HISTORICAL. 7 



On March 15, 1886, the writer assumed the position of chief of the Division of Forestry, which 

 on July 1, by the act of Congress making provision for the expenditures of the Department for the 

 year ending June 30, 1887, approved August 15, 1886, became a permanent statutory part of the 

 organization of the Department. 



The writer may be justified in stating here that he is a forester by profession, having received 

 his technical education at a professional school and having been employed in the Prussian State 

 Forestry Department. He was able, therefore, to direct the work of the Division with a profes- 

 sional knowledge of the requirements of the subject and from the standpoint of the forester. 



His appointment having been preceded by a residence of nearly ten years in this country, 

 he had also enjoyed ample opportunity during varied occupation in city and country, and espe- 

 cially as secretary of the American Forestry Association since 1S83, to become acquainted with 

 American conditions, institutions, and requirements, and to fully appreciate climatic, floral, social, 

 and economic differences. 



With gradually increased appropriations during the following years, not only was the propa- 

 ganda for more rational treatment of our forest resources continued, but in addition, technical and 

 original investigations were instituted. 



With the growing interest in the subject, the correspondence with those seeking technical 

 advice grew. As a result, besides the priuted publications of the Division there are recorded 

 in letter-press books nearly 20,000 pages of matter, largely containing specific advice given to 

 correspondents during the twelve years of the writer's administration. 



While during the years from 1876 to 1886 the aggregate of appropriations for the investiga- 

 tions in forestry amounted to somewhat less than $60,000, the aggregate of expenditures during 

 the twelve years following has been, in round numbers, $230,000, excluding an appiopiiation of 

 $17,000 for the artificial production of rain, which being not germane to the work of the Division 

 and not expended under its direction, is not properly chargeable to it. 



The printed information issued during this time, besides some unpublished manuscripts, com- 

 prises about 6,000 pages. It is published in four different forms, namely: annual reports contained 

 in the reports of the Secretary of Agriculture and in the Yearbook of the Department of Agricul- 

 ture; bulletins, in which more exhaustive and moieor less complete investigations of any one 

 subject are recorded; circulars of information, in which information that could be treated more 

 briefly or preliminary announcements of results in someone line of investigation are communi 

 cated; reports to Congress, in response to calls for special information. A list of the publications 

 of the Division is appended. 



It can be claimed that at least one-half of the amount of the printed matter is original, i. e., 

 recording results of investigations, being of an independent character and containing new truths, 

 while for the other half originality of form or presentation of statement can at least be claimed, 

 being compilations of facts which can not be found elsewhere in the same shape. 



This means that if the money value of the manuscript pages of advice be added to that of the 

 printed pages at a fair ratio, the information has been secured during the last period at an average 

 pi ice of less than $21 per page, which is hardly a fair charge for expert writing; while during the 

 preceding period of nonprofessional writing the cost was about $30 per page. And if only the 

 truly original information covering new additions to our knowledge is included, it has cost less 

 than $75 per page. As to its money value to the people, which is hardly capable of expression in 

 dollars and cents, some calculations will be found in later pages of this report when discussing the 

 character of the work. From these it will appear that enough new information has been secured 

 thi ough the Division of a kind which can be translated into money through savings in useful forest 

 materials amounting to millions of dollars and paying fifty fold for the expenditures. 



The indirect value, however, in awakening an interest and proper conception of the subject, 

 which can not be expressed in money, is infinitely greater and more important. 



