222 Report of the Forest Commission. 



Law of 1895. {Pennsylvania.) 



AN ACT to establish a department of agriculture, and to 



define its duties. 



Section 1. That there be and hereby is established a department of 

 agriculture, to be organized and administered by an officer who shall 

 be known as the secretary of agriculture, who shall be appointed by 

 the governor, by and with the advice and consent of the senate, for a 

 term of four years, at an annual salary of three thousand five hundred 

 dollars. * * * 



§ 2. That it shall be the duty of the secretary of agriculture in such 

 ways as he may deem fit and proper to encourage and promote the 

 development of agriculture, horticulture, forestry and kindred 

 industries. * * * In the performance of the duties prescribed by 

 this act the secretary of agriculture shall, as far as practicable, make 

 use of the facilities provided by the state agricultural experiment sta- 

 tion, the state board of agriculture and the various state and county 

 societies and organizations maintained by agriculturists and horti- 

 culturists, whether with or without the aid of the state, and shall, as 

 far as practicable, enlist the aid of the state geological survey for the 

 purpose of obtaining and publishing useful information respecting the 

 economic relations of geology to agriculture, forestry and kindred 

 industries. * * * 



§ 3. That it shall be the duty of the secretary to obtain and publish 

 information respecting the extent and condition of forest lands in this 

 state, to make and carry out rules and regulations for the enforcement 

 of all laws designed to protect forests from fires and from all illegal 

 depredations and destruction, and report the same annually to the gov- 

 ernor, and, as far as practicable, to give information and advice respect- 

 ing the best methods of preserving woodlands and starting new 

 plantations. He shall also, as far as practicable, procure statistics of 

 the amount of timber cut during each year, the purpose for which it is 

 used, and the amount of timber land thus cleared as compared with 

 the amount of land newly brought under timber cultivation, and shall, 

 in general, adopt all such measures as in his judgment maybe desirable 

 and effective for the preservation and increase of the timber lands of 

 this state, and shall have direct charge and control of the management 

 of all forest lands belonging to the commonwealth, subject to the pro- 

 visions of law relative thereto. * * * 



§ 4. There shall be one deputy secretary who shall be appointed by 

 the governor for the term of four years, at a salary of three thousand 



