FOREST CONFERENCE IN WHITE MOUNTAINS 



609 



with the greatest variation in practise. 

 Mr. HoUis advocated, first, that the 

 land be taxed annually, apart from the 

 forest, and second, that as soon as it 

 could be brought about without hard- 

 ship to the towns now dependent upon 

 taxes from woodlands, and as soon as 

 constitutional difficulties can be solved, 

 the forest should be taxed once only, 

 viz, when felled. As a step in this 

 direction, he urged exemption of wood- 

 lands properly planted, and those so cut 

 as to leave adequate forest cover. This 

 exemption could gradually be extended 

 to the whole forest area. 



Commissioner E. P. Whipple, of New 

 York, urged the maintenance of our 

 great water-powers through preserva- 

 tion of the forests on the mountains. In 

 a series of rarely beautiful lantern pic- 

 tures he show'ed the progress of moist- 

 ure, the forests alone serving to prevent 

 erosion and keep the soil on the moun- 

 tains. The forest history of China, 

 France, Germany, Italy, and Canada 

 were traced to show examples of what 

 is inevitably true in this country as in 

 every other. The vitality and perma- 

 nence of our entire civilization depend 

 upon the preservation of the forest and 

 the reforestation of denuded areas. 



That the fundamental work of a 

 forest service is educational, was the 

 view of Robert P. Bass, president of 

 the New Hampshire Forestry Commis- 

 sion, and of Austin P. Hawes, state 

 forester in V'^ermont. This educati<)n 

 should bear fruit in three main lines, 

 the prevention of forest fires, the main- 

 tenance of the forest cover, and the ac- 

 (|uisition of forest land bv public au- 

 thorities. Federal, state, or local, in or- 

 der to guarantee that the forests are 



regulated in the interest of the whole 

 people. Mr. Bass spoke particularly of 

 the new forest-fire law in New Hamp- 

 shire, which is progressive in that it pro- 

 vides for patrolling the woods in dry 

 seasons to prevent fires, and provides 

 for the arrest without warrant of per- 

 sons found violating the law. 



An admirable address on "Trees 

 Along the Highway" was read by Dr. 

 John D. Quackenbos, of New York 

 and Lake Sunapee, N. H. Prof. B. S. 

 Pickett, of the Nev/ Hampshire State 

 College, urged that a w^ell-equipped for- 

 estry department be established at that 

 institution. Mrs. P. S. Peterson, of 

 Chicago, chairman of the forestry com- 

 mittee of the National Federation of 

 Women's Clubs, presented in a prac- 

 tical manner the need for educational 

 work everywhere as to the meaning and 

 importance of forestry to the country. 



The most notable address in this not- 

 able series w?as that of Air. George H. 

 Maxwell. With faith in the future that 

 cannot be shaken, he said that the prin- 

 ciple of Federal control of the head- 

 waters of interstate streams must be 

 accepted by the country. He urged 

 New Hampshire and the people who 

 live in the East to take courage and 

 push forward the Appalachian bill for 

 national forests in the ^^^hite Moun- 

 tains and Southern Appalachians, be- 

 cause this is only the beginning of a 

 necessary policy. He said it is more 

 im]^ortant to save the forests than to 

 build battle-ships, for the safety of the 

 people depends more upon them. To 

 prevent the consequences of forest de- 

 struction it will prove of the utmost 

 value to introduce forest instruction into 

 the public schools. 



The tall oak, towering to the skies, 

 The fury of the wind defies, 

 From age to age, in virtue strong, 

 Inured to stand, and suffer wrong. 



— Montgomery 



