3o8 



CONSERVATION 



sons. The United States takes 260 cubic 

 feet per capita annually from the forests; 

 Germany uses but thirty-seven. In other 

 words, this country is already using seven 

 times as much timber per capita as is Ger- 

 many. American forests are now producing 

 not more than twelve cubic feet per acre; 

 German forests are producing forty-eight 

 cubic feet per acre annually according to the 

 United States Forest Service. Germany has 

 reduced waste and consumption and in- 

 creased production. — IVall Street Journal. 



)^ ^ ^ 



Tree Planting to Transform 

 the Prairie 



In connection with tree planting in the 

 prairie regions of the middle West, the 

 Springfield (111.) Register contained this in- 

 teresting article : 



"The prairie town without trees is cheer- 

 less and unattractive. Few things add more 

 to the attractiveness of a town than rows of 

 thrifty shade trees planted along the streets. 

 Where trees adapted to local conditions have 

 been planted and where the citizens have 

 cared for them and taken an interest in them, 

 the results have been remarkable. 



"A public-spirited man in Missouri has 

 been doing commendable work along this line 

 in connection with the Civic Improvement 

 League of his city. In 1901 he planted seeds 

 of various trees. He carefully tended the 

 seedlings and, a few years later, dug them 

 up, labeled them, and turned them over to 

 the school children upon condition that they 

 should be planted and cared for. To each 

 child printed directions were given, headed 

 thus : 



" 'Ornament your homes — plant trees. 

 They are living monuments ; watch them 

 develop. These began with the new century, 

 and the century, as it advances, marks the 

 record of their age year by year.' 



"Five or six thousand trees were given 

 away in this manner. Two or three trees 

 were given to each child who asked for them, 

 and almost every child did so. There were 

 many species and naturally some of the trees 

 died] but few of the children lost all that they 

 had planted. Each child who received trees 

 was required to fill out a slip giving his name 

 and address, and the place where the trees 

 were planted. The Missouri town_ is now 

 dotted with these 'century trees' which have 

 become the pride of those who planted them." 



^ ^i ^ 



Progress in Conservation 



"Practical resu'ts already are reported by 

 the joint committee on conservation, vvhich 

 has taken over the duties of the old National 

 Conservation Commission, which was put out 



of business by the Tawney amendment cut- 

 ting it off from funds. This committee, 

 which has been organized by the governors 

 of the country and is maintained by private 

 subscription, has well equipped headquarters 

 in the Wyatt Building, and is doing valuable 

 work. President Taft has promised to rec- 

 ommend that Congress make an appropria- 

 tion for carrying on the work; and it looks 

 as if, by the time the money gets around, the 

 committee will have a good deal to show 

 for itself. 



"Secretary Thomas R. 'Shipp has just sent 

 a letter to the chairmen of state conserva- 

 tion commissions explaining the status of the 

 organization. Conservation work in the 

 branches of the executive departments of 

 the Government along their respective lines, 

 he explains, is in no way hampered by the 

 amendment to the sundry civil act. The 

 joint committee will keep in close touch with 

 this work, and will make it its business to 

 see that information, technical and otherwise, 

 available either from Federal or other agen- 

 cies, which would be of peculiar local value 

 in conservation work, will be sent without 

 delay. The committee also volunteers ad- 

 vice or assistance needed by state or local 

 committees in making investigations or in 

 preparing plans for the practical application 

 of the principles of conservation to definite 

 problems. The committee also will keep the 

 various local commissions informed of what 

 each is doing, thus serving as a conservation 

 clearing house. 



OREGON STARTING WELL 



"The joint committee is now busily work- 

 ing upon an outline of a definite plan under 

 which the work will be conducted. One of 

 its first suggestions will be that each of the 

 states pick out its most pressing problem 

 and get busy with that, along either legisla- 

 tive or executive lines. The advantage of 

 uniform progress is emphasized by the 

 unanimity with which the various states ap- 

 pear to be deciding for themselves the most 

 imporant fields for state cooperation. So 

 far they all appear to have hit upon water 

 resources, both with respect to conservation 

 and the urgent need of legislation regulat- 

 ing water-right privileges across state lines. 

 Oregon has made remarkable headway in 

 this direction. Her unofficial committee of 

 fifteen has been followed by the authoriza- 

 tion by the legislature of a permanent com- 

 mission of seven, for which an appropriation 

 of $5,000 has been voted. Acting under these 

 influences, and with a report drawn up by 

 the commission as a basis, Oregon has codi- 

 fied her laws relating to water rights. The 

 beneficial use of the water is made the basis 

 of the right, which is granted for only forty 

 years. State control is reserved, of course. 



