FORESTER'S REPORT. 71 



The means by which this improved condition has been reached 

 are watchfulness, the maintenance of fire lines, now aggregating 

 about 25 miles on the South Jersey reserves, Fig. 9, and the pur- 

 suit and punishment of everyone who' starts a fire. 



PLANTATIONS MADE}. 



There is little need for forest planting on any of the reserves. 

 Natural reproduction is active and everywhere, except on a few 

 old fields, will take care of the future. These openings will be 

 used for experimental plantings. Thus in the spring 14,000 

 young pine trees grown in the Bass River Nursery were set out 

 in openings on the Bass River Reserve, and 18,000 from the 

 same source were planted in openings on the Lebanon Reserve. 

 Unfortunately a large part of these trees were killed; by the 

 drought which began shortly after the planting and for a long 

 period deprived the roots of necessary moisture. There is a pos- 

 sibility, however, that some of the trees will survive, and the 

 plantations cannot be called failures for at least two> years. If 

 any considerable portion of any of the species planted does 

 survive they will have served their purpose, as the plantations 

 were made as much to determine the fitness of certain trees for 

 our soils and climate as to establish forests. 



GAME REFUGES. 



For several years past there has been a strong desire in certain 

 directions to have the forest reserves made game refuges. On 

 the other hand, many people owning property or resident near 

 the reserves oppose the proposition, being fearful of an increase 

 in the fire hazard or jealous of the freedom which they have 

 upon the reserves as public property. This opposition to any 

 restriction on the use of wild lands is especially strong since so 

 much private land has been posted or enclosed. 



While the Forest Commission is prepared to permit any 

 use of the reserves that will not endanger the well-being 

 of the forests, it is obliged as trustee of the Slate forest 



