172 



THE FORESTER. 



as wheat or corn. In the old days, when 

 most of our land laws were framed, timber 

 was regarded practically in the same light 

 as stone useful up to a certain point for 

 mechanical purposes, but, where present 

 in excess of immediate needs, to be cleared 

 away, even by the most wasteful processes, 

 for the sake of getting at the soil under- 

 neath. In view of the better understand- 

 ing of this subject now, our forest re- 

 sources must be considered quite apart 

 from any mere question of land measure- 

 ment or the registration of titles. More- 

 over, the General Land Office is bv all its 

 traditions a political bureau. One set of 

 lawyers and surveyors and accountants 

 may go out and another set may come in, 

 and barring the advantage which always 

 comes from familiarity with the official 

 routine, the new men may do their work 

 about as well as the old men. Forest ad- 

 ministration, on the other hand, is not a 

 matter of routine at all, but a scientific 

 function, calling for certain expert knowl- 

 edge and experience. As such, it should 

 be wholly under control of a scientific 

 bureau, whose field force is recruited, not 

 by miscellaneous appointments from pri- 

 vate life, but from the graduates of such 

 forestry schools as the one now in full op- 

 eration at Cornell University, and that 

 more lately founded at Yale. New York 

 E'ccning "Post. 



The Minnesota 

 Park. 



forest and Stream 

 quotes the following from 

 Elbert Hubbard in the Philistine : 



The earth is for the people," said 



\Vm. Morris. "It is ours while we are 



here, but let us leave it, as we would leave 



:i rented house, neat and orderly and beau- 



\ve found it. Are we vandals that 



should ruthlessly destroy and disfigure 



< rod's property ? " 



I have visited that beautiful tract of land 



in Minnesota; I know its beauty, and can 



value as a place of rest and heal- 



tor the tired, overworked sons and 



daughters of rarth. I know of no man 



'"i-kinjr to carry this plan through who 



in a dollar by it. The men who 



oppose it are out for the money. I hope 



that the good women and the unselfish 

 men will win and that Congress will see 

 that the earth and its blessings and beau- 

 ties are for all the people, not for the few ; 

 for those who live now and the many who 

 shall follow us. 



We owe it to the unborn that we shall 

 leave this earth in as good order, if not 

 better, than we found it. To-morrow we 

 go let us remember our brothers and 

 sisters who shall live here when we are 

 gone. And if our simple actions now 

 shall make life's burdens lighter for them 

 lessen their cares and add to their joys 

 we shall not have lived in vain. 



Cleaning of Timber- " The chief fire warden 

 Slashings Com- o f tn ; s g tate (Minnesota) 

 pulsory. , . \* > 



believes that timber own- 



ers should be compelled by law to burn 

 their timber slashings every spring before 

 dry weather sets in. This would remove 

 a great menace to the forests that is 

 especially dangerous during such dry sea- 

 sons as the present. Many lumbermen do 

 this now and have been saved many 

 thousands of dollars' worth of property by 

 their forethought. Those .who do not 

 should be compelled to in the opinion of 

 the fire warden, who has recently been in- 

 vestigating conditions in the northern part 

 of the Stake." Mississippi Galley Lum- 

 berman. 







Permits to enter " Although but one season 

 the Reserves, and part of another upon the 

 reserve, I would suggest for your consider- 

 ation the adoption of one rule, and that it 

 should be adhered to strictly, and that is 

 this : ' No individual should enter the re- 

 serve for any purpose whatever, without 

 first obtaining a permit from the superin- 

 tendent or supervisor in charge of that divi- 

 sion, or some one of the rangers under his 

 supervision.' This permit should plainly 

 state ' his name, age and residence, what 

 portion of the reserve he wished to visit, 

 and object, length of time he wished to 

 remain, etc.' This, you, the people, and 

 those in authority may think would cause 

 quite a good deal of work, and is unneces- 

 sary, but I answer you by saying: 'Any- 



