250 Philosophy of Botany. 



administration, after the methods of the European, especially 

 the German, forestry. 



Here it was for the first time that recoj^nition was g-iven to 

 the necessity of regular forestry administration, having in 

 view not only the preset-vation, hut also the exploitation, man- 

 agement, and rejuvenating of the forests, after the example 

 of the German forestry system, through educated professional 

 forest officers. 



One would think that the readiness with which the energetic 

 President Cleveland responded to the proposition of the com- 

 mission would have been received with the greatest satisfac- 

 tion and immediate acceptance in the halls of Congress. On 

 the contrary, it raised a storm of indignation amongst Repre- 

 sentatives as well as in the Senate. Especially the latter suf- 

 fered itself to be influenced by those great combines which 

 drew enormous revenues from the despoliation of the woods, 

 selling the lands afterwards again to actual settlers. Gov- 

 ernment supervision would have put an end to their specula- 

 tions. A bill passed the House setting aside the proclamation. 

 It was returned with the President's veto. The matter was 

 laid over until March i, 1898, and a resolution passed that the 

 new reservations should be again surveyed, and remain as 

 such, provided that not before the expiration of said time they 

 should have been otherwise disposed of. It is evident that 

 no change will occur from Mr. Cleveland's policy. 



An actual beginning of a national forest administration 

 has furthermore taken place through the issue of regulations 

 of the General Land Commissioner in Washington, who is in- 

 trusted with the supervision of the forest reservations con- 

 cerning the sale at public auction of all timbers allowed to be 

 cut on the public lands. The felling and transporting of the 

 logs is also governed by specific regulations. 



The first methodic and scientific • forest administration is, 

 since a few years, engaged in active work upon the extensive 

 possessions of Mr. George Vanderbilt in Biltmore, N. C. The 

 forest administration is under the direction of Dr. C. A. 

 Schenck, a graduate of the Universit}^ of Giessen, Germany. 

 A forestry school has been opened in the same place. 



]\Ir. Vanderbilt has furthermore made a proposition to the 



