1 68 



THE FORESTER. 



Agricultural Journals In reviewing Mr. 

 and Forestry. Bruncken's book on 



"North American Forests and Forestry" 

 the Nation recently said : " It is to the well- 

 informed agricultural journals throughout 

 the land that we must attribute much in- 

 fluence in helping to lift the weight of 

 despair which has so long discouraged con- 

 certed effort to save our forests. Through 

 evil report and ridicule, they have kept up 

 the fight against the universal spendthrift 

 policy which has hitherto characterized 

 all lumbering here. To them and to the 

 special forest journals must be given high 

 praise, if lumbering in our country ever 

 yields to wise forest management." This 

 is true and should not be forgotten. But 

 in attributing " much influence" to the ag- 

 ricultural journals, the Nation might lead 

 one to suppose that they have done all 

 there is in their power to do, and this is 

 hardly yet the case. How many of the 

 fanners in the country \vho are deliberately 

 trying to make their woodlots profitable 

 are aware for instance that they can now 

 have the expert advice of the Agricultural 

 Department's trained foresters for the ask- 

 ing, or know that this does not mean gen- 

 eral good counsel, but specific recom- 

 mendations for each separate farm, based 

 on a careful examination of its conditions 

 and needs? The dissemination of infor- 

 mation of this valuable sort is one of the 

 first objects for which the farmers' and 

 lumbermen's journals exist. Yet the cor- 

 respondence of the American Forestry As- 

 sociation shows that comparatively few 

 farmers know of this opportunity ; and 

 similarly that few lumbermen realize that 

 practically the same one is open to them. 

 The beautiful thoroughness of European 

 forestry, the grand extent of our national 

 reserves, and the size of the smaller, but 

 perhaps more impressive because more 

 familiar tracts of natural woodland, some- 

 times lead us to disregard small woodlots 

 and forest tracts, and the small improve- 

 ments which can be made in their manage- 

 ment. But yet though these improvements 

 may be so slight as to seem hardly worthy 

 of the name of forestry, they alone can 

 make all the difference between baneful 

 vaste and the economy whose results will 



be profitable to the individual and most 

 precious to the community. Until the 

 truth of this is generally recognized the 

 agricultural and lumber journals will not 

 have finished their work. So much more 

 still remains for them, that at times all 

 they have already accomplished seems to 

 be no more than a hint of encouragement 

 for future effort. 



< 



In Massachusetts Two publications which 

 and Michigan. i iave rec ently been issued 



by the State Forestry Commission of 

 Michigan and by the Massachusetts For- 

 estry Association show what can be done 

 in the way of State work. It is only when 

 each particular region is ready to take 

 hold of its own particular difficulties with 

 the earnestness which characterizes the ef- 

 forts in these two States that the best re- 

 sults can'be expected in the country at large. 



Michigan has only recently taken up 

 forestry and the chief problem which those 

 of its citizens, who realize its needs, now 

 have to deal with is the arousing of public 

 opinion and the creation of a popular 

 demand for good legislative and other 

 measures. For this reason the Commis- 

 sion has undertaken among other things 

 to secure the cooperation of the women's 

 clubs of the State. A list of fourteen 

 topics for discussion with necessary refer- 

 ences has been issued, and correspondence 

 regarding any of them is invited. They 

 are grouped in five classes ; those relating 

 to : i . The Primeval Forest of Michigan, 

 2. The Passing of the Forest, 3. Re- 

 fe/restration, 4. Interest of the State in 

 Reforestration, 5. Some Practical Prob- 

 lems. Three of the practical problems 

 are : How to plan a system of taxation in 

 aid of reforestration, How municipalities 

 can aid the work of reforestration, What 

 is the most efficient aid to be rendered by 

 the women's organizations in promoting 

 tree planting and forestry. The way in 

 which the women's clubs have taken hold 

 of the Minnesota Park project and the 

 work they have already done in Pennsyl- 

 vania has shown that much can be ex- 

 pected from them. 



Massachusetts is the State in which ef- 

 forts to preserve forests and trees and to 



