46 AMERICAN FORESTRY 



Westerner. The young men of the South more vital in all their state problems, 



are indeed seeing visions and incorpo- What is necessary can be done in large 



rating them into realities in a new measure by the states, but there is one 



and wonderful development of a won- element m the problm which involves so 



derful country. And still only the many states and is so large in its scope 



surface of its possibilities has been that it calls for national action. To 



scratched. The southern states have those who have read this magazine in 



untold wealth of natural resources, coal the past we hardly need to say that we 



and iron and other minerals and metals, refer to the reservation and protection 



rivers for power and navigation, forests of the great central water-shed of the 



which are to-day the chief source of Southern Appalachians, with the condi- 



our supply of timber, soil and climate tion of which every southern state east 



suited for a rich and varied agriculture of the Mississippi is concerned. This 



The development of these resources will and the White Mountain region of New 



indeed mean a greater Union as well as England are the two great national 



a greater South. Hence every good forest problems of the East. In the 



American should watch with approval last number of this magazine Mr. John 



and encouragement the splendid work H. Finney, secretary of the Appalachian 



of the Congress and hope for its fulfil- National Forest AssociatioiTj pressed 



ment on the broadest lines that its pro- home the importance of this question to 



moters can conceive. the South, and showed how many of the 



This means conservation in the full- southern congressmen have failed to 



est sense of that but half-understood recognize the needs of their section and 



word — not exploitation, not waste, nor of the Nation in their action upon it. 



a mere selling of the people's heritage The extent of river navigation which is 



to boom business for the moment at the dependent upon these mountain forests 



expense of the next generation. We has been recognized as giving the Na- 



have perhaps learned our lesson in that tion a clear right to act, even if the 



respect, partially at least, and the able general welfare were not broad enough 



gentlemen who are making their new and insistent enough to give such a 



organization so successful have their right, and every one knows that the 



minds clear on this point. Therefore, general-welfare clause has always been 



we look to them for such a support successfully invoked in the face of 



of the forestry movement in the South urgent public need like this. 



as it has not yet had in that section. The Southern Commercial Congress 



Of all branches of conservation work can be a power in securing action in 



none is so fundamentally important to this regard, and in no way can it better 



all of the southern states. When oil demonstrate the close connection be- 



and gas and metals and minerals are tween a greater South and a greater 



exhausted, if the forests in the moun- Union, 



tains are cared for they will still be )^ ^ ^ 



yielding wealth in steady crops from Inaugurating State Forests in the South 



year to year. More than that, how- ^^ ^.tt o i <- 



ever, the countless rivers that thev A^ THE recent Southern Commer- 



guard and nourish will flow steadily on ^ cial Congress m Washmgton Mr. 



generating power and providing cheap John H. Fmney, secretary of the Ap- 



highways for commerce— the people's palachian National Forest Association, 



highways— and watering and draining m^f^e a pregnant suggestion, 



the agricultural lands. Here is the real He called attention to the state's 



wealth of nations, continuous and in- two-fold duty toward the forests, 



estimable, and the South is richly en- namely: first, that of conserving them 



dowed with it. itself; second, that of aiding the indi- 



Every southern state shouhl take up vidual in so doing. 



the forestry problem within its own That it may adequately perform its 



borders. When the ultimate effect of function toward forests, the state must 



the forests is considered, nothing is maintain forests. 



