REVIEWS 645 



The dispersion of seed from seed trees was found to give 3,000 

 seedlings 5 chains from the tree. At 10 chains this number was re- 

 duced to 500, and at 15 to ;30 chains it had dwindled to 13 seedlings. 



The growth of fir is "like a weed" ; under good conditions "it will 

 grow about 1,000 feet board measure per acre per year." A 28-year-old 

 tree was found fit for piles, and a 24-year-old one measured 2 to 4 

 inches 71 feet from the stump. 



Whatever may be said for the use of fire in fir production, it does 

 not work for hemlock, and this is, perhaps, a good way of getting rid 

 of the less valuable competitor. 



In conclusion we may be permitted to make one literary criticism. 

 Many of the articles are evidently talks reported by a stenographer. 

 Such talks are, however, rarely in form for printing — there is a 

 difiference between spoken versus written language — and should be 

 edited in justice to the authors. The language in informal talks which 

 satisfies the occasion is often crude in construction and would not 

 be used by the author in writing; moreover, the stenographer does 

 not always catch all that is said and adds to the crudities. Here is 

 where an editor's pencil is needed, at least to make the sense clear 

 and the language smooth. B. E. F, 



Biennial Report of the State Conservation Commission of Wis- 

 consin for the Years 1915 and 1916. Madison, Wis. 1916. Pp. 160. 



Written constitutions are dangerous instruments, and, while intended 

 to be for the benefit of the community, sometimes are really inimical 

 to its welfare. We have seen this as far as forestry progress is con- 

 cerned in the State of New York, and again constitutional provisions 

 have checked the progress of a sane forest policy in Wisconsin. Here 

 the only rational policy, namely, State ownership, had made con- 

 siderable headway through purchase of forest reserves by the State 

 Board of Forestry, under contracts, when the discovery was made 

 that the constitution did not allow, and could not be twisted to permit, 

 such a policy. That this was the case was known to the reviewer as 

 long as 20 years ago, when a determined start was to be made to 

 commit the State to such a reserve policy, and he recommended as a 

 preliminary the change of the constitution.^ It was then found what 

 the State Supreme Court has lately reiterated that the State consti- 



i See Roth and Fernow: Forestry Conditions of Wisconsin, Bulletin 16, U. S. 

 Division of Forestry. 



