"The
Growth Of The Forest Is Pines, Hemlock, Spruce, Birch, Oak, And
Maple." I Had Heard Considerable About Minnesota Lumber, It Is True,
But I Was Not Prepared To See The Pine Timber So Valuable And Heavy As
It Is Above And About Here.
The trees are of large growth, straight
and smooth.
They are not surpassed by
"The tallest pine,
Hewn on Norwegian hills to be the mast
Of some great admiral."
Cujus est solum ejus est usque ad caelum whose the soil, his to the
sky is a maxim in these pine regions of literal importance. There is
something besides utility also to be mentioned in this connection.
With the exception of swamps, which are few and far between, the
timber land has all the beauty of a sylvan grove. The entire absence
of underbrush and decayed logs lends ornament and attraction to the
woods. They are more like the groves around a mansion in their neat
and cheerful appearance; and awaken reflection on the Muses and the
dialogues of philosophers rather than apprehension of wild beasts and
serpents.
The relative importance of the lumber business would hardly be
estimated by a stranger. It has been carried on for at least six
years; and considerable has found its way as far down as St. Louis. It
will be asked, I imagine, if all this timber land, especially the
pine, has been sold by the government; and if not, how it happens that
men cut it down and sell it? I will answer this. The great region of
pineries has not yet been surveyed, much less sold by the government.
But notwithstanding this, men have cut it in large quantities, sold it
into a greedy market, and made money, if not fortunes in the business.
As a sort of colorable excuse for cutting timber, those employed in
the business often make a preemption claim on land covered with it,
and many people suppose they have the right to cut as much as they
please after the incipient steps towards preemption. But this is not
so. All that a claimant can do in this respect is to cut wood enough
for his fuel, and timber enough for his own building purposes, until
he receives a patent from the government. Of course it is altogether
reasonable and proper that men should be precluded from doing so until
their title in the soil is complete. Because, until a preemption claim
is perfect, or, until the land has been acquired by some legal title,
it is not certain that the claimant will ultimately secure it or pay
any money to the government. But does not the government do anything
to prevent these trespasses? Yes, but all its attempts are baffled.
For example, last spring a large quantity of splendid lumber was
seized by the United States marshal and sold at public auction. It was
bid off by the lumbermen themselves, who had formed a combination to
prevent its falling into the hands of other purchasers.
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