In driving from 8 to 15 miles out in the country along woodland from 26 to 35 varieties of trees may be observed, and on account of this great variety, the subject of forestry not only involves the study of all the different trees, but revolves into a complex scientific research of habits, conditions, experiments and results. Having called your attention to these two facts, viz: that Penna. is a very large 'complex state, and that the subject of forestry therein is a complex scientific proposition, it is not the purpose of this discussion to enter into the complex phases of the subject Reforestration in Pennsylvania, but to briefly discuss:

The present status of the work being carried on by the state and others.

The duties of the foresters.

Obstacles to successful results.

The field of forestry and the benefits of forestry.

At the present time, aside from the subject of forestry being introduced into some of the educational institutions, courses of study, and a few minor experimental stations, the principal movements made along this line are being carried on by the state, government, and the railroads and principally the Pennsylvania R. R. The railroads in general took up forestry at the solicitation of the state forestry department and finding it after investigation to be very advantageous have, as in the case of the P. R. R. gone into that work quite extensively. Purely from a commercial standpoint has the railroad forestry been operated and before taking up the state forestry work a few statistics on the Pennsylvania R. R. work may be given as a basis of comparison. At the present time that R. R. system has employed seven foresters, a nursery covering 32% acres with a capacity of 1,000,000 trees per annum, of which it is planned to use 600,000 trees annually for forest planing on company land, and the remainder on water properties and disposed to land owners along the lines of road. In 1910 the nursery produced 407,000 coniferous seedlings from 116 lbs. of seed, and 703,700 Red Oaks from 269 bushels of acorns, a small number of Black Walnut, Ash, etc. were raised. Imported stocks from France consisted of 41,699 decidrous ornamental plants, 5,480 coniferous ornamental trees and 107,935 coniferous forest seedlings. The total expense of the nursery for 1910, was $10,885.88 against which are credits of $1,189.98 for material sold.

On eighteen separate properties field planting was carried on by the Penna. R. R. aggregating 650 acres on which 617,338 trees were set out. Average cost of raising and transporting trees to planting ground 6.99 per M. cost of planting $5.84 per M. making a total of $12.84 per M. for the trees planted or less than 12c each;

3,000 acres have been planted by the railroad and they still have available for forest purposes 8,925 acres exclusive of water properties. To get the planting completed on the companies lands at the present rate of 600.000 trees per year will require about 12 years. Already 4,500,000 trees have been planted since 1902, when the railroad first took up the work through the recommendation of its President, A. J. Cassatt.

says:

The chief forester of the company in writing me on this subject

At present our operations cover three distinct fields; (1) the tilization of the timber on company woodlots; this being done by cutting out the mature and inferior species, leaving the vigorous young trees of desirable species and depending either on natural reproduction or planting, as the case may be, for a future crop. (2) General forest planting operations on the waste and idle lands ●wned by the company. About four and one-half million trees have already been planted, and with our present nursery facilities we are prepared to continue this work at the rate of about one million trees per annum. This work, I may add, is done merely to utilize land which otherwise is entirely unproductive, and we do not anticipate that this planting will have any immediate or great bearing on the question of future supplies. (3) Our third line of work has developed, and covers the preservative treatment of ties and other timbers to an extent consistent with their use. We have one pressure plant in operation at Mt. Union, Pa., and another at Greenwich Point, Phila., Pa. We are using straight creosote, and for anything we can see now shall continue to do so.

The state government has taken up forestry in earnest in the last few years, and last year had 916,440 acres in 26 counties in tracts ranging from 1,100 acres to 117,000 acres in size. Both Potter and Clinton counties have about the latter number of acres under state control, most of this state property is in the mountain regions but about 8,532 acres is in the Ohio River watershed in the southwestern part of the state.

The force of employees in the field consists of 33 foresters and 76 rangers. Each of the foresters and one or more rangers having charge of a tract of land or certain parts of it.

There are maintained by the state several forest nurseries principal among which are those at Mt. Alto consisting of 20 acres. At Greenwood 5 acres and at Asaph, Tioga County consisting of 20

acres.

In addition to those, each forester usually starts a nursery in a small way on the tract or section he has in charge. The nurseries are used to raise the seedling trees and give instruction work to

the foresters taking up the work. The different nurseries have on hand 1, 2 and 3 years old about 5,846,869 trees, consisting of coniferous and hardwood trees, the coniferous being about 75 to 1 of the hardwoods.

A very thorough study of trees, the growth, etc., is made at the nurseries, and much useful information is derived from the experiments conducted. At first thought one might imagine the position of forester and ranger to be a sinecure, having as his only work the duty of hanging around and watching the timber grow, but such is not the case and the foresters and rangers who attend to their duties properly are kept busy.

After the state has bought a tract of land for the purpose of reforestration, which tract will probably be made up largely of wilderness, probably burnt over acres, and containing some parts timber, the forester placed in charge of this tract will begin his work. In the burnt over and wilderness districts, one of the first things sought out are the springs or water sources on the property.

At these springs the first replanting work will be done with setting out some trees around the springs, and then continuing the work, making the spring location the center of each development. Then roads have to be opened to these spring locations necessary for quickly getting over the property in case of fire. In addition to this, fire lanes are cut, and in addition to the roads, trails are made through the properties connecting and leading to and from the springs. The selecting of the location for building the necessary roads requiring in many instances, bridges over streams, and corduroy in marshes, makes in some cases a difficult piece of engineering. Then, too, the forester has to count up or estimate the stand of the timber already on the property, make up the reports and data necessary for the re-planting and care of the property. In addition to all this wherever timber is standing on the property systematic forestry is introduced, and part of the timber has to be removed and the product marketed. This patch planting around the springs as a center and in burned over places is carried on quite extensively and during the year there is used about 1,500 pounds of the lighter seeds and about 150 bushels of the heavier seeds, such as acorns and Black Walnut.

Many obstacles are met in attaining to successful forestry. One of the chief of these being the destruction of the Humus or layer of loose decayed leaves, roots, twigs, etc., that cover the ground in a forest, and that has been found to be very essential to good tree development. This destruction is caused by fire in most cases, and the reclaiming of the land for successful forestry work in the absence of the Humus is a very slow process. The most serious

obstacle however, is that of fire. The soil of our state seems to be naturally adapted to tree growing, and wherever a forest is cut down nature will attend to the reforesting, as the fire can be kept out. This is the most serious thing that the state has to contend with, and in spite of all the protection that is given to the state reserves from 80 to 100,000 acres are burned over annually, and the burned area in the state approximates 400,000 acres annually with the consuming of between 16 to 20 million feet of lumber.

Last year over 10,000 persons were engaged to fight fire in Pennsylvania, and the losses by fire to the forests approximated $1,000,000. Tree blight and forest insects are obstacles to the work and at the present time the state is endeavoring to find out the cause of the serious blight on the Chestnut timber tract, which has been going on for the last two years, and threatens if not stopped to kill within a very short time practically all the chestnut timber in the state.

Forestry has to do with much more than tree planting, as it not only includes that of planting and raising trees on barren lands, but also to protect the reforesting going on by nature on the once cut over properties. These two phases of forestry are important, but the third is just as much important as the other two, and that is the taking care of the tracts of timber where the harvest is going on. This is a very important part of the state forestry work, and there is needed some legislation to prevent the cut of timber under a certain diameter, except in cases of land to be cleared for farming. We can scarcely realize the benefits derived from properly caring for our forests until we have observed the effect in some countries, like sections of China which have been entirely cleared of the timber. The protection to our sources of water supply acting as an equalizer of temperature and partial proof against hurricanes, our forests have much to do in addition to supplying us with lumber. One feature which should not pass notice in the matter of benefits is the opportunity given the state to campers who seek places of rest and refreshment during vacation time.

Several thousands of campers permits are issued each year by the state, and many people are given the benefits of an outing in the woods thereby.

No January meeting was held.

February 12, 1912.

A Visit to a Zinc Mine.

(Abstract)

By A. Grace Petheram

In this paper the writer described a visit to a zinc mine. She led her audience to the mine's mouth, down the shaft in an electric cardown until they were 1150 feet below the earth's surface, then up to the various levels, through the workings, the loading pockets and even the air shaft, describing the operations of mining and transporting the ore to the surface. The mine described is that of the New Jersey Zinc Company situate at Franklin Furnace in the northeastern part of New Jersey. Few persons outside of New Jersey are aware that zinc is mined in that state, and that the metal found is of a particularly fine quality. The system of operating this mine is a true example of scientific management. The object is to arrange the operations so that the ore is lifted by hand as little as possible. The ore is now lifted only once by hand and that is when the miners put the broken ore in the wheelbarrows. The old system of hauling the ore with donkeys has been replaced with little electric railways. The mine under the old system was in operation night and day. They now have an eight hour day. But with the new system and improved machinery, the number of men employed has been reduced from 1200 to 400 and the output increased. The forms of ore found, the vein of ore, its outcrops, the raising of the ore to the surface and the various operations were clearly described. Zinc is used in the manufacture of brass, in paints, for sheeting, etc. The oxide is used in medicine and cosmetic pastes. One well known beauty doctor in New York not long ago bought a car load of zinc powder.

Blood Relationship of Animals as Determined by Bio-chemical Tests. By Dr. Paul G. Weston

(Abstract)

The question of interrelationship amongst animals has been based on similarities of structure, the subjective element entering largely into judging these similarities. In evidence of this one need but look at the history of the classification of the Primates.

A more accurate method of determining relationship has been found and depends on certain bio-chemical reactions.

Physico-chemical methods are not sufficiently refined to show any but gross differences in the proteins of different species.

When a protein, blood serum, from an animal of species A is injected into an animal of species B, certain reactions take place in the animal receiving the injection which result in the formation of substances physiologically antagonistic to the serum of species A. These substances are readily demonstrable. If the serum from any animal of species A is mixed with the serum from the animal of species B which had received injections of serum A, first a cloudiness and then a precipitate forms in the mixture. No other serum except that from an animal of species A will cause this reaction. It is therefore specific.