3 



THE FORESTER. 



December, 



For a State 

 Forest School 



"Forests and Salubrity." Mr. R. W. 

 Powell followed taking for bis subject 

 ''The Relation of the Forests of Ten- 

 nessee to the Manufacturing- Industries." 

 At the evening session Professor Chas. A. 

 Keffer addressed the members of the Asso- 

 ciation on "Forestry a Problem in Econ- 

 omics." 



The second day of the meeting was 

 opened with a paper on " Arbor Day," by 

 Hon. Morgan C. Fitzpatrick, Superin- 

 tendent of Public Instruction. The Asso- 

 ciation then proceeded to elect officers for 

 the ensuing year, the following being the 

 result: Col. J. B. Killebrew, President; 

 Prof. Chas. A. Keffer, of Knoxville, First 

 Vice-President; Dr. B. J. Ramage, of 

 Sewanee, Second Vice-President; L. E. 

 Rehse, of Memphis, Third Vice-President ; 

 Dr. L. C. Glenn, Secretary and Treasurer ; 

 R. \V. Powell, J. H. Baird, Dr. J. I. D. 

 Hinds, and J. E. Goodwin, Executive 



Council. 



J* 



At its next session the 

 Legislature of Pennsyl- 

 vania will be asked to es- 

 tablish a School of Forestry. Its object 

 will be to educate and train young men to 

 take charge of and care for the immense 

 forest reservations which the State is ac- 

 quiring. In round numbers these reserva- 

 tions scattered through the central and 

 eastern portions of the Commonwealth 

 already exceed 400,000 acres. 



The scheme of a State Forest School is a 

 very comprehensive one. The number of 

 its students will be limited. They will be 

 educated and supported at the State's ex- 

 pense, but in return they must give bond 

 to refund the amount expended in their 

 education if they leave the employ of the 

 Commonwealth. Dr. J. T. Rothrock, 

 Commissioner of Forestry for Pennsyl- 

 vania, in an interview printed in the Phila- 

 delphia Press, has the following to say 

 regarding the proposed school : 



" I want to establish a School of For- 

 estry with a first class of twenty boys. I 

 would have them selected by competitive 

 examination, after which they would have 

 t<> undergo a physical examination to 

 demonstrate that they have the health and 

 strength necessary to become foresters. 

 Having sucessfully passed these require- 

 ments the applicant would then be entered 

 as a forest apprentice. This would entitle 



him to receive his board and lodging at the 

 expense of the State, and a small sum of 

 money each month for clothing. 



"As to the school itself I would make 

 the term necessary to graduation full six 

 years. In addition to the forester now 

 employed by the State, I would have an 

 additional teacher to give instruction in 

 mathematics, surveying, and road-making, 

 and an additional instructor familiar with 

 trees and the animal life of this State. 

 That would constitute the faculty of the 

 School. 



" Before any student could enter the 

 School he would be compelled to give sub- 

 stantial bond to reimburse the State for all 

 the expense it might incur in his educa- 

 tion and care, if at any time within the 

 first two years he should fail in his ex- 

 amination or be dismissed for cause. Dur- 

 ing these first years the apprentice would, 

 under the personal supervision of his in- 

 structors, pass at least three days each 

 week in actual work in the State forests. 

 The remainder of his time, excluding va- 

 cations, would be spent in classes and in- 

 door work. Only such studies as would 

 be of practical benefit to him as a forester 

 would be included in the curriculum of 

 the school. 



"At the end of two years, if the stu- 

 dent has passed his examinations success- 

 fully and given additional satisfactory 

 bond, he would be advanced to the grade 

 of Cadet and wear a uniform. By virtue 

 of his position he would be recognized as 

 an officer of the State and clothed with 

 power to make arrests and act as peace- 

 officer on State reservations. He would 

 be placed in charge of small classes of 

 beginners, to familiarize himself with 

 the work of directing and managing men. 



"At the end of the third year he would 

 be granted a larger allowance for clothing 

 and the close of the fourth year would see 

 him advanced to the grade of Assistant 

 Forester. He would then be entitled to a 

 suitable change in uniform and additional 

 compensation. At the close of the sixth 

 year, having passed all of his examina- 

 tions successfullv, he would receive a 

 diploma and the degree of Forester. The 

 ranks of the school would be filled by the 

 admission each year, after the first year, 

 of a limited number of students, not to 

 exceed twenty, by competitive examina- 

 tion. 



