Evening Republican, Volume 18, Number 12, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 14 January 1914 — Page 3

OPPORTUNITIES IN FOREST PLANTING FOR FARMERS

ORESTRY is but one of the forms of crop production included under agriculture. The woodlot is an part of ______ the farm and an essenfts&S&XtfQi tia * factor in its success. Forest planting is that part of forestry which 7 seeks to restock and per-

desirable timber and to estabsh new forests on treeless areas,

Plantation of Hardy Cataipa, Reno County, Kansas.

iwhere they are needed for protective jor other purposes. Forest planting Uhould not be confused with tree plantling or arborculture, for these terms K»ver only the planting and care of

A 27-Year-Old European Larch Plantation, Dundee County, ill.

trees chiefly for ornamental purposes, •while forest planting indicates the Iplanting of trees in stands of considerable size, in which forest conditions are sought. In the farming districts of the east, 'where almost every farmer has preserved a small bit of the original forest, which he calls his woodlot,- there is very general lack of appreciation of ithe necessity for utilizing these wood!lots to the best advantage, and of the methods by which this may be accomplished. Much may be done by management, which consists largely in careful cutting that will keep the forest cover intact, and In removing dead any dying and inferior trees. Planting, however, is very generally needed in order to hasten the restocking of woodlots with valuable species. One of the fundamental principles of forestry is that the trees In a stand must be sufficiently close together to be mutually helpful; that is, that' their crowns must form a continuous cover to shade the ground and the tree trunks, in order that side branches may be self-pruned and the trees be forced into straight upward growth. Where there are open spaces they should be planted, and where it is desirable to cut a portion of a woodlot clean much time can be saved by planting instead of waiting for natural reproduction. On many farms the tract now occupied by the woodlot would be more valuable for crops, while on the same farm there may be an irregular plat of land or a piece of worn-out or rocky land upon which it would be wise to plant trees. Planting is also valuable to check erosion, or soil washing.

MIGHTY RIVER IS THE YUKON

Body of Water, at Places Sixty Miles Wide, is the Hope'of the Territory of Alaska.

Dismiss from your mind any notion that the Yukon river is a puny stream fed by eternal glaciers and trickling away to the sea. It Is a river, so mighty that it can spread out over a width of 'SO miles on the Yukon flats and still have depth enough in the main channel to float heavily laden ' '•w* ' .A; *•

By ALLEN S. PECK

The lands which offer opportunities for planting may be classified into (1) cut-over burned lands, hot fitted tor agriculture, which are not restocking naturally with commercially valuable species; (2) forest lands originally Cleared for agriculture which have since proven unsuitable for this purpose; and (3) farm woodlots. The abandoned farms of southern New England are striking examples of the second class, as are also the lands in

the southern Appalachians, once cleared for farming but now ruined by erosion.

The area of plantation already made in the eastern region is nearly. 93,000 acres, and 85,000 acres of this are about equally divided between the northern tier of states and the central hardwood region. forest planting requires a considerable initial investment, and the cost Is relatively higher than that required to start any otb/sr form of forest work. Therefore protection of the Investment is of the utmost importance, and fire is the source of loss most to be guarded against. Other things that must be taken into consideration are cheap land, a good market, a minimum initial cost, and a low rate of taxation. In the Lake States, which have a southern hardwood forest and a northern coniferous, forest, forest planting is rapidly increasing. The principal species which have been planted are white pine, Scotch pine, Norway pine, European larch, and, to some extent, the more rapid growing hardwoods, such as locust, cataipa, black Walnut, cottonwood, ash and elm. As in the east, woodlots are deteriorating and require interplanting. Excellent trees

Red Pine Plantation, 33 Years Old, Rhode Island.

freight steamers. From its mouth (near St. Michael) at the Behring sea it is navigable ail the way to White Horse, in the Yukon territory of Can* ada, an unbroken stretch of over 2,100 miles —two-thirds of the distance from New York to San Francisco. Add to this the navigable water' of its tributaries —370 miles on the Innoko river, 320 on the Iditarod, 620 on the Koyukuk. and 302 on the Tanana —and you will begin to have a fair idea of what a Mg river we have in our great empire beneath th® northern lights.

THE EVENING BEPFBLICAN, RENSSELAER, IND.

for- this purpose are the white pine, the Scotch and Austrian pines, and the Norway spruce. s Except for the early planting in New England, the farmers of Ohio and Indiana have been the first to recognize the value and importance of forest planting. In these two states and generally throughout the central valley district, the practice has been to .plant rapid-growing kinds. For example, in, West Virginia and southwestern Pennsylvania, walnut, locust, sugar maple, red oak, chestnut, and catalpa, have been planted for posts, mine props and timber; in Ohio, black locust and catalpa for posts; in IndJ* ana, black catalpa, and walnut;. in Kentucky, black locust, catalpa, tulip, poplar, maple, and walnut principally for mining timbers and posts; in Tennessee, locust, maple and cedar; in Missouri, catalpa, locust, walnut, osage orange, cottonwood; in Arkansas, locust and walnut. In the central section forest planting has been a part of the progress in agriculture and therefore has been quite extensive in the region of best agricultural development. Nebraska and Kansas lead in the acreage of plantations. About 840,000 acres have been planted within the central region. Shelterbelts are increasing in the newer farming districts of the Dakotas and Oklahoma, and much interest is being shown in forest planting throughout the central section of the United States.

In the western region and the Pacific coast states much of the forest land. ia within National Forests, and forest planting on these lands is chiefly a federal problem. But there are abundant opportunities for private planting in the valleys of southern California and on irrigated lands throughout the region. It is absolutely essential that the people of each state and particularly farm owners, should realize the immense importance of individual effortin providing for a future timber supply. The quantity of land shat can be restored to value through forest planting by the federal government or by the states is in the aggregate Bmall and comparatively insignificant as compared to the great area that must

Interior of a 50-Year-Old White fine Plantation, near Bridgewater, Mass.

be forested eventually by private landowners, among whom the farmer stands first and foremost.

The valley drained by this wonderful river system of the north is the hope of Alaska. The wealth of the past and of today has come from mines atnd fisheries; and the lifetime of all mining regions is briefer even than human life. It has been only a few years, you remember, since the Klondike was the most active mining camp in the world; today it is a valley long since deserted by the iadb vidual miner and turned over to two big dredging companies, which work the low-grade tailings.—Leslie’s.

PRAISE FOR ENGLISH HORSES

Jack Joyner, Trainer for Harry Payne Whitney, Lauds Racing Abroad--4 Racing la Popular. -

Andrew Jackson (Jack) Joyner, who for five years has been training the string of thoroughbreds that Harry Payne Whitney races in England, was in New York recently on a visit to his friends and relatives. He will have under his charge this year 24 horses, Including nine two-year olds. The majority of the racers were bred by Mr. Whitney at his stud farm in New Jersey. \

“Racing in England is a sport and pastime to the majority of the English people,” said Joyner. "Racing seems to grow in popularity in that country. Since' my first trip abroad I’ve seen the attendance increase materially. The sport is well conducted and the officials keep ai tight grip on it”

“Do you like to train horses in England?” “If I didn’t I wouldn’t return there,” replied Joyner. “I’ve been well treated over there.”

“What did you think of Whiskbroom’B success in this country. He won the ‘triple crown’ here —the Metropolitan, the Brooklyn and the Suburban handicaps." “So I read,” said Joyner. “It was not a surprise to me, for Whiskbroom was a good horse in England. He had to meet horses of better quality in England than those he raced against in America. At present the horses in England are much better than those in this country. This is due largely to the trouble the American breeders have had during the last five years. The English thoroughbreds are distinctly high class.” “What do you think of the relative merits of Tracery and Prince Palatine?”

“Tracery *was a great horse—one of the best,race horses I have ever seen in any eountry. He was fast and could maintain his speed a great distance. Those things, you know, tend to prove the quality of a race horse. I considered him a better horse than Prince Palatine this season.

“Tracery certainly would have won the Ascot gold cup if he had not been pulled down by a man, who grabbed his bridle in the Btretch. At that time he was in front of Prince Palatine. Prince Palatine was a grand horse with a great turn of speed. He liked a long route. Both horses Have been retired from the turf.”

WILL ATTEND ATHENS GAMES

American Athletes, Headed by Melvin Sheppard, to Participate In Athenian Olympic Contests.

The Irish-Amerlcan Athletic club has decided to send at least ten meq, headed by Melvin W. Sheppard, hero, of several Olympic games, to repre sent it in the Athenian Olympic games to be held in Athens during May ol year. This team is expected to form the nucleus of a squad from all ovei the United States who will wear th« shield in competition against the pick ed men of other nations. Sheppard, the present track and field captain of the Irish-Americans, was the first man chosen to make th« trip, and the athletic committee ol the club is said to be a knit on the

Melvin W. Sheppard.

proposition that the best of the nth? lutes of the clnb should abstain from any serious competition this winter in order that they may be fit for too Athens invasion. It is anticipated that men from Boston, Chicago and San Francisco will be included in the makeup of tfie American team, the expenses of the men to be met by the clubs they represent. In this manner the United States will he enabled to make a good showing, which will be necessary in view of the announced intention of England, Germany, Sweden and Ifrance to have competitors on the scene.

Pinch Hitters Fall.

Pinch hitting, so popular in the past, seems doomed to death. Many managers are using this system only for the reason that the fans expect it They fail to see where the pinch hitter avails them much when a regular player must leave the game for the slugger’s advent. “The defnnse is as much a part of the game as. the offense, so why should this department be weakened on a game of ebancer one manager is quoted as wring. — r— ■

HOPPE CONTINUES BILLIARD CHAHOON

Willie Hoppe, champion billiard--Ist, must feel like Alexander the Great felt when he wept because he had no more worlds to conquer. Recently Hoppe, the young giant of the cue, swept his most recent challenger, Calvin Demarest of Chicago, out of the way for the second time within a year. Thus had Demarest, Sutton, Monttngstar, and Cline, representing the beßt players in America, with the possible exception of George Slosson, the veteran, and the newcomer among the professionals, “Chick” Wright of San Francisco, fallen, one after another, before the prowess of the present proud holder of the coveted title. To this list of vanquished stars might be added Koji Yamada, the clever Japanese, who not many moons since suffered a more decisive beating at the hands of Hoppe than any of Sir Wil-

NOTES of SPORTDOM

Georgetown university is reported to contemplate the construction of a stadium. • • • America will be represented by A soccer football eleven at the 1916 Olympic games at Berlin. • • • Mel Sheppard, one of the greatest half-mile runners the world ever knew, has been on the track for 13 years. • • • Stanley Yoakum was given the decision over Leo Kelly of St. Louis after fifteen rounds of rough-and-tumble fighting at Denver. • • • Dad Moulton, for 21 years athletic trainer at Stanford university, has announced that he has quit His contract expires in May. S'** Fred Falkenberg, Nap heaver, is making a great showing in Cleveland bowling circles. He is smashing the pins, at a consistent pace. * • • A report is current in lowa athletic circles that Coach Jesse B. Hawley has resigned at lowa university to devote his entire attention to his bonding business in Chfghgo. • • * It is probable the world’s champion■hip polo matches which will be a part of the Panama-Pacific celebration at San Francisco in 1916, will be played from March 15 to April 17. • * * . • ~ The Boston Braves used the greatest number of players during the 1913 campaign. Stallings tried out thirteen pitchers, six catchers, thirteen infielders, twelve outfielders and two subs. • • • Digger Stanley, who lost the Eng’ Uah bantam title to BlHy Benyon who substituted for Eddie Morgan last June, regained his honors recently by whipping Benyon decisively in 20 rounds. Jess Willard, Kansas cow puncher boxer, whipped Carl Morris of Oklahoma in Madison Square garden in a ten-round glove battle that made the ;rowd groan in anguish. It was a buresque from a boxing point of view add neither showed any of the fine points of the ring game.

Willie Hoppe, King With the Cue.

Ham’s other and numerous victims. Who then is there to meet the champion with a ghost of a chance of dethroning him? In France Flrmin Cassignol is the recognized leader in a field of several crack players, and he may come to this country in the course of a few months and throw down the gauntlet to Hoppe. A match has been talked of between the pair, but to date the principals have been unable to agree on terms. Internationally the contest, if arranged, would be of interest to billiard fans, and it may be a realization in due time. Cassignol is a star of the first magnitude, a much improved player over the Cassignol who appeared in a New York tournament some years ago, and it is safo to say that, while he might not defeat Hoppe, he would acquit himself better than have Demarest, Sutton, Yamada, et al.

WHY DO OUR ATHLETES WIN?

Said In Europe That Americans Won Bolely Because Amateurs Trained With Thoroughness. Every athletic victory by America has brought forth a great deal of European comment As we ourselves do not know why we should win, it Is only natural that there should be a great deal of European speculation on this point In much of it there is a reflection of the remark Herbert Spencer once made to a youth who bad beaten him at billiards: “Young man,, a moderate proficiency pt billiards is the sign of a well-rounded education; but such proficiency as you have shown is the sign of an ill-spent youth.” Europe said our athletes were no better than hers, but won solely because our amateurs trained with professional thoroughness, in. the various Olympic contests our athletes have doubtless had the benefit of superior training, bnt few of them ever trained so thoroughly as did the old Olympic athletes, who were required before entering the contests to make oath that they had trained for tan months—World’s Work.

PLAYS WITH BROKEN COLLAR.

“Tubby” Keeler, right guard of the University of Wisconsin eleven last year and captain-elect for the coming season, played throughout the Badger schedule last foil with a broken shoulder bone. At the conclusion of the season, the men who were on the ’varsity squad were given a thorough examination by the university medical authorities and ah X-ray disclosed a break of which Keeler had not been aware. A year ago he injured his shoulder, but the injury was not of Such a serious nature as to keep hint out for the season.

O’Hearn to Captain Cornell.

Rumors Chat John E. O’Hearn of Brookline, Mass., Cornell's star right end, who rustained an eye injury in the Harvard game, and was prevented from playing the rest of the season, would have to give up football were dispelled when he was chosen captain of the Ml 4 football team. O'Hearn la a Junior la (he College of Agriculture. He has glared op the varsity two yean.