FIFTH NATIONAL CONSERVATION CONGRESS 179 



"As to the subjects taught, I suggest the following : 



(a). "Surveying and topographic mapping ought to be strong, not only for 

 their direct use but for the training. 



(b). "Botanical work may be on the empirical level. 



(c). "Road and trail building ought to be taught, and familiarity gained with 

 common lumbering operations, logging and mills. Instruction in these subjects 

 should be practical and go along with observation and practice. 



(d). "Silviculture is the central part of forestry and ought to be strongly 

 developed, though mainly local and practical. On the other hand, management 

 as it appears in literature can be dropped out. 



(e). "Mensuration in practical form ought to be very strong. 



(f). "Some training in agriculture is useful if it can be had, and the same 

 is true of business training." 



Austin Gary. 



"I appreciate the opportunity to offer my ideas on ranger schools. 



1. "Ranger schools should train men in the field of elementary forestry which 

 will be applicable in the near future. They should produce men capable of 

 executing the methods of forest administration which are being practised now 

 and will be practised in the immediate future. 



2. "The instruction should be confined to local and practical problems. 

 Mechanical drawing, surveying, mensuration, silviculture, fire protection, forest 

 mapping and estimating, and lumbering should be the essentials. There should 

 be enough discussion of general problems to give tlje men a broad outlook. The 

 subjects forest management, forest regions, and forest law, as commonly taught 

 in technical schools should be omitted. Subjects of secondary importance are the 

 local forest laws, State and Federal, the practical matters of wood technology, 

 and the propagation and care of fish and game. Geology, meteorology, botany, 

 dendrology, diseases of trees, forest entomology are of indirect importance only 

 in our present administrative problems, but can be treated in a practical way. 

 The average technical forester is apt to overemphasize these subjects in ranger 

 instruction. 



"Seed collection, nursery wotk, and planting are important in many regions. 

 Grazing is an important subject in western ranger schools. The National Forest 

 Manual exemplifies forest administration well, and is decidedly worth study in 

 any forest school. The character and amount of construction work — trail build- 

 ing, cabins, telephones, etc. — depend on the age and experience of the men 

 admitted. Camp and personal hygiene, first aid, care and shoeing of horses, 

 should be treated by authorities, if possible. Some aspects of these subjects must 

 often be handled tactfully to avoid personal criticism. 



"To summarize, it should be kept in mind that what we believe can be accom- 

 plished now in the woods is (1) better fire protection, and (2) closer utilization, 

 and that gradually (3) conservative cutting and artificial regeneration are be- 

 coming possible. 



"There should be a large proportion of field and laboratory practice. The 

 books which serve well for class work in technical schools contain too much 

 not pertinent for ranger school instruction. Care should be taken to eliminate 

 the merely pedagogical from all suojects. There are few good text-books, and 

 information should be given through dictated lectures or through carefully pre- 

 pared printed or typewritten notes. 



3. "In general, there are two kinds of schools possible — one for young, inex- 

 perienced men, and the other for men with some woods experience. My experi- 

 ence in both leads me to believe that under present conditions the latter are more 



