February 12 1903] 



NA TURE 



03 J 



of the Memorie delta Societa degli Spellroscopisli Italiani, 

 Signor Antonio Sauve describes a new form of spectroscope 

 which he has devised and calls the " Filtro Spettroscopico." 



This instrument enables an observer to view directly, or to 

 photograph, the monochromatic image of any object which 

 emits light of the desired wave-length. 



Among the various observations for which the author suggests 

 the instrument may be used, he includes the observing of 

 prominences and other solar phenomena, and claims the follow- 

 ing advantages for his method over the methods now practised : — 

 (1) The prominences on the whole of the solar disc may be 

 observed visually, and (2) the surface maybe observed, visually 

 or photographically, as a whole, instead of having to be taken 

 in sections as is done at present. 



Report of the United States Naval Observatory. — 

 This comprehensive report deals with the work done during the 

 fiscal year ending June 30, tox>2, and is full of interesting 

 descriptions of the methods employed and the results obtained. 



A large diurnal temperature change in the azimuth constant 

 of the 6-inch transit circle has been eliminated by substituting 

 brick and Portland cement piers for the marble piers on which 

 the instrument formerly rested. 



With the 26-inch equatorial, important work has been done in 

 determining the diameters of the planets and their satellites, 

 and, by comparing the diameters oblained at night-lime with 

 those obtained at twilight, the constants of the variations due 

 to irradiation have been determined. The results are given in 

 a complete and interesting table. The value for irradiation in 

 the case of Mars varies from o"'70 when the planet is in 

 aphelion to i"'02 when it is in perihelion, and should, there- 

 fore, always be taken into account in observations made at 

 different epochs. 



During the year, photographs of the sun were obtained with 

 the 40-feet photoheliograph on 200 days, and these showed the 

 presence of spots on 45 days. Although the average number 

 of spots for the whole year is less than during the previous year, 

 the average frequency from October to July is slightly greater, 

 thus indicating that the sun-spot minimum has probably been 

 passed. 



Reports on the 12-inch equatorial, the prime vertical transit 

 instrument and 5-inch altazimuth, the magnetic and meteor- 

 ological sections, and several other instruments and departments 

 are also given in detail. 



A new 18-inch refractor is being made by Messrs. Alvan 

 Clark and Sons for Amherst College Observatory. 



We are pleased to learn that the recent fire at Yerkes did 

 no injury to the 40-inch refractor, but some damage was done 

 in the coelostat room. 



FORESTRY IN THE UNITED STATES OF 

 AMERICA. 



pWENTY years ago, the people of the United States did not 

 trouble themselves much about Iheir forests. It was said 

 that enormous areas were stocked with an inexhaustible amount 

 of timber and fuel. Since then a great change has taken place. 

 It has gradually been ascertained that, although the total forest 

 area is estimated at about 700 million acres, the average stand 

 does not amount to more than about five tons per acre, which is 

 equivalent to about one-tenth of what it would be in systemati- 

 cally managed forests ; in other word-', the stand of timber in 

 the United Stales forests is equal to the stand in about 70 

 million acres of forests such as are to be found in Germany 

 and a great portion of France. Since it has been ascertained 

 that the actual cuttings of limber in the United States exceed 

 already 100 million tons a year, it follows that the present stand 

 must be used up in about thirly years. Nor is the quantily re- 

 moved annually from the forests replaced by new growth, as 

 the latter has been estimated to amount to about 75 million 

 tons. Moreover, it must not be forgotten that the annual 

 forest fires destroy enormous quantities of material. 



As already stated, these matters began to attract attention 

 some twenty years ago. Thoughtful people wrote about ihem, 

 societies were formed, information collected and made available 

 to the general public. The State Governments issued regula- 

 tions so as to prevent further destruction by fire, and they 

 established certain State parks. Nor did the Federal Govern- 



NO. 1737, VOL. 67] 



ment neglect the matter. A Chief of the Forestry Division of 

 the Agricultural Department was appointed, Mr. Fernow, who 

 got together statistics and spread sound ideas regarding the 

 rational treatment of forests. He was succeeded, a few years 

 ago, by Mr. Gifford Pinchot. The latter went, about fourteen 

 years ago, to study forestry in Germany and France. After his 

 return to America, he set up in New York as a "consulting 

 forester" (though a very wealthy young gentleman). Mr. George 

 Yanderbilt engaged him to manage his forests at Biltmore, 

 now amounting to more than 100,000 acres, having for his 

 object to see whether systematic forestry can be made to pay in 

 the States. In this post Mr. Pinchot was succeeded, about 

 eight years ago, by Dr. Schenck, a first-class German forester. 



When Mr. Fernow left his post at Washington, he became 

 Professor and Dean of the Faculty of Forestry at Cornell 

 University, endowed by the State of New York with money, 

 and 30,000 acres of forest lands in the Adirondacks for systematic 

 management and practical instruclion. Soon after Mr. Gifford 

 Pinchot took up the post at Washington, he and his family pre- 

 sented Yale University with the sum of 30,000/. for the purpose 

 of endowing a second forest school in connection with the 

 University ; they also established a summer school for the study 

 of forestry by those who could not afford to proceed to a 

 regular degree at the University. According to the report for 

 1901-2, there were thirty-one students of forestry at Yale 

 University and twenty-seven attending the summer school. 



At Biltmore, Dr. Schenck has established a third forest 

 school, where, on October I, 1902, sixteen students were in 

 attendance. I had on two occasions the pleasure of conducting 

 students of this school through some of the most interesting 

 forests of south Germany (seven in 1900 and six in 1902), these 

 young gentlemen having, at the conclusion of their course at 

 Biltmore, come to see something of systematic forest manage- 

 ment in Europe. 



Apart from the above three higher schools, forestry is now 

 taught at about forty, other educational establishments in the 

 United States. In this way, quite a respectable number of well- 

 trained forest experts has become available, in addition to about 

 half-a-dozen j oung men who followed Mr. Pinchot's plan and 

 studied in Germany. 



The Federal Government has, by degrees, inaugurated a 

 systematic forest policy, progress having been specially rapid 

 since Mr. Pinchot became head of the Forestry Bureau. An 

 area of 46 million acres of Government land has been declared 

 (chiefly in Mr. Cleveland's time) " reservations," by Presidential 

 proclamation. These areas are situated in the west. And now 

 President Roosevelt has sent a message to the Senate and House 

 of Representatives recommending a national forest reserve of 

 considerable extent in the Southern Appalachian region, this 

 measure being, as he states, " an economic need of prime im- 

 portance to the welfare of the south, and hence to that of the 

 nation as a whole." 



Another matter vigorously taken up by the Bureau of 

 Forestry is the preparation of rational working plans for private 

 forests. A considerable number of field assistants have been 

 engaged, who are sent out to prepare working plans for the 

 forests of such private proprietors as apply for them. So great 

 has been the demand in this respect that, although last year 

 plans were prepared for more than one million acres, the field 

 assistants cuuld deal with only about one-tenth of the applications 

 received at the head office. 



All the while, the collection of statistics and dissemination ot 

 useful information proceeds at a most rapid rate. In this respect 

 I may mention that I have during the last three months received 

 the following reports and pamphlels : — 



(1) " The Timber Resources of Nebraska," by W. Hall, Super- 

 intendent of Tree Planting, Bureau of Forestry. 



(2) "Grazing in the Forest Reserve*," by Filibert Roth, of 

 the United States Department of the Interior, in charge of the 

 work in the Government forest reserves. 



(3) " A Working Plan for Southern Hardwoods and its 

 Results," by J. Foley, Field Assistant, Bureau of Forestry. 



(4) " A History of the Lumber Industry in the State of New 

 York," by Colonel W. Fox, Superintendent of Forests, New 

 York State. 



(5) "The Western Hemlock," by G. E. Allen, Field Assistant, 

 Bureau of Forestry. 



(6) The above-mentioned message by President Roosevelt, 

 transmitting a magnificent volume of reports on the forests, 

 rivers and mountains of the Southern Appalachian region. 



