Vermont Agricultubal Report. 63 



of the States. When we succeeded in 1891 in committing the 

 Federal government to the establishment of forest reservations, 

 reversing absolutely its long-established land policy, the most im- 

 portant step towards a sound forest policy was secured. 



At present over 60 million acres have been so reserved, and 

 although this acreage does by no means represent as much 

 economically valuable forest and although so far it is not yet 

 rationally managed, at least the beginning has been made. 



Other States who have followed the precedent, at least in a 

 tentative way, are Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota and more 

 vigorously Pennsylvania. Your neighbor, New York, which was 

 really the first State to create a Forest Reserve, namely in 1885, 

 exhibits a curious history of inability to carry out consistently 

 a well conceived policy, partly due to political incompetency, 

 partly due to private greed, but largely owing to the very ig- 

 norance of the fundamentals of forestry which led to the in- 

 sertion of a foolish clause in the Constitution of the State pro- 

 hibiting the State from cutting any trees, dead or alive, on its 

 property and decreeing that these lands shall in no^ way be im- 

 proved. At the present time the State lands are mainly held as 

 a game preserve and pleasure ground for the owners of summer 

 camps and the true economic value of the forest and true eco- 

 nomic forest policy has been lost sight of. It will probably take 

 another decade to regain the lost ground. 



Your neighbor to the east. New Hampshire, has also for 

 many years supported a Forest Commission, without much 

 further result, waiting for private charity to create a State For- 

 est Reserve. Massachusetts has this year created the office of 

 State Forester and thus has at least recognized this interest as 

 a State matter, as have also the States of Maine, Indiana, Colo- 

 rado and California in a similar manner. Others as long as 30 and 

 more years ago gave bounties for tree plantations or exemption 

 from taxes without any practical result. 



Whatever you may think of the propriety of the State own- 

 ing, and that implies managing, forest property for wood pro- 

 duction or of the State assisting private endeavor in such man- 

 agement, directly or indirectly, there is one duty of the State 

 with reference to this subject which even the most democratic 

 Democrat, unless he be a Nihilist, will have to admit as a proper 

 function of the State, and that is adequate protection of forest 

 property against loss by fire. 



That we have not been able yet to perform this first duty 

 of any State organization, that it seems impossible to stop the 

 forest fires which rage annually in all our States, is in the first 

 place due to a low state of public or civic morality ; if communal 

 sense or communal interest' among the people were behind the 



