1900. 



AMERICAN FORESTRY ASSOCIATION. 



183 



most all parts of the world. Slow grow- 

 ing or fast growing seems to be, to a cer- 

 tain extent at least, an inherent specific 

 quality. The rate of growth may be 

 slightly changed by changing the environ- 

 ment, but ordinarily a slow grower is a 

 slow grower even under the most favor- 

 able conditions. There are in Cuba a 

 large proportion of rapid growers, quite as 

 many I believe in proportion to the num- 

 ber of species as exist in temperate cli- 

 mates. 



The soil of Cuba is fertile, her climate 

 is good, and her location is excellent. As 

 an instance of the productivity of the soil 

 I might mention that cane once properly 

 planted is good for twenty years. In 

 Louisiana it is planted almost every two or 

 three years. 



Her beauty and quaintness are equal 

 to that of southern Spain and Morocco. 

 The north shore, which is the pleas- 

 antest part, is within seventy hours of 

 New York City. The northern shore of 

 Cuba will some day be the Riviera of 

 America. The amount of material which 

 has been produced in Cuba in times past is 



immense. The surface of the soil has 

 been merely scratched with imperfect 

 ploughs. A large proportion of the land 

 is level or rolling and easily cultivated. 

 In addition there are vast mountainous re- 

 gions capable of supporting magnificent 

 forests. In the Tropics however it is more 

 difficult to classify land than in the tem- 

 perate regions. The choicest fruits are 

 often produced in the unlikeliest spots. 

 The soil is generally good. A soil which 

 is barren in the North may be exceedingly 

 productive in the Tropics. Humification 

 is also much more rapid. Peat never ac- 

 cumulates owing to the rapidity of the de- 

 composition of organic matter. This is 

 due of course mainly to the climate but 

 also to an abundant fauna of the soil which 

 ventilates it, and thus hastens humification. 

 What Cuba needs above all things is a 

 botanic garden andforestal and agricultural 

 experimental station to demonstrate her 

 possibilities. Although no longer the 

 brightest jewel in the crown of Isabella 

 she is still the gem of the Antilles, the 

 most promising island of the American 

 Tropics. 



FOREST LAW IN THE UNITED STATES. 



(Continued from the July number.) 

 BY TREADWELL CLEVELAND, JR. 



VI. THE ORIGIN OF THE DIVISION OF 

 FORESTRY. 



In following the course of the National 

 timber laws we have somewhat anticipated 

 events. 



On August 15, 1876, there was ap- 

 proved an appropriation act by an amend- 

 ment to which the Commissioner of Agri- 

 culture was authorized to "appoint a man 

 of approved attainments and practically 

 acquainted with the methods of statistical 

 inquiry," who should report to that com- 

 missioner upon the salient facts regarding 

 the forest conditions of this country and 

 upon the example of foreign countries in 

 forest work. Under this authority, Com- 



missioner Frederick Watts appointed Dr. 

 F. B. Hough. 



This provision of law resulted from a 

 meeting of the American Association for 

 the Advancement of Science in 1873, 

 which had appointed a committee to me- 

 morialize Congress, and which had pre- 

 sented a bill to both the forty-third and to 

 the forty-fourth Congress without avail. 



In 1 88 1 the appointment, which till then 

 had been continued from year to year, re- 

 ceived for the first time a special appro- 

 priation, the appointee becoming the chief 

 of an established administrative division 

 in the United States Department of Agri- 

 culture the Division of Forestry. Dr. 



