178 REPORT OF THE FORESTRY COMMITTEE 



be an insufficient basis upon which to develop efficiency. More than this is un- 

 necessary from the present standpoint of the ranger's duties. 



4. "It would seem that at least a three years' course should be provided. 

 Two years will not admit of adequate training in all of the essential subjects. 

 The first year must be devoted largely to foundation work — ^mathematics, English, 

 general biology — and the orientation of the student with reference to his future 

 work. After this it remains to present the special subjects and to give some 

 training in physics and chemistry, in geology and mineralogy as they bear upon 

 the work directly or indirectly, all of which cannot be accomplished in one year, 

 especially with the class of students with whom it is proposed to deal. 



5. "Ranger schools should be located in connection with colleges or similar 

 institutions wherever the surrounding country^ supplies adequate forest conditions. 

 There are certain advantages accruing to students coming into contact with the 

 right kind of educational standards and ideals under such conditions, and to them 

 these may be of permanent value. Moreover, the larger equipment at hand and 

 the greater range of opportunity should be stimulating factors. Besides the edu- 

 cational considerations involved, there is a ponderable factor in the matter of 

 comfort and pleasure in which the city life has the best of argument through 

 the school year. 



6. "A faculty of foresters actually engaged in the management of forest 

 property would not be wise unless a sufficient range of activities and conditions 

 could be presented. Such a faculty would probably tend toward a narrower 

 training than one conducted by men not occupied with the problems of a partic- 

 ular tract. 



?. "There is doubtless a good field for ranger schools. They should be lo- 

 cated in those parts of the country which they expect to serve. Eight such schools 

 might at present be supported to advantage. One should be located in New Eng- 

 land or New York to supply the Northeastern States; another in the South for 

 the Southern Appalachian region ; another in the Michigan or Minnesota ; a fourth 

 might be located in Missouri for the lower Mississippi Valleyj the fifth at Mis- 

 soula, Montana, which would meet the needs of the northern Rocky Mountain 

 -region (Montana, Idaho and Wyoming) ; the sixth in Colorado for the southern 

 Rocky Mountain region ; the seventh at Seattle for Oregon and Washington ; and 

 the eight in California for the Southwest. Each of these schools thus located 

 would have a forest region of fairly uniform character as its own field, which it 

 would be able to serve better than it would any other." 



J. E. KiRKWOOD. 



"I find it difficult to answer the set list of questions which you submit. I 

 will do my best to outline work which I consider necessary in preparing men for 

 the management of estates, for foremanship in logging operations, for timber 

 land surveying and cruising, and for employment in State services. So doing, I 

 realize fully that no limit is thereby set to the responsibility and competence to 

 which such men may rise, and, on the other side, no bar is set to the encroach- 

 ment on the field it is designed to cover by men without any set forestry training 

 who in their field seem to me admirable foresters of this type. 



"Mathematics up to plane geometry ought to be had in preparation at the 

 school itself. No foreign language requirement. Good English training, includ- 

 ing any science well taught that can be had. Bookkeeping very desirable. The 

 course should not exceed two years in length. Practice work should go along 

 with indoor training. A variety of operations and fields for practice ought to be 

 at hand. As to teachers, personality and sympathy are the main things. I believe 

 that quite a number of schools of this type could live in this country, if exactly 

 the right men should open them. 



