344 JOURNAL OF FORESTRY 



the hcav}-, sticky clay. Here the forests were mostly oak, which we cut into ties, 

 wharf timbers, and road plank. The silver-fir forests of eastern France were 

 in the mountains. Our chief trouble there was the narrow-gauge railroads, which 

 never had enough cars or engines. The same kind of narrow-gauge railroads 

 bothered us in other regions as well. 



When we consider that the modern army is helpless without wood, I think it 

 is safe to say that the French forests were one of the big factors in winning the 

 war. 



The Journal of Heredity for October, 1918. contains an account of 

 oak hybrids raised by the horticulturist to the Texas Experiment Sta- 

 tion from the overcup oak (0. lyraia) and the live oak (Q. virgiiiiana) , 

 the latter being the mother. Both belong to the Lepidobalanus sub- 

 divisions of the genus, though differing widely in a number of features. 

 The hybrids were very uniform. In general habit the father, with its 

 pyramidal form and straight shoots, was dominant. The leaves were 

 intermediate in size, but resembled those of the father in being lobed. 

 The form of the acorn, however, was very much like that of the live 

 oak, though larger in size. The leaves of the hybrids commenced to 

 fall in the winter, but many of them remained green until the spring. 

 In this feature, therefore, the hybrids were intermediate. An interest- 

 ing point is that hybrids like these have been found sometimes growing 

 in the natural state, and were described recently by Professor Sargent 

 under the name of Q. couiptoucc. They grow rapidly, the earliest 

 raised having reached a height of 16 feet in 8 years from the time of 

 sowing, with a diameter of 5 inches a foot from the ground. Owing 

 to the density and luster of their foliage, they are superior to both of 

 their parents as ornamental trees. The wood is very hard, close- 

 grained, and tough. 



A supervisors' meeting was held in Missoula, Mont., from February 

 10 to 15. Twenty-four of the twenty-six supervisors in the district 

 were present, as well as members of the district office. The object of 

 the meeting was a careful study and analysis of organization and per- 

 sonnel problems. The preponderance of opinion was that authority 

 and responsibility should be placed close to the ground and tiie per- 

 sonnel in the woods be both increased in number and strengthened in 

 quality. "Forester" was the title thought to be most appropriate for 

 the officer in charge of the basic field unit. If the Forest Service 

 adopts the recommendations of the supervisors, a material reduction in 

 the overhead organization will be possible. A banquet was enjoyed at 

 the Florence Hotel on the evening of the i^th. Seventv-five were ]ires- 



