You may well ask how the extension forester conducted his 

 work, and how one man may he expected to have any material in- 

 fluence over the forest practices of the people of his State. In 

 the first place his work is considerably simplified, because it 

 is so largely limited to the teaching of forestry to farmers for 

 application on their lands. The administration of State forest 

 lands and of forest laws, as well as any police power, is the 

 function of the State forester; the teaching of students at the 

 college is the function of the resident professor of forestry, 

 whereas others have assumed responsibility for the research work. 

 As a matter of fact, he can not claim the responsibility for all 

 forestry teaching beyond the walls of the college. His peculiar 

 strength lies in the fact that he is a part of the grea.t cooper- 

 ative agricultural extension service, and there are available the 

 services of the army of county agricultural agents. 



It follows then, that he must convince each county agent 

 that forestry can contribute materially to the agricultural pros- 

 perity of his county. The turnover among county agents is such 

 that this primary education must be fairly continuous. Once the 

 county agent becomes a supporter of the work, the extension for- 

 ester may feel assured that forestry -/ill find a place on the 

 agricultural program for that county. At this juncture the tables 

 are turned - instead of the forester pleading for a hearing, the 

 county agent begins calling for help. This is the beginning of 

 progress. The county agent realizes that there is a need and he 

 looks around for means by which the situation may be presented 

 to the farmers. 



I might cite numerous such instances that have happened 

 during the past year - in Arkansas, Iowa, Michigan, New Jersey, 

 New York, and Pennsylvania. I merely mention a few States which 

 have come most forcibly to my attention. In each of these, cer- 

 tain county agents called conferences in which the State exten- 

 sion forester took an active part. Facts were brought out so 

 that the forest situation with its relation to agricultural pros- 

 perity for that county might be squarely faced. Available solu- 

 tions were presented, and upon the background of problem and so- 

 lution a plan was developed looking forward to satisfactory action 

 on the part of a considerable number of farmers in that county. 



At the risk of being personal, let me be more specific. 

 Some time last winter or early spring, the agricultural agent of 

 Schuyler County, N. Y., became convinced that the farmers and 

 tax payers of that county are unnecessarily burdened with idle 

 nonproductive land capable of growing timber if it is planted. 

 Arrangements were made for a conference in his office with the 

 extension forester, one of the State leaders of county agents, 

 and a few others, during the conference these points were brought 

 out: There are not less than 50,000 acres of land in farm owner- 

 ship now unproductive but capable of growing timber; the simplest 

 and best trees to plant are white pine and red pine; these trees 



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