Donkey Engine and Yard at the Head of Logging Railroad. Insular Lumber Company Concession, Northern Negros 



it right than to do it wrong. He him- 

 self examines the forests and collects 

 specimens, sometimes as many as 

 twenty a day. By this policy he is 

 breaking in a force of useful rangers 

 which he turns over to the administra- 

 tive branch, with the exception of a 

 few whom he retains to help break in 

 the new ones next season. Consider- 

 ing the rough method used, this work 

 is done with astonishing accuracy, more 

 than ample for the purpose. They have 

 already covered most of the important 

 islands in this way. With this data in 

 hand, at any conference or public meet- 

 ing they can shoiv facts and results. 

 They can make the people see that they 

 are doing some work and know what 

 they are talking about. Thus half the 

 battle for the reserves is won already. 

 To summarize the work being done : 



1. The work of describing and 

 classifying the flora of the forests ex- 

 cels any work in the systematic botany 

 so far done in the tropics. An ecolog- 

 ical study of al the forests of the isl- 

 ands is being made by the chief of the 

 Branch of Investigation. 



2. The investigation of the properties 

 and uses of the different woods is be- 

 ing carried on with greater thorough- 



ness than has ever before been done 

 with tropical woods. 



3. The foundation has been laid for 

 a careful silvicultural study of the 

 trees. 



4. Concerning the relations of the 

 forests to the population and the set- 

 tlement of the land: (a) The question 

 of supplying the needs of the local pop- 

 ulation for firewood and building ma- 

 terial has been solved by the formation 

 of communal forests devoted solely to 

 this purpose ; (b) strenuous efforts have 

 been made by the men in the Bureau 

 of Forestry to prevent Caingins, but 

 have been in vain on account of the 

 smallness of the force, the indefinite- 

 ness of the areas, and the lack of sup- 

 port from headquarters; (c) nothing 

 can be done with regard to settling up 

 the Cogan lands until the invalid claims 

 of the Caciques have been cleared up 

 by the government: (d) toward ob- 

 taining a survey of the islands, noth- 

 ing has been done, but the worse than 

 useless dabbling of the Bureau of 

 Lands; (c) a suggested plan for the 

 regulation of homesteads is to have the 

 land picked out by the Bureau of For- 

 estry and a number of people moved 

 on to it bodily as a comnumity. 



153 



