to carry on a campaign of education and to instruct counties, towns,
corporations and individuals as to the advantages and necessity of
protecting from fire and other enemies the timber lands of the State.
While the power of the Forest Department rests with the Board, the
detail work is in the hands and under the management of the State
Forester, who is secretary of the Board) and all correspondence and
inquiries should be. addressed to him at the Calvert Building,
Baltimore. The State Forester has studied the timber interests of
each of the twenty-three counties in detail and the statistics and in-
formation collected are published for free distribution, accompanied
by a valuable timber map to all who may apply. He will co-operate
with counties, towns, corporations and individuals, in preparing plans
for the protection, management and replacement of trees, woodlots
and timber tracts under an agreement that the party obtaining such
assistance pay at least the field expenses of the men employed. A
great work of the Forester is to use means to prevent and to ex-
tinguish forest fires which are liable to destroy annually thousands of
dollars worth of young timber. For this purpose there is a well es-
tablished system of lockout stations, and of patrol in conjunction with
the U. S. Government. About 120 men are distributed throughout the
State, who are constantly upon the watch to discover and extinguish
fires; giving particular attention during the danger seasons in spring
and fall. The laws against setting out fires are very strict. The State
and the county divide the expense of extinguishing fires.

By a recent law the Board of Forestry is directed to care for
"roadside trees" or those growing within the right-of-way of any
public highway in the State, and no tree can be cut or trimmed by a
corporation or individual without a permit from a Forest Warden,
after application to the State Forester. The same Act makes it illegal
to post commercial advertising signs on trees or along highways, and
citizens are empowered and Forest Wardens directed to remove them.

CENTRAL PURCHASING BUREAU.
22 Light Street, Baltimore, Maryland.

Purchasing Agent and Secretary:

Albert H. Wehr. .................................... .Baltimore
Assistant Purchasing Agent:

Robert A. Atkinson. ................................ .Baltimore
Chief Clerk:

Henry M. Bergman................................. .Baltimore
Clerk (Sub-Dept. of Printing):

Robert L. Eirich.................................... Baltimore
Assistant Clerks:

Mrs. Helen E. Parsons............................... Baltimore
Miss Mary Gold. ................................... .Baltimore
This Bureau consists of the Governor, who is Chairman thereof,
Secretary of State, Comptroller of the Treasury, State Treasurer,
Chairman of the State Road Commission, Commissioner of Motor
Vehicles, Chairman of the State Board of Prison Control, Chairman
of the State Board of Health, State Superintendent of Public Schools,
President of the State College of Agriculture, and the Superintendent
or managing heads of the following institutions: Crownsville State
Hospital, Eastern Shore State Hospital, Rosewood State Training
School, Spring Grove State Hospital, Springfield State Hospital,
Maryland Tuberculosis Sanitorium, Maryland State School for the
Deaf, Maryland Industrial Training School for Girls and Maryland
Training School for Boys.

The Chairman of the Bureau appoints a Secretary who shall be
known as the Purchasing Agent.

All materials, supplies and articles for the use of the State's
Departments, Commissions and Institutions are purchased through this
Bureau. (Oh. 184,1920.)