548 



AMERICAN FORESTRY 



page, we have the three-ranked arrangement in tlie Sedge. 

 The avrious arrangements are expressed by fractions; for 

 example, if we find the formula to be ? , which expresses 

 the divergence of the successive leaves, the number of 

 turns made by the spiral line around the stem is indi- 

 cated by the numerator, while the denominator gives the 

 number of leaves in each cycle, that is the nuniber of 

 perpendicular ranks. Passing through the series, we may 

 even find a Ihirteen-rankcd arrangement, as in the house 

 leek, and its formula would be ^ . Ordinarily there are 

 no arrangements known above || . The rule and sym- 

 metry of it is truly marvelous and known only to the 

 co'ii])aratively few. Parts of it are too technical to be 

 touched upon here ; but it is well to remember one thing : 

 leaves do not spring out on plants and trees everywhere 

 and anywhere. Each leaf arises at a predestined point. 

 and the entire foliage appears according to a rule, which 



has been shown to be based upon princijiles involving ihi; 

 greatest possible mathematical accuracy. 



The spiral arrangement is shown in the Leaf Terms in 

 l'"igures 121-123, where a line is drawn through the inser- 

 tion of the ascending spire of leaves, and so winds spirally 

 around the stem ; in the same species of plant there will 

 always be the same number of leaves for each turn around 

 the stem. "That is," says an authority at hand, "any two 

 successive leaves will always be separated from each 

 other by just an equal portion of the circumference of 

 the stem. The distance in height between any two leaves 

 may vary greatly, even on the same shoot, for that de- 

 pends on the length of the internodes or spaces between 

 each leaf ; but the distance, as measured around the cir- 

 cumference (in other words, the angular divergence, or 

 angle formed by any two successive leaves) is uniformly 

 the same." 



NEW YORK'S FOREST WEEK 



lOREST week was celebrated at the Lake Placid 

 Club September 4-8 by the New York State 

 ^^d Forestry Association. The program included 

 a series of indoor and outdoor conservation 

 gatherings, for which a picturesque prelude was af- 

 forded by an Indian Council Fire, held under the 

 auspices of the association in co-operation with the 

 Conservation Commission, the State College of For- 

 estry, the forestry department at Cornell L^niversity 

 and the Lake Placid Club. 



.\mong the features of the week were a five minute 

 pagan sermon in the language of the Senecas, by Chief 

 Sosondoa, (Edward Cornplanter) and Indian legends 

 and fairy tales by the official story teller of the Iro- 

 quois, Yehsenowehs, (Miss Mabel Powers), in cos- 

 ti'me. An address was made by Charles Lathrop 

 Pack, president of the American Forestry Association. 

 Other addresses scheduled were : 



"The New York State Forestry Association," Pres- 

 ident Herbert S. Carpenter; "Forest School Educa- 

 tion for Boys," Professor L. TI. Somers ; "Forestry 

 Work of the Delaw^are and Hudson Railroad," H. R. 

 Bristol; "Wild Flowers of Forest and Field," H. D. 

 House, State Botanist ; "The Palisades Interstate 

 Park," Dr. Edward L. Partridge; "Forests and Birds," 

 Professor -A.. A.. Allen ; "Food Producing Possibilities 

 of Our Inland Lakes and Forests," Professor F. F. 

 Moon; "The Profession of Forestry," IVofessor R. S. 

 Hosiner ; "Conservation in the .Kdirondacks," Com- 

 missioner George 1^. Pratt; "The Timberland Owner 

 and the Great War," Professor A. B. Recknagel ; "A 

 National Capital Forest," W. M. Ellicott; "Forestry 

 ,and the New^spapers," Royal j. Davis, of the New 

 Yprk Evening Post ; "The Forest Parks of New York 

 ^tate — The Motorists' Mecca," Eugene M. Travis, 

 State Comptroller; "Water Storage in the .A.diron- 

 dacks," a paper by John G. Agar, President of the 



.Association for the Protection of the Adiruudacks, 

 presented by Edward Hagaman Hall, secretary; "For- 

 estry and Education," L'nited States Commissioner of 

 Education P. P. Claxton. 



X 



INDIANA'S FORESTRY WORK 



N advocating greater attention to reforestation 

 the Indiana State Board of Forestry calls atten- 

 tion to the United States Geological Survey's 

 estimate that at the present rate of consumption 

 the coal supply will be exhausted within 50 years. 

 It is pointed out that thousands of acres have been 

 cleared that should not have been cleared and that no 

 warring foe ever threatened more certain destruction 

 than does neglect to conserve natural resources. The 

 people are urged to sow now that they may reap in 

 the future. 



For this year's Indiana state fair particular atten- 

 tion has been paid to the forestry exhibit. Under the 

 management of President W. A. Guthrie and Secre- 

 tary Richard Lieber, of the state forestry board, the 

 exhibit was made possible by generous aid from the 

 state and the United States Forest Service, with the 

 willing assistance of lumbermen and manufacturers 

 of wood products. One of the features is a working 

 model showing the erosion of land. This illustrates 

 how the forests on steep hillsides conserve water sup- 

 ply and feed springs, wells and rivers. It also shows 

 how the same hill, when cleared, becomes washed and 

 does not produce enough to pay taxes. In the exhibit 

 of native woods is included a sample of every variety 

 of tree indigenous to the state. Other exhibits include 

 colored photographs of birds, with a chart to show 

 the percentage of insects and weed seeds entering into 

 the diet of the birds. Forest fire effects are shown in 

 specimens of trees damaged by fire. 



