FORESTRY. 



It takes 30 years to grow a tree and 30 minutes to cut it down and destroy it. 



FORESTRY IN CONGRESS. 



Friends of forestry and of the forest re- 

 serves are naturally chagrined at the inac- 

 tion of Congress during its last session. So. 

 much was promised and so much had been 

 expected that the utter failure to do the 

 vital thing was particularly disappointing. 

 President Roosevelt was anxious that 

 the administration of the forest reserves 

 should be transferred from the land office 

 to the U. S. Bureau of Forestry. He has 

 urged the passage of such a measure in 

 nearly all his messages, and it is known 

 that the majority in Congress were really 

 in favor of dong something, but everything 

 was sacrificed for politics in the presiden- 

 tial year. 



What Congress did for the forest in- 

 terests of the country can be summarized 

 in 2 words, it ducked. In addition to the 

 usual lot of relatively unimportant bills 

 affecting the forests of the country there 

 were 3 before Congress that were of the 

 first importance and in which the American 

 Forestry Association, as an organization, 

 was deeply interested. These were: 



The transfer of the administration of the 

 federal forest reserves to the department 

 of agriculture, in order to combine all gov- 

 ernment forest work in the Bureau of 

 Forestry, where it properly belongs ; the 

 repeal of the notorious Timber and Stone 

 act, which has been agitated for years ; and 

 finally, a bill calling for an appropriation 

 of $50,000 for the building of roads and 

 trails in the federal forest reserves. 



The first 2 of these measures are fairly 

 familiar to most people who follow gov- 

 ernment matters, since they have been 

 urged and agitated by various associations, 

 including the American Forestry Associa- 

 tion, for several years. The third was ta- 

 ken up by the Hon. Edward A. Bowers, the 

 able and energetic secretary of the asso- 

 ciation, in compliance with a resolution 

 passed by the association at its last an- 

 nual meeting. This resolution called for 

 an appropriation of $500,000 by Congress 

 to be spent in the making of good roads and 

 trails in the reserves. Such a move, it was 

 felt, would result in immense improvement 

 in the administration of the reserves and 

 would also be of the greatest service in 

 fighting forest fires. 



Mr. Bowers, however, suggested that 

 Congress be asked for only $50,000 for this 

 purpose, to be available during the coming 

 fiscal year ; the idea being that Congress 

 might not be willing to make such a large 

 appropriation as the resolution called for, 

 in a presidential year. 



Congress took no action on this matter, 

 rlor on any of the others, beyond post- 

 poning further consideration until some fu- 

 ture time. It picked about the edges a 

 little but accomplished nothing definite or 

 satisfactory to those who interested them- 

 selves in trying to push these measures to 

 a successful issue. 



HOW TO GROW LOCUST TREES. 



I am a reader of Recreation and I write 

 for the purpose of gaining information re- 

 garding locust trees. 



I have 30 acres of land which I wish 

 to utilize to good advantage. I have been 

 considering the advisability of setting this 

 land out to locusts. I have not been able 

 to find out much about the growth of the 

 tree. Should I start them from the seed or 

 will they grow from cuttings? How fast 

 will they grow ? Will they bear transplant- 

 ing or would you advise planting on the 

 soil on which you wish them to grow? 



I live in the grape section and the trees 

 would probably be used for grape posts. 

 How far apart would you advise setting 

 the trees? If the trees should be grown 

 from the seed can you tell me where I could 

 get some seed? Any light you can throw on 

 this subject will be gratefully received. 



Roy Cowden. 



Much depends on the nature and condi- 

 tion of the ground you intend to plant. If 

 it is cultivated ground you can put in your 

 locust seed and care for their cultivation 

 much as you would for corn or any farm 

 produce. I should prepare the ground exact- 

 ly as for corn and plant the seed in rows 4 

 feet apart, putting 2 seeds every 3 feet in 

 the row. If the soil is good and your seed 

 is good, your trees will grow to a height 

 of 18 inches to 2 feet the first year. I 

 have seen one year old locust seedlings 4 

 feet high. For this reason it is not econom- 

 ical to grow them in nursery beds and trans- 

 plant them the next year. They should 

 produce 4 inch posts in 10 years on suita- 

 ble soil. As your plantation matures you 

 should gradually thin out the inferior trees 

 for the benefit of the straighter and better 

 specimens. By planting them close together 

 they will clean themselves of lower branches 

 naturally and develop longer and straighter 

 poles. You can procure locust seed from 

 any of the large nurserymen. 



Locust can also be grown from cuttings if 

 the ground is not too dry or too poor, but 

 seeding would be more advisable. — Editor. 



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