No. 7. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 403 



acre. This twenty-five years' test indicates that the best results 

 can be obtained only by a continuous and systematic use of fertil- 

 izers in connection with a well ordered method of cropping. 



REPORT ON FORESTS AND FORESTRY. 



By I. C. WILLIAMS, ESQ., Deputu Commissioner of Forestry. 



During the year 1908, just passed, the work of Forestry has been 

 going on in its usual even tenor. We are paying particular atten- 

 tion at this time to protection against fires. As 3'ou know, on ac- 

 count oif the drouth, the year 1908 has been an unusually destruc- 

 tive year in the matter of forest fires. It is gratifying to be able to 

 report to you that but a small percentage of these fires was on State 

 lands, and we believe that this is due to the better protection that 

 we were able to throw about them. This is accomplished by men 

 who devote their whole time to the protection of the reserves. A 

 forester from the Academy is in charge of each reserve, and the gen- 

 eral management is directly in his charge. The rangers are subor- 

 dinate to the forester, and they make their reports to him daily or 

 weekly. We hope in time to have a system of telephones all over 

 the reserves, whereby they can report every night. The forester's 

 oftice will be in communication with the main olTice at Harrisburg, 

 and by these means the Department will be able to keep its finger 

 on every part of the State's reserves at all times. 



During the last year purchases have been made generally through- 

 out the State. The last Legislature generously gave us the full 

 limit in the way of appropriations, $600,000 for two years. The 

 Governor lopped off |100,000, leaving us $500,,000, which will be 

 ample for present operations. 



I have brought with me a map which shows the State Reserves 

 exactly as they appeared January 1. 1909, and with your permission, 

 I will refer to it. As you will see, a large part of the reserve lies 

 in the Susquehanna River basin, and extends northeastwardly and 

 southwestAvardly across the central portion of the State. The scale 

 of this map is six miles to the inch, so you will be able to get some 

 concrete notion of the size of the different reserves. To date, the 

 State has purchased 861,919 acres of land. During the year 1908. 

 State paid for 107,508 acres. The average price paid for this 

 land is somewhat less than |2.2.5 per acre. Some of it was bought 

 for considerably less money, and for some we have paid more. The 

 law fixes the limit at |5.00 per acre; beyond that we are not per- 

 mitted to go. In very few cases was the full price pai6, and then 

 only for small interior portions, of which it was desirable to gain 

 possession. Only one large area was purchased at that price. The 

 following is a list of the holdings of the State to date, January 28, 

 1909: 



