THE SITUATION 11 



under an annual rental, participating in the returns of the larger and 

 hence safer State forest management — cooperation between State and 

 private forest owners — by which the latter profit in pooling their 

 smaller interests with the larger. 



While Professor Kirkland proposes the organization of a big trust 

 outside of, and merely supervised by, the government, I propose a trust 

 in which the government plays the large part and allows private owners 

 to participate in a sustained yield management of the pooled properties. 



There is little doubt, and the Pennsylvania experience seems to lend 

 color to the belief, that such management, if placed on a large scale 

 could from the start be made to furnish returns, and eventually to 

 become as profitable as the German forest administration. 



Perhaps this proposition may appear Utopian to you, but any one 

 who has for the last 30 years watched the remarkable development 

 of governmental activities, especially the broadening of functions of the 

 general government, may believe even in the possibility of Utopia. 



At any rate I for one believe that in a few years more the necessity 

 of some such plan for solving our forestry problem will be recognized. 



Our problem is one illustrated by the story of Sibylline books; 

 when the larger number is burned, we shall be ready to buy them ; 

 when remedies have become more expensive, we will begin to apply 

 them. 



From this digression and far look into the future we may return 

 to our survey of actual development. 



In educational direction the progress since the early days has been 

 phenomenal, following a period of slow development. 



In popular education the American Forestry Association, originally 

 and for a long time a small body without funds and kept alive only by 

 the devoted effort of a -small group, has lately grown to respectable 

 numbers, satisfactory finances, and influential membership of a repre- 

 sentative character. Some 30 more or less local associations comple- 

 ment the efforts of the national association. 



Professional schools developed at first slowly. Until 1898 attempts 

 to supply technical knowledge were confined to efforts of professors 

 of botany or horticulture at agricultural colleges. The first profes- 

 sional school came into existence in 1898, at Cornell University, 

 followed a year later by the one at Yale University. 



Now, besides a number of privately endowed schools, nearly every 

 State supports a forest school, and six States can boast of two State 

 schools. Altogether some 52 institutions offer forestry courses, 23 of 



