Ri:\[]%\vs 319 



oped lands, is bold enough to say that "Xcw Jersey must have less 

 forest rather than more." He also conceives the seven small State for- 

 ests, comprising 15,677 acres in all, as experimental grounds, demon- 

 stration forest, and outing places ; in some cases to accommodate insti- 

 tutions, like colonies for the feeble-minded, who could be employed in 

 forest work. 



The Forester is also in charge of shade-tree interests throughout the 

 State, which are maintained through municipal shade-tree commissions, 

 some 89 at present, with resources aggregating around $284,000. For 

 this service the appointment of an "arborist" is asked. 



In this connection the status of tree pests is reported. With the 

 chestnut blight "there are some indications that its rate of progress is 

 slowing up." The white-pine blister rust is fully established, but the 

 interest of the State is more strongly taken up with saving the berry 

 hosts than the tree hosts. 



The most interesting part of the report, in these times of reconstruc- 

 tion, is that concerning the proposition for the development of unde- 

 veloped lands, on which prison labor is to be utilized — a proposition 

 coming from the Governor. It does not find a sympathetic reception 

 by the Commission, and the Forester is to be congratulated on the sane 

 argumentation against the proposition. 



"With 400.000 acres of unused (abandoned) farm land, it is appar- 

 ent that the State's present need is farmers — not farms." 



If the 600.000 acres of upland still wooded, although stocked with 

 forest, were made into farms, they would be merely in competition with 

 these abandoned ones. 



There are. then, only left to consider 270,000 acres of tide marsh 

 and 110,000 acres of fresh-water swamp, which if drained would yield 

 superior farm land, but would have to carry a charge for drainage of 

 upwards of $200 and, ^\•hat is most important, would require farmers 

 specially skilled in farming such lands. Incidentally, reference is made 

 to the reclamation by the Dutch of the 520,000 acres of Zuyder Zee at 

 a cost of $363 per acre. 



The Forester then gives four pieces of advice as to what the State 

 can do, namely, eradicate the mosquitoes, for which prison labor is very 

 well adapted ; advertise State resources ; maintain a labor bureau to 

 overcome the present shortage of farm labor; maintain a farm agency 

 to help make farm life and farm management more attractive, with 

 road improvement and educational extension as collateral. An esti- 

 mate of cost and returns is made : $750,000 for mosquito extermina- 

 tion and $300,000 annually for the other work. An increase in property 



