The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1910-09-03
FORESTRY IN VERMONT
Important Work Already Done in This
State

0NHNN
Rutland, Sept. ga representative
of the Republican State Committee
has interviewed Prof A. F. Halves.
State Forester, in regard to the work
of his Office since his incumbency of
il. Prof. Halves authorizes the fol-
lowing statement in response to this
inquiry:
"While the Office Of State Forester
was not created until legislative ac-
ton was had upon The subject in 1908
forestry properly began in Vermont
two years before when the legisla-
ture of 1906 provided the small appro-
priation of $500 for the establishment
of a state nursery for forest trees
upon the State Farm at Burlington.
Naturally in the beginning of the
movement for scientific forestry the
work is mostly of an educational ma
ture. 1t is not the policy of the state
to force forestry upon land owners
but to show them that timber is
profitable crop to grow on the poorer
classes of land, and that 1t is for the
interests of owners of such lands to
handle them with view to perman-
ent profits rather than temporary pro-
fits as has characterized the cutting
of timber in the past
"I assumed the office of State For
ester April 1, 1909, and since that date
! have given 60 addresses in various
towns of the state before farmers
meetings, Grange meetings, mems
clubs, Y. NJ. G. AS and other organi-
cations. In all these meetings ] have
found a very gratifying interest in the
subject OF forestry and have found
a great many people in an inquiring
mood concerning the best methods OF
handling their own forest properties.
During the same period exhibits from
my office have been furnished the var
ious agricultural fairs and the Great
er Vermont exhibit which was held
in Burlington at the time of the
Champlain Tercentenary. These for
estry exhibits have consisted of boxes
containing different kinds of forest
seedlings which are advocated by the
forestry office for planting in this
state; also many pictures illustrating
good and bad management OF forests,
charts, maps and kindred display in
formation. These exhibits proved a
very popular feature at the fairs of
last year, in their attracting Of large
number of visitors. My Office also
had forestry exhibit on the Better
Farming special train which the COM
missioner of agriculture ran through
arrangement with the Rutland rail
road last spring.
From the small beginnings author
lied by the legislature Of 1906 the
state nursery for forest trees at Bur
lington, has been extensively enlarg-
ed by means OF liberal appropriations
by the legislature OF 1908 so that this
nursery is now one OF the largest In
the country II contains over 3,000.-
600 trees at the present time and
from 1t this year there have been sold
$4,000 trcos to about a hundred diff
ferent parties scattered all over the
state. The distribution of these seed.
lings by counties is shown by the
following table. IL will be seen in
the table that Windsor county has
been the largest consumer Of seed
ling forest trees, there having beer
placed In that county $4,000 seed
lings. Windham county comes next
with l04,05O; Washington third will
$4,000; Franklin fourth with $1,000
Caledonia, 81 800; Orange, 1880. Thu
other counties, as will be seen by tn,
table have been smaller