NEWS AND NOTES 



785 



foreign countries the governments which 

 own forests make an annual profit of $2, $3, 

 or even $5 an acre from their forest lands, 

 but to get this profit they must also spend 

 heavily. Our outlay is less than 2 cents to 

 the acre and our national forest force sup- 

 plies about one field man to every 125,000 

 acres of land to be cared for, yet even so 

 they are doing magnificent work in protect- 

 ing and developing these forests. Altogether 

 our national forest force is a little but very 

 effective army of about 2,000 men. I think 

 you have a right to be proud of the work 

 they are doing for you."— Journal, !Mont- 

 pelier, Vt. 



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Commercial Importance of New Hampshire 

 Forests 



The commercial importance of the White 

 Mountains is the subject of a bulletin just 

 issued by the Agricultural Department, the 

 author of which is Philip W. Ayers, forester 

 of the Society for the Protection of New 

 Hampshire Forests. 



Mr. Ayers makes five principal points in 

 showing that the New Hampshire forests are 

 of great commercial importance. 



Because they contain a timber supply near 

 the principal markets, where the high price 

 of lumber is already working a hardship ; 

 because the White Mountains are the source 

 of several important rivers and the preserva- 

 tion of their forests is neccessary to protect 

 navigation, water-power and domestic water 

 supply, and because the health of people 

 from many states who seek rest and recrea- 

 tion in the White Mountains is a national 

 asset. 



Mr. Ayers quotes figures to show that the 

 rise in the price of standing timber and lum- 

 ber has been very great in New England 

 during the last few years, due to the exhaus- 

 tion of the forests. Only about one-tenth of 

 the area of northern New Hampshire is agri- 

 cultural land. 



As a striking instance of the commercial 

 importance of the New Hampshire forests, 

 Mr. Ayers gives some facts and figures about 

 the wood pulp and paper industry of New 

 England. The total investment in these in- 

 dustries was $io8,coo,ooo in 1905, and _ the 

 paper mills of Massachusetts, Connecticut, 

 and other states depend upon the New 

 Hampshire forests for their raw material. 

 Mr. Ayers dwells upon the wasteful methods 

 of lumbering that are employed and the re- 

 sulting loss from forest fires, which devas- 

 tated 85.000 acres in 1903 alone. 



The fires destroy the productive qualities 

 of the soil, so that it will not support vege- 

 tation for many years. In this connection 

 Mr. Ayers urges that fires would be largely 

 a thing of the past if the White Mountain 

 forests, similarly to the National Forests, 

 were placed under the charge of the Federal 

 Government. 



Taking up the water-power question, Mr. 

 Ayers says that the total investment in indus- 

 tries dependent upon the water of the Merri- 

 mac, Connecticut, Saco, Androscoggin, and 

 Kennebec rivers is $250,000,000. These in- 

 dustries, with thousands of persons employed 

 in them, cannot exist without water-power. 



As regards navigation, Mr. Ayers shows 

 that the combined navigable length of the 

 streams in 146^2 miles. This is interfered 

 with by silt deposited in the stream beds. He 

 quotes Prof. George F. Swain, of the 

 Massachusetts Institute of Technology, C. C. 

 Goodrich, of Hartford, and A. M. Schoen, 

 of the American Institute of Electrical Engi- 

 neers, to show that navigation is interfered 

 with by destroying the forests on the water- 

 sheds of streams. 



The object of Mr. Ayers' pamphlet is to 

 show the necessity of Congress enacting 

 legislation for the protection of New Hamp- 

 shire forests. Mr. Ayers is a strong advo- 

 cate of the Weeks forestry bill. — New Haven, 

 Conn., Palladium. 



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Louisiana Forestry Association 



Louisiana, as becomes the second state in 

 the Union in lumber production, is awaken- 

 ing to the importance of forestry, and has 

 a live state association well under way. 

 The oflScers of this association are Hon. 

 Henry A. Hardtner, president; W. O. Hart, 

 vice-president; Mrs. A. B. Avery, secretary; 

 Robert Roberts, jr., treasurer, and the execu- 

 tive council is composed of these officers and 

 of two members at large: Mrs. J. D. Wilkin- 

 son and Harry T. Gamble, Hon. Charles P. 

 Johnston from the first congressional dis- 

 trict and Hon. F. J. Grace from the second 

 The annual meeting of the association will 

 be held on the first Tuesday of January. 

 The association is growing rapidly and de 

 serves the support of every one who is inter- 

 ested in conserving and replacing the forests 

 of the state. The address of the secretary 

 is Mrs. A. B. Avery, 254 Stoner Avenue. 

 Shreveport, La. 



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Practical Work for Minnesota Forestry 

 Students 



Forestry students of the Minnesota Forest 

 School were given a fine opportunity the past 

 summer to acquaint themselves with the 

 actual conditions of a forester's life. Work 

 was found in western states for all those 

 who desired to put their vacation time to the 

 best advantage in their chosen line of work. 

 This work was not supposed to combine 

 high salaries and practical experience, but 

 on the average the students came out about 

 even on the money question; and, besides, 

 acquired a practical experience which no 

 amount of school could get {hem.— The \Un 

 itesota Forester. 



