Nezvs and Notes. 617 



The enthusiastic friends of Luther Burbank of international 

 fame as plant breeder have associated themselves with a Society, 

 which has undertaken to publish a record of his life work in a 

 most gorgeous set of volumes, 12 in number, illustrated with over 

 1200 remarkable color photographs. The proof of parts of the 

 first volume has just come from the press and is submitted to the 

 honorary members of the Society, professional men, for criticism. 

 It contains three chapters, namely, How the Cactus got its Spines 

 — Twenty-three Potato Seeds — No Two Things Exactly Alike. 

 It is an interesting popular discussion of what every plant phy- 

 siologist knows, illustrated by accomplishments of Mr. Burbank's 

 assiduous work. 



Dr. C. A. Schenck, of Biltmore, N. C, announces a tour 

 through German woods, the participants, not to be members of 

 the Biltmore school, limited to 50. The tour, open to graduates, 

 lumbermen and timberland owners, is scheduled to start from 

 New York in January, 1914, returning in eight Aveeks, total ex- 

 pense $350, everything included. 



The Canadian Forestry Branch, through the initiative of its 

 Chief Fire Ranger, has been successful in bringing the Indians 

 into line as firewardens. A pow-wow held this summer in 

 Northern ■Manitoba developed unusual interest among the Indian 

 chiefs and councillors. Some 18 Indian fire rangers, proud of 

 the metal badge which makes them officials, average about 18 

 miles of patrol per day. 



An interesting method of applying the principle of reduction 

 in taxes on reforested lands has been inaugurated by the Louis- 

 iana Conservation Commission. It consists of a contract with 

 a lumber company, under which the assessment of the land is 

 kept at $1 per acre, as long as the company is reforesting and not 

 cutting timber except for good forestry practice. In case the 

 company fails to carry on the contract, the land is not only re- 

 assessed at its full value, but the accumulated tax to the owner 

 during the period when the contract was alive is also assessed. 

 The first contract refers to 250,000 acres cutover lands, and it 

 is expected that some 200,000 acres may come under such con- 

 tract. 



