146 JOURNAL OF FORESTRY 



charge received its appropriations without dissenting votes, and it re- 

 ceived $130,000 simply for reforestation, in spite of the fact that it was 

 made clear that this was merely the beginning of a sixty-year invest- 

 ment program. 



The State of New York may not cut timber, and it may lose a fair 

 sum of money in decay of ripe timber, but it is organizing, it is pro- 

 tecting, and, taken all in all, it has made money, even by holding its 

 forests intact. 



Private owners are not yet practicing forestry, it is true ; but could 

 they practice forestry without men ? Could they get the men if they 

 wanted them ? How many men with a fair training and only five years 

 of experience (certainly a minimum) and with evidence of any real 

 stuff are today idle, looking for work ? 



And let us not forget the American way (and it is the modern way, 

 generally) is not for the buyer to look up the goods. It is the business 

 of the young forester to seek and find and make his position and to 

 earn his spurs. And would we want it differently? Apparently there 

 is quite a bit of the Old World paternalistic spirit of educating only as 

 many men as we can assure soft swivel-chair jobs for. It has done 

 harm in Europe ; Bavaria has broken with the habit ; why, then, should 

 we want to graft the graft on our profession? The private owners of 

 forests in every State in the Union are ready and anxious for competent, 

 educated help. And with cases like the D. & H. Railway before us as 

 actual facts and accomplishments, why the faint heart? 



Casting about, there is one point particularly clear in the present 

 situation. The progress in public opinion, the change of heart in the 

 legislatures, in the boards of directors ; the willingness of timber owners 

 to have their protective organizations, even their extension depart- 

 ments, headed by educated foresters is not due merely to reading of 

 bulletins and hearing of good lectures. It is due to plain business. As 

 long as we cut 3 billion feet of pine, it was useless to talk forestry in 

 Michigan; but when over 80 millions in capital left the State, when 

 whole towns were ruined, stretches of railway abandoned, and when 

 the lumbermen told each other and the people that by 1920 three- 

 fourths of the outfits would be done cutting, when the State authori- 

 ties were finally convinced that there were 12 million acres of idle lands, 

 mostly unfit for farming, then, and not until then, could we have the 

 ear of the men in power. 



As far as the Society is concerned, all this means chiefly four things : 



Forestry in the United States has made unheard-of progress, never 

 dreamed of, never hoped for. 



