STATE NEWS 



811 



ton Chamber of Commerce and Massachu- 

 setts Forestry Association, working jointly 

 in urging upon the voters of the State the 

 importance of the proposed amendment as a 

 means of encouraging forestry in Massachu- 

 setts, it was adopted at the recent election by 

 an overwhelming majority. The personnel of 

 the committee referred to is : Chairman. Har- 

 old Parker, ex-chairman of the Massachu- 

 setts Highway Commission; F. W. Rane, 

 Massachusetts State Forester; Prof. Spen- 

 cer Baldwin, professor of economics, Bos- 

 ton University; F. E. Olmstead, of the for- 

 estry firm of Fisher, Bryant & Olmstead; 

 Allen Chamberlain, president of the Appa- 

 lachian Mountain Club, and Mr. Harris A. 

 Reynolds, secretary of the Massachusetts 

 Forestry Association. This committee meets 

 semi-monthly, and is now engaged in the 

 rather difficult task of preparing a bill to 

 present to the next session of the Legislature, 

 which if enacted into law, it is hoped will 

 eliminate many of the objectionable features 

 of the present methods of taxing wild and 

 forest lands, and become an important factor 

 in stimulating the reforestation work in 

 Massachusetts, as well as conserving the 

 present wooded areas. 



In order to obtain definite information 

 with regard to the general practice of Mas- 

 sachusetts assessors in appraising values on 

 such lands, as well as to determine, if pos- 

 sible, what eflfect any change in the present 

 methods of taxation would have upon the 

 revenues of cities and towns of the State, 

 Mr. Harold O. Cook and Mr. Harry F. 

 Gould, of the State Forester's office, have, at 

 the request of the committee, selected five 

 towns located in widely separated parts of 

 the State in which they will make very care- 

 ful estimates of the true values of the 

 wooded areas, as compared with the val- 

 uation placed upon them by the assessors, 

 and get such other information as may aid 

 the committee in their work. 



The United States Bureau of Plant Indus- 

 try is co-operating with the State of Mas- 

 sachusetts in its efforts to check the chest- 

 nut bark disease. At present a bulletin is 

 being prepared, which, it is hoped, will lead 

 to increased demands for assistance on the 

 part of the Massachusetts public. A number 

 of examinations have been made during the 

 past year for owners of chestnut woodland 

 who suspect the presence of the disease. Up 

 to date, while the State Forester has paid 

 the salary of the examiner, his traveling ex- 

 penses have been charged to the applicant. 

 Through the co-operative agreement now 

 entered into, these expenses will also be paid, 

 and the owner will thus obtain his advice 

 absolutely free. It is intended to undertake 

 certain experiments with respect to the dis- 

 ease, some scouting will be done independent 

 of applications for inspection, and steps may 

 be taken toward the eradicating of the dis- 

 ease in some localities. The general outlook 

 with regard to the disease is more hopeful 

 than at this time last year. It is true that 

 it has spread during the past summer, but 



by no means to the extent that was expected. 

 It seems reasonable to suppose that vigorous 

 efforts on the part of woodland owners may 

 be able to preserve their chestnut almost in- 

 definitely, at least in the eastern portion of 

 the State, where the attack is least severe. 



Alabama 



At the next session of the Alabama Legis- 

 lature Game and Fish Commissioner John H. 

 Wallace, Jr., will present a bill looking to 

 converting all State lands, whether held in 

 fee or in trust, by the State of Alabama, 

 into game refuges and forest preserves. In- 

 cluded in these lands are the Sixteenth Sec- 

 tion School Lands, the Tax Redemption 

 Lands and the Swamp and Overflowed 

 Lands, amounting to hundreds of thousands 

 of acres. Since these lands belong to the 

 State they have been regarded generally as 

 being public property, the depredation on 

 them in the way of the stealing of timber, 

 firing of forests and slaughtering of game 

 has been horrible in the past. 



Mr. Wallace contemplated having a paid 

 game and forest warden service to guard 

 these lands. The movement has met with 

 universal approval in Alabama, and the plan 

 will undoubtedly be enacted into a law as 

 soon as the Legislature shall meet. 



North Carolina. 



The third annual convention of the North 

 Carolina Forestry Association will meet in 

 Raleigh on January 15, 1913. Its discussions 

 will be largely devoted to showing the imme- 

 diate need for the passage of legislation for 

 the protection of the forests of the State. 

 There is a strong and growing feeling 

 throughout the State that the time has ar- 

 rived for action, and this Legislature is ex- 

 pected to make at least a small appropriation 

 for inaugurating such protective work. 



At the last meeting of the North Carolina 

 Forestry Association a legislation committee 

 was appointed to draw up a forest law for 

 the State, to be presented to, and if possible 

 passed by, the next Legislature, which con- 

 venes early in January. This committee is. 

 called to meet some time in December to put 

 the bill which they have been working upon- 

 in final shape so that it may be introduced 

 during the early days of the session. This 

 law will probably provide for some kind of 

 firewarden system, and will also attempt to 

 assist the railroads in the prevention of rail- 

 road fires. 



At a recent meeting of the Southern Fur- 

 niture Manufacturers' Association, held in. 

 High Point, N. C, an appeal was made by 

 the Secretary of the North Carolina For- 

 estry Association, who was present by invita- 

 tion, for the co-operation and assistance of 

 the furniture manufacturers in the campaign 

 to procure adequate forest protective laws for 

 the State. A resolution was passed com- 

 mending the work of the Forestry Associa- 



