Biennial Report of the Indiana Department of Statistics for Volume 15 (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1902 Excerpt: ...Indiana is a natural forest region. The varieties of soil, the moisture and the temperature are especially suited for the successful growing of trees. No like extent of area in the United States produces so abundantly such valuable timber trees. Not more than three-quarters of a century ago almost the entire surface of the State was covered with a dense forest of large trees of the oak, ash, hickory, walnut, poplar, cherry, lin, elm, cottonwood, maple and other valuable species. At this time there exists but the remnant classified as shown by the following table. From the statistics it is seen that there is not more.than one-seventy-fifth of the former 18,933,040 acres remaining, and but little more than one-sixteenth of the total area remaining possesses an element of value., In view of the fact that the demand for wood for manufacture is very large and increasing, and that the old timber is in a decaying state, and for the greater part matured to its best value, it is evident that an earnest effort should be made to preserve, to economically use, and to propagate forests, that future generations may not be compelled to suffer from the evils of our neglect. Forestry is not a thing of a few years' maturity, but on the contrary, is a matter of extended time. It is a work in which the present generations should look to the welfare of the succeeding ones. The time is propitious for forestry, from the philanthropic standpoint. The great amount of waste, broken land area within the State, which is unsuited for intensive, annual farming, but well adapted to growing timber for commercial demands, makes the inducement for timber cultivation sufficiently great to stimulate an active interest and timber growing business. Individuals will find that investments in fore...