Forestry as a Profession 253 



profession will there be for young men trained as 

 is here indicated ? A few years ago, the answer 

 would have had to be : There are practically none 

 in the United States. But circumstances are 

 changing very rapidly indeed, and the demand for 

 trained foresters will probably soon outrun the sup- 

 ply and continue to do so for some time. In the 

 first place there will be opportunities for remunera- 

 tive work in the service of both the United States 

 and several of the States. More desirable, from a 

 pecuniary standpoint, will probably be positions in 

 the service of large corporations owning timber 

 lands. There will also be a field for private prac- 

 tice as consulting foresters and appraisers, just as 

 there are now consulting engineers and men who 

 make a business of estimating the value of manu- 

 facturing plants. Then there will be opportunities 

 afforded by the universities and experiment stations 

 for men to devote themselves to original investi- 

 gation and teaching of forestry. This profession, 

 like all others worthy of the name, will never be a 

 ready means for acquiring great wealth. That 

 must be left to speculation and trade. But forestry 

 will afford a respectable livelihood, and, for the rest, 

 it carries with it certain intrinsic rewards which 

 ought to make it attractive to a good many young 

 men of ability. The many-sidedness of the work 

 is one of these attractions. Forestry engages the 

 whole man, not merely a particular side of his na- 

 ture. The work in the field is often arduous in 

 the extreme, and a rugged bodily constitution is 



