igoS 



NEWS AND NOTES 



71 



cial loss through insect work is as 

 great as that by fire ; at least, as re- 

 gards mature trees. Fire sweeps away 

 the reproduction, and in this is not 

 rivaled by the insects; but on grown 

 trees their injuriousness is manifold. 

 In the first place, they often kill single 

 trees; and when bad outbreaks of 

 single species of insects occur, as is 

 often the case, they may even sweep 

 away the living tree growth of consid- 

 erable areas, as thoroughly as would a 

 fire. The trees thus killed may, it is 

 true, be used for many purposes, 

 though not always for lumber. On 

 the other hand, borers often penetrate 

 far into the interior of the most valu- 

 able woods, reducing their value so 

 largely that this must be taken into 

 account as part of the loss above men- 

 tioned. Other insects consume wood 

 even after it has been put to use. 



A notable feature of pine woods 

 where fires have swept through is the 

 trees that have what are called fire 

 wounds — that is, a portion of the base 

 burned away. These are primarily 

 due to insect attack. Certain insects 

 bore in the bark or outer part of the 

 tree, producing a gathering of resin, 

 which is readily inflammable when the 

 fire comes, while portions of the tree 

 not thus prepared go uninjured. 



The Bureau of Entomology has for 

 several years been engaged in study- 

 ing forest insects, and has found 

 means to combat most of them with ef- 

 fectiveness. 



Shipworms Advices from the Gray's 



Ruin North- Harbor country on the 

 west Lumber p^^^^ g^^^^ ^^^ ^^^^ 



various sections in the Puget Sound 

 lumber districts report that logging 

 operations may have to be suspended 

 indefinitely because of the ravages of 

 the teredo, or ship worm. The 

 worms have attacked all the logs in the 

 water and bored them full of holes. 



In British Columbia, in the Clayo- 

 quot lumber district, operations have 

 entirely ceased, owing to the ravages 

 of the teredos. The worms have ruin- 

 ed all the year's cut of timber in the 



water, and the big Sutton Company 

 has reported a loss of over 16,000,000 

 feet. Hundreds of lumbermen have 

 been forced into idleness until the 

 winter's work in the woods begins. 



Organization The State Forestry Com- 

 Fo^ir^""^ mission, of Alabama, 

 CommSicn held its first meeting on 

 January 8th, at Mont- 

 gomery, and organized in accordance 

 with the act providing for the advance- 

 ment of forestry, passed by the Legis- 

 lature last fall. 



Governor Comer, who Is a member 

 of the Commission, called the meeting 

 and acted as chairman ex-ofiicio. Mr, 

 John Wallace, Jr., whose record as 

 State Game and Fish Commissioner 

 makes him well fitted for the place, 

 was elected secretary. The other 

 members of the commission are J. A. 

 Wilkinson, State Commissioner of 

 Agriculture and Industries ; J. B. 

 Powell, of the State Tax Commission ; 

 Prof. R. S. Mackintosh, of the Ala- 

 bama Polytechnic Institute; John L. 

 Kaul, of Birmingham, Ala., the lum- 

 berman of the commission ; and E. E. 

 Carter, of the United States Forest 

 Service. All were present except Mr. 

 Kaul, who was unavoidably absent. 



After some discussion of the bill, 

 it was decided that a campaign of 

 publicity, to instruct the people of the 

 State in the benefits allowed them by 

 the bill, should be undertaken, and a 

 committee consisting of Mr. Wallace, 

 Mr. Powell, and Mr. Wilkinson was 

 appointed by the Governor, to collect 

 data for distribution and to report to 

 the Commission ways and means for 

 conducting the campaign to the best 

 possible advantage. 



This meeting of the commission was 

 chiefly for the purpose of organiza- 

 tion, but sufficient was accomplished 

 to show that the State Government is 

 actively alive to the necessity for the 

 conservation and improvement of for- 

 ests within the State, and that much 

 good may be done under the present 

 bill. The result will undoubtedly be 

 the awakening of the people of the 



