640 



AMERICAN FORESTRY 



with personality and carrying it through 

 all its forest struggles. These reach 

 hundreds of thousands of children and 

 the distribution of so many tons of ma- 

 terial to the teachers by small mail and 

 express packages is a serious under- 

 taking. We also find a good oppor- 

 tunity in Arbor Day ceremonies, pre- 

 paring material to be issued by State 

 school superintendents in a special bul- 

 letin to teachers \vith instructions to 

 make it part of the regular program. 



One of the most pretentious projects 

 we have undertaken is a technical man- 

 ual of forest management for the Pa- 

 cific Coast. Dealing not only with for- 

 est economics and protection, but even 

 more with silvicultural problems and 

 reforestation possibilities, it is practi- 

 cally the first western book of the kind 

 and has wide circulation. It is used as 

 a text-book in every American foiv-t 

 school, is in most important librarie-. 

 and was listed by New York State 

 among 1300 best books out of ll.inin 

 printed in 1911. Peculiar value of such 

 a book as a sentiment-maker lies in that 

 it carries forestry to the lumberman 

 who would not read it elsewhere and 

 carries his practical problems to the 

 technical forest school. 



We find both daily and technical press 

 of value almost exactly in proportion 

 to our systematizing its use. It is of 

 great importance to reach the small 

 country papers whose readers both use 

 fire and exert much influence in legis- 

 lation. To keep their interest we give 

 them real news, using it as a peg on 

 which to hang propaganda matter, and 

 do this regularly. We send out to all 

 our local associations and to State and 

 Government officials blank forms ask- 

 ing for information, as for example on 

 the fire situation at given times, and 

 have these returned to us simultaneously 

 so we can compile accurate up-to-date 

 bulletins. These are so written that 

 they can be shortened without rewriting 

 and go promptly to about 800 papers 

 with a release date like Associated 

 Press dispatches. The papers know 

 they can depend on these bulletins and 

 use them widely. Occasionally we ac- 

 company them with lighter material like 

 verse, which is very effective, or with 



editorials. I have yet to see a single 

 unfavorable expression upon the West- 

 ern Forestry and Conservation Asso- 

 ciation in any newspaper and we get 

 many letters and notices of approval. 

 I attribute much of this good will to 

 our systematic wav of giving them news 

 that they cannot get else\vhere, when 

 it is new and in newspaper style. 



Another publicity method both cheap 

 and effective is to furnish material to 

 others who will use it at their own 

 expense over their own name. \\ V 

 send copy for fire warnings to State 

 foresters and associations, suggest no- 

 tices to be put up by railroads in cai> 

 and stations, and devise mottoes to go 

 on checks and stationery Every trans- 

 continental railroad traversing our terri- 

 tory has our lire warning material in its 

 summer time-folders. Telephone com- 

 panies print it in their directories, and 

 tell readers that exchange operators 

 will put them in touch with fire war- 

 dens. Counties put guide-boards at 

 road-crossings saying it is 10 miles to 

 a certain town and do not start fires on 

 the way. Many official State report-- 1>\ 

 In-anN and commissions present for- 

 estry material exactly as we write it for 

 them. Speeches and reports before 

 women's clubs and miscellaneous con- 

 ventions are often supplied by us in 

 full to the speakers or committees 

 called upon to investigate the subject. 

 Let any agency establish willingness to 

 furnish such matter, and a reputation 

 for absolute reliability and impartiality 

 and it soon reaches audiences it could 

 not appear before in any other way. 

 Similarly it is often better to give a 

 good article to a staff newspaper or 

 magazine writer than to submit it your- 

 self. He makes the money, but your 

 doctrine appears without the discount 

 of your own known special interest. 



I could continue the list of such sug- 

 gestions almost indefinitely, including 

 calendars, framed pictures teaching 

 some fire lesson to be put up in school 

 houses, special folders to be handed 

 patrons of garages and livery stables, 

 combination game and fire law cards to 

 be given sportsmen by gun-stores and 

 license officials, the printing of like ma- 

 terial on guide maps, stamped plates to 



