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Show LITTLE NEED TO WORRY. For tho past fifty years there has been a loud and persistent, wail that tho forest growth of this country was boing alarmingly depleted; and at the end of that fifty years thoro is no nearer approach lo the end than thcro was at its cginuing. Twenty years at the rate of cutting fifty years ago, was tho term at tho end of which there would bo no timber left worth cutting. But with a many times multiplied rate of "destruction" twenty years is still the period when tho end of the timber will bo seen. "In twenty years," says Chief Forester For-ester Gifford Pinchot, "tho timber supply in tho United States, on Government Gov-ernment reserves and private holdings, at tho present rate of cutting, will bo exhausted, although it is possiblo that tho growth of that period might extend ex-tend tho arrival of this timo another nvo years." Exactly. With the' start that twenty years will give, added to tho timber now standing, the period of exhaustion will bo extended not ouly five years, but four times fivo years. Whenever it will pay to raise timber, then timber will be raised. And thus, wc have now an active, zealous, and capable Bureau of Forestry, which not only gives its strenuous attention to the preservation of forests and to reforestation, but "magnifies its calling" by trumpeting its warnings and its services, in a way that, the public cannot fail to take notice no-tice of the same. By reason of the interest awakened in the public mind, on this question, thero is also great interest in the tree-planting tree-planting line all over the country. Wo have Arbor Day; thcro are man Statn societies for tree-planting and culture, some having State aid; tho railroads aro doing a good deal of tree-planting; colleges nnd universities are devoting attention io tho subject; many experts are making the planting of and caring for trees their special life work. All these agencies, added to the natural commercial proposition that when tree culture will pay it will not lack general gen-eral attention, form a reasonably sure guaranteo that this country has not much to fear from a timber famine. Twenty years will grow a pretty fair-sized fair-sized soft-wood tree; fift years will supply good-sized hard-wood trees. And twenty years, or fifty 3'cars, is a small period in a nation 's history. Espcciall is it unimportant for this countr-, vhen it admittedly has from twenty to tweuty-five -cars start. |