A garden tree garden at Salamanca, N. Y., containing about ten million seedling tree plants. This and several other New York gardens are considered as good as there is in this or any other country. The experimental stage has been passed. mountain ranges, all bear testimony to the importance of forest growth. It has been so for all time. Thousands of years of experience establish this truth. The conservation commission in this State is doing good work. It is well organized. It is well organized. Its personnel, from the commissioner down, is fine. The department is fortunate in being in possession of all the experience and achievements of those who have gone before, during the last thirty-two years. It is also fortunate in having a constantly increasing public support. Many new duties have been imposed upon it, not formerly in its jurisdiction. At first its duties related to forests, then to forests, fish and game. Now the whole inland water proposition is under its management, and it has taken over the business management of Saratoga reservation and other activities. This department has charge of the most important work in this State, as is evidenced by the many declarations of prominent men throughout the United States, hereinbefore quoted. The commissioner deserves and should have the united support of the governor, legislators and the people. So far as forests are concerned, there are now, two important things to be done. They are, the acquisition of forested land and the planting of forests. The greatest of these is the planting of forests not only by the State but by all owners of land on which trees should be planted. Our watchword should be "Plant Trees." Everything else, if necessary, except our efforts in the great war, should give way in order that millions of acres may be planted with forest trees. In view of the necessity for planted forests to be started on a large scale at once, how can we longer neglect this work. Think of Germany, spending $80,000,000 in a year for this work, which she did at one period, and the State of New York spending a few thousand dollars each year. Japan has fifty-nine per cent of her total area under forests and the government holds most of it. Make no mistake. The building of the barge canal, as important as it is, was not as important as tree planting. The building of good roads, as important as they are, was not as important as this work. And yet, because we have not appreciated this most important duty, we have expended ten million dollars for roads and canal, where we have expended a thousand dollars for tree planting. The commission cannot do the work unless the money is furnished. It now has a reasonable amount to buy land. Give it a reasonable amount to reforest land, and then demand and see to it that it is done on a scale commensurate with the necessities so apparent. Too much stress cannot be put upon the importance of spending large amounts of money for tree planting and doing the work on a large scale. To help the work the commission should drive the educational campaign along and constantly. The commission has been doing some educational work, the colleges of forestry are helping; but the blows are not hard enough, nor well enough directed. The first thing each year is to impress upon the members of the legislature the importance of this work. The members of both branches should be persuaded to meet early in January in joint session and there be addressed by some one who is a master of the subject and has a pronounced faculty of imparting knowledge to others. There are plenty of men who can do such a thing well. It wants a man who has combined with his knowledge the art of imparting that knowledge, and at the same time making it attractive and interesting. Each year also a well organized force of good men should go out into the State, not occasionally, but on hundreds of occasions, and preach the gospel of forestry, and of preparedness. In no other way can it be done. Money used in this way will be well expended. We are some like that breed of horses known as mustangs. You educate one of these animals so he is tractable and all right while you are on the near side and then you must go around and educate his off side. By the time that is accomplished you will have to go back to the near side of the beast and educate that side. over again. It is somewhat so with us in relation to this subject. You start the people into action; they do well for a time; if you let up all drop back into a satisfied condition of mind and the work slackens, their support weakens, you do not get the backing. We must keep at this work of education until all our people understand the importance and imperative necessity of forests - until the nation, like Switzerland, is a nation of foresters. Then our future in this respect will be assured. In addition to the State planting trees on all of its barren acres, it must do one of two other things. First, it must acquire enough additional land and plant it to trees in order that the State's holdings will furnish in time sufficient wood for all purposes for the people of the State; or Second, it must by law provide seedling trees free, and exempt planted forest land from increased assessment and taxation, under State regulation, at least until the tree crop is taken off, and then if that is necessary, tax the crop. It seems plain that one or the other of these courses must be pursued, because the cost of seedling trees, planting, taxes, care, interest on value of land, and protection against fire, altogether with hazards from insect disease, make reforesting of land This is one of the State plantations. It is near the Ray Brook hospital on State land. The hospital buildings are to be seen in the distance. This in time will be as fine a forest as are the European forests. The State now has many such plantations. So have many individuals and corporations. uninviting as the law stands, to private land owners. Planting trees on private property is an indirect benefit to the whole State. It assists in the total timber supply, it helps to conserve and protect the water and in many other ways is beneficial to the whole State. Undoubtedly the State has the inherent power when necessary, to protect the head waters of navigable rivers, by prohibiting the complete denudation of watersheds, although that action on the part of the State may prevent the owners of timber from immediately using some part of it, and it would not be a taking of private property for which compensation must be made. At least the highest courts of Massachusetts, Maine, New Jersey and the United States Supreme Court have said as much, and in addition to these decisions, Chief Justice Marshall, many years ago, in writing on the commerce clause of the constitution, held that doctrine. If the State can so control and limit the cutting of trees on private property for the public good, why should it not aid private owners in reforesting their lands, for the public good? Why should not the State help? It is so necessary to get this work started all over the State, that the State must help. The State has given a free canal to the people, at a cost of at least a hundred and fifty million dollars. It has supplied good roads free. It yearly gives freely thousands of dollars for fish to stock the waters of the State. The State, at great cost, has furnished free to the people, two great public parks, containing 1,800,000 acres of land, which cost several million dollars, and has invested $5,000,000 in the Palisades Park for the use of the people. It has acquired many other parks and reservations for the free use of the people, and the State maintains all of these at great expense. It then is no new principle for the State to assist where the public interest is so great. Further, upon what principle can the State impose taxes on planted forest land other than on the land before planting? It does not tax a hay, oat, corn or potato crop. Therefore it seems entirely just that the law should provide that forest planted land should never be assessed higher than the original value before planting. Provide for free seedling trees, no increased taxation after planting, build a thousand acres of tree gardens, furnish the seedling trees to private owners of land free, plant up the denuded State land and we will have our future timber problem solved. But the first important thing, like getting ready for war, is to get going. As the writer understands the problem, in order to accomplish that which in all common sense and reason we should accomplish, we should: 1. Acquire land for the State until its holdings are ample for all purposes. 2. Build a large amount of tree gardens and raise hundreds of millions of seedling trees each year. of denuded land where trees should be grown. 5. Under proper regulations, exempt reforested land from increased assessment and taxation, and if necessary, tax the mature crop when taken off. 6. Regulate cutting of forests on private 3. Appropriate all the money necessary and land, when necessary. plant up the State land quickly. 4. Furnish seedling trees free to all owners Let this be the policy of the State for the immediate future, and push the work. WINTER WHEAT A FAILURE IN THE STATE Τ One-seventh of the acreage has been abandoned but the crop through out the country is large Prices for chief farm products are good From the New York State College of Agriculture at Cornell University HE prospects for winter wheat in New York this year are the poorest ever recorded since crop estimates for the State were established. Fortunately for the country, this situation is largely local. More than one-seventh of the winter wheat acreage in New York, or 75,000 acres, has been abandoned, and has been replanted with other crops mostly oats and barley; large acreages of these having been planted. Last year 4 per cent of the acreage was thus abandoned as the result of poor wintering, and this year's 15 per cent is the largest ever recorded. The average of other years has been less than 3 per cent, and the largest previous abandonment in the past 18 years was 13 per cent. In addition to the large acreage to be replanted there are many bare patches too small to be replanted, and many fields which have a thin and uneven stand. The damage to the wheat has been greatest in the western half of the State, although none of the important wheat growing counties show much promise. There is an indicated yield of 17 bushels an acre or about threefourths of a good crop. In the chief wheat regions of the country as a whole, prospects have improved since the first of April. It is now estimated by the federal crop reporting authorities that the total winter wheat crop will exceed 570 million bushels. While this is 100 million bushels less than the bumper crops of 1914 and 1915, it is next largest to these and exceeds last year by 150 million bushels. The present estimate is 12 million bushels higher than the forecast of April. While rye has also suffered in New York it has not fared as badly as wheat. The area now remaining is estimated at 122,000 acres as compared with 135,000 last year. Its condition is poorer than in any year since 1907, and is 84 per cent, as compared with 87 per cent last year and 90 per cent for the ten-year average. For the country as a whole it is not much better, but it must be borne in mind that the acreage of rye has doubled since the beginning of the war. New York seems destined to maintain good hay production almost in spite of itself. The area has been still further decreased this year, and stands at 4 million acres, as com pared with 41 million in 1916 and 41 in 1917. The present condition is 91 or a little better than last year at this time, when there was a production of more than 6 million tons. The production promised for this year is 5 million tons. All prices for the chief farm crops are good. Even potatoes, while much lower than during last year's scarcity are better than the average of the years preceding 1917. This bears out the general statement made by agricultural authorities that staples, such as cereals, hay, potatoes, and eggs are bound to be in demand during the period of the war. COMING CHANGES IN THE STATE SENATE I' Indications are there will be many this year- Reapportionment of T is early in the year to estimate the number of changes in the State senate to be elected in November, but according to information at hand from one-third to one-half of the present senators will retire and new men will be elected. There are rumors to the effect that Senator George F. Argetsinger, representing one of the Rochester districts, will not seek renomination. In that event Assemblyman Simon L. Adler, Republican majority leader in the assembly, will succeed him. Every two years there is talk of Senator Elon R. Brown, of Watertown, retiring from the senate. As leader of that body, he would be missed by his associates, whether they be Republicans or Democrats. Senator Alvah W. Burlingame, of Brooklyn, is declared to be a candidate for judge and may not come back to the senate. Senator William A. Carson, of Yates county, has announced that he is a candidate for renomination. Under the reapportionment he has Steuben county in his district for the first time, and the Republicans there may have a candidate against him in the primaries. Senator Thomas H. Cullen, dean of the senate, having served longer than any other member, may be a candidate for congress and retire after having been a State senator for twenty years and an assemblyman prior to that time for three years. Senator Cullen represents the third district in Kings county. Senator Bernard Downing, of the 11th New York district, will not seek renomination, as his district is said to be overwhelmingly Socialist, being in the territory known as the lower East Side of New York city. Senator James A. Emerson may have a contest on his hands at the primaries, it being understood that former Assemblyman H. E. H. Brereton will try to defeat him for the nomination. Senator Emerson has a fourth county in his district now, Washington having been added to Warren, Essex and Clinton in the new apportionment. Rumor has it that Senator James A. Foley, of New York city, may not seek renomination on account of his law practice. Senator Foley is one of the ablest Democratic members in the legislature. Senator J. Samuel Fowler, of Jamestown, is a candidate for renomination, but the Republican organization in the ChautauquaCattaraugus district is understood to be for either Assemblyman Ames or Assemblyman McGinnies for the nomination. Senator Fowler was elected last year in opposition to the organization candidate. Reapportionment has brought together Senators Gilchrist and Lawson in Brooklyn, |