No. 6. DEPARTMENT OP AGRICULTURE. 509 



1,585 farms, are alive to the great dairy interests. About 8,000 

 dair}' cows are owned in this county. A large amount of the milk 

 produced is taken into the city of Scranton; a city containing over 

 100,000 population. This product is principally taken on large milk 

 wagons, carrying as many as thirty t(m-gallon cans. They are set 

 ott" at the various milk stations, and also left on the premises of the 

 milk dealers. The business is increasing each year. 



Silos are standing on nearl}^ every farm, and fresh dairy cows 

 are worth from 40 to 50 dollars per cow. Some of the dairies in this 

 county are averaging at this time from ten to eleven quarts of 

 milk per cow, each day. Dairying is one of the chief agricultural 

 interests in the northeastern part of our State, and returns an in- 

 come to the farmer that is encouraging in his business. 



The following report of the chairman on Forests and Forestry was 

 read by the Secretary: 



REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON FORESTRY. 



By Dr. J. T. ROTHROCK. Chairman. 



Your Committee on Forestry would respectfully report continued 

 progress in State Forestry during the year elapsing since we last 

 met. It may be safely said now that the future forest policy of 

 Pennsylvania W'ill, in all probability, be but an extension of w^hat 

 already exists. We have purchased and are continuing to purchase 

 large portions of land which are to' form part of the permanent 

 State Forestry Reservation. We have not only established suc- 

 cessfully, nurseries for the propagation of forest seedlings, but we 

 have already made a considerable start in the work of transplant- 

 ing these seedlings from our own nurseries into the ground where 

 they are to permanently remain — at least until removed by the 

 axe of the lumbermen — it may be a century hence. 



We have a well organized fire guard established which needs but 

 to be extended to all the State holdings. We have inaugurated also, 

 (and I think that the State may look upon this with some pride) the 

 first public sanatorium probably in the world, which is to be re- 

 garded as associated with, and as an integral part of the forestry 

 reservation system. This Commonwealth has not been content to 

 disregard all other utilities of its forest holdings, and to consider 

 the production of lumber as the only element in the broad problem 

 before i( ; it has adopted a wider standard and, notwithstanding the 



