eating with fire fighters. The laws against setting out fires are very
strict. The State and Counties divide the expense of extinguishing
fires.

The improvement of State Forests and Parks with the aid of seven
CCC camps under the direction of the Forestry Department, has been
of the greatest value in the development of these properties.

The Department also administers nine state forests and six state
parks, comprising about 70,000 acres in eleven different counties. The
main purpose of the forests is for timber growing and watershed pro-
tection, but they also serve along with the state parks as a recreation
ground for the people of the State, being visited every year by thou-
sands for camping and other forms of recreation. In 1938 a total of
390,000 people visited the recreational areas under the Forestry
Department.

In addition to State owned land the Department has, under a co-
operative license agreement running for a period of 99 years, taken
over the administration and management of approximately 42,000
acres of Federally owned land, submarginal for agriculture, to be de-
voted to forestry, wild life and recreational uses. One area of 33,000
acres is in Garrett County, adjacent to the Savage River State Forest
with which it will be administered, and the other, about 9,000 acres, is
in Worcester County, which will be administered as part of the Poco-
moke State Forest.

The Roadside Tree Law directs the Department of Forestry to pro-
tect those trees growing within the right-of-way of any public high-
way in the State, and no tree can be cut or trimmed by a corporation
or individual without a permit from the Forestry Department, after
application has been made to the State Forester. The Forestry De-
partment cooperates with the State Roads Commission and other agen-
cies in tree planting along highways.

A State Forest Nursery, established in 1914, furnishes trees at
cost for planting forests, windbreaks, and along roadsides.

STATE WEATHER SERVICE
Custom House, Baltimore

Name. Custom House.
Edward B. Mathews, Director Johns Hopkins University. Baltimore
John R. Weeks, Meteorologist, U. S. Custom House.......... Baltimore

The State Weather Service continues its work of compilation and
printing of local statistics research regarding climatic conditions and
in the dissemination of information regarding the climatology and cur-
rent weather of Maryland under the Regents of the University of
Maryland through the State Geologist as successor of the Maryland
State Weather Service Commission. The State Geologist ex-officio
is Director, performing all the functions of former officers with the
exception of Meteorologist, who, as before, is commissioned by the
Governor and serves as liaison officer with the United States Weather
Bureau. All activities except clerical are performed voluntarily. There
are about seventy observers, the same number of crop-weather re-
porters, and seven storm-warning display stations. (Ch. 29, as
amended 1929.)

The work is done at the U. S. W. B. Office in the Custom House,
Baltimore.