790 



AMERICAN FORESTRY 



WHERE TRAILS GIVE OUT FOREST OFFICERS^ MUST BUILD 

 RAFTS TO CROSS THE NAMELESS LAKES. NORTHERN 

 COOK COUNTY. 



This report as a whole is a very good 

 record of the year's work of the State 

 Forest Service — a virile record of the 

 achievement of things worth while — 

 and contains most valuable informa- 

 tion. Its honest striving for the wel- 

 fare of the State and its pointed calls 

 for the needs of the future should en- 

 list the sympathy and support of every 

 true patriot. It is a true, manly ap- 

 peal which every one should heed. If 

 the forester can attain tlie goal he sets 

 up for himself in this first report, the 

 conservation of Minnesota's forest 

 wealth is assured. 



There are a number of good photo- 

 graphs illustrating the text very well. 



It is to be regretted that more space 

 in the report cannot be given to the 

 "State Forests." That, however, is 



not the fault of the report, but due to 

 the lack of "forests." Out of more 

 than two million acres of forested land 

 actually owned by the State, only three 

 pitifullv small tracts are under the con- 

 trol of the forester. ^Millions of acres 

 are wasting away in idleness, either in 

 the possession of the State itself or of 

 private parties. Moreover, large areas 

 of non-agricultural lands are constantly 

 reverting to the State for non-payment 

 of taxes, to be bought up by the specu- 

 lator, who alone profits in the subse- 

 quent sales and re-sales to unsuspecting 

 jnu'chasers. These lands should be pro- 

 ducing valuable timber crops. It is to 

 be hoped that the great State of Min- 

 nesota will soon turn over some of 

 them to the State Forester, so that they 

 can be cared for in a businesslike man- 



