160 REPORT OP THE FORESTRY COMMITTEE 



3. Reasons for giving care to the woodlot. 



a. The need of care — Nature's wastefulness. 



b. How it pays — the value of the woodlot to the farm. 



3. The life story of the tree and of the forest; how the forest is affected 

 by climate and soil; the parts of the forest— ground cover, underbrush, etc. 



4. How to care for the woodlot. 



a. The ideal tree; the ideal woodlot. 



b. Maintenance of proper forest conditions — forest floor, crown 



cover, etc. 



c. Protection from fire, grazing animals, insects and other enemies. 



5. Starting new trees in the woodlot. 



a. Tree seeds. 



b. Starting new trees by direct seeding. 



c. Starting new trees by planting: nursery practice. 



d. Starting new trees by natural seeding; selection method, seed- 



ing from the side method. 



e. Starting new trees by sprouts. 



f. Choice of method. 



6. Choice of species for the vicinity, and the important silvical characteristics 

 of each. 



7. Measuring the crop ; amount, sale value. 



a. Felled timber. 



b. Standing timber. 



8. Harvesting and selling the crop; uses of the principal timbers of the 

 vicinity. 



9. Identification of a few of the most common woods. 



10. The use of land for cultivated crops, for pasture and for wood production. 



11. Influence exerted by the forest. 



RANGER SCHOOLS. 



THE work of the ranger school should be clearly differentiated from that 

 given in institutions where training in forestry is only a part of a general 

 course in some other field. The purpose of the ranger school should be 

 to train men to practice forestry, more especially to supervise labor in producing 

 and harvesting the forest. In all countries where forestry has been practised 

 for many years ranger schools have become an established part of the general 

 system of forestry education in which the courses are as definitely organized as 

 in the higher technical schools. 



Ranger Schools in Europe. 



In the Prussian and French schools mentioned below the courses are but 

 one year in length and may be taken as models of the ranger school that experience 

 has demonstrated as best suited to their conditions. 



In Prussia there are fire ranger schools, of which number four are main- 

 tained by the government as state schools, one is a private school to train men 

 for subordinate positions in private work. 



In all of these schools the entrance requirements are rigid with special 

 attention given to physical fitness. Thus the applicant must be at least five feet, 

 three inches tall, with proportionate chest development. He must be free from 

 organic or chronic diseases and able to see, hear and speak perfectly. The 



