The standing committee of the Society in charge of the Fort Brewerton Reservation consists of the Hon. Thomas P. Kingsford of Oswego, Hon. Thomas D. Lewis of Fulton, Hon. Thomas W. Meachem of Syracuse and Col. Thomas R. Proctor of Utica.

LETCHWORTH PARK

Description and Administration

Letchworth Park embraces 1,000 acres of land on the Genesee river in Livingston and Wyoming counties, and includes three miles of the Portage gorge and the three Portage Falls. The nearest regular railroad station is Portage on the Erie railroad from which a walk across the railroad bridge at a dizzy height brings one directly into the park. There is a "flag station" within the park which is available for certain trains. Glen Iris, the administrative center of the park, may also be reached conveniently by a four mile drive southward from Castile station on the Erie road. The Rochester branch of the Pennsylvania railroad has a "flag station" on the southeast side of the river near the Portage station on the Erie road, but it is inconvenient for access to the park, involving a high climb to the Erie railroad bridge and the same passage across that viaduct. From Portageville (which is to be distinguished from Portage) on the Pennsylvania road, the park may be reached by a drive of three miles.

This park was given to the State of New York by the late William Pryor Letchworth, LL.D., upon condition that it should be in the custody of this Society and forever be maintained as a public park. The gift was accepted by chapter 1 of the laws of 1907 and came into our actual care on Dr. Letchworth's death on December 1, 1910. An extended description of the park and biography of the donor are given in our Report for 1907, and a fuller biography of Dr. Letchworth may be found in "The Life and Work of William Pryor Letchworth" by Mr. J. N. Larned of Buffalo, published by the Houghton Mifflin Co., in 1912. The park is a beautiful tract of meadows and hills, forests, river, brooks and waterfalls, deep gorges and sunny expanses, and is maintained in part by means furnished by the State of New York and in part by the residuary estate left to this Society by the donor.

The Trustees of the Society administer the park through its Letchworth Park Committee, which is composed of Mr. Wolcott J. Humphrey of Warsaw, Chairman; Mr. Herbert L. Bridgman of New York; Charles M. Dow, LL.D., of Jamestown; Mr. Francis Whiting Halsey of New York; Hon. Thomas P. Kingsford of Oswego; Henry M. Leipziger, Ph.D., LL.D., of New York; Ogden P. Letchworth of New York; Hon. Adelbert Moot of Buflafo; Hon. N. Taylor Phillips of New York, and Charles Delamater Vail, L.H.D., of Geneva.

Dr. Dow is Director of the park, Mr. John R. Lingenfelter, Superintendent, Miss Caroline Bishop, Librarian and curator of the museum, and Mr. George B. Sudworth of the United States Forest Service at Washington, D. C., Consulting Forester.

Repairs to Buildings

During 1916, a great deal of work was done in various buildings in the park. At the Glen Iris residence, the administrative center of the park and the place of public hospitality, the halls on the second and third floors and the bathrooms on the second floor were rearranged. Sidewalls and ceilings were repaired, thirty-six rooms papered, and the interior and exterior woodwork painted. The Lauterbrunnen cottage, (the Superintendent's residence,) the Prospect Home (the Labor Center,) the barns at the Labor Center, and the Fancher cottage, were also painted and many minor repairs made. The cottage on the Davis lot, referred to hereafter, was improved by the removal of the old piazza, the making of new shutters, etc.

Roads, Paths and Landslides

The hilly roads, gutters and culverts have been kept in pretty good order within the means at our disposal. A landslide, involving half an acre or more and seventy-five large trees, developed during the winter of 1915-16 and the spring of 1916 near the Homestead farm.

The top of the bank a little below the Homestead cottage broke off, carrying with it trees and shrubs, and blocking the road that leads from the Council House grounds through the forest towards the Erie Railway bridge. Trees which probably represent a growth

of fifty years or more were carried down, leaving a bare and ragged bank.

The stone wall which supported the roadway near the Middle Fall was undermined by rains during the summer and had to be relaid.

These troubles were remedied, and the roads generally were honed, filled up, trimmed, and repaired where necessary.

Winter Work

In the winter season, the regular employes are kept busy on such work as hauling dead trees from the forests for fire-wood; hewing fence-posts and fence-rails; building fences; removing debris after the repairing of buildings; scraping, cleaning and painting porch chairs; repairing tools, vehicles and harness; straightening up barns; care of live-stock, etc. The live-stock passed the winters of 1915-16 and 1916-17 in good condition.

Fires

The park was remarkably free from forest fires in 1916. On July 23, 1916, a strip of old stump fence about 300 feet long, lying in the extreme northeast corner of the park, was burned, probably by an incendiary.

The Arboretum

The Arboretum was an important part of the past year's work. Ten pounds of seed of Cupressus glabra from Arizona were received in February, 1916, through the courtesy of the United States Forest Service and planted in due season.

In April we had ready for the planting 32,000 Jack Pine, 38,500 Austrian Pine, 30,000 Western Yellow Pine, 15,000 Lawson's Cypress, 30,000 Red Pine, 2,000 White Pine (all one-year transplants), and 20,000 Engelmann Spruce (two-year transplants.)

Early in April we went over the hard-wood plantations and cut back all the stock that had been injured by mice and rabbits during the winter.

Ten Japanese Poplars have been removed from the Nursery and planted around the Lauterbrunnen stables, where they established

themselves in good shape. We also set Babylon Willows in the wet places near the Davis lot and near the Harwood farm.

In May, 1916, the Arboretum work was pushed with great activity, but was hampered by difficulty in getting help. Laborers were engaged for planting operations, but when planting time arrived the labor situation was such that no extra help could be had, and we had to rely on our regular force. In this emergency, the use of a cabbage planting machine was suggested as a substitute for treeplanting by hand. Such a machine was ordered from Buffalo on trial, and proved to be so satisfactory that it was retained and a second one purchased. With these machines it was possible to accomplish results much more rapidly and economically than before. Some days as many as 7,000 trees were planted with each machine. It seems apparent that this machine work will in a measure revolutionize tree-planting. Our experiments with machines were watched by authorities of various forest schools.

Under date of July 17th, 1916, Mr. Humphrey received a letter from Charles G. Henzell, Water Works Engineer, of Leeds, England, in which he stated that he had read in an American journal that we were using a tree-planting machine at Letchworth Park and that he would be glad to receive particulars as he was interested in the planting of trees in catchment areas of the city reservoirs and also had a scheme for afforestation in the Washburn valley.

In May, 1916, we planted about 41 acres, using 67,695 small forest trees, including Jack, Western Yellow, White, Red, Scotch and Loblolly Pine, Cedrus Deodara, Douglas Fir, Lawson Cypress, and Englemann Spruce.

June was a good growing month and the 1916 plantings went ahead wonderfully well. Some of the stock, however, died, the greatest loss being on the top of the hill west of the Erie railroad and along the road, possibly because it was set out during a strong wind and dried out before rain fell.

The conifers did well during the summer. Taking July, 1916, as a period for comparison, the Lawson Pine was then nearly 21⁄2 feet high and very stocky. The Jack Pine which was transplanted

in May, 1915, was nearly 3 feet high. In Block 24, which was planted in 1912, nearly all of the Jack Pines were more than 8 feet high and are now producing seed-cones. Box Elders which were grown in the park in 1913 and set in the field in 1914, are now bearing seed in quantities.

In July, 1916, sixty-four of the White Pines in Block 20 were found to be infested with the White Pine Weevil (Pissodes strobi Peck). Four of the Jack Pines in Block 24 were also infested with the weevil. The infested portions were removed and burned. The weevil is quite common to the locality and many of the forest trees are being somewhat affected by the pest.

In the seed beds we have growing quantities of Jack, Red, Scotch, White, Coulter, Shore, Pitch and Jeffrey Pines, Norway, Red and White Spruce, and Douglas and Nobel Firs.

Visitors

The total number of visitors to the park during the year is estimated at 15,000. This is only an estimate, as there are no means for making an accurate count. The Visitors' Book, in which many guests sign their names, shows that from May 15 to September 30, 1916, there were visitors from 27 different states. The largest number naturally was from New York. Next to New York the largest number came from Pennsylvania; sixty-four registered from Ohio, fifty-six from Michigan, forty-nine from Illinois, thirty-five from Massachusetts and lesser numbers from other states. Twelve registered from Washington, D. C., two from Cuba, one from Honolulu, nine from Canada, two from Buenos Aires, South America, and three from Belgium, two from Ireland and one from China.

In the season of 1916, from May 15 to September 30, we continued the very satisfactory arrangement of the previous year with Mr. Charles Baeder of Geneseo, by which he managed the public entertainment of guests at the Glen Iris residence under our general supervision and charged for meals and lodgings at rates prescribed by us. The busiest month was August, during which 2,371 meals and 399 lodgings were provided.

On May 15, 1916, the Sophomore class of Rochester University held a banquet at the park. Some of the Juniors who appeared on