980 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. XII. No. 313. 



labor, therefore, became at once necessary, 

 and provision was accordingly made for the 

 appointment of an engineer, 35 fish and 

 game protectors and foresters, and various 

 other officers and assistants. 



Whatever advantage there may have 

 been in this change as regards the general 

 administration of these various interests, 

 it would seem that at least in regard to 

 what had formerly pertained to the forestry 

 commission there was need of more spe- 

 cific provision for certain duties, and the 

 following year (1896) an amendment was 

 made to the law so as to provide for the 

 appointment of fire wardens, one in each 

 town, and the step thus taken towards the 

 separation of the duties of game protectors 

 from those of fire wardens has recently 

 been carried still farther on the ground 

 that more will be accomplished by this ar- 

 rangement. 



Forest Preserve Board. 



Still in the direction of fixing responsi- 

 bility for the performance of special duties, 

 the law of 1897 provides that the Governor 

 shall appoint three persons from the Forest, 

 Fish and Game Commission and the com- 

 missioner of the Land Ofiice as ' the forest- 

 preserve board. ' The duty of this board was 

 to acquire for the State lands in the Adi- 

 rondack Park as they might deem advisable 

 for the interests of the State. Power was 

 given to this board to enter on and take 

 possession of any land, structures and 

 waters in the territory embraced in the 

 Adirondack Park as it might deem advis- 

 able for the interests of the State, with au- 

 thority to adjust claims, and allow cutting 

 of timber, with certain restrictions, by way 

 of compensation ; to take means for perfect- 

 ing the title to lands held by the State, and 

 to vigorously follow up and punish trespass 

 of whatever kind. 



For the purposes of this act the expendi- 

 ture of one million dollars was authorized. 

 In all, the State of New York has now ex- 



pended about three million dollars in the 

 purchase of land, making the forest pre- 

 serve board the responsible agency for the 

 purchase, validity of title, and, in short, the 

 entire business connected with the bringing 

 of these lands into the possession and con- 

 trol of the State. An indication of the long 

 and vexatious struggle with claimants to 

 State lands and the determined policy of 

 the State with reference to these lands is 

 seen in the law of 1898, which again gives 

 the forest preserve board full authority for 

 the State to determine the title to lands in 

 the Adirondack Park, or the forest pre- 

 serve, claimed by persons or corporations 

 adversely to the State. 



Forest, Fish and Game Law of 1900. 



By this law the forest preserve is defi- 

 nitely limited, as are the Adirondack Park, 

 the St. Lawrence reservation, and, less ex- 

 actly, the deer parks of the Catskills. The 

 powers of the commission, still composed of 

 five members appointed by the Governor, 

 include all the powers vested in the com- 

 missioner of the State land office and the 

 Comptroller, on May 15, 1885, as well as 

 those delegated in succeediug years to 

 the forest commission and the forest pre- 

 serve board, among which may be specially 

 mentioned purchases in the Adirondack 

 Park, actions for trespass, appointment of 

 fire wardens and provision for instruction 

 and popular information on the subject of 

 forestry. 



The office of superintendent of forests is 

 made one of special responsibility, the in- 

 cumbent being charged with the care and 

 custody of the forest preserve, the preven- 

 tion of forest fires and the general super- 

 vision of the forestry interests of the State. 

 He is required to make an annual report to 

 the commission showing the annual timber 

 product of the Adirondack and Catskill 

 forests, and also the extent of forest fires 

 and losses, * * * with such other reports as 



