128 SAFEGUARDS. 



rules and laws. Permits would prevent forest fires. Prevention is 

 better than cure. Our attorneys deemed this permit system to be en- 

 tirely in accord with the last Congress' law on the forest reserves. 



In place of this permit system there has been quite a general action 

 by the Rangers in taking the address of persons met in the mountains 

 and warning these on the flre dangers. This is better than nothing, 

 but it is not complete. The permit system is complete. All the com- 

 panies interested in water, power, resorts, etc., in the mountains, would 

 aid in this by keeping the permit books and issuing these without cost 

 to the government. These companies have stations now at all the en- 

 trances to these southern mountains. 



3rd: Trails to be built by rangers as time served. Some rangers 

 have done a little of this, but there is no regularity or plan about it. 

 What the Forest Society recommended that could be done by the pres- 

 ent force that has not been attempted at all, was: 



1st: Map making, to show natural fire lines, water sources, trails 

 and timber. However rough such maps were they would be a great aid. 

 Two of our society rangers have made such maps. 



2nd: Recognition of Forest School started here. 



3rd: Measuring water in springs and streams and setting rain 

 gauges. 



4th: Collection of tree seeds to be planted in burned districts. 



Your future system of reserve management in the south should 

 provide for a permanent force. In winter the rangers should receive 

 instruction in forestry and prepare seedling trees for planting and plant 

 them as funds permitted in the burned and denuded districts. They 

 could also make trails and maps during this season; build log huts at 

 the central range stations; erect telephone lines, etc. 



In this connection, there is a movement started by the Forest and 

 Water Society to have a part of the 800 acres of the National Soldiers' 

 Home at Santa Monica used as a grand National Botanic Garden. All 

 the trees that will grow in the United States will grow there on its 

 pl.^iins, canyons, foothills and mountains. This would be the place for a 

 forest training school and forest tree propagation for re-foresting. 

 We would be glad to have you help the movement. 



The Division of Forestry should be placed under the Commission of 

 Lands, Dept. of the Interior, or else the forestry work should be turned 

 over to the Division of Forestry, Dept. of Agriculture. It is an anomaly 

 that the only division of the government service dealing with forestry 

 should have nothing to do with national forestry work. Our Forest and 



