FORESTRY. 



63 



where large masses of duff have accumu- 

 lated. This duff, undecomposed, is me- 

 chanically unable to start a healthy crop of 

 coniferous seedlings. It is often necessary 

 to expose the mineral soil to insure re- 

 generation. It is only in particular por- 

 tions, which are necessary for protective 

 purposes, that this process of treatment 

 would be detrimental, as on all the moun- 

 tain tops, rough mountain sides and lake 

 shores, which should perhaps be left un- 

 touched. 



The truth of the whole matter is, appar- 

 ently, that neither the Commission, the 

 Legislature, nor the people of the State of 

 New York know just what they want in 

 reference to the Adirondacks, and the ad- 

 vice of the Governor recommending caution 

 until a definite policy can be evolved is 

 good. Nothing is more detrimental to the 

 practice of forestry than constant change 

 and uncertainty. After a definite policy is 

 once decided on, then the proper move 

 would be to stick to it in spite of public 

 opinion, and to take the money used in the 

 publication of voluminous, beautifully illus- 

 trated reports for the employment of a 

 trained, well organized body of professional 

 foresters, not merely natives of the region 

 in which they are to work, to put this policy 

 into execution, in spite of what hotel men, 

 campers, guides, hunters or other individ- 

 uals may think. The preserve belongs to 

 the whole people of the State of New 

 York, who have paid for it by taxation, 

 and not to the few who live or go there. 



NEWSPAPER PAP. 



The New York Herald for Sunday, Feb- 

 ruary 23, contained the following interest- 

 ing note: 



"New York State has given deep offense 

 to the Italians, and to persons of English 

 birth living in this city, and it is said the 

 matter has been, or will be, called to the 

 attention of the 2 foreign governments. 

 The offense was committed in the last re- 

 port of the Fisheries, Game and Forest 

 Commission. 



"In an article written by Dr. John Gif- 

 ford on 'European Forest Scenes,' refer- 

 ence is made to the science of forestry in 

 various countries. The Italian residents 

 of New York take great offense at what is 

 considered an uncalled-for attack on their 

 home government. Referring to Italy, Dr. 

 Gifford~ said : 'The people of Italy are, on 

 the whole, good; but the government is 

 bad.' 



"It is asserted that this matter has been 

 robbed of its lack of importance by the fact 

 that it has been made an official document 

 by the State of New York. The Italians, 

 however, do not know just what action to 



take, as their representative is accredited 

 to the United States and has nothing to do 

 with the State Government. On the other 

 hand, New York State can not well be 

 called to account in a matter of this sort 

 from Washington. 



"Englishmen have a special grievance 

 against Dr. Gifford. He seems to believe 

 that the sons of old England are a de- 

 generate lot. Referring to them he has 

 said: 



" 'With the destruction of the forests in 

 England have gone the stalwart men who 

 once worked in them, to be replaced by the 

 factory hand, knock-kneed, weak-lunged and 

 sallow. Judging from what I saw during 

 a recent visit to the big towns of England, 

 I should say that England could better af- 

 ford to pay $100,000,000 for foreign wood 

 than to lose the broad shouldered and mus- 

 cular men who once worked in her forests.' 



"Thus far Dr. Gifford has not been called 

 to account and has volunteered no expla- 

 nation of the remarks." 



The above was probably written to fill an 

 aching void. Dr. Gifford has volunteered 

 no explanation because none is needed to 

 the person who reads his article with any 

 degree of care. To call the "Italian people 

 good and the government bad" is, indeed, a 

 peculiar offense. The writer of the news- 

 paper squib forgot to notice that the offense 

 to England was quoted from an article by 

 an Englishman, for which he received a 

 prize in England. 



THE PRESIDENT ON FOREST PRESERVA- 

 TION. 

 While there is still among the public 

 at large a considerable misconception of 

 what forestry and forest preservation 

 involve, as is evidenced by the un- 

 warranted attacks on the methods of the 

 College of Forestry in managing its 

 demonstration forest, President Roosevelt, 

 in his annual message, put the matter in 

 such simple and thoroughly intelligent 

 words that everybody should learn them 

 by heart : 



"The fundamental idea of forestry is the 

 perpetuation of forests by use. Forest pro- 

 tection is not an end of itself; it is a means 

 to increase and sustain the resources of our 

 country and the industries which depend 

 on them." 



No word of comment is needed. 



Investigation shows that the Northern 

 dwarf mistletoe is common on the black 

 spruce in the Adirondacks. It is para- 

 sitic, causes deformity of the tree and 

 in the aggregate does considerable dam- 

 age. The large bunches which it causes 

 are called witches' brooms. 



