AMERICAN FORESTRY 



1081 



(ion witli tlie first Engineering Corps 

 there was recruited a "Forestry Con- 

 tingent," and, even before this, various 

 New England states had sent over a num- 

 ber of forestry units to assist England in 

 logging and manufacturing her forests. 

 During the past year the War Department 

 has been busy recruiting a Forestry 

 Corps for duty in France. The fact is that 

 this war was largely an engineering 

 problem ; hence the unparalleled demand 

 for that greatest of all construction ma- 

 terials — wood. Transportation lines must 

 have wood for ships, for cross-ties, for 

 bridges, and for cars. Of what value would 

 food and soldiers have been if we had not 

 :he means of transporting them to where 

 >hey are needed ? 



The crowning achievement of the great 

 ivar is the wonderful way in which the 

 United States organized her resources 

 towards the successful culmination of that 

 project. With the approval of her people 

 ;he Government took over the direction 

 )f railways, ships, munition factories, mines 

 ind whatever was needed in pushing the 

 ivar. The State universities and colleges 

 jecame great training camps in preparing 

 nen for technical projects under the War 

 Department. In the Students' Army Train- 

 ing Corps men with the proper prepara- 

 tion were given an opportunity to secure 

 military instruction while fitting them- 

 selves along some specialized line of en- 

 deavor. Courses of study were modified 

 so as to eliminate all but the essentially 

 practical; the emergency demanded inten- 

 sive but thorough training. Instead of re- 

 :)uiring four years to graduate an engi- 

 neer, forester or chemist, the same result 

 nust be achieved in a half or a quarter 

 Df the time. No thought could be given 

 :o college credits; the object was to give 

 :he Government the efficient men it de- 

 manded and in the shortest time possible. 

 [t was with this thought in view that the 

 :wo-year course in Forest Engineering was 

 Drganized at the University of Georgia, 

 rhe subject matter of the course was ar- 

 angcd with the approval of the Committee 

 3n Education and Special Training, War 

 Department. 



The specialized course in Forest Engi- 

 leering covers a period of two years, al- 

 :hough each year is largely independent of 

 :he other and each term of the other, 

 rhis mean^ that a man may enter at the 

 leginning of any term and successfully 

 )ursue the work. The year is divided into 

 our terms of twelve weeks each. The 

 ourth term of each year is conducted in 

 he woods on a logging or milling opera- 

 ion, where the men have an opportunity 

 o become proficient in the handling of 

 nachines, instruments and tools. 



The course covers a period of two years, 

 he year consisting of four terms of twelve 

 veeks each. Three terms of each year will 

 )e spent at the Un'versity; the fourth on 

 iome woods or milling operation. The un- 

 lerstanding is that these students will be 



Styrax Japonica 



A Shrub of Distinct 



Beauty in Growth and 



Bloom 



J.APAN has given us many 

 useful shrubs, but none 

 more desirable and beauti- 

 ful than Styrax Japonica. 

 The dainty, wa.xy white 

 flowers, which cover the busli in June, call to mind the lovely sprays of orange 

 blossoms. Styrax is perfectly hardy, and in group plantings singularly effective. 



Styrax makes a splendid hedge, dense enough to afford protection, remains in 

 good foliage all summer. Plant 2 to 3 feet apart according to size of plant. Here 

 is an opportunity to have something unique and surprise your friends. 



2 ft. high $ .50 each 

 4 ft. high 1.00 each 

 6 ft. high 2.00 each 



$4.00 for 10 



9.00 for 10 



17.50 for 10 



$35.00 for 100 



75.00 for 100 



150.00 for 100 



Styrax and ;i hundred other beautiful species are described in "Flowering 

 Trees and Shrubs." This is one of six new booklets we have prepared, and known 

 as Hicks MONOGR.\PHS. You do yourself an injustice not to make it a point 

 to secure them all. Quickly get on our mailing list. 



HICKS NURSERIES Box F, WESTBURY, L. I., N. Y. 



permitted to complete tlie period of train- 

 ing. For this reason the subject of for- 

 estry has been placed in the same category 

 as the subjects of medicine, engineering 

 and agriculture. 



For futher information address the 

 Chancellor, University of Georgia, Athens, 

 Georgia. 



ARMY 



AIRCRAFT TO 

 FOREST FIRES 



FIGHT 



A RMY airplanes and captive balloons will 

 cover portions of the National Forests 

 of California, Arizona, New Mexico, and 

 other States this summer, to aid in 

 detecting and supressing forest fires. In 

 compliance with an order from Secretary 

 Baker directing the Air Service to co- 

 operate with the Forest Service of the 

 United States Department of Agriculture 

 in this work, conferences are under way to 

 determine where, and to what extent the 

 air scouts will supplement the forest 

 rangers. 



That there is a distinct and important 

 place for aircraft in fire protection of tim- 

 berlands is regarded by the forestry officials 

 as beyond doubt, but experimental trial of 

 methods and possibilities will have to be 

 the first step. This is now being planned 

 for the coming fire season. Army air- 

 dromes and bases will be utilized for the 

 experiments. Some of the bases near 

 enough to National Forests to be used 

 advantageously are the flying fields at San 

 Diego, Riverside, and Arcadia in southern 

 California. Other points in the West and 

 in the East are under consideration, in- 

 cluding one near the White Mountains 

 in New Hampshire. 



One of the interesting possibilities to 

 be tested is bombing fires to put them out. 



It is believed that bombs charged with 

 suitable chemicals can be used with good 

 results. Another plan to be tested is trans- 

 porting fire-fighters by dirigibles from 

 which ladders can be lowered to the ground. 



The chief use of the aircraft this sum- 

 mer, however, will be -for fire detection. At 

 present the Forest Service relies for this 

 partly on patrol, usually by men on horses, 

 motorcycles, or railroad speeders, and 

 partly on watchers stationed at lookout 

 points. Aircraft have many points of 

 obvious superiority for both classes of de- 

 tection work. 



Lookouts in a very broken country, cut 

 up by deep canyons or where mountain 

 ridges obstruct the view, or in a flat coun- 

 try that afifords no good points of vantage, 

 are often unable to pick up all fires quick- 

 ly by the rising smoke, or to locate them 

 accurately. For precise location the sys- 

 tem in use depends on triangulation through 

 reports telephoned from separate observa- 

 tion points. Airplanes would use wireless 

 in reporting fires, as they have done in 

 communicating with the artillery, and would 

 locate fires by co-ordinates in the same way 

 that gun fire in war is directed to a par- 

 ticular spot or object. 



From the Army standpoint, the use of 

 aircraft in protecting the National Forests 

 afifords a valuable opportunity for train- 

 ing flyers and developing further the possi- 

 bilities of aircraft and the art of flying. 



PLANT MEMORIAL TREES 



FOR OUR 

 SOLDIERS AND SAILORS 



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