

THE FORESTER. 



March, 



the burned areas in the Adirondack region 

 are due to the carelessness of men employed 

 in these petty agricultural operations." 

 Fourth Annual Report of the New Tork 

 Forest, Fish and Game Commission, p. 

 329. 



J* 



Long-lived In good part owing to 



Trees for the efforts of the section 



Plantations. of Tree-planting of the 

 Division of Forestry in- 

 terest in tree growing has been increasing 

 rapidly in the region of the upper Missis- 

 sippi Valley. An agent of the Divison has 

 recently returned from that region, and 

 reports that the farmers in the territory 

 west of the Mississippi and north of the 

 40th parallel of latitude are awakening to 

 the importance of planting trees, especially 

 for economic purposes. The planters are 

 anxious to avoid the mistakes made during 

 the operation of the Timber Claim Act. 

 The groves now being planned are de- 

 signed to be permanent features on the 

 homesteads. 



To that end, the farmers will use a 

 greater proportion of long-lived slow- 

 growing species than formerly. The de- 

 mand for such hardy, drouth resisting 

 species as the Hackberry, Green Ash, 

 White Elm, Bur Oak, Red Elm, Red 

 Cedar, and Rock Pine (Bull Pine) prom- 

 ises to be greatly increased during the 

 next few years. The greatest present dif- 

 ficulty with which the prospective tree 

 planter has to contend is the fact that 

 commercial growers of nursery stock are 

 not supplied with this kind of material. 

 The nurseries still carry large quantities 

 of the short-lived kinds, such as Boxelder, 

 Cottonwood, Maple and Willow, but are 

 short on the more valuable species. 



The planting of conifers on the prairies 

 of the West during the past has not been 

 attended with general success. This is 

 partly owing to the use of eastern and in- 

 troduced trees which are not adapted to 

 the countn . There is abundant evidence, 

 however, that the Red Cedar and Rock 

 Pine (Hull Pine) will thrive throughout 

 this section. The desirability of ever- 

 ens tor wind-breaks on a bleak prairie 



should lead owners to turn their attention 

 to these hardy native species. 



J* 



Mr. Wadsworth At the request of the 

 on the Forest Editor of Forest and 



Commission. Stream, Mr. A. W. 



Wadsworth, President 

 of the New York Forest Fish and Game 

 Commission, has expressed his views on 

 the commission and its work in a letter in 

 which the following paragraphs refer 

 directly to the forests. 



"In answer to your request for my 

 views on the subject, I beg leave to say 

 that I think that the Forest, Fish and Game 

 Commission is an anomaly as at present 

 constituted, for reasons given under the 

 following heads. 



" The Commission is supposed to have 

 charge of the State lands, amounting to 

 hundreds of thousands of acres (1,384, 128) 

 valued at over ten millions of dollars, yet 

 divided into nearly six thousand separate 

 lots (5,974), some covered by valuable 

 timber, subject to forest fires, decay and 

 death ; others miles away from the rest, 

 surrounded by hotels and settlements, use- 

 less for game, timber or water supply, but 

 of great value for lease, sale or exchange. 



" But the Commission can make no 

 rules regarding them beyond the laws 

 enacted. The Constitution prohibits the 

 leasing of land or even the giving away of 

 dead timber, and the Legislature allows but 

 three foresters to look after this property. 



" At such time as the people feel that 

 they can" trust their officers and will with- 

 draw the constitutional provision regard- 

 ing them, the State forests should be put 

 in charge of an unpaid Commission, not 

 to exceed three members, who should have 

 absolute jurisdiction within their limits on 

 all matters pertaining to them, such as 

 water supply and pollution, game refuges 

 and protection and the control of camp- 

 ing parties. They should also be em- 

 powered, under proper restrictions, to ex- 

 change, lease or sell outlying lots, and to 

 practice forestry in a proper and conser- 

 vative manner under a well defined plan, 

 and should be allowed sufficient force 

 under their own control to do so." 



