102 



FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION 



March 



to both the trade and consumers as soon 

 as the field notes can be properly worked 

 up. The work is in charge of Mr. Alfred 

 K. Chittenden, who is at present in the 

 field with a party on the Santee River 

 in South Carolina. A second party is 

 at work in Missouri. 

 Jt 



Canadian It is announced that the 



Pacific's Canadian Pacific Rail- 



Enterprise, way is preparing to re- 

 claim a large tract of 

 land located a little east of Calgary, in 

 Alberta. The tract is 150 miles long 

 by 60 miles wide and contains 5,700,000 

 acres. 



The preliminary surveys are complete 

 and it is estimated that about i ,500,000 

 acres can be put under irrigation at a 

 cost approximating $3.00 per acre. 



* 



Meetings An open meeting of the 



of Foresters. Societyof American For- 

 esters was held at the 

 residence of Mr. Gifford Pinchot, Thurs- 

 day, February 1 1. 



The first speaker was Mr. John S. 

 Foley, who, in the absence of Mr. Ra- 

 phael Zon, presented for the latter gen- 

 tleman an interesting study of chestnut 

 carried on over parts of Anne Arundel, 

 Calvert, Charles, and Prince George 

 counties, in Maryland. The discussion 

 was illustrated by novel diagrams based 

 on the curves secured from the surveys, 

 and included comparative data secured 

 from seedling and coppice growth. 



Mr. Charles A. Scott, in charge of the 

 planting reserve at Halsey, Nebraska, 

 outlined the work which has been done 

 in establishing the forest nursery at that 

 point, with a general statement of the 

 methods employed in raising the seed- 

 lings, results secured in planting in the 

 Sand Hills, and the expense per 1,000 

 seedlings of the various operations. 

 The original nursery has received two 

 additions, one of which employs a new 

 style of movable sun-screens. 



The following Thursday the meeting 

 took place in room 135, in the offices of 

 the Bureau of Forestry. 



Mr. Potter named the ten principal 

 objections which are offered to the estab- 

 lishment of forest reserves, and showed 



the mistaken conceptions which are so 

 largely responsible for this opposition. 



Mr. H. J. Tompkins talked of the 

 California forests from the point of view 

 of a fire study. He believes that the 

 incessant surface fires are out of all 

 proportion to the needs of the situa- 

 tion, and are the result of the most gen- 

 eral carelessness and indifference. The 

 troublesome and useless chaparral is 

 largely due to the action of repeated 

 fires. The most obvious remedy is first 

 to decrease the number of fires, in order 

 to accomplish which the people must be 

 made to realize the harm done by even 

 light burns. 



Mr. Hodge gave a general outline of 

 the plan for protection of California 

 forests, the field work for which was 

 partly done last summer under his su- 

 perintendence. 



Mr. Sudworth read resolutions on 

 the death of Mr. W. C. Whitney, an 

 associate member of the Society, which 

 were adopted by the members present. 

 It was ordered that a copy be sent to 

 the bereaved family, and that the reso- 

 lutions be spread upon the records of 

 the Society. 



Extraordinary^ The eight corner poles 

 Timbers. that are to support the 



Washington State build- 

 ing at the World's Fair at St. Louis 

 have arrived. Seven of the poles are 

 100 feet long; the eighth is no feet 

 long. Each is squared to 24 inches for 

 its full length. 



With the poles came a round pole, 100 

 feet long, which will be used as the 

 flag-staff for the Hoo-Hoo House. The 

 poles are of Douglas fir, weigh 21,120 

 pounds, and contain 5,200 feet of tim- 

 ber. They were shipped on four flat 

 cars from Skagit county, near Tacoma, 

 and the freight bill was $1,100. 



The eight squared timbers are said to 

 be the most valuable pieces of timber, 

 aside from rare woods, ever cut. Their 

 great value lies -in their length. It is 

 not unusual to find a tree that will yield 

 a round and tapering pole of 100 feet 

 long, but it is very unusual to find one 

 which will permit of being squared to 

 24 inches for 100 feet of its length. 



