114 THE AMERICAN BOTANIST. 



drawback to its use heretofore has been the cost of producing 

 it, but according to The Scientific American a way has recently- 

 been found to produce it from the tubers of the dahHa. The 

 thick fleshy roots of this plant contain much stored food not, 

 however, in the form of the familiar starch, but in the form of 

 a closely allied substance known as inulin. This latter sub- 

 stance is similar in composition to levulose and appears to be 

 easily turned over into levulose by the use of weak acids. The 

 process is said to be inexpensive, and since the dahlia can be 

 grown as cheaply as the potato it seems possible that fruit 

 sugar may in time vie with cane sugar for a place on our tables, 

 and since it is more easily digested we are certain to profit 

 by the exchange. 



Forests and Forestry. — 'Tn the last ten years," says 

 the Yearbook of the Department of Agriculture for 1907, for- 

 estn,^ has advanced in this country from an almost unknown 

 science to a useful, growing profession. In that time the num- 

 ber of technically trained foresters has increased from less than 

 a dozen to over 400. Ten years ago there was not a single 

 forest school in the country. Now there are several profes- 

 sional forest schools which rank with those of Europe, and a 

 score more with courses in elementary forestry whose useful- 

 ness is steadily growing. Forest lands under management 

 have grown from one or two tracts to many, aggregating 

 7,503,000 acres, scattered through 39 States. The National 

 Forests have increased from 39,000,000 acres, practically un- 

 used and unprotected, to 165,000,000 acres, used, guarded, 

 and improved both in productiveness and accessibility. The 

 number of States which have State forests has increased from 

 1 to 10; and of those which employ trained foresters from 

 none to 11. The membership of forest associations has in- 

 creased from 3,600 to 15,800. Ten years ago, except for a 

 few of the foremost botanists, European foresters knew more 

 about American forests than did the people of this country. 



