﻿io 
  Sixteenth 
  Annual 
  Report 
  of 
  the 
  

  

  Under 
  the 
  present 
  system 
  the 
  delays 
  in 
  consummating 
  many 
  

   transactions 
  have 
  been 
  most 
  exasperating 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  little 
  wonder 
  

   that 
  many 
  owners 
  of 
  forest 
  lands 
  within 
  the 
  Adirondack 
  and 
  Cats- 
  

   kill 
  parks 
  absolutely 
  decline 
  to 
  deal 
  with 
  the 
  State. 
  If 
  it 
  intends 
  

   to 
  purchase 
  lands 
  at 
  all 
  the 
  State 
  should 
  employ 
  at 
  least 
  one 
  agent 
  

   in 
  the 
  Catskills 
  and 
  one 
  in 
  the 
  Adirondacks, 
  empowered 
  to 
  initiate 
  

   negotiations 
  for 
  the 
  purchase 
  of 
  desirable 
  lands 
  and 
  should 
  bear 
  

   the 
  entire 
  expense 
  of 
  examining 
  the 
  titles 
  thereof. 
  By 
  so 
  doing 
  

   it 
  is 
  believed 
  that 
  better 
  lands 
  may 
  be 
  purchased 
  and 
  at 
  a 
  less 
  

   price. 
  

  

  Considerable 
  difficulty 
  has 
  been 
  met 
  in 
  attempts 
  to 
  enforce 
  the 
  

   so-called 
  " 
  Top 
  Lopping 
  Law," 
  as 
  contained 
  in 
  section 
  56 
  of 
  the 
  

   Forest, 
  Fish 
  and 
  Game 
  Law. 
  The 
  statute 
  provides 
  that 
  the 
  limbs 
  

   or 
  branches 
  of 
  coniferous 
  trees 
  cut 
  within 
  the 
  forest 
  preserve 
  

   counties 
  shall 
  be 
  cut 
  off 
  or 
  lopped 
  " 
  at 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  cutting 
  the 
  said 
  

   trees 
  " 
  ; 
  it 
  would 
  appear 
  that 
  all 
  practical 
  purposes 
  would 
  be 
  ac- 
  

   complished 
  by 
  requiring 
  the 
  lopping 
  of 
  tops 
  and 
  branches 
  to 
  be 
  

   performed 
  within 
  say 
  sixty 
  days 
  after 
  the 
  cutting 
  of 
  the 
  trees, 
  

   as 
  the 
  tops 
  and 
  branches 
  do 
  not 
  materially 
  increase 
  the 
  fire 
  risk 
  

   while 
  green. 
  It 
  is 
  also 
  recommended 
  that 
  the 
  operation 
  of 
  this 
  

   top 
  lopping 
  law 
  be 
  confined 
  to 
  the 
  fire 
  towns 
  enumerated 
  in 
  section 
  

   73 
  of 
  the 
  Forest, 
  Fish 
  and 
  Game 
  Law, 
  rather 
  than 
  to 
  all 
  of 
  the 
  

   forest 
  preserve 
  counties. 
  

  

  I 
  cannot 
  too 
  strongly 
  urge 
  continued 
  and 
  increased 
  appropria- 
  

   tions 
  for 
  purposes 
  of 
  reforestation. 
  The 
  public 
  ear 
  is 
  keenly 
  at- 
  

   tuned 
  to 
  the 
  necessity 
  for 
  preserving 
  our 
  natural 
  resources 
  and 
  

   for 
  remedying, 
  in 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  practicable, 
  the 
  conditions 
  which 
  have 
  

   resulted 
  from 
  greed 
  and 
  short-sightedness. 
  The 
  work 
  of 
  this 
  de- 
  

   partment 
  in 
  reforesting 
  denuded 
  lands 
  has 
  been 
  highly 
  succes- 
  

   ful 
  and 
  it 
  must 
  be 
  continued 
  upon 
  a 
  larger 
  scale. 
  The 
  investment 
  

   will 
  prove 
  most 
  profitable 
  in 
  years 
  to 
  come, 
  when 
  the 
  condition 
  

   of 
  our 
  public 
  forests 
  and 
  an 
  enlightened 
  public 
  policy 
  shall 
  permit 
  

   the 
  cutting 
  and 
  sale 
  of 
  the 
  ripe 
  timber 
  upon 
  the 
  public 
  domain. 
  

  

  The 
  game 
  laws 
  should, 
  to 
  some 
  extent, 
  be 
  amended 
  at 
  this 
  ses- 
  

   sion 
  of 
  the 
  Legislature, 
  but 
  I 
  strongly 
  urge 
  that, 
  in 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  may 
  

  

  