20 



FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION 



January- 



State and County officials, are declared 

 Forest Wardens as well. The Gov- 

 ernor, also, under certain conditions, 

 has the power to appoint forest ward- 

 ens, and provision is made for their 

 remuneration. A small appropriation 

 is made for carrying out the provis- 

 ions of the bill, and a Forest Reserve 

 Fund is created into which all fines, 

 forfeitures, and penalties, arising from 

 violations of the law, are to be paid. 

 There are, in addition, several other 

 provisions of less general interest. It 

 is especially to be regretted that con- 

 stitutional restrictions prevented the 

 enactment of measures for the relief 

 of the present heavy taxation on cut- 

 over lands. This is one of the most 

 serious problems which the proposed 

 commission will be called upon to 

 solve. Denuded land, however, which 

 is properly cared for during a period 

 of ten years, will be exempted from 

 taxation. 



The Commission will consist of the 

 Governor ; a member of the Tax Com- 

 mission ; the Game and Fish Commis- 

 sioner ; the Commissioner of Agricul- 

 ture and Industries ; a practical lum- 

 berman ; a member of the U. S. Forest 

 Service ; and the Professor of Forestry 

 in the Alabama Polytechnic Institute. 

 This Commission is to elect one of its 

 own number as secretary. 



The bill is reported to have passed 

 the House by a large majority, almost 

 unanimously ; and was then accepted 

 bv the Senate. 



of game refuges within the National' 

 Forests ; that it is not advisable for 

 rangers to serve as State game ward- 

 ens ; that rangers should be supplied 

 with U. S. Geological Survey quadran- 

 gles, where such are available ; that the 

 wives of supervisors, rangers and 

 guards be invited to attend the annual 

 ranger meetings ; that the proper time 

 for holding the examination for forest 

 ranger is in the fall ; the proper width 

 for trails ; the forest atlas ; that more 

 elementary books be supplied for the 

 ranger library ; that a working uni- 

 form be adopted, to be made on simi- 

 lar lines to the present one, but of 

 khaki or some washable material, and 

 not to cost over $5.00; burning brush;, 

 grazing regulations ; herders' identifi- 

 cation cards ; special uses. etc. 



Mrs. Martin S. Durbin, wife of Ran- 

 ger Durbin, of the Umpqua Na- 

 tional Forest, was chairman of a com- 

 mittee on the preparation of plans for 

 a ranger cabin. Hon. C. S. Jackson,, 

 member of the Oregon legislature, 

 who was largely responsible for the 

 passage of the Oregon fire law at the 

 last session, was present at one of the 

 meetings and gave a short talk. Mr. 

 G. S. Marshall, of Weyerhaeuser Lum- 

 ber Company, was. present at a meet- 

 ing and gave a short account of brush 

 piling and burning as practised by his 

 company. 



Ontario's 

 Mcncpoly 

 of Spruce 



R.^nger 

 Meeting 



A very interesting and 

 successful Ranger Meet- 

 ing was held at Rose- 

 burg, Oregon, from October 18 to 21, 

 1907. The supervisors and rangers 

 from eight National Forests in south- 

 ern Oregon were in attendance. 



The following are some of the points 

 upon which the meeting passed reso- 

 lutions expressing their views : The 

 co-operation with settlers in the build- 

 ing of telephone lines ; timber sales ; 

 construction of fire lines ; a filing sys- 

 tem for rangers' use ; the establishment 



paper 



has 



The discovery that spruce 

 is the best wood for con- 

 version into pulp and 

 altered economically the 

 whole situation. Henceforth the Ca- 

 nadian spruce will take rank with the 

 Canadian white pine as one of the 

 most valuable trees that nature has 

 produced. Of spruce timber Ontario 

 has now a larger supply than any oth- 

 er country, and if reckless vandalism, 

 continues to prevail elsewhere this 

 Province may, under an enlightened 

 policy, secure and retain a virtual mo-, 

 nopoly. What this would mean in re- 

 lation to the prosperity of the Prov- 

 ince is easier to imagine than foretelL 

 — Toronto Globe. 



