482 United States. 



rocks the ship of true economic reform, and to educate 

 legislators and constituents to its true needs. The 

 very first forestry congress was really conceived with 

 a view of advancing political preferment of one of its 

 organizers, and many another "forestry" meeting 

 was utilized for a similar purpose, the new, catchy 

 title attracting the gullible. 



One of the first State forest commissions, well en- 

 dowed to do its work, soon fell into the hands of 

 grafters, and created such scandals that they led to its 

 abolishment, and to a set-back in the movement every- 

 where. Arbor day sentimentalism discredited and 

 clouded the issue before the business world ; the move- 

 ment was in constant danger at the hands of its friends. 

 Antagonism of the lumber world was aroused by the 

 false idea of what the reform contemplated, and, in 

 the absence of technically trained foresters to instruct 

 the public and the amateur reformers, and to convince 

 legislators of the absolute need of discontinuing old 

 established habits, progress was naturally slow, and 

 experienced many setbacks. 



It was a hard field to plow, grown up with the weed 

 growth of prejudice and custom, and means and tools 

 for the work were inadequate. 



The federal government was naturally looked to to 

 take the lead. The first two agents, employed in the 

 Department of Agriculture to "report on forestry", 

 unfortunately lacked all technical knowledge of the 

 subject, the first, a most assiduous worker, being a 

 writer of local histories and gatherer of statistics, the 

 second a preacher. The third, the writer himself, had 

 at least the advantage of this technical training, but, 



