Botany in Colorado 21 



SUMMER BOTANY FOR FORESTRY STUDENTS IN THE 



MOUNTAINS OF COLORADO 



RAYMOND J. POOL 



For a number of years it has been the custom of the forestry 

 students in the University of Nebraska to spend their summer 

 vacation in one of the National Forests. This custom is be- 

 coming stabalized, and in fact now the students begin early in 

 their course to plan to get out for a few weeks in order that 

 they may come in direct contact with the varied activities of a 

 great national forest. As a consequence of the desire to gain 

 this practical experience students of all grades from freshmen to 

 seniors may be found in such places throughout the west during 

 the summer months. Many of our students find employment in 

 the Rocky Mountain forests, especially in Colorado. Certainly 

 this is a fortunate selection for in no other region in the United 

 States will they meet with such varied forestal conditions or 

 such a wealth of information to be gained by constant associa- 

 tion through a few weeks with all these multifarious problems. 



Students are not employed as forest assistants in such work, 

 but they hire out as ordinary day laborers with the result that 

 they are found engaged in a wide range of work such as building 

 roads, constructing camps, carrying supplies, fighting fires, plant- 

 ing trees, cutting timber, etc., etc. Some few are fortunate 

 enough to secure the somewhat more dignified position of forest 

 guard. Regardless of the kind of work done the men are kept 

 very busy during the daily routine, and unless they are constantly 

 on the alert many most interesting observations may be lost 

 which, if made, might be of inestimable value in their future 

 career as scientific foresters. To be sure none such men have 

 time to carry on carefully planned research; indeed I have al- 

 ready indicated that many of them are not sufficiently advanced 

 in their chosen field to make this possible. And yet I believe 

 that they can derive much benefit not only from the practical 

 point of view, but also from the scientific standpoint, during the 

 course of such a summer's work, especially if they have been 

 provided with some general statements as to what they may 

 see, or directions to guide them in making scientific observations. 



The ability to do research depends first upon the investiga- 

 tor's ability to work up accurate data from the field or labora- 

 tory and then to deduce rational conclusions from these data. 

 He must be able to construct logical hypotheses and then to 

 demonstrate the truth or falsity of such hypotheses by careful 

 investigation. The collection of accurate data toward the solu- 



