KNOWN BY THEIR FRUITS 



537 



have been received for assistance and 

 advice in handling woodland, but the 

 forester has been able to visit only a 

 few of the applicants. In some cases, a 

 preliminary examination has been made 

 and further investigations, plans for cut- 

 ting, planting, and so on. have been car- 

 ried out under the direction of the for- 

 ester by a woodsman paid by the land 

 owners. 



As many a])plications were received 

 from persons desiring to plant pines, an 

 agreement was made with a nursery- 

 man to furnish two-year-old seedlings 

 at three to four dollars per thousand, 

 according to the number purchased. 

 The commission and the forester have 

 started a private nursery in order to 

 have thrifty transplanted stock on hand 

 for those who wish to make a beginning 

 in forest planting. It is hoped that an 

 appropriation may be secured for a 

 .state nursery, so that this work may 

 be largely extended. 



Educational work has also been a 

 feature of the commission's activities. 

 During the past year the forester has 

 made some thirty addresses and talks 

 before boards of trade, granges, and va- 

 rious organizations. He also gave a 

 course of lectures at the State College 

 on the practicability of forestry in the 

 pine, hardwood, aufl spruce lands of the 

 state. 



Mr. Hirst pointed out the following 

 immediate needs, most of which require 

 some legislative action : 



1. Foreii Organization Districts. — The state 

 should be divided into four or five districts, 

 according to watersheds, and a chief ap- 

 pointed for each district. Under this chief 

 an efficient fire service could be built up, witli 

 firewardens, deputies, patrolmen, and so on. 



2. Lookout Stations. — Stations already es- 

 tablished should be taken over by the state, 

 and enough more established to cover all the 

 wild land. Good maps should be made to 

 supplement the lookout work, and these 

 should show all topographic features and the 

 trails, logging roads, and all natural fire bar- 

 riers, also the location of storehouses contain 

 ing fire-fighting tools and provisions. 



3. Railroad Fires. — The railroads should 

 use oil-burning engines in dry seasons, or 

 should use spark-arresters approved by the 

 forestry commission ; build fire lines along 

 the right of way, and maintain patrols when 



the commission thinks it necessary. At pres- 

 ent, there is no law requiring even the use 

 of a spark-arrester. 



4. Brush Disposal. — There should be a law 

 similar to that of New York, requiring the 

 lopping of branches from the tops of soft- 

 wood trees when logging operations are in 

 progress. 



5. Minor Changes in the Laiv. — (a) The 

 dates between which brush cannot be burned 

 without a permit should be fixed by law. 

 (b) Provisions for the payment of fire bills 

 should be simpler, so that both bills and 

 reports can be acted on promptly, (c) There 

 should be a provision whereby a hunter who 

 is careless with fire should lose his license. 



6. Stricter Enforcement of the Laiv. — This 

 will come as people become accustomed to 

 the law. Nevertheless, prosecutions against 

 ofifending parties should be pushed. 



7. A State Nursery. — An appropriation is 

 needed for a nursery that can furnish espe- 

 cially strong stock for those who are mak- 

 ing a beginning of planting, and larger 

 quantities of seedlings to others. 



8. State Cooperation ivith Private Owners. 

 — The department should be enlarged so that 

 all who apply for assistance can get it. Some 

 plan of state cooperation in planting cut-over 

 and waste lands should be provided. 



9. More Educational Work. — Bulletins on 

 white pine and other profitable forestry trees 

 should be issued as soon as there is a de- 

 mand for such information. Bulletins should 

 be issued to school children on various for- 

 estry matters, especially explaining the dan- 

 ger from the careless use of fire. Fire no- 

 tices and fire laws should be printed in dif- 

 ferent languages, to make the foreign popu- 

 lation more careful about fire. Exhibits at 

 fairs should be made often, and the lecture 

 work of the department should be extended. 



10. State Forests. — The state should at 

 once begin the purchase of small demonstra 

 tion forests, and later should acquire some 

 revenue forests. 



Following Mr. Hirst's presentation 

 of the work and needs of the state for- 

 est service, the reports of the treasurer 

 of the society, Gen. George T. Cruft, 

 and of the forester were presented. The 

 former showed a successful year finan- 

 cially and indicated the growing strength 

 of the society. A great deal of this was 

 due, it was pointed out, to the work of 

 the chairman of the finance committee. 

 Montgomery Rollins. The forester. 

 Philip W. Ayres, reviewed the work of 

 the society for the year, and especially 

 what had been done and had failed to 

 be done in connection with the Ap- 

 palachian forests bill. The Senate fili- 

 buster was examined, with especial ref- 

 erence to the peculiarly malevolent at- 



