Current Literature 93 



the United States and visited many of the National Forests, 

 forest experiment stations, and the large lumber centers of the 

 country. His report, which now appears as an official pubHcation 

 of the Russian Department of Forestry, shows a thorough under- 

 standing of American forest conditions and will undoubtedly 

 prove of immense interest to the Russian foresters. As a matter 

 of fact, except the impressions of Mr. Tichonov on American 

 forestry, written nearly 17 years ago. Russian literature lacks 

 publications on American forest conditions. Mr. Tichonov's 

 articles touch upon a period in the development of forestry in this 

 country which may not be so very remote in time, yet belong to 

 a stage which we have long outlived and is a matter of history. 

 Mr. Tkatchenko's book must, therefore, be considered as really 

 the first Russian presentation and discussion of American forest 

 problems. There are a few inaccuracies here and there, but on 

 the whole it gives a true picture of the historical development of 

 forestry in this country and an estimate of the activities of the 

 Forest Service. 



The book, however, lacks an anal}i:ical discussion of our forest 

 practice in the light of Russian experience. American foresters, 

 therefore, will not find in this book anything that will make their 

 own work clearer to them or suggest any improvements. Possibly 

 one of the statements which may interest American lumbermen 

 and foresters is that Mr. Tkatchenko sees an opportunity for 

 Russian hardwood lumber to be shipped to the Pacific Coast. 

 According to Mr. Tkatchenko, the Pacific Coast is in need of 

 hardwoods which do not grow there naturally and which are 

 expensive to ship from the East where hardwood lumber, anyhow, 

 is being exhausted. His opinion, therefore, is that a Russian 

 exporter of hardwoods to the Pacific Coast may find there a 

 market for his product. Another curious conclusion which he 

 makes for the benefit of his Russian readers is the need of an 

 editor in the Russian Department of Forestry who would go over 

 all the different reports before they are pubHshed. American 

 foresters, who have always admired European freedom of the 

 authors to express themselves in their own way, even at some 

 expense of printing, would be inclined to doubt the wisdom of 

 introducing an editor in the Russian Department of Forestry 

 who would act as a censor of manuscripts submitted for 

 publication. R, Z. 



