FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION January 



forestry that is, enlightened manage- agement as a paying business has been 



ment based on an accurate forecast of done by the Bureau, it is far from my 



what a forest can be made to produce wish that the Bureau should continue 



in the future is impossible without full to control operations for private owners 



knowledge of all the forces, natural and any longer than there is a clear and im- 



artificial, which affect its productive- perative need. It has already entered 



ness. This involves a careful study of on the policy of detaching from its staff 



lumbering methods on the one hand and competent men to take charge of private 



of the forest itself on the other. The operations when called upon to do so, in 



Bureau has now in its possession as the spite of the fact that it needs the services 



result of this cooperative work the tabu- in its own work of all the trained for- 



lated results of studies in many states esters it has as }-et been able to secure, 



from Maine to California and from The government service, however, is the 



Florida to Washington, representing a natural goal toward which most ambi- 



total of recorded individual measure- tious students of forestry will strive, 



ments in the forest, the number of which because of the superior opportunities of 



would mount to scores of millions. training which it affords. 



This vast mass of material has been SCIENTIFIC INVESTIGATION OF FOREST 

 gathered mainly at the private expense 

 of the owners, who have received the 



expert assistance of the Bureau. Its There is danger that the attention 

 possession makes it possible continually which the work of the Bureau in pro- 

 to enlarge the field of forestry. It has moting the actual management of forests 

 been secured by making its accumula- "naturally receives may obscure the im- 

 tion go hand in hand with practical re- portance of the investigations which it 

 suits. Every working plan prepared is conducting along other lines. These 

 and put in operation has meant both the investigations are largely scientific in 

 preservation of a source of national scope and method, but always entirely 

 wealth and an addition to the knowl- practical in purpose and outcome. The 

 edge necessary for the wise use of the Bureau is the recognized source of in- 

 public as well as the private forests of formation for the country on all forest 

 the land. subjects. The volume of its great and 

 Two considerations must be urged in growing correspondence, due to this, is 

 connection with present conditions. The one evidence of its usefulness. It is con- 

 first is that cooperation is now supplying ducting experiments along lines which 

 the Bureau with what it needs for gov- have received the enthusiastic approval 

 eminent work at a less cost than would of engineers, constructors, and the like, 

 be required to secure the same result to determine the strength of timbers. It 

 independently. The second is that the is discovering how to treat cheap woods 

 speedy introduction of management on with preservatives so as to make it corn- 

 private lands is a matter of pressing im- mercially practicable to substitute them 

 Forest preservation is nee- for more expensive kinds, thus virtually 

 sary in the interest of the public wel- adding new sources of valuable supply. 

 Forest destruction on a large scale It has inaugurated a new method of 

 It can be checked gathering crude turpentine which has 

 lowing that it is possible to revolutionized within a single year the 

 without destroying them, naval stores industry of the United 

 Forestry is doing this, States, with an annual output of $13,- 

 no other agency which can 000,000 worth of turpentine and rosin, 

 Bureau does not put forth whereby the yield of turpentine is nearly 

 y endeavor to introduce conservative doubled, with practically the same ex- 

 inent among private owners, the pense for labor, and the Hfe of the tree 

 interest wil suffer which yie lds the turpentine is greatly 

 \\ hile it is true that hitherto virtually prolonged 



bat has been done in this In the fall of 1902 this new system 



ry to introduce conservative man- had been experimentally in commercial 



