106 THE AMERICAN BOTANIST 



resources. A committee of five Governors was appointed by 

 a conference of Governors from all the States, which met at 

 the White House in May 1908, to prepare and submit an 

 article relating to our natural resources. The declaration as 

 drawn up by the committee and unanimously accepted by the 

 governors is lengthy but the main clause in it is, "Let us con- 

 serve the foundations of our prosperity." And what are these 

 foundations, if not our forests and their products ? The lines 

 along which the States have been acting are the passing of laws 

 to protect the forests from trespass and fire, and the establish- 

 ment and the promotion by various means of State Forests. 

 The State Laws encourage forestry may be classed under two 

 heads; first those creating forest commissions and state for- 

 esters; and second, those offering inducements to plant iorest 

 trees or to maintain forests. The latter have been unsuccess- 

 ful in most cases, and as they were poorly framed were de- 

 clared unconstitutional. At present, the area of the state for- 

 est reserves amounts to 2,999,440 acres with New York in the 

 lead and Pennsylvania and Wisconsin closely following. The 

 States are aided greatly by the forest service, which co-operates 

 with them in making examinations and in outlining policies for 

 their protection and proper use. There are now thirty-six 

 men holding official state positions as foresters, and there are 

 thirty-three state organizations each doing its best to help the 

 progress of forestry in the United States. 



The forest service extends its help not only to the States 

 but also to individuals and since three-fourths of all our land 

 is in the hands of private parties the real forest problem is to 

 induce private owners to practice forestry. The Government 

 is doing everything possible to promote the practice of private 

 forestry. For instance in 1903, 63 new publications and 102 

 reprints were made and the names on the mailing lists were in- 

 creased to 750,000. Three hundred and fifty-nine public ad- 



