NEWS AND NOTES 



rents, illuminating gas, and the atmos- 

 pheric gases. Attention is also given 

 to the study of the fungi affecting 

 shade trees and shrubs, and some prac- 

 tical work in tree filling, chaining and 

 bolting is done, together with treat- 

 ment of cavities, and proper methods 

 of pruning. 



^ % "& 



Possibilities for Turpentining in North- 

 west. 



L. W. Hawley, expert on wood dis- 

 tillation for the Forest Service, has just 

 left Washington for Oregon, Wash- 

 ington, Montana and Idaho, to investi- 

 gate the possibilities of a future tur- 

 pentine industry in the northwestern 

 portion of the United States. 



Mr. Hawley has taken with him a 

 small distillation apparatus, which he 

 will set up at various places in these 

 states, distilling the different woods to 

 determine their value in the production 

 of turpentine. In this manner an ac- 

 curate idea of the yield of extracts 

 from the various woods can be ob- 

 tained, and samples of the material 

 will be sent to Washington for analy- 

 sis and estimation of its value for use 

 in paints, varnishes, and other naval 

 stores. 



There are at the present time in the 

 Northwest; several wood distilling 

 plants which are producing various 

 grades of turpentine, wood preserving 

 oils, and materials of a similar nature. 

 It is believed that a careful study of 



j3^ j~~. existing conditions in this section will 



taking the course in the study of shade yield results which will give an accu- 

 . aM-:_ : 1_-.: „.._.^ ^-c 4-u^ ^^^^ .^^^ ^^ ^^^ possibility of utilizing 



Timber Owners Organize to Fight Fires 



A most important economic move- 

 ment of the times, which, as yet, has 

 attracted little attention from the gen- 

 eral public, is the organization of tim- 

 ber owners in different sections of the 

 country, for protection against fires. 

 The Washington Forest Fire Associa- 

 tion, with headquarters at Seattle, has 

 just elected officers for the year, this 

 organization having 3,000,000 acres 

 of forest under its control. Plans 

 followed by the United States Forest 

 Service for fighting and controlling 

 fires have been adopted. Oregon and 

 Idaho also have organizations of this 

 sort, in the latter state a portion of 

 the expense being paid from taxes 

 received by the State Treasurer. One 

 of the big western railroads has also 

 taken steps to guard its timber pro- 

 perties from fires. Away over on the 

 other side of the continent, the timber 

 owners in Maine have begun to 

 form a similar organization, and pre- 

 liminary steps in the formation of 

 fire-fighting organizations are reported 

 from other sections of the country. 

 When it is considered that forest fires 

 have destroyed more timber than the 

 lumbermen have cut, the wisdom of 

 such moves is readily apparent. 



% % ^ 



NOVEL FORESTRY COURSE. 



At the Massachusetts Agricultural 

 College this year thirteen students are 



trees. This is an elective course of the 

 senior year. It has been given for 

 several years, and includes a study of 

 all the factors which in any way touch 

 on shade trees ; for instance, tree war- 

 den laws, proper trees for street plant- 

 ing, transplanting and care of trees; 

 the various factors that interfere with 

 tree growth, such as soil conditions, 

 macadamized roads and sidewalks ; bi- 

 ological features such as micorhiza, 

 etc.; the effects of drought, winds, 

 lightning, direct and alternating cur- 



the enormous quantity of saw mill re- 

 fuse now going to waste. 

 ^ "ii % 

 Proposed Summer Home for Teachers 



Lewis C. Greenlee, for many years 

 superintendent of public schools in 

 Denver, Colorado, and lately elected 

 president of a reclamation and devel- 

 opment company owning lands in 

 Routt county, Colo., has evolved a 



359 



