rv
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logs in Juno and July the logs cnn bo
peeled very easily. The main body of
the house consists of a good foundation
of stone , and upon this 2x8 , and nt pro
per intervals wo stand (5x0. ( These run
from five to seven feet apart. The logs
arc then cut to fit these openings very
tightly , and the result is really a filling
of log ; earth and plaster 011 the inside
from ceiling to floor , and wo are never
troubled with settling of the logs.
There are more farm improvements in
our county than I saw in the 1,500 miles
which I went over this month.
"I wish I had known , Mr. President ,
expected that I was to open this topic. I
thank you for this opportunity. We are
greatly interested in the forest preserve
and the stopping of ruthless destruction
of timber. The principal objection I
have to their use of this timber in the
manner that they do is the waste fol
lowing of what we might term first-
class saw material. They are not work
ing up the refuse into timber. A large
per cent could be used for that , and I
think the rest should be used for fire
wood , and the tops and brush should
not bo left ; and I see no righteousness
in one man , because he has the means to
do it , being permitted to cut more than
his share of timber , while his neighbor
may not bo permitted to use it. I think
the government policy of restriction is
just what we have needed for many
years. "Wo had one paper that dared
raise its voice against that policy and it
was extremely obnoxious. When these
reserves were first created it was as
much as a man's life was worth to en
dorse it. They carried the impression
that the government's policy was to
permit no timber to bo cut , to permit no
prospecting to go on , and to make a
sealed book of those mountains of tim
ber. That feeling , I am happy to say ,
is disappearing very rapidly , and our
best people are heartily in sympathy
with the work , and they find there is no
bar to the use of timber for mining , or
taking ripe timber , or for using the
mountains for any purpose except graz
ing sheep. "
DR. GEOUQK L. MILLER : "I wanted
the privilege of making a remark or two
in respect to our forest here , as I under
stand the scope of this discussion in
cludes tree planting on these plains. I
would like Mr. Morton's attention to the
point I make because I am going to take
from his paper. It is in reference to
what Mr. Brown , whom I had the pleas
ure of meeting this spring , a very strong
man , had to say about the Black Locust.
Now , perhaps , the president of this con
vention can put me right , if I am wrong
in supposing that this Black Locust was
the same as the locust that we , in the
early white settlements in this part of
the world , planted as a shade tree. [ Mr.
Morton assents J. Our friend Brown
advocates the Black Locust here as a
timber which would bo most valuable ,
and I agree with him ; but I had some
experience with it , because it was the
first planted as a shade tree in this com
munity , and wo lost every one of them
through the invasion of the borer. I
simply rise to make that statement , and
want it to go into the proceedings of this
meeting. Mr. Brown is an authority'
I do not say that this is a tree which
should not be planted , but I do say that
gentlemen interested should ascertain
pretty clearly , if they are going to take
sp such questions , as to whether the
Black Locust should be considered.
"If the experience of others conforms
with my own I would not plant it. I
never would touch it since. I have
planted the Honey Locust , which I re
gard as the great tree for posts , and it
stands like granite and , fortunately ,
grows either as hedge or separate
tree. It does not grow so rapidly , but it
makes better timber for that reason. I
have cultivated it in a hedge. As a tim
ber texture the Honey Locust is equal
to anything.
"I the of testing
was , perhaps , pioneer
ing the Catalpa , that is , the Spcciosa.
It was planted by Robert Douglas in a
small plantation out here , and was said
to bo the most desirable of woods. I
have had some experience and I have
seen them grown in a small way without
cultivation. A young Catalpa tree , and
perhaps this is true of every other tree ,
is not durable for posts or for ties. I
would draw the line at the tie size or
the post size , owing to the fact that the
sap part of this wood is so large a part
of the whole. "
MR. HENRY MICHELSEN : "In regard
to what Dr. Miller said concerning the
durability of the Catalpa tree , Secretary
Morton and myself both thought that the
durability of the timber is very much
affected by the time of its being cut.
Now I hold this , that all timber of any
kind should be cut at the time when the
sap is out of the tree in other words ,
in the months of late summer and fall.
I base my assertion on this , that the
worms and borers that attack dead tim
ber are apt to prefer timber that has
been cut at the 'time when the sap is
rising. I explain it in this way : that the
sap when it rises in the tree has a good
deal of saccharine matter in it. This
matter is sought after by the worms , and
the destruction is much greater in tim
ber that has been cut just at that partic
ular season than later on. I think better
results would coine by having the timber
cut in the early fall than in the early
spring. "
MR. ADAMS : "There is one thing that
always struck me when I was down
South in Maryland and Virginia , that
they always said that a Chestnut , if cut
in summer , la&ted twice as long as if cut
in winter. If it was cut when in full
leaf it lasted twice as long as at any
other time. I believe , as far as my ex
perience goes , most trees last better
when cut in full leaf. I think the tim
ber is more durable and will bo better
cured. This would be my experience.
I have used a good deal of Oak that was
cut in spring , but it was peeled for cur
ing purposes and it lasted for years and
years , but it was perfectly cured. I
know if you cut the Juglans , especially
the Hickory and Pignut , in spring the
chances are that you will have them full
of borers before the fall of the year. I
think that some varieties of trees
might preferably be cut in fall , but
most when cut in full leaf before the
sap begins to return , will give the best
results. I think that if cut in either
early winter or in full leaf the timber
would be more durable. "
MR. STEPHENS : "When the Honey
Locust is cut in the spring of the year
the borers cut it up in a short time. "
PROFESSOR BRUNER : ' 'The insect that
attacks the Black Locust is the same
that attacks the Pignut'and Hickory in
this part of the country , and ho simply
transferred his attention to the Black
Locust. I am afraid that if we get to
planting the Black Locust again the
borer would put in his appearance just
as much as ho did before. Really , no
insect attacks a tree when it is in good
health , and the Locust had for some
other reason become sickened and then
the insect transferred his attention to it.
The wood of the Hickory and the Lo
cust is very much the same as far as
'
texture is concerned. The insect attacks
trees that are more or less diseased , ow
ing , perhaps , to borne sort of a fermen
tation of the sap , and the insect likes it.
The insect lays its eggs in the bark or
trunk , but when the tree is healthy the
wound closes up and the egg never hat
ches ; when the tree is not strong the
egg hatches before the wound has been
healed , and the insect begins to start
around the tree and cuts off the flow of
sap. "
MR. EMORY : "I want to make a mo
tion. I am chairman of a committee
that was appointed by the Irrigation
Congress with reference to the amalga
mation of the Forestiy Association and
Irrigation Congress , and I come to you
asking for the appointment of a similar
committee on your part. Our commit
tee consists of Mr. Newell , Mr. Michel-
sen and myself from the Irrigation Con
gress to urge upon this body the desira
bility and importance of merging these
two institutions into one and the same
association. Wo believe , for example ,
that had this association been called to
meet in Cheyenne and the proper time
having been given to the consideration
of the forestry problem it would have
been much bettor for all parties con
cerned. Wo find it difficult to get
enough attendance to secure reductions
in railway faro. This is an important
consideration that would bo gained by
such a union , and one which is to my
mind very important. You cannot talk
about the growth of timber without
water , nor conservation of water with
out saving our timber. Now it does