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AMERICAN FORESTRY 



organized, without a definite amount of work of a par- 

 ticular character, are worse than useless. 



Each excursion for the purpose of studying forestry 

 should emphasize and illustrate one or more definite facts 

 that relate to the forest. For instance, one excursion 

 may be given to seed dispersal and the various forms of 

 fruits and seeds that make it effective ; another to germi- 

 nation and the conditions in the woods most favorable 

 for it; another to growing space and the conditions 

 under which the different kinds of trees grow best; an- 

 other to the longevity of the different species ; another to 

 the enemies of the forest ; another to the variations in 

 the ability of different trees to endure shade ; and so on 

 through the various life processes and relationships that 

 systematically lead the pupil to useful knowledge of the 



almost entirely upon the personality and qualifications of 

 the teacher. Field excursions as intellectual discipline 

 can be made the most productive of results, or they can 

 be made the most barren. 



Not only should some forestry as well as some agri- 

 culture be taught as a part of nature study in the primary 

 grades, but in the grammar grades it should be taught 

 as a part of geography, civil government and United 

 States history. 



In recent years our text-books in the above subjects 

 touch more and more upon the field of agriculture and 

 forestry. We appreciate more keenly than at any prev- 

 ious time the influence of the forest upon the economic, 

 social and political development of the country. As yet, 

 however, a beginning has been made in placing forestry 



BLACKBOARD WORK IN FOREST STUDY IN A WASHINGTON PUBLIC SCHOOL 



These are pupils of the eighth grade, and enthusiastic students of tree life and the structure of wood. These classes first arouse the sympathies 

 for vocations and professions which later give the opportunity for useful and profitable effort, and it is the duty of the schools to supply both 

 vocational training of this nature and the incentive to do well. 



forest. The student will soon see that each plant com- 

 munity has its own particular kind of soil, its own par- 

 ticular species, its particular forms of animal life, but 

 withal a unit of vegetation in which each living plant and 

 animal is dependent in one way or another upon its 

 associates. These excursions, if properly conducted, can 

 be productive of the most serious reflection and thought 

 on the part of the young pupil and of the highest value 

 as a discipline in intellectual attainment. 



The material for nature study afforded by the forest 

 is almost unlimited. Its selection and method of use 

 must be determined by the qualifications of the teacher. 

 Its relative importance as an intellectual discipline, the 

 usefulness of the knowledge acquired, and, most of all, 

 its stimulation of the young mind toward a wholesome 

 love for nature and the desire to know and to do, depend 



where it ought to be in the public schools. Grammar 

 school courses in geography should include a rather de- 

 tailed account of the near-by forests, their kinds, dis- 

 tribution, economic value and principal products; also 

 an account of the forests of the state, their area, owner- 

 ship, relation to the industries of the state, their products 

 and economic importance; and also an account of the 

 forests of the United States, their ownership, forest 

 regions, their economic importance in individual and 

 social development, and their principal products. 



In connection with courses in civil government, a study 

 should be made of forestry in its relation to national and 

 state governments, the use of land, absolute forest land, 

 the necessity for forest removal, and how forests have 

 influenced our industrial and political development. Lum- 

 bering should be considered as an industry, and its 



