The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1914-02-02

INDIVIDUALITY in
FORESTRY WORK
Chief Graves Believes Service
Has Its Own Particu-
lar Field.
TASK Is A LARGE ONE
Says that the Aim Is TO Check Growth
of Privilege and Economic
inequality.

10 the lnoiNidu4l whose fuce u = Wv
eminent forester carries a vision Of
+. gsme-fed woodsman with nothing to do
/. but wear Lincoln green. like the lads that
80 irked bold Robin Hood. the Forest
Service. Department Of Agriculture,
United States of America, carries q
shock. Inquiries at the center Of ac-
tivities of that bureau-the ONCE OF the
forester and chief, Henry s. Graves
about what the service is doing or seek
ing to do, elicit big words like these:
Opportunity, achievement. American
Ideals. And the greatest Of these is OPP
portunity.
Z But though ths United States foresters
who range the millions of acres of wild
woods that belong to the government
are brisk working men, though their CO.
workers who sit all day at desks quite as
quietly and efficiently as IL they were
keeping the books of a grocery store or
directing the affairs of bank, the
service has an Individuality all its own,
and it is a very picturesque individuality
at that. The Chief Forester said as much
last night-said it with the open hearted
ness of a man who knows his own work
and the work of his fellows has not been
thrown away.
Has Its own Field.
Il think the Forest Service has indi-
viduality," Mr.. Graves said. I'VE have
our own field; there is no other exactly
like it Principally, we are scientific de-
velopers of public resources.
THE national forests contain 1s5 mill
lion acres Of government land, valuable
mainly as sources of timber, as water
regulators, and as producers of forage
for live stock-mainly cattle and sheep.
We are doing our best to apply all the
knowledge there is and all the skill that
the best-trsined experts possess, to the
task of making this 1s5 million acres of
land grow and yield more timber, make
available for beneficial use more water,
and support more live stock than be-
fore We took charge, and we are sue
ceeding
lit is a large job. II is one to be
enthusiastic over, because you see re-
suits already achieved. and more results
coming. We know We are making great
national resources permanent. We know
we are increasing their returns to the
public. Why shouldn't we work with in
terest. with zeal and with hopefulness
when We have such work to do? We
are proud of our organization. and proud,
all things considered. of what it has &C.
complished- We are a great deal prouder
Of our opportunities.
Opportunities Unlimited.
Our opportunities are measured by
what We can make these great resources
do for the people of the United States.
developers we are" Then Mr. Graves |
explained what scientific Development Of |
public resources involves.
"a farmer nowadays must be up with |
the times il he expects to grow bumper |
crops" he said. He must Guido his |
father. learn new methods, and apply |
them. This often is called scientific farm
ing. Our task is not merely to apply
what investigators have learned about
growing timber and forage and about
protecting water supplies; We also must
investigations.
Take it with the grass. When the |
forest service began the regulation OF |
grazing the national forest ranges were
growing steadily poorer. This was the |
resui- partly of overuse, partly of bad
use The science of range use then was |
abo-'- where farming was when soil ex-
hau~ on was repaired by letting the land |
lie fallow. Now We can, by our own
methods, build up the carrying power
of the ranges faster with stock on than
with 1t or.
Science of Forest Culture.
1T is so with the timber We are
learning more and more about the science
Of forest culture, so that we are utilizingl
timber and developing the property. The
result will be better forests than we
found when We took hold. Furthermore,
We aim at the greatest benefits to the
public The farmer develops a private
resource for private income. The ma
tionaI forests are run not simply to make