FIFTH NATIONAI, CONSERVATION CONGRESS I'M 



m. Principles of agriculture. 



(The production of timber in connection with farm crops; important crops 

 of the locality and methods of culture.) 



I 



THE APPENDIX 



N order to obtain a general expression of opinion regarding the curriculum 

 and other matters relating to ranger schools in this country, the following 

 list of questions was sent to a selected list of American foresters: 



1. What should be the character and scope of the work of the ranger school 

 in the United States, and what particular positions should men trained in such 

 schools be prepared to fill? 



2. In what respects should the curriculum differ from that of the school of 

 collegiate rank giving full technical training? 



3. What should be the requirements for admission? 



4. What should be the length of the course? Should apprentice work be a 

 part of the curriculum? 



5. Where should ranger schools be located in reference to working fields? 



6. Should the instruction be under foresters actually engaged in the man- 

 agement of forestry property? 



7. What is the present need of ranger schools in the United States? 



8. Should the training be chiefly local in character? 



The following replies are selected as giving the range of opinion and as 

 most fully answering the questions asked. The sub-committee have taken the 

 liberty to edit the replies and in some instances to rearrange and abbreviate them. 

 In each case, however, special effort has been made to retain the original mean- 

 ing without change. 



"I enclose replies to your questions regarding ranger schools. I fear that 

 you may find my opinions somewhat radical. However, I feel very strongly that 

 we should not embark on a policy of educating men except for existing ranger 

 positions, since I believe that the need for rangers in private employ will be 

 small for some years to come." 



1. "What particular positions should men trained in ranger schools be pre- 

 pared to fill? Obviously, positions as rangers. But who needs rangers? 

 Primarily the Forest Service, next the States having forest reserves, and lastly 

 (to a very minor extent) certain corporations and private owners of forest 

 properties sufficiently large and sufficiently valuable to warrant the employment 

 of rangers. Rangers, then, are to be trained, and chiefly for the Federal service. 

 The character of the work at school must correspond to the position filled at 

 graduation. Rangers need training in the elements of forestry with special 

 emphasis on field work, such as surveying, estimating, etc. Rangers do not need 

 to know all the fine points of Forest Organization, Forest Valuation, etc. 



2. "The curriculum should differ from the school giving a full technical 

 training chiefly in being simpler and shorter and containing an even greater 

 proportion of field work. Lectures are hard to assimilate for men untrained in 

 taking notes. Recitations and quizzes, are a better means of teaching this class, 

 driving home the points by practical examples in the field. 



3. "Requirement for admission should be a common school education. 



4. "A twelve-month continueus course should suffice. The Prussian ranger 



