The morning call., 1893-10-01

stepped in too soon to arrest further pro:
gresS of the evil. The great forests of
Minnesota are being leveled, and the rate:
at which destruction has proceeded In
California and in Puget Sound leaves no
doubt that vast changes. impe1d un leSs:the
process If denudati1n is arrested and
cumpen satory planting is insisted upon. :.
In the national seu5e we Ignore the regu-
laton of forests. Each State acts for it
self. Many States take no action to
protect Some. as in California. have
professed to take measures to prevents
poaching or mischief through forest fires
and to encourage tree planting. Nebraska
has set an example, and needs it, and Cali.
fornia has been virtuous in Offering prizes.
for tree propagation along roads. Uncle
Sam keeps species OF ward over his I'm
ber sections. but parts with timber rights
with spendthrift prodlRality. Huge gashes
are made in the iun ber regions o. the
mountains on no principle whatever but
that of telling the trunks which cnme
handiest, and great tracts are acquired fof
a few dollars per acre, Lum bermen talk
glibly OF timber land being worth SO many
dollars They see the forest as wood sawn
into planks, and care not one jotabeuEIhe
effect on climate or whethsr a tree will
spring mp again. The utmost benefcence
they perceive from destructlcnr is the pos
sibie conversion of the land into arabic
farms or vineclad slopes, and they leave
out of consideration the patent fact that
there ara millions of acres of ranches uIl=
titled, only valuable for pasture without
irrigation. and irrigation is ID timat teiy de-
pendent upon the extent OF the forests on
the flanks of the foothills and the Slerras.
Let us see for a moment how they deal
with the forests in Europe. There they
have learned the lesson of what uses trees
subserve. g..
The percentage in acres Of woodland in
Europe has been estimated as follows;
329 in the United Kingdom, 1928 in .Rns-
sia, 40. .43- in. Sweden, 20: SO in Norway. 2S 30
in Prussia. So 80 in Baden. 81 % in Wnrrem-
burg, 31.39 in Austria, 1924 in hungary.
1879 In France. 1882 la Italy, 425 in H0l-
land. $50 in Spain and 4.40 in Portugal. :.
Germany and France have taken: the
lead in forestry schools and foress yegHta-
tiOn. Germany par excellence has made
forestry science in the hands Of scholarly
professional men. Even q IabOrer ham
ding a saw or ak bias a much higher edu-
cation than considerable proportion of
our Legislators, and assuredly those who
hold positions of responsibility are fitted
for duty as astronomers or admin istratorS
Of q pFovince. Germany was the pioneer
. country in forestry. Other countries have
but copied her methods in: schools of for
estry and in keeping up the knowledge of
econ omic woodcraft. 1t is from Germany,
q *
vatlon on a scienti tifc basis comes. For
estry is profession In Germany, and the
people seem 10 have a prediction to be-
come foresteTs. Small rs the salaries are,
poor the rewards at best, there is a strug-
gle among many candidates for all the po-
sitons, although there are hard examina-
tions and years of waiting and probation
ary toll. The different states of the
empire cooperate in enforcing one system
OF national forestry. =:
Agriculture is not more carefully looked
to than the cultivation of the forest. The
country is well wooded, and the princi pal
forests are Of vast extent. Yet. for the
sake of fuel and the maintenance of
growth not an acre is tamDsred with.
Only the trees are felled which have
reached maturity of growth and full USE
fulness, and simultaneously with sys-
tematlc cutting arboreal planting goes on.
Every tree may be said to be charted as
accurately as a headland on the coast.
There may be piffering of underbrush.
but the stealing OF trees is not quite SO
| easy as the burglary of palace.
| Before the unificaiion of the empire there
were eight large forest academies, each
large state having one. They are now re-
modelled, with a state center In Berlin.
| These academies are in Sake Weimar,
| Saxuny. Berlin, Hanover, Hesse, Baden,
| Wurtemburg. Aschaffenburg aud Bavaria.
| Forestry constitutes state department.
| Candidates have to pass severe entrance
examination, and if successful a young
man has five years of study and then five
or six years of probation in hard work
and studies under professors. and then he
| may look forward. 10 permanent appoint
ment. All this time the candidate is with
out salary, and only while probationer
| has he e meagef allowance.
In the various academies ald in the State
Department there are many grades of off,
GERS who are in charge OF districts varying
| in area from $4,000 down to. 5000 and SOC