INDIANA'S PRIZE WINNING FORESTRY ESSAYS 



AS previously announced in American Forestry, 

 the 1920 contest for the best essay in forestry is 

 on and will be open until May 15, 1920. A prize 

 of five dollars has been offered by the State Division of 

 Forestry for the best essay from the seventh and eighth 

 grades, and a prize of $7.50 for the best essay from each 

 of the high school claszes. Interest and competition is 

 already warm among the students. Following are ex- 

 cerpts from some of the prize-winning essays for 1919. 



comes from the birch forests of the Northwest. The 

 walnut that is used for gunstocks is furnished by forest 

 trees. Trench, dugouts and other embankments are 

 often supported by timber from trees. Gas-masks are 

 important features in modern warfare. It is interesting to 

 know that the nuts used in making masks come largely 

 from forests. 



"An effective means of transportation is essential to 

 national defense in case of war. Railroads furnish one 



FOUR OF INDIANA'S FORESTRY ESSAY PRIZE WINNERS FOR 1919 

 Leland Williams, Jesse L. Baily, Alice Plane and Charles W. Hebbinghaus 



The topic chosen was, "The Relation of Forests to 

 National Defense," and Leland Williams, of Franklin, 

 Indiana, writes, in part: 



"There are three cardinal relations existing between 

 forests and national defense. The fact that few people 

 realize or recognize the importance of these relations, 

 does not lessen that importance but only gives a reason 

 for emphasizing it. The most important of these rela- 

 tions are those which exist between actual warfare and 

 forests. 



"The birch that is used in the manufacture of airplanes 



means of transportation. Millions of cross-ties are used 

 in a railroad system. Wooden ships also play an impor- 

 tant part as does the wooden box car. Barrels and 

 wharves are also used extensively. Timber, furnished 

 by forests, is very useful and necessary in time of war. 

 "Another important relation is the one that exists 

 between production and forests. Everyone knows that 

 during war-time one of the great problems is to feed 

 the army, navy and civilian population. In this emerg- 

 ency, forests again become of value as they help to con- 

 serve moisture by giving back through the leaves, in the 



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