KNOWN BY THEIR FRUITS 



The Ninth Annual Meeting of the Society for the Protection of 



New Hampshire Forests 



By EDWIN A, START 



NO STATE in so short a time has 

 accomphshed more in forestry 

 than has New Hampshire in the 

 last two years. A short time ag^o the 

 (iranite state was very backward for 

 one with snch extensive forest interests, 

 but now it has taken a place in the 

 front rank. This gave especial interest 

 to the ninth annual meeting of the So- 

 ciety for the Protection of Xew Hamp- 

 shire Forests, for it is largely through 

 the unselfish and untiring efiforts of this 

 organization that the good results have 

 been brought about. 



The meeting was held on the 2d and 

 3d of August, in the ]\Iount Washing- 

 ton at Rretton Woods, in the heart of 

 the White ^Mountains, and among those 

 present were manv men prominent in 

 N^ew Hampshire afifairs, and many mem- 

 bers of the society from outside the state, 

 for this organization draws much of its 

 support from other states, so widespread 

 and strong is the love of the New Hamp- 

 shire hills and the forests that clothe 

 them. 



An interesting phase of the new order 

 is the close cooperation between the so- 

 ciety and the forestry commission of the 

 state. The personal and selfish politics 

 which for many years interfered with 

 the efficiency of the commission have 

 been done away with, and that body has 

 become a clean-handed, clear-headed, vi- 

 tal force in developing the great forest 

 interests of the state. At present it is 

 headed by Robert P. Bass, of Peter- 

 borough, who has been an active agent 

 in the work of reorganization from its 

 beginning. ' As a member of the last 



state senate, he did great service in 

 securing the legislation which has put 

 New Hampshire on its feet. He is now 

 a prominent candidate for the Repub- 

 lican nomination for governor. T^ast 

 January he was made a director of the 

 American Forestry Association. With 

 him are associated W. R. Brown, of 

 I Berlin, who represents one of the largest 

 lumber interests of the state, and Gen. 

 J. E. Tolles, of Nashua. 



An indication of the new harmony be- 

 tween the commission and the society 

 was to be found in the program for the 

 first session of the Tiretton Woods meet- 

 ing. This was a meeting of town forest 

 fire wardens of New Hampshire, under 

 the auspices of the state forestry com- 

 mission, Hon. Robert P. Bass presil- 

 ing. Several of the wardens attended, 

 all sections of the state being repre- 

 sented, and there was a live and intelli- 

 gent discussion of methods of fighting 

 forest fires and of the legal responsibili- 

 ties of the wardens. F. W. Rane, state 

 forester of Massachusetts, and C. R. 

 Pettis, superintendent of state forests 

 of New York, contributed to the dis- 

 cussion accounts of the fire laws and 

 their administration in their states. 



The second session, Tuesday evening. 

 at which Hon. Frank W. Rollins, presi- 

 dent of the society, presided, opened 

 with an illustrated lecture by C. R. 

 Pettis on forest planting. Mr. Pettis in 

 his service for the state of New York, 

 has probably done more actual forest 

 planting than any other forester in this 

 country, so that his description of this 

 work and its conditions was of espe- 



535 



