THK SCHOOL-TRAINED I'ORKSTKR Soi 



propagation was never thought of ; range distribution was a matter of 

 overbearing, crowding, and "hogging," with a diversion of adjustment 

 by violence of the most disgusting kind. What we know of the dis- 

 tribution and extent of range, of forage plants, of proper range con- 

 servation and management, and all that we practice on the basis of the 

 knowledge has come through an organization headed and directed by 

 the school-bred forester. And if the botanist and the herder have had 

 a share in the work it was the engineer and the rest laid pipe. 



A few facts in the history of the National Forests are interesting here. 

 The present Forest Service is thirteen years old ; before that the forests 

 were under the United States Land Ofifice. Between 1891 and 1897 

 this office did not even make a suggestion sufficiently to the point t<) 

 convince Congress that something ought to be done. From 1897 to 

 1 905 the Land Office received appropriations for forest purposes, main- 

 tained an organization, and did business. But what was accomplished ? 

 Practically nothing. To say that the men were political appointees does 

 not prove an}tliing ; there were good men — in fact, some excellent men — 

 in that old service. Most of the men in the field were mature, had 

 business experience, were skillful in dealing with men; several of them 

 had good school training and some were old, experienced stockmen ; 

 some were timbermen of ability; others miners, farmers, business men. 

 A large part of this body of men were taken over in the new Service 

 in 1905 and ])roved very valuable — but not as directors, not as engi- 

 neers, but valuable to carry on the work. The office force in Wash- 

 ington was made up of choice people, schooled and ex])erienced. In 

 addition, the field force had the strong and valuable backing of the 

 congressmen of the several States. And yet things did not develop. 

 The organization could not tear itself away from the Land Office form 

 and was never suited to the forest work. The very policy was lacking : 

 no one. from the Commissioner down and out, knew what was to be 

 done with these large stretches of mountain forests and ranges. There 

 was not one singk- reserve with any kind of a working plan; there was 

 not a supervisor's office with a map that really showed anything; there 

 was not a timber sale with a map and a report which enabled intelligent 

 disposition of the case at Washington ; the reports were so poor, gen- 

 erally that the secretary had long ago become suspicious and refused 

 to approve even the things that were meritorious. The co])per people 

 were cutting all over the I'intah to suit themselves and Washington 

 was not informed ; railroads and wagon roads were built without permit 

 or report ; range disposition was mishandled generally. .\s late as 1902 

 not a single torcst bad a compass or outfit, even to do surveving; there 



