676 



AMERICAN FORESTRY 



less just the right methods are pursued 

 the results are of little value and since 

 spraying by one person of the trees in 

 his neighborhood would not accomplish 

 sufficient results unless his neighbors 

 also adopted such measures. The neces- 

 sity of having such work controlled by 

 the State is perfectly evident in the case 

 of Massachusetts and other states 

 where the damage by caterpillars and 

 leaf -eating insects is much more severe 

 than it is at present in Maryland. The 

 initiative in applying for the planting 

 and care of trees can be taken by the 

 County Commissioners, the Road Sup- 

 ervisor of any County, the State Roads 

 Commission, the Town Council of any 

 incorporated town, or by any organiza- 

 tion or person, but the plan of pro- 

 ceedure cannot go into effect without 

 the approval of the State Forester or 

 his agent. The organization desiring 

 the work done must then guarantee the 

 cost of the original planting and also of 

 such subsequent care as may be neces- 

 sary. 



It is provided that the State Forester 

 may at his discretion without being re- 

 quested as above, plant, care for and 

 protect roadside trees with the consent 

 of the adjoining property owner, and 

 pay for such work out of any unex- 

 pended balance to the credit of the 

 Board, but since the Roadside Tree 

 Law itself carries no appropriation it 

 would be out of the question for the 

 State Forester to do such planting ex- 

 cept on a very small scale as a demon- 

 stration of what can be done. An ap- 

 propriation to carry on this work is 

 urgently needed and will presumably be 

 provided by the next Legislature. 



It is made a misdemeanor punishable 

 l)y fine for any person in any manner 

 to post any advertising signs or bill- 

 boards other than such notices which 

 are posted in pursuance of law on any 

 stone, tree, etc., which is upon a public 

 highway or which is on the property 

 of another without first obtaining the 

 written consent of the owner. This is 

 a much needed reform and as a means 

 of beautifying the roads goes hand in 

 hand with the planting and care of 

 roadside trees. 



ACTIVITIES UNDER THE NEW LAW. 



The State Board of Forestry believed 

 that the most good could be accom- 

 plished at once by instituting an or- 

 ganized campaign against the sign 

 board nuisance and designated June 

 20th as Sign Board Day, the day on 

 which an organized cleaning up of un- 

 authorized advertising signs, billboards, 

 etc., should be made along all the roads 

 in the State. The State Forester mailed 

 opies of the law and letters asking for 

 the names of people who would be apt 

 to assist in this work to a long list of 

 people who would presumably be in- 

 terested, such as Presidents of Banks, 

 County Commissioners, States Attor- 

 neys, members of the State Roads Com- 

 mission. School Superintendents and 

 School Teachers. The support accord- 

 ed the movement was very general, and 

 the names of a great many responsible 

 and interested people were sent in, and 

 to these people the State Forester sent 

 a Sign-Board Day badge, copies of the 

 law and printed instructions as to how 

 to proceed in tearing down unauthor- 

 ized signs, together with a warning not 

 to molest signs on private property 

 which had been erected with the per- 

 mission of the owner of the land. 



The Boy Scouts were also enlisted in 

 the work and did valuable service, for 

 which a number of medals are to be 

 distributed to them. 



After this general cleaning up, any 

 such notices that may be posted here- 

 after will be more conspicuous and 

 very likely to be torn down as soon as 

 they are put up. 



In order to enforce the law against 

 trimming of trees without a permit, 

 without any unnecessary friction, the 

 State Forester called at his office a con- 

 ference of representatives of the vari- 

 es companies operating pole lines in 

 the State. The conference was well at- 

 tended, and great interest was mani- 

 fested, and a disposition to co-operate 

 with the State Forester for the benefit 

 of all concerned. The pole line com- 

 panies, since they are obliged to bear 

 the expenses of the supervision of any 

 trimming by the Forest Wardens, read- 

 ily agreed to concentrate the work as 

 much as possible and to send in applica- 



