COMMENT. 



It is about time a vigorous protest is made against the various 

 "tree doctors" and pseudo-foresters who have sprung into exist- 

 ence during the past two or three years. Who they are or where 

 they come from no one seems to know, but this would be imma- 

 terial if they would ply their trade of "doctoring" trees and catch- 

 ing bugs without labeling themselves "practical foresters." In 

 one advertisement in a prominent magazine is displayed the seal 

 of one of these companies, showing an open grown deciduous 

 tree with forks and limbs almost from the ground up, while un- 

 derneath the words "Scientific Forestry," with the company's 

 name in the lower arc of the circle. Another "tree surgery" 

 company actually claim to operate a "school of practical forestry" 

 and have "skilled men at work everywhere under the direction of 

 a specialist." To the profession this is merely ridiculous, but to 

 the layman it has the bad effect of obscuring the relation between 

 true forestry and arboriculture, as applied to the care of indi- 

 vidual ornamental trees. To know the difference between an 

 oak and a dogwood does not make a man a forester, and the num- 

 ber of technically trained foresters in this country Is still so 

 small that those who falsely advertise themselves as practical 

 foresters will promptly be found out, but meanwhile their exist- 

 ence throws discredit on the profession. 



Despite the assertion each time that the latest reorganization 

 of the Forest Service would be the last for years, there were sev- 

 eral changes during 1907 and 1908, but these were as nothing com- 

 pared to the decided difference which 1909 dawned upon. The 

 inspection districts which existed during the past few years 

 were changed into Forest Districts and all the work connected 

 with each district put in charge of the District Forest. This puts 

 the National Forest business where it belongs, in the community 

 where it is transacted. The saving of time will be considerable, 

 to say nothing of the greater likelihood of more first hand knowl- 

 edge of each case. The Washington headquarters continues or- 

 ganized practically as it had been, except that Organization and 

 Engineering in Operation and Management and Extension in Sil- 



