672 JOURNAL OF FORESTRY 



the National Forests. The Army absorbs men of all degrees of training, 

 but quite regardless of this all go through a school of application for 

 nearly every branch of the service — combatant and non-combatant. I 

 do not refer to the R. O. T. C. in the States, but to the schools of 

 instruction behind the lines of the A. E. F. These schools under field 

 conditions train the staff officer as well as the company cook in the 

 objective of all warfare — the defeat of the enemy. 



We should recognize that the newly graduated forest-school student 

 is not immediately competent for duty as a National Forest officer and 

 neither is a cowpuncher. What they both sorely need is a short train- 

 ing course in the every-day problems of a National Forest under the 

 leadership of an experienced and sympathetic forest supervisor and 

 his trained assistants before they assume independent functions as 

 Forest officers. 



Is it not wholly practicable as well as legal for the Forest Service to 

 adopt the uniform policy of detailing new appointees, whether forest 

 assistant or forest rangers, to a school of application to be maintained 

 in each district? There need not be a formal school. It will be quite 

 sufficient to select a typical National Forest in each district — such as 

 the Coconino in District 3 — a Forest that oflfers a field in immediate 

 problems in timber sales, grazing, lands, engineering, and fire protec- 

 tion. Then see to it that such Forests are officered by men of expe- 

 rience, vision, and sympathy to permit them to efficiently serve as in- 

 structors to the probationers. Here let the inexperienced technical 

 man and the non-technical man of little vision serve their probationary 

 periods or a part thereof before being assigned to independent duty on 

 the National Forests. Let them rub elbows and build up traditions 

 and esprit de corps, and let them learn in a sympathetic atmosphere, as 

 first-hand assistants to the experienced forest officers, how to meet the 

 problems that will face them when they must act alone — the location 

 and building of trails and roads, marking and scaling of timber, the 

 handling of live stock, etc. The end of this period should determine 

 the fitness of the' student- — whether for the so-called administrative 

 work, for specialized service, or for the "green slip." 



If these practical schools of application are established they would 

 not cost as much as ranger or supervisor meetings and would be of 

 infinitely greater value. The man with the sheepskin will know some- 

 thing of sheep and the man without horn-rimmed spectacles will not 

 be without vision ! 



Kneipp fears that idealism in the Service has been or may be unduly 

 emphasized. The Forest Service was the result of the idealism and 



