436 



THE IRRIGATION AGE, 



since. In the case of the old fires of 

 which there is no record, the date of burn- 

 ing can usually be determined by the age 

 of the trees which came up after the fire, 

 and the necessary surveys and measure- 

 ments can then be made. Special atten- 

 tion will be paid to the causes which make 

 the cones of the Lodgepole pine open and 

 distribute their seed. These are not yet 

 understood, and in view of the tree's habit 

 of storing its seeds in the cone, often for 

 many years, and setting them free when 

 killed by fire, are very important. 



Prof. Crandall will have four assistants 

 and will begin his examination in the 

 Medicine Bow Range. From there he will 

 work down the Continental Divide to the 

 neighborhood of Long's Peak. 



The great number of applications for 

 the position of student assistant under the 

 Division of Forestry whieh have this year 

 teen made, shows how rapidly the in- 

 terest in practical forestry is increas- 

 ing. The pay, $25 a month and expenses 

 in the field, is not enough to be alluring to 

 those who are not interested in the sub- 

 ject, and no attempt to advertiee the op- 

 portunity has been made. Yet, although 

 it was announced early in March that 

 more candidates had already applied than 

 there were places for, the number of appli 

 cationi kept steadily increasing, until 

 finally 232 were received. This number is 

 more than seven times as great as that of 

 last year's, the first year's applications 

 35. In these applications it is noticeable 

 that the majority come from in or near the 

 large universities, where information re- 

 garding the opportunity, which had to 

 spread chiefly by word of mouth, could 

 circulate extensively. From Harvard and 

 Yale alone 100 were received, while 77 

 more were scattered over different parts of 

 the Atlantic states. Sixteen came from 

 California, while several students from 

 Berkeley and Stanford had appointments 

 Jast summer. If this information could 

 have been spread throughout the middle 

 states as easily as it was in the neighbor- 

 hood of these larger universities, the num- 



ber of applications would probably have 

 been still greater. 



The position of student assistant was 

 created for the double purpose of giving 

 young men who are thinking of engaging 

 in forestry as a profession, practical ex- 

 perience and assistance under the super- 

 vision of experts, and of securing intelli- 

 gent assistance for the government at 

 a slight cost. In all 61 applicants 

 were appointed and they are now at 

 work. They are divided up among the 

 field experts who are making investiga- 

 tions and forest surveys as follows: In 

 the state of Washington, 7, in California, 

 13; in the Black Hills, 9; in the Middle 

 West, 5; in Arkansas, 10; in the Ap- 

 palachian region, 2; in the Adirondack?, 

 15. Most of their time is spent in col- 

 lecting the measurements of trees ai.d in 

 making the survery from which the for- 

 esters of the Division can next winter 

 draw conclusions and results. To a young 

 man of an observing and inquisitive turn 

 of mind, the work affords an excellent op- 

 portunity for learning the nature of the 

 problems with which a forester has to 

 deal, and the ways in which he does part 

 of his work. 



THE HOP INDUSTRY. 



The growing of hops for commercial use 

 is a farm specialty, not so generally 

 adopted as the market demands warrant. 

 The principal hop districts are in New 

 York, Wisconsin, California, Oregon and 

 Washington. If soil and climatic condi- 

 tions. are favorable, hops yield from 1.000 

 to 2.000 pounds per acre. At present 

 prices the income will range from $150 

 to more than double that amount for an 

 acre. As the vines require planting 

 only once in many years, the crop is one of 

 profit, and suited to our modern idea of 

 intensive soil culture. 



Hops need a well drained, f-andy loam, 

 rolling land being preferable. The plants 

 are set six feet apart, either way. after the 

 land has been carefully prepared and 

 leveled, to prevent any low places for 



