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of Horticulture, Vegetable Gardening, Flori-culture and Nursery 

 Management. At least five experts should be employed in this 

 Division to at all properly equip it." 



DIVISION OF FORESTRY. 



As the forests of Pennsylvania have now about disappeared, our 

 citizens are coming to realize their great importance as entering 

 into the wealth of the State. The accumulation of centuries of 

 growth was present in our trees, and to the citizens of Pennsylvania, 

 during the past forty years, this forest growth was a valuable gift, 

 inherited or purchased at a nominal price. The wonderful devel- 

 opment of the country -during this period has made a demand for 

 timber, which the lumbermen supplied, disposing at a profit this 

 raw material, which required but little intermediary work to pre- 

 pare for market. The professional lumberman, with his army of 

 employes, has lost his occupation and has left Pennsylvania for 

 other harvest fields. Since the forests have disappeared, the farmer 

 who remains, no longer has a timber tract to enter, cut and dispose 

 of in payment of his debts or to enrich his bank account. We have 

 suddenly come to realize that our forests are gone, and with them 

 has disappeared one of our most valuable sources of wealth. 



We have begun none too soon to attempt to remedy the serious 

 injury which this industry has suffered through the past reckless 

 waste of our resources as a timber producing State. The problem 

 of another crop is now upon us for solution, a problem of no ordi- 

 nary difficulty, but one that will take years of patient, intelligent 

 effort on the part of our public and private citizens to properly 

 solve. A beginning has been made in Pennsylvania by the enact- 

 ment of such legislation as forms a broad and strong foundation for 

 future work. 



Authority is granted to the Commissioner of Forestry for the 

 purchase of lands, suitable for forest purposes, at tax sales, at a 

 price not to exceed the amount of taxes for the non-payment of 

 which the lands are being sold, together with the added costs. He 

 has also authority, subject to the approval of the Board of Property 

 of the State, to purchase forest lands at a price to be agreed upon 

 and approved by the Board of Property, and not to exceed the as- 

 sessed value of the property, and in no event to be above fS.OO 

 per acre. 



