534 BOARD OF AGKICULTDRE. 



AFTERNOON SESSION. 



Tuesday, August 30, 1904, 1:30 p. m. 



Prof. Latta: We are all pleased to see so many faces this afternoon. 

 This will make a nice nucleus for a healtlij- social j-athering. If those 

 who are in the rear of the room do not hear readily, 1 would advise you 

 to come to the front at the outset so that you may not disturb the 

 speaker, and so that you may also give room to those who come in later. 

 Our theme is forest preservation and reforestation. I am not a forester. 

 We will now have a talk by Mr. Weigle, who is employed by the National 

 Department of Forestry. He will give us some account of the work of the 

 National Bureau of Foresti-y. I want him to feel that he has the right 

 of way to tell what he thinks the people would care most to hear about 



Mr, Weigle: Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen— I am sorry for you 

 people this afternoon. This program called for our honored Chief of the 

 Department, instead of that, a very inferior article is to take his place, and 

 so I hope you will not charge up anything against me, but charge it to 

 Prof. Latta. 



Prof. Latta: We are very glad to have this department represented 

 here. Very glad indeed. 



Mr. Weigle: The topic in the progi'am calls for something on the work 

 of the National Bureau of Forestry. That you may understand better 

 whether the Bureau of Forestry is progressing or not, it may be well to 

 give just a bit of its history. 



Through the agitations of an association of scientists, Congress was 

 memorialized to take some measures toward the preservation of our for- 

 ests. In 1S7G an appropriation of $2,000 was set apart for the employment 

 of some person qualified in the natural sciences to look into the condition 

 and amount of available timber in the United States. This appropiiation 

 was made continuous and in 1881 raised to $5,000 and a Division of 

 Forestry created. In 1886 Dr. B. E. Fernon, a trained forester, was ap- 

 pointed chief, and scientific Investigations were at once begun. In 1S9G 

 Dr. Fernon resigned to become director of the Cornell University Forest 

 School, and Mr. Gifford Pinchot, the present efficient chief of the Bureau, 

 was appointed. The work has grown so rapidly that It became necessary 

 to have a reorganization to facilitate lis business. This need was recog- 

 nized and In 1001 out of the Division a Bureau of Forestry was created. 

 The needs of (he work were constantly recognized by increased appro- 

 priations from the $2,000 in 1870 to nearly half a million at present. 



Owing to the lack of trained men there was comparatively little field 

 work done prior to 1000. .\\ present this want is being supplied by the 

 trained men from the several forest schools. 



