and the president and the 
dean of agriculture at A. & 
M. had also been influential 
in getting it passed. The 
Forest Service's J. Girvin 
Peters spent considerable 
time in Texas in the fall of 
1914 and helped draft the 
bill. Although the original 
draft provided for an 
independent State agency, 
this stipulation was changed 
before the bill was presented 
to the floor. Why is not clear; 
it was Suggested that placing 
the organization under the 
college administration would 
favorably influence the 
legislators. 
The legislature provided a 
small appropriation, and on 
July 6, 1915, John H. Foster 
was confirmed as State 
Forester, professor of 
forestry, and forester to the 
Texas Agricultural Experiment 
Station. (The State Forester 
had teaching obligations as 
well as responsibility for 
establishing and running a 
State forestry organization.) 
His first efforts were to 
develop a fire-protection 
system to qualify for 
cooperation under the Weeks 
law. By February 1916, the 
cooperative agreement had 
become effective, and Texas 
received $2,500 in matching 
18 
funds. On September 1, the 
first fire-prevention patrols 
were begun with 6 patrolmen 
covering 7 million acres. 
Jones reorganized and 
reactivated the Texas 
Forestry Association in 
support of the State Forester 
once the legislation was in 
place. After several stormy 
years with the legislature 
and at the same time seeking 
cooperation from the forest 
industry, he found his support 
solidifying. By the early 
1920's, State budgets for 
forestry began to grow and 
effective programs develop 
(Chapman 1981). 
Virginia 
In Virginia, the passage of 
the Act of 1914 created the 
office of State Forester under 
the State Geological 
Commission. The action 
seems to have resulted in 
large part from a groundswell 
of interest in conservation, 
probably stimulated by the 
development and passage 
of the Weeks law as well as 
recognition that timber 
production was declining in 
the State. In order to 
implement the new office 
immediately, rather than wait 
