104 



THE FORESTER. 



May, 



seeking practical instruction where and 

 when he can, seems to be in favor, for 

 the College of Forestry at the University 

 of Munich shows by far the largest at- 

 tendance namely, 140 students during 

 the last term, more than double that of 

 the best attended separate schools, ex- 

 cepting only its own preparatory school 

 at Aschaffenburg, the total number of 

 students inscribed at all the eight forestry 

 schools being 587. 



I should be inclined to advise Ameri- 

 can students, if they can find the oppor- 

 tunity, to begin their forestry education 

 in some well-conducted lumber camps, 

 in actual employment, either before or 

 after the Freshman and Sophomore 

 years of their college education, so as 

 to learn the practical side of forest ex- 

 ploitation forestry, largely, being mere- 

 ly an improvement on lumbermen's 

 practice. Then after laying the founda- 

 tion of theoretical knowledge in profes- 

 sional forestry at the Cornell State Col- 

 lege of Forestry, or wherever else it may 

 be attainable with as much practical 

 demonstration in this country, a visit to 

 European forest districts for inspection 

 of object lessons, which are, as yet, not 

 at hand in this country, would be advis- 

 able. Such a visit after the theoretical 

 instruction will be more instructive and 

 helpful than if timed otherwise. 



As to qualifications, we must not over- 

 look the fact that forestry, like all other 

 professions, when once established, will 

 soon call for specialization. We shall 

 need not only captains, but lieutenants 

 and privates, managers as well as in- 

 structors, investigators, etc. In the 

 end, therefore, the qualifications re- 

 quired for this profession are no more 

 nor less than for any other. 



Yet before the profession is further 

 established, I would not advise to enter 

 it, any one who is not possessed with a 

 spirit of enterprise and independent 

 thinking, who has not the capacity for 

 finding a way where none is marked out 

 for him, and whohas not a large amount 

 of business sense or gumption. For 

 finally the fully-equipped forester is a 

 business manager, whose business it is 

 to turn into profit the product of a forest 



property sustained incontinuous revenue- 

 producing capacity. This under our 

 economic conditions is not easy and re- 

 quires judgment. Judgment, to be sure, 

 is formed by experience, nevertheless 

 there is a disposition of mind which 

 ripens experience into judgment, sooner 

 in some than in others. It is alertness 

 of observation and capacity for combi- 

 nation which we call practical sense. 

 The student, therefore, should be sure 

 that he possesses this disposition, that 

 he is interested in technical, as well as 

 in practical things, such as the manage- 

 ment of a property represents. 



I may only add, that at the newly- 

 established New York State College of 

 Forestry, the aim is to run it on broad 

 University principles, allowing students 

 who have attained the proper degree of 

 knowledge in their Freshman and Sopho- 

 more years in Natural Sciences, Mathe- 

 matics and other supplemental branches, 

 to elect their forestry studies in 

 the Junior and Senior years as they 

 desire, except those studying for a de- 

 gree, who are expected to elect a com- 

 plete prescribed course. As much prac- 

 tical demonstration as possible is given 

 during the terms, and there is more 

 opportunity for this than had been an- 

 ticipated. The summer vacations are to 

 be spent in practical work in the experi- 

 ment forest or wherever else an oppor- 

 tunity may offer. 



The beginning has been encouraging, 

 for during the first two terms there have 

 been in attendance in the five strictly 

 forestry courses (excluding duplication 

 of names in the different courses and 

 also excluding students of the College 

 in the Freshman and Sophomore years), 

 thirty-six students, taking either one or 

 several courses namely, students of 

 Civil Engineering, Architecture, Agri- 

 culture, Political Economy, besides those 

 who propose to make forestry their pro- 

 fession. The experiment forest coming 

 into the possession of the College only 

 by the 1st of April, the work has not 

 yet begun ; but the students will be 

 largely employed in making the neces- 

 sary surveys and working plans. 



B. E. Fernow. 



