51 



of a locality. Additional lo.uislatioii must t'ollow iiiv»'siioati(»ii and not 

 precetle it. 



What it is possible to ac-coniplisli l).v forestry legislation may be dis- 

 covered i)y an examination of the legislation in those States that have done 

 most in forestry matters. A few of these States have Avorked out prob- 

 lems very similar to those that now confront us and from them we may 

 learn much. In New York, as the pioneer in this country, the legislation 

 has developed as the result of experiment and investigation with the single 

 purpose of preserving to the State its valual>le forests. The State first, 

 in 1885, secured control of certain large tracts of virgin forest and placed 

 the management of these in the hands of a forestry commission. This 

 commission was given charge of all forestry matters, including the collec- 

 tion and dissemination of information, the care of forest fires, the re- 

 forestation of new lands, and, in fact, was the custodian of the State's 

 forests. This board has been several times reorganized, until the men who 

 compose it. are each charged with the responsibility of a certain part of 

 the State's work. The remuneration is sufficient to obtain thoroughly 

 competent persons for each department and thus secure a Imsinesslike 

 service. This board has expended more than $3,000,000 in the purchase 

 of forest lands of the Adirondacks. With it all they have wisely guided 

 public sentiment until the people are wholly in sympathy with the work 

 and are proud of their foresight in saving to the State so much that is 

 vitally connected with its prosperity. In addition to this New York has es- 

 tablished a school of forestry that has already accomplished much toward 

 solving many problems peculiar to American forests. It is fortunate that 

 NeAV York has been so generous in conductmg her experiments on such 

 a large scale, for the outcome of this will be of incalculable aid to other 

 States which have the same problems to face. We can not copy European 

 forest methods and hope to secure the greatest efficiency in our forest 

 work. T'rinciples are valuable but the methods of their application must 

 vary. 



In rennsylvania the history of forest legislation shows the usual re- 

 sults. Failure to fix responsibility and to arouse public sentiment made 

 the laAV inoi>erative, but in 1897 the people Avere stirred to action, forest 

 fires were promptly put out and the State has established forest reserves 

 by retaining the land that came to it from the nonpayment of taxes and 

 in condemning for that purpose suitable tracts at the headwaters of her 

 principal streams. Laws relieving forest land owned Ity farmers from 



