''^ I United States. 



4s; 



oaving in its fourth, year grown in numbers 

 to v, ^er than any French or German forest school 

 at the time, and readily finding employment for its 

 graduates, it suddenly came to an end in 1903. Its ap- 

 propriation, unanimously voted in the Legislature, was 

 vetoed by the Governor, on the alleged ground that the 

 silvicultural methods applied in the demonstration for- 

 est of the College 'Tiad been subjected to grave criti- 

 cism". It is true the only silvicultural method officially 

 sanctioned (by the Forest Service), the selection forest, 

 had not been applied, yet the war against the College 

 being waged by two wealthy bankers of New York and 

 the well-known character of the then Governor suggest 

 that other "considerations'^ than mere criticism of pro- 

 ^ fessional judgment were at the bottom of his action. 



As from the start, the federal Forestry Bureau natur- 

 ally continued in ever increasing degree to be the edu- 

 cator of the nation, not only as regards popular concep- 

 tions and attitudes, but as regards technical matter. 

 Its bulletins, circulars, and reports on the subjects 

 which come under investigation form the bulk of the 

 American literature on the technical side of the subject. 

 During the first 20 years of its existence, some 20,000 

 pages of printed matter were produced, and the next * 

 decade increased the crop of information apace. At 

 first intended for popular propaganda, the matter 

 printed was naturally argumentative, statistical and de- 

 scriptive, but gradually more and more technical mat- 

 ter filled the pages, and now most of the publications are 

 of technical nature. 



One of the first extensive and important lines of in- 

 vestigation undertaken by the Division was that into 



