10 



(2) Assistance to private owners, state, municipal and private insti- 

 tutions in the management of their woodlands and in reforestation projects. 



(3) The station has maintained nurseries for the propagation and 

 distribution of planting stock for reforestation. Heretofore the distri- 

 bution of stock has been limited largely to experimental and demonstration 

 work. 



(4) Forest arboretums have been established on a number of public 

 and quasi public institutions. 



(5) Three municipal forests and forest parks have been established 

 under the direction of the Department, one of which is primarily for the 

 protection of the potable water supply. 



(6) Two state forests have been purchased and these areas are used 

 for experimental and demonstration purposes. 



(7) A survey of the important drainage basins made in 1913, follow- 

 ing the unprecedented flood of that year. 



(8) During the past five years more attention has been given to 

 problems of forest utilization. This phase in fact has grown to one of 

 most importance. It is felt that the Department can be of r*eal help to 

 the woodland owner, and the wood user. The average owner has little con- 

 ception of timber values, but has to proceed in marketing his products. 

 He has great difficulty in finding markets for many classes of timber. In 

 these matters we have been able to render assistance of considerable 

 consequence. 



It has also been possible to locate and to secure for wood users certain 

 classes of timber which they desire and to cause mature or over-mature 

 timber to be placed on the market. The effect of such work on the whole 

 as we view it, is that it tends to create or to stimulate stagnant markets 

 for the various classes of woodland products. The time of two of our men 

 is largely given to this work, one of whom has had some years of practical 

 experience in the timber business. 



It was found at the outset that land owners were seeking information 

 regarding the lasting qualities of the several kinds of post timbers. The 

 Department undertook to investigate this matter with the result that 

 data were obtained on some ten of the most common timbers. This work 

 embraced the examination of three hundred fifty fences containing over 

 forty thousand posts, the fences ranging in ages from four to fifty years. 

 These data brought out many interesting facts, chief of which being that 

 there is considerable variation in the durability of different wood of the 

 same species, and that the relative scale is based not upon the length of 

 life of one or several posts of a given species, but upon the average of great 

 numbers. Data has been collected on the average stands per acre by 

 counties of the different commercial tree species of the State. The results 

 of this work is now on press and it will give fairly accurate data to wood 

 users and others on the amounts and distribution of the available com- 

 mercial timber. 



(9) Cities have from time to time requested assistance in the plant- 

 ing and care of shade trees. Since they contribute indirectly to the sup- 

 port of the Department it was felt that they were entitled to such assist- 

 ance. Shade tree surveys are therefore made upon request, and consid- 



