104 THE AMERICAN BOTANIST 



there should be hearty co-operation between these citizens and 

 the managers of the national forests. Instead of being an 

 abuse to them^ the national forests are of great use. 



But these are not the only people who are indebted to the 

 Government for the creation and management of forest pre- 

 serves. They are of great value to all the people. First, the 

 management sees that though the wood is used; it is not 

 used up. By wise use the timber is not only conserved 

 but also a better quality of wood is secured by encouraging a 

 new and better growth of all of the useful trees. Second, the 

 forests, which are situated in regions of heavy rainfall are 

 maintained chiefly to prevent the water from running ofif in de- 

 structive floods, and in the arid regions of the Rockies, to make 

 the best use of every drop of water. They also keep the range 

 in excellent condition by barring out wild animals which would 

 damage the range and by giving to each man his just share. 

 Third, perhaps the greatest service of the national forests is 

 the good use to which all the land is put by preventing monop- 

 oly by corporations — the dangers of which need not be dis- 

 cussed ; by preventing or causing a decrease in fires, for since 

 the fire patrol was started, less than one third of one percent of 

 the total area of forests has been burned ; by treating cut wood 

 with preservatives to keep it from decaying — 67,000,000 gal- 

 lons of creosote and zinc chloride being used for this purpose 

 in 1909 ; by serving as recreation grounds for a large number 

 of people of the west, and by keeping the game more abundant. 

 The forest officers are in many cases appointed as game 

 wardens in their respective forests. Considering these uses 

 for the briefest period we must acknowledge their value and 

 the necessity of their good management. 



Let us take a general survey of the management of these 

 forests. Beginning with the guards, we discover that they are 

 men doing summer woork only, to assist in preventing fires and 



