Members
of the association are asked to send in suggestions as to the
best methods of raising the necessary funds. The association
carried the burden of the fight for- No. 9 at the last general
election. It was a work well worth while and was attended
by success.

More members are wanted in the association. That will
help reduce the debt. Send in any other suggestions you may
have.

10

Fire Prevention in Minnesota

PROGRESS in forestry is marked in the first instance by
development of systematic fire prevention. This depends
upon the organization of a corps of trained men working
in harmony and co-operation with the people. This much
has been accomplished by the Minnesota Forest Service and
now the chief measure of its effectiveness is the intensity
with which it can be applied. With an average of about fifty
men, the twenty million acres of forested lands have been
given protection but to a degree far below a reasonable mar-
gin of safety.

The forest law provides for a Forestry Board composed of
nine members, two of whom are the Dean of the Agricultural
College and the Director of the College of Forestry. The
others are severally recommended by the Regents of the Uni-

rsity of Minnesota, Minnesota State Forestry Association,
te Agricultural Society, State Horticultural Society and
State Game and Fish Commission, and appointed by the

vernor. As a result of this system of appointment of the

oard, men interested in various lines of forestry are selected.
No compensation other than expenses at board meetings is
given them.

The Board appoints a Secretary whose duties are prescribed
by it, and a trained Forester, who executes the provisions of
the forest laws.

The Forester, with the approval of the Board, appoints an
Assistant Forester, rangers, patrolmen and office assistants
to be employed. He purchases all necessary equipment, in-
struments and field supplies. All expenditures are approved
by the Forester and by the Forestry Board.

Three inspectors are employed in various phases of forestry
work. Only one does actual inspection of forest officers'
work, and he might be rightfully called a ranger-at-large. This
inspector visits the various headquarters of rangers and pa-
trolmen, inspects their work and makes such recommendations

11

to the Forester as he deems necessary. But more important
than this, he advises and suggests to them personally, im-
provements in methods of work.

The railroad inspector has authority to investigate and de-
termine the effectiveness of ash pan and spark-arresting- de-
vices on any locomotive, donkey, traction or portable engine,
and any other engines and boilers operating in the vicinity of
forest, brush or grass lands. He may, after due notice, with-
hold from operation the use of any locomotive or other engines
until the proper appliances and repairs are made. The rail-
road inspector, with the aid of the ranger, issues instructions
for the proper patrol of the rights-of-way of the railroad com-
panies, chiefly in regard to number of patrolmen, time of plac-
ing on duty and beats to patrol. He also sees that the rights-
of-way are properly cleared of cumbustible material.

The industrial inspector ascertains the stands of the differ-
ent species of trees, the possibilities for the utilization of the
various so-called inferior woods used in wood-working indus-
tries, and furthers the location of new industries, markets, etc.

The forested area of northern Minnesota is at present di-
vided into thirteen districts, each in charge of a district rang-
er. Their duties are many and varied.

Every district ranger works under the direction of the State
Forester, and is held responsible to him for the affairs of his
district and in exercising the authority with which he is en-
trusted under the law. That authority covers a wide range
and diversity of detail. All rangers are required to keep a
diary of work done and business transacted, and to report
this to state headquarters every week. They are authorized
by law to arrest and bring action against any individual, com-
pany or organization that violates or fails to comply with the
regulations and provisions of the forest law. The activities
of patrolmen, state and federal, are controlled by the ranger
to whose district they are assigned. Rangers are responsible
for, and held to an accounting of, all Forest Service equip-
ment— canoes, boats, tools, tents, etc. All features of the
service work in any district are administered directly by the
ranger of that district, acting for the Forester, or by the pa-
trolmen, acting for the district ranger. While the Forester

12

and Assist visit each district as often as is possible, to advise
with the ranger concerning district affairs, much discretion-
ary power is of necessity left to the latter.

A ranger's work is administrative to a large extent. Every
ranger has a territory, directly under his supervision, larger
than most of the counties in the state. Most of the summer
routine work of a district is of necessity left to the patrolmen.
In time of bad fires, rangers are expected and instructed to
remain quite closely in their headquarters; this, in order that
they may keep in touch with affairs in all portions of their
district. Should a ranger leave headquarters to go to a cer-
tain place outside for any length of time, there would be dan-
ger of fire in some other portion, where his advice or his
presence might be absolutely necessary, with no opportunity
to reach him. Of course, with a large or dangerous fire, a
ranger will go to it and organize the fire-fighting. His duty
in such a case is to put a good man in charge of that fire,
then return to his headquarters in readiness for another.
Furthermore, the amount of office work necessary to syste-
matic business requires the presence of a ranger in his head-
quarters a number of days each month, even when fires may
not be probable. In fact, while a ranger goes about the
country as much as possible, there are certain important
features of his work which can be best attended to only at
headquarters.

About May 1st or whenever the fire danger begins, the
patrolman is placed in charge of his beat, with a definite
headquarters, or station, where he could be reached by mail at
stated intervals.

Immediately upon taking the field, it is required of every
patrolman that he acquaint himself with his territory, and
especially with the people. He must seek for future refer-
ence, the location of trails and open regions — all the means
of rapid travel and advantageous lines of defense in case of
fire. Many patrolmen work out definite patrol routes, which
they cover as often as necessary in the performance of their
chief duty — guarding against the occurrence of fires. They
are supplied with tents, axes, shovels, mattocks, and other
simple equipment necessary to living and working in the for-

13

est. For this they receipt to the ranger responsible for it,
and are in turn held responsible by him for its care. Where
there are good water routes in their beats, patrolmen are fur-
nished canoes. In the latter case, or where horses are used,
sets of fire-fighting tools are carried.

Patrolmen are endowed with police powers to enforce the
forest law. They are empowered to summon aid in case of
fire, to demand the observance by the people of the require-
ments of the law, to make arrests when necessary; and are
responsible to the rangers in carrying out the details of their
work. Their principal duty is, of course, the prevention and
control of fires. In this connection, they post warning notices
and explain the law and the aims of the Forest Service to
the public. In rainy weather, when fires are unlikely, employ-
ment is always at hand in erecting watch towers on com-
manding sites selected in going about the country, in compil-
ing maps from data obtained when on patrol, in clearing out
trails and portages, and other work of a similar useful char-
acter.

Rangers take care to select points for patrol headquarters
which can be reached quickly by telephone if possible, at any
rate by mail. Thus, in any emergency, a patrolman can
quickly get in touch with the ranger, and vice versa. Patrol-
men are required to keep a diary, recording therein the busi-
ness of each day. These are forwarded to the ranger once a
week, to be summarized together with his own. While the
nature of a ranger's duties is such that he must spend a part
of his time in district headquarters, he devotes the greater
part of it to going about his district advising with the patrol-
men, supervising the work of the latter, planning new activi-
ties for them, and looking after such matters as are beyond
the authority of the patrolmen.

Some patrolmen are retained during the winter to assist
the rangers in looking after slash disposal. Although most
of them are laid off duty in October, others are furloughed
until the beginning of the next fire season.

This field organization of the Forest Service has been aided
by a system of auxiliary and subsidiary forces, fluctuating in
numbers and capable of much enlargement at need. These

H

have been chiefly patrolmen of private corporations installed
at the instigation of the Forester, patrolmen furnished by
townships by provision of the forest law, patrolmen retained
in co-operation with the Indian Department of the United
States and the Federal Forest Service, together with the offi-
cers of the National Forests, deputized as State officers to co-
operate with the State Service. All, by systematic arrange-
ment tending to efficiency in fire prevention, have been more
or less directly under the supervision of the State Forester
and the District Rangers, and responsible to them.

s

Story of a Big Tree

—From Harper's Weekly.

%

A MEMBER of the faculty of Leland Stanford University,
in California, who is an authority on systematic botany,
has gathered some interesting data concerning the life
history of a big tree there, belonging to the sequoia gigantea
family, a kind of tree found nowhere but in the Pacific states.
The tree in question, according to the authority mentioned,
was 15 feet in diameter five feet from the ground and was
270 feet high, and its age was placed at 2,171 years.

When felled this tree showed an enormous surface burn on
one side 30 feet in height and occupying some 18 feet of the
circumference. This was ascertained to have been due to
a fire that occurred in the year A. D. 1797. When cut the
tree had already occupied itself for something over 100 years
in its efforts to repair this injury, its method being the in-
growing of the new tissue from each margin of the great
black wound. When the tree was cut the records of three
other fires were revealed.

Briefly summarized, the history of this tree is about as fol-
lows: It began its existence during the second century be-
fore the Christian era. During the first year of our era it
was about four feet in diameter about the base. When a little
over 500 hundred years old, about the year A. D. 245, there

15

occurred a burning on its trunk three feet wide. One hundred
and five years were consumed in covering this wound with
new tissue. For something like 1,196 years no further injuries
were registered.

When, in A. D. 1441, the tree had attained the age of 1,712
years there came a second big burn — in two long grooves, one
and two feet wide, respectively. Each had its own sytem of
repair.

Then came 139 years of growth, including the time con-
sumed by covering the wounds.

During the year 1580, when the tree was 1,851 years old,
there occurred still another fire, this time resulting in a burn
on the trunk two feet in width. Fifty-six years were required
to cover this with new tissue.

Two hundred and seventeen years of growth followed this
burn.

The tree was 2,068 years old, when, in 1797, it was the vic-
tim of a tremendous fire, resulting in the great 18-foot wide
scar. One hundred and three years, between 1797 and 1900,
enabled the tree to reduce the exposed area of the burn to
about 14 feet in width.

In each of the three older burns there was a thin cavity
occupied by the charcoal of burned surface, but the wounds
were finally fully covered, and the new tissue above was full,
even, continuous, and showed no signs of distortion or of the
old wound.

EXAMINATIONS FOR PATROLMEN.

Examinations for those desiring to become patrolmen dur-
ing the coming season will be held on March 13. Applicants
can take these tests at the various ranger headquarters or at
a place to be designated in St. Paul. Information can be ob-
tained by inquiry at the State Forest Service headquarters,
555 Shubert Building, St. Paul.. Patrolmen who served last
year and who gave satisfaction will not be required to take
the examinations. The examinations are of a practical nature
and are made up of field work and a written test.

16

The Grain Car Door Industry

THE grain car door business is one about which little is
known. It is rather confined to the jack pine country
and larger mills. Although it may be thought to be a
small industry, over 2r>,000,000 board feet of lumber is con-
sumed annually for moving the grain in Minnesota and the
Dakotas. When one thinks of the enormous amount of grain
moved each year and that 100 to 175 feet of lumber are used
in the doors of each car, the scope of the business may be
realized.

These doors are only used as temporary structures and one
to four trips is all that they ever make. They are used
for the shipment of grain and are nailed inside of the car in
front of the doors. In a large car, there is a great deal of
pressure on them and good material with good strength is
necessary. From three to six doors are used in each car,
depending on the size of car and the kind of grain shipped.
A small car loaded with wheat would have one and one-half
doors on each side, while a large car, loaded with oats or
barley, would use three on each side. Some roads do not use
ready-made grain doors, but furnish the elevator with loose
lumber in six and seven foot lengths with which to board up
the inside.

The doors are made six feet two inches long and thirty
inches high. Each one has three cleats six inches wide and
thirty-two inches long, the cleats thus extending on one side
two inches wider than the boards. The main body of the
door is of good sound lumber, with no wane edges, as these
must fit tight to prevent leakage of grain. All the cracks are
battened with strips three to five inches in width and these
may have considerable wane. None of them are tight
enough for flax, so cloth or paper is nailed over them as well
as the walls of the entire car. There is 24 to 30 feet of lum-
ber in one door, depending on the width of the boards in the
body and the width of the battens. The narrower the main

17

boards and the wider the battens, the stronger it is. A door
of wide boards and narrow battens is very weak and bulges
badly if loaded heavy.

The lumber used is largely jack pine, and made from the
boards in the rough. The larger mills make doors from their

Showing how grain doors are cut to pieces to release the grain or to
remove them from the cars.

18

As high as 180 nails have been found in the door-posts of a car.

short lumber and No. 3 and No. 4 boards, all of which are
generally surfaced on one side. The jack pine are usually
somewhat the stronger as the boards are somewhat thicker
and better grade. A large bulk of the lumber comes from
small or portable mills which specialize on that kind of work.
The doors are generally made at the mills and are usually
made and hauled as fast as the lumber is cut. This saves
handling and piling the lumber around the mill. They
nail much easier when lumber is freshly cut, but are heavier
and not as easy to haul. The greatest disadvantage of mak-
ing them of green lumber is that when the boards dry and
shrink, cracks are often left that will cause leakage of grain.

19

A great deal of the grain door making is piece work.
Stumpage is bought by the door, the bolts (six-foot logs) cut
and hauled to the mill by the piece, the sawing, nailing and
hauling all done by the door, and when finished, they are sold
to the railroad companies by the door. The average price
on cars at mills for the last season would not be far from 35
cents per door.

They are used inside the cars, one above the other, and
nailed to the door posts. Extra lumber is furnished for the
crack at the union of the two doors or else a door is broken
up occasionally to furnish this lumber. They are nailed to tne
door posts with any sized nails from 8d to 20d, and anywhere
from four to twenty nails used in each one.

After the first trip, only about 75 per cent of the doors and
material can be used again, this meaning that 25 per cent of
the material is totally wasted. Out of this 75 per cent, only

The McNulty grain door in place in a car.

20

about 30 per cent of them can be used again without re-
pair. At the end of each trip, at least one door is cut to
pieces to release the grain. This one is practically entirely
wasted. The ends of many of them are battered so badly in
taking them out that they need much repair. This means a
very large waste of lumber annually.

A new grain door has been designed and patented, called
the McNulty grain car door, which promises to do away with
much of the timber wasted in the present consumption of
doors. Its best merits are founded on two facts, viz.: That
it is not nailed solid to the door posts of the car but is hooked
and can be easily released, and that it has a sliding door in
itself through which the grain can be run out, instead of cut-
ting the door to pieces. These doors are built in two widths
and two lengths, viz.: Six and seven feet long, to fit cars of
different sizes, and 20 and 24 inches in height, the 24-inch
door being used at the bottom and contains the slide to release
the grain. These are well constructed, being made from
No. 1 Douglas fir grove and tongue material, 1% inches thick
with ship lap joints. This makes a door tighter and also
tronger than the door now most generally used. To further
insure a tight fit in the car, a strip of coarse paper is placed
between the door post and this door.

Instead of being nailed to the door posts, as are other doors,
this one is held in place by one hook on each side, which
drives into the door post. The hooks on all doors are at the
same height and the same length, so the same hole in the
post can be used several times. The hooks are on a sliding
arrangement so they can be used on cars of any width door.
The advantage of the hook arrangement is in the time saved
in placing the door in or taking out of cars, door post of car
is not strained as much, and most important of all, doors are
not split up by nailing in or by removing from cars.

The original cost is said to be only about twice that of the
common door used, and it is maintained that one will last
indefinitely, although up to date, no door has been traced over
about 30 trips. The success of this door will mean a saving
of several million feet of timber yearly, saying nothing of
time and convenience.

21

1

Ranger

Attacked

by

Lynx

$

THE daily reports sent in by the forest rangers often con-
tain descriptions of life in the north woods that are
thrilling in the extreme. One of the rangers, for in-
stance, had an encounter with a big Canadian lynx that
jumped onto his back. Some excerpts from the report of lynx
incident is given herewith.

"Spent night at Clearwater Lake. Date-— 1-23, 1915 — Dis-
trict, 20. Condition of district/fair. A. M. N. W. wind N. W.
P. M. Lft. S. B. at 8 A. M. Snow shoed ahead of team, had
to break trail most of the way ari. at cabin about 3:45 P. M.
After dark I walked down to the lake after water. On leav-
ing the lake passing a spruce tree I heard a rustling ahead
and all of a sudden a great big Canadian lynx was on my
back clawing Hx-* out of my cap, from there it jumped to
the ground in front of me and say we had a fierce battle. I
did not have any weapon on me but my fingers which were
put to use never like it before in the scirmish I stepped in
the water pail which brought me to a fall and the brute with
renewed energy made the attack most interesting until I got
rid of my mitts and got him by the wind pipe by that time
he had nearly all my clothes torn off from me. I suppose
Pat herd the war cry and rushed to my assistance all I knew
is when he helped me up he said by the way you hollered I
thought the Germans were coming.

On the following day this ranger's report read, in part, as
follows: "I had to mend .my clothes as best I could but
changed a LITTLE in appearance, just the same Pat is
laughing at my clothes. Went on the lake to fish. Cought 8
nice trout in less than an hour, good dinner. After noon had
6 Indians and one white man for co."

22

2

Mammals in Minnesota

By Prof. C E Johnson

1

(Continued from January issue.)

The badger may be mentioned here as a flesh-eater with
skin of little worth as fur, though utilized to some extent as
leather. An habitual burrower, a very powerful and rapid
digger, it finds in field-mice, ground-squirrels and the like, its
chief food. It is one of our highly beneficial mammals which
is too frequently killed without cause.

In the skunk we have an animal deserving more than the
portion usually accorded it. Modest and retiring of disposi-
tion and desiring only that it may pass unnoticed, yet pos-
sessed of instruments of defense with which on occasion of
need it is able to surround its person with an atmosphere of
defiance effective towards all but its most determined foes, it
goes about its business deliberately and methodically. As it
works at night its presence in the neighborhood and its good
offices alike remain unnoticed until through some accident or
mistake its arrival in the locality becomes insinuated. Its
handsome, durable fur, which has risen in price and may even
pass under its own name, has placed this animal on the list
of our most important fur-bearers, the more so as it is one of
the most successful in maintaining its hold against natural
enemies, is prolific, and readily establishes its abode in agri-
cultural and other settled districts.

It may not be generally known that the chief food of skunks,
both of our larger Northern species and of the small spotted
skunk or civet-cat, which is a more Southern animal that
appears to be extending its range and enters the southern
part of the state, is insects,x such as grass-hoppers, crickets,
beetles and grubs; and next in importance come mice of vari-
ous kinds. This has been proved by examination of the stom-
ach contents of numerous skunks, in the biological survey's
investigations, and may be verified in the same way by any-
one sufficiently interested. Having lived the greater part of
my life on a farm in the extreme northwest of this state,

23

where skunks in former years were very plentiful, I appre-
ciate the attitude of the average farmer towards this inter-
esting animal when at times it attempts to establish head-
quarters in or under the farm-yard buildings, with particular
partiality for the hen-coop. But the occasional raids that it
makes upon the fyen-roost, and likewise upon some of our
game birds and their nests, are faults of individuals rather
than of the species, and are on the average abundantly atoned
for in the service that skunks render in the destruction of
noxious insects and rodents. I am well aware that some
naturalists and others deny to skunks, as well as to some of
the other carnivores that have been mentioned here, any im-
portance as insect and rodent destroyers; but that they are
of such importance I believe has been satisfactorily shown
by unprejudiced reports in the bulletins of the U. S. Biological
Survey. I know from personal observation that our larger
species of skunk does eat vast numbers of insects, grass-
hoppers in particular. Its indiscriminate killing is unjusti-
fied from the standpoint of its fur value alone.

The raccoon is an animal that is omnivorous and feeds as
opportunity affords upon mice, frogs, crawfish, reptiles, vege-
table matter, insects, etc., with no special preference, and is
therefore of less importance as a foe to vermin. It is not as
a rule harmful and is valuable in its fur.

Of the remaining fur-bearing flesh-eaters of Minnesota, the
lynx and wild-cat, so far as I am able to learn, have become
exceedingly scarce. Prime skins of the wild-cat are worth
only from one to three dollars in the fur markets, but the lynx
brings from nine to seventeen dollars. In consequence the
latter animal has suffered the most from trapping, and very
few Minnesota skins reach the market today. In fact I be-
lieve the lynx has nearly vanished from our North woods,
and the wild-cat is too scarce to have any serious standing as
a game destroyer.

The black bear, once plentiful throughout all the Northern
regions of the state, is another of our interesting animals
which has suffered relentless persecution. To this very day
it is generally killed on sight whenever opportunity offers.
The skins from this state that are marketed today are but a

24

small part of the numbers that were obtained ten, fifteen
years ago and only an insignificant part of the quantity that
a state like this should supply. And what a pity to learn
every year, of summer-killed bears, the skins of which, if
taken at all in the fur markets, fetch but a small fraction <>!
the fifteen to twenty-five dollars that would be paid for them
if prime. This is not all. Nearly every year also, in summer
or early fall, one hears or reads of the chance discovery of a
she-bear and her cubs, and the deliberate slaughter of the
entire family! This is a shameful state of affairs and should
be immediately stopped. Harmless alike to man and beast,
in our state, the black bear should have a closed season for a
period of years, and when reopened the killing season should
be regulated by law.

The prairie-wolf or coyote and its larger cousin the timber-
wolf have gained for themselves such a reputation for evil-
doing that one might be expected to place them in a class by
themselves for wholesale condemnation and abuse. But here
also the far reaching investigations of the Biological survey,
in many states, have shown that as destroyers of vermin and
as scavengers, on the prairie, in the fields and in the forest,
these animals play by no means an insignificant part. And
on the whole, during the greater part of the year, it may be
be truly said, this is their chief occupation. What their
standing in any part of the country may be, depends upon
conditions. Ordinarily, like other animals, they seek the
food most readily obtainable, and that food is the vermin
before mentioned. But if in any locality their numbers be-
come greatly increased, or* if pressed by hunger, they become
highly destructive to much wild life that is of value to man,
and to domestic stock, if not life.

So far as my own knowledge goes, from experience in the
northwestern part of the state, the coyote has not in years
been sufficiently numerous in any locality to work serious
damage in any way. As fur, in view of their size, neither
the coyote nor the timber-wolf takes important rank, prices
for the former being from one to two and one half dollars and
for the latter two to five dollars, for prime skins; yet the
bounty which the state pays makes their hunting and trapping

25

worth while to many. On account of their size and strength
they have few natural enemies and may be the chief agency
in checking their increase.

So long as the coyote is thus held down numerically, I be-
lieve that in the state as a whole it must do fully as much
good as harm, in view of its vermin destroying propensities
and as a scavenger. It is true that it does destroy some of
our game birds and others of economic value, yet I believe
also that such depredidations are as a rule far less frequent
than is commonly supposed and do not appreciably affect the
sum total of such life in this state. I have known large tracts
in the nortwestern part of the state where in past years there
were ten prairirie-wolves to one found there today, alongside
of as many foxes, yet the game-birds such as the sharp-tailed
grouse, the prairie-hen, the upland plover and others, were
vastly more numerous then, than they are in that same region
today.

To the timber-wolf special interest attaches because of its
relation to our big-game animals, moose and deer, the latter
particularly. Being a forest animal the beast itself is seldom
seen and its presence is made known chiefly by signs. Grave
accusations have been made against the timber-wolf in regard
to the heavy toll annually exacted on the deer of our north
woods. It is sometimes charged that more deer are killed
during the year by this beast alone than by all other causes
combined. Beyond the mere assertion I have failed to find
tangible evidence, circumstantial or otherwise, brought forth
in support of such contentions. With the possible exception
of some of the most remote localities, where the greater num-
ber of timber-wolves are found, and where few, if any, hunters
go to shoot deer, I believe that such assertions are wild specu-
lations and cannot be accepted for the deer-inhabited regions
of the state as a whole. This wolf, like the coyote, finds the
bulk of its food in the "small fry," such as mice, rabbits,
wood-chucks, chipmunks, sometimes birds and their eggs, and
even the musk-rat. But there are many exceptions to this
rule, and there are exceptional seasons. The winter often
drives it to depend upon larger game.

During the last three summers spent in the Superior Na-

26

tional Forest Reserve no positive evidence was obtained in
the region visited by us, that either deer or moose had suf-
fered to any great extent from the activities of the wolf, al-
though in the remoter regions reached signs of the beast
were very common. One of the animals was even seen, and
that, too, in the very suspicious circumstances of feeding upon
the carcass of a cow-moose lying in the river above a rapids,
and which had met death only a day or two before it was
discovered by us. One or more wolves may have been directly
or indirectly responsible. But such examination as the time
and the place permitted making did not prove the guilt of the
wolf beyond a doubt. The most incriminating circumstance
is reduced to many tracks on the banks and the fact that the
wolf was seen feeding on the carcass.

The skeleton remains of two very small fawns were found,
which, of course, gave no hint of the cause of death. One dead
moose-calf was found in this territory by two forest rangers
who reported that when found, the calf had apparently been
dead but a day or two and that careful examination of the
calf and the mud of the river-bank where it lay failed to sug-
gest anything but a natural death. We saw the carcass a few
few days later most of the flesh had been stripped from the
bones. This past summer we found the remains of a bull-
moose that may or may not have been killed by wolves. We
also found the remains of a bear that had left for perhaps hap-
pier hunting grounds the summer previous.

Now, the fact remains that in all this wolf-inhabited terri-
tory deer were actually seen by us, — and even photographed.
Judging only from numbers seen, they were less numerous
than in the territory lying within ten or fifteen miles of the
settled districts, but this may in part be accounted for by the
lateness of the season, when we were in this region, when
deer do not so frequently visit the water courses and come to
view. Signs showed, however, that deer were by no means
rare, actually common in all this region.

Of course the summer season is the least favorable for find-
ing tell-tale skeletal remains of big-game kills. We did as a
matter of fact, however, find two more such remains of moose,
yet the top of the skull in these cases had been removed with

27

a saw, and the timber wolf, though charged with many strange
things, has never been charged with using such tools of this
kind. Another was found where most of the skeleton except
the skull was present. This particular skull may have been
more palatable to the wolf-pack (?) than the ordinary run of
moose skulls or perhaps it had accompanied a very nice set
of antlers.

Now, while I believe that the wolf in our state is too fre-
quently made the scapegoat where the blame belongs more
properly upon the members of the human species, neverthe-
less it is an established fact that this beast can and does
destroy big-game, and effective measures must be adopted to
control its numbers. Although a most difficult animal to
hunt and to trap, yet I am firmly convinced that, if serious
effort is made and experienced trappers are employed, who
are at the same time reliable men, and this applies especially
to our great forest reserves, who shall make the pursuit of
the timber wolf their particular aim, this predatory beast
can be controlled so as to be a comparatively negligible quan-
tity as concerns our game, both big and small. The winter
and early spring months is, of course, the time for this trap-
ping. Care is needed that permission to trap wolves and such
other predatory beasts as our game laws may refer to in the
ambiguous language, "other noxious animals," is not given to
persons who interpret this description to apply to any animal
the fur of which brings a desirable price in the markets. At
the present time there is urgent need. for patrols in our forest
reserves during the entire fur-trapping season, to guard
against the surreptitious trapping that each year takes place.

We come now to our big-game animals, deer and moose.
But first, in regard to a question which I have sometimes
heard asked, whether o.r not elk or wapiti in the wild state
occurs at all in Minnesota today, I have no positive informa-
tion. I have known of rumors to the effect that not many
years ago a few of these animals occurred in the vicinity of
Lake of the Woods. I believe that there is none at present
in a wild state in Minnesota. Further, of caribou it may be
said that a. small band is known to have been leading a pre-
carious existence for some years on the north1 shore of Red

28

ike, but between the whites and Indians on the one hand
tnd natural agencies on the other, their extermination is
thought to be but a matter of a short time. It seems a pity
that no effort, at least so far as I am aware, has been made
by the people of this part of the state to save this band.

In regard to the deer situation in Minnesota there seems
be much difference of opinion and very divergent views
have been expressed. It is a difficult problem from its very
nature.

Figures obtained from the state game warden's office, based
on shipping-tag count, give the total number of deer killed in
season, from 1907 to 1913, inclusive, as 16,365, or an average of
a little more than 2,300 head annually. To this must be added
the local kills of the various districts, the illegal kill by
whites and Indians, and the yearly toll of natural agencies.
The total yearly death rate is probably not less than 6,000 to
7,000 head. Persons who lay peculiar stress upon the timber-
wolf would make this number much larger. I have heard esti-
I mates of 20,000 and higher, as the annual kill of wolves alone.
Some estimates I have seen give 200,000 as the number of deer
within the state at present. I believe such figures are un-
worthy of serious attention except in so far as they mislead

le public into a sense of security in a matter in which exag-
geration may have disastrous consequence.

Anything but approximate estimates cannot of course be
attempted, but I believe that one much nearer the truth would
place our deer population at present between, say, 30,000 and
40,000 at most. Numbers seen during a few days' hunting in
this or that locality, or in the summertime when the animals
are generally concentrated near the water courses and favor-
ite feeding grounds, are extremely unreliable, and likly to
overstate the actual conditions, often to absurd lengths.
Unless an actual count is made and recorded, and this is oft-
enest, I believe, not the case, one easily falls prey to the
angler's habit and imagines the number to be much greater
than it in reality is. The conclusion is too hastily drawn when
a relatively large number is seen in a number of different
localities, that every square mile of territory neighboring and
distant is equally densely populated.

29

It has been pointed out by competent men, and anyone with
a knowledge of the breeding habits of deer may reason the
matter out for himself, that in the most favorable conditions
in nature, a given number of deer, consisting half and half of
males and females, are not likely to increase by more than
one-fourth their number annually. In ordinary conditions they
probably do not increase by more than one-fifth or one-sixth
their number, and even less. The total death rate, therefore,
must not be greater than one-fifth their number annually, in
the most favorable conditions, if the species is to increase.

Taking the last ten years as a whole I believe it is near the
truth to say that deer have neither decreased nor increased
to a distinctly noticeable degree, and it may be reasonably
assumed that they have been holding their own. Opinions
will differ as to the total annual death rate, but the number
before given seems to me fair and may assume at least, in
want of more accurate knowledge, that it represents approxi-
mately one-fifth, one-sixth, or possibly one-seventh of the total
number.

Much of what has been said for the deer applies also to the
moose, but with greater emphasis. The moose, a large animal,
requiring a correspondingly larger individual range, does not
tend like the deer too seek the regions bordering the settle-
ments, nor does it so readily adapt itself to changing condi-
tions resulting from man's agencies. It withdraws to the re-
moter places. Its great size and strength render is less de-
pendent upon the greater security from the wolf afforded by
the districts bordering the settlements.

Opinion on the moose population is probably as divergent
as that on the deer. I have seen an estimate attributed to a
former state game warden, giving the number of moose in 1908
as approximately 10,000. The question as to whether or not
the moose have increased in numbers during the last ten
years cannot from present knowledge be any more satisfac-
torily answered than for the deer, although the problem would
seem to involve rather fewer difficulties because of the more
restricted territory over which moose range in the state, and
their much smaller numbers.

The total number killed, shipping-tag basis, from 1907 to

30

1913, inclusive, was 663, an average of only some ninety
yearly. But the total death rate may be approximately 1,000
or 1,100 annually. I think it safest to assume that they have
done no better than hold their own.

I have heard some hunters say that large heads, trophies
worth the sportman's effort, are now quite scarce. This is
also my own impression from observations in the Superior
Forest Reserve during the last three summers. Among 163
adult moose observed, by actual count, there were only about
a score or less with size of body and antlers that bespoke
beasts in the full prime of body development and vigor. The
great majority were inferior or younger animals, yearlings to
four and nve-year-olds.

Our observations thus far are entirely too meager to war-
rant positive statements of any sort, but a number of facts
may be mentioned which may or may not have some signifi-
cance. Of 83 animals, big and small, seen the first summer,
there were 36 cows, 11 calves, and the remainder bulls, with
the exception of a few cases where the animals may have
been cows or yearling bulls. Among 50 seen the second sum-
mer there were 23 cows, 5 calves, the rest bulls, with about
half a dozen undetermined cases; and altogether this last
summer of 52 head, there were 22 calves among the total 185
head observed; and as no cow had more than one calf this to
say that in round numbers about 70 of the 95 cows observed
were without calves. These observations were made in the
same territory, all of it protected, excellent moose country,
and may therefore be considered particularly favorable. The
number of calves seems strikingly small, considering the pro-
portion of cows and bulls. The question that suggests itself
is, may there not be some relation between the scarcity of
large bulls in the full prime of vigor and the low rate of in-
crease there observed?

We have now seen what, I believe, is the situation in regard
to our most important mammals at the present time. Among
them are most of the valuable fur-bearing animals of North
America. Some of them are dangerously near extinction and
the killing of them should be completely stopped for a period
of years. Others are surely decreasing, perhaps more rapidly

31

than we are aware, and still others are as yet holding their
own. These should be included under the law now applying
to the mink and the musk-rat. Our big-game animals, one of
which, the lordly moose, represents the largest wild animal
that walks on this continent today, may be said to be fairly
well off. But this is not sufficient. Their range is steadily
being reduced with the spread of settlers and the clearing of
forests. The population of the state is increasing and there
is destined to be a corresponding increase in the numbers of
those who hunt. If we are to have all of these animals with
us as a permanent asset, more careful attention must be given
the subject. For all of them, in order to insure against off
years and possible epidemics among them, there must at all
times be maintained a distinct margin of safety.

Many agencies have been constantly at work against the in-
terests of our wild life. Most destructive have been the inor-
dinate killing lust and greed of man, the clearing of forests,
the draining of marshes and sloughs, and in the large agricult-
ural districts of the state the more or less complete elimina-
tion of natural habitats.

Our big-game animals and many of our choicest fur-bearers
we have seen, are essentially forest dwellers and their fate
is, inseparably wrapped up with the fate of the forests. Those
that readily adapt themselves to the settled regions can be
permanently preserved only by allowing the existence in those
districts of some areas here and there, they need not always
be large, where such animals may have their retreats and
homes and where they may rear their young undisturbed.
Minnesota has abundant natural resources for the permanent
preservation of all her wild forms and needs, but the awaken-
ing of the people to a full realization of their worth that they
may insist upon the enactment of proper measures, and, fur-
ther, insist upon their rigid enforcement. It is not alone as a
matter of direct or indirect economic value from man's view-
point that our wild animals are entitled to preservation; they
are entitled to it also, because of themselves, as living things
that have a part to play in the economy of nature and add a
peculiar interest and charm to our surroundings.

32

"Forest Schools the Foundation of Foreft Wealth.1

Volume IV.

MARCH, 1915

Number 3

A Recorder and Promoter of the Forestry Movement in Minnesota.

OFFICIAL BULLETIN OF THE MINNESOTA FORESTRY ASSOCIATION
AND THE STATE FOREST SERVICE.

Published Monthly for members of the Minnesota Forestry Association

Annual Membership Fee $1.00. This includes membership in the Minnesota

Horticultural Society, entitling every such member to all privileges of

that organization as well as the Forestry Association. Remittance

should be made payable to PHIL H. HANSON. Treas..

care State Forester's Office, State Capitol,

St. Paul. Minn.

Entered as Second Class Matter, September 14, 1912, at the Post Office at St.
1'iiul, Minnesota, under the Act of August 21, 1912.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Real Sources of Revenue . .. s. '' . . 3

State Forester's Reply . 5» ••' • • 4

Soil Survey Bill is Killed . ,'.-.-. . 7

A Gasoline Wolf Hunt -V . < . . 9

Massacre Island . . . . ;" . 12

The Lake of the Woods . . : . ^ . 15

Forestry and the Legislature . . . . 19

The Northwest Angle . » . . . 22

The Bean Hole . . . .', "*•• . . 27

Minnesota's Needs in Game Legislation . 29

s

Real

Sources

of

Revenue

1

NOT less than one million and a half of ducks are shot
in Minnesota every year, according to figures that are
estimated as being very nearly correct. There are not
less than 150,000 duck hunters in this state every year and
they average 10 ducks each.

Estimating the commercial value of these ducks to be not
less than $3.00 a dozen, we have $375,000. For other wild
fowl such as prairie chicken, partridge, and geese we may
safely figure another $350,000. There are each year about
30,000 deer hunters that average one deer apiece, valuing the
deer at $10.00 this gives another $300,000. Making a total of
$1,325,000 that is taken from our woods to be used as food.

Commercial fisheries each year sell at least $3,000,000 in
fish from the waters of the state. Two million dollars at the
very least is left in the state by tourists attracted by the
game, woods and water in this state. Totaling these amounts
we have the sum of at least $6,325,000 that is each year real-
ized in this state by the attractions of our forests, game and
other natural resources. This revenue will be many times in-
creased when this part of the state becomes better known.

The commissioner of Maine reports in his 1914 report that
not less than $20,000,000 is left in that state as a result of
the attraction of their woods and lakes. The total land area
of Maine is less than 30,000 square miles while that of Min-
nesota is a little over 72,000. We have been much more lib-
erally blessed with lakes and streams than has Maine.

It is time that we, as a state, did something to make known
to our fellowmen the attractions of which we boast. This
year there is to be more local travel than ever before and
this state ought to come in for its share.

s

State

Forester's

Reply

i

The forestry situation in Minnesota is attracting more atten-
tion at this time than it has for many years. This is due
largely to the very great activity of the Minnesota Forestry
Association last fall in behalf of the Ninth Amendment. This
same amendment has caused quite a little criticism of the
Service. Much of the criticism is undeserved and all adverse
criticism unmerited. There has been an article published
recently that has come to the notice of the State Forester that
reflects upon the characters of the officers of the Service and
upon the intelligence of the many who co-operated with the
Forestry Association in making known the purpose of the
Amendment.

It charges the Service with inefficiency and improper uses
of the funds at their disposal. It also states that politics has
played a large part in the appointment of employees. We are
all acquainted with the fact that politics has never entered
into the administration of the Service and furthermore some
resentment has resulted. Mr. Cox has written the following
article in reply to the article referred to and we take pleasure
in publishing the same. It is the duty of every member of the
Association to see that erroneous ideas are corrected and the
true situation made known.

"As a rule, I have always thought it best to ignore nasty
attacks which have no justification, and which originate from
personal grudge, private interest or inexcusable ignorance.
The opposition to forestry work in this State has now as-
sumed such proportions, however, that such efforts must be
taken into account.

The Forest Service is proud of its efficient administration
and the manner in which the State funds appropriated for it
have been expended. Not one dollar has been illegally spent.
The House Committee on Public Accounts and Expenditures
has checked over our work for the past two years. The Pub-
lic Examiner's office goes through our books and inquires into

our work fully from time to time. If any one wants informa-
tion, he may obtain it from either of these authoritative
sources or from our records direct. There is no need for
straining the imagination as a few have done. The law au-
thorizes and requires the Forester to carry on educational
work and advocates measures for the establishment of scien-
tific forestry in the management and promotion of the forest
resources of the State. There can be no question, therefore,
as to our authority to expend money to inform the public
relative to a movement to bring about conservative instead
of wasteful logging on certain State lands. As a matter of
fact, this Department could afford to expend very little for this
purpose; approximately only thirteen hundred dollars was so
expended, and this incidental to other necessary work. For
example, we had to increase our office force in order to handle
the enormously increased correspondence which grew out of
the public interest in the State Forests amendment. We
had to make reprints of certain of our publications because of
the demand for them ; and the Rangers, while engaged in their
regular work and while showing forestry exhibits at county
fairs, incidentally posted up notices furnished by the Forestry
Association. This is the nature of the expenditures which the
Forest Service made in order to acquaint the people with the
amendment, — the purpose of which was to preserve some of
our fast-disappearing forests. We are proud of what we did —
even though it was small in comparison with the work done
by the Forestry Association. The Game and Fish Commission,
the Department of Public Instruction and other State Depart-
ments deserve credit also, for they did the same kind of work
as was done by the Forest Service in behalf of a measure
which is non-political and means much for the public good.

Politics does not have any part in the work of the Forest
Service. Our appointments are made without any reference
whatever to political views of the appointees. I never could
figure out why a man should make a better Ranger or other
forest officer because of his being a Republican, Democrat or
Socialist.

The State Forestry Association is a voluntary association
of individuals from all parts of the State who are interested

in preserving our forests and promoting the planting of trees.
It has had a long and honored career since its organization
in 1876. Its officers are named on the back cover of the Jan-
uary number of the "North Woods." In that number of the
"North Woods" may be found also a list of contributors to the
Association and the expenditures of the Association in its
campaign for the ninth amendment.

No one in this Deparment has made the silly statement that
the damage of fire is greater now than four years ago. In the
years 1907-08-09-10, before the Service was organized, there
were 1,472 forest fires reported, and many more which were
not reported. The damage done during these years amounted
to $13,806,000, not counting the lives lost nor the enormous
losses in young trees destroyed. During 1911-12-13-14, since
the Forest Service was organized, 944 forest fires have oc-
curred, doing damage to the extent of $201,677. Practically
all of these fires were caught and extinguished while small.
These figures show that the average loss caused by such for-
est fire previous to 1911 amounted to $10,000, and that since
the Rangers have been on duty this figure has been re-
duced to $212. There is danger and very serious danger, —
even though the Rangers have accomplished much in secur-
ing the co-operation of the settlers and others inhabiting the
timber country, — even though slashings are no longer left, a
serious menace behind the lumbermen. The reason is this:
The forest fires of 1908 and 1910 burned over enormous areas,
killing the timber but not consuming it. This has since blown
down, forming continuous tangled windfalls extending mile
upon mile. Many new settlements are springing up in the vi-
cinity of these windfalls; and only thorough patroling, the con-
struction of firebreaks, and the co-operation of the settlers
with the Rangers, can we prevent serious fires which might
easily become death-dealing conflagrations. To reduce the
efficiency of the Forest Service at this time is to remove the
protection these settlers have, and might be construed as a
round-about way of committing wholesale murder. Our skele-
ton force of Rangers is, of course, unable to clean up the vast
windfalls resulting from old fires. w. T. COX.

State Forester."

6

Soil Survey Bill is Killed

LAST November the people of the state of Minnesota
amended the constitution to make possible the setting
aside of non-agricultural state lands for state forests.
On March 18, the state senate acted upon the bill calling for
a soil survey, the preliminary step to taking advantage of the
amendment. The senate adopted the report of its finance
committee which was to the effect that the bill be indefinitely
postponed.

The action of the senate means simply this: Although the
people of the state passed the amendment, the legislators do
not think that any steps should be taken at this time to take
advantage thereof.

Forestry advocates and agricultural experts were of one
opinion that the first step was that a soil survey should be
taken by agricultural men. Those lands belonging to the
state that were found to be absolutely unfit for agriculture
could then be set aside for forests as provided in the amend-
ment the people ratified.

Senator Holmberg introduced the bill in the senate. It
called for an expenditure of approximately $20,000 during the
next two years and a half.

The senate finance committee, to which the bill was re-
ferred, decided that the measure could wait at least another
two years.

Those who worked hard for the passage of the amendment
No. 9, may feel a sense of disappointment at the action of the
senate. It means that the proposition must lie as it is for at
least two years more. The house will undoubtedly let the
matter rest where it is.

With the amending of the constitution, however, much was
gained. The amendment is there and can be taken advan-
tage of at a later date.

A soil survey now is out of the question until another leg-
islature meets.

But the thing to remember is this: The constitution of the
state is broader and the cause of forestry is better cared for
with the amendment.

Friends of No. 9 must be patient and wait for the time until
the legislature becomes as enthusiastic as were the people
last fall.

Sometimes it takes legislators longer time to become en-
thusiastic over certain measures than it does the electorate
that sends them to the capitol.

Observations at the Utah Experiment Station show that aspen
sprouts from good stumps attain a maximum height grozvth dur-
ing the summer season of over one-half inch per day.

The articles this month on "The Northwest Angle" and "The
Lake of the Woods" will serve to introduce to those unacquainted
with that region some of the beauty spots for which Minnesota
is noted.

Sufficient ties were cut from the Wasatch forest from July to
January to amount at eight cents apiece stumpage to twenty-four
thousand dollars, more than is required to administer the entire
forest for twelve months.

The U. S. forest service has just completed an estimate of the
timber of the Teton forest, adjoining the Yellowstone park on
the south, and finds that it contains sufficient spruce, fir, and pine
timber suitable for wood pulp to supply a mill of 150-ton a day
capacity. Power for such a mill can be supplied by Pine or
Rainey Creek, tributaries of the Snake River, and the Snake
River will transport the bolts of wood from forest to mill.

8

ON the first Sunday in April, 1914, late sleepers at War-
road, on Lake of the Woods, were roused by the purr
of a motor on the river, and for one startled moment,
thought that summer had come and that a launch was pass-
ing by. Those who hurried to windows and looked out saw
only the wide sweep of ice and caught sight of the Lumber-
man's new "Overland" vanishing around the Point towards
the lake.

In half an hour, the car came rushing back. It stopped be-
fore the office of the Legislator, who had been an Early Set-
tler and a Fisherman. Four men tumbled out of the automo-
bile, ran up the bank, and burst into his office. "Come along!"
they shouted. "We saw two wolves on the ice close to Spring-
steel's island. We came back for our rifles. Come along!"

The Legislator hesitated. For twenty-two years he had
lived on Lake of the Woods. He had come to this new country
when there were not more than a dozen white men on the
South Shore. He had faced perils unnumbered, in boats of all
kinds, and on the ice, and was ready to face them again with
a steady pulse; but a mad ride after wolves, over the ice of
spring, in an untried machine, driven by the Lumberman
proud of his new car and keen to show what speed she could
make — well, hardly!

"I guess I won't go," he said. "Automobiling on the ice is a

risky proposition at best, and I've seen the Lumberman drive
his car. I like good sport, but I have my family to think of,
and I believe I won't go."

The Lumberman, properly resentful, vowed with some heat
that he could be and in fact was as careful and cautious as
any driver need be. There was no time for argument, as wait-
ing to be hunted is not a wolf's long suit. Fuming at the de-
lay, the Banker and the Cement Pavement Man and the Hard-
ware Salesman all went the Lumberman's surety that he
would not be reckless and would drive slow; and at last the
Legislator yielded. Rifles and cartridges and planks were
brought, and the five set out.

After three or four miles on the lake, the hunters caught
sight of the wolves, and managed to get within a hundred rods
of them. Then the frightened animals began to run, separating
soon. One ran to the left, toward Springsteel's Island, and
the other turned to the right and ran toward Zippel on the
South Shore. The Lumberman turned the car and started
after the second wolf, driving cautiously, keeping the speed
down to twenty-two miles an hour, as the anxious Legislator
read on the speedometer. The wolf kept easily out of rifle
range, running toward the muskeag where no automobile
could follow. The hunters fired shot after shot, wasting all
but four of their cartridges. "Speed her up!" shouted the
Legislator. "He'll beat us to the muskeag." But the Lumber-
man remembered his solemn promise, and held the pace down
to twenty-two miles. And twenty-two miles was exactly what
the wolf could • do. He reached the muskeag, and rushed
across it to safety, while the men swore in disgust.

The Legislator was furious. He denounced the Lumber-
man's driving in no uncertain terms. "You fool chump!" he
roared. "We'd have got him if you had speeded her up a bit.
Why didn't you let her out like I told you to? You don't need
an automobile. What you want is a wheelbarrow." And the
hunters howled with delight.

The car was turned now and nearing Springsteel's Island.
"There's the other wolf," shouted the Banker, "beyond that
ice-push." A wall of ragged ic'e barred the way, where a
crack had come in the smooth floor of the frozen lake, and

10

the wind and waves had pushed the two edges of the crack
up and up until they stood twenty feet above the level. The
Lumberman drove along the ice-push, searching for a place
where the machine could cross. At last he found a spot
where the edges were low, but parted by several feet of open
water. The planks were laid down, and on this temporary
bridge the car passed safely over. A pole was stuck in the
crack to mark the place, and the chase was on.

The Lumberman spurted to twenty-five miles and headed
the wolf off from the shore, turning him out toward the open
lake, where the Big Traverse stretches away with its sixteen
hundred square miles before the islands begin. The Legis-
lator neglected the speedometer now to watch for cracks
flush with the surface of the ice, which, the untrained eye
would be too slow to see until too late to avoid them. The
Lumberman held the wheel hard when the car struck a stretch
of glare ice; here the speed was good, but skidding was
almost certain. On spots where a slight snow had been fol-
lowed by a freeze, the going was rough and the car slowed
down. The wolf was making his twenty-two miles an 'hour,
gaining a little on the snowy places, where he left faint foot-
prints at every leap, but was not hindered for the snow was
firm; and losing on the glare ice where he had no good foot-
ing. And under wolf and automobile, lay three feet of blue
ice, firm and solid.

Spurt by spurt, the car drew nearer to the wolf. The men
tooted the horn fiercely, and shouted themselves hoarse. "Go
to it, old boy!" they shouted. "Hit it up! Run, run, run!"
And the wolf did his best. On and on they went, ten miles
from Springsteel's Island, over the Big Traverse. After the
first few miles, the wolf was only thirty feet ahead of the car.
The men could hear him pant, and they could have caught him
with a lasso if they had had one. One last spurt at twenty-
five miles, and they were alongside the wolf and only ten
feet from him. The Hardware Man fired, and the wolf dropped.

They hoisted him up on the mud-guards. He was a big
brush-wolf, as large as a full-grown timber-wolf; gray belly,
yellowish sides, a gray and yellow back overlaid with black

11

on the ends of the long hairs; a soft fluffy tail, gray and yel-
low; and a dog's head, with the weary tongue still clamped
between the cruel teeth.

When the Legislator got home, he was exulting like a boy.
"I never had so much fun in my life," he said. "I didn't think
anything could happen on that lake that would excite me any
more. Why, that time we saw a big bull moose swimming
toward Bigsby's Island and got in a sailboat and chased him
six miles to the mainland, I thought I had fine sport. But that
couldn't hold a candle to this wolf hunt on the ice. I tell
you, that one trip was worth the price of the automobile!"

"Bet your life!" said the Lumberman.

s

Massacre Island

By Henry E. Baker, Warroad, Minn.

$

THERE is an isle in the Lake of the Woods ;
An isle that is known to fame.
And those, who pass on the waters by,
Speak, softly, her dreaded name.

At eve mid the dusky, grayish heights
Weird spirits make their home;
And all night long through the pine and oak
Strange phantom shadows roam.

Strange whisperings thrill the passing wind,
Strange footsteps beat the shore.
And shrieks of woe at the midnight hour,
Rise high through the billows roar.

"Then sheer away," cries the wary guide,
"Steer far from the isle of dread;
Naught dwells in those shady bosky bowers
Save ghosts of the mangled dead."

12

''They say when a boat sails near the shore
That the gales begin to rise

And the wind blows east and the wind blows west,
Across the sombre skies."

He came from the land of the sunny east
Where the lily waves in pride,
He dared the wilds of the rugged west
And the surge of the billowed tide.

That name La Ver-en-drye known to all
Rings out in the misty past,
A father breasted our rock-bound coasts
A son roved our northland vast.

He came, that scion of noble race,
France's peerless and princely one,
He turned his face from the gleaming morn
To the land of the setting sun.

They slew him there on that lonely isle
With his kinsmen true and brave,
With firm set lips and undimmed eye
He sank to his lonely grave.

But the Indian's song is stilled at eve
As he sights that dim blue shore
For a shadowy vision ever floats
Those fields of destruction o'er.

Far, far away he guides his boat

Mid waves of the dimpling blue

Till the haunted coasts sink 'neath the flood,

And their heights are lost to view.

There is an isle in the Lake of the Woods;
An isle that is known to fame
And those who pass on its waters by
Speak softly her dreaded name.

13

The Lake of the Woods

A PLACE where more than ten thousand islands have al-
ready been located, where precipitous heights rise out
of the very waters, where Indian legends abound, where
some of the fast disappearing Chippewas still hold forth,
where the fishing industry is already highly developed, where
there is more scenery wrapped up in a few hundred square
miles than in any other section in the middle of the North
American continent, — that is the Lake of the Woods.

This wonderful lake country is even now coming into its
own. Those who have enjoyed the Thousand Islands of the
St. Lawrence but who have looked with disfavor upon the
well kept lawns and the luxurious summer homes that now
adorn nearly every one of those islands, will find a paradise
in the Lake of the Woods. Instead of a thousand islands
there are more than ten thousand. Instead of summer homes,
nature is found unblemished.

The Lake of the Woods country is located at one of the
highest points between the Great Lakes and the Rockies, be-
ing 1,250 feet above sea level.

The lake itself is one of the largest in North America and
forms part of the boundary between Canada and the United
States. It covers an area of about ten thousand square miles
with about sixteen thousand miles of shore line. It is a ver-
itable labyrinth of islands, inlets, peninsulas and bays, and
unless one is thoroughly familiar with it, it is unsafe to vent-
ure upon. The southern part, a portion of which is in Minne-
sota, is called the Grand Traverse and covers an area of sixteen
hundred square miles of open water. The islands are of all
shapes and sizes, rock bound and rising sheer from the water
for hundreds of feet. Pine, birch and popple abound. The
water, clear and limpid, reflects them on every side. The
largest island, known as the Big Island, has an area of about
To, 000 acres.

The water of Lake of the Woods is part of the system

15

Steamer Kenora, Lake of the Woods, Fort Francis to Kenora.

flowing into Hudson Bay, through the Winnipeg river, Win-
nipeg lake, Nelson river to Hudson Bay.

White fish, pike, muskelonge, sturgeon and many other
smaller fish are to be found. Large fisheries around the lake,
there being about twenty on the American side, ship large
consignments to the Eastern markets.

French explorers were on the lake as early as the begin-
ning of the eighteenth century, and the first settlement was
made at Fort St. Charles, an American island, in 1722, a
couple of months after George Washington was born. The
lake is associated with stories and legends of the French and
Indians. American Island is the subject perhaps of the most
interesting of the historical facts connected with the lake.
It was here that La Verendrye, the French explorer, built
one of his forts, a rectangle consisting of four rows of fifteen
foot palisades "with four bastions.

This rectangle was one hundred feet long and contained a
house for the missionary, a church, a house for the com-
mandant, an apartment building with four chimneys, a pow-
der house, a store house and a sentry box. Two doors opened
into the enclosure. From here La Verendrye's son, Jean,

16

twenty-two years old, the priest, Aulneau, and nineteen Cana-
dian voyageurs set out for Michlimacknac, now Mackinac,
Mich., to obtain food and powder. On June 8, 1736, after pad-
dling from fifteen to eighteen miles through the mist they
were attacked by a band of Sioux and finally killed on Mas-
sacre Island. The priest was killed by an arrow, young Jean
falling with him by a body blow. The elder La Verendrye
returning in the fall found the remains and removed all of
the party to Fort St. Charles. Several expeditions in the last
few years have attempted to discover the remains of the old
fort and other historical data. It remained for a party of
Catholic priests to gain that distinction in the summer of
1908. This party left Kenora on July 10th, arriving at Ameri-
can point about two o'clock in the afternoon. While pitching
a tent one of the priests injured his foot which necessitated
his remaining in camp the next day. In this predicament he
carefully went over La Verendrye's memoirs, the testimony of
an old chief of the Chippewas, Andagamigowinini, and came
to the conclusion that the three chimneys spoken of by the
old chief were on the south side of the inlet.

The rest of the party, following his advice, found first two
Indian caches, a path leading to an old Indian hut and then
various articles such as old nails, keys and a buckle, and
lastly the almost obscure ruins of the palisades of the fort.
This expedition returned home but returned in a few days
for further explorations and succeeded in unearthing the
bodies of the explorers. Besides scattered fragments, five
whole skeletons were discovered. Two were in one box and
were identified as those of Jean La Verendrye and the priest
Aulneau. Massacre Island, where the tragedy took place,
had been previously explored in 1902 and 1905. In the latter
year a small memorial chapel was erected. In 1911 the Cana-
dian government placed the island under the Jesuit Historical
Society of St. Boniface, Manitoba. This same society bought
American Island early last winter (1914).

The Indians regard this lake with great favor, the Chip-
pewas or Ojibaways having a number of villages upon its
shores. Their enemies, the Sioux or the prairie Indians, had a
war path from where Pembina, N. D., now stands to what we

17

Blrdseye view of Warroad, Minnesota.

know as Warroad, Minn., following the sand ridges and dunes
through the swamps. Warroad, Minn., thus gets its name. It
was over this same path that the Sioux who killed La Veren-
drye and his party came.

About 130 years ago a part of Ojibaway Indians set out on
a hunting expedition to the prairie. A band of wandering
Sioux bent on pillage and plunder found their unprotected
village. Every man, woman and child was killed by the ma-
rauders except one old man who crawled into the underbrush.
The Ojibaways returning from the hunt found the ruins still
burning and the victims still warm. The old man who had
escaped directed them which way the enemy had gone and
the Ojibaways bent on revenge and frenzied with the dread-
ful calamity, rushed to form an ambush on a narrow inlet
where the victorious Sioux must pass. The latter came along,
as the story goes, drunk with success, paddling and singing
of their prowess and the wonderful deeds of their illustrious
fathers. As they reached the middle of the inlet the Ojiba-
ways let fly a shower of arrows and not one of their enemies
escaped. The Ojiboways have called this pass since, "Quen-
nep-a-scar" or "The overturning of the canoes."

18

Tainted Rock lies east of Big Island on the route from
Kenora to Rainy river. On its precipitous side various fig-
ures of horses, dogs, men and wigwams have been depicted,
supposedly carved by a race antedating the Indians. The
moss had been undoubtedly scraped away and the stone
carved and the moss growing in again made the figures stand
out in bold relief. The Indians paid visits to these figures
and generally left offerings of tobacco, maize, venison and
other things for their great Manitou. Lake of the Woods
offers everyone who wishes the outdoor life the chance to be
monarch of all he surveys for the many islands offer a king-
dom to each who desires it.

Here one may cruise around for weeks and never camp
upon the same island twice, far from the maddening crowd.

s

Forestry

and

the

Legislature

i

i HE time has come when the Minnesota legislature is
called upon to determine what course the development
of forestry in the state is going to take.

Opponents of forestry, some of them earnest in their views,
believe that there should be a substantial cut in the appro-
priation allowed the state forest service. Those in close
touch with the situation know only too well that a much larger
appropriation is needed and that any cut would go a long way
towards demoralizing the work already well started.

The legislators now have the matter before them and upon
their decision rests the cause of forestry.

The forest service submitted its requests for an appropria-
tion of $150,000 yearly. The present appropriation is $75,000
annually. This is the same amount that was fixed after the
forest law of 1911 was passed. No increase was made by the
legislature of 1913, although one was needed.

The present session of the legislature has been featured as

19

an "economy*' session. Knowing full well that the legislators
were pledged to rigid economy, the forest service neverthe-
less felt justified in asking for an increased appropriation.
They knew only too well what penuriousness at this time
would mean. They knew that the present appropriation was
too small and that it was false economy not to spend more.

The request for $150,000 per year was referred to the finance
committee in the senate and the appropriations committee in
the house.

The finance committee in the senate was the first to take
definite action. The state forester and others appeared be-
fore the senate committee to state the needs. They said that
they would feel that they had not done their duty if they had
not asked. for the full amount of $300,000 for the two years.

Much to the surprise of the friends of forestry, the senate
finance committee decided to cut the appropriation down to
$40,000 per year.

Several things seemed to induce the senators to take this
adverse action. First, there has been a mistaken impression
regarding the expenditure of money on the part of the forest
service for the passage of amendment No. 9. Certain indi-
viduals have taken upon themselves to spread false doctrine.
On the other hand, some of the legislators have themselves
formed such impressions and, in all fairness to them, it must
be said that they were honest in them.

The Minnesota Forestry Association takes the credit for the
passage of No. 9 and the associaion bore the brunt of the
campaign, so far as expenditures and activity are concerned.

With mistaken impressions, we believe, the senators took
their action and the seriousness of the situation first dawned
upon the advocates of forestry.

The house committee had not acted and letters began pour-
ing in from all corners of the state. Most of the letters were
of the kind that would induce any legislator to think twice
before acting. Nevertheless, some of the forest enthusiasts
sent letters that served only to anger those who received
them. $uch letters were few and far between. It might be
pointed out, however, that it is better not to write condemna-

20

tory letters to members of a committee who have not even
acted upon the matters in question.

When the forestry bills came up before the house commit-
tee, a large delegation from the Forestry Association, from
the forestry board and from the service proper were on hand
to explain the needs. On account of the adverse action of the
senate committee, it was decided that it would be better to
put the matter up to the entire house membership for de-
cision. This was done and the forest service bills, including
those for Itasca and Burntside parks, are now before the
lower house.

If the house acts favorably on the bills, and it is thought
that the representatives will favor the present appropriation
of $75,000 per year, the bills will then go to the senate for
further action.

The situation is serious. But there is a ray of light. Fa-
vorable action on the part of the house will likely induce re-
consideration on the part of the senate.

Forestry has many friends in both branches of the legis-
lature. They have an opportunity to do some mighty impor-
tant work. It is needless to say that they will not be found
wanting.

The charges and allegations that have been spread regard-
ing the campaign for amendment No. 9, induced Senator O.
H. Griggs of Virginia, an ardent friend of the North country,
to introduce a resolution calling for a full and complete in-
vestigation of the campaign for the passage of No. 9. The
forest service and the Minnesota Forestry Association wel-
come any move to place the facts regarding the campaign
squarely before the public. Senator Griggs' resolution, if put
into effect, would have that result.

As the legislative session is drawing to a close, forestry
has come to be a mighty important issue. Friends of forestry
are urged to keep in touch with their legislators.

What is done before April 23, the date of the adjournment
of the legislature, will have a widespread effect in Minnesota.

If the appropriation is cut below the present figure, the
work of forestry will be seriously hampered.

21

1

The

Northwest

Angle

t£

WHEN the triumphant English colonies had succeeded in
throwing off the ruling hand of the mother country,
it was necessary that some sort of an agreement
should be reached as to the boundary between the new-born
republic and Great Britain. Negotiations for peace were un-
der way early in the summer of 1781 but nothing definitely
was accomplished until the fall of the following year when
John Jay, the United States commissioner, handed to Richard
Oswald, the English representative, the American articles.
After several changes and additions the first of these articles
on the dividing line between the United States and Canada
read thus: "Through the Lake Superior and northward
of the Isle Royal and Philepeaux, to the Long Lake (the name
then given to the bay of Pigeon river), thence through the
middle of Long Lake, and the water communication between it
and Lake of the Woods, thence through the said lake to the
most northwestern point thereof, and from thence on a due
west course to the river Mississippi; thence by a line to be
drawn along the middle of the said Mississippi until it shall
intercept the northernmost part of the 31st degree of north
latitude."

Lake of the Woods lies about one hundred miles north of
the true source (Lake Itasca) of the Mississippi river and is
one of the great headwaters of the Nelson river flowing into
Hudson Bay. This beautiful body of water has played an im-
portant part in the destiny of the United States. Such men
as John Quincy Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Henry Clay and
others of their times wrote of and discussed it as an impor-
tant point in international treaties. These great men wrote
of the lake without an idea of its size or geographical loca-
tion. No maps had ever been made except by some chance
explorers and even these showed the waters flowing eastward
into Lake Superior and the great St. Lawrence system.

This erroneous belief lead the commissioners to think that

22 .

the St. Lawrence system from Lake Superior to Lake of the
Woods as they understood it and through it to the most north-
western point would form a natural boundary and barrier be-
tween the two countries and then from the latter point a line
due west to the Mississippi river. This agreement satisfied
both parties until 1803.

During the spring of 1803 negotiations for the purchase of
Louisiana were under way. When the United States had
brought these successfully to a close new boundary compli-
cations arose. Louisiana lying to the west of the Mississippi
to the "Stony Mountains," as the Rockies were called, had
never had a definite northern boundary. The latest limit for
the operations of the Hudson Bay Company on the south had
been the 49th parallel but no treaty had ratified this agree-
ment. The English diplomats hit upon this line as really the
definite one for the new boundary, but the representatives of
the United States argued that such a line would run through
the territory of the United States west of the Lake of the
Woods to the Mississippi. Another point brought forward
against the new line was the indefinite terms defining the
extension of the west line, viz.: "As far as the territory of
the United States extends in that quarter" allowed the Eng-
lish government too much chance for gaining lands either by
conquest or purchase beyond the extension of this line. How-
ever, the plenipotentiaries agreed finally that a line drawn
due north or south as the case might be from the most north-
western part of Lake of the Woods should intersect the 49th
parallel then running westward oh the same parallel as far
as the respective territory extended in that quarter.

The negotiations at this point were broken off by a change
of ministry in England and never resumed by the same men.
Nothing was done on the much-mooted question for several
years and the war with Great Britain set aside all chances for
the time of a settlement being reached.

No fighting between the British and Americans took place
farther north than Prairie du Chien, on the Wisconsin river
beyond which the country was practically controlled by the
former. When negotiations for peace were under way, Presi-
dent Monroe wrote the American representative at St. Peters-

23

burg on the course they should pursue. He instructed them
to see that a definite boundary was established between the
two powers from the St. Lawrence to the northwest corner of
Lake of the Woods, there being many valuable islands and
lakes claimed by both sides. Nothing was said, however, by
Monroe of the boundary west of Lake of the Woods. The
embassies of the two nations met at Ghent in Flanders in
August, 1814. J. Q. Adams, Henry Clay, Jonathan Russell and
Albert Gallatin were the American representatives.

The British commissioners were most anxious concerning
the boundary west of Lake of the Woods and in a few days
proposed the boundary should be westward, not from Lake of
the Woods, but from Lake Superior; thus throwing all of the
country north of an imaginary line drawn from what is now
Duluth, Minnesota, westward, into English territory. American
commissioners would not agree to this, as it meant a large
cession of territory to Great Britain, but after a month and a
half of litigation the American commissioners wrote the Brit-
ish that they could not agree to fix a boundary of the United
States in the northwest corner unless that of the territory of
the Louisiana was provided for in the agreement. The latter
returned the articles unchanged, the eighth one being the
same as the unfinished one of 1803.

The convention was adjourned without any definite state-
ment as to the boundary with the exception, however, that
the northwest angle of the Lake of the Woods should be defi-
nitely determined.

The subject was not dropped here but was handed back
and forth between the ministers and ambassadors of the two
countries until another meeting was called in London. Messrs.
Richard Rush and Gallatin represented the United States and
stated in their second articles: "It is agreed that a line
drawn from the most northwestern point of Lake of the Woods
along the forty-ninth parallel, or, if the said point shall not
be in the forty-ninth parallel of north latitude, that a line be
drawn due north or south as the case may be until the line
shall intersect the said parallel of north latitude and from a
point of such intersection, due west along and with the said
parallel, shall be the line of demarcation between the ter-

25

ritory of the United States and those of his Britanic majesty
and that said line shall form the Northern boundary of the
said United States and the Southern boundary of the terri-
tories of his Britanic majesty from the Lake of the Woods to
the Stony Mountains."

This second article of the convention of 1818, ended a
boundary discussion of thirty years' standing, but it could not
be considered a practical settlement that being yet a long
way off.

In 1823 a party of astronomers and engineers went to Lake
of the Woods to determine the exact northwest angle of
the lake. This attempt proved a failure, nothing being deter-
mined. The party made a futile but earnest effort to locate
the angle to the north and west of Rat Portage or Kenora,
Ontario.

ylt was not until 1842, in the Webster Ashburton treaty, that
a definite understanding of the disputed angle was reached,
though the point decided upon was not really the most north-
western point of the lake, there being a point some few miles
further west and north in Shoal lake or Plat lake, a huge bay
or arm of the main Lake of the Woods.

However, the point thus decided on is the one now used as
the boundary and the line so drawn throws into Minnesota a
small tract of land of about 150,000 acres covered with cedar
swamps. This cannot be reached on land without passing
through Canadian territory lying as it does on the northwest
shore of the Grand Traverse of the lake. Up to the last few
years geographers left this tract out entirely, making the
boundary run down the Rainy river and then directly west on
the 49th parallel. The later maps, however, show this pe-
culiar boundary caused by the geographical ignorance of these
first great men of our country.

The first of a series of articles on the state parks, forests and
lakes appears in this issue of the North Woods. In subsequent
issues, Itasca, Burntside, Pillsbury State Forests, the Interstate
Park at the Dalles of the St. Croix, the proposed state park at
the Dalles of the St. Louis, some of the larger lakes, and sonic
of the smaller parks, will be taken up.

26

$

The

Bean

Hole

$

THE "bean hole" is the original fireless cooker, and it is a
very practical aid to the camper. Almost any article of
food usually taken to the woods can be cooked better
and easier in a "bean hole" than in any other way. Yeast bread
can be baked in a hole when the weather will not permit the
use of the ordinary reflecting baker, and it will have a dis-
tinctive flavor that is delicious. Fruit, beans, meats, fish and
cereals can all be cooked perfectly by this method, and it is
very comforting to rise in the morning, knowing that break-
fast is ready as soon as the coffee is done. Also when return-
ing to camp after an absence of hours, or even days, it is
positively joyous to find a hearty meal thoroughly cooked and
steaming hot, awaiting one's convenience.

A "bean hole" should be dug as soon as the camp site is se-
lected, and all brush, roots or other inflammable material
should be burned therein. It thus becomes the camp incin-
erator and is a splendid help in keeping the camp clean and
safe from spreading fire.

The usual way to make a "bean hole" is to cut all the roots
from a circular space about two feet in diameter, and with a
pointed stick loosen the soil until it can be scooped out with
the frying pan, but of course a shovel is better. Pile the ex-
cavated earth as near the edge of the hole as you can keep
digging and scooping until a depth of about eighteen inches
is reached. Then start the fire and use good dry fuel until a
bed of coals is obtained, — after that almost anything will burn
in it.

Contrary to the prevalent notice, it is not necessary to have
a heavy iron pot or kettle for bean hole use. Almost any tin
pail will do, provided it has a cover tight enough to keep out
sand and not tight enough to keep in all the steam.

The writer has seen an explosion which blew every bean
and every drop of water out of a ten-pound lard pail, whose

27

cover fitted too tight, and the effect on the party was startling
to say the least.

While the "bean hole" is being heated, the earth or sand piled
around the edge gradually slides down until the hole is less
than half its former depth. This hot, loose soil should be
scooped out and piled to one side before the cooking utensil
are placed in the hole, and then it should be returned in such
a manner that the hottest of it will be next to the pail. See
to it that the pail is covered with from six inches to a foot
of earth, and don't build a fire on it.

Cooking in this manner has many advantages, the chief of
which is that it requires no watching. Also, there is no ar-
bitrary time limit. If you are detained half a day longer than
you expected, your dinner is not ruined, neither is it cold,
and it is perfectly safe from animals of all kinds, except man.

Baked Beans.

Parboil until swelled, drain, put in pork, salt and anything
else you wish. Cover with water, bring to a boil, put on lid,
and place in hole. Cover with hot sand. That's all.

Stew.

Layer of pork on bottom of pail. Alternate layers of pota-
toes and of meat until pail is nearly full. Cover with water.
Bring to a boil, put on lid and place in hole. Cover with sand,
and forget it until you want to eat it, — two hours or twenty, it
is immaterial.

Bread.

Grease pail thoroughly. Allow room to raise properly, put
on lid and place in hole. Cover with hot sand and let it bake
for an hour and a half.

Examination last summer of remote parts of the Salmon and
Challis forests is resulting in more complete utilisation.. A stock-
man of Mountain Home has been granted permit for 10,000 sheep
on the Salmon, and other stockmen will be shown over at pres-
ent unused ranges as soon as snow conditions permit.

28

$

Minnesota's Needs in
Legislation

Game

I

COMPARISON of the recent reports of other states with
that of the game and fish department of Minnesota dis-
closed a marked difference in one respect not at all
favorable to our own state. The great importance and value
of game and fish resources seems to have been recognized to
a greater degree in many other states of similar prominence
as game states than has been the case in Minnesota. This
difference is reflected more in the expenditures made for the
maintenance of the game and fish departments and in the
revenues derived by the several states than in any other re-
spect. For instance, for every dollar that Minnesota spends
on her game and fish department, and for every dollar she
receives in revenue from this department, Wisconsin spends
$2.34 and receives $3.48, Illinois spends $1.67 and receives
$2.41, California spends $2.51 and receives $3.36, and even
Maine, with an area and population only a little over a third
that of Minnesota, spends nearly fifty per cent more than we
lo in our state for fish and game conservation.

In recognition of a long standing need and to cure serious
ibuses, a few states have developed systems whereby public
service in the game departments is regarded as an honorable
)rofession, demanding men of character and ability who are
selected for their special fitness for such service, promoted
in the ranks for efficient work, and protected in their employ-
ment through the operation of a civil service or merit sys-
tem. Technical knowledge or special preparation not being
required, it is almost impossible to protect the service from
incompetence and inefficiency without the merit system, pro-
vided by law.

The proven desirability of the establishment of game ref-
uges and preserves as a practical means of game conservation
has made a greater impression in some states than in our
own, and the idea has been developed in some respects more
than it has with us, though Minnesota has long been com-

29

mitted to such a plan as a fixed state policy in her game
preservation system.

Minnesota's game law was considered a model when en-
acted— and it was in many respects — taking advance ground
in prohibiting spring shooting and the sale of game, in lim-
iting the open seasons, bag limits and shipping privileges.
As time has passed, however, and population has greatly in-
creased, forests have been laid low, fields have been brought
under cultivation, marshes and lakes have been drained,
primitive fire arms have been developed into deadly instru-
ments of destruction, outdoor recreation has grown more and
more popular and universal, and more than all, from the
improvement of roads and the universal use of the automo-
bile, the very existence of some species of game, only a few
years ago found in great abundance, is now imminently
threatened, and drastic . action is required to save it from
extermination and to preserve other species in sufficient
abundance to furnish sport for hunters or food for the people.
The reduction .of the present all-too-liberal bag limits is im-
perative in the case of all birds, and the complete protection
of some is necessary.

It is idle to lull ourselves into fancied security by declaring
that any kind of game is on the increase. This may be true
of some localities specially favored on account of some pecu-
liar condition, but it is not true of the country as a whole, or
of this state as a whole. Game is steadily diminishing under
present laws and will be extremely scarce in a short time if
we do not meet the situation.

Minnesota's needs, then in game legislation may be summed
up as follows:

1. Greater appropriation of funds for the extension and de-
velopment of the game conservation work, and greater rev-
enues from hunting and fishing sources from which to draw
for support of the work. The revenue feature is covered in
measures pending in the legislature providing for extension
of the hunting license system and other measures. It is not
necessary to increase direct taxation one cent to secure all
the funds needed for vigorous prosecution of the work.

2. The merit system in the game warden service. This

30

nerd is met by certain provisions of the so-called Efficiency
and Economy Bill being considered by the legislature.

3. More explicit provisions for the creation and regulation
of game preserves, game refuges, and game breeding grounds,
on state parks, state forests, national forests and on other
public or private grounds. A bill has been introduced by
the Game and Fish Committee of the house of representatives
covering this defect.

4. Reduction of bag limits of game birds and the protection
of some species for a stated period. Bills are also under way
to remedy this serious fault in the present law.

5. Further restrictions as to the employment of motor boats,
automobiles, destructive fire-arms, and other modern, un-
sportsmanlike devices for killing.

6. Compliance with the federal regulations in all cases of
disagreement or discrepancy between the state and federal
law.

7. The prohibition of aliens from hunting or killing game
birds or animals at all in Minnesota, and thus preventing cer-
tain foreign elements from being a contributing factor in the
extermination of song and insectivorous birds as well as game
animals and birds.

8. Some adequate legislation to secure protection from
loose, now being driven beyond our borders only to be ruth-

ssly slaughtered without let or hindrance in Canada, and
rtiich may save for the future a fair supply of this noble
ime animal.

This list includes most of the great things needed in our
ime legislation at present, most of which points are covered
>y pending bills, some of them originated after careful inves-
tigation by the committees on game and fish. There appears
be a fair chance for the enactment of most of the pending
leasures, if they can be reached for consideration in time.
A complete revision and modification of the Minnesota game
law is needed on account of such a great number of amend-
lents having been attached from time to time, causing con-
liction and obscurity in many instances, but such an under-
taking requires considerable time and careful study, and
should be deferred until the next session of the legislature.

31

More members in the Association.
That's the idea. Send in ten if
you can. The more the merrier.
This is a good number of the
"North Woods" and later numbers
will be better. Suggestions on it
and Association matters gladly
welcomed.

"Fores! Schools the Foundation of Fores! Wealth.'

Volume IV.

APRIL, 1915

Number 4

A Recorder and Promoter of the Forestry Movement in Minnesota.

OFFICIAL BULLETIN OF THE MINNESOTA FORESTRY ASSOCIATION
AND THE STATE FOREST SERVICE.

Published Monthly for members of the Minnesota Forestry Association

Annual Membership Fee $1.00. This includes membership in the Minnesota

Horticultural Society, entitling every such member to all privileges of

that organization as well as the Forestry AssociaHon. Remittance

should be made payable to PHIL H. HANSON. Treas.,

care State Forester's Office, State Capitol,

St. Paul, Minn.

Kntered as Second Class Matter, September 14, 1912, at the Post Office at St.
1, Minnesota, under the Act of August 21, 1912.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Arbor and Bird Day . • . .

Mulberry Trees for Planting
Legislative News

Economic Value of Birds . .

Canadians on Rainy Lake and River .
The Song of the Boom Logs «
The Magic Call of the Woods
Feathered Farm-hands Protect Fruit
The Old Boundary Fur Trade . : »»'
The Vacationist

Dan Campbell, Veteran Trapper ,

Game and Fish Protective League .
The Timber Wolf ,; . ,;; .
Canoe Cruising . . i . '-

Realizing a Big Opportunity
Penalties Insufficient . . . .
More Co-operation Needed

3
7
7
8
10
13
14
15
17
21
23
24
25
27
29
30
31

s

Arbor

and

Bird

Day

$J

BY proclamation of the Governor, April 23d has been set
aside as Arbor Day for Minnesota this year.

This day has also been designated as Bird Day. There
is every reason why this should be so. The interdependence
of the woods and bird life is vital. Without birds, the forest
would soon fall a victim to insect hordes. Without woodlands
and shelter, our bird neighbors could not exist. Not only is
the forest dependent upon bird life, but the farmer's crop is
likewise dependent. The myriad of insects which are de-
structive to agriculture are held in check principally through
the warfare waged upon them by our feathered friends. The
farmer is therefore wise who retains or establishes groves
and shelter-belts of trees, not only for their protective value
to his crops and stock, but also to attract and harbor in the
vicinity of his fields a population of insect-eating bird life.

Althongh the following manual treats only upon the selec-
tion of trees and their planting, do not overlook the connec-
tion between tree growth and bird life.

Manual of Tree Planting for Arbor Day.
The value and interest of any lesson is very greatly in-
creased if the results of it are visible and creditable. The
planting of trees on Arbor Day is a lesson. The interest in it
should be keener than it has been in past years. Possibly
this lack of interest can be partly attributed to the fact that
most of the trees planted in former years are now unsightly,
of a poor species or more probably dead. Or possibly a goose-
berry bush was planted because the school board failed to
supply a tree. Select a good tree, plant it well, take care of
it carefully and each class will be stimulated to interest and
emulation by the monuments left by its predecessors.

Species to Select,
(a) Broadleaved trees Jor shade in the open-

**
**

oo

**

00

**

o

00

*
*
**
*
*
**
*
*
00
00

**

( 1)

( 2)
( 3)
( 4)
( 5)
( 6)
( 7)
( 8)
( 9)
(10)
(11)

Hard maple.
Basswood.
Elm.
Hackberry.
Ash.
Soft maple.
Birch.
Oak.
Cottonwood.
Willow.
Boxelder.

* Plant only in good soil.
** Good shade trees,
oo Fast growers,
o Good tree for grove.

(b)

Evergreens —

*

( 1)

White spruce.

( 2)

Norway spruce.

**

( 3)

Blue spruce.

( 4)

White pine.

*

( 5)

Scotch pine.

*

( 6)

Norway pine.

( 7)

Balsam fir.

( 8)

European larch.

( 9)

Red cedar.

(10)

Arborvitae.

* Good for sand soil.
** Good for heavy clay.
All 10 do best in loam.

Size to Plant and Method.

(A) Broadleaved.
(1) To establish a grove —

Size: Plant seedlings from six inches high to. two
feet.

4

Method: These should not be pruned, either top or
roots. Keep roots covered with moist earth or wet
moss until ready to plant out. Dig hole large
enough to take roots without folding, place plant at
the same depth at which it grew before, put dirt
back in hole evenly around roots of plant and stamp
it down thoroughly. If, during the next few years
it is cultivated so that the grass and weeds are
kept from competing with it, the chance of failure
is small.

(2) To plant a single shade tree.

Size: The small seedling can also be used in this
case, but many years are gained by planting a tree
iy2 inch to 2y2 inch in diameter.

Method: The roots should be pruned so they will go
in a hole 3 ft. in diameter. The top should be cut
back to a pole, i. e., all the limbs cut off close to the
trunk, and the leader cut back until the tree is two-
thirds its former height. This tree should not be
kept out of the ground any longer than necessary
and the roots should be kept covered as much as
possible.

Prepare a hole 3 ft. in diameter and 3 ft. deep.
Put black dirt from the surface in a separate pWe.
Place the tree upright in the hole so that it is set
a trifle deeper than it was before. Put in the black
dirt first around the roots and partially fill the hole.
Pour in two or three buckets of water to settle the
earth. Put in the remainder of the dirt, stamping
it thoroughly, but at the same time taking care not
to bruise the roots. A tree set out in this way
should be watered in dry periods throughout the
first growing season. By the end of that time it
should be well established and able to take care of
itself. Elm is especially easy to handle in this
way.

B. Evergreens.

Size: The species require infinitely more careful
handling than the broadleaves. If the roots are al-
lowed to dry out for a minute they are apt to die.
Since this is the case it is not practicable to trans-
plant an evergreen more than three ft. high at this
time of the year. (The larger one must be moved
in the winter). Since these species suffer from
lack of shade when less than a foot high, from 1
inch to 3 inches is recommended as the best size
for this purpose.

Method: The roots of this stock must be kept moist
from the moment they come out of the ground
until they go back in again by means of heeling in,
wet moss or other wet packing. The tops of these
plants cannot be pruned advantageously and there-
fore the roots should be pruned as little as possible.
The actual process of planting is the same as for
the broadleaves. If the roots are kept moist and
the dirt packed tightly around them, there should
be very few losses.

Choosing a Planting Site.

In choosing a planting site, do not do so at random. Remem-
ber that a tree stays where it is put for a long time and can-
not be readily moved about like flowers or shrubbery. Never
plant it where it is not needed; there are too many places
which will be improved by it. Do not put it where it will be
in the way, you will have to go around it too long. Do not
plant it under a window, it will grow. Do not plant too close
to the house; it will block the rain pipe, batter the shingles and
break the windows. Do not plant it in front of your best view;
it will not be transparent. Avoid these mistakes and you will
plant your tree in the right place and every one interested in
the planting will be proud of it for years to come.

MULBERRY TREES FOR PLANTING.

The Minnesota Game and Fish Protective League have pur-
chased ten thousand Russian and Native mulberry trees for
distribution. They will give six of these trees free of charge
to members of the Minnesota Forestry Association and their
friends with the following restrictions:

First, that the recipient will properly plant and care for
these trees, that they may serve their purpose and attract
desirable birds.

Second, that he will pay postal charges on same.

Requests for trees should be mailed to the Secretary of the
Forestry Association, who will forward them to the League.

$

Legislative

News

i

THE fate of the Forest Service appropriations for the com-
ing bienium still hangs in the balance. With only a few
days left of the session of the legislature, the appropria-
tion bills still remain to be acted upon.

The House bill gives the Forest Service an annual appro-
priation of $75,000. The Senate bill gives the Service an ap-
propriation of just $40,000 annually.

It is certain that some members of the House will move to
have the appropriation fixed by the House committe reduced
to $40,000. In the Senate there will be members who will
move to have the appropriation raised from $40,000 to $75,000.

Unless the bills as they come from the two houses are in
accord, there will be conference committees to settle the differ-
ences. For that reason, it is not likely that the amount to be
appropriated for the Forest Service will be known until the
last days of the session.

Whatever the Legislature does, — and the friends of For-
estry are hoping that the appropriation of $75,000 will stand,
it is well to remember now that severe criticism does not avail.
It does no good to heap criticisms upon members of the Leg-
islature.

The cause of Forestry will not die in Minnesota. There will
be a temporary set back it the full appropriation of $75,000 is
not allowed. But, it does not mean that things will all go to
smash. Another session is coming. The people will awaken
to the needs. And when the people realize them, their repre-
sentatives, the legislators, will realize them. Friends of For-
estry in Minnesota should bind themselves together for work
during the next two years. The Forestry association has a
most important task placed before it. And to that end, the
friends are urged to get together and pull hard for the things
needed. In pulling hard for these things, let us keep from heap-
ing severe criticism, often unwarranted criticism, upon the
heads of those legislators who have not thought as we have
during the past winter. Men differ on public questions. Let
us give every man credit for differing with us.

The thing to do is to go out and show the opponents of for-
estry that they are wrong. The Forestry association can
have a big part in doing this very thing.

ECONOMIC VALUE OF BIRDS.

Persons who have as yet found no really satisfying reason
for the steadily increasing cost of foodstuffs will do well to
ponder upon Uncle Sam's statement that a ten per cent loss
occasioned by depredating insects on all cereals raised in the
U. S. is a very conservative estimate.

The loss on corn, our leading cereal crop, from the corn-
root worm is estimated at $20,000,000. The tax levied on this
valuable food by the boll or ear worm is more than $20,000,000.
The chinch-bug brings its bill of damage up to the same
figures, while the billbugs, wireworms, cutworms, army-worms,
stalk-borers, grasshoppers and corn-plant lice make a grand
total of $80,000,000 yearly loss to corn from insects.

Our next food staple, wheat, suffers most of all our grains
from destructive insects, the Hessian fly leading with a nice
little bill of $20,000,000 a year. Plant-lice cause an annual loss
of from two to three per cent of this crop, while wheat-midge,
saw-flies, cutworms and army-worms bring the total yearly
damage to wheat from insects up to $100,000,000.

The codling-moth causes twenty to thirty per cent loss each
year to our favorite fruit, the apple. Combining with this the

8

annual cost, $8,250,000, for spraying the apple trees, makes the
sum of $20,000,000 a year lost on this healthful article of diet.

Besides the many bird helpers of summer which, if pro-
tected, would hold in check the vast army of insects depre-
dating on corn, wheat and other field crops, The Farm Journal
Liberty Bell Bird Club, Philadelphia, calls the attention of
orchardists to the little winter raiders on the small enemies
of fruit which hide in the bark of the trees.

"Lessen the insect damage to your trees and fruit by mak-
ing your orchards winter sanctuaries for the insectivorous
birds," urges this club. It cites the incident of a pear grower
in New York whose entire pear crop had been destroyed one
year by the tree psylla. The pear grower did not expect any
crop of fruit the following year, but after flocks of nuthatches
had worked in his orchards all winter he could scarcely find
an insect in his full-bearing trees the following summer. In
another instance, eight bushels of pears without a worm hole
in one were picked from a pear tree which harbored a happy
bird family all winter. The nut hatch, attracted by suet hung
in the tree, can be depended upon to keep his tree home free
from marauding insects.

The titmice family are probably pre-eminent as eaters of
insects injurious to fruit trees. They work all the year, too,
when their restless associates have flown to a sunnier clime.
Their peculiar value is their diligent search for small insects
and eggs in the bark of trees where other birds overlook them.
During the winter months the chicadee's food is made of lar-
vae, chrysalides and eggs of moths. In the spring and sum-
mer he dines on plant-lice, weevils, army-worms, tent-cater-
pillars and fall canker-worms. Seventeen snout-beetles, known
as weevils, were found in the stomach of one little chikadee.
Shall we leave such a faithful little helper "out in the snow,
with no place to go" for shelter in the worst storms? Wood-
peckers, too, some of which remain in the Northern states
throughout the year, have beaks and tongues especially fitted
for digging out and devouring insects not accessible to other
birds. When you hear Mr. Woodpecker knocking for an open-
ing into his winter commissary in your favorite fruit tree, he
is not trying to destroy it but is after the wood-boring larvae
which he will devour and so save your tree,

9

$

Canadians on

Rainy

Lake

and

River

I

RAINY Lake and Rainy River, on the boundary between
Canada and the United States, have long held an im-
portant position in the history and progress of civiliza-
tion of the western hemisphere. French explorers, as early
as 1683, had passed over the portage at the falls three miles
below the outlet of the lake, naming it and the stream "Lac"
and Riviere a la Pluie from the mist made by the river in its
mad perpendicular plunge, hence Rainy Lake and Rainy River.
Down the inviting expanse of this broad highway, Jaques De
Noyon ventured as far as the "Lake of the Islands" or Lake
of the Woods, where he spent one winter listening to the
legends of the Indians about the dwarfs and white men who
they claimed inhabited the unknown country to the westward.
It was not until the spring of 1731 that a settlement project
was started on Rainy Lake. The French were very anxious
to secure some of the big fur trade being carried on by the
Hudson Bay Company with the Indians, and in the hope of
gaining this, they decided to build a chain of forts at con-
venient intervals. This work was entrusted to Pierre Gaultier
de Verennes de la Verendrye, a man about forty years of age,
who had seen service in both the English colonial wars and
the wars in France. During the winter of 1730-31, his plans
were made, and with the help of several prominejit merchants,
an outfit for about sixty men was purchased. With his
nephew, M. de la Jemmeraie and his three sons and a crew
of fifty men, Verendrye left Montreal early in the spring of
1731. At Michillimacimac (now Mackinac, Mich.) a Jesuit
Father, Messaiger by name, joined the party. So arduous was
the way and so many difficulties had to be overcome that it
took the party seventy days to reach Grand Portage on Lake
Superior.

When this point was reached, the prospect of a nine mile
portage was too great for the waning courage. So discour-

10

aged were the men that they refused to go farther and pleaded
with their leader to give up the expedition and turn back.
The priest proved a valuable aid to Verendrye at this critical
period, for by his pleadings, some of the men were persuaded
to go farther, and four canoe crews were organized under the
leadership of M. de Jemmeraie and Verendrye's son, with a
competent guide. The little party made the portage at once,
leaving their companions to pass the winter, it being then
late in August, at Grand Portage. Passing on, Jemmaraie and
his little band arrived at Rainy Lake without any mishaps and
proceeded to build a small fort before the cold weather set in.
The young man named his fort St. Pierre after his uncle.

The party having arrived so late in the summer, the news
of their coming had not reached many of the villages, making
trading only possible with those savages in the immediate
country. Early in the spring, La Verendrye's son left the fort
with the small amount of fur to return to his father and
party at Grand Portage, reaching there on the twenty-ninth
of May. Sending his son on to Michillimacimac with the fur,
with instructions to return, bringing the supplies supposed to
be there from Montreal, La Verendrye pushed on toward
Rainy Lake and Fort St. Pierre, taking good care along the
route to put all the portages in first-class condition, arriving
at the latter place on July 14th, 1732. Stopping here only
long enough to lay in supplies, Verendrye proceeded on his
way down Rainy River into the Lake of the Woods.

About 1765, the Indians of Rainy Lake made themselves so
obnoxious to the English and French traders by plunder and
black-mail, that they were given the name of Pillagers. The
names of many remarkable men are connected with the trad-
ers of the Rainy River country, such as the elder and younger
Alexander Henry (uncle and nephew), David Thompson and
Daniel William Harmon. In 1791, Peter Grant, only in his
twenties but already a partner in the North-West Company,
was in charge of the fort on Rainy Lake. Sir George Simpson
gave the present name to the fort, calling it after his wife,
Fort Frances, he being at that time the governor of the Hud-
son Bay Company's vast territories, and in his account of his

11

journey around the world, spoke with less than the usual cau-
tion of the fur trader of the resources of the country, saying
"From the very brink of the river, there rises a gentle slope
of greenwood, crowned in many places with a plentiful growth
of birch, poplar, elm and oak. It is too much for the eye of
philanthopy to discern, through the vista of futurity, this
noble stream, connecting as it does the fertile shores of two
spacious lakes with crowded steamboats on its bosom and
populous towns on its borders."

Captain's Huyshe's account of the Red River expedition tells
of the delight evinced by the toilworn ragged troops bound
for Manitoba when they reached Port Frances, "the long ex-
pected halfway house." The fort itself, consisting of "a col-
lection of one-storied block houses," surrounded by a palisade,
stood just opposite the lovely falls of the Rainy River, and its
surroundings seemed "like a glimpse of the Promised Land,"
especially as the party had been detained for days on an
island in Rainy Lake by a northwesterly gale, living the while
on the bountiful supply of berries. A great council of the
Chippewas had been held at Fort Frances, the Indians linger-
ing long, awaiting the arrival of the force, but the difficulties
of the journey so delayed it that the savages grew impatient
and left, and only a few lodges greeted the Colonel, his offi-
cers and their men. The Indians arrayed themselves in their
tribal finery and held forth in their incomprehensible tongue
to the at first amused Englishmen, who were taken with the
novelty of the affair, but they had more than enough of the
speech-making before the powwow was over. Since those
days, Fort Frances has become a thriving town of several
thousand people, being easily reached from Winnipeg, Duluth
and Fort William by the Canadian Northern Railway and
steamboats from east and west.

The aboretum established at Washington in Rock Creek park,
through co-operation between the forest service and the District
of Columbia, now contains 1,200 trees, comprising 92 different
species.

12

The Song of the Boom Logs

UP on the lift of the wind-blown swell,
Where the currents swing and surge,
Ever in sound of the harbor bell,
Where the waters lifting merge.
Hand and hand and end to end,
With the river's current out we bend.
Through clear sunlight or choking fogs,
Our brother's keeper we;
Boom logs.

Far in the hills on the backward trail,
W7here the rocks lift to the sky;
Deep in their clefts our roots impaled
Where the river fountains lie.
Strong and sturdy, straight stood we,
And laughed at the winds in mockery.
Our master came in the morning gloom,
We do his word,

Logs of the boom.

Our sullen brethren fling curses deep,
As they lie here in their rage,
Jostling in their fitful sleep,
As they crowd our strength to gauge.
Our master, Man, with chains of steel,
Bids us hold well, that they may feel
The teeth of "steam and his biting dogs.
A task of Judas ours,

Boom logs. C. A. LAFLIN.

13

2

The Magic Call of the Woods

Murdo Gibson

2

THERE is a vast region lying north of Lake Superior that
offers many attractions to the lover of the real wilder-
ness. As a canoe country, it is unsurpassed on this con-
tinent, and its thousands of lakes are well stocked with game
fish. One can have solitude as absolute as that of Robinson
Crusoe, for there are hundreds of beautiful lakes that are
seldom if ever visited by man.

Exploring these smaller bodies of water is a never-ending
delight. The angler must find out for himself just what kinds
of fish each lake contains. Some have muskelonge, some have
trout and some have black bass, and nearly all of them have
pike, pickerel and perch, besides many other varieties.

It is neither a hard nor an expensive journey to this won-
derful country. One can leave Duluth on the morning train,
have luncheon in the dining car, and arrive at Winton by one
o'clock in the afternoon. Then if arrangements for canoe and
outfit have been made in the advance, it is possible to spend
the first night far beyond the last traces of civilization.

Practicable canoe routes extend from there to Hudson bay,
the Gulf of St. Lawrence, and to the Gulf of Mexico, but the
novice will probably be satisfied with a shorter trip.

Hunters Island stretches for about fifty miles along the
north boundary of Minnesota, and one can spend a whole sum-
mer exploring, its many lakes and streams. Those who hunt
with a camera can get as close as they wish to deer and moose
in the water, and it is not at all uncommon to see from ten to
twenty of these animals during one day's travel.

As a restorer of body and mind, a canoe trip through a por-
tion of this lake-strewn paradise is in a class by itself. One
may dress in his oldest clothes, neglect shaving, smoke his
smelliest pipe and even forget to wash. There will be no one
to see nor to criticise. Just think! No summer resorts, no
cottages, no hotels to mar the pleasure of a sure-enough out-

14

ing in this, the finest summer country that exists on our
planet.

For the benefit of those who wish to travel on the main
canoe routes, the Minnesota Forest Service has cut out and
posted signs on nearly all the portages. It has also prepared
a canoeists' map of Northern Minnesota, which can be secured
upon request from "The Forester," State Capitol, St. Paul,
Minn. The rangers are well posted on all matters relating to
forest or lake travel in their districts, and will be glad to
refer enquiries to responsible parties who can give detailed
information to those who desire it.

1

Feathered Farm-hands Protect Fruit

Hy J. K. McHroom, Excelsior, Minn.

$

DURING almost any lazy Sunday afternoon in spring or
summer, I like to watch from a hammock, the ceaseless
industry of the birds that have made homes around my
louse and barn. A robin will come to its nest with a cut-
worm, drop it into a gaping red mouth and instantly take
flight, returning in a few minutes with a grasshopper; the
lext flight nets a coddling moth perhaps, and so the hunt goes
m from morning till night. Several other robins with nests
in the farmstead are equally busy, as are phoebes, gold-finches,
blue birds, and other varieties. None of the birds seem to fly
very far. Nearly their entire "catch" is brought in from within
ten or fifteen rods of house or barn, yet the total number of
insects destroyed in a single day by just this one squad of
'farm help" must be very large, and practically all of it
ithered from among my apples, plums, and small fruits.
Most of those insects are very destructive and multiply very
rapidly. Now, suppose the catch for a single day were to be
spared, allowed to multiply, and their progeny left unmolested,
what would happen to my fruit? Or suppose all these birds
were kept away from my grounds for an entire season, then
what? Without any question there would be at once a plague

15

of insects that would either promptly put me out of business,
or at least necessitate a great and constant expense to fight
them to a standstill as the birds fight them now.

But, for the fruit grower, spraying has peculiar difficulties-
and dangers. All sprays are poisonous, and if that were our
only protection against insects we would have to spray often,
but nobody would want to eat fruit that had been recently
poison-sprayed. Better keep the birds on the job.

The birds molest the fruit hardly at all; they prefer in-
sects, and the small quantity of fruit with which certain kinds
of birds sometimes garnish the bugs may well be allowed
them for their services. But there is a better way. Set out a
few mulberry and wild cherries, trees that should be well
represented on every farmstead, anyway. This will save the
other fruit, and attract still more birds to your service. Get
from the Agricultural Department the bulletin "Plants Useful
to Attract Birds and Protect Fruit."

And the wise farmer will offer his feathered servants good
homes near his own, birdhouses built to meet the require-
ments of the particular tenants desired. Get Farmers' Bul-
letin 609, "-Bird Houses and How to Build Them."

In one particular the birds need a protection which the
farmer, single-handed, cannot give them; protection from
marauding boys, and men, especially near villages and small
cities, exactly where game is scarest, yet where many boys
who have almost no other employment spend a great deal of
time "hunting," and will shoot at anything that is a living
target. In this way there is a constant destruction of bird
life which it is impossible to prevent. Of course these birds
are protected by law, but that protection is utterly inadequate.
I believe we should have a law requiring a license before any-
one would be allowed to hunt anywhere off his own land, the
license to be forfeited for any violation of the game law or
for hunting on posted land; the mere carrying of a gun to be
evidence of hunting. This would almost eliminate the "22"
as a menace to the birds, and, incidentally, as a menace to
human beings as well. And why not?

Only one modern saivmill is operated in the territory of Hawaii.

16

The Old Boundary Fur Trade

rip HE region lying north of Lake Superior to Hudson bay
i is a wonderful country. Thousands of lakes are dotted
with islands, their waters teeming with fish, while the
shores, covered with tall pine, birch and cedar, form great
forests traced with many paths of moose and deer. This is
the country of the Coeur de Bois of the French regime, and
in latter days the trapping ground of the Indians supplying
the Hudson Bay Company and the Northwest Company. Prob-
ably the most picturesque period of the English fur trade in
Canada was about the last half of the eighteenth century.

It was at this time that the route used to gain the interior
was identical with the present boundary between Minnesota
and Ontario, with the exception of the eastern end where the
Grand Portage was made into Lake Superior from Pigeon
river. Crossing this portage, a distance of nine miles, necessi-
tated going that distance through the territory of the United
States, and in 1798 our government levied a tax of twenty-five
per cent on all commodities thus transported. Of course, the
traders refused to pay this duty, and at once they endeavored
to find a route to Rainy lake entirely under Canadian juris-
diction.

In 1800, having succeeded in their efforts, the headquarters
of the Northwest Company was changed from Grand Portage
to Fort William, Ontario. Sir Alexander McKenzie, after his
famous trip over the route of the traders in 1789, described
Grand Portage as follows: "The bottom of the bay, which
forms an amphitheater, is cleared of wood and enclosed; and
on the left corner of it, beneath an hill, three or four hun-
dred feet in height, and crowned by others of a still greater
altitude, is the fort, picketed in with cedar pallisadoes, and
inclosing houses built with wood and covered with shingles.
They are calculated for every convenience of trade, as well

17

as to accommodate the proprietors and clerks during their
short residence there. The North men (men working in the
trade further northwest) live under tents, but the more frugal
pork eaters (canoe men from Montreal) lodge beneath their
canoes."

This fort and trading post was the meeting place for tlje
party from the East with articles of trade, and the party from
the West with fur bought and transported from all points to
the North and West. Sometimes men to the number of twelve
hundred assembled here, their leisure hours spent in fighting,
carousing and drinking, as this was their gala time of the
year. The men who made up the force to transport the arti-
cles of trade between Montreal and Grand Portage were hired
in Montreal to begin work about the first of May, or as aoon
as the ice was out of the lakes and rivers, and generally were
classed; five clerks who were apprentices with a prospept of
partnership, or from five hundred to fifteen hundred dollars
per annum if we speak in American collateral; eighteen guides,
receiving about two hundred dollars a season, including a suit-
able outfit of clothes; the foremen and steersmen, a team to
each canoe, about one hundred and fifty dollars apiece; the
middlemen, six to each canoe, fifty dollars apiece; also to each
canoe man, three hundred and fifty in number, a pair of
trousers, a shirt and one blanket, the whole crew from clerks
to middlemen being maintained at the expense of their em-
ployers while in service.

The articles necessary for trade were coarse woolen blank-
ets, arms and ammunition, twist and carrot tobacco, cutlery,
linens, coarse sheetings, thread, lines, twine, common hard-
ware, sheet-iron, brass and copper kettles, silk and cotton
handkerchiefs, hats, shoes and hose, calicos, printed stuffs and
numerous trinkets, all being imported into Canada from over
the seas.

In exchange for these goods, for example, one year's fur
buying was one hundred and six thousand beaver skins, twen-
ty-one hundred bear, fifteen hundred fox, forty-six hundred
otter, seventeen hundred musquash, thirty-two thousand mar-
ten, eighteen hundred mink, six thousand lynx, sixteen hun-

19

dred and fifty fisher, thirty-eight hundred wolf, seven hundred
elk, and nineteen hundred deer skins.

The trading commodities were made up into ninety-pound
bundles, securely wrapped to withstand the many portages
and rough usage they would be subject to before arriving at
their destination. When the time came for the crews to de-
part, navigation being open, each canoe was loaded with sixty-
five packages of goods, six hundred pounds of biscuit, two
hundred-weight of pork, three bushels of peas, the last three
being provisions for the-men, two oil cloths to cover the goods,
a sail and its fixings, an axe, a towing line, a kettle and a
sponge for baling water, also a quantity of gum and bark for
repairing the canoe. The foremen and steersmen were re-
sponsible for the canoe, in regard to repairing it and trans-
porting it over portages, while the six middlemen were re-
quired to carry their canoe load across, five or six canoe crews
being under the supervision of a higher officer, paid propor-
tionately and supposed to be a man of superior experience
and intelligence.

On reaching Grand Portage about the first of July, each
man was required to carry across eight packages of goods,
and if after the allotted amount had been transported, some
were left, the men were allowed a Spanish dollar for each
bundle carried over. Sir Alexander McKenzie tells in his
"Voyages" of seeing a number of men take two of the ninety-
pound packages and start across, returning with two equally
as heavy, covering the eighteen miles in six or seven hours.
Having transported the goods over and the furs back, crews
were picked from the men who had been hired for three years'
service at Montreal to take the former to Rainy lake. The canoes
used on this leg of the journey were smaller, holding thirty-
five packages, twenty-three being for trade and the remainder
for provisions, baggage and stores, and manned by six men.
After a grand carousal and feast, the "North Men," as the
long service men were called, departed westward over the
Pigeon river, Mountain lake, Rove Lake, "Lac de pierres a'
fusil" or Gunflint, Saganaga, Lac la Croix, "Lac de Bois Blanc"
or Basswood lake, Namekan and "Lac de la Pluie" or Rainy

20

lake, then on Rainy river, to the distributing fort where the
trading commodities were relayed on to the different posts on
the extreme frontier by smaller parties, who returned in the
spring with the fur.

The "Pork Eaters" or "Goers and Comers'' packed the fur
into convenient bales and started eastward to Montreal, to
remain there until another spring should send them back
again.

s

The Vacationist

s

SUMMER is almost here. Do you know where you are go-
ing to spend your vacation? It is not necessary to spend
a great deal of money in order to take advantage of a
few weeks in the woods. Nor is there any other state able
offer greater attractions to the lover of nature than ours.
Minnesota might be divided into eight distinct recreation
listricts. In the May issue of the North Woods, an attempt
be made to list the summer resorts, and comment on
lese districts. The association will also be glad to furnish
information available to assist members in planning their
vacation trips.

A classification of the districts, beginning at the northeast
>int of Minnesota on the north shore of Lake Superior, is as
»llows:

Pigeon River Country;
Vermillion Lake;
The Boundary Waters;
Itasca County;

Cass Lake and Leech Lake District;
Lake Park Region;
Man Trap Lakes Region;
Mille Lac District.
21

Dan Campbell, the original bear trapper of the Big Folk River.

s

Dan

Campbell,

Veteran

Trapper

&

THE accompanying picture is a photograph of old Dan
Campbell, the original settler of the Big Pork. The his-
tory of Dan's life would be an interesting chapter in any
book of adventure. He is over ninety years old and still traps
bear for a living, and with considerable success. Mr. Camp-
bell has forgotten the exact date of his arrival at Big falls
on the Big Fork, where he built a cabin and has since made
his home. It was many years ago when there was no means
of entering that territory from the upper Mississippi. Dan
came into the country by way of Winnipeg, then called Fort
Gary. With a birch canoe, he came across Lake of the Woods
and up the Rainy river to near Fort Frances, then up the Big
Fork to the falls. His supplies were obtained for many years
in Fort Frances. At the time Mr. Campbell came to the

ig falls, it was a favorite camping place for the Indians, be-

use of the wonderful sturgeon fishing. In fact, until recent
ears, the 'sturgeon run was a great event on these waters

at drain to the Rainy. These enormous fish, frequently
weighing a hundred pounds, were usually caught by means of
gaff hooks, and one may still find broken gaffs of rude con-
struction among the rocks below the falls. To successfully
gaff a fish weighing seventy-five or a hundred pounds, and
drag him out onto the bank, is no easy matter even for a
strong man, and many are the tales Dan Campbell can tell
about fights with enormous sturgeon, when it was a question
as to whether the fish or the Indian or the settler, as the case
might be, would come out victorious.

Dan's bear stories are numerous enough and thrilling enough
to fill volumes. His line of dead fall traps used to extend from
Big falls to the Sturgeon river and eastward to the headwaters
of the Bear. Dead falls were used entirely by Mr. Campbell,
who disdained to carry about and set steel traps for any kind
of animal. His was the instinct of the true trapper, and many

23

are the canoe loads of fur he has taken down the Big Fork and
up the Rainy river to the Hudson bay post at Fort Frances.

Mr. Campbell, scarcely turning gray, is still wonderfully
active for his age, a living proof of the healthfulness of the
climate of the Rainy river country. It would seem that a
race of people descending from settlers such as old Dan Camp-
bell, Mr. McKinstry and other old-timers of the Rainy river
valley might be expected to have such longevity as to make
Methuselah seem like a mere youngster.

GAME AND FISH PROTECTIVE LEAGUE.

We welcome the Minnesota Game and Fish Protective
League into the field of Wild Life conservation in Minnesota.
We feel a most intimate interest in their work for it is along
one of the lines in which the Forestry Association has labored.

The Forestry Association was the pioneer in popularizing
Forestry and Wild Life conservation in this state. The field
is so large that too many cannot become interested, and we
predict for the Game and Fish Protective League a brilliant
future. It is its intention to extend its influence throughout
the state by means of local organizations, independent or affil-
iated. Mr. Blair from Pennsylvania, who has had a number
of years' experience in similar work in that state, has been
employed as a field secretary. The work of this League should
prove popular and will be supported by all friends or forests
and forest things.

Mr. Blair has arranged for the purchase of several thousand
Russian and native mulberry trees which will be distributed
free of charge to any citizen of Minnesota who will plant and
care for them. Birds are very fond of the berries of this tree
and feathered guests will be attracted wherever they are
planted. For further information in regard to this offer of
the League, see "Arbor and Bird Day" in this issue of the
North Woods.

During the past two years forest officers have killed nearly
9,000 predatory animals, more than three-fourths of which were
coyotes.

24

$

The Timber Wolf

C. E. Johnson does not agree with C. E. Johnson

$

Professor C. E. Johnson considers the timber wolf an abused
creature. C. E. Johnson, of Bergville, Minn., believes that it is
a question of the timber wolf or the deer. The following
article is written from practicle observations.

4 4 O OMETHING must be done to exterminate the timber

^wolves. Why? Because they are destroying more than

their share of the deer. They will have all the deer in

Minnesota killed within ten years, unless something is done

to stop their fast-increasing number.

What will it mean to Minnesota, especially to this northern
part, to lose all the deer? People are beginning to get better
acquainted with the possibilities of Northern Minnesota. It is
truly a 'playground' for the vacationist and a 'paradise' for
the hunter. But this is not the question I wish to discuss. I
want to give you a few facts concerning the timber wolf and
deer.

A few days ago, I was out cruising over a quarter section,

id I found the carcasses of seven deer that had been killed
timber wolves. It was a shame to see the remains of those

*eat noble beasts. I consider I am safe in saying that I have
found the remains of over one hundred deer that have been
killed by timber wolves in the last three years in Itasca coun-
ty. That probably represents about ten per cent of the num-
ber killed. A pack of six of eight of those cowardly brutes
will kill more deer in one year than all the hunters in the
county. Any time that a timber wolf gets after a deer, that
deer is doomed without a doubt. I have followed a pack of
eight for three days, and found that they had killed from one
to four deer every night. Just think what the slaughter must
be in the course of a year!

I have been informed by reliable authority that a bunch of
three timber wolves killed a herd of thirty-eight caribou in
one winter. I have found the remains of caribou north of
Red lake that had been killed by wolves.

We are striving in every way to protect the forest of Min-
nesota. Why not be more strenuous in our efforts to protect

25

the game? If the settlers and homesteaders were allowed to
feast as liberally on venison as the wolves, — but no, that
would be against the law. What is the penalty for a person
who kills a deer out of season, or more than his share in
season?

Few people have any idea what a full-grown timber wolf
can do. He weighs almost as much as a deer. He is a great
powerful brute, just a bunch of bones and sinew. His ap-
petite is never appeased, — he scoffs at other food than meat
and prefers venison to any other kind. And can you blame
him for his choice? When there is any deer to be found, Sir
Wolf will have his fill.

It would not take long to do away with every wolf, if the
bounty were high enough. Personally, I believe the bounty
should be raised to from seventy-five to one hundred dollars.
Some may ridicule such an idea. The bounty now offered is
very little inducement for people to get out and hunt and
trap them. If the bounty were high enough to make it profit-
able, more people could devote their time to such hunting,
and consequently the timber wolves would soon be exter-
minated. In the long run, it would not cost as much to rid the
county of them as it does now. I mean the bounty should be
raised for the timber wolves alone, for the brush wolves that
inhabit the country are not very harmful to the deer. He lets
his cousin, the timber wolf, do the hunting for him; in other
words, he takes what is left. He is quite fond of rabbits and
other small game that he can more easily pick up.

Some people may be able to attribute a few good deeds to
the timber wolf, but in my estimation their good deeds are so
few and far between that, personally, I can see nothing good
about them. I see them as a menace to any country, and sin-
cerely hope that all who have an interest in Minnesota, espe-
cially Northern Minnesota, will co-operate with me in trying
to have them exterminated.

I am sure if anyone doubts my statements, to have been
with me on a few hikes would have been sufficient to convince
them of the truth of what I have written. The country I refer
to is not overrun with wolves, either. I believe in saving the
game as well as the forest." . C. E. JOHNSON.

26

Canoe Cruising

THE rare delight of gliding down streams or over hill-
enclosed lakes, of shooting rapids, of making camp
for the night on some picturesque spot, of dining on
freshly caught trout cooked only as a woodsman can cook
them, of a nights sleep in the midst of the restful murmurs
of the forest — none of these can be understood until after the
iirst trip is actually experienced.

One Night Camp in the Big Woods.

One of the most interesting of canoe trips is around the
loop from Ely to Tower. This is considered by many to be
the best in the country, taking the tourist as it does through
Fall Lake into Basswood, then following the boundary waters
from the outlet of this beautiful lake around picturesque falls
and through swirling rapids into the rapids of Crooked Lake,
thence into Lac La Croix, a lake long famed for its magnifi-
cent scenery and good fishing. On the shore of this lake, an
old Indian picture gallery will be found on the face of a cliff.

Here the Indian artist of long ago painted scenes and drew
pictures of moose, deer, etc., that have withstood the storms
of centuries. Paddling along to the outlet, an Indian village
is reached, which is well worth a visit.

The route from here swings to the southwest, crossing a

27

portage into Loon Lake, then down the Littlle Vermillion
River into Sand Point, and through the narrows into Crane
Lake, this bringing the canoeist to the mouth of Vermillion
River, at which supplies may be purchased. Up the river to
this point is the most picturesque part of the joute.

When the tourist arrives at Vermillion Dam, he may con-
tinue the trip across the lake to Tower by canoe or take
passage on one of the steamers which plies between this
place and all points on the lake. This trip consumes about
fifteen days and is only one of a hundred that can be made the
most beautiful of nature's wonders.

Canoeing in Minnesota is still in its infancy. There have

Such Trout Streams are Plentiful in Minnesota.

been a few who have covered the best trips to be made in
Northern Minnesota. From some of the points along the
boundary, wonderful canoe routes extend in all directions.
They reach into Canada without limit.

In an early issue, the wife of one of the rangers will tell of
a trip she and some friends made from Rainy Lake through
the Manitou and countless other lakes to Lake of the Woods.

A small railroad operating an oil-burning locomotive on the
Tahoe national forest, California, had a breakdown durincj the
past summer and burned wood instead of oil for one day. On
this day fifteen fires started along the right of way. During the
preceding year, only one fire occurred near the railroad and it
zvas not thought that the. engine was responsible for that one.

23

s

Realizing a Big Opportunity

i

IN the February issue of The North Woods there appeared
an article written by E. G. Cheyney, director of the College
of Forestry at the University, on "Duluth's Opportunity."
It pointed out the possibilities of setting aside the land along
the St. Louis river that go to make up the Dalles of the St.
Louis. Professor Cheyney pointed out that Duluth had an
opportunity of having one of the finest parks in the country
right at her very door.

Since the publication of that article many things have hap-
pened which indicate that Duluth is doing her utmost to real-
ize that opportunity. The Jay Cooke estate owns much of that
land. The administrators of the estate have offered to deed
the land, some 2,500 acres in all, to the state of Minnesota, if
the state, in turn, appropriates money to purchase about 3,500
acres of land in the same region.

ills were introduced in both branches of the legislature
viding for the setting aside of that land of the creation of
a new park to be known as the Jay Cooke State Park.

The House appropriations committee decided to recommend
the bill for passage. The Senate finance committee has done
the same thing. It is likely that the general omnibus bill will
carry a provision creating the new park. This matter has to
be acted on by both the branches of the legislature but it is
entirely likely that the park will be created. The generous
offer of the Jay Cooke estate and the wonderful opportunity
for setting aside a state park with such magnificent scenery is
one that the Legislature will hardly pass up.

Duluth itself is planning to have a park that will extend to
its city limits and will join the new state park.

This is an example of realizing an opportunity in a splendid
manner.

29

s

Penalties Insufficient

Carlos A very

$

PENALTIES generally imposed by the courts for violation
of the game and fish laws are insufficient to serve their
purpose — that of deterring offenders from repeating the
offense and preventing others from committing the same or
similar offenses.

The minimum fine is almost invariably imposed, and in a
great many cases justices of the peace take the unwarranted
liberty of fixing a penalty even less than the minimum allowed
by law, or of suspending sentence. This is done, undoubtedly,
because the payment of the fine would cause some incon-
venience— or even hardship in some cases — which is the very
purpose of penalties. Without penalties of sufficient severity
to be felt criminal laws would be a farce.

Out of 1284 convictions secured for violation of the game
laws during the past two years, only 20 fines have exceeded
$50.00, and 1190 have been less than $50.00, the great majority
having been ten dollar fines, and there were 95 cases of remis-
sion of fines or suspended sentence. A ten, or even a $25.00
fine is generally insufficient to have the effect contemplated
in the law.

There have been only six cases in the state of fines having
been imposed of over $100.00 in the past eleven years or since
the famous $20,000 fines imposed on Wm. Kerr and Robert
Poole in 1903, which fines were sustained by the state supreme
court, but which were never paid.

The highest fine imposed in the past ten years was that of
$500.00 imposed last month in the Ramsey county district
court for having game birds illegally in posession in a restau-
rant in St. Paul.

Forest fires in British Columbia covered more than 300,000
acres during the past year.

30

s

More

Co-operation

Needed

s

OUR membership is steadily increasing. This will be very
gratifying news to those who have worked so diligently
with us in the past. We are already represented in ev-
ery part, of this state, but to accomplish the most good, we
must have a stronger representation. Do not discontinue your
efforts to secure members.

We are still in debt to the extent of $1,800. Our creditors
have been extremely liberal with us, and it is necessary that
they be cared for at once. Every dollar will help. We are all
proud of our work and feel the responsibility for the debt.
Therefore make a special effort to secure the names of new
members and send their names to the Treasurer or Secretary
at once.

Protective League.

The Minnesota Game and Fish Protective League is organ-
ized to accomplish a definite task. The Forestry association
is in sympathy with their work and will do all it can to aid
them. The men who make up this league are the type of men
that we are glad to associate with, and it is to be hoped that
some arrangement will be made whereby their interests will
be ours, and our broader interests will be theirs.

The matter of co-operation between these two organizations
has been discussed, and it is to be hoped that before another
month, the members of the Game and Fish Protective League
will join the Forestry association that they may have the ben-
efit of our greater experience, and that we may have the ben-
efit of this group of active and broad-minded men.

Hutchinson Camp Fire Club.

In Hutchinson, Minnesota, there is a local organization con-
sisting of approximately five hundred members. It is formed
for the purpose of preserving the resources of the locality and

31

enforcing strict observance of the game laws of the state.
Every member is a special officer whose duty it is to preserve
the rights of the individual owner of property and to secure for
the birds and animals proper protection, in accordance with
their rights.

They have built up a wonderfully successful local organiza-
tion, and are in a small way accomplishing for the vicinity
that which the Forestry association has made one of its duties
to accomplish for the whole state. It is necessary for this
association to aid the work of such local organization if our
efforts are to be successful.

We hope that the members of the Camp Fire Club of Hutch-
inson will become members of the Forestry Association and
give us the benefit of their experience. Co-operation has been
suggested, and it is to be hoped that before another publication
of the North Woods, we will have something definite to report.

The Audubon Society, although as yet only a small club
in Minnesota, has a very important work to do. Its mem-
bers are also the kind that belong in the Forestry association
and should be with us. We extend to them an invitation to
join our association.

'Forest Schools the Foundation of ForesT: Wealth.1

Volume IV. MAY, 1915 Number 5

A Recorder and Promoter of the Forestry Movement in Minnesota.

OFFICIAL BULLETIN OF THE MINNESOTA FORESTRY ASSOCIATION
AND THE STATE FOREST SERVICE.

Published Monthly for members of the Minnesota Forestry Association

Annual Membership Fee $1.00.

Remittance should be made payable to PHIL H. HANSON. Treas..

care State Forester's Office, State Capitol,

St. Paul, Minn.

Entered as Second Class Matter, September 14, 1912, at the Post Office at St.
>aul, Minnesota, under the Act of August 24, 1912.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

The Minnesota Forestry Association . . 3

School Boy Forest Scouts in Michigan . .10

Small Appropriation Allowed . . . 30

When the Red Gods Ruled ,,, ., r ,, . . 6

The Camp Fire . . .... . 15

The Making of the Dry Land . . . . 4

Forest Fires Reported this Season . . 5

Club Offer || . 14

Uses of Sawdust . . • . . .23

Three Jaunts With Canoe and Duffle . 24

Summer Resorts in Minnesota . : ; , . 1 8

Women's Federation and Conservation . 32

The Minnesota Forestry Association

The Minnesota Forestry Association was organ-
ized in 1876. It has a membership composed of resi-
dents in every county in this state and many from
other states. It has always been the tireless friend
of the forests.

The object of the Association is to promote the
preservation, by wise use, and to encourage the ex-
tension of the forests of the state; its means are
agitation and education; it seeks to encourage the
application of forestry by private owners, large or
small, and by the state especially, to be administered
in the highest interests of all.

The Association seeks as members all who sympa-
thize with its objects and methods, and who believe
that our natural resources constitute a common her-
itage, to be used without abusing and administered
for the common good.

The Association meets annually in St. Paul. It
publishes monthly "The North Woods" as its official
magazine. The list of contributors to this magazine
this year will include many men prominent in forest
work in the United States.

The dues to the Minnesota Forestry Association
are as follows: Annual Members, $1; Contributing
Members, $5; Sustaining Members, $10; Life Mem-
bers, $100. Every member receives 'The North
Woods" and any other printed matter that may be
edited by the Association from time to time.

§

The Making of the Dry Land

s

MINNESOTA owes much to the many lakes which dot
the landscape within her boundaries in playgrounds
for the vacationist, the hunter and the fisherman.
Their attractive shores, timbered and rock-bound, fill the
traveler with joy at every hand. One lake in particular, long
since vanished, played an important part in furthering the
destiny of the commonwealth in leaving behind a rich legacy
to man in the productive valleys, hills and prairies of Min-
nesota and Dakota. This was the great lake called by scien-
tists, Agassiz.

When the great ice sheet which covered Minnesota, parts
of Dakota and Ontario, began to melt, the water from the
eastern and southern extremities drained off rapidly through
the Minnesota valley, leaving the melting ice to the westward
below the level of Lake Traverse, to be held back at Browns
Valley. As the seasons warmed and the ice wall retreated
northward, a lake was formed, held in by the high ground on
the east and west and the ice barrier. The water rising rap-
idly found a spillway into Big Stone lake, following the val-
ley of the present Minnesota river into the prehistoric Rivet
Warren (the name given to the valley now occupied by the
Minnesota) and on down the Mississippi.

The northern shore of Lake Agassiz was the ice wall and
was thus continually changing its position, while the western
shore followed the valley line of the Red river on the west-
ward to swing still further west into Southern Manitoba. The
eastern shore lay in Traverse county and ran nearly north to
Maple lake, turning further east here to pass south of Red
lake, entirely across Itasca county in an irregular course,
then running northwest into Ontario, taking Rainy lake and
several existing lakes to the east within its boundaries. This
great body of water at its greatest development covered about
one hundred and ten thousand square miles, an area larger
than all the Great Lakes, but in spite of its great expanse, the

water stood only four hundred feet at its deepest point, which
was very shallow for so great a sea.

Following the ice wall in its retreat, growing deeper and
deeper and more extensive as it proceeded northward, the
lake received great quantities of glacial drift from the melt-
ing glaciers, and by the simple process of gravitation, the
larger bodies such as boulders, stones and small pebbles fell
to the bottom, leaving the rich mineral mud to bury them
deep, the latter forming a splendid ground for plant life.
These dying, their remains and the mud mingling formed the
richest soil of the temperate zone. A great diversity of soil
quality was thus formed, but in nearly all cases, the land is
the kind to be worked with profit by the agriculturist. Spots
are found where the rich loam is underlaid by splendid bodies
of clay, fit for the manufacturer, making sure the supply of
building material for future generations.

When the ice barrier had retreated far enough north, tak-
ing for its journey about a thousand years, the great lake
found a new outlet into Hudson Bay and rapidly drained it-
self, abating upon reaching the present boundaries of Lake
Winnipeg.

In this way were formed the lands of the Red River valley,
of Beltrami, Koochiching and Northern Itasca counties with
their great possibilities for diversified farming. The many
inches of rich black loam give a promise, to be fulfilled in a
few years, of prosperous communities farming these acres,
nearly all of which are arable.

FOREST FIRES REPORTED THIS SEASON.

On the 19th of April, Ranger Vibert handled four brush fires.
Although these were small fires and quickly controlled, at
least one of them threatened to be disastrous. One of the
fires burnt within 30 feet of 40 thousand pounds of dynamite.

So far the forester has received reports of 23 fires in the
field. A total acreage of 2,583 acres has been burnt over at
a loss of approximately $1,300. Of these 23 fires two have
been set by campers, two by settlers while they were clearing
land, two by section crews while burning right of ways, one
by settler burning slash, four by settlers burning brush and
five by settlers while burning meadow lands,

1

When

the

Red

Gods

Ruled

i

WERE they Mound Builders, Aztecs, Lost Tribe of Israel,
those first peoples of the North shore country? Surely
no Sioux or Chippewa ever had the ability to work the
copper mines of Isle Royale or the ancient mines along the
lake. Their hands never shaped the stray bits of pottery
found in those wilds or performed the engineering feats which
a few years ago could still be observed. Tradition does not
go back past the gray curtain of mystery, and it will never be
known by whom the work was performed or when these in-
dustries were at their height.

Indian history or the tales handed down from father to son
do not cover more than the past four hundred years, or about
one hundred and fifty years before the coming of the white
race. It is known that the Dakotas or Sioux occupied this
country for a time, and before them were tribes who lived in
earthen lodges, traces of which are left on the upper Mis-
sissippi. Sixty years ago, they were to be plainly seen at
Sandy lake, Aitkin county, while others were found at the
mouth of Pine river, Gull lake and elsewhere. A pine hun-
dreds of years old was found growing on one of these mounds,
this mound in particular being one hundred feet long and four
feet high, used very likely as a council lodge. Human bones
have been found in wild disorder in these mounds, which
might be interpreted as a massacre of the inhabitants, where
if the mound had been used for burial purposes, the bodies
would doubtlessly have been put into it in a more regular
manner.

These people were driven from the country by the Sioux,
but who they were it is hard to guess. One authority brings
forward the argument that they were of the tribe of Gros
Ventres Indians found by the whites beyond the Missouri
river, and substantiates his theory with a story of a piece of
birch bark which an old Chippewa chief had seen among these
people and which did not grow in the Missouri valley. On

g

On the march to the setting sun.

this bark was traced a map of the country between Sandy
lake and Leech lake, while plainly marked on the former
could be seen the site of an ancient village.

It would seem one tribe was driven out by a stronger com-
ing from the East, which in turn was driven out by succeed-
ing ones until the advent of the Ojibways or Chippewas into
Minnesota and surrounding territories. By their fables and
sacred rites, these people came from the seacoast and were
driven back by the Iroquois, stopping for a time in the Otta-
wa country on the Ottawa river. Again being driven back,
they stopped at the Saulte.

From here, they followed both shores of Lake Superior, es-
tablishing villages at Kaministiqua and Pigeon rivers and af-
filiating with the Crees, of some tribal relation to themselves;
also the Assiniboines, a branch of the Sioux, finally making
their permanent village on Madeline island, on the south shore
of Lake Superior, this becoming the home of the head chief
and the assembling point for over a century of the tribe, the
settlement, by computations of an Indian historian, Warren,
being founded about the time Columbus discovered America.

This village covered about six square miles and traces were
found of it by traders in later days. At this time, they became

very good agriculturists, raising large quantities of pumpkins
and corn. Fish and game, such as moose, deer, beaver and
otter, were their articles of food, their hunters venturing on
the mainland as far as the St. Croix barrens.

In their religion, the rites were observed with the strictest
care and performed with gravity and ceremony, which later
generations have forgotten. A national council was formed
and tribal traditions were kept alive, the natives all being
accredited with the reputation of being fairly consistent in
truth and honesty. This was before the advent of the white
men. Parents were respected and the Great Spirit was held
in reverence. Among themselves, they were charitable and
open-handed and got along very nicely. With the outside
tribes, they were continually at war. They overcame the
Foxes in Wisconsin, driving them back south of the Fox and
Wisconsin rivers, keeping up a continual border warfare with
all their enemies.

About the time the first settlement was being made by the
English in Virginia, the great village on the island was aban-
doned. A terrible pestilence and famine harassed the peo-
ple, who moved to the mainland, considering the island ac-
cursed. It was at this time an old man went below the Saulte
to see the first white man. From this time on, the Chippewas
went to Montreal to trade, obtaining firearms and ammuni-
tion. With these they soon swept clean the game in their old
haunts and worked gradually west, pressing harder and harder
OM the lands of the Sioux, making a village at Wi-ah-quah-ke-
gume-eng (later Fond du Lac), driving the occupying Indians
out forever. From 1620, the Chippewas completely surrounded
Lake Superior and still continue to do so, though in sadly de-
pleted numbers. To the west and northwest, relations with
other tribes were very good, the Crees of Rainy lake and the
Assiniboines to the west of them being very friendly, but to
the west and southwest lay the Promised Land. A fine Sioux
village on Sandy lake lay on the edge of an Indian paradise.
Here were deep forests filled with moose and deer, large lakes
and rapid streams teeming with fish, ducks, geese and other
wild fowl, birch bark, berries, wild rice, maple sugar, every-
thing to make a savage heart beat with rapture, a veritable

8

land flowing with milk and honey, and the Chippewas looked
upon it with envious eyes. They proceeded to get it. The
Chippewas spreading over Wisconsin had worked westward
toward Mille Lacs lake and mixed with the Sioux at this point.
There were a few cases of intermarriage, and finally a Sioux
brave killed a Chippewa who was courting one of the maidens
of his tribe and whom he desired for himself. Relations be-
came strained and later four Chippewas were killed by jealous
Sioux. Immediately, at Fond du Lac, where they had lived,
the warriors were haranued and aroused to action by the
father, an old chief and father of the murdered braves. The
call was sent out and warriors came from the north shore, La
Pointe or Chayonanugon, and as far east as the Sault. The
war party stealthily slipped down upon the Dakotas and massa-
cred them in a wholesale manner. Thus the war between the
Sioux and Chippewas began and continued to the middle of
the last century. The battle just spoken of was about 1679.
At this time, a certain chief, Bi-aus-wah, led the Chippewas
to many victories, both against the Fox Indians in Wisconsin
and the Sioux in Minnesota. He lived at Fond du Lac and
succeeded in driving the latter tribe out of the coveted ter-
ritory by numerous battles, one being at Shell lake, witnessed
by French traders, and another at Fort Douglas on the St.
Croix, in which over a thousand warriors took part on either
side. It is told that the Chippewas returned with over three
hundred scalps from this fight. By 1730, the Chippewas were
in peaceful possession of the country west of Superior to
Leech lake, but still carried on a border warfare with their
ancient foes until some fifty or sixty years ago.

There were 400 fires this year on the national forests of Utah,
'Southern Idaho, Western Wyoming, and Nevada, or fifteen more
than in the most disastrous season of 1910. Yet the cost of ex-
tinguishing them was only one-third and the damage only one-
thirticth'of that of the earlier year. The difference is largely due
to better organization now, and to more roads, trails, and tele-
phones.

1

School Boy Forest Scouts in Michigan

s

The only way in which the forest fire problem can be han-
dled in any state is by co-operation. The idea of school boy
forest scouts is novel and proving a great success in the state
of Michigan. The following is an article written for the New
York Forestry Association by James Hale McGillivray, deputy
state forestry warden of Michigan and supervisor of scouts.

AFTER the terrible forest fires of 1908 in Michigan, in
which large areas of timbered land were burned over
and a score of lives were lost, it was apparent to think-
ing people that new means of conserving the great natural
asset of the state were absolutely necessary. There was con-
siderable agitation in favor of legislation which would prevent
a recurrence of the devastation, and much was expected of
the legislature elected that fall. A new law was passed, and
the public domain commission was established, but the law
did not provide adequate machinery for handling the situation,
nor was money enough appropriated.

But that the problem had not been solved was indicated
plainly enough in the summer of 1911, when once more both
the upper and lower peninsula felt the power of the fire
scourge; half a dozen people at least died in the flames, and
the property damage was some $4,000,000.

Now there has developed a system of fire fighting that prom-
ises to solve, in a very large degree, Michigan's problem of
protection and conservation. A decade or less ago this method
would have been scoffed to scorn, and there were many who
were extremely doubtful of its value when it was suggested.

This system is nothing more or less than the employment
of the boys of Michigan as forest scouts and fire fighters.
Three years ago State Game, Fish and Forestry Warden Wil-
liam R. Gates commenced organizing companies. The first
was formed in the stricken town of Oscoda, where there was
every reason why the people should understand the need for
some new method of fire fighting. Quickly other companies
were formed in. other towns. At present the forest scouts

10

A vacation home among the pines.

number 5,000 or more, well organized and with the experience
of three summers' work.

There is no doubt in the minds of those who have best rea-
son to know, that the scouts have been of great use the past
three seasons, which will go down in the state's history as
the first since the advent of the lumbermen in which almost
complete immunity from disastrous conflagrations has been
enjoyed. The principal agency in keeping Michigan compara-
tively free from forest fires in 1912, 1913, 1914 has been the
forest scouts and their program of education for prevention
of fires.

Over 900 small fires, any one of which might have developed
into a large one, were reported to the state and township fire
wardens by the scouts in 36 months, and 206 fires, at least
two of which were large enough to tax the ingenuity and
strength of experienced adult fire fighters, were extinguished,
with very little loss to property, by the same youngsters.
These figures do not include the handling of small and in-
cipient fires, which are a very great danger in the country
where slashings, brush piles and dead timber offer every op-
portunity for the quick spread of a conflagration once it gets

11

a start. An idea of the efficiency and watchfulness of these
boys is furnished by the case of one lad who alone put out
100 incipient fires this summer. And while none of the young-
sters suffered injury, their work was not by any means play.
Raymond Hoban, scout captain at Comins, Oscoda county, ran
barefooted seven miles at 4 o'clock in the morning for the
township fire warden, and by so doing saved the town from
destruction.

The expectation of the state officials is that eventually there
will be 10,000 or more forest scouts in Michigan. The method
of organizing a company is simple. Organization may be ef-
fected by five or more qualified candidates applying to the
field supervisor or the head of the department. Any boy be-
tween the ages of seven and nineteen may become a member
by appearing before a township, village or city school teacher
and subscribing that he is of the requisite age, that he will
obey all reasonable orders, and that he will at all times be
considerate of others and clean in sport and habits. To be a
charter member the would-be scout must know the scout rules
and regulations. The officers of a company are the captain,
lieutenant and sergeant, ranking in the order given. Com-
panies are named after noted American soldiers, frontiers-
men, Indian chiefs, or the names of American trees, plants or
animals.

When a forest scout puts out a fire or reports one to the fire
warden he receives an honor medal. Hero's medals are con-
ferred on scouts for conspicuous bravery or good judgment in
the saving of life or property. The state department of educa-
tion has seconded the efforts of the forestry department and
provision has been made by which honor medals will be,
awarded for the six best stories (narrative, descriptive or
didactic) by the. boys of the public schools of Michigan, and
similar medals for the best stories by girls, all these stories
to be pertinent to the forest scouts or their work. Honorary
membership in forest scouts is conferred on those who have
won story awards, or others who may be deemed to have
earned the distinction.

The scouts are given a text book which recites methods of
fighting forest fires, first aid to the injured and general out-

12

of-door hints. Surveying and timber estimating are explained
so that boys may determine the value of the timber they are
protecting. When a fire is discovered, the scout having first
knowledge of it is to make report to the township warden.
He is asked to make an intelligent report along these lines:

The kind of material in combustion.

The approximate area of destruction.

The probable area of destruction.

The establishment of a fighting line.

The means for fighting: water, sand or earth, flails, brush
or water-soaked sacks or blankets, fire lanes, etc.

While it is not intended that any boy shall risk his life in
fighting fire, it is to be expected and is of course desired that
the scouts shall deal with smaller fires which are dangerous
principally because of the danger that they might spread.
The method of attack on a blaze is thus described by Cap-
tain Oscar Swanson of Wolverine Company, Oscoda:

"We figure on getting most of the fires before they get any
size. We just cut or tear off a big pine or cedar branch and
whip 'em to a frazzle. We get behind to windward where it's
safe. Then we whip along the sides and it keeps dying down
as we gain on it, till we meet in front. Then it's out.

"What'll we do with a great big fire? Why, there won't be
any. That's what the scouts are for — to put 'em out when
they are small. But if there should happen to be a big one,
we would report it to the township fire warden and he would
organize a force to fight the blaze. Some of the fires start
when it's vacation in school and that's when we can watch
for 'em.

"When there are no fires? WThy then we'll put in the time
cutting fire lanes to protect the towns and farm houses and
trimming the useless branches off the trees so the sap will
go into the trunk and make 'em grow faster. Pretty soon
we'll have our forest back again."

As a result of the scout movement, the forest fire loss,
which had approximated upwards of one million dollars an-
nually, dropped from $3,746,000 in 1911 to $67,000 in 1912, to
less than $23,000 in 1913, and this year with its unprecedented
and untoward drouth conditions, was held to $154,000.

13

The school boys of Michigan have saved the state at least
two millions of dollars in three years.

But the good work of the scouts was not confined to fire pre-
vention. A deputy of the department lectured on forestry and
forest fire prevention to more than 100,000 school boys, in
connection with the organization of the scout companies. The
enthusiasm of the boys resulted in the planting of 60,000 in-
digenous and imported trees by them in units of 1,000. An
average of 80 per cent of these trees, planted in 1912, are in
good condition. The forests are all near towns and cities and
serve as practical lessons in reforestation. Each unit con-
tains Western yellow pine, lodge-pole pine, blue, white and
mountain spruce, white pine, Norway and Scotch pine. Sev-
eral of the forests have been fenced.

Noting the splendid .results of educational lectures in the
matter of fire prevention, Warden Gates introduced a similar
educational campaign for the conservation of birds, game and
fish and the lecture "Wild Life and its Wardenship" was pre-
sented to upwards of 100,000 persons in schools, court houses,
churches, at farmers' conventions and sportmen's meetings.

The net results of the campaign has been an awakening of
the people of the state unique in the history of conservation
effort. It has converted every hunters' club in the common-
wealth to a conservation society and practically the whole
population of the state, formally antagonistic to the "brass
button" idea of game protection, has developed individually
into wild life wardens.

CLUB OFFER.

The officers of the Forestry Association, together with
the leaders in the State Federation, have arranged the fol-
lowing rates for women's clubs in this state:

To clubs of twenty members or less, a club rate of $3.00
per year, entitling the club to two monthly copies of The
North Woods, and to the members the privilege of corre-
sponding with this office on matters pertaining to forestry.

To clubs of twenty to thirty-five members, an annual
rate of $5.00 and three North Woods.

To clubs of over thirty-five members, an additional fee of
ten cents per member and one extra North Woods with
every fifteen such memberships.

$

The Camp Fire

(From Field Program of Camp- Fire Club of America)

§

THE frowning walls of Kitchingeetah, the great moun-
tain, towered sheer into the black skies from the starlit
surface of the lake. The first red man knelt on the
strand and his bow and arrow lay before him, while the feath-
ers and pinions of a fenny goose hung over his shoulders. He
was cold and hungry and he prayed to the red gods who
loomed huge and terrible in vast, shadowy shapes that rose
from the top of the mountain far up to the uttermost stars.
And the red gods laughed him to scorn and bade him freeze
and starve.

And then came the great spirit and whispered into his soul,
"Take thy bow and string it loosely and with it twirl thee an
arrow upon yonder billet of dry cedar, and I will send thee
the red flower."

And the first red man did as the great spirit whispered
unto him, pressing down hard upon the nock of the arrow,
with the hollow bill of the goose held in his hand and twirl-
ing the arrow shaft with the string of the bow. And with a
sharp arrowhead he made a notch in the side of the cedar
stick and close beside it the whirling shaft drilled a hollow.
A fine black dust of cedar collected in the notch and pres-
ently a tiny smoke arose, and the first red man bowed his
head, for he knew that the great spirit was near and would
give him the red flower. And the great spirit came, bearing
the red flower in his hands, and the first red man bowed his
head to the ground and hid his face in his arm, for he dared
not look upon the great spirit. And when he had passed, lo!
a tiny coal lay in the cedar dust and the first red man breathed
on it, ever so gently. And when it was grown strong, he,
caught it in a bunch of soft cedar bark and soon a tongue of
living flame shot forth and ate of the bark. And the first red
man breathed heavily, for the presence of the great spirit lay
heavy on his soil, and he was sore afraid and knew not what
to do.

15

Breakfast for two.

Then whispered the great spirit unto him, "Add of little
sticks to the cedar bark and the red flower will eat of them
also." And the first red man did as he was bade and the red
flower waxed and grew and his rays were warm and glad-
dened the heart of the first red man. And the light of his
flames flickered upon the sides of the mountain and upon the
vast figures of the red gods, who looked down in wonderment,
for not one of them, save only thunder, could kindle the red
flower.

Then spake the red flower unto the first red man, saying:
"I am the camp fire. I am thy strength, thy bride, thy glory,
thy crowning gift of the great spirit. I give thee mastery
over the tree of the forest, the wild beast in his lair, the fish
that is in the waters and the bird that is in the air. With
me shalt thou defy the red gods, the ice king in his mantle
of snows, the thunder and his cold rains, famine and his gaunt
wolves, for with me shalt thou prepare the grains of the
earth for food; thirst and his arid thorns, for with me shalt
thou make vessels to give thee mastery over the waters.
Thou and thy children forever shall look on me, and your
hearts shall sing, for I am the symbol that the great spirit

16

hath set ye apart and given ye dominion over the green earth
and every living thing upon it.

"Then shall come the white man and shall abuse me to
oppress the earth, and shall cumber it with strange shapes of
stone and iron. But it shall all lead to naught but greed and
tyranny, and in a little while the last of my stone food shall
be gone and the hordes of the white man shall dwindle and
he and his ways shall perish from the earth. For his ways
are not the way of life.

"Then shall the green earth bloom again, the forests re-
turn, and the red man come unto his own; and certain white
men, whose hearts are red, shall stay, and ye shall be broth-
ers, and shall look on me and shall say, 'Behold the token of
the great spirit!'

"Then shall ye dream and ponder over my flame; and out
of my heart shall ye see the truth and the way of life. And
through me shall ye see the great spirit, and shall know the
mystery of life, and in the end shall know that the great spirit
made the green earth to be very good and ample and bountiful
for all the children of men, so that none may lack.

"And, in again a little while, the sun shall grow dim and
the forests shall shrivel, but I shall be with you and ye shall
not fear. And when the last stick is gone and the red gods
shall once more laugh you to scorn and shall take this earth
to themselves, lo! I shall wrap thy soul in my bosom and
shall carry thee to distant worlds, where thou shalt build
altars to suns afar.

"For I am fire, the eternal force; and I shall never die until
the whole universe is returned to the cold, immutable dust
of death."

Ranger Thornton, district No. 6, sent in the best daily re-
ports for the month of April. The best patrolman's report
was received from Patrolman Kangas, Nelson's patrolman in
district No. 5. Let's see who will be the leaders for the month
of May.

17

$

Summer

Resorts

in

Minnesota

i

Minnesota possesses some of the best equipped summer re-
sorts in the United States. In every portion of the state there
are places where men with their families, where individual
campers or canoeists, where hunters and fishermen, can find
just the accommodations they desire.

The following list of summer resorts will indicate to read-
ers of The North Woods the wonderful possibilities of taking
vacations in any part of "the state of lakes." The proprietors
of the summer resorts here listed are members of the Minne-
sota Forestry Association. They have aligned themselves on
the side of the forests and believe in forest protection. This
is by no means a complete list. It gives, however, the names
of those who are closely identified with the things the Forestry
Association stands for.

AITKIN, MINN. — Foley Hotel — With Cedar lake summer re-
sort annex on Cedar lake. Excellent fishing and first-class
service. Rates, $2.00 per day. Address Hotel Foley, Aitkin,
Minn.

ANNANDALE, MINN. — Shadduck'g Summer Resort — Shad-
duck's resort is three miles from Annandale, 50 miles from
Minneapolis on the Soo Line. It is near Clearwater lake and
within forty rods from Cedar lake. Both lakes abound in pike,
bass pickerel and other fish. Boating and bathing facilities
of the best. A quiet and rustic place. Equipment consists of
main building and nine cottages. Address Fred Shadduck,
Annandale, Minn.

ALEXANDRIA, MINN. — For rent — Four furnished cottages
on Lac Le Homme Dieu, one of the prettiest lakes in Douglas
county, the park region of Minnesota. Connects with four
other lakes by boat channels. New cottages, four to six rooms,
with fireplaces and two large screened porches for each. Wells,
ice, boats and stall for autos go with them. Five miles from
Alexandria, county seat. Good auto road all the way out.
Terms, $125 to $150 per season. A. C. King, Alexandria, Minn.

BATTLE LAKE, MINN. — Camp Corless, Tony Marheine, Pro-
prietor— One of nature's beauty spots nestling amidst the
wooded hills overlooking Lake Clith'erall. Camp is famous for
pike and bass, fun and rest. Cottage plan with central dining
hall. Splendid place for family outing. Free use of row boats.
Bathing good. Address Tony Marheine, Battle Lake, Minn.

18

BTFFALO, Ml XX. — i,Hk«» iMiliiMki House — Located on Lake
Pulaski. Five large cottages with all home comforts. Row
boats, large launch and sail boats. One of Minnesota's best
known resorts. lOasily reached from Twin Cities. Accommo-
dations for automobiles. Finest of fishing- and bathing. De-
scribed as "most beautiful, popular, secluded, restful, perfectly
ideal resort in Minnesota." Address Frank Bannochie, Scotch
owner and proprietor.

BVFFAM), MIXX. — Lake View II«»IIM«> — This is really a sum-
mer home, managed by Mrs. William Davies and her daughter.
Accommodations for 30 persons. Best of facilities for boating,
fishing and bathing. Well 200 feet deep furnishes splendid
drinking water. Within easy distance from the Twin Cities.
Proprietor has been catering to best trade for 20 years. Ad-
dress Mrs. William Davies, P. O. Box 128, Buffalo, Minn.

< \ss LAKE, MINN. — Star Island Inu — Northern Minnesota's
most popular summer resort, located on Star island in Cass
Lake. Reached by main lines of Great Northern and M., St. P.
and Sault Ste Marie railways. Fine bathing beach, superb fish-
ing, wonderful scenery. Rates, $2.00 per day, $12.00 per week.
Row boats, $1.00 per day or $4.00 per week. Launch to main-
land, 25 cents. Descriptive pamphlets sent on request. J. L.
Grady, Cass Lake, Minn.

( 'KXTER CITY, MINX. — The Van «ler Veer — Located on Chi-
sago lake with its 110 miles of lake shore. On the Northern
Pacific, .iust 40 miles from St. Paul. Nearly every variety of
fish caught in lake. Boats free to patrons when not in use.
Summer trains are met with Van der Veer launch. Proximity
to Twin Cities makes this extremely popular place. Address
The Van der Veer, George H. Van der Veer, Proprietor.

CHISAGO CITY, MINN. — Schlemmer's Island Resort — Located
on 20-acre island in Lake Chisago. Easy striking distance of
Twin Cities. Two miles by water from Chisago City or four
miles by wagon road. The island is covered with fine grove of
maple. Has a good bathing beach. Good fishing and boating.
Address A. Schlemmer, Lock Box 68. Chisago City. Minn.

( LKMENTSON, MINN. — ClemeiitKou Hotel — Located on hill
overlooking beautiful bay formed by junction of Rainy and
Rapid rivers. Nine miles from Baudette and Spooner. Fish-
ing and big game hunting. In heart of the "North woods," on
the International boundary. Two launches run between hotel
and Baudette daily. An ideal place. Address W. J. Lucy,
Clementson, Minn.

COLERAINE, MINN.— The vicinity of Coleraine is particu-
larly adapted to the demands of the summer vacationist. Trout
lake, nearby, opportunity for fishing, bathing and boating.
The Trout Lake Boat Club, Inc., is building a $5,000 boat house
and pavilion on the shores of this lake. A large fleet of
launches, canoes and row boats is already in service. W. R.
Tonkin, secretary, will gladly furnish additional information
regarding Coleraine and the advantages it offers to the man
in search of a vacation.

19

DEER RIVER, MINN. — Forest Home, Mike >!:•!< Kki, Pro-
prietor— As fine a black bass fishing as is to be found in the
United States. Camps overlooking- beautiful lake in heart of
lake region. Boats in 20 choice bass lakes within short por-
tage. Moose, deer, partridge and duck hunting in season.
Accommodations for 20 persons. Address Mike Matelski, Deer
River, Minn.

DETROIT, MINN. — Pelican Inn — Located 14 miles from De-
troit on the waterway of the Pelican valley. Can be reached
by boat or automobile. Inn is located in a natural grove of
100 acres, well timbered. It is between Little and Big Pelican
lakes. Sandy beaches insures good bathing. Fishing of the
best. Within 200 miles of Twin Cities on the Soo Line. Ad-
dress M. G. Ullemeyer, Detroit, Minn.

DETROIT, MINN. — When in Detroit, make the Hotel Minne-
sota your home. Thoroughly modern. Excellent cuisine. Short
distance from Lake Detroit. Best location in the city. Rates,
$2.25 and $2.50 per day. Special rate by week. Make reserva-
tions early. Victor Anderson, Detroit, Minn.

DORSETT, MINX. — Pine Cone Camp — Located on a point
nearly surrounded by water and covered with pines of every
variety, in what is known as the great Mantrap valley. Nu-
merous lakes can easily be reached. Camping parties outfitted.
Bass and muskie fishing of the very best. Good hunting in
season. One of best equipped fishing camps in Northern Min-
nesota. Address Thomas Brothers. Dorsett, Minn.

DORSET, MINN. — Mantrap Camp — Is located among the pines
on the shore of beautiful Mantrap lake. Best muskelunge, bass
and pike fishing in the state. First-class table at all times.
Fresh vegetables from our own garden, lots of milk and cream.
Clean roomy cabins, fine bathing beach and good safe boats.
Ducks and partridges in season. Write for full information.
McMahon & Son, Dorset, Minn.

DULUTH, MINN. — Holland Hotel — Located in the Zenith City.
A fine place for summer tourists to make their headquarters.
The country on north shore of Lake Superior is unequalled for
fishing. Several days in Duluth are always worth while.

FAIR HILLS, MINN.— Fair Hills Summer Resort— Located on
Pelican lake in Ottertail county, 14 miles from Detroit. Group
of cozy cottages and larger buildings. Privacy of country
home with advantages of first-class hotel. Good bass and pike
fishing. Boating and bathing. Row boats furnished to guests.
Address Ashelman Bros. Resort Company. Route 3, Detroit,
Minn.

FOREST LAKE, MINN.— Summers Hotel— Twenty-five miles
from St. Paul on Northern Pacific railway. Fine auto road
from the Twin Cities. The hotel is situated on the shore of-
Forest lake, the mecca for the lovers of good fishing. $2.00 per
day. Special rates by the week. A. A. Daigle, Proprietor,
Forest Lake, Minn.

HACKENSACK, MINN. — North Star Camp — On famous Wo-
man lake, 12 miles from Hackensack, Minn. Many surrounding
lakes easily reached by canoe or rowboat. Excellent fishing
for many kinds of fish. Vegetables, milk and eggs from own
place. Reached by Minnesota and International railway from
Brainerd. Rates, $2.00 per day. Guides, $3.00 per day. Stage
from Hackensack, $3.00 round trip. Descriptive booklet on ap-
plication. Mrs. W. J. Spain, Hackensack, Minn.

20

Just paddle your own canoe.

INTERNATIONAL FALLS, MINN. — The wonders of the Rainy
lake region are widely known. Every year more people are
attracted to the thousands of wonderful islands. P. S. Pender-
gast has a number of cottages to rent and many fine camping
sites to sell or rent. Write to P. S. Pendergast, International
Falls, for information.

JENKINS, MINN.— Piiiey Ridge Summer Resort— Fishing,
hunting, bathing and boating are all good at the Piney Ridge
Resort. The scenery is described as especially beautiful. Sum-
mer vacationists in search of an ideal place will do well to
look up this resort. Address F. W. Palmer, Jenkins, Mich.

JENKINS, MINN. — Shady rest "camp — Cottages for rent fur-
nished for light housekeeping. Elegant fishing, bathing and
boating. Hunting in season. O. L. Thomas, proprietor, has
some good lake front lots for sale. Lake connections delight-
ful. The place for a real vacation. Address O. L. Thomas,
Jenkins, Minn.

>1 YKCELL, MINN. — Camp Idlewild — In the heart of the beau-
tiful uninhabited lake region of Northern Minnesota and on
one of the finest lakes. Virgin bass waters abount in this
vicinity. Central dining place and cozy log cabins facing lake
for rooms. This is in really wild country. Bass fishing is of
the very best. Address Camp Idlewild, W. A. Stickler, pro-
prietor, Marcell, Minn.

NISSWA, MINN.— Ozonite Camp Company— Located on Gull
lake, four miles from Nisswa on the Minnesota and Interna-
tional. Passenger boat service. First-class pike and bass fish-
ing. Rates very reasonable. A place where one can fish to
his heart's content. Address J. L. Rardin, Ozonite Camp, Niss-
wa, Minn.

21

ORR, MINN. — Hotel Pelican — Orr offers many attractions to
the summer vacationist. Hotel Pelican is well equipped to
care for visitors. Located in the lake region of St. Louis
county. Additional information can be obtained from Oscar
Olson, Orr, Minn.

OUTING, MINN. — Outing Summer Hotel — Located on Crooked
lake. Good automobile service to Brainerd, Pequot, Jenkins or
Pine River. Best of fishing and hunting. Accommodations
first class. "Come to Outing for your outing," say the pro-
prietors, W. H. and R. A. Andrews. Address Outing Summer
Hotel, Outing, Minn.

PERHAM, MINN, — Grand View Heights Hotel and Summer
Resort, Perham, Minn. — Fishing is always the best. Ratcs, $2.00
per day. Boats and bait, $1.50 per day. Guides on application.
Cottages and cabins for rent at $12.00 to $18.00 per week. Cot-
tages fully equipped for housekeeping. For further informa-
tion, write Geo. R. Kapler. Perham, Minn.

PINE CITY, MINN. — Island Hotel and Summer Resort on
Lake PokeR-ama, Pine City, Minn. — Bass, pike, pickerel, perch
and crappies in abundance. Good bathing beach, home cooking
and home grown vegetables. $10.00 per week per person at
hotel or in screen porch cottages. Mrs. J. Wilke, Route 4, Pine
City, Minn.

PRIOR LAKE, MINN. — Graiiiwood, Misses Hull and Bartlett,
Proprietors — Hotel and 22 cottages. Lake has 57 miles of shore
line. Fishing, boating and bathing all good. Dancing and
tennis are provided. Ideal place for family outings. Safe place
for children. Informal social life is emphasized. Further in-
formation to be obtained from Grainwood, Prior Lake, Minn.

TOWER, MINN. — Hunters' Lodge, Lake Vermilion, at the
head of Vermilion river on Crane lake road — Excellent boating,
fishing and bathing, casting in river rapids for golden pike.
Equipment for camping and canoe trips. Boats, canoes,
launches and teams for hire. County road from this point to
International waters in excellent condition for automobiles,
distance 26 miles. Rates, $2.00 per day; $12.00 per week; board
and private cottage. L. R. Shively, Tower, Minn.

TOWER, MINN. — Goodwill's Summer Home on Lake Ver-
milion— One hundred miles north of Duluth on Duluth and Iron
Range railway. Postffice address, Tower, Minn. Highest alti-
tude in the state. Excellent fishing and woods abound in wild
game. Rates. $2.00 to $2.50 per day. or $14.00 to $16.00 per
week. Best equipped summer resort on lake. Isaac Goodwill,
Proprietor, Tower, Minn.

TURTLE RIVER, MINN. — Hotel Summit, Buena Vista, Minn.

— On the continental divide. Lots of lakes and good fishing.
Patrons will be furnished boats. A home for those who want
rest. Rates are reasonable. A good place for families. Ad-
dress Mrs. S. A. Speelman, Turtle River, Route 1, Box 25D.

WAHKON, MINN. — Rex Hotel — On Mille Lac lake. Lake is
22 miles long and 17 miles wide. Hotel is modern in every
respect. Proprietor is prepared to furnish either row boats or
launches. Fishing of the very best. Within easy distance from
Twin Cities. Every want of summer tourist is looked after.
Address K. L. Glidden. Proprietor, Wahkon, Minn.

22

\VAM\KH. >II\\. — UlriiKiirry Springs — On Leech lake, see-
oncl largest lake in state. Best of pike and muscollonge fish-
ing. Bass in smaller lakes nearby. Ideal location with all
conveniences for guests. Medicinal springs. A splendid place
to go for a rest. All the sport that goes with a real vacation
is to be found here. Address P. H. McGarry, Walker. Minn.

WAIIKOAI), MI\\. — Hotel Lakewood — On Lake of the Woods.
First-class steamers ply between Warroad and Kenora, On-
tario. Boating, fishing and hunting, all splendid. Lake with
its thousands of islands offers every attraction demanded by
those in search of real vacations. Lake of the Woods is des-
tined to become America's most famous summer resort region.
Address S. A. Selvog, Warroad, Minn.

ZII'I'KL, >II\\. — William Zippel is prepared to take care of
tourists who want to see the wonders of Lake of the Woods.
No lake in the world has the attractions that the Lake of the
Woods has. With its Indian traditions, its fisheries, its thou-
sands of heavily timbered islands — all these combine to make
it a "wonderland." By writing to William Zippel, Zippel, Minn.,
information as to a vacation here may be obtained.

USES OF SAWDUST.

Flour for trade purposes from sawdust is now in common
use. It is an ingredient of dynamite, linoleum, xyolite, etc.
The wood flour is ground in a mill, very similar to those
which grind corn and rye. Pine and spruce sawdust is used,
and after being passed through the stones and the bolting
chest, it is sacked or baled for shipment. It is then worth
about $6.00 a ton. The flour has a number of uses. It is the
absorbent for nitroglycerine, which is the explosive ingredi-
ent. Wood-flour dynamite is inferior to that made with in-
fusorial earth as the absorbent; but it serves many purposes
and is cheaper. But dynamite is one of the smallest pros-
pective uses for the product. Linoleum makers mix it with
linseed oil and give body to their floor coverings. It is not
considered quite equal to ground cork for this purpose, as it is
less elastic, but it is cheaper and meets requirements for
medium grades. The flour fills an important place in the
manufacture of xyolite, a kind of artificial flooring, resembling
wood in weight, and stone in other respects. It is used for
kitchen floors, and in halls, corridors, cafes, restaurants and
public rooms. It is impervious to water, and is practically
fireproof. It is used as floor material in some of the German
war-vessels. It is so used because it is not liable to take
fire or splinter if struck by shells.

23

$

Three Jaunts With Canoe and Duffle

By A. B. Gibbs

s

AB. GIBBS, Ranger-at-Large for the Minnesota Forest
. Service, has mapped out, three ideal canoe trips in the
North country. One, he says is for real canoeists, one
for fishermen, and one for photographers. Mr. Gib'bs knows
whereof he speaks and those contemplating canoe trips will
do well to rely upon the information given herewith.

Boundary Route to Big Saganaga and Return Via
Kawishiwi River.

This route starts from the town of Winton, on Fall lake.
After crossing Fall lake it follows the Pipestone river into
BassVood lake (International waters) approximately 26 miles
long. Turning east on Basswood, the next portage (there are
three on Pipestone), is Prairie portage (36 rods) around a
falls and rapids. Good pike fishing is found in the eddies at
the foot of the falls, and a very nice camping ground has been
cleared off on the American side. Crossing Prairie portage it
is 41/£ miles across Birch lake to a portage of 57 rods into
Canadian carp. In the next 2V2 miles there are four portages,
22, 20, 30 and 72 rods, the last one leading into Sho-mo-ko-man
or Knife lake, to put it in English. The water of Knife lake is
as clear as an Arizona sky, and large, gamey lake trout can
often be seep swimming in 20 or 30 feet of water. Along the
shores of this lake is a remarkable rock formation, composed
of Knife lake slates. In many places erosion has caused the
cliffs to disintregate, and they have slipped down into the
lake. After reaching Knife the canoeist will be unhampered
by portages for 11 miles where a lift out of seven rods puts
him into Little Knife, thence 4% miles northeast another 76
rods long and he is into Big Saganaga, island studded and
beautiful, where the entire summer could be spent exploring
the arms and bays. One and one-half miles east of the 76-rod

24

With the open road ahead,

portage is a lift out of five rods, the route from that point
being on the open lake for 13 miles, bearing northeast about
six miles and then southeast for seven. A 4-0-rod portage
leads into Sea Gull lake. From Sea Gull the route bears south
and west and six short portages, 40, 23, 65, 30, 23 and 36 rods,
respectively, takes one into a lake named O-gish-ke-muncie.
Turning south from the above lake several portages along a
little river brings one to Cabemichigami and thence bearing
south three portages of 12- 25- 35 rods leads one. into Little
Saganaga, a very pretty lake, with numberless islands. The
route leaves Little Saganaga at the southwest point, where a
sign informs the traveler that it is the "Fraser Lake Route."
A string of little lakes connect Fraser with Little Saganaga
where ten portages of the following lengths will have to be
made: 20, 45, 120, 50, 60, 150, 170, 65, 30, 60 rods. In places
the route goes through narrow passes, with towering rock
cliffs on either side. Beaver will be found here in their ele-
ment, many new dams having been constructed last summer,
once in a while a moose will be seen standing in the water,
but the deer have not yet penetrated this country as it is far
from the haunts of man. Bearing south from Fraser the route.
goes through Thomas lake, a portage of 45 rods into a small
lake then one of 165 rods into Insular lake, which is so dotted

25

with islands and cut up with long arms and bays it is very
difficult to find the way through. You are now on the Ka-
wishiwi waters and moose, if the season is right, will be seen
every day, affording the man with a camera unlimited oppor-
tunities to take pictures of them. The trip down the Ka-
wishiwi river includes 15 portages, most of which are short,
the longest one being 240 rods.

No trouble will be experienced along the entire route to find
suitable camping places. From the Kawishiwi a portage of
160 rods takes you into Fall lake, the point started from, 150
miles having been covered, making a complete circle, always
in new country. The round trip can be made in six days by
flying fast and light, providing the canoeist is acquainted with
the route, but the tourist should plan on taking 12 to 15 days,
and equip himself accordingly. A guide is an absolute neces-
sity, and on the ability of the guide to act as "friend, coun-
sellor, and guide" the success of the trip depends.

Fishing tackle should be carried in goodly quantities, as lots
of it will be lost or broken in the rocks, but guns are not
necessary, as the route is largely within the boundaries of the
Superior national forest and the Superior game preserve.
Along the boundary it is convenient to camp on the Canadian
side occasionally, and the rangers there are under instructions
to confiscate all firearms, and several tourists have lost their
guns by not observing this law.

Clear Lake Trip From Ely — For Fishermen.

This is the ideal trip for the man who likes to fish, camp in
the open and enjoy nature without undergoing the discom-
fiture of the long routes where a great many portages must
be made.

Leaving Ely the route crosses Long lake, follows up the
Burntside river for several miles, where a portage of 88 rods
leads into Burntside lake, a beautiful body of water ten miles
long, with 110 islands to add to its beauty. At the point where
the portage strikes the lake a summer resort has been con-
structed, where two or three days could be spent before con-

26

On the floor of Lake Agassiz.

tinuirig the trip. Crossing Burntside a portage, a mile long,
takes one into Crab lake, a very pretty lake, surrounded with
virgin pine. There are a few bass in Crab lake, but they are
not biters, although a number of anglers have made good
catches there. From Crab lake a portage of 117 rods, leads
into Clark lake, where some bass are caught. Coming back
to Crab, a 20-rod portage leads into Little Crab, following
down Cameron creek a lift-out 10 rods long brings one to Korb
lake and on down river about two miles a 30-rod portage leads
into Clear lake, where plenty of good bass fishing can be se-
cured. At the west end of Clear lake a 10-rod portage takes
you into Otter lake, where there is good fishing. Clear lake
offers the camper many attractions, and by camping there
three other bass lakes can be reached without difficulty.

Sabawa lake, which has some nice bass and sunfish, can be
reached from Clear by making one portage of 30 and another
of 55 rods. The trip could be continued down the Little Sioux
river from Otter lake, portage into Trout lake, thence into
Vermilion, ending at Tower. However the Little Sioux is
rather difficult in low water, owing to the boulders in the river
bed.

For the man who wishes to take his wife with him the Clear
lake trip would be the most convenient and pleasant. Here

27

they might spend their outing on Clear lake and return to Ely
by the same route.

There are several good camping places on the lake, a deer
would be seen occasionaly and moose are not unknown there.

Canoes can be rented at reasonable rates in Ely and the
necessary provisions secured there. The camping outfit and
personal effects are all that would have to be brought along.

A Trip For Photographers.

Practically all people who are fond of canoeing are likewise
"camera fiends" and the trip outlined below is for those who
do not hesitate to tackle a route where the portages are not
strewn with roses nor yet paved with marble.

Photographing wild animals is an alluring sport, but to be
successful in it and get a lot of good negatives it is necessary
that the trip be made during the period in June when the
mosquito and "bull dog" flies are holding high carnival in the
woods, driving the deer and moose to the water for temporary
relief. The would-be photographer may be looking for relief
himself, and he usually finds it by inventing some of the most
lurid and expressive cuss words known to man.

Starting from Ely the route crosses Long lake, follows up
Burntside river, where a portage of 88 rods leads into Burnt-
side lake, crossing Burntside make a mile portage into Crab
lake, 20 rods from there into Little Crab, then down a stream
that heads from that lake, a lift-out 10 rods long on the creek
and you are in Korb lake. The river flows from the north end
of Korb and about two miles down it is a 30-rod portage into
Clear lake. From Clear a portage 1% miles takes you into
Moose lake, which would be about the end of the first day's
travel. An island in the north end of Moose lake has a nice
camping place cleared out. West of the island a portage leads
into Moose river, following down that stream there are about
eight portages (depending on the stage of water) to Nina-
Moose lake. You are now in the moose country, and all that
is required is to look around. The moose are in the water at
all times of the day and night when the flies are bad. When

23

one is sighted keep to the lee side so he will not scent you,
when his head is down under water paddle, but keep perfectly
quiet while he is looking around. In this manner the canoe
can be run up as close as desired and several "shots" may be
taken before he has decided to make himself scarce.

Ramshead, Agnes and Oyster lakes are easily reached from
Nina-Moose, and all of them are good places to hunt with the
camera.

After spending three or four days in the above district the
trip could be lengthened by going north to Lac La Croix, from
there working a little south of east through Iron and Crooked
lakes to Basswood, ending the trip either at Winton or Ely.
There is some elegant scenery along this route and it is well
worth the time it would take.

The country referred to is all within the boundaries of the
Superior national forest and the Superior game preserve,
signs are posted along the canoe routes admonishing the tour-
ist to "Be Careful With Fire," and all those sportsmen who
would rather shoot a moose or deer with a fast lens than a
modern machine gun will heed the warning, as they are work-
ing on the principle that it is better to enjoy than to destroy.

The citizens of the township of Bearville, Itasca county, met
on April 2d to organize the Bearville Forest Fire Protective
and Welfare Association. A president and secretary were
elected and a patrolman was appointed to cover the territory
included in the town. The purpose of the organization is co-
operation with the Minnesota forest service in preventing for-
est fires, reforesting cut-over non-agricultural lands, and to
assist in the proper disposal of slashings made by lumbermen.

Such action on the part of the citizens of Northern Minne-
sota cannot be too highly commended, as it shows the value
the people of that section place upon the work of the state
department. Such volunteer organizations in the heavily
wooded regions and a little more care exercised on the part
of people who travel there, would bring the forest fire danger
down to a minimum, lessening the work of the forest service
men who, as it is now, are few and widely scattered. This is
co-operation as it should be.

29

Small Appropriation Allowed

THE work of the Minnesota forest service will have to be
materially reduced this coming year due to the de-
creased appropriation allowed by the legislature which
just adjourned.

Instead of the $75,000 annual appropriation allowed since
the forest law of 1911 was passed, the legislature this year cut
the amount to $40,000 annually. The House had fixed the
amount at $75,000, while the Senate had passed it at $40,000.
It was one of the matters that had to be settled in the con-
ference committee. When the bill was finally passed in both
Houses, the Senate provision had prevailed.

Friends of forestry naturally deprecate the action of- the
legislature. It is well, however, to withhold all criticism. The
members of the legislature, elected by the people, are respon-
sible alone to the people. If, in their wisdom they thought it
best to curtail a work that has made rapid progress since 1911,
that is something for which they assume the entire respon-
sibility.

At this time, the friends of forestry can only hope that there
will be no disastrous fires during the coming biennium, that the
seasons will be "wet."

The work of the forest service will be hampered. Much
good work that has been started will have to stop. Just the
curtailments that will be necessary have not been determined
fully. There is a certain amount of fire prevention work that
must go on. But there is much of it that cannot possibly be
pursued with the small appropriation now available. For ex-
ample, it is likely that many of the patrolmen will have to be
relieved of their duties.

There is a certain amount of supervisory work, looking after
the disposal of slash, inspecting the fire prevention work done
by the railroads, etc., that can go on.

With the small amount of money available, the forest serv-
ice faces a most serious situation. Now is the time for every

30

friend of the forests in the North country to co-operate. Now,
if ever, co-operation is needed. The settlers in the North will
do well to assist the depleted forces of the service in keeping
down fires.

Campers, woodsmen of all sorts, should always be careful.
Now they should be doubly so. If fires start in the North
country the service will not be equal to handling them with-
out the aid of every ablebodied person.

It is to be hoped that the next legislature will see the wis-
dom of increasing the appropriation for the forest service.
The forests constitute one of the great sources of wealth in
Minnesota. It is wealth that must be adequately protected.
It cannot be adequately protected with the expenditure of but
$40,000 per year.

The officers of the forest service are pledged to do their
best with the money available. With the help of the citizens
of the state, it is to be hoped that this vast wealth may be
well protected during the coming two years.

We are facing a danger period. Let us all be ready to do
our utmost to assist in the great work that is before us.

Let us forget the past. Let us look forward to the future.
Useless criticisms, the rehearsings of things that were left
undone or things that were done that ought not to have been
done, will avail us little.

Those of us who are the friends of forestry had better look
forward and not backward. Onward and upward. That should
be the slogan. "Now is the time for all good men to come to
the aid of the forests."

In passing, it might be stated, that the legislature made
ample provision for the maintenance of Itasca state park and
Burntside state forest. The former received an annual ap-
propriation of $12,500 and the latter an appropriation of $2,500.

The legislature took the first steps in setting aside a new
state park to be known as the Jay Cooke state park, to be
located at the Dalles of the St. Louis. An appropriation of
$30,000 was made for this purpose. The Jay Cooke estate is
pledged to donate about 2,500 acres of land. The wonderful
opportunities for a state park in this region was pointed out
by Professor Cheyney in a recent article in The North Woods.

31

WOMEN'S FEDERATION AND CONSERVATION.

The Federation of Women's Clubs throughout the United
States has been consistently active in the work of con-
servation. In the May issue of American Forestry, an arti-
cle tells of the part the Consevation Committee of the
National Federation has taken in establishing a National For-
est in Colorado. To the Minnesota Federation, credit must
be given as the first women's club to actively interest itself
in this noble work of the conservation of natural resources.

In 1901, after the legislature had taken steps to set aside
the Leech Lake Forest, a fight was begun which lasted for
almost seven years. For four years, Mrs. Wm. Ely Bramhall
of St. Paul, as chairman of the Conservation Committee,
waged a continuous fight for this memorial. Mrs. Lydia Phil-
lips Williams, President of the Federation, at this time fol-
lowed Mrs. Bramhall as chairman of the Conservation Com-
mittee and was recognized throughout the country as an en-
thusiastic supporter of forest conservation.

This four year war between the people's interests and pri-
vate exploiters attracted nation-wide attention. The Min-
nesota Federation was called upon by clubs throughout the
United States and Mrs. Williams traveled and lectured ex-
tensively on forestry. Other states will recognize the Minne-
sota Federation as the pioneer in forestry work.

Many members of the Women's Federation are active mem-
bers of the Forestry Association, but we are desirous of
obtaining a greater number. It is very difficult, almost im-
possible, for citizens to keep in touch with the forestry situa-
tion except they subscribe to this Association. Education
on forestry is necessary before real progress can be made.
Recognizing that the Federation is a very important factor in
forming public opinion, the Forestry Association is urging the
club members to ally themselves more closely with this organ-
ization. We call your attention to club offer on page 14.

Neither the Forestry Association or the Forest Service Depart-
ment have the benefit of press clipping service, therefor it ivill
be greatly appreciated if newspapers zvould send to the North
Woods copies in which there arc notes of interest on forestry.

32

"Fores! Schools the Foundation of Forest Wealth.*

Volume IV. JUNE, 1915 Number 6

A Recorder and Promoter of the Forestry Movement in Minnesota.

OFFICIAL BULLETIN OF THE MINNESOTA FORESTRY ASSOCIATION
AND THE STATE FOREST SERVICE.

Published Monthly for members of the Minnesota Forestry Association

Annual Membership Fee $1.00.

Remittance should be made payable to PHIL H. HANSON, Treas.,

care State Forester's Office, State Capitol,

St. Paul, Minn.

Entered as Second Class Matter, September 14, 1912, at the Post Office at St.
Paul. Minnesota, under the Act of August 24, 1912.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

The Legislators' Northern Trip ... 3
The Story of Fort Snelling .... 5

Federal and State Co-operation in Fire

Protection 9

A Hike Up the St. Croix ... 11

Fire Prevention in Minnesota . . . .13

Newspapers . . . . . . . 18

The Meaning of Conservation . . .19

Our Obligations to Forestry . . . 21

What Our Neighbors are Doing . . .25

Minnesota Frontiersday Celebration . . 29

$

The Legislators' Northern Trip

*

NORTHERN Minnesota has enjoyed the privilege of en-
tertaining a majority of the senate and a number of
house members during the past fortnight. It is safe to
say that nothing could have happened to Northern Minnesota
of greater benefit than to have the lawmakers spend some
time in that territory. Seeing is believing and the legislators
who have made the trip will from now on be staunch friends
of the North country, and the North country needs friends in
the legislature.

The solons left on a special train, stopping first at Cloquet.
Then they went to Duluth and from there to the iron range
country. The border country was next visited. Stops were
made at International Falls, Spooner, Baudette and Warroad.
The special train then took the legislators south to Thief
River Falls, Crookston, Hallock, and then west into the cut-
over region with stops at Bemidji and Walker. It was a
swing around the circle, so to speak, and was a remarkable
trip from every standpoint.

Minnesota, a Vast Empire.

Minnesota is a vast empire that is not well known even to
its own citizens. -Men in the South have not appreciated the
needs of the new sections in the North. They have not been
wholly appreciative simply because they have not known.
No one would ever accuse a member of the legislature from
Southern Minnesota of being antagonistic to the northern part
on purely personal grounds. The so-called antagonism has
been due to ignorance of the needs.

When the opportunity was afforded them, many of the
Southern senators and a few of the house members gladly
decided upon the trip that would take them to the Northern
regions to the best advantage. And the North country has
a lot of new friends among influential men in the state as the
result.

"Get Acquainted With the North."

The slogan "Get acquainted with your neighbor — you might
like him," was recently adopted at a neighborhood picnic.
The same slogan, reading "Get acquainted with the North
country — you might like it," could have been applied to the
trip taken by the legislators. It had that effect, according to
those who went on the trip. The men from the South said
that they liked the North country and saw in it all of the
possibilities that the enthusiasts from the North had been
preaching in the legislative halls.

Friends of forestry have reason to rejoice that the legisla-
tors took the trip. When the forestry matters come up in
the next session of the legislature the members will be more
interested. A man is interested in those things he has seen.
The needs of the forest service will be better understood.
Some of the men from the South little realized that one could
travel for days through the forest regions in the North. Now
they know the extent of the forest area. They know now that
it takes money, and lots of it, to protect the state's vast in-
terests. It is hoped that the lessons learned now will remain
with the senators until after the session of the legislature in
1917.

Lessons Worth Learning.

The agricultural possibilities of the North, the necessity for
good roads and fire-breaks, the possibilities of reforestation,
— these things and many more will appeal to the men who
went into Northern Minnesota in June, 1915. At Cloquet the
solons were shown the work of reforestation. They were
taken through the nurseries there and saw the small pine
trees that are later to be set out in the non-agricultural re-
gions. It was a lesson well worth learning.

It is to be hoped that many more of the members of the
law-making body will seek the opportunity of going into the
North to study the situation at first hand.

The friends of forestry should urge the lawmakers to go
and seek. Intelligent men will not oppose forestry if they
know anything about it.

"Get acquainted with the North country — you might like it."

The Story of Fort Snelling

FORT SNELLING, at the confluence of the Minnesota and
the Mississippi rivers, has long been a spot of great his-
torical interest. Before the coming of the white man,
the neighborhood of the post was a favorite haunt of the In-
dians who called the spot "Minnedota" or "The Meeting of
the Waters." Several large Sioux or Dakota villages were
located within a half day's journey, many bloody fights be-
tween the Ojiboways and Dakotas taking place under the
cliffs beneath the fort.

In 1803, President Jefferson bought Louisiana from France.
This vast territory, with no definite boundaries and had only
been explored along some of its largest rivers, lay west of
the Mississippi river. It was necessary that some steps be
taken to bring it under the authority of the general govern-
ment. Lieutenant Zebulon M. Pike was detailed to visit the
new region, drive out British traders and make an agreement
with the Indians whereby forts and trading posts could be
established. In September, 1805, after ascending the Missis-
sippi in batteaux, Pike landed at the trading house of J. B.
Faribault under the bluff of the present site of Mendota.
Within a few days, he purchased one hundred thousand acres,
west of the Mississippi, from the Sioux for two hundred dol-
lars' worth of trinkets and finery and sixty gallons of whis-
key. The war with Great Britain, 1812-15, prevented a mili-
tary post being built, and it was not until 1819 that the work
was undertaken. An order was issued to Colonel Henry
Levenworth to mobilize the Fifth Infantry and go to the con-
fluence of the St. Peters (Minnesota) river and the Missis-
sippi and there establish a fort. The regiment assembled at
Detroit, Mich., and after an arduous journey, reached its des-
tination in September, 1819, and at once prepared quarters for
the winter on the lower ground opposite the present fort.
When the ice went out in the spring, the river overflowed,
causing the command to hastily embark, transferring their

effects to the higher ground opposite, which was called "Camp
Cold Water" from the fine spring where the garrison obtains
its present supply. Nature had provided an ideal location for
a fort on the high point overlooking the rivers, and here it
was decided the post should be built. A sawmill was the
first necessity, one being constructed at the falls of St. An-
thony, which sawed the lumber, this with the quarrying of
the stone and the building of the walls being accomplished
entirely by the men in the command. The fort was in the
original diamond-shaped, with the historic "Round Tower" on
the western point. From it, walls about ten feet in height ran
to the brink of the bluff, a tower being constructed at this
junction point, while an enclosing wall followed the edge of
the cliff from each tower, which was on the northern and
southern extremity of the diamond, to a lookout tower on the
extreme east. Slits were built into the walls and towers in
such a manner that they would allow the besieged to fire in
nearly every direction, being about three by five feet wide in
the inside to narrow down to a two-inch wide aperture some
three feet long. Four buildings are standing of the original
group, — the "Round Tower," the "Block House," which stood
at the most southern point, and the two barracks on the east-
ern end.

Colonel Levenworth called the new post Fort St. Anthony,
but before he had completed his work, he was transferred to
another command, Colonel Josiah Snelling succeeding him.
While the latter was the commandant, he was visited by Gen-
eral Winfield Scott, who was so pleased with the energy and
push displayed in carrying on the work that in his report, he
recommended that the new post be designated as "Fort Snell-
ing," an order to that effect being issued in 1824. Bands of
Indians were continually visiting Fort Snelling, and during
the summer of 1826, a band of Ojiboway encamped on the east-
ern shore of the Mississippi, nearly opposite the fort. They
were attacked by a band of Sioux, and men, women and chil-
dren were indiscriminately butchered. Colonel Snelling wit-
nessed the battle from the tower of the fort. After the fight,
the victorious Sioux proceeded to the prairie to the west of
the garrison, a quarter of a mile away, and danced their scalp

dance. The next season, a small party of Ojiboways camped
beside the walls for protection, were attacked and several
killed. Captain Clark went in pursuit of the assassins in the
morning, thirty-two Dakota warriors being brought back.
They were delivered to the Ojiboways, who at once recognized
two of the miscreants. These were led out into the open
prairie and when placed at a certain distance, instructed to
run for their lives. This they did, but the aim of the Ojibo-
ways was too true, and both fell dead.

Two more being delivered to the enemy, one became fright-
ened and begged for his life. His companion, singing his
death song, gave his personal effects to members of his party
and prepared to die, refusing to stand near or die with the
other. They were shot down, and Colonel Snelling, telling of
the affair, says the body of the brave man had no sooner
struck the ground than Sioux and Chippewas buried their
knives in his corpse to obtain a taste of the blood of so brave
a man, believing such a commendable quality would pass into
themselves. The bodies of the four men were dragged to the
edge of the cliff and thrown into the Mississippi.

In 1829, the two tribes held a peace dance on the prairie of
Fort Snelling, about one hundred relatives of the four Sioux
just spoken of and twenty or twenty-five bark canoe loads of
Ojiboways from Sandy Lake, Rum River and Mille Lacs taking
part, afterward going up the Minnesota river to the camp of
Black Dog, a Dakota chief, four miles up that stream from the
fort, for a dog feast and smoke, agreeing to hunt in peace on
the prairies above the Sauk river. In 1837, twelve hundred
Ojiboways assembled at Fort Snelling and made a treaty with
the U. S. government, ceding country in Eastern Minnesota
and Western Wisconsin.

The walls of Fort Snelling have sheltered many famous
men, one who afterwards became president of the United
States. Zachary Taylor was in command as lieutenant colonel
from May, 1828, to July, 1829. Dred Scott, the negro of the
famous Dred Scott Decision, together with his wife, Harriet,
and two children, Eliza and Lizzie, were slaves here for some
time, and it was partly on his residence in the territory of
Minnesota that he based his claim.

In 1857, Franklin Steele of St. Anthony, afterwards Min-
neapolis, formed a corporation to purchase the reservation
from the government. The secretary of war offered $90,000
for the buildings and reserve. It afterwards developed that
the secretary of war was one of the purchasers, acting by a
proxy. On May 27, 1858, the troops were withdrawn and the
post was abandoned for all military purposes by the United
States government. There was no sale for real estate at this
time, so Mr. Steele put a herd of sheep on his newly acquired
property, using the walls of the fort for a corral and herding
his charges in the buildings at night.

When war was declared in 1861, there was no place for
the mobilization and drilling of the different Minnesota regi-
ments. Governor Ramsey, after a conference with Mr. Steele,
gained permission to use the old reservation and buildings
for that purpose, and it was here that all the regiments of the
state received their initial training.

The matter of Steele's contract was unsettled long after the
war was over, and congress finally passed an act for a com-
mission to arrange the terms of settlement. The corporation
had purchased sixty-five hundred acres, and when an agree-
ment was reached, the government decided to reserve fifteen
hundred and thirty-one acres, allowing the owners the dif-
ference, which cost them about nine dollars an acre, being far
below the real value of the property.

The garrison has in later years been a hospital quarters for
regiments which have seen foreign service and have been
quartered here to recuperate. At the present day, the reser-
vation is sadly run down. The buildings, which were struck
by a storm some two years ago, have never been repaired, the
grass grows long and unkempt on the parade ground, and an
air of general desolation prevails. In the last fews weeks,
the land was advertised as being open for sheep grazing,
which aroused a storm of protest from both the cities of
Minneapolis and St. Paul, which was the reason, no doubt,
that no bids were received. It is doubtful what will eventually
be done with this interesting spot but it should not be allowed
to deteriorate as it is doing, lying as it does in the front yard
of two great cities.

8

Federal and State Co-operation in
Fire Protection

By J. G. Peters, Chief of Private and State Co-operation U. S. F. S.

THE federal statute popularly known as the Weeks Law
authorizes co-operation with states in protecting from
fire the forests on watersheds of navigable streams.
Thus the government has realized the desirability, and as-
sumes a part of the responsibility, of protecting such water-
sheds. Forest fires, by destroying the ground cover, promote
the rapid run-off of rain water and bring about erosion in
rough country, with the consequent formation of sand bars In
river channels and interruption of navigability. The fire prob-
lem on such watersheds becomes, therefore, one of broad na-
tional importance.

This law has been in operation four years, and the present
annual appropriation for the work is $100,000. To secure co-
operation of this character a state must have provided by law
for a system of forest fire protection and must expend for the
purpose at least as much as the government. Eighteen states
are receiving assistance, including Maine, New Hampshire,
Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey,
Maryland, West Virginia, Kentucky, Michigan, Wisconsin,
Minnesota, South Dakota, Montana, Idaho, Washington and
Oregon. The federal fund is allotted to these states so as to
give in general the most effect results, no one state receiving
yearly more than $10,000. The money is used almost exclu-
sively for paying the salaries of lookout watchmen on moun-
tain stations or of patrolmen in the low country. During the
fire season approximately 300 federal men are maintained in
the field under this law. They guard an area of about 13,000,-
000 acres, for the most part mountainous and all on impor-
tant watersheds. The average cost of this protection to the
government is three-fourths of a cent per acre annually. In
the aggregate the federal expenditures total less than a fifth
of the states', while the money spent by private owners, in-
cluding more than 35 protective associations, amounts to prob-
ably as much as the federal and state expenditures combined,

9

The cost of the efficient protection is of necessity large, and
while the Weeks law co-operation has been the means of pay-
ing for but a relatively small part of the protection given our
forest lands it has proved a very great incentive towards fur-
thering the protective movement throughout the entire coun-
try. It has been a means of bringing together the various
protective agencies — federal, state, and private — into closer
relationship, and its chief value has been educational through
encouraging states to provide for forest fire protection, or in-
crease the efficiency of that already provided.

At the time congress was discussing the Weeks law, which
also provides for the purchase of lands on the watersheds of
navigable streams, it was claimed by some persons that funds
expended for fire protection would accomplish more than a
much larger expenditure for actual purchase. And so the pro-
vision for fire protection was inserted, with an appropriation
to start with of $200,000 which was made available until ex-
pended. Besides furnishing the protection actually paid for,
this kind of federal and has, through demonstrating the value
of protection, gone very much further by encouraging states
and private owners to adopt protective measures. The re-
sults, in general, have been so beneficial that congress has
not hesitated to make an annual appropriation continuing it.

The fishing season is open. Nimrods are coming to the fore
by the hundreds. Are you aware that Minnesota holds the
envious reputation of breeding the largest brook trout of any
state in the Union She does. Do you fish? Tell others of
some of your fishing in Minnesota. The North Woods is not
going to offer any prizes for fish stories but we would like to
have you readers contribute if you enjoy the "feel" of a game
trout on your line. These articles must be in the hands of
the editor not later than the 26th of May for publication in
the June issue. If you have never written a story do not let
that trouble you. Write one anyway, you will surprise your-
self and add to the enjoyment of others by telling some of
your experience.

10

$

A

Hike

Up

the

St.

Croix

1

(There arc so many trips that lovers of the out-of-doors who
live in the city can take without any difficulty. The woods and
the streams and the lakes are at our very doors. The account
of the hike up the St. Croix taken by two tired newspapermen
is ?4 i veil merely as an example of how easy it is to get out into
the open from the city.)

TWO tired newspapermen, one feeling jaded as a result of
three and a half months at the legislature and the other
recuperating from service as a correspondent with the
Japanese army at Kio Chau, wanted to get out into the open.
Spring was nearly half over and these two hardly knew that
things were growing in God's out-of-doors. Time did not per-
mit a trip into the far North country. So it was that the val-
ley of St. Croix was chosen.

The start was made from the state capitol at St. Paul. In
one hour Stillwater was reached by street car. A flip of a
coin turned the weary ones northward. It was the spirit of
adventure which decided the direction.

It was four o'clock in the afternoon when the real hike
started. No objective point had been selected for the even-
ing stop. There was simply the desire to breathe the pure
air and to stop along the roadside and examine all the little
growing things that seemed so fresh and so far away from
the sordid city.

The road running north from Stillwater follows the glori-
ous St. Croix. Here and there were the remains of some saw-
mill that had long ceased to operate. At one time this region
was one of the busiest logging centers on the continent. Up
and down the hills the two carefree individuals hiked. When
they wanted to rest they did so, usually selecting a cool spot
overlooking the river. The feathered friends were out to meet
them and the calls of the whippoorwill and the evening song
of the robin filled the air.

The legislature, with all its bickerings, was soon forgotten
and out of mind and even the exciting days at the siege of

11

Tsing Tau were memories that were not recalled. The still-
ness of evening was settling on the valley and it was satisfy-
ing.

The "pencil pushers" kept on up the valley, not knowing
just where they were going to spend the night but trusting
to luck. When one is out in the open little things like having
a place to sleep over night are not likely to worry him.
Worry, that bugbear that is responsible for more breakdowns
than any amount of hard work, goes into hiding in God's out-
of-doors. There is something about the song of the birds, the
freshness of the air, the stateliness of the trees, the blue of
the sky, that makes worry scamper for shelter.

About eight o'clock the little village of Marine Mills was
reached and it was decided to spend the night there. Marine
Mills claims the distinction of being the oldest settlement in
the state of Minnesota, even antedating Mendota. Be that as
it may, it certainly is one of the most beautiful little spots in
the state. Situated on several hills, with trout streams run-
ning down into the St. Croix over a series of cascades, no
more pisturesque little place could be found.

There are adventures of every sort and the wanderer out in
the open is in search of any kind. It was announced in Ma-
rine that there was to be a "pie social." Although they pos-
sessed only a hazy idea of what a pie social might be the
wanderers decided that the evening entertainment would be
a pie social. Several pies were purchased at auction and like
small boys, the newspapermen ate the pies baked by the
young women of Marine.

There were many things interesting about Marine Mills.
And not the least of these was "Fritz." Fritz was a little lad
with whom the newspapermen made friends. The next day
he told them all about his fishing expeditions. He even in-
vited the visitors to come to his "camp" that Saturday night.
Some day the visitors are going to return to Marine to take
up the invitation to go camping with Fritz, who evidently
knows as much about where the trout leap and where the
bass hide as anyone in the St. Croix valley.

The hike was continued from Marine up to Osceola. The
experiences of the evening before, the pleasure of the being

12

really in the open, spurred the hikers on. When a quiet pool
was reached and some muskrats were spied a rest was taken.
And here the visitors were entertained by nature's music. It
was the symphony of the pond. While the muskrats vent-
ured into the stream, there was music from a thousand
throats. The birds, the frogs, the crickets, all joined in one
glad song. It is such times that men appreciate companions
who love nature.

From Osceola there was the trip to Taylors Palls, in the
dalles of the St. Croix. In the evening a hike through the
dalles, a long time spent on one of the cliffs overlooking the
rapidly-flowing stream, with the moon making grotesque
shadows out from the peculiar rock formations, made life
seem really worth living. One could imagine that he was on
the Columbia or the Frazer river or even upon the Yukon.
Surely none 6f the rivers of the West could be more beautiful
than was the St. Croix that moonlight night.

A short train ride brought the now refreshed newspaper-
men back to the city. The city looked better than it had
when they had left three days before. The wonder of the
out-of-doors had changed the attitude of the travelers.

A short trip, yes; but one filled with many good things.

®

Fire Prevention in Minnesota

By WM. T. Cox, State Forester

s

PROGRESS in forestry is marked in the first instance by
development of systematic fire prevention. This depends
upon the organization of a corps of trained men working
in harmony and co-operation with the people. This much has
been accomplished by the Minnesota forest service and now
the chief measure of its effectiveness is the intensity with
which it can be applied. With an average of about fifty men,
the twenty million acres of forested lands have been given
protection, but to a degree far below a reasonable margin of
safety.
The forest law provides for a forestry board composed of

13

nine members, two of whom are the dean of the Agricultural
College and the director of the College of Forestry. The
others are severally recommended by the regents of the Uni-
versity of Minnesota, Minnesota State Forestry Association,
State Agricultural Society, State Horticultural Society and the
State Game and Fish Commission, and appointed by the gov-
ernor. As a result of this system of appointment of the board,
men interested in various lines of forestry are selected. No
compensation other than expenses at board meetings is given
them.

The board appoints a secretary whose duties are prescribed
by it, and a trained forester who executes the provisions of
the forest laws.

The forester, with the approval of the board, appoints an
assistant forester, rangers, patrolmen and office assistants to
be employed. He purchases all necessary equipment, instru-
ments and field supplies. All expenditures are approved by
the forester and by the forestry board.

Three inspectors are employed in various phases of forestry
work. Only one does actual inspection of forest officers' work,
and he might be rightfully called a ranger-at-large. This in-
spector visits the various headquarters of rangers and patrol-
men, inspects their work and makes such recommendations to
the forester as he deems necessary. But more important than
this, he advises and suggests to them personally, improve-
ments in methods of work.

The railroad inspector has authority to investigate and de-
termine the effectiveness of ash pan and spark-arresting de-
vices on any locomotive, donkey, traction or portable engine,
and any other engines and boilers operating in the vicinity
of forest, brush or grass lands. He may, after due notice,
withhold from operation the use of any locomotives or other
engines until the proper appliances and repairs are made.
The railroad inspector, with the aid of the ranger, issues in-
structions for the proper patrol of the rights-of-way of the
railroad companies, chiefly in regard to number of patrolmen,
time of placing on duty and beats to patrol. He also sees that
the rights-of-way are properly cleared of combustible material.

14

The industrial inspector ascertains the stands of the dif-
ferent species of trees, the possibilities for the utilization of
the various so-called inferior woods used in wood-working in-
lustries, and furthers the location of new industries, markets,
jtc.

The forested area of Northern Minnesota is at present di-
dded into thirteen districts, each in charge of a district rang-
jr. Their duties are many and varied.

Every district ranger works under the direction of the state
>rester, and is held responsible to him for the affairs of his
listrict and in exercising the authority with which he is en-
trusted under the law. That authority covers a wide range
ind diversity of detail. All rangers are required to keep a
liary of work done and business transacted, and to report this
state headquarters every week. They are authorized by
law to arrest and bring action against any individual, com-
>any or organization that violates or fails to comply with the
regulations and provisions of the forest law. The activities
of patrolmen, state and federal, are controlled by the ranger
to whose district they are assigned. Rangers are responsible
for, and held to an accounting of, all forest service equipment
— canoes, boats, tools, tents, etc. All features of the service
work in any district are administered directly by the ranger
of that district, acting for the forester, or by the patrolmen,
acting for the district ranger. While the forester and assist-
ant visit each district as often as possible, to advise with the
ranger concerning district affairs, much discretionary power
is of necessity left to the latter.

A ranger's work is administrative to a large extent. Every
ranger has a territory, directly under his supervision, larger
than most of the counties in the state. Most of the summer
routine work of a district is of necessity left to the patrol-
men. In time of bad fires, rangers are expected and instructed
to remain quite closely in their headquarters; this, in order
that they may keep in touch with affairs in all portions of
their district. Should a ranger leave headquarters to go to a
certain place outside for any length of time, there would be
danger of fire in some other portion, where his advice or his

15

presence might be absolutely necessary, with no opportunity
to reach him. Of course, with a large or dangerous fire, a
ranger will go to it and organize the fire fighting. His duty in
such a case is to put a good man in charge of that fire, then
return to his headquarters in readiness for another. Further-
more, the amount of office work necessary to systematic busi-
ness requires the presence of a ranger in his headquarters a
number of days each month, even when fires may not be prob-
able. In fact, while a ranger goes about the country as much
as possible, there are certain important features of his work
which can be best attended to only at headquarters.

About May 1st or whenever the fire danger begins, the pa-
trolman is placed in charge of his beat, with a definite head-
quarters, or station, where he could be reached by mail at
stated intervals.

Immediately upon taking the field, it is required of every
patrolman that he acquaint himself with his territory, and es-
pecially with the people. He must seek for future reference,
the location of trails and open regions — all the means of rapid
travel and advantageous lines of defense in case of fire. Many
patrolmen work out definite patrol routes, which they cover
as often as necessary in the performance of their chief duty
— guarding against the occurrence of fires. They are sup-
plied with tents, axes, shovels, mattocks, and other simple
equipment necessary to living and working in the forest. For
this they receipt to the ranger responsible for it, and are in
turn held responsible by him for its care. Where there are
good water routes in their beats, patrolmen are furnished
canoes. In the latter case, or where horses are used, sets of
fire-fighting tools are carried.

Patrolmen are endowed with police powers to enforce the
forest law. They are empowered to summon aid in case of
fire, to demand the observance by the people of the require-
ments of the law, to make arrests when necessary; and are
responsible to the rangers in carrying out the details of their
work. Their principal duty is, of course, the prevention and
control of fires. In this connection, they post warning no-
tices and explain the law and the aims of the forest service

16

to the public. In rainy weather, when fires are unlikely, em-
ployment is always at hand in erecting watch towers on com-
manding sites selected in going about the country, in com-
piling maps from data obtained when on patrol, in clearing
out trails and portages, and other work of a similar useful
character.

Rangers take care to select points for patrol headquarters
which can be reached quickly by telephone if possible, at any
rate by mail. Thus, in any emergency, a patrolman can
quickly get in touch with the ranger, and vice versa. Pa-
trolmen are required to keep a diary, recording therein the
business of each day. These are forwarded to the ranger
once a week, to be summarized together with his own. While
the nature of a ranger's duties is such that he must spend a
part of his time in district headquarters, he devotes the great-
er part of it to going about his district advising with the pa-
trolmen, supervising the work of the latter, planning new
activities for them, and looking after such matters as are be-
yond the authority of the patrolmen.

Some patrolmen are retained during the winter to assist
the rangers in looking after slash disposal. Although most
of them are laid off duty in October, others furloughed until
the beginning of the next fire season.

This field organization of the forest service has been aided
by a system of auxiliary and subsidiary forces, fluctuating in
numbers and capable of much enlargement at need. These
have been chiefly patrolmen of private corporations installed
at the instigation of the forester, patrolmen furnished by
townships by provision of the forest law, patrolmen retained
in co-operation with the Indian department of the United
States and the federal forest service, together with the offi-.
cers of the national forests, deputized as state officers to co-
operate with the state service. All, by systematic arrange-
ment tending to efficiency in fire prevention, have been more
or less directly under the supervision of the state forester
and the district rangers, and responsible for them.

17

Newspapers

THEY sent my forest to a paper mill,
My forest, lifted solemnly and still
For skies to brood and morning sun to kiss,
Now torn to pulp and flattened into this —
This endless mass of paper, smudged with ink,
And flung abroad to men that will not think.

Instead of sweet green leaves, this dingy white;
Instead of bird songs and the pure delight
Of sturdy trunk and loving shadowy bough,
The berry glints, the asters— nothing now
But crumpled pages whirled beneath a train,
Or sodden in a gutter by the rain.

Ah, when, thou monstrous Press, thou mighty force,
When wilt thou bear thee worthy of thy source?
When, in the glad remembrance of the wood,
Wilt thou be soundly sweet and staunchly good,
Fragrant and pure and masterfully free,
And calmly strong as thine our parent tree?

Amos R. Wells, in Harper's Weekly.

18

£

The Meaning of Conservation

s

IT hardly seems necessary to explain to the readers of the
North Woods the meaning of conservation. However
there are so many misinterpretations of the word that a
brief explanation is desirable.

Conservation does not mean the withholding of our re-
sources from the markets, it means maintaining a system
that will return a maximum from them. If this necessitates
checking the exploitation to which they have been subjected
it is only that their total yield may be greatly increased by
indefinitely prolonging their period of yield.

There are certain of our resources to which conservation
does not apply. Even these have received greater attention
than the forests, game and water resources of the state. An
iron mine, for instance, never could be handled in such a
way that its ore would not ultimately be exhausted but meth-
ods are being introduced whereby a greater percentage is
realized from the yield but its quantity is fixed.

Forests are a variable quantity capable of producing a
continued revenue. If handled as a crop the benefits may be
realized indefinitely and on an increasing scale. By the con-
servation of our forests then, we mean, the scientific manage-
ment of our forests that we may treat them as a crop, cut
them repeatedly as they mature and receive from them a con-
tinued revenue. When the forests have yielded one treasure
to mankind their capacity has not been exhausted. They are
ready to produce another growth and will if conditions are
furnished under which they can thrive.

Our iron mines cannot be refilled but our forest lands can
be reforested. In many cases this reforestation will be car-
ried on by nature. She is forever attempting this reproduc-
tion process but most often some agent of man prevents.
Education along forestry lines has taught us that nature may
be aided in this reproduction work and returns be made more
rapid. Nature takes no count of time and place. She will

19

take years to place the seed where man could place them at
once.

As the trees grow there are always agencies at work to
destroy them. The most destructive of these is fire. An un-
satisfied demon which devours the pines, the home of the
settler, and all that means life to him. Here man again en-
ters into conservation by providing fire protection. For sev
eral years the state of Minnesota has provided some protec-
tion to the timber stands but not until very recently have
the voters of the state shown that the future of our for-
est lands is entitled to any consideration. It is the duty of
the forest service to work for the protection of the present
forest and as far as their authority and funds permit they
are planning for the future. In another article the North
Woods has expressed itself as believing a soil survey to be
one of the most necessary moves for conservation.

There are many other assets of the state that depend on
the forest for their continuance. Water power, lakes and
streams with their fish and fowl, fur-bearing animals and
game life are some of the valuable resources of the people
that absolutely depend upon the retention of suitable tree
grpwth for their future.

In speaking of the conservation of game' and fish we do
not mean that fishing and hunting should be absolutely pro-
hibited. This would not be true conservation. The object of
game and fish conservation is to insure for mankind their
continuation. There are certain birds and animals that are
threatened with extermination. It is imperative that the de-
struction of these be restricted. The only method that will
conserve game and fish is to establish refuges where hunting
and fishing is prohibited.

A game and fish preserve provides a protected breeding
ground for the propagation of this wild life. Outside of these
game refuges the animal life will necessarily be more abun-
dant and here the angler and hunter will always find game
and fish. Restriction on bag limits are not made for the pur-
pose of robbing the sportsman of his pleasure but that the
benefits of the wild life may be continued that others also

20

may enjoy the benefits with which the maker of all things
has blessed us.

Assist in the work of conservation. Understand fully the
important part that the forests play in the economic situation
of the state and encourage the movement for a business-like
management of our forest land.

Our Obligations to Forestry

Hy James A. Lawrie, Secretary-Treasurer,
Northeastern' Minnesota Game and Fish Protective Association

"The world is so full of a number of things,
I'm sure we should all be as happy as kings."

SO runs a very optimistic little rhyme, but if we consider
the fullness of our subject in relation to our ability,
time and space in which to do it justice, we are quite
apt to lose a little of our optimism. Perforce I must confine
our considerations of forestry to the issues of the sportsman,
fisherman, bird lover and vacationist, leaving other economic
values for a more comprehensive treatise. Neither shall the
reader be launched on the sea (if this bull be permitted) of
general forestry and left without compass, sails or oars, to drift
with wind and tide of general sentiment or legislative direction,
for there is right at hand, ready and seeking our co-operation, a
fully equipped, thoroughly manned craft, waiting for us to
embark, that will land us safely at the "Port of our Desire"
in forestry matters.

I refer to the Minnesota Forestry Association and the state
forest service, both of which are committed to the preserva-
tion and perpetuation of forest areas within our state. Now
where do we stand in this movement? We have within our
borders presumably about fifteen thousand people who an-
nually hunt large game, many thousands who devote their
shooting to birds and small game, thousands of men, women
and children who love to fish the streams and lakes, and thou-

21

sands more wfco find pleasure in the study and care of bird
life. All of us in the above classes depend upon the forests
directly for a continuance of our pleasure, whether it be that
of the sportsman or the more pacific bird protector.

I am not dealing now with the vast possibilities of this state
as a surpassingly excellent territory for the summer resorter,
whose name is legion, nor with the commercial aspect, of
value to those who should foster and develop this transient
business, for our railroads, hotels, sporting goods dealers and
the host of people who would properly profit by such a pat-
ronage as we should have. My intent and desire is to ap-
peal to our own individual necessities for appreciation and
assistance in every way for the cause of forestry.

One needs but to travel through the extensive areas of the
whole North country to realize the deplorable devastation and
desolation of our formerly beautiful land at the hands of a
few selfish and mercenary lumbering interests. It is high
time — yes, far past the time — when all such operations should
be subjected to proper control by the state, and while we can-
not expect owners of valuable standing timber to forego the
profits accruing from its manufacture into lumber, we can
require them to log with more care or to reforest areas de-
nuded, leaving something for coming generations. One of the
good but difficult attainments of the forest service is the dis-
posal of slashings by lumbermen. The rangers see to it that
brush, tops and debris of a logged district shall be burned as
soon after the lumbering operations are concluded as may be
done with safety to young timber and timber on adjoining
tracts. This cleaning up prevents disastrous forest fires and
leaves the ground in shape to develop a new growth more
quickly, and is a vast improvement -over the old way of leav-
ing everything to litter up and endanger the country.

Probably everyone interested in nature now understands
the relation between the woods and the waters of a district,
and need not be told how the leaves and undergrowth of the
woods hold back the rainfall so that it does not get to the
water courses as rapidly, but is fed to them slowly, and in
this retardation we have our trout streams, our lakes and

22

rivers. We should have had more of them had our forefathers
been better informed and more considerate of posterity.

Come and spend a few days with me during the season
when nature draws us to her realm. As we travel trails day
after day, we find the dried-up stream beds in cut-over lands,
where once trout were plentiful, birds and all wild life flour-
ished and throve in the shelter of the woods. What has hap-
pened here? Nothing but that the timber was cut off, and the
debris left to provide fuel for fires that were sure to come.
These fires not only ate up the lumberman's refuse but killed
all vegetation, leaving dead brush and trees to blow over, and
bare rocks and blackened stumps, and not satisfied with this
work of devastation, went on into such timber as was beneath
the lumberman's notice, killing it and leaving in turn more
fuel for the next fire. Heavy rainstorms sweep over this coun-
try, but without vegetation to hold the discharge and allow
it to perform its natural duty of nourishing vegetable and
animal life, it pours down the barren hillsides into the dry
stream bed, grows into a raging torrent and sweeps on to a
larger stream, depositing therein its load of silt and other
debris, growing in flood volume as it proceeds until, as is too
often the case, the larger river is ruined for fishing purposes
and becomes a thing of horror to the orderly mind of nature
lovers.

Why tarry here? There is a piece of green timber in yon-
der valley, there must be a stream there where we can camp
and fish. Let us go there, and we go to find a delightful
piece of forest, threaded by a crystal stream with moss-grown
rocks, rapids and pools that promise large for trout. Par-
tridges are drumming all about us, rabbits hop around as we
make camp, birds are flitting from tree to tree, deer and
moose' tracks are thick about the banks of the stream, and
here we find that for which we have sought. A forest pri-
meval, sheltering an abundance of wild life, a quiet, shady
and secluded retreat wherein we are to rest and refresh our
souls and bodies. A forest, but not such a one as tempts the
avarice and greed of men, — trees not yet valuable enough or
accessible enough to return two or ten dollars for the one
necessary to market them.

23

On fishing bent, we travel down streams until we again
come out into the desolation of the cut-over and burned-over
country. Our stream has lost its crystal, the rocks and stones,
their moss. Fish there yet may be, but fewer and fishing in
such surroundings are not to our liking.

Up stream the next day, picking our way carefully through
the tangled borders of the stream we still find woods, woods
to the very stream's head, where a delightful lake reposes in
the depths of the forest, like a jewel in its finest setting.
Here we find the delights of a woodseer's heart, — woods, lake
and stream. Camp ground, fuel, bed and food, all of nature's
best, at our hands. While we tarry there, how supremely
satisfying is all that we have had for the taking and how
glad we should be that in the midst of so great a country of
ruthless devastation, there are still such spots for those who
love them enough to seek them out. Nor should we forget
that to our forest service and the Minnesota Forestry Asso-
ciation are due our full appreciation of their efforts to pre-
serve for us, and for those who will follow us, this and many
other such retreats.

The settlement of our border land is pushing deeper and
and deeper into the woods year by year. Where many of us
have hunted and fished in what were then heavy forests, there
are now cultivated fields, and cattle now wallow in the
streams where once we fished. The smoke from a settler's
cabin often rises before us where a year or so ago there were
no roads even, and it is a day's journey almost to get away
from civilization, where formerly an hour or so from the rail-
road would take us beyond the sound of an axe or the bark
of a dog.

Well, it is for us who love the back beyond places of our
state that there is a strong effort being made to preserve
some of those rough, wild places for the benefit of mankind.
May we fully realize our obligations to the honest and earnest
endeavors of all who are aiding this effort, and may we all
help in so far as we may the cause of the forest service and
the Forestry Association.

24

s

What

Our

Neighbors are

Doing

«

DEPARTURE in regard to technical matters was made
in the head office of the dominion forestry branch at
Ottawa, when, on March 26, Mr. H. Claughton Wallin,
chief of surveys, read a paper on "Reconnaissance" before the
technical staff of the branch.

Objects of Reconnaissance Surveys.

Mr. Wallin pointed out in the first place that the objects of
reconnaissance surveys are to procure information as to the
value of the lands examined in relation to agriculture and as
sources of water or timber supply, and to determine the ad-
visability of recommending them for inclusion in forest re-
serves.

Dangers of Ill-directed Settlement.

Mr. Wallin showed that now the prairie lands were becom-
ing settled, settlers were pushing out into the wooded coun-
try. The first settlement generally occupied fertile lands but
as the river bottoms and lands surrounding lakes were taken
up the settlers stuck out into the country surrounding, and in
many cases located on lands, which because of their rocky,
hilly, or sandy nature were not capable of supporting their
owners decently. Many new settlers were not farmers but
city men who did not understand soil values. Hence there
was the greater reason for the examination of lands in ad-
vance of settlement to prevent these uninformed people locat-
ing on land which they would either abandon in a few years
to return to city life, or continue to eke out an existence by
working for several months each year for their neighbors in
the fertile districts. Thus the man would not be of his full
value to the country, and the 160 acres of land he had home-
steaded instead of increasing in value would be deteriorating
because the young timber which it could grow if left alone
would be taken off in useless clearing or burned by fires
started accidentally or intentionally.

25

To Increase Agricultural Prosperity.

Thus one object of the reconnaissance survey was to in-
crease the prosperity of agriculture in Canada by withdraw-
ing unsuitable lands from settlement and another was to pro-
tect the timber supply and, in direct consequence of this, to
maintain a stable flow in the watercourses, by placing abso-
lute forest lands and stands of timber in forest reserves where
they would be protected from fire and trespass.

Policy of the Dominion Government.

The policy of the dominion government was that lands
which were unsuited to agriculture but were important water-
sheds, or valuable to the adjacent community or the country
as a whole on account of their timber resources, should be in-
cluded in forest reserves for the purpose of ensuring regula-
tion of stream flow and a perpetual supply of timber.

There were two kinds of forest reserves in the West, those
in well populated districts and those in rough mountainous
districts, or the unsettled and unsurveyed regions north of
the prairies. The reserves in populated districts consisted of
sandy, more or less timbered, hilly country, surrounded by
settled agricultural land. Such districts were comparatively
few and it was important that land of this character be de-
voted to the growing of timber to relieve the need for fire-
wood, fence posts, and small building timber, which was al-
ways felt in the treeless prairies.

Dispel Wrong Ideas.

Mr. Wallin pointed to the duty of the officer in charge, of
the survey to acquaint himself with the views held by settlers
in the vicinity of the proposed reservation. He should ex-
plain that the creation of the reserve meant the protection of
timber, grazing and water supply for the farmer himself. The
erroneous idea that the object of a forest reserve was to pre-
vent the "poor man" getting his supply of fuel and timber
should be dispelled.

26

One Hundred Thousand Miles Surveyed.

The lecturer then went on to explain in detail the instruc-
tions given the officers in charge for prosecuting their work.
After dealing with this he said that since 1909 the dominion
forestry branch had placed in the field 34 reconnaissance par-
ties and these had covered an area of a little more than 100,000
square miles in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and the rail-
way belt in British Columbia. This area was largely distrib-
uted in a belt north of the prairies. Another year would give,
he hoped, a solid belt of examined land from the western
boundary of Ontario to the Rocky Mountains. The cost of
these surveys averaged about 60 or 65 cents per square mile.

The Loss From Fires.

The information so far compiled showed that at least 80 per
cent of the area examined between Lake Winnipeg and the
Rocky Mountains had been burned over during the last 50 to
75 years.

The white spruce, the tree best adapted to these regions,
was comparatively scarce because of having, after these fires,
been replaced, at least temporarily, by aspen. At the preesnt
time aspen which in Northern Europe was considered one of
the worst enemies of foresters and lumbermen, who the lead-
ing tree. It was hoped, however, that efficient fire protection
would help spruce to get into its own again. On sandy soils
the jack pine in the east and lodgepole pine in the west were
the species par excellence.

Canada's Great Opportunity.

From a careful study of all the data available Mr. Wallin
was of opinion that, with the exception of the muskegs and
high altitudes in the Rockies, the non-agricultural land in the
country examined, if properly protected, was nearly all capa-
able of producing excellent spruce and jackpine timber under
a comparatively short rotation. Foresters should do all they
could to see that logged-over and burned areas were restocked
with spruce or jack pine. If they could succeed in this there
was no reason why Canada should not have timber for export

27

as well as for her own use for all time to come. This con-
clusion was partly the result of comparisons between Canada
and Mr. Wallin's native country, Sweden. In Sweden there
had been periods of great fires and wasteful logging and yet
that country with an area of about 52,000,000 acres in forests
was in a position today, after half a century of rational for-
estry methods, to export millions of dollars' worth of lumber
and other forest products. During the forty years, 1871 to
1910, Sweden exported $1,480,000,000 worth of round timber,
sawmill products, pulp and pit props. The total value of for-
est products in Sweden today was estimated at $100,000,000
per year, and yet the forests of that country were not over-
exploited. In addition to this timber grew quicker in Canada
than in Northern Sweden, where most of the forests were
found.

What Sweden Has Done.

Mr. Wallin's conclusion on this point was: "It seems to me
that if a country (Sweden) which is only about the size of
Manitoba, can make so much out of her. forests without ex-
hausting herself there is no reason why Canada with her im-
mense areas of forest land should not become the greatest
timber-producing and timber-exporting country in the world;
but to reach this goal proper protection and proper manage-
ment of our forests is necessary and this I think can only be
obtained by including absolute forest land in forest reserves."

And yet, while "we, the people" are worrying about the de-
tails of tariffs, ballots and the like, one is tempted to forget the
importance of the conservation of our natural resources and es-
pecially the conservation of our forests, ivhich is such an im-
portant factor, not only in the lumber industry but in the flow of
our rivers and the rainfall on our farms. Moreover, we must
not depend upon our presidents and congress to do all this work
of conservation for us; ive must each do our own part. — Phila-
delphia Post.

23

C£

Minnesota

Frontiersday

Celebration

s

THE Executive Committee of the Forestry Association is
ready to announce a plan which has been under con-
sideration for some time. It is the purpose of this body
to have the Forestry Association establish a precedent to be
followed annually, namely the holding of a Frontier's Day
celebration.

They intend Frontiers Day is to be a day, not of the plains
but of the woods. At this time the deeds and feats of our
forefathers and those early settlers who braved the perils
of the woods frontiers will be rehearsed.

Among other attractions, there is to be the inevitable In-
dian, with his feats of wood and watercraft. Contests be-
tween the braves of different tribes — foot-racing, pony-racing,
swimming, diving, canoeing, baseball, lacrosse, Indian dances,
and many other equally interesting and spectacular numbers
will constitute this part of the program.

Log-rollers, the sure-footed, eagle-eyed, bow*-legged tog-
jumpers, who used to risk both neck and limb to drive the
logs down swift rapids, or simply as a dare to other "water-
hogs," will be procured to compete against each other.

Speakers of national reputation will talk on outdoor sub-
jects in an open-air pavilion. Mr. W. T. Hornaday, recog-
nized throughout the world as an authority on wild animal
life, has been procured by the Game and Fish Protective
League. Mr. Hornaday is in charge of the Bronx Zoological
Gardens, and is without a doubt the most capable man in his
profession.

Sportsmen will have the opportunity of competing against
friend and foe in feats of gun, rod and campcraft. Progress
is being made by the sportsmen of the state to establish an
effective state organization. Representatives will meet on
this occasion from all parts of the state to perfect their plans.

Many other features have been planned which promise to

29

make this day an absolute sue cess. We will announce the
program in its entirety at a later date. Without going fur-
ther into details, we ask you to reserve the dates of August
27 and 28.

TO be glad of life because it gives you the chance
to love and to work and to play and to look up
at the stars; to be satisfied with your posses-
sions, but not contented with yourself until you have
made the best of them; to despise nothing in the
world except falsehood and meanness, and to fear
nothing except cowardice; to be governed by your
admirations rather than by your disguests; to covet
nothing that is your neighbor's except his kindness
of heart and gentleness of manners; to think seldom
of your enemies, often of your friends, and to spend
as much time as you can, with body and with spirit
in God's out-of-doors — these are little guideposts on
the footpath to peace. — Henry Van Dyke.

30

'Forest Schools the Foundation of Forerft Wealth.*

Volume IV. JULY, 1915 Number 7

A Recorder and Promoter of the Forestry Movement in Minnesota.

OFFICIAL BULLETIN OF THE MINNESOTA FORESTRY ASSOCIATION
AND THE STATE FOREST SERVICE.

Published Monthly for members of the Minnesota Forestry Association

Annual Membership Fee $1.00.

Remittance should be made payable to PHIL H. HANSON. Treas..

care State Forester's Office, State Capitol.

St. Paul, Minn.

Entered as Second Class Matter, September 14, 1912, at the Post Office at St.
Paul, Minnesota, under the Act of August 21, 1912.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

At Home With the No-Seeums . . . 3

The Sow's Ear 11

The Forestry Board Meeting . . . .13

The Fuel Value of Wood \. . . . 15

The Song of the "No-See-Ums" . , .17

A One-Day Canoe Trip . . . . 18
American Manufacture of Creosote Increases 2 1

Making a Fire Proof Forest . . 22

Care and Repair of Shade Trees . , . 25

Stupidity Street . , . . . . . 28

Spirit Island a Bird Reserve . . . .29

Man s Little Day . . 30

A Reindeer Experiment in Quebec , * . 31

2

At Home With the No-Seeums

By A. L. WOOLRTIHJK
A Sad Tale of a Tenderfoot and the Humble but by No Means
Insignificant Fly. — Courtesy of Outing.

s

THE next time anyone comes to me and says: "Bill, I
know a place where there's speckled trout so thick
they'll wear you out taking them off the hook — a place
where it's cool and where you can sleep at night far from the
madding throng," I'm going to make business for the man who
owns the glass carriage that usually heads the procession and
goes slow. I'm going to demonstrate the process of self-elimi-
nation as it can be demonstrated by a man in earnest.

I had one of those alluring tales whispered in my ear during
the season past — whispered at a time when the city was hot
and the air sticky and humid and everyone was sweltering in
the fearful heat. "Pudge" Hobson sang this siren song to me,
and "Pudge" and I don't speak now. If I ever get the oppor-
tunity, I'll kill him yet. He came into my office that after-
noon and talked something like this:

"Bill, you owe it to yourself and to your family to take a rest.
While the wife and the kiddies are down at Atlantic City, let's
you and I take a little run up the north shore of Lake Supe-
rior. We'll go to Duluth, take a boat out of there, and hit it
up the Brule. You know the signs you always see in summer,
'It's Cool in Duluth!' Well, that's so, Bill. And furthermore,
there's trout in the Brule river, like there ain't anywhere else
in the world.

"Bob Galloway and Hank Orbison have just come back and
Hank told me they caught up to the limit the law allowed
each day, and caught 'em by ten o'clock in the morning. We'll
get a camp outfit and a guide in Duluth and for two weeks we'll
just lay round camp and fish and smoke our pipes, and rest
and read magazines and come back here feeling like different
men. This town's too infernal hot for any man with moral
tendencies. Let's go up where there's almost frost at night."

That's the tale this brute sang into my receptful ear. And
I, untutored in the woods, listened.

"Pudge," I said, "I couldn't catch a fish in a sack, even if it

was in a pan and poured out. I was never introduced to a
fish in my life except at the butcher shop. I wouldn't know
the manner of approach among strange fish. I wouldn't know
what to say, much less what to do."

"Leave that to me," Pudge replied. 'Til teach you. I'll take
you where there's the best fishing on the known globe."

Of course, I went. I locked my desk, took my two weeks
off, — the two I was to have for vacation, and "Pudge" and I
climbed in a sleeper that started for the "head o' the lakes."

"Aha! Fie on thee, O busy care!" I exulted as we drew
away from the lights of the city. "Swelter, you slaves!" I
shouted gleefully as we passed the pumping station by the
reservoir.

"O Lordy! O whitened sin!" I think now as I reflect upon
those exultations. "O idiot that I was! O "Pudge!"

Every time I let my thoughts return to that trip, I want to
murder someone in cold blood. Mind you, what happened up
on the Brule isn't Pudge's fault. Let me say right here and
now in open meeting — let me rise like a fully accredited dele-
gate from the ninth ward with a large white badge on my coat
lapel — let me rise and pay my respects to the Brule. It is a
great fishing stream; it is so full of trout that on good days it
keeps you busy taking them off the hooks, or flies, and it prob-
ably does afford as wonderful trout fishing as any stream in
America.

But — and I say it with full knowledge whereof I speak. But!
there are other things on the Brule which I am going to tell
about, but which "Pudge" didn't mention to me. If he had, I
probably wouldn't have been so wild to get there and event-
ually so wild to get away. But to continue my story:

"Pudge" and I got our camp outfit and a guide in Duluth — a
half-breed Chippewa named "Jim." He claimed to know all
the good trout holes on the map, and, to tell the truth, he did.
"Jim" agreed to take us to the places where the trout held
mass meetings, introduce us to the most promising and influ-
ential leaders, and assist in the massacre, for $2.50 a day. So
we took him on. "Pudge" had a note to the general manager
of the steamboat line, who agreed to stop the ship at the
mouth of the Brule to allow us to get off, and we left the

zenith city at ten o'clock in the morning. A cool wind Was
blowing over the great lake and we sat for'rd to enjoy its
freshness and mutually feel sorry for the fellers plugging
away back home. We got into camp by night, stretched our
tent, and had a good dinner cooked by our guide. Afterwards,
we built a strong fire and sat around to smoke.

O! those were glorious hours! It was the first time I had
felt cool and contented and tired in a month. We let "Jim"
fill us up with wonderful stories of life in the Minnesota and
Wisconsin woods, and sat and talked till eleven o'clock. The
fire was burning low. The night birds and the night noises
were lulling us into a state of drowsiness. The little water-
falls in the Brule at our feet sang songs of adventure that was
to come and the night wind sighing through the pine trees
made us glad of the peacefulness.

"Jim" broke the silence:

"Bring any ile?" he asked.

"I never drink," I replied firmly.

"No! no!" he urged. "Ile for mosquitoes and No-seeums."

I looked at "Pudge" blankly. I thought we had bought all
Duluth when we finished paying the bill for outfitting. But
ess we hadn't. "Pudge" didn't know anything about "ile"
mosquitoes and to buy any sort of a present for such a
t was something entirely beyond my usual manner of pro-
ure.

"But," I began wondering, "what are these 'No-seeums' that
speaks about?" I had never heard of such reptiles or
animals, or whatever they were, before. So I turned to our
guide and remarked:

"Jim, what kind of 'ile' do you usually bring mosquitoes,
and what is a No-seeum?"

The Chippewa looked disgusted. I had tried to keep him
from discerning that I was not an old timer in the woods, that
I didn"t know all about nimrodding and Izaak Waltoning and
other outdoor hardships. But I was willing to concede igno-
rance of mosquito "ile" and of No-seeums.

"Ile keep away 'sketers an' No-seeums," Jim replied.

"But what's a 'No-seeum?'"

"You find out 'morrow mornin'."

I know now what a "No-seeum" is. I learned up there on
the Brule. I became a sort of packing-house product for them.
I've tried to find out something about No-seeums in the books
since I came home. The scientists who are up on bugs say
that a fly is "a two-winged insect of many species;" that a
flea is "a small blood-sucking insect of the genus Pulex, re-
markable for its agility and irritating bite;" that a mosquito
is "an insect of the genus Culex, the females of which punc-
ture the skin of men and animals, causing great cutaneous ir-
ritation and pain;" that a gnat is "a small stinging winged
insect of several species, allied to the mosquito;" that a tick is
a "parasite that infests dogs, sheep and one species attacks
men." But nowhere do the books tell of the No-seeums.
Hence, this definition now to be given cannot be disputed au-
thoritatively:

"A No-seeum is a species of guerrilla gnat having two sting-
ers in each' foot and nine in the head. It carries in its flight a
poisoned stiletto and a two-tined fork with which it attacks
anything that moves, doing great execution. A No-seeum is
carnivorous, devoid of morals, and frequently is consigned to
a hotter world than this by irate fishermen. But it has never
gone."

That gives some idea -of what a No-seeum is. You couldn't
send through the mails what the fishermen think they are.
Such language has no place in print. I remember full well
that morning up on the Brule when I met up with my first one.
I was rigging up my new nine-dollar fishing pole when some-
thing kicked me just beneath the left eye. A bump came up
immediately.

"Pudge!" I called, "either somebody kicked me in the face
or else I've been shot."

Pudge came to my side and started to look at the wound
when he suddenly ducked his head and staggered backward.

"What'd you do that for?" he asked, turning red in the face.

"Do what?"

"Stick me with your knife!"

"I didn't touch you, sir. I wouldn't strike a friend, espe-
cially with one of my lamps going to the bad."

"Well, look. at my forehead. I guess that bump just took

root and came up like a mushroom, all of its own accord, eh!"

"Honest, Pudge, I didn't touch you. I had called to you to
come look at me when —

I clapped my left hand onto my right, dropping my nine-
dollar fishople, reel and all, and wheeled around to glare at
Jim. The half-breed was cleaning up the breakfast dishes, his
hands immersed in a pan of water. I knew he couldn't have
thrown anything at us. A grin was on his face, however, and
we suspected him.

"Jim," I said gravely, "I can enjoy a practical joke as well as
anyone and I'll stand for anything within the bounds of rea-
son. But if I catch you up to any more of your medicine-man
tricks, I'll throw you in the river."

" 'Smatter with eye?" Jim asked, looking at my swollen
optic.

"That's what I say," I retorted. "What is the matter? Did
you throw something?"

"Huh! No!" Jim replied. "No-seeum git yo'."

The truth was out. Running loose, right there in those
woods were some sort of flying devils, armed with forks,
sabres, stilettos and cutlasses, and war had been declared.

"How can you tell when they're going to call?" I asked of

"Feel 'em."

"Don't they say anything, send in a card, remark about the
Lther, or do anything of that sort? How can you tell 'em
rhen you see 'em?"

"No-seeum," said Jim bluntly.

We stood there blindly fighting imaginary spots in the air.

rery now and then Pudge would let out a howl and clap a
land to some part of his head or start suddenly rubbing his
wrist. It all became ludicrous. By the time the sun was up
good and warm, we were leaning up against trees, our hands
in our pockets to keep them from being eaten off or stung off,
whichever the No-seeums were up to.

"I dare you," I said to "Pudge," "to take your hands out of
your pockets and go fishing."

"You go to Texas!" Pudge replied hotly. "I'd give a twenty
dollar bill for a bottle of that 'ile' Jim tells about."

The half breed was still grinning.

The No-seeums apparently looked on him as a hardened
character, because they didn't seem to bother about him at
all. Suddenly Pudge shouted:

"Bring the gun! Quick!"

"What is it?" we asked breathlessly.

"I just saw mine! I hit at 'im but missed, and he's dancin'
away there just out o' my reach."

A respite from the bandits came a little while later and we
got to the river to fish. The trout were literally eating the
flies alive, too, that morning. Yet, for every strike we got
from a trout, we received two kicks or bites or stings from
the No-seeums, and I never spent a more miserable, perspir-
ing forenoon in all my life. Along about sundown that even-
ing, the No-seeums withdrew for rest. Unquestionably, they
had put in a hard day. Then Pudge and I surveyed each other.
His face looked as though it had been painted, then put up by
the fire to dry, as it was all puffed out in spots. He said I
looked like a punctured pneumatic tire.

But there we were, up against it. I have never taken a
vacation in a nest of hornets, but if anyone gives me the
choice of them or the No-seeums, the hornets for mine! There
is this advantage, that no self-respecting hornet will come and
insert his stinger in your cuticle, causing that "cutaneous irri-
tation" the bug-men tell about, without letting himself be seen.
He isn't that kind of a bee. We were wondering what we
should do to relieve the situation, when Jim said:

"Me make ile 'morrow mornin' dat keep away No-seeums.
Yo' go sleep an' no worry."

Honest, we wanted to fall on his neck. Any man who could
make an "ile" that would keep those marauders off of us, was
entitled to first prize, or else the gold watch or sack of flour.
The pleasure of having some annointment on us that was too
much for the No-seeums would be worth any kind of money.
We slept that night with all the confidence in the world in
wonderful Jim— our guide.

Early next morning, before time for the bugs to be moving,
I got out and walked up the river about a mile. I wanted to
feel the dew on the grass and I wanted the air to cool my

8

mckered face. 1 wanted to meditate upon what a good time t
was having. I thought of Bob Galloway and Hank Orbison
back at home, probably spending their evenings at Munchauen-

tusen's garden with mugs of that beverage which has foam
m top, sitting before them, while a band played and cabaret

incers made merry. Then I thought of myself up on the
Brule with a half-breed Chippewa, Pudge Hobson, and the No-
seeums. I sat down at the side of a little waterfall and
watched the trout leap for flies.

It was glorious there in the early a. m., before the No-
jeeums got to work. I hated to go back to camp, but an in-
late habit of eating food acquired in the early part of my life
drove me back. I loitered on the way, picking wild berries
and watching the squirrels jump about in the trees. About a
quarter of a mile from the tent, I met Pudge coming after me.
I noticed that his face and hands were covered with a yellow-
ish substance of some kind, and I remarked:

"Got some arnica?"

"Anica, nothin'!" Pudge replied. "That's some of Jim's
'ile.' "

He came closer and I got a smell of something that was
iwful. Pudge being to the windward, I instantly surmised
that the smell came from him and from the stuff Jim had
smeared on him. I've smelled glue factories when the weather
was hot, have sniffed limburger when it seemed at the point
of disintegration, and have been near escaping acetylene gas,
but those odors were as fragrance from lilies of the valley
compared with what Jim had handed to Pudge.

"Go way!" I yelled. "Go bury yourself ! Go fall in the lake!
Jim's put up an awful trick on you."

"No, no," Pudge expostulated, following me toward camp.
"That's the stuff that keeps the No-seeums away."

"They got nothing on me," I replied. "It'll keep me away,
too. Until you go wash, don't come near me."

As I entered camp, Jim started toward me with an empty
can and a swab made from a stick and a piece of cheesecloth.
I grabbed up a stick of wood and turned.

"You just dare poke that swab at me and I'll break every
bone in your head," I essayed. "I got a wife and family back

9

East and I want to go home some time. If I went back with
that smell fastened to me, they wouldn't let me in."

"It wear off," Jim assured me.

"Not off of me, it won't," I retorted, " 'cause you're not go-
ing to get it on me."

And he didn't. All that day I fought No-seeums while Pudge
went about with his odor and was not molested. I noticed at
dinner time, however, that Pudge was a little pale around the
ears and he remarked that he guessed he'd not put any more
on next morning.

I promptly offered prayer.

That night I took a blanket and slept out on the ground to
be away from Pudge, and next morning I caught a boat back
to Duluth. Pudge came on in the afternoon after the tent was
packed. We paid Jim for full two weeks' work and went to
a doctor for a prescription. The medical man wouldn't let
Jim come in, but I got the recipe for insect bites while Pudge
got a bath. On the way h,ome I told him of the delightful time
I'd had on the vacation trip he planned for me and of how I
hoped to be able to do as much for him some day. Pudge got
peeved and we hardly spoke to each other by the time we got
back home. I haven't seen him since.

We found the fishing oh the Brule all it was said to be.
There's trout there till you can't rest. And anyone who
is curious can go and find No-seems in the same locality.
Other fellers have been there who were not bothered at all.
It may be that we got there on home-coming week or while a
national campaign was on, but at any rate we got there when
the No-seeums were not away on visits.

10

8

The Sow's Ear

E. G. CHETNEY

$

AS long ago as Shakespeare's time, it had already become
proverbial that "you cannot make a purse out of a sow's
ear." The world is supposed to have advanced immeas-
urably in knowledge and wisdom since then, and yet, in spite
of all our study and all our boasted efficiency, there are thou-
sands of people twisting away at the patient old porker's ear
in the vain hope of making something beautiful. This is es-
pecially true in respect to land. There is a prevalent idea,
fostered by some real estate men, demagogues and misguided
agricultural enthusiasts, that a paying farm can be made out
of any kind 'of land. But it requires very little imagination to
liken a paying farm to a purse, and a glance at history will
soon convince any open minded man of the similarity of a
portion of this fair country to a sow's ear.

In the old country the largest crops in the world are raised,
"his is partly due to the intensive methods used, but more
irgely to the careful selection of the land. Each little patch
>f land has a reputation for its ability to raise some partic-
lar crop. Some of it is recognized as unprofitable or even
)tally unfit for any crop at all. Even in this country certain
jlasses of land are recognized. We hear of corn land, wheat
land, clover land, etc., thus admitting that there are different
ides of soil. Why not have the nerve to carry this to its
logical conclusion and admit that there is some land which
not fit for any crop? Admit that a certain portion of it is a

's ear? Admit that it is fit only for a forest?
In the early days in this state it was the ambition of every
inner to raise wheat. Land not in wheat was waste land.
Gradually they began to realize that there were crops which
would pay better than wheat on some land. As a consequence,
the crops became more diversified and the profits larger and
lore sure. This recognized the principle that land was not
it for the purpose of producing any particular crop, but rather
to produce revenue from anything that can be grown. Why,

11

then, not extend this principle a little further and grow trees
where they will produce the large return; and they will pro-
duce the larger returns on certain lands and under certain
conditions.

This is sufficient evidence to show that there is a choice of
land and a choice of crops; but little use is ever made of the
knowledge. A man buys a piece of wild land and clears it
for a farm without once considering the capital he is invest-
ing or the probable returns. He, after he has eked out a
miserable existence for years, may begin to realize that the
timber he cut away and burned would have made him more
money than he will ever make out of his farm. In other
words, the farmer is groping blindly in the fog, a fog cast
about him by his own hopes and ignorance, by the real estate
men handling poor lands, and by the demagogues who are
feathering their own nests by promoting a false boom for the
country.

The value of other kinds of property is based on the rev-
enue that they will produce. Even the rent of a farm land is
figured on a percentage of the value; but the value is a ficti-
tious one selected at random. Land is the only kind of prop-
erty which is valued independently of its productive capacity
— the only true basis of valuation.

Some day this fog will rise. The people will rebel against
the tyranny of the land speculators and demand that the land
be valued at its true worth. When they do, crop production
will take its proper place as a solid business transaction, farm
land will produce farm crops, forest land forests, iron
lands ore, and there will be no waste land. The economic con-
dition of the country as a whole, and more especially that of
the forested portion, will be tremendously improved.- The
sow's ear will be left where it will at least be of some value
to the sow and the farmer will be infinitely better off and hap-
pier with the more edible portions of the hog.

12

C?3

The

Forestry

Board

Meeting

i

A MEETING of the forestry board was held in the club
house, Itasca park, at 1:30 o'clock p. m., Saturday, July
10. Vice President Woods was in the chair. Present:
Messrs. Cheyney, Odell, Shaw, Williams and Woods; also the
secretary of the board, the state forester and assistant for-
ester.

Mr. Cox, state forester, in a brief discussion, told of the at-
tempted changes in the forest law. One bill would have taken
away the authority of the service over lumbermen and others.
This important change was covered up by making the bill
appear to be primarily one to reduce the salaries of the for-
ester and assistant forester. It was difficult, therefore, to fight
this bill without appearing to be working for personal in-
terests.

The soil survey bill, important as it was and is, was given
no hearing. It seemed impossible to obtain for this bill the
consideration it deserved. In spite of the fact that a ma-
jority of the voters last November approved of the state for-
ests amendment to the constitution, the legislature decided to
hold in abeyance the people's wishes, — a soil survey being
necessary, of course, before state forests can be established
(in accordance with the constitutional amendment) out of the
non-agricultural lands owned by the state.

The forest service a; propriation was reduced from $75,€00
a year to $40,000 a year. It was practically impossible to ob-
tain for this appropriation a fair consideration in the senate.
The effect of the reduced service appropriation has been very
serious on the personnel. Two of the head rangers have al-
ready resigned. The force, which has always been too small,
has had to be reduced about half. Patrol will have to be prac-
tically abandoned, even though it has saved the state many
hundreds of thousands of dollars since the service was or-
ganized. The field force, under the reduced appropriation, can
accomplish most by giving chief attention to slash disposal,

13

and by laying emphasis upon co-operative arrangements with
the settlers, the lumber companies and the railroads.

Mr. Cox told of the work of the service in slash disposal in
patroling the woods, in co-operating with the railroads, lum-
ber companies and settlers' organizations, with the federal
government and with the mining companies, — showing what
an elaborate and effective system of fire prevention has beei
worked out and carried out during the past four years. It
unfortunate that much of this useful work must be discon-
tinued for the present, owing to lack of funds. The planting
work was also described, as well as the improvement work,
consisting of trail building, telephone construction and vari-
ous activities which make for greater effectiveness in fire pre-
vention.

The service, during the past three years, has led the move-
ment in the state for greater use of the woods for recreation
purposes. It has at all times advocated and been helpful in
the development of agricultural lands in the timber region,
and the development of wood using industries to provide mar-
kets for so-called "inferior" woods. The service, in effect, has
been an immigration and industrial bureau, and. each ranger
has served as an immigration agent.

In touching on the future work of the service, Mr. Cox spoke
of the planting that is necessary in Itasca state park and
Pillsbury and Burntside state forests. The big work of the
service, however, will continue to be fire prevention.

Other interesting and important topics were considered.
The budgets for the Service, Itasca Park and Burnside Forest
were considered in detail and approved with some changes.

$

The

Fuel

Value

of

Wood

1

THE fuel value of two pounds of wood is roughly equiv-
alent to that of one pound of coal. This is given as the
result of certain calculations now being made in the for-
est service laboratory, which show also about how many cords
of certain kinds of wood are required to obtain an amount of
heat equal to that in a ton of coal.

Certain kinds of wood, such as hickory, oak, beech, birch,
hard maple, ash, elm, locust, longleaf pine, and cherry, have
fairly high heat values, and only one cord of seasoned wood
of these species is required to equal one ton of good coal.

It takes a cord and a half of shortleaf pine, hemlock, red
gum, Douglas fir, sycamore, and soft maple to equal a ton of
coal, and two cords of cedar, redwood, poplar, catalpa, Norway
pine, cypress, basswood, spruce, and white pine.

Equal weights of dry, non-resinous woods, however, are said
to have practically the same heat value regardless of species,
and as a consequence it can be stated as a general propopsi-
tion that the heavier the wood the more heat to the cord.
Weight for weight, however, there is very little difference be-
tween various species; the average heat for all that have been
calculatd is 4,600 calories, or heat units, per kilogram. A kilo-
gram of resin will develop 9,400 heat units, or about twice the
average for wood. As a consequence, resinous woods have a
greater heat value per pound than non-resinous woods, and
this increased value varies, of course, with the resin content.

The available heat value of a cord of wood depends on many
different factors. It has a relation not only to the amount of
resin it contains but to the amount of moisture present. Fur-
thermore, cords vary as to the amount of solid wood they con-
tain, even when they are of the standard dimension and oc-
cupy 128 cubic feet of space. A certain proportion of this
space is made up of air spaces between the sticks, and this air
space may be considerable in a cord made of twisted, crooked,
and knotty sticks. Out of the 128 cubic feet, a fair average of

15

solid wood is about 80 cubic feet.

It is pointed out, however, that heat value is not the only
test of usefulness in fuel wood and since 95 per cent of all
wood used for fuel is consumed for domestic purposes, largely
in farm houses, such factors as rapidity of burning and ease of
lighting are important. Each section of the country has its
favored woods and these are said to be, in general, the righ
ones to use. Hickory, of the non-resinous woods, has the high
est fuel value per unit volume of wood, and has other advan-
tages. It burns evenly, and, as housewives say, holds the
heat. The oaks come next, followed by beech, birch, and ma-
ple. Pine has a relatively low heat value per unit volume, but
has other advantages. It ignites readily and gives out a quick
hot flame, but one that soon dies down. This makes it a fa-
vorite with rural housekeepers as a summer wood, because it
is particularly adapted for hot days in the kitchen.

The fuel qualities of chestnut adapt it particularly to work
in brass foundries, where it gives just the required amount of
heat and it is therefore in favor. Coastwise vessels in Florida
pay twice as much for Florida buttonwood as for any other,
because it burns with an even heat and with a minimum
amount of smoke and ash.

The principal disadvantage of the resinous pines is their oily
black smoke.

1(5

The Song of the "No-See-Ums!

Y

OU don't hear no warning hum

As they come.
They don't sound no fife and drum,

No, by gum!

They don't shriek like shot or shell,
But they're worse than shrapenel;
And they sure do ring the bell —
"No-See-Ums."

They never had their cussed pictures made;

I'm afraid
There ain't enough o' money to be paid

Or be laid,

For to get their pictures took
To adorn some nature book;
If they is I want a look

At 'em caged.

But I know from year to year

It appears;
I have a bunch of finest souvenirs

Fine and clear.

They sure have got some prong,
And they like to use it strong;
If you slap where they belong;

They ain't there.

And when upon the resurrection day,

Bright and gay,
If you and me be shunted either way,

Why, then say

Up above we'll see 'em slink
And below the smoke and stink
It will make 'em hump 'i jink

So hurray! -C. A. Laflin.

17

$

A

One-Day

Canoe

Trip

s

EIGHTY miles, the folder said; but that was by the trail
of the iron horse, and man has built his way by straight
lines, for time brooks no devious circumnavigations. Man
is time's slave; hence the road of the steam cars is laid
straight. Mother Nature laughs at time and cares not for his
fretting, making her rivers wind through bluffs, hills and
meadows, to find their way as best they may to the sea. This
is the manner of the "Osk-ke-bug-e-sebe," or "The River of
New Leaves" of the Objiboways, shown on the maps of the
present day as the "Minnesota."

There was a great crowd at the station at St. Paul, — a great
crowd of happy holiday-makers in their best attire. They
stared at the four of us in our old clothes, our bundles of
sweaters and lazy-backs, and most of all at the packsack which
we took turns carrying. When they saw our paddles, the
mystery was solved. "Canoe trip," we heard someone remark.

That was it, — a canoe trip in two days or less over a new
stretch of our old friend, the Minnesota. We bought our
tickets for Mankato, to find the cars so crowded that the sign
"S. R. O." was hung out. Arriving at our destination, we ne-
gotiated lodging for ourselves and the canoe, shipped ahead
and waiting at the station.

After a hearty meal, we laid in our provisions, and our conir
modore gave orders to prepare for sleep, as we would start
at four o'clock the next morning. Lights were soon out and
stillness reigned. One of the party, with watch and flashlight
handy, kept account of the flight of time between catnaps of
ten or fifteen minutes. At five minutes after three, he sounded
the call, and everyone was wide awake in an instant, ready to
start. Packing our belongings and the provisions, we de-
scended the stairs, settled our bill with the yawning clerk,
took our canoe out of the baggage room, and emerged into the
cool, starlit morning, with the East showing streaks of gray.
We found a convenient road to the water's edge and, after

18

loading our duffle and fixing a cozy nest for the two passen-
gers, we were off at five minutes before our appointed time.

The river was still and smooth, but with a deep, powerful
rush which told us its strength. The stars faded, and the air
was still as it grew lighter, while we passengers hoped for
the sun to warm us as we snuggled in our covers. A small
cloud in the west grew, and, though the sun was an hour
high, it soon was blotted out, and the sky was overcast by a
gray driving mist. At six o'clock we passed St. Peter. Not a
person could be seen, and our commodore gave his famous
hailing whoop, with no response.

At eight o'clock a stop was made for breakfast. The fire
was soon going, and the smell of bacon, eggs and coffee tan-
talized our nostrills. How hungry we were, and how good it
all tasted!

Everything being packed and ready at nine, we embarked,
twenty-five miles on our journey, with a shift of crews. The
day grew warmer; the sun shone fitfully as we shot from
point to point on the stream, — each new turn bringing new
scenes into our panorama of fields, woods and steep bluffs on
which the cattle seemed to hang. Occasionally, in a sharp
bend, huge chunks of earth undermined by the current would
fall with a splash into the stream, to be carried off in the rush
of the waters.

About eleven o'clock, in a heavy current, we came to a split
in the stream, with the water tearing to the right like a mill-
race. After a short parley, it was decided to take this course,
for by so doing a mile could be saved, as the main channel
made a large loop to the left to come back again a hundred
yards from where it had started. Down the current we
plunged, the water boiling and foaming around us. We shot
out over the bank of the old channel, and the water being too
shallow for our heavy draft, we stuck. Imagine our conster-
nation! But our brave commodore, divesting himself of shoes
and socks, and rolling his trousers high, stepped out into the
rapid current; and, in spite of his some one hundred and
eighty pounds, it nearly swept him from his feet. Being given
a shove, we catapulted over the brink into the swift water of
the main channel, to return against the current, after ten

19

minutes of hard paddling, to pick up our brave commander
and proceed down river.

The wind began to rise, blowing hard against the current
and making a rather choppy sea; so in a short time our pas-
sengers were sitting in a couple of inches of water. At one
o'clock, a halt for shift of crews and draining of our craft
took a half hour, some fifty miles from Mankato.

The towns along the river — Ottawa, Le Sueur, Henderson, —
had passed as beads on a string. On we rushed, passing pict-
uresque Belle Plaine, and then began our long hunt for Shako-
pee. Now and then, on inquiring of natives we chanced to see,
we were told by them that that town was just around the
bend, or ten miles, and in one instance fifty miles away. Sup-
per time came, and wet and hungry but still happy, we un-
loaded and started a fire. Shower after shower passed over,
our brave mate sheltering the blaze from the storm with his
body. Coffee, bacon and eggs tasted better than before, and
in an hour's time we were off, the sun getting lower and lower
in the west, and twilight coming on.

Like Paul Revere, "it was ten by the village clock" when
we paddled by old Shakopee, with twenty-eight miles ahead
before we were to reach our destination.

The night was still, broken now and then by some sleepy
bird croaking at the chunk of our paddle. The trees bending
over were reflected in the stream, making each bend in the
river seem the "jumping off place;" but a new way always
opened as we plunged into what seemed impenetrable dark-
ness. At two o'clock the moon showed through a few clouds
on the horizon, which started an argument between the mate
and captain as to whether it was really the moon or a blazing
strawstack, — the mate asserting in no uncertain terms that
the latter was his belief.

Streaks of dawn were in the east as we reached the canoe
docks at Fort Snelling. The craft being packed away with our
belongings, we roused the sleepy ferryman, who took us across
in time to catch the morning car into the city. After a show-
er, we slept till noon. We had made our canoe trip of one
hundred twenty-five miles in twenty hours and thirty minutes.

The Minnesota offers great possibilities for the amateur

20

canoeist below Mankato, and the people along that stream do
not realize the value of their waterway. In the whole length
traversed by our party, counting towns and villages, only ten
or a dozen boats were seen, and these were mostly rowboats
of home manufacture. These people should be taught to real-
ize the beauties at their very doorstep and use them for their
own pleasure and profit.

1

American Manufacture of Creosote
Increases

$

Shortage of Imported Wood Preservative Stimulates Domestic
Production — Tie Plants Largest Consumers.

OWING to a falling off since August 1 of nearly 30 per cent
in shipments of creosote from England and Germany,
whence comes all but a small part of the imported oil
used by wood-preserving plants in this country, American
manufacturers have taken steps which, says a report com-
piled by the forest service, it is estimated will increase pro-
duction of the domestic article by about 25 per cent. The im-
ported oil ordinarily forms about 65 per cent of the total used
in the United States, where creosote is the most important
wood preservative.

The statistics gathered show that wood preserving is one of
the most rapidly advancing industries in the country. In
1895 there were fifteen plants in the United States; in 1914
there were 122 plants of all kinds, 100 being of the pressure-
cylinder type. Ninety-four of these plants last year used more
than 79 million gallons of creosote oil, more than 27 million
pounds of dry zinc chloride, and nearly 2% million gallons qf
other preservatives, such as coal tar and crude oil, treating a
total of nearly 160 million cubic feet of timber, an increase of
about seven million cubic feet over 1913, and of 35 million
cubic feet over 1912.

21

The most important consumers are the large plants in
which railroad ties are treated. The preservatives materially
lengthen the ties' period of service, lessen the labor cost in-
volved by renewal, and decrease the drain upon the forests
due to tie-cutting. To some extent the treatment of fence
posts and other forms of farm timber is being taken up, an
inexpensive apparatus and method having been devised by the
department of agriculture; but as yet the use of good pre-
servatives by farmers is on too small a scale to have any im-
portance in the total, while the practice of treating telephone
poles is in its incipiency in this country.

"With the rapid advance of this industry as a whole," says
the report, "the choice of preservatives has been fairly well
established, but the kinds and classes of materials to be
treated need development along certain lines. In Germany
and other European countries practically all cross-ties laid by
the railroads are treated with chemicals or preserving oils.
In this country but 30 per cent of the ties purchased by the
railroads are subjected to such treatment. The number of
poles treated in this country is a very small per cent of total
in use."

1

Making a Fire Proof Forest

By R. H. CAMPBELL, Canadian Forestry Journal

$

THE expression "Fire-proof forestry" may strike one as a
rather strange phrase in view of the yearly destruction
of the forests by fire, but the point must be reached at
some time when the forests shall be practically fire-proof, and
that this is not an impossible ideal is proved absolutely by
experience in many districts in Europe. The problem may be
clearer to the ordinary citizen by comparison with fire preven-
tion in the cities and towns.

Municipal regulations provide for the use of fire-proof ma-
terial in the construction of buildings in crowded districts and

22

thus one cause of the spread of fire is greatly diminished, but
this is a method which it is impossible to apply to the forest.
No kind of trees but wooden ones can be grown.

Education goes far to make a city fire-proof. The man who
carelessly throws away a lighted match or cigar stub is a
menace to a city in the same way that he is a menace to the
forest. The man who leaves inflammable material lying about
in piles and in places where fire is likely to fall among it is
the cause of many a fire in the city as well as in the forest.
The man who lights a fire and leaves it to its own sweet will
is a danger to the forest no less than to the city. Education
against carelessness with fire will stop the fire before it starts.

Every modern city has its system of call boxes located at
strategic points throughout the city from which notice can
immediately be sent to the central station of the occurrence of
any fire, and in addition to this telephone wires all over the
city afford an opportunity to send in warning from almost
every house. Fires make little headway before notice is given.
Stop the fire at the start must be the motto. In the forest the
only way of ensuring safety is to follow a similar method as
fully as possible. All forest fire organizations which are really
attacking the problem in a serious way are building telephone
lines which communicate with the central fire ranger station.
Inasmuch as the population of the forest is not as a rule very
numerous or well distributed to observe fire, it is also neces-
sary that the fire guardians should have elevated points of
vantage from which they can have an outlook over a consid-
erable area of forest and watch for the light columns of smoke
that give quick evidence of any fire being started.

Having information of the fire is however only the first
stage. In every city a permanent fire fighting organization is
established and the services of these men are available at any
moment to go immediately to any fire. Trained in the fighting
of fire and the use of apparatus in connection therewith and
physically and mentally fit for the great strain which fire fight-
ing puts on the physical powers and on the morale of men, the
character of men of the fire-fighting organization has a great
deal to do in making a city fire-proof. And in no less degree
is the character of the men who have to handle the fighting

23

of Ares in the forest one of the factors that make for the safety
of the forest. The fire ranging staff of any forest must be
well selected; the men must be capable and efficient.

But even with due notice of fire and a good fire-fighting
crew there would be serious difficulty in every city in hand-
ling the fire situation if all the streets across a city were
blocked so that the fire fighters would have to take a long
detour through the suburbs in order to come around to a fire
which was within a very short distance of them originally.
This is the situation however that at the present time faces
the fire fighters in the forests at every point. Neither roads
nor trails are opened up through great extents of the forest,
and passage is almost impossible. Fire is within a very short
distance of the fire-fighting force and they are compelled to
take a detour which will mean the loss of hours and possibly
days, or else consume the same time in cutting out a new road
or trail, with the result that when they arrive at the fire it
has got beyond control altogether. Fire and war must be
largely fought before they occur.

When the fire brigade of a city arrives at a fire it has with
it the equipment necessary for extinguishing the fire. In
these modern days in the cities this equipment has become
very elaborate in its nature. In the forest there is the same
necessity but owing to difficulties of transport, water supply,
etc., it is not possible to handle fires with similar equipment.
The shovel, the ax, the hoe, the canvas water bucket, are the
great standbys in fighting fire. Chemical extinguishers and
portable pumps are used to a certain extent but their use is
necessarily limited. Equipment sufficient and conveniently
placed in the forest must be ready.

These methods followed out thoroughly will make the forest
fire-proof. Until they are the case is hopeless.

24

2

Care and Repair of Shade Trees

Hy The American Forestry Assn., Washington, D. C.

s

AS the lower branches of the trees will cause a more rapid
growth in trunk diameter, these branches should be
pruned from shade and street trees at intervals of a
year or more, as they interfere with street traffic, until a clean
stem of ten or twelve feet is reached. Lawn trees require lit-
tle attention since low branching, and unsymmetrical form give
them character. If possible, trees should be left with single
leaders, since crotches are likely to split in later years. If
two or more main stems develop, leave the central stem and
severely trim or entirely remove the others. When it is nec-
essary to restrict the spread of trees within certain bounds on
narrow streets and roadways, the ends of the branches should
be shortened so as to develop a compact symmetrical crown.
Any time after midsummer is suitable for pruning. Shaping
can best be done while the foliage is on the tree. Heavy prun-
ing is better done in fall or winter.

Old, neglected trees should first have all dead and imperfect
limbs removed. Thin out dense tops by leaving main limbs
and the branches immediately radiating from them and limit
cutting to the third and fourth divisions in branches. As far
as possible preserve the character and natural shape of the
tree, making the finished tree look as if no limbs had been
removed. Start pruning at the top of the tree and work down-
ward. All cuts should be made smooth, close to the base of
a limb, and parallel to the axis of the stem. At all times
avoid unnecessary wounds by cutting or tearing the bark in
making the necessary cuts and in climbing the trees. The
surface of scars should be smoothed and painted with a mix-
ture of two parts coal tar to one of creosote. It is safer to
follow this with a heavy coat of coal tar (the kind used for
roofing is best). Large scars should be recoated every few
years.

Control of insects and fungus disease. — Leaf-eating insects
can usually be killed by spraying the foliage with a solution of

25

arsenic in some form. Success depends upon the poisonous
quality of the insecticide and upon the time and manner of
spraying. The principal leaf-eating insects are: Tussock
moth, Gypsy moth, Brown tail moth, Fall webworm, Bag worm,
Elm leaf beetle. Sucking insects are usually destroyed by
contact poisons such as kerosene emulsion, whale oil soap and
lime — sulphur wash which close up their breathing pores.
Important sucking insects are the Cottony maple, Woolly ma-
ple, San Jose, scurvy, and oyster shell scales, and plant lice.
Boring insects such as the leopard moth, maple borers and
bark borers, are more or less successfully combatted by run-
ning a wire into the burrows, cutting off infected branches
and twigs, injecting carbon bisulphide into the galleries.
Fungus diseases affect leaves, branches, bark, sapwood and
heart wood and root, but are less serious than injuries by in-
sects, except the chestnut blight for which no remedy is
known. Diseases of the leaves may usually be controlled by
proper spraying with a good fungicide, such as Bordeaux mix-
ture. Fungi affecting the wood usually gain lodgment in
wounds. They may be excluded by proper care, and when
present may be checked by tree surgery methods. To suc-
cessfully combat tree pests of any description requires special
methods adapted to each particular pest. Detailed informa-
tion should be obtained from city, state or national authori-
ties. The American Forestry Association will refer inquiries
on these subjects to the proper officials on request.

Tree surgery consists in cutting out the diseased parts of
trees and filling the cavities with cement so that they are
water-proof. All decaying, discolored, water-soaked wood
should be removed, with gouge, chisel and mallet, until only
sound, uninfected wood is exposed. The bottom of the cavity
should be shaped so that if water were thrown in the cavity
it would promptly run out. The top and bottom of the cavity
should be V-shaped rather than square or rounded, as this aids
proper healing. The interior of the cavity should be sterilized
by thorough painting with coal-tar creosote, followed by a
heavy coating of coal tar. Fill the cavity with mortar made
of one part cement to three (or less) parts sharp sand, and
bring the filling to a smooth, water-tight finish, exactly even

26

with the cambium (growing layer of the tree). Before filling
large cavities, flat-headed wire nails 21/£ to 3 inches long are
driven about half their length into the interior, to hold the
cement. The cement is reinforced with iron rods and cross
bolts. The filling is then built up in blocks of 8 to 12 inches,
each block being separated by sheets of heavy tar paper.
Large solid fillings of cement are apt to be cracked when the
tree sways in the wind. When it is not advisable to go to the
expense of filling, much good is done by treating the cavity as
recommended above, following with an extra coating of tar.
Split crotches should have all decayed wood removed from the
split, and creosote and tar applied. Bring the limbs back to
their proper position, using rope and tackle if necessary, and
hold them in place by means of bolts through each limb, con-
nected by chains. Counter-sink the head of the bolt. Thor-
oughly coat with tar the cuts made for the bolt, and the edges
of the crack. Cavity filling is advisable only when the tree is
a highly valued specimen. Old unsightly cripples and trees of
poor species are much better taken down and replaced with
new trees of desirable kinds. The need of tree surgery at a
future time will be very largely removed by promptly attend-
ing to the fresh injuries of today.

Beware of fake doctors. — There are reliable tree surgeons,
and many who are not. The owner should investigate before
employing outsiders to repair his trees. If the owner chooses
to do the work, it is mainly a matter of common sense to make
needed repairs. However, if it is desirable to employ an ex-
pert to do the work, the owner should investigate his stand-
ing before employing him, and should closely superintend the
work to see that it comes up to the specifications of the writ-
ten contract.

Co-ordination of effort is necessary in any community, large
or small, to obtain the greatest beauty and benefit from shade
trees. In this way it is possible to secure uniformity in the
use of species, proper pruning, and efficient control of insect
and fungus invasions. A number of states have laws govern-
ing the planting of street and roadside trees. If there is no
shade tree commission or city forestry systematically develop-
ing the tree welfare of your community, interest yourself in

27

forming a local forestry improvement association. If such an
organization exists, do all you can to make this work success-
ful by fully co-operating with it.

I desire to become a subscribing member of the Minnesota
Forestry Association, said membership also entitling me to
the monthly magazine Northwoods, all Association Reports
and expert advice on any tree woodlot or forest condition
WITHOUT EXTRA CHARGE. I enclose $3 for one year's
membership fee.

Name,

Street. . .
City.

s

Stupidity Street

s

I

The following lines against wanton and foolish destruction
of bird life are by Ralph Hodgson, one of the younger English
poets:

SAW with open eyes
Singing birds sweet
Sold in the shops
For the people to eat,
Sold in the shops of
Stupidity Street.

I saw in vision
The worm in the wheat,
And in the shops nothing
For people to eat;
Nothing for sale in
Stupidity Street.

23

1

Spirit

Island i

i Bird

Reserve

$

BY executive order, signed by President Wilson on May
14, 1915, Spirit Island, a small rocky islet in Mille Lacs,
was set aside as a Federal Bird Reserve. This action
was taken on account of the island's being of value for no
other purpose than as a nesting place for several varieties, of
gulls and terns which resort to the island in great numbers.
It is a small heap of rock projecting above the surface of the
lake, is treeless, and worthless for any other purpose.

This action by the President is appreciated by all people
interested in the preservation of the bird life of that vicinity
and insures safety of the nesting place of thousands of birds.

Spirit Island is the first Federal Bird Reserve to be estab-
lished in Minnesota, but there are several other islands which
would serve the same purpose equally well and which may be
recommended for reservation also.

As provided for by apropriation by the recent legislature, 71
acres of additional lands have been purchased for the Detroit
Hatchery and work will commence immediately thereon ex-
cavation for additional bass ponds. It is planned to have sev-
eral acres of new ponds completed this year.

— Pins, Feathers and Fur.

THE distribution of trout fry from the Minnesota state fish
hatcheries commenced about the middle of February,
an early start being necessary on account of the large
hatch of trout eggs this season in order to make room for the
fry remaining in the hatcheries as they develop.

An exceptionally good hatch has been secured this season
and the total output of trout will approximate seven million
fry, advanced fry and fingerlings, but even with this abundant
supply it will be difficult to fill all applications, and supply all
legitimate demands.

29

The entire eastern section of Minnesota from the Iowa line
to the Canadian border contains trout streams and even in the
interior of the state many excellent streams have been de-
veloped. As the years pass and additional streams are stocked
the demand for fry increases. There are many excellent trout
streams in Minnesota which never knew trout until artificially
stocked, and this work of developing new streams is constantly
going on, especially in the northern part of the state.

It is the policy of the Commission to encourage the stocking
of suitable new streams as when once planted, natural propa-
gation will keep up the supply to a great extent.

— Pins, Feathers and Fur.

®

Man's

Little

Day

s

First thing a fellow knows at morn

He's born;
Then say at ten o'clock, the next

He's vexed
By reading' 'ritin', 'rithmetic,

Till sick.
At noon he has to go to work

Or shirk.
Then 'round 'bout two, he takes "for life"

A wife.
From two till time to bring in lights

He fights
And struggles with his fellow men,

And then
He sits around a while and thinks,

And blinks,
And when at last it's time for bed,

He's dead.

— W. W-. Whitelock.

30

$

A

Reindeer

Experiment

in

Quebec

I

LAST August Mr. Ellwood Wilson, Superintendent of the
Forestry Division of the Laurentide Company, Grand
Mere, Quebec, purchased twelve reindeer from Dr.
Grenfell, the main herd at that time being at St. Anthony,
Newfoundland. Mr. Wilson got the deer safely into the St.
Maurice Valley after considerable delay, caused by the war,
but one of the deer was so badly injured on shipboard that it
died some time after. Four deer were sent to a timber depot
and three of them died, possibly from lack of experience on
the part of those in whose charge they were. Mr. Wilson,
therefore, had the remaining eight deer, three bucks and five
does, brought into the town of Grand Mere, and located in a
wooded lot adjoining the nursery. Mr. Wilson's idea is that
the deer have been allowed to become wild since being brought
from Lapland, and his aim is to domesticate them and keep
them accustomed to the presence of man. When this has
been attained he sees great possibilities for their use in north-
ern lumber camps to take the place of dogs, which are vicious
and very subject to mange, and he also thinks that the Indians
might learn to herd them, thus becoming possessed of a sup-
ply of food and clothing, besides having a beast of burden
which will find its own food summer and winter.

THE MINNESOTA FOREST SERVICE EXHIBIT AT THE

FAIR.

The Minnesota Forest Service will exhibit at the State Fair
this fall as usual. The management of the exposition wrote
to The Forester some time ago, asking if the department
would put on one as good as last year, giving the reason for
his inquiring that the space allotted to the Service was very
valuable, the Fair Association having received several flatter-
ing offers for it. They stated, however, that they would gladly

31

reserve it for the splendid exhibit which they were sure would
be arranged by the Service. You can look for the Service
exhibit then Fair Week at the old stand, the Agricultural
Annex near the Snelling Avenue gate.

FRONTIER DAY POSTPONED.

Last month the announcement of Frontier Day in the North
Woods aroused considerable interest among the members
of the Forestry Association. At a second meeting of the
Executive Committee, it was found a number of difficul-
ties had arisen which could not be overcome in the short
time before the date set. It was decided the project would
have to be postponed for another year, and without doubt that
is the wiser plan, as the Association may now have more time
to push the affair and make it larger and better than the one
that would have been given this year. Speakers may then be
secured and attractions booked which were dated up for this
season.

32

"Forest Schools the Foundation of Forest Wealth.*

Volume IV. AUGUST, 1915 Number 8

A Recorder and Promoter of the Forestry Movement in Minnesota.

OFFICIAL BULLETIN OF THE MINNESOTA FORESTRY ASSOCIATION
AND THE STATE FOREST SERVICE.

Published Monthly for members of the Minnesota Forestry Association

Annual Membership Fee $1.00.

Remittance should be made payable to PHIL H. HANSON, Treas.,

care State Forester's Office, State Capitol,

St. Paul, Minn.

Entered as Second Class Matter, September 14, 1912, at the Post Office at St.
Paul, Minnesota, under the Act of August 24, 1912.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Aerial Forest Patrol . . .' . . 3

Charcoal and Soils . . . . . 6

Mr. Gibbs Has an Adventure . . . 10

Minnetonka Game Refuge . ... 12

Commission Urges Government Ownership of
5,600,000 Acres for National Forests in

the East 14

Tree Cutting Up-to-date . . . . 16

Diary of Ranger, District 20 . . . . 17

National Forests Take in $2,500,000 . . 20

To Cut Alaskan Timber for U. S. Railroad . 2 1

Forest Service Force Reduced . . . 22

Canadian Fox Industry . . . . < . 24

Economic Value of Birds . . . . 25

Marketing of Farm Timber . <., . . 28

Important Game Law Changes . ... 29

Reforestation 3 1

1

Aerial Forest Patrol

By \V. T. Cox

1

THE time has passed when flying machines should be
looked upon as toys or experiments. They have been
developed to the point where they are being used daily
and with comparative safety. Within the past five years,
thousands of men have been trained to guide aeroplanes and
hydro-aeroplanes among the clouds with a greater degree of
safety than any other kind of machine or conveyance can be
driven at the same speed on the ground.

The European war is calling for aeronauts in increasing
numbers. They are wanted to carry dispatches, to observe
movements of enemy forces, and even to carry on offensive
movements against the enemy. They are not only practicable
and reliable as machines go, but are now considered almost
indispensable for the armies.

Some years ago, when I watched the Wright Brothers make
le first successful flight for the government prize at Fort
[yers, Va., it occurred to me that aeroplanes were certain to
ind a field of usefulness in forest patrol. In what other way
mid a large tract of forest be so quickly seen and fires de-
;ted? Since the winning of that prize at Fort Meyers, the*
rright Brothers and many others interested in aeronautics
tve been steadily and rapidly perfecting the different types
>f flying machines. Today they are almost as practical as
le automobile.

To appreciate what the advent of the aeroplane means in
patrol work, it is necessary to know what constitutes ade-
quate forest patrol and what it costs. Let us figure a little.
Ninety-nine forest fires out of every hundred can be extin-
guished in a few hours by one or two men if the fire is
reached within half a day after it starts. That is why the
rangers and their patrolmen are effective. But it costs
money to maintain the right kind of a patrol force. There
should be at least one man to every seventy-two square miles
of forest, twenty-two to every million acres, 110 men for five

million acres. The maintenance of these men for six months
at $70 per month, plus necessary equipment in the shape of
canoes, tents, etc., would amount to $49,500. This is exclu-
sive of the cost of special fire-fighting crews, and winter work
to see that loggers burn their slash. Sixty thousand dollars
a year, in round numbers, would be the cost of adequately
protecting five million acres of forest; and, since that area
of forest land represents about $100,000,000 worth of inflam-
mable property, the protection cost — six-hundredths of one
per cent — is fairly low insurance. It would be a fortunate
city government that could maintain its public fire depart-
ment at anything like so low a rate. Nevertheless, by the use
of flying machines even this low cost of protecting the forest
can be reduced, particularly in a country like Northeastern
Minnesota, where there are so many lakes.

Five million acres represents one-quarter of the forest re-
gion needing patrol in Minnesota; it represents also the lake-
dotted area of Northeastern Minnesota, which is peculiarly
adapted to patrol by the use of hydro-aeroplanes or flying
boats. An aeroplane, it may be stated, starts from a fairly
smooth spot of ground and must alight upon a similar clear
space of ground. A hydro-aeroplane, as the name signifies,
starts from a water surface and alights upon water. North-
eastern Minnesota, with its thousands of lakes and numerous
streams, is the place above all others on the continent where
flying boats can be used to advantage in forest patrol. Three
hydro-aeroplanes and four officers are required. The ma-
chines, allowing for a life of three years, cost $7,750 a year;
repairs and supplies $100 a month, or $600; two aviators, at
$200 per month; two observers, at $100 per month; and a
mechanic at $80 per month, cost $4,080 for the six months'
annual service. This brings the total expense for six months'
aerial patrol for five million acres to $12,430. The aerial
patrol cannot entirely replace the foot and canoe patrolmen,
because a certain number of men are needed at accessible
points to respond quickly to calls when fires occur. The
number of such men for five million acres varies from 20 to
30, depending upon the kind of season; an average force of
25 men should suffice. In other words, the use of flying boats

>r one season at a cost of $12,430 reduces the patrol force
85 men, whose wages would have amounted to $38,310 — a
jt saving in patrol cost of $25,880.

My idea in advocating the use of hydro-aeroplanes in North-
stern Minnesota was that the U. S. Navy Department fur-
;h the machines and establish a training station for aero-
tuts in connection with the naval militia station at Duluth.
state^ of Minnesota might then co-operate, at slight ex-
mse, with the federal government in the carrying out of
rstematic aerial patrol. By such an arrangement, Minne-
)ta would profit in having adequate protection over mil-
ms of acres of forest, worth to the state millions of dollars
year for timber production and recreation purposes. The
Jnited States government would profit through protecting
le Superior national forest and through training up a corps
competent aeronauts for the national defense. The prop-
sition was taken up with the Washington authorities more
in a year ago. Secretary Daniels seems to be favorably
iclined toward the plan, and it is probable that some such
-rangement can be worked out in the near future.

s

Charcoal and Soils

GKO. A. RETAN, Mount Alto Pennsylvania Nursery

$

EVERY farmer, gardener and nurseryman should be fa-
miliar with the results of experiments carried on for a
period of three years, which have demonstrated that
charcoal can be made of great use in improving the structure
and properties of the soil.

It improves the water and air content of the soil, loosens,
and intensifies the sub-soil, apart from the chemical materials
it may carry, and from its uses with manure. These are not
theoretical, but practical conclusions drawn from the use of
charcoal in one of the largest nurseries in the state of Penn-
sylvania, under the management of the writer.

Two general clases of material are available for purposes
of fertilization. In the first class are commercial fertilizers.
In the second class are those indirect fertilizers which do not
furnish plant food directly, but by their action upon the soil
may so affect it as to make plant food available by setting it
free, through the altering of the physical condition of the
soil. The principal fertilizer in this class is lime. Lime is
really a stimulant instead of a plant food and its continued
use may be harmful or exhausting to the soil. Air, water and
heat are more necessary for plant growth than mineral food.
Production depends upon the proper aeration of the soil, the
maintenance of a proper water content and through these
two, the raising of the temperature of the soil. These con-
ditions add plant food in that they render available the ma-
terial that is stored away in soil compounds. The control 'of
moisture in the soil lies in the physical state of the soil. If
it is loose, porous, small grained, it will raise moisture freely
from the sub-soil and hold it where it will be available for the
plants and retard evaporation. The soil may be kept in such
condition by proper tillage and by the addition of such ma-
terials as will effect a loosening and breaking up of the soil
particles.

Green manure is valuable and barnyard manure and char-

>al, with constant tillage, are among the best known agents,
using barnyard manure the best part of the manure is
ten lost. A large part of the mineral content is washed out
the pile is exposed and the liquid portions leak out or es-
ipe in gases. Many different substances have been tried
>r the purpose of preventing this loss. One of the very best
laterials which can be used for this purpose is charcoal,
'his is true because of its exceptional power of absorption,
possessing the capacity of absorbing many times its own
^eight in moisture and also because its physical effect upon
le soil and the sub-soil have been conclusively demonstrated.
Jharcoal is already extensively used as a deordorizer or dis-
fectant, and the fact should not be lost sight of that the
imonia gas, which is quite lost in the manure heap would
be absorbed by the charcoal and made available for plant use.
For many years the attempt to raise coniferous seedlings
in this nursery was a comparative failure because of the hard
clay soil, which greatly increased the loss from unfavorable
loisture and surface conditions. Among the agents tried for
le relief of this condition were green manures, fertilizers,
id charcoal, and of these only the latter has proven suc-
>ssful, as may be observed by the size and weight of seed-
igs developed from clay bed, fertilizer beds or charcoal beds,
le seedlings are much larger and heavier and of better color
the charcoal beds than on any other. Some fertilizer beds
>w good seedling development, but the beds were not as
msely covered with little trees as on the charcoal beds, not-
ithstanding that the charcoal beds were in the worst sec-
ion of the nursery, while the fertilizer beds which show the
)est weights were in sections cultivated for a longer period.
The charcoal seedlings averaged a weight of 250 grams for a
bundle of 100 trees, as against 127 grams for a check bed in
the same grade of soil. These trees were two years old. At
one year the differences are not so striking, but are strongly
marked. One hundred seedlings from a clay bed weighed 22
grams, "while the same number from a charcoal bed weighed
40 grams. These beds contained a relatively large quantity
of charcoal, such as could only be used in hot beds, gardens,
or other intensive work. But the same tendency is shown

in the use of smaller quantities. Furthermore, the soil con-
ditions are exceptionally bad in this nursery.

From constant observation and experiment, the action of
charcoal that makes it so valuable in the nursery seems to
be entirely in the improved conditions of moisture and
warmth. It might be thought that charcoal would loosen £he
soil to the extent that it would dry easily if used in large
quantities, but the opposite condition occurs. In dry periods
the power of the soil to retain water is increased, and in wet
seasons the soil drains quickly with a consequent prevention
of fungus that always follows a wet season in a coniferous
nursery. The clay beds, by reason of their caking habit in
dry weather, and poor drainage in wet weather, exerted the
opposite effects and the loss was much more marked. In
some cases it was complete. Again charcoal beds are much
warmer, because of the darker color imparted to the soil.
This is . of the greatest importance in the spring, when the
ground has a tendency to be cold. Germination is almost
entirely dependent on the warmth present and is consequent-
ly greatly helped by the darker color of the soil. Since the
darker colored soil does not radiate any more rapidly at
night, this heating effect is carried forward into the night
and lessens the liability of damage from frost. In gardens
and hot beds, this is of considerable importance. This in-
creased heat is of value in another direction. The aeration
of the soil depends upon the heating and it will be greater
in the soil which becomes warmer during the day.

Thus we find that the action of charcoal in the soil is ex-
erted along the lines where the most can be accomplished.
The physical conditions of the soil are so improved that the
air, heat, and moisture coming to the crop is regulated in the
most advantageous manner, and, mechanical analyses of the
sub-soil have shown that the charcoal exerts a beneficial ac-
tion at a considerable depth, twelve to eighteen inches below
the surface. The sub-soil beneath charcoal beds is of a bet-
ter color and better physical structure than soil from the sur-
face of untreated beds. This means an increase in the water
holding power, and a breaking up of unavailable compounds
into available plant food.

8

To the farmer especially, the use of charcoal extends a wide
range of advantages. He can add to the value of his manure,
can improve the sanitary condition of the barnyard, poultry
house, hog» pen, etc.; and at the same time improve the phys-
ical condition of his land. When used in larger quantities in
gardens, nursery beds, and in intensive cultivation, it offers
the best physical conditions for the growing crop with a de-
crease of loss from fungal attacks. 'The action of charcoal is
comparatively permanent as compared with the other agents,
which are used for the same purposes. Experiments carried
on over three growing seasons have shown no lessening of
the effects under the most unfavorable conditions. The agri-
culturists of the future must look forward to the conserva-
tion of the resources of the land. This is accomplished best
by proper control of physical conditions with the subsequent
fullest utilization of the natural forces of sunshine, air and
moisture. Any man who will look forward to such a careful
utilization of his land will surely increase his wealth mate-
rially.

$

Mr.

Gibbs

Has an

Adventure

s

July 15, 1915.
F-Information
District 18
Nature Fakers.
The Forester,

St. Paul, Minn.
Dear Sir:

Some time ago a Dr. Long was quite severely criticized by
a gentleman of big-stick fame for his stories of the habits and
habitat of wild animals. While I am not prepared to state as
to whether the criticism was merited or not, I will say, that
as a nature faker Patrolman Gowan and I have Dr. Long beat
so bad he wouldn't stack up any higher than the hole in a
doughnut. Here Is the story:

On June 10 Gowan and I were cruising for a portage trail
from Twin lakes north to Big Rice in 64-13. We struck Big
Rice about 4 p. m. on the south shore, where there is an open
muskeg. There was one cow and two bull moose in the water
a short distance out from shore, so Gowan and I laid down in
the moss to watch them awhile. We were there about 10 or
15 minutes, talking in the usual tone when I thought I heard
a noise behind me. Thinking another moose was coming in I
whispered to Gowan to keep still and I dug up my little kodak,
then turned my head around to take a look. Imagine my sur-
prise when I saw a big timber wolf only six or eight feet away,
looking right at us and crouched down a little. From the
prone position I was in (we were lying face down) I cleared
the muskeg about three feet and yelled to Gowan, "LOOK AT
THAT SON-OF-A-GUN!" Gowan did look and he took a leap
that tied me for first honors and marks him as a hurdler of
the old school, .remarking, in a most appropriate manner,
"Holy Moses." Meantime the wolf stood his ground, walking
about five steps to our right then two or three towards us
again. I had a 38 automatic Colt lying in the moss and I

10

reached down and got it, took a good aim on his ribs and let
'er go. It didn't seem to phase the old chap much, but he
turned and started to run. At about 50 feet I gave him the
second shot and that tied him right up in a ball. Five or six
feet from where he fell there was a clump of bushes, and as
Gowan and f walked up there, out popped another of the crit-
ters that had been taking in the show from that point of van-
tage. I shot twice at him but failed to connect. While this
was going on the other one crawled into the brush, we could
hear him breathing and managed to see him once, but as it
was getting late we left. The boys were to look for him the
next day. I was using steel bullets and an animal dies slow
with them, but he will be close to the place we left him. The
way I figure the thing out is that the wolves had been watch-
ing those moose, seeing us lying there they mistook us for a
calf moose in the moss and sneaked up to make a killing. At
the same time we were talking and their failure to run seemed
mighty funny.

That same morning I wounded a coyote on the Clear Lake
portage. The bullet struck him amidships, but he crawled
into thick brush and got away. After this I will use my long
Luger with the dum-dums. Like the Ross, they anchor 'em
on the spot. Maybe Dr. Long wasn't so bad, after all.

A. B. GIBBS.

Later: The recovery of a pistol holster and other equip-
ment in the vicinity of this adventure has been reported.

11

$

Minnetonka

Game

Refuge

$

AT a meeting of the Game and Fish Commission held June
16, in Minneapolis, a public hearing was held on a peti-
tion to establish a game refuge in the vicinity of Lake
Minnetonka, including lands in Hennepin and Carver coun-
ties, pursuant to the act passed at the last session of the leg-
islature. Following the hearing, most of the evidence pre-
sented having been in support of the petition, an order of the
Board of Game and Fish Commissioners was issued establish-
ing such a refuge, which includes approximately 69,000 acres
of land and water surface.

This is probably the first game refuge of the kind to be es-
tablished in the United States and marks an important step
in wild life conservation in this state.

This action by the Game and Fish Commission re-establishes
the refuge which was created on January 6, 1915, the bound-
aries, however, being changed to some extent, and some ad-
ditional territory added, there being some doubt as to the
legality of the former action, owing to the law under which
action was taken being indefinite.

The territory included in the Minnetonka refuge is thickly
settled and includes all of Lake Minnetonka and its shores,
which are lined with summer residences. It also includes
lands from one to three and four miles from the lake in differ-
ent directions, taking in a number of smaller lakes and
marshes. Game birds are very scarce in this region, with the
exception of quail, which are quite numerous in some locali-
ties. Evidence produced at the hearing showed that the
grouse of all varieties have almost disappeared and that the
wild ducks breed but little in its waters. Song birds are not
as numerous as they might or should be. It is believed that
strict patrol of this region and the entire elimination of kill-
ing of game and other birds will encourage them to return
and increase, notwithstanding the fact that the region is so
thickly settled. Experiments elsewhere have resulted in a

12

marked increase of birds when accorded entire immunity from
molestation by hunters. This experiment will be watched
with great interest by all wild-life conservationists.

Many of the residents of the locality have taken great in-
terest in this matter and it is believed that the purposes of
the action taken have the cordial support of a large majority
of residents. Such support will be necessary to the success
of the experiment. An earnest effort will be made to intro-
duce as many game birds as possible and to give them all pos-
sible encouragement.

The legal effect of the establishment of the refuge is to
create within its boundaries a permanent closed season on all
animals and birds which are protected at any time by law.
There will be no open season for hunting ducks, grouse, quail,
or other game therein. It does not operate, however, to pre-
vent the killing of animals or birds unprotected at any time
by law such as rabbits, squirrels, woodchucks, blackbirds,
crows, and English sparrows. — 1'ins, Feathers and Furs.

Commission Urges Government Owner-
ship of 5,600,000 Acres for National
Forests in the East

THAT 5,000,000 acres of non-agricultural land should be
secured by the federal government in the southern Ap-
palachians and 600,000 acres in the White Mountain re-
gion of New England to form national forests for the protec-
tion of the watersheds of navigable streams in the East, is
urged by the National Forest Reservation Commission in its
latest report.

The commission has approved for purchase so far 1,104,529
acres in New Hampshire, Virginia, West Virginia, North and
South Carolina, Tennessee and Georgia, in accordance with
the Weeks law, which appropriated $11,000,000 for this work,
though only about $8,000,000 will have been spent by July 1,
when the appropriation will expire.

A further appropriation providing for continued purchases
until 1920 at the current rate of $2,000,000 a year is recom-
mended by the commission. Under the terms of the Weeks
law, passed March 1, 1911, $1,000,000 was made available for
expenditure prior to July 1 of that year and $2,000,000 an-
nually thereafter for five years. Because of the time required
to examine and survey the lands and negotiate with owners,
the expenditures in the early years of the work were less than
the amounts appropriated.

The lands thus far approved for purchase have been ob-
tained on what are regarded as very reasonable terms. The
average price is $5.03 per acre, involving a total expenditure
of $5,560,202.21, exclusive of the cost of examination and sur-
vey. About one-third of the area is virgin timberland, and,
while most of the remainder has been cut over or culled, much
valuable timber is standing on it also. In 1914 the purchases
approved comprised 391,114 acres at the relatively low price
of $4.96 per acre. Areas in which land is to be purchased
have been designated also in Alabama, Maine, and Maryland,
but no purchases in these states have yet been approved by
the commission.

14

Many of the tracts which are being acquired, says the re-
port, present attractive scenery and afford delightful places
in which to travel or rest. Some of the most attractive spots
have been inaccessible, but the roads and trails which are
being built by the forest service will make it easier to reach
them. Persons who desire to occupy permanent camp sites,
or places in which to erect resorts, may obtain them on pay-
ment of a moderate fee. Other special uses which do not
injure the forests are likewise permitted, and demands for
such uses have already been made in considerable volume.

The U. S. Forest Service has already begun making im-
provements. Ninety-two miles of roadway, 520 miles of trail,
and 25 miles of telephone line have been constructed. This
work can be still further extended as soon as proceeds from
timber sales begin to come in, as 10 per cent of the forest
receipts is specifically set apart by law for road and trail con-
struction. Not only will the localities affected benefit in this
way, but it is provided by law also that 25 per cent of the
forest receipts be paid over to the counties affected for roads
and schools.

The virgin timberland which is being acquired contains
many trees that are over-mature, and the stands partially cut
over contain certain kinds of timber which were not utilized
at the time of lumbering. These lands, where there is a sale
for the timber at fair prices, will be freed of this deteriorat-
ing material, as well as of such other mature growth as can
be spared from the forest without impairing its protective in-
fluence. The policy of administration in these forests will
call for numerous small timber contractors living near at
hand and working in the timber all or part of the year.
Those who may desire to live on government land will have
every opportunity to develop comfortable homes, and use
available cleared patches for their gardens and crops. Thus,
says the report, the forests will be made permanent, and
thriving forest communities will be built up.

The forests will also serve as practical demonstrations of
forestry in the production of successive crops of timber.
Government ownership and management of these extensive
areas in the Eastern mountains will further benefit the coun-

15

try by providing encouragement and aid for the mountain
people in using the resources of the region to best advantage.
The nation is getting, from this acquisition of national forests
in the East, the added advantage of a large and important re-
gion turned to its natural use and made permanently pro-
ductive, while the protection of watersheds will, in a large
measure, produce immunity from both flood and low water in
a vast section of the country.

From the appropriation for 1914, there is an estimated bal-
ance of nearly $96,000 remaining, which, with what remains of
the $2,000,000 appropriated for the fiscal year 1915, is still
available for additional purchases.

TREE CUTTING UP-TO-DATE.

For some time is has been known that a wire drawn tight
and heated by an electric current red hot would cut its way
through a thick tree. Mr. Hugo Gautke, a German inventor,
has improved this process by causing the wire to become in-
candescent simply by friction in working its way through a
tree. A steel wire one twenty-fifth of an inch in diameter is
used, and it is said that this can be made to traverse a tree
twenty inches in diameter in six minutes. The wire is worked
to and fro rapidly by an electric motor and becomes so hot by
friction that it burns its way quickly through the trunk. The
wire will cut through the tree without the use of wedges to
keep the cut open, and the cut may be made several feet up
the tree, on the ground level, or even below the ground. The
electricity may be brought to the forest from a distance by a
cable; a gasoline motor of 10 horse power and a dynamo are
all that is required to use this process. It is contended that
the great trees, ten feet thick in the forest on the west coast,
can thus be felled with ease.

16

s

Diary of Ranger, District 20

s

Spent night at Grand Marais. Date, 7/19, 1915. District 20.
Condition of district, fair. SW. wind.

Worked in office in forenoon. After dinner, Patrolman Pe-
terson and I took boat and ran west four miles. Started up
to the tower from there to put new batteries in phone on Mur-
phy's mountain; got up about a mile and a half when it
started to thunder and spill rain; so we walked back to boat
and ran in to G. M.

Spent night at G. M., 7/20/15. SW. wind.

Left G. M. with motorboat and ran west to Caribou point.
Anchored boat and walked up to Arvid Erickson's mill on
Caribou lake. This portable mill just started up lately. We
found his mill site nicely cleaned up and the brush all piled
along road leading into mill. We took Assistant Attorney
General Weeks along on the trip, and he seemed to enjoy it
very much. Returned to G. M. same evening. Rained while
we were out.

Spent night at G. M., 7/21/15. NW. wind.

Spent day working about the boat house and boat, helping
to put on oil and getting ready to start for Duluth in the
morning, if I don't get word to do different.

Spent night at G. M., 7/22/15. NW. wind.

Did not leave for Duluth, as we expected to. Spent fore-
noon in office, making out vouchers; also wrote a letter. .After
dinner, took team and went out to the tower on Murphy's
mountain. Put in new batteries and brought back some tools
and blankets we had out there.

Spent night at South Brule, 7/23/15. NW. wind.

Left G. M. at 8 a. m. for South Brule. Arrived there at 3
p. m. Fixed up the canoe and made a yoke on which to carry
it. The road is very rough and muddy. Found everything
here in good shape. Telephone works fine since the new
switchboard was put in. Met U. S. Supervisor Brownell here;
he was very wet and so were we, for it rained most all the
time we were coming out.

17

Spent night at W. end of Brule lake, 7/24/15. NW. wind.

Left South Brule cabin and went west on Brule river to
Brule lake. Found portages in very good shape, with the
exception of the two last ones, which need some repairs.
Went on to west end of the lake and pitched tent for the night.
Saw seven moose on our trip so far, — two bulls, four cows
and one calf. We noticed that there is a great deal of the
balsam and spruce turning red; apparently some worm is
working on them, killing them out. This has been a fine day
and the flies did not bother much.

Spent night at N. end of Cherokee lake, 7/25/15.

Left west end of Brule lake and portaged into Temperance
lake; had some trouble finding the portages from Temperance
into Cherokee, for they have not been cleaned out for years.
Very pretty lakes on this route. Saw more moose today; had
a race with a large bull — could have hit him with the paddle.
Lots of beaver in this country; they have dams on most all
the small lakes and creeks; it looks as though they are get-
ting very plentiful. This has been a very fine day for such a
trip as this. Pitched tent about five o'clock.

Spent night at North lake, 7/26/15. Wind, a. m., NW.; p.
m., SE.

Left Cherokee lake and went north into Long Island lake;
portages in good shape here. Kept going north into Snipe
lake and then into Ham lake, from there on down Cross river
to the railroad. We had to portage our canoe and packs
three miles into the west end of Gunflint lake. We kept on the
old right-of-way all the way, but it is getting pretty well grown
up and needs cleaning out. Arrived at North lake cabin about
8 p. m. Met Gust L. Peterson and spent night.

Spent night at North lake, 7/27/15. SW. wind.

Stayed here all day. Took the forms out of chimney but
still it smoked. So we put out the fire, and took a long drift
bolt and hammer and chiseled out about two pails of cement,
so as to give more draft. Tried it again and found it worked
much better. We made a cupboard to hold dishes and other
things. Gust made two stools and one bench on wet days
that he was around here. It is raining a little here today.

Spent night at South Brule, 7/28/15. SW. wind.

18

We left North lake with canoe and went to the west end of
East Bearskin. Saw a calf moose in Flour lake. We cached
the canoe and walked from there to South Brule cabin, where
we spent the night. I noticed at Martin portage that the
beavers have raised the water about 14 inches since I was
there a month ago. We saw very few partridge on this trip,
and the trout are not biting1 at all.

Spent night at Grand Marais, 7/29/15. SW. wind.

Left South Brule cabin at 7:30 a. m. and walked to G. M.
Fixed the line in one place on Maple hill, and cut some trees
off of it on the short-cut or hurry-up trail. Got in town at 1
p. m. Very warm and looked like rain. Stayed home the rest
of the afternoon, and read over the mail and rested up.

Spent night at G. M., 7/30/15. SW. wind.

Worked at the office; fixed up the fire reports that were
returned to me. Went out to the boat to see if it leaked much
while we were out on the trip north. Found very little water
in her and the engine in good shape. I expect Ranger Linder
on tonight's boat.

Spent night at Two Harbors, 7/31/15. Wind, a. m., SE.; p.
m., E.

Mr. Linder and I left G. M. at 8:15 a. m. with motorboat and
ran to Two Harbors. Arrived there at 6:30 p. m. Made a
very good run. It was getting quite rough on the lake before
we struck Two Harbors. We never stopped from the time we
left G. M. until we got to Two Harbors. Had supper uptown
and went to the show. Then we went back to the boat and
lay down until 2 a. m., Sunday morning.

Spent night at G. M., 8/1/15. Wind, a. m., NW.; p. m., NE.

Left Two Harbors at 2 a. m. and arrived in Duluth at 5:30
a. m. Showed Ranger Linder all I knew about running the
boat. Went uptown and had breakfast, and waited till the
North shore boat started for G. M. Left Duluth at 10:30 a.
m. and arrived in G. M. about 9 p. m. It got very rough on
the lake before we got into G. M. I helped a lot of the other
passengers to feed the fish.

(Signed) P. J. BAYLE,

Acting Ranger.

19

®
f&

National Forests Take in $2,500,000

(From the Forest Service, U. S. Department of Agriculture)

%

THE national forests turned into the U. S. treasury dur-
ing the fiscal year ended June 30, 1915, nearly $2,500,000,
an increase of more than $40,000 over the receipts of the
previous year, according to a statement just issued by the
forest service. The timber sales, which amounted to $1,164,-
000, yielded on account of the depressed condition of the lum-
ber industry about $79,000 less than those of the previous
fiscal year, but the gain was made possible by larger revenues
from other sources. The grazing receipts, which totaled
$1,125,000, increased $127,000 over last year, and the water-
power receipts, which amounted to not quite $90,000, showed
an increase of nearly $42,000.

The demoralization of the turpentine industry on account
of the war's curtailment of the naval stores market caused
the receipts from the sale of turpentining privileges on the na-
tional forests to drop to about $9,000, as against nearly $15,000
last year. The sale of special use permits, under which all
sorts of enterprises, from apiaries to whaling stations, are
operated on the forests, yielded nearly $78,000, an increase of
$9,000 over last year. There was a decrease of nearly $37,000
in the revenue derived by the settlement of trespass cases in
which government timber had been cut without intent to de-
fraud, the revenue from this source being only a little more
than $3,000. More than $7,000, however, was collected from
other timber trespass cases. Grazing trespass cases yielded
nearly $6,000, an increase of about $1,000; occupancy trespass
cases, which occurred in only one of the seven forest districts,
turned in something less than $250; about $60 was derived
from turpentine trespass cases, and $660 from fire trespass
cases, the latter being more than $7,000 less than the amount
collected in the previous fiscal year for damage to govern-
ment property through fires carelessly or wilfully started in
or near national forests.

20

*

To Cut Alaskan Timber for U. S.
^Railroad

*

THE Alaskan Engineering Commission, which is to build
the government railroad from Seward on the Pacific 471
miles to Fairbanks in the interior, has received a permit
from the forest service to cut 85 million feet of timber in the
Chugach national forest for use in constructing the new line.
The permit was issued by the district forester at Portland,
Ore., who has direct supervision of the Alaskan forests, and
is in conformity with the act of March 4, last, which author-
ized the Secretary of Agriculture to permit the Alaskan En-
gineering Commission and the Navy Department to take from
the national forests free of charge earth, stone, and timber
for use in government works. The timber will be cut in des-
ignated areas along the right-of-way of the proposed railroad,
which runs through the Chugach national forest for several
miles.

Experiments and tests of Alaskan spruce and hemlock are
being made at the Forest Service Laboratory at Seattle, Wash-
ington, and so far have substantiated the opinion of forest-
ers that Alaskan timber is sufficiently strong for practically
all structural purposes. While these tests are going on forest
service employees in Alaska are marking the timber to be cut
along the proposed railroad, the cutting to be done so that
only mature trees are taken, the young trees being left unin-
jured and the condition of the forest improved.

This cut of 85 million feet will be the largest amount of
timber ever felled on the Alaskan forests in one operation,
and at the average rate per thousand board feet obtained for
timber sold from the Chugach forest during the fiscal year
1914, it is worth approximately $145,000 on the stump. It will
be nearly twice as much as the total quantity of national for-
est timber now cut and used annually for local purposes
throughout Alaska, but only a little more than one-tenth of
the estimated annual growth of the Alaskan forests. The two
national forests of Alaska contain about 78 billion feet of mer-

21

charitable timber and it is estimated by the forest service that
more than 800 million feet could be cut every year forever
without lessening the forests' productivity.

*

Forest

Service

Force

Reduced

i

ON August 1st, the forest service reduced its force for for-
est fire protection by 34 men because of the reduced
appropriation for the next two years. While this does
not entirely destroy the effectiveness of the remaining force,
it is reduced in efficiency more than one-half. Efforts now
must be concentrated on the elimination of the fire risks
which are greatest. Formerly the field organization was in a
large measure a skeleton patrol force by means of which,
during the dry periods of spring, summer and fall, fires could
be handled in their incipiency. Rangers and patrolmen were
first on hand to direct the fire-fighting work, the expense of
which was largely borne by the parties responsible for the
fires or the landowners. From now on, because of the reduc-
tion in the force, the rangers and patrolmen will be so widely
scattered as to make it necessary for localities to handle fires
at their own discretion and at their own expense. Experience
has shown that, in dry periods, the lack of organization and a
fixed local responsibility has resulted in widespread damage by
fires. Of course the rangers and patrolmen will continue to
give all the assistance that they can.

However, by concentrating their efforts to obtain proper
disposal of slash by the lumbermen, ditch and road contract-
ors, the rangers will be able to remove the danger of fire from
these sources. Careful attention will also be given to the
supervision of fire patrol by the railroad companies, the clean-
ing up of their rights-of-way and the maintenance of their
locomotive equipment in good order. Co-operative efforts,
which in the past have been so successful, will be greatly in-
creased. This is true not only of the lumber companies and

22

the railroad companies but also of settlers' fire-fighting bri-
gades and organized townships that have provided fire-fighting
funds. The mining companies and the hundreds of rural and
trunk line telephone companies that have been helpful in the
past will be called on for more systematic and complete fire
protective co-operation.

It is interesting to note in connection with the state fire, pro-
tective work that during this season, which has been excep-
tionally wet, there have been only 138 fires reported, with a
loss of less than $20,000. However, there has been a consid-
erable loss in young timber burned. It is to be hoped that
the millions of dollars worth of young timber, which has been
so carefully protected through the work of the rangers dur-
ing the past four years, will escape destruction by fire. It
represents much future wealth to the state. It is encouraging
to note that settlers and other owners of wild land show an
increasing interest in saving young and half-grown timber.

23

1

Canadian

Fox

Industry

s

THE most marvelous industry in America today, from the
standpoint of large profit, is that of raising the silver
black fox for its fur.

Years ago trappers and farmers in Northeastern Canada
discovered that this fox could be domesticated successfully.
The high value of its fur — pelts frequently bringing several
thousand dollars each — suggested to these folks of the fron-
tier that raising this fox would be a profitable industry. And
so it proved to be. '

This animal is scarce in its wild state. When its domesti-
cation had been proved profitable there came a great demand
for foxes for breeding purposes and prices went up. The re-
sult has been that early companies engaged in this industry
have been paying dividends running into hundreds of per cent.

Last year 44 companies paid dividends as follows: Nine
paid 10 per cent, seven 15 per cent, two 16 per cent, four 20
per cent, one 25 per cent, three 30 per cent, one 35 per cent,
four 40 per cent, three 50 per cent, one 6.0 per cent, one 70 per
cent, two 100 per cent, one 105 per cent, one 150 per cent, one
185 per cent, two 200 per cent, and one 350 per cent.

Young companies hold the bulk of their increase in foxes
for breeding purposes, which accounts for small dividends at
the beginning. The dividends paid by the older companies
indicate the profits in this industry when fully established.

Breeding foxes has been brought to as certain and scientific
a stage as raising cattle, and it is infinitely more profitable, be-
cause foxes are prolific breeders and their fur is the most
expensive of 'all fur animals available to any extent.

Our Canadian friends have quietly developed a great in-
dustry and kept it largely to themselves. This is a great field
for exceptionally profitable and secure investments and
Americans are awakening to the opportunity.

24

§

Economic Value of Birds

By F. L. WASHBUKN, State Entomologist

$

WITH a total production of approximately $9,000,000,000
worth of agricultural and forestry products in the
United States, which products suffer a loss of about
$800,000,000 every year through the voraciousness of insect
pests, it is not to be wondered at that anything which tends
to decrease that loss by which our nation is robbed each year,
is of special interest. It is the work of the economic ento-
mologists to restore to the agricultural classes as much as
possible of this loss, and, by their researches, to place citizens
on their guard against insect enemies. They have been rea-
sonably successful in their efforts, as shown by the large ap-
propriations for this work niade by federal and state govern-
ments. Massachusetts, for example, has used, in the past,
$150,000 annually to combat the gypsy moth, to which must be
added approximately $100,000 spent by private citizens in that
state, and $10,000 contributed by the United States govern-
ment. New Jersey is on record as spending $350,000 a year in
fighting mosquitoes alone. Losses from the San Jose scale,
coddling moth, Hessian fly, chinch bugs, and grasshoppers
have been materially reduced through the work of our ento-
mologists, who have also lessened by nearly or quite half, the
$100,000,000 loss on stored products, such as mill stuffs, fruit,
cotton, woolens, etc., suffered each year in the United States.
In considering the work of entomologists, however, we must
not overlook the value of our birds — many of them, wrongly
suspected of being without any redeeming quality, in keeping
in check the hordes of insects and four-footed vermin that
prey upon the crops of farmers, gardeners, and orchardists.
The amount of insects eaten by birds and brought to their
young by parent birds is almost incredible. For example, 76
per cent of the food of the bluebird is composed of insects
and insect-like animals. The house wren has about the same
record. Meadow larks consume cutworms, wire worms, crick-
ets, and grasshoppers, as well as other injurious forms of

25

insect life. The chickadee, from its being an all-the-year-
round resident, is particularly useful in eating eggs of plant
lice, of canker worms, and of tent caterpillars. Four stom-
achs or crops of chickadees examined, showed, as a result of
a single day's feed, 1,028 eggs of canker worms, while in one
of the stomachs there were 150 eggs of plant lice. With the
chickadees in winter, one frequently sees the downy wood-
pecker, another useful resident, as is also the brown creeper
and the nut hatch. Almost all of our woodpeckers are de-
vourers of grubs working on shade trees.

Most of our hawks and owls prey upon rabbits, gophers, and
squirrels, field mice, etc. Some of our smaller hawks, notably
the sparrow hawk, eat insects. Wrong impressions prevail
regarding this group of birds and the farmer's boy has felt
justified in shooting every hawk and owl met with, under the
impression that he was doing agriculture a good turn there-
by. As intimated above, many of our hawks and owls are
decidedly useful. Crows also frequently pick up white grubs
turned up by the plow and we have seen both blackbirds and
crows in large numbers eating grasshoppers in stubble fields.
Of course there are times when a farmer or poultry raiser or
berry raiser is justified in resorting to a gun, but such times
should be rare.

The cuckoos, both yellow-billed and black-billed, are fond
of hairy caterpillars — the tent caterpillars and fall web worms,
for example. The rose-breasted grosbeak is not only a beau-
tiful bird, and fine singer, but a good bug catcher as well.
We have observed it eating grasshoppers and potato beetles,
and it is known to consume canker worms, army worms, cut-
worms, and chinch bugs. The gulls flying on our prairies and
their close allies, the small and graceful terns do the farmers
a good turn (no pun intended) by catching grasshoppers.

Amongst our game birds, the quail gets most of its grain
after the crop is harvested. It pays for it by eating many
injurious insects— potato worms, wire worms, cutworms, and
others. Over 100 chinch bugs were found in the crop of a
quail shot early in the morning. It is almost a pity that this
bird is not constantly protected. The same might be said of
the ground or mourning dove, which is included in our game

26

birds, and which is a great devourer of weed seeds and takes
but little grain.

There are, of course, some bad birds, such as the sharp-
shinned hawk, Cooper's hawk, the goshawk, and the yellow-
bellied woodpecker, which sucks the sap from our shade and
fruit trees; and, let us add, the European or English sparrow.
There are also some birds of doubtful utility, but take it all
in all, the birds, as a class, deserve our protection and the
evident growth of sentiment toward bird conservation as evi-
denced by the passage of federal and state laws, the forma-
tion of bird clubs, and the increase of literature upon this sub-
ject is an encouraging sign — all indicating a growing knowl-
edge of the usefulness of our feathered vertebrates.

Referring once more to individual birds, in 1,083 stomachs
of the red-winged blackbird examined, weed seed comprised
54.6 per cent of the contents, grain 13.19 per cent, grasshop-
pers (in August) 17 per cent, caterpillars 20 per cent in
March, and beetles 10 per cent. In 138 stomachs of the yel-
low-headed blackbird, insects comprised 33 per cent of the
stomach contents, weed seed 28 per cent, grain 38 per cent.
In the case of the crow blackbird, as a result of the examining
of 2,346 stomachs, it was found that insects comprise 27 per
cent of the food. It is to be borne in mind that nestlings of
all of these blackbirds are fed upon insects or insect-like ani-
mals. In the case of the cedar wax-wing or cherry bird, only
nine out of 152 stomachs (40 of which were taken in the cher-
ry season) contained cultivated cherries and their stomachs
have been found filled with canker worms.

Inasmuch as birds collect most insects at the time they are
feeding their young, and since they get them as near the nest
as possible, making many trips each day, it behooves us to
encourage the nesting of birds in every possible way upon our
farms and near our gardens and orchards and shade trees.

Much remains to be done yet through our teachers to reach
the hearts of our school boys, not naturally cruel (unless it
be that they pass through that stage of life and outgrow it),
but thoughtless, and interest them in the conservation of bird
life in order that they may grow up into clean sportsmen, gen-
tlemen in every sense of the word. — Fins, Feathers and Fur.

27

1

Marketing of Farm Timber

(From the Forest Service, U. S. Department of Agriculture)

$

THE marketing of farm timber presents some of the same
difficulties, but in an aggravated form, that the farmer
meets in selling other crops. He finds it hard to get
enough for his timber. Most farmers now sell their saw tim-
ber on the stump to a millman, such sales ordinarily being
made for a lump sum. The millman, experienced in estimat-
ing, goes through the woods and sizes up the quantity and
value of the timber he wants. The owner, being a farmer and
not a lumberman, seldom knows anything about estimating
timber and has only the vaguest idea of what it ought to bring.
The consequence of this condition is that the farmer often re-
ceives only a small fraction of the actual market value of his
stumpage.

Astonishing examples of what a farmer may thus throw
away are often encountered by foresters, continues the ar-
ticle. For instance, a Massachusetts farmer sold a million
feet of timber to a portable sawmill man for $1,200, and
thought he had obtained a good price. His neighbor, how-
ever, who knew something about timber, got $7,000 for the
same quantity of white pine from the very same portable mill-
man. The first farmer, on account of his ignorance, prac-
tically presented the millman with $5,800; the second owner
was wise enough to learn before he attempted to sell his tim-
ber how much he had and what it ought to bring him in money.
The productive capacity of the 200 million acres of farm
lands throughout the country which either have or should
have timber growing on them is enormous, says the article.
This area is larger than all the national forests put together,
and with an annual growth of 200 board feet per acre of saw
timber— a moderate allowance under the practice of forestry
— it would produce annually forever about 40 billion feet, or
the equivalent of the entire lumber cut of the country, in ad-
dition to not less than 120 million cords of firewood.

These figures probably never will be realized, for the rea-

23

son that the present area of farm woodlands is much greater
than it will be eventually. For example, woodland comprises
31 per cent of the entire farm area of the South, and undoubt-
edly much of this land will be put to other uses than timber
growing. Nevertheless, the farmers of the United States now
own at least 250 billion feet of saw timber and 1% billion
cords of cordwood, and this timber should produce a substan-
tial part of their incomes. Farmers ought to make the most
of their timber, and the public should be interested in this
question for the reason that the vast aggregate of farm timber
should be available to supplement the other sources of the
general supply.

%

Important Game Law Changes

i

E last legislature made several important and good
X changes in the game laws of Minnesota. The first per-
haps in importance is the one regarding the general
hunting license. Heretofore, the hunting license law required
all residents of the state, hunting big game, to hold a license,
but allowed the hunting of small game in their own county
without a permit. Under the new law, a hunter must have a
license for small game or birds the same as for large game,
except in the case of people hunting on their own property.
This privilege is extended to lessees as well as owners of
land, and to members of their immediate families. This re-
vision of the law will go far toward increasing the revenues
of the state, and will make the protection of game more as-
sured through the department of the state established for
that purpose.

The limits of bag for game birds have for a long time been
a reproach to the state. This condition was remedied by a
law limiting the daily bag of game birds to ten and the num-
ber allowed in possession to thirty. This applies to all game

29 -

birds except wild ducks; fifteen of these may be taken in one
day and forty-five had in possession. This act closes shoot-
ing entirely on woodduck, woodcock, turtle-doves and upland
and golden plover, until September 7, 1918.

Another law regarding the limit of retention of game per-
mits the holding of it, properly tagged with retaining permits,
until December 31. This applies to game birds; moose and
venison may be held a month longer. After those dates, it
will be unlawful to have game in possession until the next
open season.

The general fishing law,- — which declares the taking of more
than twenty-five fish of any kind in a day as wanton waste
and punishable, — is still in effect, while not more than fifteen
black bass or wall-eyed pike may be caught in one day. One
may have twenty-five black bass at one time in his possession.
Twenty-five crappies may be caught in a day, but no posses-
sion limit is given.

Pickerel, suckers, carp, red-horse and bullheads may be
speared at any time, but not by artificial light except in the
months of October and April, in streams only, but not within
five hundred feet of any lake. Spearing is also prohibited
within one hundred feet of any dam or fishway.

30

2

Reforestation

Agitation started to Put 1,000,000 Acres of Worthless Land to
Use— Growing of Timber Would Increase Value Fifty Times

1

(CORRESPONDENCE OF THE PAPER MlLL)

BOSTON, MASS., June 5, 1915. — Steps are being taken by
proponents of reforestation to bring before the present
session of the legislature details of the advantages that
can be derived by an active campaign in reforestation. It is
stated by these advocates of reforestation that the Massachu-
setts legislature has shown an utter indifference to the won-
derful opportunities in this commonwealth and the fact that
the state already has a law which provides for reforestation.

"Land owners throughout the state are eager for the advan-
tages which the law offers. The state forester, F. W. Rane,
has to fight tooth and nail for such grudging appropriations as
the state legislature will give, and there has been no adequate
effort to deal with one of the most important problems of the
>mmonwealth's future. If it had not been for the insistent
mblic opinion which practically forced the legislature to make
>me provisions for the unemployed it is doubtful whether
lything whatever would have been done this year, and what
ias been done was so small in amount and importance as
lerely to emphasize its inadequacy.

"Paper mills in Massachusetts who are interested in the
growth of pine, fir, balsam and other coniferous trees are giv-
ing every assistance to the campaign to secure some real ac-
tion from the legislature in the matter of getting appropria-
tions to carry on reforestation on a large scale. In the state
of Massachusetts there are about 1,000,000 acres of land ab-
solutely worthless for anything except timber. It never will
be worth anything for any other purpose, and the longer it is
neglected the more nearly worthless it will become under the
constant erosion of the weather. If this land were reforested
it could be made worth fifty times its present value in the
course of a generation. The money that would be spent by
the state would be returned in value at least ten times over,
and yet while no other form of investment would yield so

31

large a return the legislature refuses to give consideration to
the situation.

"We must provide for the future. It is well enough for the
legislators to assert that the paper mills and the consumers
of hardwoods can secure all the timber they require from Can-
ada, from Maine and from New Hampshire, but these sources
of supply are not inexhaustible, and while reforestation work
is being carried on in Canada, Maine and New Hampshire we
cannot expect these outside sources to spend money for our
benefit, even if we do pay for timber.

"With a proper appropriation and with the law that we al-
ready have the reforestation work that could be done in the
near future would become apparent in at least ten years. The
existing law provides that upon the offer of waste land by the
owner, the state may take possession of such land, remove the
growth which retards reforestation and plant in it trees which
will grow well — such as coniferous species. At the end of five
years the owner may reclaim it, simply by paying the state
for the cost of reforestation. It has been estimated that
$500,000 a year will provide enough for reforestation work to
cover the entire state.

"It is needless for me to state the importance of reforesta-
tion work apart from tremendous money profit. Forests act
as sponges to retain each season's rainfall and to distribute it
slowly to the slopes and valleys below. Every spring one
reads of the surplus water going to waste and during the hot
summer months of the drought. The paper mills of this state
depend largely on water power and the reforestation of land
would prevent the waste of water during the freshets and
avert the shortage of water in the dry months.

"It would cost about $10 an acre for reforestation, and with
a yearly appropriation of $500,000 the entire 1,000,000 acres of
waste lands in the state could be reforested in twenty years."

32

"Forest Schools the Foundation of Foredl Wealth.1

Volume IV. SEPTEMBER, 1915 Number 9

A Recorder and Promoter of the Forestry Movement in Minnesota,

OFFICIAL BULLETIN OF THE MINNESOTA FORESTRY ASSOCIATION
AND THE STATE FOREST SERVICE.

Published Monthly for members of the Minnesota Forestry Association

Annual Membership Fee $1.00.

Remittance should be made payable to PHIL H. HANSON. Treas.,

care State Forester's Office. State Capitol.

St. Paul, Minn.

Entered as Second Class Matter, September 14, 1912, at the Post Office at St.
Paul, Minnesota, under the Act of August 24, 1912.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

In Memoriam ....... 3

Our Wasted Millions ..... 5

A Canoe Trip ....... 8

Wild Life Sanctuaries 15

Sample of a Ranger's Diary . . . .17

Itasca State Park 18

Hemlock in Minnesota . . . . .21

The Forester's Lament 22

The Forest Service at the State Fair . .23
Diary of Ranger in District 2 ... 25
Possession 27

2

IN

MEMORIAM

s

MR. C. A. PETERSON, district ranger, died September 2d
of typhoid pneumonia at his home at Big Falls. The
pallbearers were his fellow woodsmen in the service ;
M. J. Thornton, Deer River; L. M. Beatty, Orr; L. F. Johnson,

From Minneapolis Journal.

Bemidji; Nevin Ward, Northome; Pierce Gould and V. Marsh,
International Falls. The state forester, William T. Cox, was
present at the funeral.

Mr. Peterson had been with the State .Forest Service ever
since its organization in 1911. In his death the service has
suffered a great loss, the forest has lost an invaluable friend

5

and the world is the poorer by one great heart and kindly
spirit which shed its influence on all with whom it came in
contact. "Gus," for so he was lovingly known to all of his
friends, had spread his influence far beyond his own ranger
district, large as it was. In 1898 he was selected, with his
friend, Murdo Gibson, by a group of Duluth men for an over-
land expedition to the Klondike. Out of the thousands who
made the attempt to cross that wilderness these two were of
the very few who finally made Chilkoot Pass and gained the
goldfields safely. They braved hardships which only the stout-
est hearts could have overcome, only in the end to lose their
hard-earned mines through some technicality of the Canadian
mining laws. As a result of this trip, he gained a national
fame and Hamlin Garland made him the hero of his novel,
"The Long Trail."

Gus was of the type of the old time voyageur, fearless, tire-
less and incorruptible. His duty was carried out with such a
quiet, irresistible efficiency that the state forester could say
of him: "He was an ideal ranger. In fact he was the best
woodman and the most noted ranger in the State Forest Serv-
ice. He was not only valuable by reason of his great knowl-
edge of the woods, but also for his tact in dealing with set-
tlers, loggers and hunters whose interests often clashed with
those of the forest service. They trusted him implicitly. He
was a real man in every way, hardy as an oak, thoroughly at
home in the woods or on the plains, of immense strength and
tireless endurance. He feared neither nature, nor weather,
nor man in their most savage moods. His courage, like his
character and reputation, was unquestioned."

And so could every other man say who knew him. His help-
ing hand was always extended to those who needed it, and his
strength -was always at the disposal of the weak. Few men
have exerted a better influence than he did; few of us indeed
who would not be proud to leave such a hole in the world
when we follow him on "The Long Trail."

2

Our

Wasted

Millions

«

GEN C. C. ANDREWS' article in the Dispatch Mail Bag
brings very forcibly -to the attention of the thinking man
the millions of dollars that the state of Minnesota is los-
ing annually through the short-sighted policy in the handling
of her forest resources.

Of course the figures quoted are for Germany and we usu-
ally think of Germany as a vast empire. In this we are en-
tirely mistaken, it is only three times as large as Minnesota.
Think of it! Only three times the size of our own state,
supporting a population of 65,000,000, and maintains a forest
area of 40,000,000 acres. This means that all of the tremen-
dous industries of a progressive empire, including an agricul-
ture sufficient — as the war has demonstrated — to feed the en-
tire population, is thriving on an area of 118,000,000 acres.
And yet the landmen are able to convince the lawmakers that
this state with its little 2,000,000 of population is crowded for
its 53,000,000 acres of space and cannot possibly spare an acre
for forests. According to them, our population would inev-
itably starve if one acre of our area should be barred to agri-
culture.

Let us glance for a moment at the possibilities of Minne-
sota's development on the basis of Germany's accomplish-
ments. Our state could support on 74 per cent of her area, her
38,000,000 acres of agricultural land, a population of 20,000,000,
over twice the population of the state of New York after 300
years of her development. The remaining 26 per cent, ap-
proximately 14,000,000 acres of forest would support within
its boundaries approximately 300,000 people on the $13,000,000,
which should be expended annually for the administration,
care and labor thereon. That is, one-sixth of our present pop-
ulation would be supported within the boundaries of the for-
est. An additional $7,500,000 would be paid annually for the
transportation of the forest products. And still another $50,-
000,000 would be distributed by the forest each year in the

form of wages for the manufacture of wood products. One
million people, or approximately half of our present popula-
tion, would be supported by this one industry. This would be
the contribution of the forest to the industrial prosperity of
the state, but does not include the $35,000,000 that the state
would receive annually in the form of net revenue from the
sale of stumpage.

To sum up, the forests of the state would create annually
for the state a wealth of $105,500,000, sufficient to support ap-
proximately 2,000,000 people, the present total population of
the state.

This reads like the most fantastic fairy tale ever invented
by the fertile imagination, but it is in reality based on facts.
The facts of another country, to be sure, but a country which
differs from ours only in the stage of its development, and
whose forests differed from ours approximately none at all a
century and a half ago. Therefore we are fully justified in
expecting to equal their accomplishments in the future. With
their experience before us we ought to proceed more rapidly
than they did, but this can be done only if we profit by their
errors, which is exactly what we are not doing. We are blun-
dering along just as they did.

It is the duty of every citizen of Minnesota who is inter-
ested in the welfare of the state to keep these facts constantly
in mind and see that our laws are so shaped as to bring this
proper development of our forests.

Minnesota has today over 14,000,000 acres of land which is
producing only a scattering growth of volunteer timber and
which is capable of producing under efficient forest manage-
ment over $100,000,000 annually. Are you going to make this
land pay its share of the state's expenses or are you going to
do it yourself?

The national government has long recognized the fact that
the land speculator is the greatest stumbling block in the real
settlement of a country. The homestead law was an attempt
to get away from him and it was largely successful. It suc-
ceeded in thousands of places in placing settlers at a minimum

8

cost; it failed where the land speculators circumvented the
law by means of fraud or bought up the patented lands from
"dummies."

The same thing has to be guarded against even more strict-
ly in the management of the heavily timbered agricultural
lands of the West. It has been found necessary to hold this
land until the timber has been cut away and then to open up
the cut-over land to settlement. Otherwise the timbered
claims inevitably fall into the hands of speculators and are
eventually put on the market in the cut-over condition at high
prices. Many million acres are lying comparatively idle and
neglected today because they are held by speculators which
would otherwise long ago have been developed into highly
productive property.

The State is either slow in recognizing this or too weak to
prevent it. The state land policy invites speculation and thou-
sands of acres of our own state's lands today in the hands of
speculators are scarcely earning taxes while the rest of the
citizens are bearing the increased burden imposed by a sparse
population. This should be stopped. The sooner the State
recognizes that only the proper use of all land for the pur-
pose to which it is best suited can bring the greatest pros-
perity, the sooner land speculation will be forced out of exist-
ence and the sooner the State can work out its normal de-
velopment.

This is of pecuniary interest to every man in the State who
does not own any idle land and it may be of interest in one
way to him.

s

A Canoe Trip

By Mrs. C. A. Peterson

f

TO people who are in search of a unique outing, I suggest
that they try a canoe trip through the lake and streams
connecting Rainy Lake and Lake of the Woods.

This suggestion of mine is founded upon experience.

Three of us who were in search of a real change, took this
trip in the fall of 1911 and we are unanimous in proclaiming
that we found, not only the much desired change but a much
needed rest as well, despite the fact that the weather condi-
tions were anything but favorable. We are chuck full of
memories of beautiful lonely islands, red-skinned men in their
native haunts and log-built lumber camps whose comfort and
good fare can never be forgotten.

We caught sight of several moose and deer and found small
streams teeming with trout. When we built our campfire at
night we felt as completely shut off from the outside world as
though we were in a wilderness. What restful sleep we had
on those balsam boughs and with what appetites we ate that
campfire cooking! Truly these are memories we would not
sell.

Such a trip as this would doubtless appeal to the class of
people who want to get as near to Mother Nature as they can
get and also those who are seeking an inexpensive outing.

Forgetting the fact that the sun was once nearing the
equator and that because of this fact we were liable to have
a week or two of disagreeable weather, we set out from In-
ternational Falls one morning in late September in the "In-
dian Girl," a launch which plied between the falls and Ranier.
We hired the owner of this launch to take us up Rainy lake
about fifteen miles to what is known as Northwest Bay from
which place we were to begin our canoe trip. The launch
landed us on an island in this bay about 10 a. m. Here we
unloaded our equipment from the launch into the canoes, piled

10

into the canoes and were off among the myriad islands of the
lake.

We had proceeded but a short distance when one of the
canoes sprang a leak and no small one, either. This mishap
would have discouraged less ardent lovers of the out-of-doors
but our enthusiasm over the trip was not lessened one whit.
We simply unloaded our equipment, emptied the water out,
fixed the canoe the best we could with white lead, loaded up
once more and were off.

While we were eating our dinner on an island a big lake
steamer went by. We hailed it to inquire the way. We made
only about six miles the afternoon of the first day for the
apparent reason that we were none of us used to paddling and
also because of the fact that we were sailing against a heavy
wind. As soon as the first signs of darkness appeared we
gladly pulled to shore. What a thrill that first campfire gave
us! When we sat down to supper that first night we discov-
ered that we were equally as hungry as we were tired. We
didn't trouble to put up our tents as there was a clear sky and
a bright moon. We simply gathered a lot of balsam boughs
and shaped them into beds, rolled up in our blankets and went
to sleep under the moon and the stars.

We started the next morning about fi-ve o'clock. Our canoe
still leaked so badly that our feet were wet all the time so we
pulled in at a fish station and bought some tar. Our second
effort to stop the leakage was more satisfactory available and
henceforth that canoe was known as "Old Tar."

After making three portages we got into the stream which
leads into the smaller lakes. We pitched our tents that night
as it looked like rain and it was well we did it for it rained
long and heavily.

We didn't break camp until noon of the following day and
then we paddled only around a bend in the stream when we
came in sight of a lumber camp. The cookee, who happened
to be at the landing was hospitable enough to invite us up for
lunch which invitation we freely accepted. We had eaten our
campfire cooking with joyful appetites but the fare set before
us in this backwoods lumber camp was great. Cookies, dough-

11

nuts, cake and the proverbial baked beans and even canned
raspberries. We were such appreciative guests that the cook
presented us with a can of raspberries and a bag of cookies.

We made one portage that afternoon which soon brought us
to Foot Print lake. This odd name was given to the lake for
the obvious reason that there is a print of a foot on the rocks
at the foot of the lake, evidently a relic of the days of the
giants. We camped on this lake the third night out for it was
here we were to wait for some Indian guides.

We did not have to wait long the next morning before the
Indians appeared. We piled into our canoes as soon as we
caught sight of them for we well knew that their guidance
meant some hard paddling on our part if we were to keep
them in sight. There was a heavy squall that day which made
it absolutely impossible for us to keep them in sight at all
times despite the fact that their canoes were heavier than
ours and were much more heavily loaded.

All along our journey, as island after island came into view
and we saw their outlines grow clear and their coloring change
from a dim blue to a brilliant green we felt a keen regret
that the wonders and beauties of these lovely isles of the
woods are so little known to the outside world and when we
reached Jack Fish lake our regrets were still keener for we
unanimously affirmed it to be the most beautiful lake we had
ever seen.

The second day that the Indians acted as our guides found
us encountering a heavy squall on Loon lake. Had the Indians
not been with us we would have been somewhat terrified in
our attempt to breast such a gale but we pushed steadily on-
ward and after twenty miles of good hard paddling we reached
Koochiching portage.

It rained again that night and not only rained but blew so
vigorously that one of the tents blew down. We soon had it
up again but the incident disturbed our slumber so that we
slept late next morning. After our persistent though useless
attempt to keep up with the Indians during a twenty-mile pull
against a head wind it is needless to say that we not only
slept late but slept well.

12

We got into Pipestone lake the next forenoon and were
fortunate enough to reach another lumber camp just at noon
and were again hospitably received. We pitched our tents
near the camp and ate both dinner and supper there. As
there was a violin at the camp and several musicians we spent
the evening there listening to the music.

The next day being Sunday, we slept late and ate breakfast
around our own campfire but as we were again invited up to
the lumber camp for dinner we decided to stay where we were
until after dinner before proceeding up Pipestone lake. How
we enjoyed that dinner! Our appetites were keened to the
edge that makes eating the plainest of foods a delight.

That night we once more camped on the bank of Pipestone
lake. We made an extra big fire as we were chilly and also
desired to do some extra cooking.

Monday we stayed in camp again until noon. Immediately
after dinner we set out for Stitch lake. By consulting our
map we found that the best place to portage into Stitch lake
was clear at the end of Pipestone. That proved to be a long,
hard portage and when we reached Stitch lake we were very
tired but as it was still early in the afternoon we conquered
our inclination to camp there and pulled on up this lake quite
a distance; however as soon as we came to a suitable camping
place we pulled to shore. How we did eat and sleep that
night!

When we awoke the next morning it was raining heavily
and as it rained all day we didn't break camp.

The next day which was the ninth day out one of our party
hunted all the forenoon for the best place to portage into the
next lake while the other two of us hunted for a lumber camp
which we had been told was located here. We were unable to
find the camp which was a keen disappointment as we had
hoped to obtain some meat from there. While searching for
the camp we saw a big bull moose, the first moose we had
seen on our trip.

That afternoon we portaged over the divide which separates
the waters of the Lake of the Woods and Rainy lake. Al-
though this portage was not as long as some of the other

13

portages it was the most difficult one as it was up a hill, then
down and through a dense cedar swamp into a small nameless
lake.

We crossed that lake and had no difficulty in finding the
portage. We came to a brook that was filled with brook trout.
One of our party fell into the brook and got a good soaking.

By the time we reached the next lake it was dark and we
were very tired and were glad when supper was over so that
we could lie down and secure a good night's rest.

The next morning we were somewhat dismayed to awake
and find snow on the ground. It rained and snowed alter-
nately all that day so we did not break camp. Four men came
that afternoon and pitched their tents near ours.

The next morning we got an early start for Crow lake. We
paddled across the lake on which we had camped and came to
a small stream which brought us into a small lake. From
there another stream and another lake brought us to the port-
age into Crow lake. The woodsmen who had camped near us
preceded us in their canoes and they were kind enough to wait
for us and help us over the portages for which service, it is
needless to say, we were extremely grateful.

The forenoon of the eleventh day we again encountered a
heavy squall. The woodsmen left us far behind them that day.
We stopped on a point for dinner and knowing that we couldn't
make Crow portage that night we paddled leisurely along that
afternoon so we might enjoy the scenery and camped early
that evening.

We reached what is known as Crow portage the morning of
the twelfth day and found two of the woodsmen there. They
were to cut wood for the steamer which the other two men
were to send up from Keenora. When we learned that the
expected steamer was due on Monday we decided to stay here
over Sunday and gather botanical specimens, as one of our
party was making a collection.

We spent a very pleasant day here (Sunday) and on Monday
we hunted partridges as we were out of meat.

There was an Indian village across the portage from where

14

we were camped but all the Indians were away gathering wild
rice except one old Indian chief.

Some Indians came to camp that day and gave us some cari-
bou meat. We lived high for that one day.

As the steamer did not arrive Monday we went over to the
Indian village and found the old chief tanning a moose hide.
That night after it grew dark we heard a sound which resem-
bled somewhat the chug of a steamer. Of course we all left
our tents and ran across the portage. As we could see no
sign of a boat, we all listened intently. After much specula-
tion as to the origin of the sound which by this time had
grown weird, "Hy-yah" sounded across the waters of the bay
and we knew then that it was the old chief singing to an ac-
companiment played on a tom-tom. We supposed he was mak-
ing a desperate attempt to drive away his loneliness.

We waited there for the steamer until Thursday and then
decided to finish our trip as we began, in our canoes. So we
set out for White Fish bay. We traveled until nine o'clock be-
fore finding a portage. We went only a short distance until
we came to another at the end of which there was a set of
headworks.

After dinner that day we came to a lumber camp where we
were able to secure provisions to last us to the end of the trip.

Another portage that afternoon brought us into White Fish
bay from which we portaged over into the Lake of the Woods.

At the end of our last portage we found an Indian settlement;
also an alligator (a boat used for towing logs) and some wani-
gans. Here we learned that a Keenora hotelkeeper had taken
some prospectors up that way in a launch and we decided to
try to get him to take us to Keenora. We were just about to
pitch our tents when he came along and said we could go with
him. We were glad to shorten our trip but we were sorry to
cross Lake of the Woods at night.

We arrived in Keenora about two o'clock the next morning.
We spent a day sight-seeing there and another one in Winni-
peg. We came home via the Canadian Northern.

In discussing this trip with some of my friends, they have

15

ventured to remark: "I should think such a trip would be
monotonous!"

No such objection can legitimately be made, for every time
we set our prow in a different direction our hearts beat high
with anticipation. Every passage between the islands was
like a corridor leading into a more enchanting room of a great
picture gallery. The discomforts of the trip, the toil, the cold
and the rain was a small price to pay for glimpses of such sur-
passing loveliness as were seen all along the way. I have
made many canoe trips — not one of them dull — but none of
them have compared in the number and intensity of its thrills
and in its lasting impressions of beauty with this one which
taught us so much of nature — her methods and her plans and
even of moral evil and good so that we can agree with Wads-
worth in saying:

"One impulse from a vernal wood

Will teach you more of man,
Of moral evil and of good,

Than all the sages can."

16

s

Wild

Life

Sanctuaries

1

IN view of Mr. Hornaday's visit to Minneapolis in behalf of
the Permanent Wild Life Protective Fund a word in
regard to Minnesota's "Wild Life Sanctuary" is not out
of place, for one of the chief objects of this fund is the estab-
lishment of wild life sanctuaries by the fededal government
throughout the U. S. It would be well for the states to take
the hint and establish some on their own hook.

The state of Minnesota set aside Itasca State Park as a
game preserve in 1891. Within the boundaries of this pre-
serve it is against the law to carry a loaded firearm and the
law is strictly enforced. There have been many infringe-
ments of the law, but in the past few years there have been
many convictions and the killing of animals within the Park
>r within the half mile limit around the park, has practically

The results of this protection are very apparent. In the
surrounding country there is practically no game, other than
birds, and wild life generally is at a low ebb. An occasional
leer wanders into it, but no one would ever think of going
lere to hunt. The settlers living there the year around are
mable to pick up anything but rabbits. The meat and reve-
me from hunters are unknown. Within the Park the contrast
is striking. Deer are more abundant than in the wildest and
least frequented sections of the state. Deer tracks run in all
directions and the deer themselves are very much in evi-
dence along the roads and the lake shore. When the hunt^
ing season opens the immediate vicinity of the Park fur-
tishes good sport for many hunters. During the summer
many of the deer wander out of the Park, but thev do not
forget where they were protected and the first gun-shot of
the season starts them for that haven of safety at full
speed. It is then that the hunters, located along the edge
of the half mile limit take their toll. One season there were

17

no less than 84 hunters strung along the seven miles of the
west boundary; and few of them went home disappointed.
Yet the deer in the Park are increasing. And this in a country
which, outside the influence of the preserve, was long ago
very thoroughly stripped of its deer. For many years the
people resented the presence of the preserve as a restriction
on their hunting privileges but they are now beginning to real-
ize that it is the salvation of the deer hunting in that section.

Beaver, at one time practically extinct in that section, were
introduced into the preserve in 1900. Nearly every lake in
the Park, now boasts its beaver and some of them now sup-
port several colonies. There are at least 400 or 500 beavers
in the Park now, and they are spreading rapidly into the sur-
rounding country.

Ruffed grouse and ducks breed in the preserve by the thou-
sands and all forms of wild life abound.

All this from one little township of wild land. It is easy
to see what a number of such sanctuaries would mean to the
hunters and other lovers of wild life.

18

SAMPLE DIARY OF A DISTRICT RANGER
MINNESOTA FOREST SERVICE

Daily Report

Spent night at Dliluth \ Date Sept. 7, 1915

District 18 \ Condition of District JAM WIND PM

Married 12 o'clock
Noon

This is to certify that the foregoing is a true statement of work performed by
me on this date.

Signed ^LJLj2

Title

19

1

Itasca

State

Park

*

THERE are already many summer resorts in Northern
Minnesota and the possibilities of future development
along that line are almost unlimited. There are literally
hundreds of lakes which will afford good opportunities for
fishing, boating, canoeing and a cool retreat where the weary
city man can obtain a delightful respite from the cares and
clamor, the dust and heat of a work-a-day world. Some of
them are within easy walking distance of the railroad, some
of them are within a comfortable day's drive by auto from the
Twin Cities; most of them will some day be developed to sup-
ply a summer playground for the great middle West.

The choice of a location is a matter of individual taste. One
of them excels in a certain variety of fishing. The chance of
a big "muskie," a choice black bass or a glistening trout will
decide the experienced fisherman. The possibility of a plen-
tiful catch of pike, crappies or even the despised pickerel will
often attract the less particular who like to catch a fish more
for the sport of seeing it come out of the water and not so
much for skill involved. A long chain of connected lakes
offering opportunities for extended canoe trips is the draw-
ing card with others. The great majority ask for nothing in
particular except comfortable quarters — a good camping site
for one man, a palatial hotel for another — where they can bask
in the sunshine on the shore, float idly on the water in boat or
canoe or take an occasional swim as the fancy strikes them.
And so the summer tourists are divided into many classes,
each class seeking some of those desirable features and none
of them need stay at home for the lack of a place to suit. For
most of them there is a wide range of choice.

There is yet another class who are not so easily satisfied.
Men, aye and women, they are in whose veins still flows some
of the red blood of their ancestors. They are neither fisher-
men, canoeists or seekers after conventional comforts. They

20

want to see the woods as their fathers saw it before them and
take a peep back into the world as God made it before man
changed it about to suit his needs or convenience. To them
there is no beauty in a well groomed lawn leading down to a
highly manicured lake shore. Immaculate beservanted picnic
parties in throbbing, brass bedecked motor boats do not ap-
peal to them. The roar of an eight-cylinder touring car in a
patch of woods fit for the rites of the Druids is to them little
short of an indecent intrusion. A low-necked dance in a bril-
liantly lighted ballroom is a desecration of the cool, still dark-
ness.

They want none of these things. They want something in-
finitely simpler, and yet, strange as it may seem, infinitely
harder to find. They want a place where the darkening forest
rises untamed from the lake shore, a spot where the honk of
the motor is yet unknown, where the primordial feud of wolf
and the deer is yet on to the death, and the crazy call of the
lonely loon answers the yelp of the wandering coyote, where
the timid doe and her spotted fawns drink undismayed at the
edge of the sparkling water; a spot where the splash of the
beaver or the hoot of an owl, the drumming of a partridge, the
contented squawking of wild ducks at play or the piercing
note of the white-throat breaks an otherwise maddening
silence. A place where the curling smoke of the campfire rises
with the incense smell of burning birch through the fire-lit
trees to the dazzling star-lit heavens. Not a care on earth
except to know that the sugar is dry and the call of the wild
in their souls.

These are the things that some men seek and the things
that are hard to find.

A few there are fortunate enough to be able to pack their
duffle when the red gods call and hie them away to the North-
land. With canoe and pack they wander away beyond the
beaten paths of men to a place where the world is young and
the ancient forest rules supreme; where the wild life quickens
the drooping heart and old nature woos them back to forgot-
ten ways. But many a man with this same yearning within
his soul is blocked by some stubborn mundane thing over

21

which he has no control. His vacation is short, his funds are
low, his wife's unfit, his children small, perhaps his strength
is not up to the task or his stock of knowledge over-small. A
trip to the wilds is beyond his reach and the yearning stays
unsatisfied.

It is for these last — and the numbers are astonishingly
large — that Itasca park offers an almost unparalled oppor-
tunity. The experienced wanderer in unknown fields might
turn up his nose at the tameness of it all and yet all the ele-
ments of the wild life are there. Within easy walk of a hofel
porch one can easily imagine oneself in a place where no
white man before has trod; no alien sounds intrude, no sign
of man can there be seen, all nature's children proceed about
their daily business undismayed. It is beyond the reach of
none. Comfortable quarters, either hotel or camp, within the
reach of a daily mail, and civilized company in the wilder-
ness. What more easy access to the simple life could there be?

It is for this purpose that Itasca park is, and always should
be preserved by the state. Its true value will be more fully
appreciated every year. More people will come to know of its
beauties and peculiar attractions, and some of the fortunate
ones who now scorn it as tame will be forced to patronize it —
for their own beloved wilderness is being pushed farther and
farther back by the invading lumberman and pioneer settlers
and will soon pass beyond their reach.

It is one of the very few places in the State where the tim-
ber is being preserved intact and every year its condition be-
comes more and more unique. Its value to the State cannot
be overrated and its value to the people will soon be more
fully recognized.

1

Hemlock

in

Minnesota

i

IT has long been a much disputed question whether the hem-
lock, such a common tree in Wisconsin, ever is found in
Minnesota. At first sight it seems ridiculous that a tree
growing so plentifully in one state should not occur on the
other side of a political boundary line, but Wisconsin boasts
several species not native to Minnesota and it looked for a
long time as though the hemlock was one of them. Many
specimens were reported from different parts of the state, but
investigation always proved it to be something else. Cedar,
black spruce, white spruce, balsam and even Norway pine was
found in the role of the pretender. It began to look as though
there was no such thing as Minnesota hemlock, dozens of

ports to the contrary notwithstanding.

The question has now, however, been definitely settled in
the affirmative. District Ranger Hugo C. Nelson has reported

patch of real hemlock within the state and the report has
n verified. Not a single tree as heretofore reported, but a

nsiderable tract of timber scattered over seven forties and
made up of nearly 5,000 trees of all sizes from the tiny seed-
lings of a few years old to mature trees two feet in diameter.
A little patch of genuine hemlock forest, isolated and miles
from the Wisconsin line.

Surely such a rarity as this should be preserved. A hem-
lock forest is a beautiful thing in itself and when it is prob-
ably the only one in the state it has an added interest. This
would make a splendid nucleus for a small state park or monu-
ment. It is located near one of the great trunk highways
and would soon become one of the points of interest for au-
tomobile tourists.

Already some of this hemlock has been cut and unless
prompt action is taken all of it will probably be destroyed.
All bontanists should be interested in this project, also the
State Historical Society and all others who are interested in

23

preserving the natural curiosities of the state. It is to be
hoped that these interested parties can get together before
another legislature meets and secure the passage of some
measure which will preserve this curiosity to future genera-
tions.

I

THE FORESTER'S LAMENT.
Anon.

long for the land of the pinus palustris
Where the liriodendron is bursting to bloom,

Where taxodium dictichum faithful, industr'ous,
Is waving in sadness o'er Clementine's tomb.

'Twas under the spreading hicoria pecan
We pledged our fond love by the light of the stars;

"If any be faithful," we whispered, "then we can,"
While leaning at eve o'er the fraxinus bars.

A fruit of the Psidium Guaiava (the guava)

She pressed in my hand as I bade her farewell;

But her love, hot as lava, grew cold as Ungava,
And my hopes, like the frost-bitten autumn leaves, fell.

They planted catalpa, the fair speciosa,

They planted the bush and the tree and the vine,

They planted a sprig of robinia viscosa,
And, underneath these, planted poor Clementine.

— Canadian Forestry Journal.

24

The Forest Service at the Fair

THEY were all there — the man and his wife who had
driven in their car that morning from their city home,
the farmer and his family who had driven fifty miles
through the dust and wind, the man who had made the long
journey on the steam cars, and those who came by the ple-
beian cars; so came they all on their yearly pilgrimage to
see the greatest of state fairs. Some came to learn and gar-
ner new ideas for thought through the long winter; some came
for a day of fun, forgetting the heavy toll of haying and har-
vest; some came because it was the custom, not knowing why
they came, but because it was the thing to do in their par-
ticular neighborhood.

11 these types and many others passed as a continual army
ugh the exhibit of the Minnesota Forest Service, and it is
certain that an impression was made on each and every type.
"Safety first" was the popular keynote of the exhibits devoted
to protection against fire. In the extreme end, a tent was
pitched, with several Norway and white pine trees reaching
to the ceiling. The floor was covered with pine needles and
earth, making a very realistic camping scene. Two ways of
building the camp fire were shown, the right and the wrong.
The former emphasized the idea of scraping away all com-
bustible material from the fire and building a fireplace of
stones in such a manner as to guard against sparks being
blown into surrounding humus.

The benefits of winter burning under the present law were
brought out in a miniature forest showing the young growth
left among the stumps, also piles of ashes showing where the
slash had been burned, leaving the ground open and clear.
The next plot showed the same timber forty years later, a fine
crop ready to be harvested. In contrast to this, a third plot
was covered with slash as left by the logger; and the forty-
year-later plot contained nothing but barren hills bearing a

25

tangled mass of blackened trunks. Fire protection over the
first two plots was shown by means of a miniature lookout
tower and telephone lines to ranger cabins.

Furs loaned1 to the service were artistically arranged in one
corner, pelts of animals caught in Minnesota being shown.

A miniature lake with a tinkling waterfall caused many
mothers and children to exclaim with delight. Wood products
showing the uses of three of Minnesota's woods, namely, black
ash, big-toothed aspen and birch, were in the next exhibit.

The value of windbreaks around the farm home was shown
by two miniature plats, one with and the other without a wind-
break. A contrast was drawn between the comfort of the oc-
cupants of the house and stables in the former, and the misery
and discomfort suffered by the latter.

The last but not least feature of the entire show was the
railroad fire prevention exhibit. With the co-operation of sev-
eral local lines, an ash pan (full size) was obtained, showing
the method in use on locomotives for carrying live coals to a
safe dumping ground. Another road loaned a model front end
of an engine, showing the flues and screens for prevention of
fire along rights-of-way.

Of course, as would be expected, observers' ideas differed
widely. Some were for condemning, some spoke approvingly,
some carelessly, and many, the thinking ones, spoke not at all.
Women were the most intelligent and very readily saw through
the lesson being brought out, showing that the feminine rep-
resentatives of Minnesota's farms are the readers. They were
heard hundreds of times explaining the different exhibits to
their husbands and children, and in most cases these explana-
tions were correct. Some had wild and erroneous ideas on
forestry — one woman remarking that she could not understand
how a pine tree would only grow some six or seven inches
high in forty years, as the placard in the slash disposal ex-
hibit indicated. The rank and file of the public were with the
service and its work, however, and nodded its head approv-
ingly. This should encourage the forestry contingent in Min-
nesota.

26

1

Diary

of

Ranger

in

District

2

s

Spent night at Moose lake, 9/6/15. District 2. Condition of
district, dry. Wind, AM., S.; PM., SE.

Got out vouchers and posted up report book. Wrote forest-
er, etc. Went E. on Soo; found fire on SE. 20-46-19, evidently
set by train. Ordered section crew to take care of it, which
they did at once. Also found fire at M. P. 249, and found same
had been caused by farmer. He admitted burning brush, fire
got away, and it is now under control. Ordered farmer to
watch it. Another lesson learned by a farmer.

Patroling, y2. Fire fighting, 14. Official correspondence,- 1A.

Spent night at Moose lake, 9/7/15. District 2. Condition of
district, dry. Wind, SW.

Went up N. P., E., with signal crew to district boundary.
Found farmer burning clearing; cautioned him and informed
him what would happen if the fire got away — he understands.
Overhauled car a little and found broken piston ring; sent for
new one; dare not take it apart, may need it any moment.
Looked over fires on Soo, E. to Nemadji — under good control
now. Very light shower this evening, N. G.

Patroling, y2. Fire inspection, y2.

Spent night at Wahkon, 9/8/15. District 2. Condition of
district, dry. Wind, SW.

Tuned up car and went SW. on Brooten line; stopped all
stations. Instructed section foreman of fire patrol condi-
tions. Generally satisfactory except some bark in yards at
spur 225 and Solana. Nothing done to yard at Solana yet;
expect to put matter in hands of county attorney. I'll get
somebody's goat soon; tired of fooling.

Patroling, 1.

Spent night at Solana, 9/9/15. District 2. Condition of dis-
trict, dry. Wind, SW.

Went to Onamia and down on state road. Met the whole
county board and Mr. Forbes and Mr. Corr. Explained to

27

county board what was necessary. One M. Green bid on dis-
posal of road slash $300; only bid. Went over road with the
board in autos. This county board is very friendly to the
service and thanked me for taking this matter up. Left at
3 PM. for Solana.

Patroling, y2. Slashing inspection, %.

Spent night at Moose lake, 9/10/15. District 2. Condition
of district, O. K. Wind, E.

Good rain last night and everything looks better; think I
slept better after the rain. Leave Solana 8 AM., arrive Moose
Lake 10. Received mail and checks for fire fighters. Went
down to Willow river train and return. Looked for road-
master but did not see him. Railway patrol following all
trains. Received fire report from Elmhirst and wrote instruc-
tions of same.

Spent night at Moose lake, 9/11/15. District 2. Condition
of district, O. K. Wind, E.

Went E. on Soo; looked over fire near settler's house, 16-
46-18; no immediate danger and being watched by settler.
Went above Nemadji but saw no more fire. Returned M. L.
Saw some smoke S. and went in that direction, but fire must
have gone out, whatever it was; smoke disappeared. Also
made trip up to Barnum and returned. Read letters from
Thor and Lawler; answered.

Patroling, 1.

P. W. SWEDBERG,

Acting District Ranger.

28

Possession

Douglas Mullock

There's some of us has this world's goods,

An' some of us has none —
But all of us has got the woods,

An' all has got the sun.
So settin' here upon the stoop

This patch o' pine beside,
I never care a single whoop —

Fer I am satisfied.

Now, take the pine on yonder hill:

It don't belong to me;
The boss he owns the timber — still

It's there fer me to see.
An' 'twixt the ownin' of the same

An' smellin' of its smell,
I've got the best of that there game,

An' so I'm feelin' well.

The boss in town unrolls a map

An' proudly says 'It's mine'
But he don't drink no maple sap

An' he don't smell no pine.
The boss in town he figgers lands

In quarter-section red;
But I just set with folded hands

An' breathe 'em in instead.

The boss his forest wealth kin read

In cent and dollar sign;
His name is written in the deed

But all his land is mine.
There's some of us has this world's goods

An' some of us has none —
But all of us has got the woods,

An' all has got the sun.

— Canadian Forestry Journal.

29

THE NORTH WOODS

Volume VI March Number 11

OFEICIAL BULLETIN OF THE

Minnesota Forestry Association

and the

Minnesota Forest Service

Published Monthly for Members of the Association
at St. Paul, Minn.

E. G. CHEYNEY, Editor

Entered as Second Class Matter. December 20, 1917, at the Post Office at
St. Paul, Minnesota, under the Act of August 24, 1912.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

A Model Municipal Woodyard 3

The Railroad and the Cordwood Rate • 5
How to Save Coal

More Help for the Red Cross - 9

New Bed for Logging Camps - - 10

The Fire Season is with us Once More - 1 I

Some Facts about Spruce 13

The Fire That Got Away - 14

Profiteering In Game - 1 7

Get A Map - 18

The Joy of Outdoor Life 19

The Value of a Shade Tree - 24

The Third Liberty Loan 25

The White Pine Blister Rust 2;

Building The Cavalry of the Air - - 29

The Forest School Goes North - 3 1

Modern Beaver Trapping 32

Meeting of Rangeres & Railroad Men at

Duluth 39

A trout from the lakes up near the Boundary,
opens May first.

The season

A MODEL MUNICIPAL WOOD YARD

VIRGINIA has lived up to its reputation as a model
city by establishing and successfully operating a
model municipal wood yard. It has always been a
problem to obtain anything but temporary and tran-
sient labor for city work because there was no form of
employment which could be offered in the winter
months. This possibility of using the city labor in the
wood yard in the winter and thus creating a perma-
nent employment for a better class of labor was a
strong incentive to the city.

Once the idea had taken root they promptly pro-
ceeded to put it in operation in true business fashion.
A considerable tract of birch and maple timber within
three miles of the city was purchased at a stumpage
cost of about fifteen cents a cord. An eighteen horse-
power kerosene saw outfit was installed on this tract
and enough six-cord racks, divided into two-cord com-
partments, to take care of all the delivery teams: In
this way there was no delay in measuring the wood
while the teams waited. The wood was measured up
and waiting for the teams at all times. The city teams
were used for delivery. Iced roads and a down-hill
grade to town made it possible to haul two full cords
—the minimum delivered to any one address — at a load.

The office work was handled by a manager in the
court house. The city papers advertised the fact that
the city had wood for sale at $3.00 per route for 16-
inch wood, $4.00 for 24-inch, $5;0b for 32-inch, $6.00
for 36-inch and $8.00 for 48-inch. Full payment to be
made in advance. The applicant filled in the order

blank at the court house and paid the full price in ad-
vance. From these order blanks the daily saw bill and
delivery bill were made out and sent to the foreman in
the woods.

The men were taken to the woods in the city truck
every morning, paid .^{.'JO for an eight-hour day and
hauled hack to town at night. With the saw bill in
hand the foreman knew exactly what was wanted. He
sawed to order and threw the wood from the saw di-
rectly into the racks where it was ready for the sleighs
till the day's orders were filled. Each night he sub-
mitted a report of the wood cut and the expenditure in
labor, supplies and repairs. Thus an exact cost record
was always available and a check on the surplus of
sawed wood on hand.

When the wood was delivered the driver took a re-
eeipt which was pasted onto the order blank and placed
on file. Thus there was a complete record of the whole
transaction and no chance for a misunderstanding.
They made it a point to give very full measure and
avoid all kicks.

When the roads broke up in the spring all the sur-
plus wood was hauled down to the city yard whence it
will be delivered through the summer. Three thousand
cords were hauled in the course of the season, the equiv-
alent of 60 carloads of coal. At first the costs ran some-
what over the price asked, but as the organization was
shaken into better working order the costs were re-
duced and most of the equipment was paid for out of
the first season's earnings.

Both the citizens and the city have been greatly
benefited by the operation. They expect to do even a
larger business next winter, and are so well pleased
with the way the thing has worked out that they hope
to make it a permanent institution.

Many other towns on the range have established city
yards on one system or another, but none of the others
are so well organized or so well operated as the one
in Virginia.

THE RAILROADS AND THE CORD
WOOD RATE

THE intricacies of railroad rate making have been
too much for many a legislature, state commis-
sions, courts and fabulous-priced experts. There does
not seem to be anyone who understands them as a
whole, although in certain individual cases their cause,
purpose and effect seem to be quite clear. It is little
short of mental suicide for a layman to even consider
them, and we do not want to risk what little we have,
but possibly it is safe to put it in the form of a ques-
tion, or rather questions.

Why should logs carry a lower rate than cordwood?
We are told : because cordwood is hauled but once,
while logs make lumber and lumber makes more freight,
and better paying freight. It sounds like the old pro-
verb at one time so popular in Republican communities.
' * More rain, more corn ; more corn, more whiskey ;
more whiskey, more Democrats." If there is a definite

6

policy, why not cut the fare on single men in the hope
that they may marry a wife who will make them ride
in a Pullman ? In other words, what the railroads lose
in hauling your logs, they make up hauling rny cord-
wood, in order that they may stick some other fellow
for hauling his lumber. It seems perfectly fair as far
as the railroad is concerned and yet there seems to be
something funny about it, too.

Two cars are loaded at the same place with spruce
wood and both bound for the same destination.
"What's in a name?" Listen and you will find out
Apparently those two carloads of wood are exactly the
same until one of them is named pulpwood and the
other cordwood. Then the difference is even more ap-
parent than the similarity was a minute before. The
pulpwrood costs you ten dollars freight and the cord-
wood sixteen. Forty thousand pounds of the pulpwood
makes a carload, while the cordwood has to weigh
forty-eight thousand in spite of the fact it very likely
is a physical impossibility to get that much on the car.
If there had been a third car of the same stuff labeled
"logs," the difference would have been even more
wonderful. When the agent has handed you those
three freight bills, you go right out and look at the
stuff again and wonder how you could ever have
thought they looked alike. Three 8-ft. cuts from the
same tree separated on those three cars and the meas-
erly little topcut on the cordwood car is paying a high-
er rate than the fat butt log almost twice his size. No-
body wants the railroads to haul at a loss, but there is
neither rhyme nor reason in this discrimination against
cordwood.

HOW TO SAVE COAL

MANY people believe that it is impossible to get
cordwood into the cities at anything but fabulous
prices and that no one would use it even if it were
cheap. This is very largely a superstition that has been
built up and carefully fostered by the coal men. A
recent experiment tried in St. Anthony Park North, a
part of St. Paul, shows pretty conclusively that both
assumptions are poorly founded.

A community of about five hundred families was
chosen as a basis of the experiment. The members of
the Forestry Club of the University volunteered to dis-
tribute some order blanks as their bit in helping out
the fuel shortage. A little later they collected the or-
ders. Orders for one hundred and ten cords. One
hundred and twenty cords of tamarack wood, a species
that the coal dealers claim cannot be sold at any price.

The wood was bought up North, shipped to the city
in carload lots, sawed into 12, 16 and 24-inch lengths
and delivered at $9.00 per cord. A carload of oak was
handled in the same way and sold at the same price.

If the same plan could be worked throughout the
city, and every community of this size could be sold the
same amount, and there is no reason why it could not
be done, it would mean a sale of eleven thousand cords
of wood in St. Paul alone. Ten thousand tons of coal
saved for Uncle Sam.

At least one man in Minneapolis is successfully heat-
ing a sixteen-suite apartment house with tamarack and
finds it the equivalent of hard coal, cord for ton. More-

8

over there are no ashes to take out. Dozens of other
apartment houses, laundries, bakeries and smaller fac-
tories would do the same thing if they could be assured
of wood at a reasonable price.

Owing to the great variation in the cost of the wood
at the shipping points, and the difference in freight
nitrs, it is hard to say to just what extent profiteering
is being carried on in the wood business, but there are
some pretty high marks on record, and it looks as
though the licensing of wood dealers and the prohibi-
tion of coal dealers from the wood business would be
the only satisfactory solution.

MORE HELP FOR THE RED CROSS

THE splendid example set by Park Rapids in the
Red Cross cordwood donations has been followed
by many other communities and has resulted in a very
appreciable increase in the Red Cross funds as well as
a considerable saving in coal. Bemidji has so far re-
ported the most valuable load. The contents of one
wagon was auctioneered off at $1.00 per stick, or
$175.00 dollars for the load.

Surely all such donations, whether they bring an
abnormal or a minimum price are getting the full value
out of the wood fuel. Every load brings relief to some
wounded soldier, warmth to the hearth of the man who
buys it, and warmth to the heart of the donor.

To many a man in the North, or in the South either
for that matter, who has more time on his hands in the

9

winter months than he has money in the bank, this
offers, the only chance he has to do his bit. In what
other way could a poor pioneer community present a
thousand dollars to the Red Cross without working a
hardship on anyone?

Everyone is giving some of his time and labor to our
wounded soldiers in one way or another, why not do it
by cutting wood if you have the opportunity? Your
time could not be better spent. Do it now.

NEW BED FOR LOGGING CAMPS

JACK GAFFNEY, a member of the Loyal Legion
employed in the box factory at North Bend, has
invented a patent bed designed for use in logging camp,
army or temporary hospital.

The bed is something in the nature of a hammock,
but can be made as solid -as any other kind of bed. It
consists of a strip of canvas, at one end of which is a
leather binding with eyelets in which hooks are fas-
tened. These are fastened to a light stick of wood just
as long as the bed is wide. By means of wood screws
the bottom end of the bed can be attached to a wall or
any wooden structure. The head of the bed is arranged
in the same manner excepting that between the leather
bound canvas and the wood are a set of compression
springs which will not wear out. The end of the can-
vas is so arranged that it turns down and makes a
pillow rest.

10

The head of the bed is fastened to the wall by wood
screws attached to turn buckles so that the bed can be
tightened to any degree desired. In the case of a
wounded person the bed can be loosened or tightened
or arranged so the person can be held in any posture.

The bed can be put up in a few moments where there
is a wall, trees or any wood structure to which they
may be fastened.

When not in use the bed can be rolled up, and weigh-
ing no more than four pounds can be easily carried or
transported. — Loyal Legion Loggers' Lumbermen,
Portland, March.

THE FIRE SEASON IS WITH US
ONCE MORE

THE farmers are not" the only ones who have been
anxiously scanning the cloudless skies of the
beautiful March days which most of us have been en-
joying with utter abandon and unconcern. The rang-
ers throughout the great North woods have been wait-
ing for the old spring offensive with an apprehension
that has amounted to expectancy as one rainless day
succeeded another with — what was to them — madden-
ing monotony.

The light fall of snow and the early spring have
made ideal fire conditions. The ground has been bare
for several weeks, the warmth insufficient to start
vegetation, with the exception of a few precocious buds
and the kindling for the fire— provided by the death of

11

the last year's plants — has been rapidly drying. Noth-
ing but heavy and quite frequent rains from now till
the time that the leaves come out can save us.

Once the leaves are out and the ground shaded from
the rays of the drying sun the danger is fairly past.
Until that time everyone should use extraordinary pre-
cautions to prevent forest fires; not only fires of one's
own making, but fires from any source whatever.
Everyone is in duty bound a forest patrolman if he goes
into the woods at all and should take that duty seri-
ously.

The danger this spring is more serious than usual.
More serious because there is more danger of a greater
loss. Besides the usual danger of loss in young growth,
soil fertility, and weakened timber — not to mention the
ever present danger to settlers' homes and human lives
—there are thousands of logs, and poles and cords of
wood scattered throughout the forest. The early
breakup of the winter roads left them stranded in the
forest. They represent not only the trees, but the win-
ter's labor of many men, and a considerable proportion
of a lumber supply that we badly need.

These things cannot be taken from the burning forest
as the furniture is carried from a burning house. It is
quite as impossible to move them as it is to move the
standing trees. To save them, the fire must be kept
away.

For still another reason the fire danger is greater
than usual. This is a year of thrift. Every true citi-
zen is straining every nerve to conserve all our re-
sources. Not only food must be saved, but every other

12

material that may aid in the successful prosecution of
this war. Timber is an important item. Cantonments,
shipyards, temporary buildings, airplanes, mines, rail-
roads, trenches, ammunition cases and hundreds of
other war operations are dependent upon it. Already
many of them have been delayed because of a lumber
shortage. Every tree burned in the woods is an abso-
lute loss that may count heavily against us.

Above all there is a shortage of labor, a shortage of
in en to put the fires out and a shortage of men to re-
place the labor put into those logs lying scattered
throughout the woods.

Then let us be careful to watch for the fires of others.
If it is already a big fire, notify the ranger; if it is a
small one, put it out yourself. That is all the ranger
could do himself.

THE FIRE THAT GOT AWAY

By. D. LANGE

THERE is a patch of brushy timber on the bluffs of
the Minnesota river which for two years has been
trying hard to grow into a thriving woodlot.

Nature has done her best. The pigs have planted
some acorns, the birds have brought the seeds of the
black cherry, while the wind has planted poplars, elm
and ash.

But now comes the sad part of the tale. What ought
to be a thriving patch of woodland is in reality a ragged
brushlot.

Some thoughtless person dropped a match in the dry
grass. The fire ran into the woods, it injured every

13

PROFITEERING IN GAME

THERE is not much difference between the man who
wants to make a thousand per cent profit on a war
order and the freak who wants to kill off all the game
to increase the food supply. If anything the compari-
son is in favor of the former. He is frankly trying to
squeeze some money from the public, the other freak is
trying to sneak in a few days of selfish pleasure at the
expense of all future generations under the guise of
patriotism.

Kill off the game to increase the food supply ! If such
a freak were capable of thought he would, before mak-
ing such a suggestion, taken a glance at the list of ani-
mals killed daily at any one of the big stockyards, and
compared it with the pitiful output of the woods, even
if all the wild animals were hunted to extermination,
as they most surely would be. Less than one day's sup-
ply of meat ! And the price ! Of course the price does
not interest such people. Millions of days of recreation
for millions of people, and all the myriad pleasures that
come from the contact with wild life lost to all future
generations.

The world would be physically, normally and men-
tally better off if they wTent without meat for six months
straight than if they permitted such a crime. It is a
form of delirium too ridiculous to think about.

"Why don't some food shark propose eating angle
worms? The other fish like them.

16

THE THIRD LIBERTY LOAN

THE Third Liberty Loan will be three billion dol-
lars ($3,000,000,000), the government reserving
the right to allot bonds up to the full amount of any
overscription.

The government has asked the Ninth Federal Reserve
District to subscribe a minimum of $105,000,000. But
A. K. Kogers, district director, has apportioned the
loan by states so as to insure $125,000,000.

The bonds will bear interest at 41/4 per cent per an-
num. They will be dated and will bear interest from
May 9, 1918 and will mature September 15, 1928. The
interest dates will be September 15 and March 15, the
first coupon bearing interest for 129 days.

The bonds are not convertible and are not subject
to call for redemption before matured. The fact that
the government has made these ten-year bonds is taken
by many as an indication that the officials at Washing-
ton are not looking for the war to last many years.

The bonds carry the same exemption from taxation
as those in the second Liberty Loan. Third Liberty
Loan bonds which have been owned by a person for
six months prior to the date of his death will be ac-
cepted at par and accrued interest in payment of fed-
eral inheritance taxes. The campaign opened through-
out the nation April 6, and closes May 4, but this is not
adhered to in the Ninth district, In this district no
selling of bonds is supposed to be permitted prior to
April 15. The actual selling campaign opens at dawn
next Monday and by midnight Wednesday the organi-

17

zation executive expect that the Ninth district will
have subscribed its full $125,000,000 allotment.

The government has provided that the bonds may be
paid for in the following installment : Five per cent
on application. Twenty per cent on May 28. Thirty-
five per cent on July 18, and 40 per cent on August 15.
Payment in full may be made with the application or
before May 4, but bonds will not be delivered before
May 9, on any subscription for an amount exceeding
$10,000.

Loyal Legion Bread.

FOUR quarts good potato yeast; two quarts corn
meal; two and one-half quarts of rye flour; two
cups raisins; one-half cup brown sugar; two table-
spoons salt. Add white flour to make soft dough;
knead until does not stick to hands ; let raise until
dough is light; then knead down; let raise again and
make in two loaves; when double size bake in a mod-
erate oven.

War Corn Bread (enough for 30 men).

Two quarts milk, four eggs, one-half cup sugar, two
tablespoons salt, two quarts white flour, two heaping
teaspoons baking powder, beat all together ; two quarts
cornmeal, one level teaspoon soda ; stir into meal and
soda one quart of hot water, let stand while mixing
first part; mix all together. Have about two table-
spoons lard hot in pan, pour in together. Bake at once.

18

Potato Yeast.

Save potato water from boiled potatoes, about two
quarts; one cup sugar, one yeast cake (any kind), let
stand twenty-four hours. Add three quarts potato wa-
ter, one-half cup sugar; use four quarts for bread;
leave one quart for starter. Add potato water and su-
j-rar as needed.

THE WHITE PINE BLISTER RUST

THE campaign against the white pine blister rust
will be continued this summer. As in the past
t wo years, part of the expense will be borne by the fed-
eral government and part by the state. The state en-
tomologist will have charge of the nursery inspection
and of following up all the leads from the nurseries,
the plant pathologist will have charge of all of the
scouting in new territory and in the area covered last
year. The forestry division of the university will en-
deavor to solve the problems of forest management aris-
ing in connection with the infections in native timber.
The exact extent to which the infection has spread
in this state is not yet known. So far it has been found
only in a comparatively narrow strip along the eastern
border of the state. Should a thorough search this sum-
mer fail to discover it anywhere outside of this area
and adequate means can be found of preventing its
spread, there would be a pretty good chance of stamp-
ing it out in this state. If it is found beyond the pres-
ent known limits, the chances of controlling it will be
much less.

19

The summer's work will be professedly experimental
in character. There is no hope of destroying the dis-
ease this summer ; that would be impossible. The work
of extermination will require many years of determined
and continuous effort. All that we can hope for at the
end of the season is a fairly definite idea of whether
there is a fair chance of success. If there is such a
chance, the state should be asked to contribute gen-
erously in order to push the campaign in the most thor-
ough manner. Success would be well worth almost any
price. If that chance of success does not exist, that
fact should be acknowledged as soon as known and not
another cent spent in a hopeless fight except, possibly,
on experiments in local control.

BUILDING THE CAVALRY OF
THE AIR

By O. K. JEFFERY.

(Mr. Jeffery is building airplanes in Portland, having one of the very few
factories of this kind in the West.)

IF the statement that the airplane will win this war
is questioned, the fact that it wrill be one of the es-
sential factors in winning is indisputable ; but in either
event the huge task of building this army of the air
remains to be accomplished by the United States. The
airplane program, as far as actual warfare is concerned,
is just starting, for the government has, for the most
part, been building only the training type for teaching
our aviators to fly in this country.

20

The task of building these thousands of fighting ma-
chines and producing the material that is used in their
construction is one of the greatest problems men of
brain and ability have ever undertaken. In magnitude
it is much greater than building the Panama Canal, the
Alaska railroads, or any other of the government's
great undertakings. It has many important phases,
but the one which is most essential is that in which the
people of the Northwest and the members of the Loyal
Legion of Loggers and Lumbermen are interested.

The huge task of producing the spruce has been al-
lotted to Colonel Brice P. Disque, with practically su-
preme authority to dictate the policies of this program.
The work that has befallen Colonel Disque is of such
magnitude that it requires a man of unlimited ability
and energy to carry it to completion. The progress he
has made since his arrival in Portland speaks for itself,
and there is no doubt that he is perfectly capable of
conducting this progress to a successful conclusion with
the proper co-operation.

There are in this country today several large airplane
manufacturing companies that employ from 12,000 to
30,000 persons in each factory. They have their skilled
workmen in each branch of the construction work and
are able to construct the best type of airplanes that can
be built in the world. With all this wonderful organ-
ization it is utterly impossible for those companies to
make progress without being supplied with ample ma-
terial. The actual construction of the airplane is a
small undertaking with the proper materials at hand.
It is only the concentrating of many specialists pro-
ducing various parts of which, when properly assem-

21

bled, constitute the airplane. Now that we have the
greatest motor of any country on earth, with the proper
supply of spruce, which must be of the best grade, we
should be able to build the Master Airplane.

There are only 167 feet of spruce entering into the
actual construction of the airplane, but this 167 feet
must be 100 per cent stock. The very trees that are
being selected in this Northwest country, cut up into
timbers and shipped to the Eastern factories for in-
stallation in the machine, are the essential parts of the
airplane in which our own brothers and friends are
risking their lives daily. It is necessary to give them
the best of material, for if we do not, their lives will
be endangered without even combating an enemy.
Perhaps at times it seems that we are unduly cautious
in the strict rules to which we are adhering in the mat-
ter of getting out the spruce, but if a person pauses to
realize that in the construction of an airplane spruce is
the backbone that bears the entire stress and strain of
flying and constitutes the entire stability of the ma-
chine, which is merely reinforced or braced with small
cables, this caution seems rightfully employed.

It may rest upon the Loyal Legion of Loggers and
Lumbermen to determine the date of the ending of the
war, but if conditions disrupt the progress of produc-
tion, it will not end before 1920. I believe that all men
engaged in the work of producing spruce or working
in the mills are doing their just share toward serving
their country in this world war.

Co-operation, loyalty and the proper spirit of co-
ordinating with our chief that the work may proceed

22

to the extent that Eastern factories may have all 1 1n-
perfect stock of spruce lumber to work with that their
programs call for are absolutely essential for all of us.
—From Loyal Loggers and Lumbermen.

MODERN BEAVER TRAPPING

By Wm. T. COX, State Forester

AS a result of investigations conducted by Dr.
Thomas S. Roberts and Prof. D. Lange, as well as
by members of the Forest Service, it has been pretty
clearly determined that there are upwards of one thou-
sand beaver in Itasca State Park. These are for the
main part probably descended from the three beaver
placed in the park in 1901. The Governor of Ontario
presented two pair of beaver to Governor Lind for the
State of Minnesota in 1900. They were not delivered,
however, until 1901, when W. B. Douglas, then Attor-
ney General and intensely interested in Itasca Park,
persuaded Governor Van Sant to send the animals to
the park as the nucleus for a beaver colony. The males
fought in tVlA crate and one of them was killed, so that
only three beaver were placed on Schoolcraft Island in
Lake Itasca. The next year Dr. Roberts, the naturalist,
discovered the first dam built by these busy workers, a
short distance out of the west arm of the lake. Since
that time there has been rapid increase owing to thor-
ough protection, and probably to the introduction of
some new blood from stray beaver wandering up the
Mississippi from the Bowstring country and across

23

from the Red Lake district, where there have always
ben some scattered beaver families. The increase at
present is quite rapid, and since there is no need for
more than the present number of beaver in the park it
seemed best to trap out some of them, sell the skins
and use the proceeds to help protect the park, espe-
cially since no appropriation for the purpose was made
available at the last session of the legislature. The
Forestry Board has complete charge of the wild ani-
mals, as well as the timber and lands in Itasca Park,
and authority was granted for the trapping and killing
of a certain number of beaver. The Attorney General
ruled that the skins might be sold and the proceeds
used to protect the timber and game in the park. The
Game and Fish Commissioner, Mr. Avery, agreed to
hold the auction as an accommodation to the Forestry
Board; so all that remained to do was to capture the
animals. This it was arranged to do at the time best
suited to the work.

It was arranged that the trappin'g should be done
near the boundaries of the park, and particularly in
the localities through which the beaver ordinarily mi-
grate into outside territory. A great many sugges-
tions were received as to the best time for trapping,
some recommending late fall and other midwinter.
Fall trapping, however, would result in catching many
kits quite immature and of little value. Trapping
through the thick ice in winter is difficult and expen-
sive, and both fall and winter trapping would be cer-
tain to result in catching about as many females as
males. From what we knew of the beaver, therefore,

24

we decided to trap for a short time just as the ice com-
menced to open in early spring. The skins are then
prime, the kits fairly well grown— weighing from
twenty-four to thirty pounds, and, what is of still
greater importance, early spring trapping is less diffi-
cult and it is then possible to practically avoid catch-
ing female beaver. I find that the females do not go
very far, perhaps not over a quarter of a mile, from
their lodges in early spring, whereas the males are then
very active and travel a great deal. By setting the
traps at bank holes clear across the lakes from the
lodges, and especially at the ends of beaver portages
from lake to lake, it was possible to secure principally
full grown males; in fact, of the forty beaver caught
only six were females. The traps used were No. 4
New house and Victors, — the Newhouse being more sat-
isfactory, not only because they were stronger but be-
cause the swivel in the chain acted more freely, pre-
venting the twisting off of the fastenings under the
powerful struggles of the animals. To extend the chain
telephone wire was used, and it is none too strong.
Hay wire is easily broken by a big beaver. The traps
were set under water, usually at a depth of twelve to
fourteen inches, so that the animal would strike the
pan with its hind feet rather than with its breast in
swimming up to the bank. The front feet are folded
back and not used in swimming, and of course a trap
has nothing to catch hold of on the smooth body of a
beaver except his large webbed hind feet. If the trap
is set in shallow water, there is likelihood of catching
the front foot as the animal lands and begins to walk ;
but the small front foot is likely to be torn or bitten off

25

inside of a few hours. The reason for keeping both
trap and chain under water, even at the ends of the
portages across sandbars, is of course in order that no
scent will be felt which the beaver might detect. They
have an acute sense of smell, and trappers must exer-
cise care o'r the trap will be given a wide birth. Bait
was used in most cases, consisting either of fresh pop-
ple twigs, so placed as to cause the animal to put his
hind feet in the vicinity of the trap if he would feed
on the tender shoots ; or, in some cases, castoreum was
rubbed on objects above the water and near the trap.
From our observations, this was no better than the
twigs for bait. It was found to be a good plan to visit
the traps as early as possible in the morning, since we
did not want to take chances on losing valuable ani-
mals; neither did we want to cause the unnecessary
suffering.

The Beaver Himself. — It seems to be a common im-
pression that beaver are not much larger than wood-
chucks, but this is a great mistake. The full-grown in-
dividuals caught averaged about fifty pounds each,
some of them indeed weighing well over sixty pounds.
The beaver is exceedingly compact and heavy for its
size. The length of a sixty-pound beaver from nose to
tail-tip is slightly less than four feet, its girth thirty
inches, length of tail eleven or twelve inches, width of
tail five or six inches, and thickness of tail at the mid-
dle three-quarters of an inch to an inch. The hind feet
are almost as large as a man's hand and webbed like a
duck's foot.

In skinning the beaver, the open method is used
rather than casing ; in other words, the skin is taken

26

off the same as the hide is taken off a beef animal. It
is therefore stretched fiat for drying, and owing to the
peculiarly compact form of the animal the skin when
stretched is almost round. Instead of tacking onto a
wall surface, the custom with beaver skins is to stretch
them inside of a large hoop, where a slight, even tension
in all directions can be secured and where there is the
best opportunity for drying out. The beaver is a par-
ticularly hard animal to skin, owing to the meat and
fat clinging to the hide, so that even after the best of
care in removing the pelt it is necessary soon to scrape
thoroughly every particle of flesh and fat from the dry
hide. The skins are worth from eight to fifteen dollars,
and more in the case of very choice colors and large
sizes.

The castors, or scent glands, weigh from two or three
ounces to about half a pound, depending upon the size
of the animal and possibly on the time of year. These
when dried are quite valuable, and of course are al-
ways saved when beaver are caught. They are used
for making certain grades of perfume and medicine.
Druggists tell me that the castoreum from these glands
is diluted thirty times for commercial use, and I can
easily believe it, because when Stillwell and I were
busy skinning beaver and handling the castors we could
locate each other almost before we came in view.

Beaver meat is excellent if properly prepared, and
there is a surprising amount of good meat on a beaver.
We had it parboiled and then roasted, and had I not
known what it was I should certainly have pronounced
it lamb. The tail, including the large muscles which

27

control it, makes particularly good soup. As far as
possible all the meat was utilized. It was given to set-
tlers who were willing to come and get it.

It is no sinecure, — trapping beaver. The trapper
must use his wits and he must work. Packing in our
simple supplies to the trapping grounds, carrying a
packsack full of heavy double-spring traps from lake
to lake, tugging fifty-pound beaver through swamps
and underbrush to the trails and on to camp, and then
skinning the animals, until all hours of the night by the
light of lantern or candle, constituted the usual round
of the day. Park Superintendent Stillwell is wise in
animal lore, and no amount of hard work lessens his
interest in the woods or the wild animals. For my part,
I considered it a rare opportunity to share in this
unique experience, which brings one back not to the
time of our fathers, but to the days when our grand-
fathers entered the wilderness. Each day brought new
revelations regarding the life of the wonderful animals
we were catching. Indeed, each lake and each trap vis-
ited seemed to tell us something we had not noticed be-
fore ; and I feel that the forty beaver skins obtained
are merely an incident, and not the most important re-
sult of our work spent on the beaver trails.

With a thousand beaver as capital, there is no rea-
son why most of the surplus should not be caught out
each year; but I am not going to make definite recom-
mendations to the Forestry Board until we see just
what results follow the trapping in the various locali-
ties. I believe there is going to be an opportunity to
develop and improve the beaver population. For in-

28

stance, in future trapping we might spare the darker
individuals and gradually increase the proportion of
high-grade animals. Moreover, this work in Itasca
Park suggests that it would be feasible to extend our
plan to the territory outside of the park, particularly
to the great districts in Northern and Northeastern
Minnesota where beaver are now fairly numerous. To
my mind it would be a calamity to open a season for
indiscriminate beaver 1 rapping. To do so would be to
wipe out in one month the' results of twenty years of
protection and isolation. The average trapper does not
know much about the life of a beaver family. There
is all too much evidence to show that he would kill
several beaver for every one he got, because he would
trap at the wrong time and in the wrong way. To open
a beaver house or to cut a beaver dam in winter or late
fall is to endanger the whole colony, because it is pretty
likely to shut the animals off from their food supply.
When beaver have become sufficiently plentiful in
large districts of the state, why not have trapping done
under regulation by authorized trappers, who will catch
only a certain number of male beaver in each locality?
This is a perfectly feasible proposition, and in view of
the possible value of the beaver crop it is well worth
considering.

29

AN ACCOUNT OF MEETING, APRIL 8,

DISTRICT RANGERS AND RAILROAD

OFFICIALS, McKAY HOTEL, DULUTH

THIS meeting was attended by the roadmasters and
their assistants for the various divisions entering
Duluth, and also a representative of the M. & I. Rail-
way; and by rangers from districts number 2, 3, 5, 16
and 18. The purpose was to correlate and improve fire
protective work by railroads.

What impressed me first was a total lack of restraint
on the part of the railway men. There was no holding
back of opinions ; in fact, there was a tendency for every
one to be talking at the same time, searching out ideas
and methods from the other fellow's discussion.

The meeting made progress along three lines which
mean a great deal to the systematic and efficient con-
duct of the railway fire protective work.

It seems that there is now a very clear understanding
of the relation between settling damage claims and fire
prevention work. Failure to report fires to the ranger
by wire, failure to deliver promptly patrol cards report-
ing fires, failure to note direction of wind, failure to
notify rangers when patrol was discontinued, were cited
to show what should be accomplished. It was the sense
of the meeting that the railroad companies should ar-
range to take more prompt and aggressive action by (a)
wiring ranger when fires are not readily extinguished ;
(b) reporting all fires by special card mail; and (c) by
sending in the usual weekly reports.

In this connection, it was suggested thai weather-
vanes and flagpoles be erected at each section house, and
that all reports note wind direction.

Concerning the time when patrol should he put on
and taken off, the railroad men were almost unanimous
in the opinion that this was a responsibility which the
state should assume. Mr. Larson, of the Great North-
ern, emphasized the difficulties which he encountered if
this course were not followed. He felt that it was the
business of the rangers to know conditions and it wa»s
their responsibility. There was no objection, he said,
to asking the ranger from time to time if the patrol
might be discontinued, but the railroads were making
a mistake in acting without the ranger's permission.
This appeared to voice the sentiment of the majority.

Mr. Craig, of the D., W. & P. railway brought up the
question of badges for railway patrolmen and railway
officials concerned with fire protective work. He asked
if the British Columbia plan could not be adopted in
some form so as to lend at least the dignity of the state
to those who were independently working in the inter-
est of forest protection. I feel that this is a matter
worthy of careful consideration. If something of the
kind can be done, there is a means of crystalizing
wholesome ideas of forestry in the minds of many hun-
dreds of people throughout the state. It was requested
that I ascertain what action may best be taken.

By the way:

Mr. Mills, of the M. & I. Railway, reported all yards
in District 2 cleaned up, and right-of-way burned as far
as Bemidji. Patrol is by section crews: — doesn't be-
lieve hand speeders are any good, — too slow.

31

Great Northern has been generally slow in reporting
their fire protective work in Swedberg's district. He
has had a great deal of trouble on a few fires. "Never
did have any patrolmen on Duluth-St. Paul division."
— Larson of G. N. Ry.

Landing on D., W. & P. Railway in good condition
except one at Gheen. This will be cleaned up probably,
for Bessette asked McKinnon if cars would be refused
the shipper at that point and he agreed to do this.

Some of the railway men wanted to know about
service orders governing disposal of slash along rights-
of-way. When such conditions exist they were told to
report same to ranger.

Soo Line representative when asked about the screen
equipment on several light passenger engines appeared
to regard remedial measures as impractical or as some-
thing in which the state should take the initiative.
Swedberg regards these engines as a serious menace;
when under forced draught they throw a perfect stream
of sparks. They set 90% of Soo Line fires when west
bound.

If you will not save coal for your country, save it for
the devil. The Kaiser is getting old and the loss of this
war may kill him.

32

THE NORTH WOODS

Volume VI

April

Number 12

OFEICIAL BULLETIN OF THE

Minnesota Forestry Association

and the

Minnesota Forest Service

Published Monthly {or Members of the Association
at St. Paul, Minn.

E. G. CHEYNEY. Editor

Entered as Second Class Matter, December 20, 1917, at the Post Office at
St. Paul, Minnesota, under the Act of August 24, 1912.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Lest We Forget to Do Our Part - 4

From the Forest Service, U. S. Department

of Education - 5

The Shade Trees of Massachusetts 6

Protection of the Woods - - 9

Farming Our Cut-Over Lands - - 1 2

Get A Map - 16

The Joy of Outdoor Life - 1 7

The Value of a Shade Tree - - 22

Some Facts about Spruce - - - 23

LEST WE FORGET TO DO
OUR PART

"They say, who have come back from Over
There, that at night the troubled earth between
the lines is carpeted with pain. They say that
Death rides whistling in every wind, and that the
very mists are charged with awful torment.

"In this renaissance of our country's valor, we,
who will edge the wedge of her assault, make calm
acceptance of its hazards. For us, the steel-swept
trench, the stiffening cold — weariness, hardship,
worse. For you, for whom we go, you millions
safe at home- what for you? * * *

"We shall need food. We shall need care. We
shall need clothes for our bodies and weapons for
our hands. We shall need terribly and without
failure supplies and equipment in a stream that
is constant and never-ending. From you, who are
our resource and reliance, who are the heart and
hope of that humanity for which we smite and
strive, must come these things.

(Signed) "CITIZEN SOLDIER, No. 258,
"— th District, National Draft Army."

(FROM THE FOREST SERVICE, U. S.
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION)

Boy Scouts to help Government find Black Walnut.

WASHINGTON, May— .— President Wilson's ap-
peal to the Boy Scouts of America to help win
the war by locating supplies of black walnut trees has
been followed by arrangements under which the AYar
Department, the Forest Service, and the Boy Scout or-
ganization have joined efforts to find the needed timber.

As President AYilson pointed out, the AYar Depart-
ment program makes the securing of black walnut lum-
ber for use in manufacturing airplane propellers and
gunstocks of the utmost importance. War Department
and Forest Service officials are combing the country
for black walnut timber, which can no longer be found
in abundance anywhere but has to be culled, often as
single trees, from mixed forest growths. Much of the
black walnut that is left is in farmers' woodlots, and
it is primarily to locate this that the Boy Scouts have
been called into service. In the aggregate, there are
said to be large supplies.

Many thousands of blanks and letters of instruc-
tions are being printed by the government for distri-
bution to scouts and scoutmasters throughout the re-
gion in which black walnut occurs in commercial quan-
tities. Individual trees may be found as far East as
Connecticut, northward in New York to and beyond
the Canadian line, southward almost to the Gulf of
Mexico, and westward far into the prairie states, but
the Ohio and Mississippi valley states, the middle At-

lantic states, and the Southern Appalachian region are-
expected to furnish most of the supply. As reports
are turned in by the scoutmasters, they will be tabu-
lated by the Forest Service &nd reported to the "War
Department.

THE SHADE TREES OF MASSACHU-
SETTS

A WESTERNER is very apt to judge things al-
most wholly on a basis of size. There are at least
two very good reasons for this attitude. In the first
place, it gives his section of the country a decided ad-
vantage over all others— which is his dearest desire, —
and in the second place, he has made nearly all his suc-
cesses in big scale; extensive operations rather than
intensive problems. This accounts partially, anyway,
for the inborn contempt which the "Westerner almost
always has for New England. He looks on New Eng-
land as an almost negligible patch of stony ground,
crowded to overflowing with narrow-minded, money
grabbing Yankees, constantly shrouded in a dense pall
of factory smoke. Beyond that he does not see.

Least of all does the uninitiated outsider ever think
of New England as a beauty spot, and yet there is
probably no more beautiful country in the United
States. Grandeur, which plays such a large part in
the "beautiful scenery" of the Western mountains; is
wholly lacking, but beauty is there in overflowing
measure. Amidst those cultivated valleys and every-

6

where present tree-clad hills little gems of beauty meet
the eye at every turn. In the AVest every such scene
is marred with the obtrusive newness, the scars and
debris of construction. Not so in New England; all
construction ceased years ago, the gems have been
polished, they have grown inseparably into their set-
tings, and every trace of structural dust has long since
been washed away.

There are four features which strike the traveller in
New England very favorably, — the large proportion of
this old and densely populated country that is yet tim-
bered; the splendid roads over which the automobiles
roll without a bump mile after mile; the old colonial
houses so beautiful in their ancient settings and yet so
plain, the only American type of residential architec-
ture ; and the magnificent shade trees.

Those beautiful shade trees, especially, draw the ad-
miration of everyone. Elms three feet through arch
the streets sixty feet above the pavement, perfect in
shape and majesty. Even the most hardened mate-
rialist could not drive into Litchfield or Amherst with-
out feeling the presence of those mighty guardians of
the city's ease. There they stood in revolutionary
times amidst the crude beginning of things, and in the
generations that followed they have grown so inti-
mately into the lives and history of the people that now
we feel that with the passing of these trees must pass
the glory of these present towns. Destroy these cen-
tury-old trees and you would do more to destroy the
fascination of New England than you could by any
other single act.

But these trees are not confined to the towns. Every
country house is surrounded with them. Beside those
long, smooth highways there are thousands of mag-
nificent specimens, every one a jewel in the landscape,
and their welcome shade falls like a benediction on the
parboiled traveller. To enter a grove of them from
the blistering sun is like entering a great cathedral,
and even the monotonous throbbing of the engine is
softened to a soothing drone.

So large a part do these roadside trees play in the
beauty and attractiveness of the country that the Mas-
sachusetts Forestry Association is now conducting a
special campaign for tkeir planting and protection.
Since New England is the summer playground of the
East and thousands of automobiles travel those roads
every week, no wiser move could be made to increase
its charm.

And why should we not do the same? Is not Min-
nesota to be the summer playground of the middle
West ? "Will there not in years to come be thou-
sands of automobiles travelling from all over a dozen
states to our summer resorts bringing in millions of
dollars of revenue? Then why not beautify our roads
and make them a fitting approach to that enchanted
fairyland? The only argument offered against it is
that they make the road muddy in the spring. That is
no longer a real argument, for the road of the near
tomorrow will be mudless under all conditions ; the
disadvantages of shade will have disappeared and only
the benefits will be left.

It takes a tree a long time to get old, and its age de-
pends on its beauty. Let's get busy.

8

PROTECTION OF THE WOODS

DID you ever stop to think that there is a certain
obligation that devolves upon you as a sojourner
in the great forests? Throw a stone through a window
in the city and the owner pops his head out the hole
before you have time to brush the tell-tale dirt from
your fingers. Pick a flower in a eity park and you will
probably have to eat it to escape the park cop. In
other words, the rights of others are protected either
by those others themselves or by the representatives of
the law. You are constantly under a restraint that will
quickly make itself felt if you meander from the
straight and narrow path very definitely prescribed for
the urban citizen. You are further restrained by cer-
tain conventionalities and fear of disgrace which pub-
lic opinion will put upon you for breaking the law. •

It is largely to escape this feeling of restraint and
these conventionalities that you go to the woods. You
want to be free. You want to get where you can leave
off your necktie, let your whiskers grow, and go with-
out your shirt if the whim strikes you and the mos-
quitoes are willing. You want to sleep where and
when you please and do what you please. In a word,
be your natural self for a while, free from the cares
and restraints of a city life.

It is indeed the proper idea of a true vacation.
There is no tonic like it to tune up a frazzled, nervous
system, a flabby, neglected body, and a cloudy brain.
It is the one infallible thing that will keep a man young
and make of him a fit companion for his children. A
couple of short weeks of it changes his life for the year.

9

In the summer he enjoys the trip itself, in the fall he
looks back at it, in the winter he dreams of it, and in
the spring he begins to plan for the trip to come. .The
first such trip brings a new leaven into a man's life.

But after all, everything is a matter of comparison.
The freedom of the woods is not absolute freedom.
The restraints of the city are there, only in a less ob-
trusive form. Apparently you can throw a stone when-
ever you please because there are very few people to
hit, but when a passing cruiser comes within your
range your privileges immediately become limited. If
you don't believe it, hit him once. Property rights are
there also, and the personal rights of others both of
this generation and of posterity.

A man cannot let his morals go, even though he may
his whiskers, simply because he is in the woods. The
laws are there, both moral and legal; it is only the en-
forcement of them that is lacking, — the enforcement
of them by public opinion and the officers of the law.
But shall we ignore the law simply because the police-
man is not in sight? "We did not break away from a
monarchial government to get away from law, but that
we might have self-government. No more do we go to
the woods to break the laws, but rather to be our own
policemen. We throw off the irksome rule of a cop to
take up a moral obligation. It is to that moral obliga-
tion that I wish to call your attention.

The woods, even the more civilized parts of it, too.
often seem to the city man a wilderness, where few
white men have ever been before and none will ever
come again. He blazes or hacks a tree whenever the
fancy strikes him. He eats his lunch and scatters the

10

packing all over the place, he very often leaves behind
him a neglected fire that may destroy the whole forest.
He forgets why he selected that particular spot, for a
camp. — because it looked so fresh and green and un-
spoiled by man. He forgets the thrill of joy that the
first sight of that place sent through the explorer ele-
ment which exists in every man's soul. He acts, not
maliciously, but in the spirit of careless abandon. He
means no harm, but his point of view is wrong. The
chances are that he is not the first to visit that spot;
there is no possible prospect that he will be the last.
Think how you feel when you come back to an attrac-
tive camp site and find its beauty spoiled. There are
always others coming in joyful anticipation to the
places you have left and you have no right to disap-
point them, to tear up their moss, to peel their trees,
to burn their forest.

You can do all these things; — the forest is helpless
to protect itself, the policemen are few and far be-
tween, the owners care little for their property. And
there's the fault. There are so few who care or think
that the whole obligation of the future welfare of these
wildernesses devolves upon those who love them. Act
in this wise. An old woodsman breaking camp upon a
portage for the first time cuts and fashions a frying
pan handle. It is a small job, but he does it with care
and makes a good one, no mere makeshift to be used
for a single meal. And when he leaves that cold camp-
fire in the morning he places the frying pan handle in
a conspicuous place for the use of the next comer. So
that frying pan handle serves its time in many hands,
each saving it for the one to come, till some thought-

11

less or ignorant one — or some porcupine as careless as
he — destroys it.

So act that you do not interfere with the rights or
destroy the pleasures of others, for of such is the true
order of campers.

FARMING OUR CUT-OVER LANDS

By R. G. CHEYNEY

IT is one thing to sit in a heavily upholstered office
and write rosy-tinted lures for prospective settlers
in our cut-over areas, and an entirely different thing
to farm those areas. Enough lies have been printed on
this subject to fill several sets of the Encyclopedia Bri-
tannica and every one of them has done more or less
injury to the actual development of the North coun-
try. We have heard enough about preparedness in
connection with the present war to realize that a cer-
tain advantage accrues to the man who knows what he
is up against and is supplied with the necessary knowl-
edge and equipment to meet the conditions. Confi-
dence is a great thing, but there is no sense in send-
ing out a green hunter after a grizzly bear, equipping
him with a twenty-two pistol and telling him that the
bear is gentle and easily killed. It may give him a
splendid confidence in his search for the bear, but he
is likely to become hopelessly discouraged when he
finds it.

Much the same results follow when an innocent man
from a civilized country takes up a home in our cut-

12

over lands primed by the hind men with the belief that
capital is unnecessary, hard labor non-essential, and
stumps little or no obstruction to successful tilling of
land. None of these things are true, and the sooner
and more completely such ideas are abandoned the
fewer will be the abandoned farms in the North and
the fewer will be the prodigals returning to the source
of the future settlers to spread curses and cold water
on the plans for the development of that future em-
pire. Already these human boomerangs have come
hack on the land business with such force that the
abandoned land office is almost as familiar as the aban-
doned shack, often the monument to buried hopes and
wrecked life. Nemesis is getting in his great work,
and the sooner he finishes it the better it will be for
the North country.

Not that these cut-over lands have no agricultural
value; they have a very decided value, but that value
is a rose set among many thorns and not a lily flaunt-
ing itself before the world on a smooth and tender
stem. In order to pick it, the would-be farmer must
be prepared with the knowledge of the proper method,
a sufficient capital and tireless industry. Given those
three a slow but sure success awaits him; lacking any
one of them he may exist, but prosperity will ever
elude him.

\Vhy not face these problems honestly? Experience
has shown that these lands can be successfully de-
veloped through the proper methods and hard labor,
and only so. Why not deal honestly with the settler,
tell him the truth, and equip him for the task before

13

him? We owe it to him and we owe it to ourselves, for
it is only so that the North can be developed and the
state brought into its own.

There are many things about this land settlement
problem that we do not know because this problem has
never been given the study that its importance de-
serves, but there is at least one thing of which we are
very sure, timber on the farm is a big asset and its
growth should be encouraged on all land not more prof-
itably utilized.

Recent studies have brought out the following points :

1. Capital is one of the important factors in de-
veloping new land.

2. Standing timber represents capital.

3. The average rate of clearing land is slow — be-
tween two and three acres per year — and must neces-
sarily continue to be slow.

4. Not more than a quarter of a farm is under cul-
tivation after fifteen years of occupancy.

5. It requires from three to ten acres of undevel-
oped brush land to pasture a cow.

6. The taxes on undeveloped land are practically
the same as on fully developed land.

"With these points in mind, some very definite con-
clusions can be drawn. A considerable portion of the
farm, probably half of it, will not be developed thirty
years from the time of settlement. In the meantime the
undeveloped land is earning practically nothing and its
taxes are a burden on the other portions of the farm.
In other words, only a small proportion of the farm is

14

i

really producing anything. Yet with a little fire pro-
tection, some thought and a minimum of labor, that
land could be made to produce a very valuable crop in
the thirty years that it is now lying idle; and that crop
is timber.

AVhat would we think of a man who owned a two-
si ory building in the city and refused to rent the second
story because he could not get as much rent for it as he
could for the first floor? The rent for the second floor
is clear gain no matter how small it may be.

The same thing is true of the uncultivated land.
"Why let it lie idle simply because it may not produce
as much as the tilled land? Anything that it produces
is a net gain, even if it pays only its own taxes. But
this land, if allowed to grow up to timber for those
thirty years while it is awaiting development, would
do much more than pay its own taxes. It would pay
for its complete preparation for cultivation, including
axes, clearing, stumping and plowing and would, in
most cases, leave a considerable balance in the bank.
It would act as a savings account slowly rolling up a
good sized reserve fund instead of being a drag on the
productive acres.

There are some things, such as the best method of
land clearing, the proper selection of crops, and the
best methods of handling stock, that may not be known
for several years ; but we do know now that the growth
of timber on otherwise worthless land pays and every
settler in the state should take advantage of it.

All roads of "service" lead to France.

15

GET A MAP

'"IP HERE is twice as much fun in threading your way
•*• through a new country either by auto or canoe
if you have a good map and know where you are.
There is no fun in being lost. Trying to fool yourself
with a poor map is worse than going without one,
You never know where you are and the only satisfac-
tion you get is in swearing at the map. But there is:
lots of satisfaction in working with a good map. It
gives you a feeling of perfect confidence and security.

Such a map is now available for the outdoors man.
It shows accurately all the trunk line auto roads of the
state, and the traveled canoe routes of the North woods.
It is, so far as we know, the only map that gives cor-
rectly the lake region of Minnesota and the Hunter's
Island country of Canada on the same sheet.

Every traveler in the North should have one. They
can be obtained for 50c each from the treasurer of the
Association, Phil H. Hanson, State Capitol, St. Paul.

It is rather interesting to note that Aroostock Countyr
Maine, the greatest potato producing county in the
United States, has also produced over 50,000 cords of
wood to help out the fuel shortage.

It will not be long now till the fuel dealers will be
the only people left in the state who have no conception
of the value of wood for fuel.

16

THE JOY OF OUTDOOR LIFE

TENTS AND MOSQUITOES

By A. Woods Tramp

IN order to get the most out of a camping trip, one
should be provided with all things that really add
to one's comfort and pleasure, and reject everything
which would not more than compensate in comfort for
the trouble of taking it.

There are two kinds of camping trips. If provisions
and equipment can be taken to the selected spot or close
to it, by wagon, launch or canoe, one is not strictly
limited as to the weight or bulk of his equipment. If
on the other hand everything has to be carried on the
<-a m per 's back for a considerable distance — and any
distance over a mile is considerable for the novice and
for a man not somewhat hardened to physical exercise
—then both the weight and bulk of the equipment must
be reduced to a minimum.

All camp necessaries and luxuries — there should be
some luxuries in every camp — may be considered un-
der four heads : shelter, food, clothing and sundries.

A cabin is best for shelter. It is drier and generally
more roomy than a tent. If it is provided with a small
stove and a table, it makes a very cozy camp on rainy
days, and the stove may simplify the problem of cook-
in jr. The cabin must, of course, be rainproof and mos-
quito proof or it is a great deal worse than a good tent.

In a bad mosquito season I once spent a very hard
week in a cabin that could not be made mosquito proof.
About ten o'clock, when we retired, we filled the place
with so dense a smoke that our tormentors disap-

17

peared, but at some time between twelve and two they
invariably reappeared, and another grand smudge be-
came a necessity. If we wished to stay in our blankets-
till five or six o'clock, a third smokeout had to be ap-
plied at dawn; for the little pests, although active
through the whole of a warm night, are most vicious
and numerous at dawn of day and during the hours
of early evening.

"Where a good cabin is not obtainable, the camper
needs a tent, which, like a good cabin, must be rain-
proof, and it is most important that it be mosquito
proof.

Through the whole central lake and river country
of the United States and Canada it is impossible to en-
joy camping without protection from mosquitoes at
night, from about the first of May to the middle of
September.

In all my camping experience, extending over fifteen
years, there was only one season, the exceptionally dry
summer of 1910, when there were practically no mos-
quitoes in the North woods. Several times I sat nearly
all day reading on the mossy knoll of a cedar swamp
without being visited by more than one or two mos-
quitoes. One night, however, when I had made my bed
among the ferns in front of my tent, enough mosqui-
toes were attracted to cause me to move inside. This
was in the driest season I have ever known, and my
tent was pitched on high ground, under a grove of jack
pines.

A camper's tent must have a sod cloth; if it hasn't,
it's not worth taking into the lake country during sum-

18

mer. The sod cloth may be a strip of muslin about
half a yard wide. It is sewed to the bottom of the tent
and lies flat on the ground all around the inside of the
tent. A part of the sod cloth is held in position by the
camper's bed, and the remainder may be held down by
any object of the camper's equipment or by pieces of
wood. In this way mosquitoes are absolutely pre-
vented from crawling in under the walls of the tent.
The next problem is to keep them from coming in
through the door.

If the weather is fairly cool and a breeze going, the
door may be tied up, and if the mosquitoes are at all
numerous it must be pinned tight with safety pins so
that not one of the blood-thirsty creatures can enter.

If on account of sultry weather or the number of
people in the tent more air is needed, a large piece of
cheese cloth must be sewed or pinned to one of the
front flaps; the other flap is fastened back and the
cheese cloth is firmly pinned over the opening. A still
easier method is to sew a triangular piece of cheese
cloth half way back on each flap. These make two in-
ner, flaps which will completely cover the opening and
are much easier to fasten together closely than the
single piece. Great care must be taken not to leave the
smallest opening at the bottom of the entrance.

Some campers have a kind of inside cheese cloth
tent. That plan keeps the mosquitoes from the sleeper
and furnishes plenty of fresh air, but with several per-
sons in the tent, it is more troublesome to manage.

I shall always remember a certain June night when
two companions and I crept under our blankets in

19

anticipation of a good rest and sound sleep. About
midnight the bites and shrill voices of a swarm of mos-
quitoes aroused us, and we arose, lit a candle and burnt
them out. About two the tent was again filled with bit-
ing and singing mosquitoes. Again I lit a candle. But
this time I searched for the place where they had en-
tered, and found a hole about two inches square near
the bottom of the entrance. The tentman had been
careless in overlooking this opening when he pinned up
the tent, and a nearly sleepless night was the result of
his carelessness.

One more operation is necessary to make the mos-
quito exclusion complete. During the early hours of
evening or while the campers are retiring, some mos-
quitoes will always enter the tent. "When the last one
of these has been hunted out and burnt with a candle
as he alights on the walls or roof of the tent, the camp-
er may be sure of a good night's rest. A quick touch
with a burning candle will kill the mosquito but will
not set the tent on fire. If the evening is warm and
sultry one will hear many eager insects sing outside
and the certain knowledge that they can't get in will
make the little tent a very homelike spot in the wilder-
ness.

Why not use some good mosquito dope ? I have used
several of them, but unless the need is very urgent, I
prefer to do without them. They all have more or
less of an unpleasant odor and they must all contain
more or less fat or fatty oils which make them disagree-
able to the skin. In the daytime while one is on the
march, they do afford some relief, but for protection at

20

night they are practically useless, and in the daytime
they are seldom needed.

And what about a head net .' It is a had country
where one is really needed in the daytime, a country
in which no one would care to camp for pleasure.
However, a net is easily carried. • It is hot and much
in the way while a person follows a trail. Stewart
iMhvard \Yhite, speaking of it says: "You can't smoke
and you can't spit on the bait." For protection at
night it is as useless as dope and so I never take one,
although I have been in the woods in bad mosquito
seasons.

On a trip down the Kettle and St. Croix rivers some
years ago, the little pests were as numerous and trouble-
some as I ever found them. Two boys and myself
pitched our tent in the most open and exposed spots
we could find, and we were traveling through a burnt-
over country, the region of the great Hinckley fire.
Every evening about dusk the hungry hosts drove us
into our sheltering tent where a buzzing swarm awaited
us. Just burning them out would have taken too long.
We opened the flaps wide, pushed a frying pan with a
black smudge into the tent, and watched the high-
pitched chorus coming out. Then before the smoke had
cleared awTay we slipped in and closed the tent. It
wasn't pleasant but it was bearable and we enjoyed
our trip of sixteen days in the wilderness. True, wife
and mothers declared that our camping clothes smelled
of smoke for two months after our return and that the
tan we acquired on that trip would never come off.

However, the trip wras worth the trouble and we
overstayed our time of two weeks by two days. Had

21

we not had a mosquito proof tent, we should have been
home a week ahead of time, haggard and thoroughly
worn out by loss of sleep.

I have given considerable space to the mosquito prob-
lem, but it is the big problem for every summer camp
in the great North American lake and river country,
and campers who do not meet it right, will wish they
had stayed home before they are three days out.

THE VALUE OF A SHADE TREE

LAST summer when the sidewalks were "red hot"
and when you did not have a shady spot where
you could go on your lot outside of the house ; and when
your sleeping room was so hot that you could not sleep,
because it was not shaded, did you not resolve that in
the spring of 1918 you would plant some shade trees?
Well, the time has come and gone. Did you make
good your wise resolve?

The value of a shade tree is never appreciated until
a mature trees dies or is removed. You frequently hear
the expression, "I would not have taken a hundred
dollars for that shade tree." Real estate dealers tell
us that well developed shade trees add from one to five
hundred dollars to the value of a lot.

Plan your shade tree planting. If you have a space
on your lot or along the street where shade trees should
be planted fill it this fall or next spring.

Interest your neighbors in planting trees and buy
your trees together from some reliable nursery. The

22

best kind of a tree to plant is one that is long lived, as
free as possible from injurious insects, and that does not
produce a litter, or liave some other very objectionable
feature. Tbe choice of trees for Minnesota planting,
arranged in tbe order of their merit, may be given as
follows : basswood, hackberry and soft maple.

You can get a tree with a better root system from a
nursery than from the woods. A tree about six feet
tall will give the best results. Do not plant a large tree.

SOME FACTS ABOUT SPRUCE

NOW that there is such a demand for spruce in air-
plane manufacture everyone is asking for infor-
mation and wanting to know why that particular wood
is used. The following, taken from the March bulletin
of the Loyal Legion of Loggers and Lumbermen, may
answer some of these qusetions :

"The principal stands of spruce are found in 'the
extreme western portions of Oregon and Washington
and in British Columbia. It is intermingled with Doug-
las fir, cedar and hemlock in varying proportions.

"Because of its stiffness, tough fiber, straight grain
and light weight, spruce surpasses all other woods for
use in airplanes. It bears the distinction of being the
stiffest soft wood for its weight of any wood found in
the United States.

"Its fibers are long and tough, with the result that
the wood does not splinter when hit by shrapnel or
other flying missiles.

23

"In addition to these characteristics, spruce also has
the distinction of retaining its toughness when dried,
either by natural or artificial methods. As a general rule
soft woods lose a great deal of their toughness with the
loss of moisture, but this does not apply to spruce.

"Spruce has not unusual strength, but is strong
enough in comparison to its weight to withstand the
strains placed upon it in airplane use."

The Kaiser, who used to boast so often "Gott mit
uns, " must be beginning to feel that wool socks would
have been a better investment.

Stand behind the boys at the front — but not too far
behind.

The war calls for the teamwork of soldier-son and
soldier-father — the hero of the trenches and the hero
of the furrow.

Meet the wheat crisis by recognizing it — join the
' ' wheatless-till-harvest ' ' club.

This is your first chance to defend the flag — go the
limit.

Plant an acre for the shell-hounded farmers of "No
Man's Land."

24

THE NORTH WOODS

Volume VI May and June Number 13-14

OFFICIAL BULLETIN OF THE

Minnesota Forestry Association

and the

Minnesota Forest Service

Published Monthly for Members of the Association
at St. Paul, Minn.

E. G. CHEYNEY, Editor

Entered as Second Class Matter. December 20. 1917, at the Post Office at
St. Paul, Minnesota, under the Act of August 24, 19(2.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

My Story - - 3

What Forestry has done for the Chippewa

Indians - 9

Tents and Camp Sites - 1 2

Reminiscenses of Camping in Itasca State

Park - - 16

Our Playgrounds - 26

From the Jaws of the Hun - - - 27

MY STORY

No magazine, no matter how modest it may be or how lit-
tle it may pay for its articles, likes to reprint the articles of
another. It always seems humiliating to the editor. But
every once in a while there is something that simply must be
copied. The following article printed by the Canadian For-
estry Association is one of them. It is so eminently truthful
and so convincing in the plain statement of that truth that it
should be reprinted and reprinted till everyone connected in
any way with the making of a new country — even if he is only
an onlooker — has read it.

With this explanation we offer no apologies for placing this
article on the front page.

I'M an Alberta farmer. Fifteen years ago, I owned a
place in Peel County, Ontario. In the spring of
1916 I started West.

Queer chances interfere with plans sometimes and I
never reached beyond Matheson, a brisk little town on
the Temiskaming and Northern Railway. I left the
train for a day; I didn't get aboard again for six
months. The country looked too good to miss. Splen-
did rich soil, good roads, a first-class railway, and
ready markets. Being a new country, most of the clear-
ings were marked off by thick patches of spruce bush.

When midsummer came, the smoke of bust fires was
everywhere. Hot mornings gave way to hotter after-
noons and still the fires raged. Sometimes a settler
would pile his debris against the standing timber on
the edge of his clearing and then set fire. Another
might attempt a windrow, out of reach of the spruce
bush, but with no one watching it the first night breeze
sent the flames racing across the peaty topsoil and into
the forest. On my brother's farm, we tried to burn
during the hottest days and burn safe, too. But you

might as well talk of having a safe smoke over a pow-
der keg.

What Other Settlers Do, Can Be Done Here.

I recollect one day saying to my brother: "This
slash burning is bound to put some of us in the grave-
yard,— if rain doesn't come before Saturday."

He neither agreed nor disagreed. Through the
kitchen door I could see the clouds of smoke gathering
across the settlement.

"You play with death," I warned, "every time you
start clearing fires in weather like this."

"How else will the land get cleared?" my brother
asked.

"They get it cleared just as quick in Quebec, Nova
Scotia and British Columbia, and most of the States,"
I told him, "but they make the job a safe one. They
have a law that settlers can't start slash fires without
a written permit from a fire ranger. They can't start
a fire during drought, and what's more, they have to
pile their slash back from the timber. When that is
done, the settlers' families are not afraid of being
burned out every few. years and the newspapers don't
argue over the exact number of youngsters caught in
the flames."

"A man in a new country must take chances" — but
as my brother said that, his eye lighted upon his two
little girls, and his boast sounded pretty hollow.

Well, you have all heard about that week — end of
July, 1916 — when with hardly an hour's warning, all
the innocent-looking bush fires joined forces and roared
down the country like the Day of Judgment. Fleeing

men and women and their children were dragged down
as if by hungry wolves. No refuge was safe. Mine
shafts were charnel houses, and even the small rivers
were a useless protection. My brother, being close to
Matheson, brought out his family in safety, but his five
years' labor was gone in thin air. Two hundred and
twenty-three people, mostly women and children, died
that week-end, because settlers did their burning "as
they pleased" and without reference to the laws of
safety.

Of course, all this is changed in Ontario, for the year
following the fire, they started fire ranging in the set-
tlements and made every settler take out a permit for
his burn. The fires are supervised just as in nearly all
the other provinces. Life is safe and the people are
gradually forgetting the times when -forest fire horrors
were continually before their eyes.

Alberta Does Not Want a "Claybelt Horror."

Since I came to Alberta, I have seen those same On-
tario conditions of the days before the fire duplicated
in almost every detail. We have the settlements in the
tree-covered country of the North. In fact nearly all
the new farmers are homesteading in more or less tim-
bered territory. We have to use fire to burn off our
slash and we have been, doing it just like Ontario used
to do — with a strong invitation to a wholesale waste
of life and property.

I'm a farmer — couldn't earn my living at anything
else — but I can see beyond my farm gate when the good
of the province of Alberta is at stake. I can see that
Alberta can't get along on merely bare land and a set

of strong muscles. "We need coal to keep us warm,
wood for buildings, posts and implements; we need
towns and cities to provide a near-by market, and we
need all the manufacturing industries we can lay hands
on.

There's none of these things can come to, or continue
in, Alberta, unless we all join in saving the forests.
The coal mines are no good to us without wooden pit
props, and if pit props get scarce up goes the price of
coal. There's not much use having water powers un-
less they have something to bite on. They must have
raw materials, like wood, to turn into products.

What good is cheap land if fence posts and lumber
are too dear to purchase? "What hope is there for in-
dustries in Northern Alberta unless they are forest in-
dustries?

A neighbor told me the other day that there was no
room for the forest in Northern Alberta, that every acre
would soon be under crops.

"Crops?" I retorted, "what crops? When I tell you
that not twenty acres in a hundred in Northern Alberta
can grow wheat or support stock, I'm not basing my
talk on an ignorant opinion. Look at this!" And I
unfolded a dominion government report proving that
only about one acre in five in our part of the country
was any good for field crops. "What becomes of the
four-fifths?" said I.

He didn't know.

Who Wants a No Man's Land in Canada West?

"Will it be a desert waste of blackened stumps and
useless soil, or will it produce timber? Will it fetch

pulp and paper industries into this country, with their
busy towns and pay lists, or will it be a No Man's Land
forever? Will it keep the settlers supplied with cheap
fuel and building materials, or must we import them
at high prices from British Columbia?"

Do you wonder that I have no use for forest fires?
Every time I see one, I see a cloud of trouble. I see
higher cost for farm necessities, and a poorer chance of
making Alberta prosperous for my children.

Personally, I never start a clearing fire until every
precaution has been taken. I pile my slash, fifty to a
hundred feet from the standing bush. I burn only in
safe weather, usually in the evening, and keep watch
on the operation all through. I consult the fire ranger
and follow his instructions.

The rangers are not policemen, I take it. They are
the best friends the settler has. Some of these rangers
have been telling me that the Alberta staff have set out
this year to keep Alberta clear of forest fires. They
want the personal help of every man, every woman,
every boy and girl who lives anywhere near timber.

Every good citizen this year is to look on himself as
a deputy fire ranger.

Watch every kind of fire — but above all, keep a tight
rein on the slash burning.

That's all that your country asks. You'll see to it,
won't you?

Forest fires are preventible. Put out your camp fire.
See that your pipe or cigarette ashes are not thrown
carelessly about, when in the woods.

7

I

WHAT FORESTRY HAS DONE FOR
THE CHIPPEWA INDIANS

By GENERAL C. C. ANDREWS. Secretary of the Minnesota
State Forestry Board

THROUGH the good offices of Governor Burnquist
and Senator Kellog I have lately received infor-
mation from the United States Commissioner of the
General Land Office, which shows, as I think, that the
eleven thousand Chippewa Indians in Minnesota have
derived considerable money during the past fourteen
years by the application of forestry principles in the
disposal of their pine timber.

The Act of Congress of January 14, 1889, for the re-
lief and civilization of the Chippewa Indians in Min-
nesota provided for ceding to the United States by the
Indians all the lands in their eight reservations (aggre-
gating 5,284,000 acres) except enough of the Red Lake
and White Earth reservations to supply allotments of
land to individual Indians. Each head of a family was
to be allotted 160 acres, each single person over eigh-
teen years 80 acres, each orphan child under eighteen
years 80 acres, and every other single person under
eighteen years 40 acres ; the United States to hold each
allotment in trust twenty-five years, and at the end of
that period give the allottee a patent conveying abso-
lute title ; the President, however, reserved authority
in his discretion to extend the trust period. The Act
provided that all the lands ceded but the pine lands
should be open to homestead settlement at $1.25 an ,
acre, to be paid for by the settler in five' annual pay-
ments ; that the proceeds of land and timber should be

9

placed in the United States treasury as a permanent
fund for the benefit of all the Chippewa Indians in
Minnesota to draw five per cent interest, the principal
to be divided equally among the Indians fifty years
after the allotments of land had been made. At that
time — 1889 — we had not in this state nor in the country
generally become accustomed to handling pine timber
on forestry principles ; and the Act provided that each
forty acre tract, found after examination to contain
standing or growing pine timber, should be termed
"pine land" thus lumping timber and land together;
the examiner was to estimate the contents in board
feet of the pine timber standing, his report was to be
filed in the office of the Commissioner of the . General
Land Office, Washington, he to fix and note as to each
forty acres the value of the timber at the minimum price
of $3.00 per thousand feet board measure. After the
survey, examination and appraisals of such pine lands
were completed, the lands and timber, as part of the
lands, were to be offered at public sale at the local
United States land office of the district within which
the lands were located. The public sale usually con-
tinued but a few days. After the public sale the lands
were subject to private entry, at the minimum price.

Owing mainly as I think to the forestry sentiment
which had been created in Minnesota, this law was
amended in important respects by the Act of Congress
of June 27, 1902, and the same law also created the
Minnesota National Forest, near Cass Lake. That act
introduced a few forestry rules in the handling and
disposal of the pine timber on the ceded Chippewa In-
dian lands. For example, it sold the timber separate

10

from the land ; and required the purchaser to cut clean
and remove all the merchantable pine timber, whether
green or dead, standing or fallen on each tract, subdi-
vision or lot covered by his purchase, and to burn or
remove a sufficient amount of the tops and refuse to
prevent danger from fire to the timber left standing.
It also provided that the timber should be scaled un-
der Scribner's Rules in the log after being cut (it is
fair to say that this rule had been followed for some
time in selling our state's timber), sold only by separate
sealed bids — the bid to be accompanied with cash or
certified check for twenty per cent of the amount of
the bid, and not to be sold at a price less than four dol-
lars per thousand feet board measure for Norway pine,
and five dollars per thousand feet board measure for
white pine.

During the thirteen years and five months previous
to the passage of this Act of 1902, there had been sold
from the Chippewa Indian reservations under the Act
of 1889 — according to the appraisals — from 171,167.48
acres 316,848,000 feet of pine timber, averaging only
1.88 thousand feet per acre, for $1,044,528.62, being at
the average price of $3.29 per thousand feet board
measure ; but during the fifteen years from June 27,
1902, to June 30, 1917, there were sold from 391,685.21
acres of said reservations, under the Act of June 27,
1902, 1,265,872,637 feet board measure of pine, aver-
aging 3.23 thousand feet per acre, for $8,954,453.10, be-
ing an average price of $7.07% per thousand feet, and
being nearly twice as much pine per acre as was found
under the Act of 1889. Including the proceeds of tim-
ber sold since June 3, 1917, and a few million feet re-

11

maining to be sold, and also including the proceeds of
land taken by homestead settlers at $1.25 per acre, it
would seem that the Chippewa Indians in Minnesota
now have or soon will have a permanent fund of ten
million dollars, upon which the United States is pay-
ing them five per cent interest; — and this, it must be
understood, after paying all expenses of handling and
disposing of the land and timber. They have many
good farms, many good school buildings and schools;
and their condition reflects honor upon our government.

TENTS AND CAMP SITES

By A. WOODS TRAMP

THE size, make and material o£ the tent is also of
much importance. These matters are, to some
extent, matters of taste. Personally, I have found a
seven by nine, silkolene wall-tent by far the most use-
ful, and I rarely use any other. It is roomy for two
people and their equipment, and three persons may use
it with comfort.

This kind of tent, for some reason, is seldom carried
in stock by dealers. Mine was made to order and cost
with sod-cloth and fifty feet of gable rope, about ten
dollars. It has been through much rough service and
has withstood some of the worst storms and rains I
ever experienced ; it has practically required no repairs
during five seasons of use and is still a good tent. It
rolls into a very small pack and weighs complete less
than ten pounds.

12

Silkolene weighs only about half as much as canvas
and is also lighter and cheaper than balloon silk and it
sheds the rain better than canvas. It is to be remem-
bered that no cloth of light or medium weight, how- '
ever, sheds the rain like a shingle roof or a good rub-
ber blanket. A splashing rain before a strong wind
will drive some fine spray through any tent, but that is
a part of the game of camping, and the fine drops of
mist look like floating jewels in the greenish phosphor-
escence of the lightning.

If a tent begins to leak in earnest, that is, if big drops
or a trickling stream start falling on your bed, it is
your duty to pass your hand over the leaky spot with
a tender, stroking motion until the water follows the
threads of the roof to the walls and down to the ground.
If the leak can't be stopped, move your bed. If the
tent is poorly set up and many leaks develop, you'll do
better next time.

Perhaps you have chosen a spot with too little shelter
or have not observed that short stakes in sandy soil
don't hold. In that case the wind will lift the tent off
your head and may be, rip it into several pieces. Such
experience makes a capital story to tell to your friends
at home. You may have to vary the story some in
course of time, because you are not likely to have more
than one experience of that kind. The next time you
set up a tent, you'll do better.

Under different conditions, the floor of your tent in-
stead of the roof may begin to leak. In that case you
have selected for a tent site a spot where surface wa-
ter naturally collects, and long before your blankets
really float, you'll sally forth into the rain and the

13

darkness to see how much higher the water is going to
rise. It does not usually rise much higher, but you
have another good story, and, once more, you'll do bet-
ter next time.

Granted now that the tent does not leak, doesn't
blow down and doesn't begin to fill up from below, the
novice must still learn that any objects touching the
walls of a tent during a rainstorm get wet because they
divert the water from its course to the ground. And
here I may say that this is one reason why I prefer a
wall tent to a so-called "A" tent or wedge tent. In a
heavy rain, when you may wish to put some extra
things into the tent, a strip about a foot wide all around
the inside of an "A" tent cannot be used, because any
article placed there would touch the sloping walls and
get wet. On the other hand, a wall tent, if set up prop-
erly offers the same area of usable floor space on rainy
nights as on sunny days, and the few minutes more it
requires to set up a wall' tent bring a rich return in
added comfort.

The roominess of a wall tent is especially appreciated
on rainy days. On those occasions the flaps are thrown
back, a fire is kept burning in front of the tent, and
one has a cozy, warm, little house for reading or writ-
ing, for chatting or for just dreaming and looking at
the rain. Squatting a whole day in a small "A" tent
is strongly suggestive of living in a dog house.

In a wooded country, it is not necessary to carry tent
poles. My light-weight silkolene tent is generally set
up without any poles, the rope being stretched be-
tween two conveniently located trees. If two suitable
trees cannot be found, one end of the rope is passed

14

over a forked pole, while the other is tied to a tree.
The tent is so light that before the walls are staked
down one man can easily pull it up to the proper height.

If one travels by boat, wagon or canoe, he should
carry tent stakes, because it takes about half an hour
to cut a good set of stakes. Once in three or four days
the tent needs resetting, for the rope will sag a little
in the middle.

The more care one takes to dry and air the tent after
a rain the longer it will last. At the end of a trip, the
tent should, of course, be carefully dried before it is
rolled up and put in a dry place.

The camp site is a matter of importance. It should
be close to both wood and water, if possible, and should
be well sheltered by a rather open stand of small trees
or bushes, if possible. If not sheltered and shaded, it
is exposed to wind and sun, and a tent in the sun is a
hot place. Isolated, tall and old trees, on the other
hand, are a source of danger. A storm is apt to break
them down and they are frequently struck by lightning.
A camp site in a thicket is damp and gloomy and will
attract blackflies and mosquitoes. Some other unde-
sirable features of a camp site have already been men-
tioned.

Fairly open stands of young pine, birch and poplar
offer ideal camp sites.

The best fly-proof and mosquito-proof tent I have
seen was one designed by the surveyors of the Interna-
tional Boundary Commission. The entrance was a cir-
cular opening of bobinette closing with a pucker string,
and a complete cloth floor was attached to the walls.
Tents of this pattern are not carried in stock by dealers.

15

REMINISCENSES OF CAMPING IN
ITASCA STATE PARK

ANNA. M. GILLESPIE

LEST the reader should assume that this is to be a
tabulated summary of "do's" and "don'ts" for a
camping trip, I hasten to reassure or disillusion him as
the case may be, for be it known that I am not as yet
graduated from the amateur class of campers. Ye
editor peremptorily drafted me to write a squib for
this month's North Woods, and the nonchalant atti-
tude he assumed in doing so prompts me to say "A
word to the wise is sufficient," — he may call on you
next; in fact, here's hoping he does, for you may "be
sure all of our Association members will be very glad
to hear from you. Tentatively seeking a clue as to a
suitable subject, my instructions were to choose "some-
thing funny, Mr. 0. for instance." The chance shot
didn 't fly very wide of the mark after all, for it im-
mediately called to mind a camping trip of last August
in which Mr. 0., his wife, my sister and I were the chief
participants ; and as for ' ' something funny, ' ' well, he
never failed to make us see the funny side of any inci-
dent that threatened to make camp life go momentarily
"hay- wire."

The place chosen was that Mecca of tourists, Itasca
State Park, where the mighty Mississippi has its cradle,
and the towering pines, centuries old, whisper to the
infantile stream enchanted tales of the giant force it is
to become as it now glides, now plunges on its course
through half a continent. Itasca Park and Douglas
Lodge may justly claim to have "been advertised by

16

their loving friends," for every visitor seems imbued
with their irresistible, indefinable charm, is reluctant
to leave, and invariably promises himself the pleasure
of another trip at the first opportunity. While none of
us had really camped in the park before, we decided
unanimously that this must be a delightfully informal
means of learning its attractions first hand. Perhaps
not the least of the incentives was the desire to break
away for a brief time at least from the habit of order-
ing our lives by the clock — as one must do more or less
even at a summer hotel, and to begin the day when the
spirit moved us and govern all our actions accordingly.

So on the anticipated day we unfolded our tents and
had some il setting up" exercises all our own. In the
skillful hands of the master of ceremonies, the two
tents and canopy dining room were soon securely
staked, a back-log was rounded up and a very efficient
fireplace built. To whom else, moreover, must credit
be given for the selection of a site from which mos-
quitoes, the usual kill-joy of campers, were conspicu-
ous by their absence? To add to our convictions that
all was right with the world (except the war) was the
fact that a kindly Providence sent only sunny hours.

Nevertheless, while the days were warm, we were
soon to learn that the nights did not come under this
category; — it is not entirely a matter of chance that
Aurora Borealis is so clearly visible in the heavens.
Each morning, therefore, we three who were unaccus-
tomed to North woods nights would surreptitiously
plan to inveigle a few more blankets from the nearby
bunkhouse supply. You see, we had become rather
sensitive to the good-natured kidding we had had to

17

endure since it became generally known that we were
already provided with eight blankets apiece. I always
doubted the veracity of that statement, but lacked suf-
ficient courage of my convictions to investigate and dis-
prove it. However, even that number might not be ex-
cessive as a camouflage barrage against the unfamiliar
sounds of the night, for instance the dismal howling of
wolves in the distance, the nearby beating of waves
against the shore, or the sudden crash of a branch com-
ing in contact with the flapping tent wall. Still, not-
withstanding these seeming impediments, we slept like
the proverbial log.

On a preliminary reconnaissance our first morning
we were duly thrilled to learn that we were in close
touch with a "heap big Injun" encampment! Several
times a day the little chieftains and princesses would
scamper along the path leading by our tents and on to
another inlet of the lake, securely screened from view
by the dense shrubbery. At meal and slumber time
they were the children of the forest school professors,
but in the magic circle of tepee and totem pole, be-
decked in war paint and feathers, they lived again the
by-gone days when the aboriginal red men held undis-
puted possession of these very shores.

The days were occupied in a pleasant round of ac-
tivities, as well as "visitin' 'round." Keen outdoor
appetites added zest to the simple foods cooked over
our camp fire. Frequently the "head of the family"
would first arouse our dubious curiosity and then agree-
ably surprise us with such viands as "spotted pup"
and "water willies," which turned out to be just a
woodsman's vernacular for delicious rice and raisin

18

pudding, and excellent baking powder biscuits, sort of
roughly hewn and made with water as a substitute for
milk. But if we imagined we had become some eaters,
we soon learned that we were not in it with the gas-
tronomic attainments of the native and hybrid jack
pine savage, otherwise known as scissor-bills. Apropos
of — anything, of course, but the latter terms, we once
invited the local forest ranger to supper. After par-
taking generously of everything, and particularly of
the piece de resistance of the occasion, he exclaimed
with reference to the latter, "I'll say so, this sure hits
the spot ; I hope you people have plenty on hand so that
we can have some for supper, too.!"

Camping and fishing are of course inseparable, and
the angling opportunities furnished by the park lakes
would rejoice the heart of any disciple of Walton.
Among the best known trout streams in the vicinity is
La Salle creek, and one evening the forestry men in the
park planned a trout fishing expedition for the follow-
ing morning. The feminine contingent wanted to be
included on this as on everything else; but our ardor
cooled somewhat on learning that we should have to
start in the cold, gray dawn, travel an interminable
distance, and then wait patiently for hours maybe,
sometimes wading around in the icy water, in order to
get a sufficient mess for breakfast. But what made us
finally hoist the flag of surrender was the ultimatum
that we should have to maintain absolute silence. We
balked as one at this heartless ruling, and decided that
very "it is not all of fishing to fish." So we accepted
with as good grace as possible the extra forty winks
allotted us the next morning, and were rewarded for

19

our sacrifice some hours later by having delicious brook
trout for breakfast, the first we had ever seen, let alone
taste, and surely no epicure could ask for a more tempt-
ing morsel.

But if we failed in our ambition to lure the gamy
little trout to our lines, we were recompensed on the
whole by taking part in repeated trips after the big
ones, — crappies, pike and the other finny beauties in
which the lakes abound. One Sunday in particular
comes to mind. We had dinner at Douglas Lodge, and
devoted the remainder of the afternoon to strolling
about, kodaking, and admiring the many beautiful
views as seen from rustic bridge and deep, cool glen.
Here, perhaps above all other points in the park, one
is most deeply impressed with the magnificent speci-
mens of virgin white and Norway pine.

Time stole a march on us and the shadows had be-
gun to lengthen when our launch made the home port.
The ever-absorbing question, "What shall we eat?"
conjured a vision of golden-brown fried crappies, and
we were soon putting "fishermen's luck" to the test.
Apparently it was against us in the first try-out, for a
few desultory nibbles were the net result. Finally one
of our crew of six were inspired to think of the raft
about a quarter of a mile from shore, which was used
by the forest school students as a vantage point from
which to display diving prowess. Then our luck cer-
tainly did take a turn for the better. In fact, the fish
seemed to be just waiting eagerly for a chance to snap
at the hook as it was lowered in the cool shade of the
logs. In the exhilaration of the moment I even sur-
mised that, in their impatience to be pulled in, they

20

would pass up the minor matter of lack of bait, for I
was discovered in the act of lowering my line quite
guiltless of this necessary attachment. However, I
quickly produced an alibi in the authentic account of
the youngster up near Douglas Lodge who had caught
the limit the law allows, equipped only with a broom-
handle, a piece of ordinary twine and a bent pin.

When thoughts of supper recurred, we found to our
amazement that it was nearly nine o'clock; literally,
we had fished "till the cows came home," for the tinkle
of their bells was carried to us over the water. We
were soon homeward bound, and bringing teamwork
into full play were ready to "fly at 'er" in short order.
And how good everything tasted amidst the picturesque
setting. The subdued glow of moonlight made the lan-
terns seem superfluous ; and the never-ceasing rustle of
the aspens blended dreamily with the occasional drowsy
twittering of the nestlings in their branches. After-
ward everyone felt in the mood for a campfire and the
yarns that go with it ; so far into the night we listened
to tales of the wonderful exploits of Paul Bunyan, the
legendary superman logger, interspersed with equally
thrilling accounts of the adventures which State For-
ester Cox had encountered in his travels on tote road
and trail, and which the tellers had heard him relate
on similar occasions. Not infrequently, though, we
felt impelled to take a toasted marshmallow in lieu of
a particularly preposterous yarn that refused to be
swallowed whole.

We gradually came to look up the campfire as an in-
dispensable sequel to each day in camp. The early
evening was usually spent on the lake. Its attractive-

21

ness was further enhanced at this time by the weird call
of the loon, or a sudden startled movement at the wa-
ter's edge as a deer darted back into the brush. The
park also contains a thriving herd of elk and many
colonies of beaver. We were quite fascinated in ob-
serving the dams and houses built by the latter won-
derful little animals, as well as the large size of the
popple trees they had cut down and hoarded for their
winter food supply. A source of no little interest also
was the eagle's nest, located, as one would expect, in
the topmost branch of what I am sure is the tallest,
deadest tree in the entire park.

The park trails lend themselves to an infinite variety
of charming rambles, and one day we accompanied the
foresters on a trip into the deeper woods, the object
being to assemble the finishing touches for the Forest
Service fair exhibit. We made a landing at the other
end of the lake and followed the Bohall trail to the
Middle West cabin, one of a number of little log cabins
built in the heart of the woods for the convenience of
fieldmen. Along city highways with the thermometer
hovering around ninety in the shade, this ' ' hike ' ' would
most assuredly have been considered somewhat too
much of a good thing; but with a carpet of resilient
pine needles underfoot, an archery of shade enfold-
ing us, and the air fragrant with the pungent odors of
pine and balsam, we were not at all conscious of feel-
ing tired. The cabin is on the edge of a clearing near
the park boundary and, we were very much interested
to learn, hardly half a mile from a large lumber camp
that had been in active operation the previous winter.

22

Of course, the cabin door had to be unlocked so that
we might view it from the inside looking out, and the
primitive measures of comfort provided for emergen-
cies were duly ^™-— i AVo sampled the hardtack, but
decided that on the whole our own lunch was prefer-
able. The silver coffee urn was pressed into service,
and "Bob" thereupon proved his right to the title of
coffeemaker without a peer.

On the home stretch we branched off this trail at the
point where it converges with one leading to Elk
Springs. As we left the rustic bridge, we paused spell-
bound at the beautiful picture which confronted us.
On either side of the trail, on a slope rising gradually
from the lake, slender, snow-white birches formed a
gossamer vista as far as eye could see ; and in the back-
ground, standing guard as it were, the somber pine and
spruce reared their plume-like tops. The effect was
indescribably lovely, and we thought that nature must
have designed it in one of her most artistic moods.
From time to time as we went along the trail — some-
times finding it no easy matter to maintain a foothold
—we could hear the pleasant gurgle of running water ;
and on investigation we would find that the under-
ground springs in irrepressible enthusiasm had broken
bounds and sought the light of day before they were
scheduled to appear farther on as the well known Elk
Springs. We found the water to be very clear and cold,
with a most agreeable taste, and very refreshing after
our long walk. It was on this trip that we saw a por-
cupine curled up on a tree branch, and later we saw
one on the road, presenting a most ludicrous picture as

23

it ambled along in all its awkward dignity ; movie fans
would instantly label it a Charlie Chaplin gait.

One might elaborate indefinitely on the attractions to
be found in Itasca Park, for their name is legion, as all
who have been there will testify; and those who have
not had the pleasure of visiting the park will never re-
gret taking advantage of the first opportunity to do so.
Minnesota is gradually coming into its own as "The
playground of the Mississippi valley;" and it is more
urgent than ever, in these troublous times, that when-
ever possible we ' ' hold communion with nature in her
visible forms," and thus be all the better prepared to
do our part in a world at last made safe for democracy.
But though other places may have their unsurpassed
attractions, it is inconceivable that Itasca Park will
ever lose its prestige as the first and greatest of Min-
nesota's playgrounds, the true head of the Father of
Waters.

The Forest Service is on general principles a cham-
pion of the movement for wise conservation of our
resources; and it is no laggard now that Hooverizing
has become nationally popular. In fact, with intrepid
daring and originality it sets the pace, even to the ex-
tent of measuring off said pace officeward along our
main thoroughfare with one foot shod in a brand new
brown oxford and the other in a well broken-in black
shoe. We didn't have to prove it; — confronted with
the evidence, P. H. H. frankly admitted his patriotic
conservation of leather. Nevertheless, an airplane was
in urgent demand for his homeward trip.

24

On the Lower Vermilion.

The Forest Service has eighteen stars in her Service
Flag.

Former ranger, L. R. Beatty, has landed safely in
France.

Raise a freight-saving, year-around, cellar-and-pit
garden.

Send our boys the fuel, and they will supply the
steam.

25

OUR PLAYGROUNDS

MR. AESOP, if there ever was such a man, was a
wise old guy. Every day the truth of his fables
shines brighter. We all know the story of the stone
which lay undisturbed for so long in the public road
while the people cursed, in whatever language Aesop
used, and drove around it. Finally someone — more
public spirited than the rest — removed the stone and
found under it a pot of gold. If you have no imagina-
tion and take this literally you will turn over many a
stone without finding any pot of gold, but if you have
enough imagination to read this fable as a fable should
be read you can still find many a stone that does cover
the gold you seek.

Right here in our own state there is such a stone.
Many land men, so-called improvement leagues, and
benevolent politicians have been driving "round and
round" it for a score of years but none of them have
ever really tried to turn it over because they did not
expect to go back that way and had no idea of benefit-
ing others.

The North Woods looked under it years ago and
found a veritable cauldron of gold. And ever since
then they have been howling about that gold and call-
ing people to come and get it. For many years no one
seemed to hear the call. At last they have succeeded
in getting a few individuals to peep under the stone
and those few have filled their lives with gold.

Now the business world has taken a peep and think-
ing they see a chance to mint some of that great store

26

of bullion are calling to others to come and get it out
for them. May they succeed better than we did.

The stone is Northern Minnesota with its countless
lakes and rocky hills, its cedar swamps and piney
woods, its cool nights and bracing air. Long have its
features been a stumbling block to agriculture and
orthodox settlement. But underneath that stone lies
one of the greatest summer resorts in the United States.
The gold of health and pleasure.

Have a peep under the stone yourself and remember
that the Forestry Association has the very best map
in existence showing the roads and canoe routes to that
very pot of gold. Have you one of them?

FROM THE JAWS OF THE HUN

THE following letter from a member of the 10th U.
S. Engineers (forest) will be of interest as a first
hand account of the torpedoing of the U. S: transport
Tuscania. Nearly all of us had friends on the ill-fated
ship:

" Having experienced the most weird and gruesome
night of all my life, it is a relief to inform my friends
of my safety.

"We were aboard the S. S. Tuscania on the night of
February 5th, when, at 5:50 P. M., ship's time, she was
torpedoed at approximately the same point where
Lord Kitchener met his fate.

"The torpedo struck just forward of the engine
room, and few of the stokers had even half a chance.
I happened to be in a stateroom on 'C' deck, a little

27

astern of the point struck, playing cards, when the
muffled thud startled us. There was no mistaking the
sound. The electric lights went out instantly and the
ship quivered from stem to stern. Everywhere was the
sound of breaking glass and falling objects.

"We lost no time in groping our way to the halls
where lights were struck as we wended our way out
slowly toward the lifeboat which had been previously
assigned to us. Men were calling, ' Take your time !
Don't crowd'! Steady, boys!' We all took up the cry
as we shuffled along the crowded passageway. All was
orderly.

"Not a single one of our American boys was injured
by the exploding torpedo and I venture to say that not
one was injured in reaching the decks. We have all
marveled since at the coolness with which the men
viewed the situation. I saw one man jump overboard,
but very few of them lost their heads. Most of our
losses came later through the upsetting of lifeboats, and
men sliding down ropes to lifeboats only to find the
lifeboats gone.

"Personally I can say that after the first shock of
the explosion I was not in the least excited. For some
days previous to the accident we had all been ordered
to wear our life preservers, or carry them with us, and
there were consequently very few men rushing about
for their lifebelts.

."We had all been previously assigned to definite
stations. I was among the first to reach ours. We im-
mediately set to work to launch the lifeboat which cov-
ered the raft to which our squad of eight men had been
assigned.

28

" After some little time we succeeded in swinging the
boat clear of the deck. None of the crew was assisting
•us. Fifty-three men swarmed into the boat and we
lowered her. I was directing the lowering and I was
very much afraid as I saw the boat go slowly down
that the grab-links would not hold. The boat hit the
crest of a wave and we slacked away. She dropped
six feet before she caught the falling wave, but all was
safe.

' 'We hauled back the blocks and hitched them to our
raft, but it was fastened to the deck and we lost much
time in finding how the fastenings worked. Then the
ropes became tangled in one of the double blocks and
it was some job to straighten them out in the dark.

"Men started to scramble into the boat before we
had swung it out, but we ordered them all out, and
they obeyed, except one. He said, 'I am sick with
pneumonia, and they told me to get in.' We let him
stay. We swung the boat clear and started to lower
away when something happened. The boys at the other
end thought they had a half hitch on a post, but it
proved to be a spool capstan. The rope spun out and
the boat hung by one end, dangling in midair. The
sick man was thrown out and we thought him engulfed
in the sea below, but we found out later that he landed
on 'D' deck below with two broken ribs. He is in our
company now, safe in the hospital.

"Well, I ordered the boys to lower away and our
boat landed right side up, but partially filled with
water. Men began sliding down the ropes and I with
them. I loosened the block and heaved it overboard.
It took all my strength. Men held the lines as others

29

slid down from the decks. Some landed in the sea, but
we pulled them in and soon had about fifty aboard.
We yelled to stop any others from coming down and
pulled away. We did not seem to be able to get away
from the ship and a wave sliding along the side caught
us and covered those in the stern. Boys, but that water
tastes awful!

"We passed one lad drifting and grabbed him. One
man called to the lieutenant in charge, ' Here's a man
in the water. Have we room, lieutenant?' 'For God's
sake, yes!' came the answer.

"It surely was awful to hear the cries out around us
in the dark, as our men floated here and there, but we
could not see them.

"Many of the men in the lifeboat became sick, in
spite of the fact that a comparatively calm sea was run-
ning. I manned the stroke oar on the port Iside all the
time we were out. There was only one pail and men
were bailing with all the army hats available.

"Somehow the water seemed to come in as fast as
they bailed it out, and one or two men around me
started to shout, 'We're sinking!' while others started
to direct us which way to go. They covered pretty
much all of the points of the compass between them.
I curse'd them and yelled, 'Shut up, men. We can't
hear the orders from the head end ! ' They shut up, but
had to be reminded every now and then. One man re-
minded me that it was no place to swear. Well, he was
right, perhaps, but somehow you have to talk to some
men in the language they understand.

"We drifted and rowed, keeping our boat head-on
to the wind and lighting a red fuse from time to time.

30

At about midnight we thought we heard a boat and
lighted our last red fuse. Luckily a trawler saw it and
we could see her looming up in the night. As we pulled
along the side (and by the way, we had no oarlocks
except some of our own invention) the waves surely
gave us a racking. For an hour the sea had been kick-
ing up quite a mess. Well, we pulled along side and
the trawler picked off two or three of our men as we
rose to the top of each successive wave. They grabbed
for me once just as we were dropping into the trough,
but I dodged them, prepared for the next rise and
landed safely on deck.

"We were hungry, wet and thankful as we hit for
the hold. Yet we did not realize until later how much
we had to be thankful for. We had been drifting onto
a rockbound coast in the teeth of a seven-knot tide.
Some of the other boats drifted onto that shore and the
men were dashed to death on the rocks.

"I located a seat on the head of an upright cylinder
and prepared to dry my clothes. We cruised about for
two hours looking for other boats before we set off for
the coast of Ireland. It was surely 'a spot from heaven,
dropped from out the sky so blue.' The most hospita-
ble community on earth. The people treated us better
than they would at home. Nothing was too good for
us, and I made several life-long friends, two of whom
are lieutenants in the British navy and with whom I
now correspond.

* ' Our company was the most fortunate, figuring on a
percentage basis; we lost only eight men.

"I shudder to think what the result might have been
had the sea of the night before been running.

31

"I neglected to state that two destroyers glided up
to the sinking vessel and took off all of the remaining
men who had been unable to launch their lifeboats on
account of the listing of the ship. I could cite many
reports of other individual experiences, but shall leave
that for some rainy evening and a cheery fire.

'•'We are all unable to express our thanks to our
Irish benefactors.

"We are all happy now, but many have openly
avowed a reform, and taken a new faith with their God.

"We have sixteen Minnesota men in our company.
They are all safe. You know them well enough to
know that you can't leave them behind. We have scat-
tered men all along our trail in the various hospitals,
but three of us are still hanging tough and we 're hard
boiled.

"I know not how much of this will reach you through
the censor, but I have given you all which I thought
would pass without giving you definite information of
our movements.

"We have lost everything, and I might add that
American smoking tobacco and cigarettes are surely
prized articles.

Very sincerely and thankfully,

If you contemplate a canoe trip, the Forest Rangers
will be glad to give you valuable information regarding
portages and trails in their respective districts.

Production and self-denial are the guns that will
get the Huns.

32

ITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY