REPOET OF THE STATE FORESTER.* 



To the General Court. 



The first annual report of the State Forester covers a 

 period of less than six months. The act which established 

 the office did not go into effect until the first of last July. 

 At the time of my appointment I Avas State Forester for 

 Connecticut, and 1 could not get relieved from the duties of 

 that position until the 12tli of August, when I qualified for 

 the position in Massachusetts ; so the report which follows 

 covers only the time between the 12th of August and the 

 31st of December, 1904. 



Course in Forestry at the Agricultural College. 



The act which establishes this office makes it the duty of 

 the State Forester to give such a course of instruction to 

 the students of the Massachusetts Agricultural College on the 

 art and science of forestry as may be arranged for by the 

 trustees of the college and the forester. I have arranged 

 with the president of the college, Dr. Henry H. Goodell, 

 pending the sanction of the Board of Trustees, for a course 

 of twelve lectures and two field exercises. Several of these 

 lectures will deal with forestry in general ; the others will 

 be devoted to the forest prol^lems of Massachusetts, par- 

 ticularly those which arise in connection with farm wood 

 lots, these being the most appropriate for the consideration 

 of agricultural students. 



This year (1905) the course will be given in February 

 and March ; but hereafter it will probably be given in Jan- 

 uary, in order that special students taking the short winter 

 course at the college may have an opportunity of getting 

 some instruction in forestrv. The col]eo:e has a small wood 

 lot, for which a plan of management will be prepared, with 

 the assistance of the students. While this wood lot is not a 



* House Document, No. 113, 1905. 



