1899. 



AMERICAN FORESTRY ASSOCIATION. 



105 



II. BY THE FORESTER OF THE BILTMORE ESTATE, BILT- 

 MORE, N. C. 



All thinking people realize that the 

 financial result of forestry consists in 

 part of a positive gain obtained, and in 

 part of economic losses avoided losses 

 threatening navigation, water supply, 

 public health, etc. And all must agree 

 that forestry on a large scale in the long 

 run is not possible unless it be found to 

 be remunerative one way or the other, 

 unless it be established as a well paying 

 business. 



The American forester, in almost any 

 position, must be a business man. 



Abroad, things may differ where large 

 forest areas are controlled by the common- 

 wealth and municipalities, or consist of 

 entailed property, institutions for which 

 business considerations do not hold good, 

 perhaps, altogether. In this country, at 

 least 85 per cent of all woodland is 

 owned by private individuals, who can- 

 not possibly be compelled to manage 

 their forests for the general welfare, when 

 such management interferes with the 

 owners' financial views. 



The American forester, being employed 

 for business purposes, must be well ac- 

 quainted above all with the economic con- 

 ditions of the various sections of the 

 United States, and more especially with 

 their lumber interests. The more time 

 he spends traveling in the woods, in the 

 lumber camps, in saw mills and wood- 

 working establishments, the better for 

 him. Knowledge thus acquired will be 

 more valuable to him, the business for- 

 ester, than a thorough acquaintance with 

 chemistry, physics, zoology, mineralogy, 

 geology and mathematics, with which for- 

 est students are packed full in Europe. 



If the American forest student mas- 

 ters the principles of botany, survey- 

 ing, political economy and private law, 

 he will not know enough to pass as an 

 expert, but enough to take a deep plunge 

 into any question connected with forest 

 botany, forest surveying and so on that 

 may present itself ; and if he finds the 

 question too difficult for his own head, 

 there are plenty of specialists to whom 



he may appeal for help. It is impossible 

 fo'r one single individual to be a thorough 

 botanist, zoologist, chemist, geologist, 

 mineralogist, surveyor, economist and 

 lawyer; besides, more important than the 

 theoretical knowledge, however valuable 

 it may be, is the practical knowledge for 

 the forester as a business man. It is 

 just as little feasible to study forestry 

 , from books or at a university alone, as it 

 is possible for the physician to become a 

 master in his branch unless he have 

 large experience in clinic and hospital 

 work. True, the physician must know 

 something of chemistry, of botany, and of 

 physics ; but it would be preposterous 

 for him to devote more time to the study 

 of such branches than will be justified 

 by the needs of the practice. 



A young man who is anxious to take 

 up forestry as a profession should, I 

 think, adopt the following course of 

 studies : 



The first year should be given to the 

 study of botany, surveying, political 

 economy, law and, to a certain extent, 

 mathematics, chemistry, physics and 

 geology. The proper place to study is 

 at a university, which offers concentrated 

 courses suited to the needs of the forest 

 student. 



The second year should be devoted to 

 the study of forestry under the guidance 

 of a forester of some experience and in a 

 range where forest administration is 

 conducted on a comparatively large scale. 

 If, as is the case at Biltmore, N. C, daily 

 lectures on forestry are given at the same 

 time, theyoung man will have a chance for 

 the study of forestry as well as for a sort 

 of apprenticeship, which we might com- 

 pare to the hospital or clinic practice of a 

 medical student. All operations in for- 

 estry (logging, road making, planting, 

 and whatever there be) repeat them- 

 selves, as a general rule, in the course of 

 a year. Thus a twelve-months study of 

 forestry at a place like Biltmore seems 

 sufficient. 



The third year should be spent partly 



