The progressive farmer and southern farm gazette., November 05, 1910, Image 1

About The progressive farmer and southern farm gazette. (Starkville, Miss.) 1910-1920

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f LESSONS from JAPANESE FARMS—RAGE It.
Volume XV. INo. 44.SATURDAY. NOVEMBER 5. 1910.Weekly: $1 a Year
WHAT SHORTSIGHTED “ECONOMY" MAY COST !
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A SCIENTIFICALLY MANAGED HARDWOOD FOREST.
LAST TEAR THE Minnesota State Forestry Commissioner made
his estimate of what It would cost to prevent forest flies this
year; the I>egislature promptly cut it in half. A month ago the
forest rangers were caller] In bees use there was no money to pay them,
(lien—the recent tires; Imiidreds dead; thousands homeless; millions
•f dollars destroyed in a few days—truly a terrible price to pay for a
little farcical legislative “economyI”
We of the South also pay extravagant prices for the short-sighted
"esonomy” of our legislator* along tills line, it is time to get rid of
this sort of legislative stupidity and to awake to the fact that there is
nothing that pays so well ns to prevent waste and destruction that
M Is much easier, much cheaper and much more sensible to prevent
snch catastrophes, than to try to repair the damage they have done.
Next week we sre going to publish a strong article by Mr. J. S.
■olmes, State Forester of North Carolina, on tills subject, and we
sail upon every reader to get busy and see that ills Legislature does
as! adjourn next spring without having made some provision for
the prevent ion of forest fin's.
As to fhs sort of legislation needed, the following suggestions,
made in a letter from Hon. Alfred Haskell, State Forester of New
fsrsey, are well worth heeding: .
“I realize fully that with your great territory and relatively snial
population you have a situation that is even harder to handle than
•■rs. Nevertheless, 1 am becoming dally stronger In the belief that
the control of Are is necessarily the Arst move toward • practical
solution of the forest problem. Bo far ns railroad Ares are concerned,
you have nothing like the exposure that we have, and it may be that
you need not attempt the construction of railroad Are lines similar
to ours. Nevertheless, our experience during the past spring and
summer, a season of exceptional drouth, has conArmed practically
every one in the belief that they are of the greatest value. The
Authority to pay our wardens small salaries, or retainers, to enlist
their activity, and to pay a minimum sum for Aghting Are also works
well. I tMink that yon will And that foresters, and others acquainted
with forest-fire problems, agree bat a warden service, or patrol, which
shall prevent fires is the only sort of an organization that can be de
pended upon. We can not Insure our buildings without paying a
»remium, we can not build and maintain our good roads withont tax
ing ourselves, and we can not save our forests from fire withont pay
ing something.”
Thic WNpL: • Farm Work for November; Fall Plowing; “What
* HI*5 vLLIV. j Doing for Retter Crops"; Tile Drainage;
“The Lazy Yankee"; Good Taste in House Furnishings; Don’t Burn
Cotton Stalks; Farming in Japan; Galloway Cattle; Timely Topics for
Stockmen ; Plowhandlc Talks; The Home Orchard.