bengye Souerors su tgrnee se enetrkest ond eae ak bee. ~ : a2 > ; mete fe = ~ Bs : = +> ° ++ Reesnseesntetaiee : geettaseeey mee poate eg >t Exsretesteres sete oes ¥ pees: . : > pets ate mr MPS peel er Te ap ss Meee bere 5 i Digitized by the Internet Archive In 2007 with funding from Microsoft Corporation http://www.archive.org/details/americanforests 14natiuoft FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION AND CONSERVATION OFFICIAL ORGAN OF THE AMERICAN FORESTRY ASSOCIATION VOLUME XIV—1908 THE AMERICAN FORESTRY ASSOCIATION PUBLISHERS WASHINGTON, D. C. GENERAL CROSS REFERENCES For names of states, see sub-titles under Forestry Associations, Forestry Schools, Private Irrigation, State Work in Forestry, and Women’s Clubs. For names of separate forestry schools, see list under Forestry Schools. For names of foreign countries, see Foreign Countries, Forestry in. For names of different national forests, see National Forests. For names of separate reclamation projects, see U. S. Reclamation Service. CONTENTS OF VOLUME XIV meklen, . Jasepins ease mee acs. pew es + 05's 277 Adams-Williams, Lydia—See Williams, Lydia Adams Agitation for Forestry—See Public Opinion. Alaska, New Minerals Discovered in... 69 Allyn, Henry Gregory article by...... 623 American Forest Preservation Society— See Forestry Associations American Forestry Association: PAIN AL VI GRITIO - <5 2 <0): slo's) nur a fe wccre 66, 124, 133, 143, 148, 153, 198, 217, 500, 635 Pitvectors: Aeport. . oa... 2.5 os eee 153 etterutonttembers. .... 2.0. 02.2.5. 7H President's) Address. 2... ....6..6.5- 143 ‘reasuren s). Weport... 2.2... -..- os. 198 Wionkeratic vautains (Ol... sae es as 62, 63, 77, 173, 193, 254, 392, 449, 493 See also Conventions, Conserva- tion (magazine), Conservation (movement), Forestry and Irri- gation (magazine) and Forestry Associations. America’s Greatest Irrigation Scheme (article) . Bre ope ea oe Oa 250 Appalachian Datevion = a te ig ent ete 4, 5, 12, 19, 21, 28, 62, 63, 64, 68, 189, I90, I9I, 342, 357, 546, 554, 555, 558, 643, 644 Ppdidcttan Bills state cess casas kes 5; 13, 119, 177, 178, 180, 250, 334, 355 Constitutionality of the Bill........ 119, To? oso loss LOA 2E7 Hearing in Congress.... 84, 124, 139, 163 SOMBRE oo cS cn Se 0 wack cece 25 ‘Appalachian National Forest Association 19, 21, 504, 546, 643 See also Conventions. Appalachian National Forest, Proposed: Bearing on Navigation......... 572, 661 Need of, and Effect on People. 22, 191, 334 See also Appalachian Agitation, etc., and Symposia. Appalachian Resolutions. 17, 18, 67, 129, 137, IQI, 223, 270, 271, 272, 273, 277, 398, 563, 696 Appalachian Water-sheds, Secret tary Wil- ROU G CRMRNIE, oko ass coe ness 22 Approval of National Forests—See Na- tional Forests, Approval of. PSEHOE OA Mi er. cree chee ease ES; 105, 201, 211 Page Arbor Day, the American Spring Festi- Wah Olena nt cike) [eee Sk oe ea ae 201 Argentine Republic—See Foreign Coun- tries. Arizona: Benefit from National Forests...... 508 WountainHonests ieee. .s-....... 453 Water Conservation im........:.... 370 As One Forest Ranger Views It (article) 512 Association—See Conventions. Atlantic Deeper Waterways —See Waterways Association Associations. Aubury, Lewis E., article by............ 212 Beginner in Forestry, A....... 540, 618, 665 Bennett<: Glarder Nien nye tc aca as <5 506 Boerker, Richard H. Douai, poem by.... 372 Book Reviews—See Recent Publications. BOOKS POmmHOnesthyris «poss cle set sce e« 664 See also the list advertised in each issue. Byojed teeiee (GSS fete) a by an ea eee 289 BOs Wit RIPAC lines. au: 2 cca Se ce = a bina ne ces 75 Branding of the Forests, poem.......... 425 British Columbia—See Foreign Countries. Baronantes, XG e EL ae ni Wee et ee ee 521 Bitialoesminm @iktahtomdawc.. cote ss. =. 106 Bryan, William Jennings, Speech at Goy- emmors: Conmrerence. . 20... coc vs 344 Bunner, H. C.,, DOSE DY oss oeare seers oe 2 Burke, Gov. (N. Dak.), Speech at Gov SLnoLsonm GOnterenCe. vse: eee es 342 Burnett, E. A., Speech at Governors’ (onterencé, ..> acter ee ess 341 Business Side of Conservation.......... 548 California Irrigation Needs Forests (ar (itch k=) act topes (Se Se Mery ee 212 Cameron, Agnes Deans, article by....... 258 Canada, Forestry in—See Foreign Coun- tries. Canadian Forestry Association—See For estry Associations. Canadian Pacific Railway’s Great Irriga- fion Etiterprise, article: ... 2.) 45 258 Canals, a Glory of France, article...... 14 Canals—See Waterways. are VOStpH (sr... en viaknae we» os 178, 179 Caremeect, Work Under... ..... 2.22... 340 Carnegie, Andrew, Speech at Governors’ SOnTereliCes sins fuse ey ewes eee 303 ’ Conservation League 1V Gase piso. anticle Dye seem" 278 Cult of ‘Conservation; The}... ae 469 Cutler, John C., Speech at Governors’ Conference si). cen ee note eons 339 Dalmatia, Desolation in, article.......... 76 See also Foreign Countries. Davey, John; article by-o- erie 620 Davey, Martin L., article by.2:< 2-22-00 620 Davidson, Gov. James O., Speech at Governors’ Conference....-.....- 335 Davidson, Lieut.-Goy., Speech at Govern- ors’ Ganteneree f.0S ides eee Dawson, W. M. O., Soa at Gov- ernors’ Conference:..,..-(2aee 319 Death of the Forest, poem. a . 369 Deforestation—See Forest Destruction Floods, and Foreign Countries, Lessons from. DenveruObfectorssem eee eee 392, 393, 394 Desecration, poemin.- cee eee ee eee 79 Dramage, and: HorestsSo--. - 22. eo eee Drainage, Conenesse- eee eee 15, 99, 349 Drainage of Southern Marshes, article... 15 Drain the Swamps? Shall Uncle Sam, article:n so. socciette oe = eae 207 Dodd, Marion Elza, poem by........... 283 Dominion of the Lone Cone, The...-... 29 Droughts and Floods.:...:...25 e7950% O15 See also Floods, and Water-sheds. Dryads’ Last Stand, The, poem. . 404 Duty of Citizens—See Citizens, Wate Be Duties of States—See States, Duties of. Earth Modified by Human Action, book.. 126 Eaton, FM. varticle ibyaeen ease eae CONTENTS OF VOLUME XIV v Page Editorial. |. 5.00 seevsas0% cvs A Gh SION 379 248, 352, 387, 445, 493, 548, 625 Education, Industrial School Bill........ 192 Education, School Tree Planting........ 211 See also Arbor Day. Education in Forestry—See Forestry Education; Forestry Schools; Lec- tures, and Appalachian Agitation. Edwords, Clarence B., Speech by...... 281 Emerson, Arthur I., book by........... 280 Engineering Experiment Stations....... 257 Diyepeee eee ag. ons 66s kn oa es 566 EMU Geniern rr 123 SID erica Tae Ses ches wet eee wie ik 131 SOtithige tiledemere te once «si osauis es 105 Sweden and Norway............... 173 Warloliss Gountnicse vrs sais. ce 496, 569 International Trade in Lumber. 131, 560 ROLES. CONSELU ATOM. cvciils tes siclsee «c 17) 87, 335, 348, 410, 487, 559 See also Forest Destruction, and Conservation ; Foreign Countries, Timber Supply; Water Powers; Waterways, etc. Page CURSE PMOESIITICHON ....ickcs v buat aw 9+ yi aes vill FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION anp CONSERVATION Page Mississippi-to-Atlantic Deep Waterways Association—See Waterways As- sociations. | Mitchell, John, Speech at Governors’ Gonferences. sees terete 314 Monarch of the Woods, The, poem.... 38 Nigar: JBAIRUNS WON c Gucdaos boudsoecac 678 Mountain Forests and Floods.......... 399 iNI@reraMa, —TNeKe OSIM Soo eS ocste ccs 216 Names tote: Vialiopaniymtess oyetesyee rece 196 National Conservation Comm:ssion—See Conservation Commission. National Conservation League—See Con- servation League. National Drainage Congress—See Drain- age Congress. National Forest: Appalachian—See Appalachian, etc. JAIME Weill Sea ain A eer eee ees ose cca 2 JATIRNISEIRS 5550.56 aobacedun os Gey Sy WOE, Gilg) Cleveland Sie case sie aroxel oe ens 432, 450 Garces meer rch aa eaeaeue se A Ge Garden C@ityaa tress cece eee 300 Meicands (Canyour she cckte sts coced 453 leiiquilloseestacess ae anue as. 225) 200 INaritinierena sc. sees eerie sean he ligt @) Zeit Kee ee ret et cee i, occa clea 514 Sanmacmnton seer en see 432, 450 WGaRiG) "eat anara eee cei Loe aero 52 Weta CRonw ins Neel irre l ccc winnvar est tiCa 107 WYaglvinei@rt soussan dedenas boos nodes “6 National Forests: Administration... 13, 20, 28, 51, 341, 303 IBenetita tome AtIZOnay.o. “ne ese eee 508 AN DIROWEl Oiscsosseadode nn soos, LU Boe Boundaries and Extensions......... 13, 52, 107, 108, 286 Hitec ontheebeeple a scs. +. 4.0.0 21, 26 Inspectors’ and Rangers’ Meetings 20, 225 INjatn ES jr 5. hae coe 107, 286, 425, 428, 432 INGiEeReserviesser . 2) Rese. asec 3 INUIT SERIESHRE. saominn eaten ae Menge 20/5, BYR © NpositionmetOn eesti a eee eee ESTE 392, 393, 394, 445, 446, 447, 558 Bublic Opinion on. ©. 2 Ak. oe ae eee 80 Receipts in Western Depositories... 695 HRE-CISERICEEM: cas. 2. ou ecemen ceo aa 428 iiaxemeavimentss Dye ete.. nee See 606 National Forests—See also Work in a National Forest (series of arti- cles); U. S. Forest Service; Na- tional Monuments; and National Parks. National Irrigation Congress—See Irri- gation Congress. Page National Monuments: Grand: Canyons cease eee 69 Jewel. Cave: $20.5) Aca eee 132 Pinnacles.) ge ee eee 69 See also National Parks; and Na- tional Forests. National Parks: Ins Utah: Poconos ate a cece eee 340 Muir Woo0dSa...ess ance te eee 07 Wiest Point of Eiudsona seas 68 See also National Forests; and Na- tional Monuments. National Rivers and Harbors Congress— See Waterways Associations. Nation’s Herculean Task, The......... 506 Nation’s Need of Forestry Work, The.. 487 Natural Movement of Water in Semi- arid, Regions, articles. ese seer 596 Natural Resources, Conservation by Fed- eral’ “Action fcces cece ee eee 163, 291, 319, 337, 339, 419, 506 See also Conservation. Natural Resources, Waste of...........- 12} 62, 63, 266, 308, 314, 337 Natural Wealth of the Land and Its Conservation, articles sn eee 310 Navigation, Effect’ on, of Appalachian Forest Reserve, article........... 661 Navigation Resources of American Waterways, atticle. cee 572 Need of Forest Conservation, article.... 487 New Mexico Industrial Exhibition...... 127 News and Notes (department of maga- Zine) tae eee: Picea: 8. 12, 66, 124, 187, 270, 359, 395, 453, 508, 561, 636, 691 Next Generation’s Reproach Against Its Ancestors; poeiany. voc. chavo cea 372 Norris, Gov., Speech at Governors’ Conferences: feces... See 340 Nurseries, Forest Tree.......... 373, 377, 378 Oaks Dehant; The. poem). +s. .).. “sees 162 Obstriuctionisis (Retired. o%.) 0... eee 558 Ohio Forests, Destruction of........... 363 Oi ields investigations... +2. 4:0 ae 567 Old Mountain Pines, The, poem....... 57 Onions as Terigators:. 24, 5. oe 229 Opposition to National Forests—See Na- tional Forests, Opposition to. Oregons Sierra, /(he,-poemie aaa 34 Osborn, Gov., Speech at Governors’ Con- ECRenCe<\..-\.ae 4. 2 eae err Our Waning Coal Supply, article........ 542 Paducah Forestry Association—See For- estry Associations. Panama Canali.c..4 onl}, bie 506 CONTENTS OF VOLUME XIV Page Paper Pulp Production. ..... 4, 6, 15, 20, Pardee, George C., Speech at Governors’ — Conference....... 0... seeeeeee cnet Peace of Quiet Aisles, The, poem........ Peat Briquettes in New Mexico......... Pennsylvania State Forest Policy...... Forest Commission Report......... Pennsylvania Water Supply Commission Philiopine “Porestacn <<. - 066 562000. Pinchot vGurordysbortralt..... 656i cng- 0 Speech at Annual Meeting.......... Pines, The Cry of the, poem........... Pines, The Old Mountain, poem........ Plea of the City Elm, The, poem....... Rinwman ov. B. article by... 5. <2... 255. 425, Political Conventions, Parties, and Move- Poet Lariat, The, poems by........ ments. 64, 180, 392, 393,456, 558, 634, Pepilar Government. 2... . 2 forbes 18% Pontid, bad C.atticle ‘by... ius s. aces. owelle (out VWESICY sic. co <:0 = one te Eaerans Sites: st) UE Sia pesdececcpebe Preserve tie. Soil, poem. ..2. 0 s,.-1s s- Private Forestry.. 65, 75, 128, 132, 173, 230, See also Farm Forestry; and Rail- roads. Projects of Reclamation Service—See U.S. Reclamation Service. Propriety and Need of Federal Action, SEMA ha chacchsoe. ok mikegebes a tinteR Sie @ Protection for American Industry, speech.. Private Irrigation: PRTUSRU IEAM he eon os ete a oes Baitishe Colombia. . i). sc. os. - ecoe vie Ganddameeneeerr nics... 0 == TddnOuge eae gentee es ss WW Shittrort Ollomiemiee Mertens. csr. oe ces 130, 188, 277, 395, 396, 397, 398, 401 57 492 363 503 635 398 120, 637 See also Irrigation Farming; and U. S. Reclamation Service. Private Use of Public Property—See Public Property, Private Use of; and Public vs. Private Interest. Public Lands—See Land Openings; and Land Stealing. ix Page Public Opinion on Forestry and National PEOROSE Segre 1; tsiatoisss + wie sce oak NS 10 River Discharge, book review.........-. 115 Rivers and Harbors Congress — See Waterways Associations. Rivers, Navigable—See Waterways, In- land. Roads and Roadside Trees.......... 74 Roosevelt, Theodore.:........ 298, 347, 348 Stecmntiship: Of... .czo. sae cage creer eee ee 17 General Federation..... 57, 277, 351, 435 Women’s National Rivers and Harbors EONOLESS ooh colt ts ulate es 568, 636 Wioodei DOOK reviews. csci«'s os s2u RY and U. D. C. chapters. will have charge of the preservation and marking of historical trees. It was the Paducah Forestry Asso- ciation that arranged for the lecture given by Secretary Will on September 29th. A very representative audience of Paducah citizens attended the meet- ing, deep interest was manifested and a strong set of resolutions, urging the passage of the Appalachian Bill, was adopted. One and one-half and two- column’ reports, respectively, of the meetings were published in two of the Paducah papers. New Jersey Forest Council Forestry work in New Jersey is becoming more popular. Although the forest law is not wholly brought into execution, yet the moral effect of it is accomplishing the work of forest pro- tection. The New Jersey State Forest NEWS AND NOTES 13 Council is an association of citizens. It is an outgrowth from the West Vineland Farm Club. Forty years ago a committee on forestry was ap- pointed by that club which grew into the present State Forest Council. The Farm Club still keeps up its forestry work and will hold its 42d anniversary meeting and dinner on February Ist, 1908. The Secretary of the Council is au- thorized to visit the county schools and talk to the children. The work is well done in Cumberland County, and a new generation is growing up who know of forestry and its value to hu- man life. The aim is to have cards hung up in glass frames in every school in the State with short lessons on forest protection. Such cards are now posted in English, Jewish, and Italian, in all public places, so as to keep the subject continually before the pupils, and the results are already to be seen. Pennsylvania According to the Jn- National quirer, the Congress- Forests . : men from Philadelphia will be strong in their support of the bill to create an Appalachian Natrtonal Forest, at the present session of the National legislature. They will also urge in determined fashion the claims of Pennsylvania forests to be protect- ed. Pennsylvania did not enter into Secretary Wilson’s calculations, but Pennsylvania’s Congressmen intend that the Keystone State shall be taken care of in whatever is done. Do Not The Chicago Journal Stop with = would go much further Appalachians than any one else has as yet proposed in the way of Govern- ment forests. It holds that not only the Appalachian ridges, and not only mountain lands of any sort, but all sorts of forest lands procurable, should become subject to. the ownership of Uncle Sam. The language of the edi- torial referred to is as follows: “Mr. Roosevelt recommends that the Government should acquire in the 14 Appalachian and White Mountain re- gions all the forest lands that are avail- able. This is a wise suggestion. But it might be extended to include other forest lands in the West, which are just as necessary as those mentioned. The Government should become the owner of all forest lands that can be procured in the entire country, for the sake of preserving as much timber as possible for the use of our descendants. “Congress should take this matter up at the earliest possible moment and appropriate whatever funds may be necessary to put the project into exe- cution. Such action would be ap- proved by every patriotic American.” The enrollment of the School Yale Forest School this aETES year is 61; of which 32 are in the Senior class, and 29 in the Junior class, besides 9 undergraduates in the Sheffield Scientific School of Yale who are beginning the regular forest school course. This is a slight increase over last year. In the series of special lectures on lumbering in the Yale Forest School, made possible by the gift of the Na- tional Lumber Manufacturers’ Asso- ciation, there have. been three lecturers this fall, each of which talked to the Senior class two or three times—Mr. J. P. Hughes, lumberman in the United States Forest Service; Mr. Robert H. Munson of Bay Mills, Mich.; and Mr. Robert C. Lippincott, - a wholesale lumber merchant of Phila- delphia. Mr. Gifford Pinchot also spoke to the students of the Forest School on November 15th and 16th. Yale Forest ae The senior class of the Mee re Yale Forest School this year, as in the past four years, will spend the spring term in practical field work on a large tract of forest land. The classes of 1904 and 1905 were at Milford, Pa., on the es- tate of Mr. James W. Pinchot; the class of 1906 was at Waterville, N. H., on the land of the International Paper FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION January Company; and last year the seniors spent three months in camp in the Ozark Mountains near Grandin, Mo., on the Missouri Mining and Lumber Company tract. The forest map and estimates which the class of 1907 made for this company proved so valuable that this year several companies have applied to Professor Graves to have the senior class come and camp on their land. From among these offers the tract of the Kaul Lumber Com- pany in Coosa County, Alabama, has been chosen as the location of the camp for the spring of 1906. The region is midway between the coastal plains and the mountains, in a rolling country where the forests of longleaf pine and many other trees make a delightful field for forestry work. The students will live in a camp located at an elevation of about 800 feet above the sea, 20 miles from the town of Hollins, and near a spur of the logging railroad. The work will be similar to that done last spring, in- cluding the making of a topographic map of the whole tract, estimating and describing all the stands of timber, and preparing a working plan for the tract. There will also be abundant facilities for the study of land surveying, com- parison of different methods of esti- mating standing timber, and detailed instruction in logging and construction of roads. Part of the term will be spent in the mill and lumber yards at Hollins, where the students will be- come familiar with sawmill operations, grading and handling lumber, and office management. nee At the American Min- rans. ; Mississippians ing Congress, held re- cently in Joplin, Mo., it was found that the members of the congress were unanimous in their sup- port of the Federal administration’s forest policy. A resolution was pass- ed, commending the President’s efforts . in behalf of the wise disposition of the public lands in the interests of the actual home-seeker, and in the inter- ests of the bona fide miner. The same 1908 resolution further urged the Federal Congress to adopt such changes in the coal-land laws as would authorize the Government to hold and lease the min- ing rights separate and independent of the surface rights, the latter being sold or leased independently for home- steads or other agricultural or graz- ing purposes. The ‘Trans-Mississippi Congress, which was in session November 19th to 22d, inclusive, at Muskogee, I. Ter., passed resolutions similar to the above, and also resolutions commending the administration’s forest policy, and urging the leasing of the grazing lands under Government supervision. The Governor of Hawaii proclaimed the 15th of of November as Arbor Day for that island ferritory. Trees are important to the life of the people there, as elsewhere, and since lumber is growing high-priced elsewhere, there is all the more reason why they should, as they can, supply their needs from home material. In fact, the is- lands are now exporting lumber in considerable quantities. The Honolulu Commercial Advertiser mentions some of the elements of commerce affected: “Leaving out the raising of tree fruits we already have companies incorpor- ated with a large amount of capital to develop three distinctly new exports— namely, lumber, rubber and copra; all from different species of trees. There are millions for the future to be deriv- ed from the systematic forestation now being conducted. Arbor Day has a distinctive value also in the cause of city beautification. For a country where tree growth is so rapid as here, it ought to be the greatest day for pub- lic observance in the calendar. Arbor Day in Hawaii 2) se la Elsewhere, editorial aising eye. = Dita mention is made of news ' papers raising prices. Additional items come to the editor- ial desk. The Indianapolis Morning Star, the Terre Haute Star, and the Muncie Star, the three comprising the Star League, have raised their prices, NEWS AND NOTES I cn their manager declaring, “The best way we knew of meeting the increase in white paper by the press was to in-. crease the price of the paper. * * * Publishers have got to do something, and I understand that they are raising prices all over the country.” Joliet daily newspapers have recent- ly advanced their prices from five cents to ten cents per week. A Perth Amboy paper has increased its price, its manager stating that “the present cost in the production of a daily paper has doubled that of five years ago,” and that “its only salvation was the increase in price.” Its editor added, that “he did not believe that the reduc- tion of the tariff on wood pulp would help, because he believed that as soon as it is done Canada will put an ex- port duty on the product.” The Drainage The plan of the Na- of Southern tional Drainage Asso- Marshes ie ciation to convert more than 65 million acres of Southern swamps into agricultural lands is part of the general project to con- serve and develop the natural re- scources of the country with economy and foresight entirely unknown in the past. Not long ago Mr. James J. Hill pointed out the distinction between our lasting and our transitory sources of prosperity. Mines are destined to be exhausted. Agriculture, grazing, and lumbering, on the other hand, are permanent industries. The prosper- ity which is based upon them is the only prosperity of which the future is assured. But farm crops, pastur- age, and forest products, though con- stantly renewed by nature, are threat- ened by excessive use—the hasty, shortsighted sort of use which is termed “exploitation,” as disting- uished from development. President Roosevelt has clearly formulated the general public pol- icy of conserving the natural re- sources of the country. Lasting gen- eral prosperity will depend in the long run upon putting to its best use every acre of farm, pasture, and forest land. 16 FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION That the country realizes this, and has supported the Government in its provisions for the future of the people, shows conclusively that the old ways of haste and waste are fast being dis- carded. The swamps of the United States, mainly in the South, cover an area as large as Illinois, Indiana and Ohio —a vast sheet of stagnant water and coarse rushes. All this land is now useless, or practically so. If drained, the soil is fabulously rich; and what now is waste, a home for mosquitoes, and a haunt for creeping things, may be changed into agricultural districts capable of supporting 16,000,000 peo- ple, with one family on each twenty Heres: The engineering difficulties are not greater than others already mastered. Beacutel ; The Buffalo News Suede cs Speaks | admiringly, uot Statestanship President Roosevelt’s practical statesmanship : “For the first time in the history of the United States a President repre- sents the American idea of peace, in- dustry and production in the fullest sense. While inferior to no predeces- sor in martial spirit, Mr. Roosevelt has the good fortune to be the great- est soldier of industry the world ever saw. Is the West for Roosevelt, be- cause he has lived in the West, and wrote the story of its winning, and shares the superb Western spirit ? Only in part is that the explanation. The watchwords of Roosevelt men in the West to-day are Irrigation and Forest Preservation. And both ir- rigation and forestry are business propositions of the first rank in the United States. “At heart the South is for Roose- velt. Why? In addition to lesser things the South knows that he is the man who is making the dirt fly on the Isthmus as it never flew before and is thus opening the Pacific to the com- mercial conquest of the South. It followed his journey recently all the way down the Mississippi from Keo- January kuk to Vicksburg and learned that for the first time in our history a Pres- ident had completely grasped all the immense significance of the internal waterways of the Union when they are developed as they should be, and set himself the mighty task of getting that project going actively while in office. That is another business prop- osition.”’ A Third There is a form of -re- Kind of ___clamation that is not ap- Reclamation plied to new land, whether arid or swamp. Land which has been worn out by bad methods of cultivation and abandoned as useless can be reclaimed by the introduction of wise methods of cultivation. Large areas of land in the Southern States have been .abandoned because they were cultivated so long in one crop, usually cotton, that they became un- productive. The Office of Farm Man- agement of the Department of Agri- culture is doing a most interesting and valuable work in teaching farmers, who have long been used to putting all their efforts into one crop,to diversify, and thereby get better returns and in- crease the fertility of their land. This increase in fertility is as good as a large increase in the amount of land available. The annual report of the Board of Agriculture in Jamaica describes sim- ilar efforts in that island. Many farmers there have been induced to buy live stock in order to have the manure to apply to the soil. Live stock is generally an important ele- ment in the cropping plans recom- mended by the Office of Farm Man- agement. alee A municipal” cement emen ‘ Plant plant of the capacity of 1,000 barrels per day is proposed for making the cement re- quired for the construction of the Los Angeles aqueduct and accompanying works. The plant will be located at Teha- chapi, Cal., and so far as we know, 1908 will be the first cement plant ever built by a city, and the second one built at public expense. The other publicly-owned plant is supplying ce- ment for the great Roosevelt Dam, some miles from Phoenix, Ariz., and was built by the U. S. Reclamation Service. zis In Dr. Herman von ad e Schrenk’s address before Ts rea the New England Rail- road Club at Boston, he remarked that planting and the select- ive operation of forest tracts would naturally remain in the hands of a few people; but all are interested in the economical utilization of what- ever wood is cut. There are two dif- ferent phases of this; one is the use of each species of wood for the purposes to which it is best adapted, and the other is making a better adaptation of sizes of logs to the uses for which they are destined. It is on just such elements of right use as this, no doubt, that Dr. Von Schrenk has been engaged to advise the Southern cypress manufacturers, as noted in our September issue. Wishto = = Those on the ground Share Their jnow the value of the Blessings National Forest system. The citizens of Utah who are connect- ed with the Manti Forest, knowing the benefits to their own region, are desirous that the same be extended to the people of the East, and have so ex- pressed themselves in the following resolutions, adopted a short time since: Manti Nationa Forest, EPHRAIM, UTAH. We, the officers of the Manti Na- tional Forest in Annual Officers’ Meeting assembled, observe and re- solve as follows: Whereas, we have observed that an effort is being made to create a Na- tional Forest within the Appalachian and White Mountains; and Whereas, from our experience and personal observation, we believe that NEWS AND NOTES 17 immeasurable benefits are derived from a or any National Forest, as administered by the Bureau of For- estry; and Whereas, we are confident of the good that will be done not only to the people adjacent but to the people throughout the country at large by the creation of such Forests ; Therefore Be It Resolved, That we the officers of the Manti National For- est commend the efforts being made to accomplish this end, that we pledge ourselves individually and collectively to this effort, and that we will appeal to all people to employ every honor- able measure to insure the creation of these Forests by the United States; and be it further Resolved, That copies of this resolu- tion be sent to the Hon. Forester, Gif- ford Pinchot, and to Senators Reed Smoot and George Sutherland, and to Congressman Joseph Howell, and Inspector R. E. Benedict. A. W. JENSEN, ERNEST WINKLER, J. F. ANDERSON, J. N. CHRISTIANSEN, PARLEY CHRISTIANSEN, J. W. Humpurey, J: P. BrocKBank, B. E. Marrsson, D. H. WILLIAMS, CHARLES THORPE. At the annual meeting of Vermont ; Women the Vermont Federation Promote of Women’s Clubs held Trees in Windsor, October 2d ‘and 3d, very encouraging reports were made from the twenty-six federated clubs in the State. In one town where a tree warden has been appointed, the Women’s Club has been appointed a committee from its members to take note of the roads leading to the neighboring towns and report to the tree warden any needs which may come to their notice. The club women are also studying the laws of Vermont, in regard to the care of its forests and the protection of v8 FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION shade trees, and are encouraging the school children to become familiar with the names and characteristics of the trees in their own towns. One club of only fifteen members has furnished material for a forestry column in its weekly local paper. The letter addressed by Mrs. P. S. Peterson, chairman of forestry in the General Federation, to the club women, was given publication throughout the State, and practical work has been un- dertaken for the present year. What Timber The appreciation of tim- Land Sales her properties in recent indicate years, and perhaps more pronounced within the last two years, is strikingly illustrated, says the Man- tel, Tile and Grate Monthly, by the transfers of large tracts which are de- tailed every month in the columns of the lumber trade press, and each suc- ceeding year must witness a_ still greater value attached to our forests from a commercial viewpoint alone. The buying of timber to-day is large- ly for the sake of investment. The speculative feature is minimized in a measure by the absolute certainty that each year the property so held must increase in value. Georgia Shows Live Interest The Georgia Forest As- sociation met at Athens on October 25th. The meeting was small as regards numbers, but boundless as regards enthusiasm and determination to do something to- wards the perpetuation of Georgia’s forests. Dr. H. C. White presided. After considerable discussion of plans the following officers for the coming year were elected: President, Judge EK. H. Callaway, of Augusta; first vice-president, Mr. E. M. Mallette, of Thomasville; second vice president, Hon. James M. Smith, of Smithsonia : secretary, Alfred Alerman, of Athens; treasurer, Prof. Andrew H. Patterson, of Athens. On November 8th the Georgia Fed- January eration of Women’s Clubs, in a pub- lic meeting at Tifton, considered the forest problem. Mr. Enos A. Mills, of the United States Forest Service, ad- dressed the meeting. Mr. Mills was introduced by Prof. Alfred Akerman, of the State University. On November 29th the Atlanta sec- tion of the American Institute of Elec- trical engineers, in open meeting, dis- cussed the relation of forest cover to water flow, as affecting electrical pow- er plants. Mr. R. S. Kellogg of the Forest Service, Prof. Akerman, and Mr. Lee of Charlotte, N. C., addressed’ the meeting. Former Governor Par- dee, of California, who happened to be visiting Atlanta, was present; and when called upon for a few remarks made a short but stirring talk. Electrical 1 Following a compre- Engineers hensive preamble these Resolve F resolutions were adopt- ed: Resolved, That it is the opinion of the Southern Section of the Institute of Electrical Engineers: “That where forest reserves already exist, whether State or National, their area should not be reduced unless the land therein included is more valu- able for agriculture than for forestry. “That additional forest reserves should be promptly created on regions adapted by nature for the growth of hardwoods. “That the headwaters of important streams should be protected by forest reserves; and “That where, as in the case of New England and the southern Appa- lachians, the rivers are of an interstate character, it is most desirable that the Federal Government establish National Forests without delay; and be it further ‘ “Resolved, That the chairman and secretary of the Southern section be instructed to communicate these reso- lutions to all members of Congress 1908 from the Southern States and to the Governors of the same States.” The Daily Bulletin of the Manufac- turers’ Record, of Baltimore, gives nearly two columns to the report of this meeting. Another factor in the The Appala- Appalachian campaign skal ationa'has appeared: it is the Association recently organized Ap- palachian National For- est Association. Its headquarters is 1331 Candler Building, Atlanta, Ga. Its president is Mr. Ligon Johnson, who represented the State of Georgia in the famous case against the Duck- town copper mine, in connection with which he made an extensive study of forest conditions. The organization includes the fol- lowing officers: President (as above), Secretary and Treasurer, John H. Finney, president of the local section of the American Institute of Electrical Engineers; Executive Committee, Dr. Roy Harris, Asst. Commissioner of Agriculture; R. F. Wright, State Geologist; W. S. Yeates, Capt. R. J. Rowry., capt. Je We English, J: EL. McCord, Forrest Adair, R. F. Shed- den, Albert Howell and J. Willie Pope. The Appalachian States are provided with vice presidents as fol- lows: . Georgia, Allen M. Schoen: Alabama, Robert J. Chambers; Ten- nessee, H. M. Suter; Kentucky, G. W. Hubley; West Virginia, W. T. Wil- liamson; Virginia, Jos. Bryan; North Carolina, -D. A. Tompkins; South Carolina, J. E. Sirrine. Each of these vice presidents is expected to name a member of the general executive com- mittee. Further, a local committee is expected to operate in each of the Ap- palachian States. - The object of the Appalachian Na- tional Forest Association is to conduct a vigorous campaign of education and publicity throughout the Appalachian States, with a view to securing the passage of the Appalachian © bill. Leaders in every business and profes- sion are reported as rallying to its NEWS AND NOTES 19 cause with an enthusiasm that ensures success. Its work is already calling forth a large degree of newspaper publicity in the form both of news “stories” and editorials. Several of the prominent papers in States adjoining Georgia have already promised their aid. President Johnson is confidently expecting the support of practically every influential paper in the South. The American Forestry Association cordially welcomes this new organiza- tion to the field of Appalachian en- deavor and trusts that it may prove a potent factor in still further develop- ing and crystallizing the Appalachian sentiment of the South and thus of aiding in the passage of the Appa- lachian bill. New Forest That the people of Ala- Legislation ama are ready to take in Alabama : , a decided step in advance so far as regards the creation of a proper forest policy, is shown by the provisions of a bill which was enacted by the Legislature at its recent special Session. When Governor Comer issued his call for an extra session, he inserted a clause which permitted the discussion and enactment of measures designed to protect the rapidly disappearing for- est resources of the State. A commit- tee was appointed to study the subject, and to suggest the provisions for the proposed bill. This committee request- ed the assistance of the Forest Service, and as a result of their deliberations a bill was put through which provides for the appointment of a non-partisan State Commission of Forestry, which shall oversee all forest matters of the State, and take all possible measures to promote a proper appreciation of the benefits to be derived from forest preservation. Provision is made for the future creation of State forest re- serves. Forest plantations, under cer- tain conditions, are to be exempted from taxation for a period of ten years. A fairly complete fire law is included in the bill, and the county game and fish wardens, and other 20 FORESTRY. AND IRRIGATION State and County officials, are declared Forest Wardens as well. The Gov- ernor, also, under certain conditions, has the power to appoint forest ward- ens, and provision is made for their remuneration. A small appropriation is made for carrying out the provis- ions of the bill, and a Forest Reserve Fund is created into which all fines, forfeitures, and penalties, arising from violations of the law, are to be paid. There are, in addition, several other _ provisions of less general interest. It is especially to be regretted that con- stitutional restrictions prevented the enactment of measures for the relief of the present heavy. taxation on cut- over lands. This is one of the most serious problems which the proposed commission will be called upon to solve. Denuded land, however, which is properly cared for during a period of ten years, will be exempted from taxation. The Commission will consist of the Governor ; a member of the Tax Com- mission; the Game and Fish Commis- sioner; the Commissioner of Agricul- ture and Industries; a practical lum- berman; a member of the U. S. Forest Service ; and the Professor of Forestry in the Alabama Polytechnic Institute. This Commission is to elect one of its own number as secretary. The bill is reported to have passed the House by a large majority, almost unanimously; and was then accepted by the Senate. A very interesting and successful Ranger Meet- ing was held at Rose- burg, Oregon, from October 18 to 21, 1907._ The supervisors and rangers from eight National Forests in south- ern Oregon were in attendance. Ranger Meeting The following are some of the points upon which the meeting passed reso- lutions expressing their views: The co-operation with settlers in the build- ing of telephone lines; timber sales; construction of fire lines; a filing sys- tem for rangers’ use; the establishment January of game refuges within the National Forests; that it is not advisable for rangers to serve as State game ward- ens; that rangers should be supplied with U. S. Geological Survey quadran- gles, where such are available ; that the wives of supervisors, rangers. and . guards be invited to attend the annual ranger meetings; that the proper time for holding the examination for forest ranger is in the fall; the proper width for trails; the forest atlas; that more elementary books be supplied for the ranger library; that a working uni- form be adopted, to be made on simi- lar lines to the present one, but of khaki or some washable material, and not to cost over $5.00; burning brush; grazing regulations; herders’ identifi- cation cards; special uses, etc. Mrs. Martin S. Durbin, wife of Ran- ger Durbin, of the Umpqua Na- tional Forest, was chairman of a com- mittee on the preparation of plans for a ranger cabin. Hon. C. S. Jackson, member of the Oregon legislature, who was largely responsible for the passage of the Oregon fire law at the last session, was present at one of the meetings and gave a short talk. Mr. G. S. Marshall, of Weyerhaeuser Lum- ber Company, was present at a meet- ing and gave a short account of brush piling and burning as practised by his company. Ontario’s The discovery that spruce Menopoly is the best wood for con- of Spruce version into pulp and paper has altered economically the whole situation. Henceforth the Ca- nadian spruce will take rank with the Canadian white pine as one of the most valuable trees that nature has produced. Of spruce timber Ontario has now a larger supply than any oth- er country, and if reckless vandalism continues to prevail elsewhere this Province may, under an enlightened policy, secure and retain a virtual mo- nopoly. What this would mean in re- lation to the prosperity of the Prov- ince is easier to imagine than foretell. —Toronto Globe. APPEALING TO THE SOUTH [N THE Atlanta, Ga., Constitution for Sunday, December 1, Mr. Ligon Johnson, President of the Ap- palachian National Forest Association, devotes a half page with illustrations to a discussion of “the vast importance to the South of forest reserves.” He states that the vast importance and imperative necessity of these for- ests are but dimly realized by people most directly concerned. He empha- sizes the importance of the water question from the standpoint of power and floods, shows that preservation of the timber supply alone affords ample reason for establishing National For- ests, and points to the successful work of Western National Forests under the administration of Forester Pinchot. He shows how foreign interests and corporations not identified or con- nected with the prosperity of the South are acquiring the timber- lands and exploiting them, purely in the interest of dividends, points out that Appalachian land more ap- propriate for farms than for forests can still be privately owned and farmed, shows how, through lack of knowledge permitting forest destruc- tion, conditions have been created in Northern Georgia whereby farm after farm has been left abandoned and as desolate as Goldsmith’s “deserted vil- lage;” and how, through proper man- agement, such conditions could be per- manently prevented. He points to the multiplication of fields eroded by floods and calls attention to the change in cli- matic conditions following deforesta- tion. He next shows that the alleged loss in taxation by the establishment of National Forests is imaginary, rather than real; that taxes from tim- berlands are ordinarily but temporary returns, the land being soon robbed, laid waste, and rendered valueless, and the timber shipped away; whereas, under the National Forest plan, not only are local industries encouraged and taxable property retained, but 10 per cent of the gross receipts from the sales of timber and all other resources is paid to the counties in which the National Forests lie, affording an in- come which quickly overshadows the highest expectations under the most liberal tax returns. He shows that the Southern States have each and all ap- proved the Appalachian forest plan, ceded the necessary lands to the United States, reserving only jurisdic- tion for their civil and criminal pro- cess, and pledged their aid and co- operation to every effort seeking the establishment of the National Forests. - He closes with this pointed paragraph: “The establishing of a National Forest, instead of taking the region and its products from the public, con- verts the territory into public domain of such a character that the surround- ing States directly or indirectly reap every advantage. Timber suitable for lumbering is annually disposed of; where the land is fitted for pasturage, grazing permits are issued; if there be mineral wealth, the mines may be developed by any citizen; hotels, re- sorts, residences, stores, power plants and mills may be built; the streams may be fished, the lands hunted, and campers may take their holidays in the forest solitude at will. In short, a great national park, self-supporting, fostering home industries, preserving our highways of commerce, our water power and supply, the fertility of our soil, the salubriousness of our climate and the general welfare of our section and giving to our mountain counties a steady source of income, is the purpose of the proposed Appalachian National Forest.” BEEORw (Or) SECRETARY 2OF AGRI- CULTURE ON THE APPALACHIAN WATERSHEDS S A result of one of the most ex- tensive and thoroughgoing field investigations which the Government has ever conducted, Secretary of Ag- riculture Wilson, in his special report transmitted to Congress on December II, recommends that the Government acquire an area not to exceed 600,000 acres in the White Mountains and areas aggregating not more than 5,- 000,000 acres in the Southern Appa- lachians for the establishment of Na- tional Forests. The average price to be paid per acre is put at $6 for the White Mountains and at $3.50 for the Southern Appalachians. The lands which it is recommended that the Gov- ernment take over lie in the Blue Ridge and Great Smoky Mountains of North Carolina and Tennessee, South Carolina and Georgia, in the Alleg- heny* Mountains of eastern and south- ern West Virginia and western Vir- ginia, in the Cumberland Mountains of eastern Kentucky, Tennessee, and northern Alabama, and in the four main ranges of the White Mountains, mostly in New Hampshire. Imme- diate action is urged by the Secretary, since the natural resources of both re- gions are being seriously impaired by reckless lumbering and wasteful use. Congress, at its last session, appro- priated $25,000 to make this investi- gation, and the Secretary of Agricul- ture, in order to present the most com- plete and conclusive report possible, saw to it that each of the several prob- lems involved was handled by the most competent man whose services could be secured. The Forest Service detailed to the work several of its most exper- ienced experts, the Bureau of Soils made a careful study of the soils and agricultural possibilities of the South- ern Appalachian Region, the Geolog- ical Survey gave the results of a seven years’ investigation of water power and navigation in the Southern Appa- lachians; from Prof. Ly. CC. 3Giaum of Vanderbilt University were secured the results of a three years’ study of soil erosion, and from Mr. Philip W. Ayres a report on the commercial im- portance of the White Mountains. In charge of the work as a whole was Mr. William L. Hall, Assistant For- ester in the Forest Service. The report of the Secretary con- tains the first complete study of condi- tions in the Southern Appalachians and White Mountains, and gives some startling facts concerning the amount of water power available, the depend- ence of the Nation upon the South- ern Appalachians for its future hard- wood supply, and the enormous re- duction in the value of the streams for water-power and navigation which would result from the removal of the forests from the mountains. The Sec- retary emphasizes the fact that the two regions under consideration are ad- vancing rapidly toward a condition of barrenness and sterility. It is estimat- ed that in the upland country south of Pennsylvania not less than 100 square miles of arable and forestable land are absolutely lost each year through the complete removal of the woods and the consequent washing of the soil. That part of the report which deals with the production of timber brings out strikingly the fact that the Na- tion’s future hardwood supply rests in the control of the Southern Appa- lachians. In the last seven years the hardwood lumber cut has fallen off Over I5 per cent and this in the face of an unprecedented demand. During the same period the wholesale prices of hardwood lumber advanced from 25 1908 to 65 per cent. A liberal estimate gives the remaining stand of hard- woods of the country at 400 billion feet, enough to last only sixteen years. The report then points out that it is the Appalachian region, where 75,000,- 000 acres are primarily adapted to the production of hardwood timber, to which the hardwood-using. industries must look for future supplies. It shows also that under right manage- ment these 75,000,000 acres can pro- duce each year three billion cubic feet of wood, about equal to the present consumption of hardwood timber for all purposes. If the Appalachians are taken soon enough, the Secretary points out, and are rightly handled, they can be made to produce continu- ously three-fourths of the hardwood supply of the country, and this with- out exhausting the forests, but, in fact, improving them. -Concerning water power, the re- port brings out some entirely new facts. Based on the lowest two weeks in the year, it states that under present conditions the streams of the Southern Appalachians afford a minimum of 2,- 740,000 horse power. Development of the storage facilities of streams would increase this from three to thirty times. At least fifty per cent of the minimum horse power is available for economic development. On this basis, the re- port says, the rental of 1,350,000 horse power at $20 per annum is worth $27,- 000,000 per year. In the same way, if there is added the possible revenue from the fifty per cent of power which is present for only half the year, the total is brought to $38,000,000. After pointing out what a tremendous fac- tor this vast water power is in the fu- ture industrial development of the United States and how much New England depends upon the power giv- en by the streams which rise in the White Mountains, Secretary Wilson goes on to show what a vital relation the forest bears to successful utiliza- tion of water power and artificial stor- age. He shows that no matter what the purpose or design, any reservoir NEWS AND NOTES 23 system developed in the Southern Ap- palachians is foredoomed to failure unless the watersheds which feed it are kept under forest. If the forest is removed, vast accumulations of silt and gravel will be carried down to the reservoirs and render them worthless. Moreover, the floods in many of the streams are due to the extent to which the forest has been cut away or burnt, and if the reckless cutting and carelessness with regard to fire con- tinues, most of the great water power now available will be lost. The Appalachian Mountains are also important to navigation, since all the water gathered by them flows to the sea in navigable rivers. The forest is the one natural factor which tends to equalize the flow of streams, and with the forest supplemented by a sys- tem of reservoirs the depth of many streams could be materially increased. With thirty-five per cent of the Mo- nongahela water subject to storage, the flood damage at Pittsburg and Wheeling would be almost eliminated. With the minimum stage of the Ohio at Wheeling increased by three feet, the coveted stage between Pittsburg and Cincinnati would all but be se- cured. As the report points out, how- ever, this will never be accomplished unless steps are taken to preserve the forest cover of the watersheds and so prevent the filling up of both reser- voirs and streams with sand and silt washed from the mountain sides. The report shows graphically the condition of the two regions to-day, the slopes stripped of their forest coy- er, the resulting erosion of the soil, the danger to agricultural lands and waterways, and the total destruction of scenic beauty, a large asset in many sections. Although only a very small portion of the 75,000,000 acres of for- est land is recommended for acqui- sition by the Government, the report suggests a plan whereby, with the aid of the several States and the co-oper- ation of private owners, proper man- agement of most of the forest land might be secured. The creation of 24 FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION National Forests, as is pointed out, will not interfere with local industries, but rather it will aid them. Govern- ment protection of the forests would solve the fire problem of the region. It would not hinder mining and pros- pecting, and to farming and fruit growing it would give a material stimulus, since protection of the high- er mountain slopes would greatly in- crease the safety of these industries ‘in the valleys below. Nor would Na- tional Forests interfere in the slight- est degree with settlers who own and cultivate small farms along the moun- tain streams, nor would it stop the use of the mountains for grazing. The many other uses of the mountains January would be furthered rather than hin- dered, and ten per cent of all revenues which the Government received from the Forests would be given to the counties in which the Forests are sit- uated. The great industries, such as the furniture, cooperage, wagon, etc., which depend upon a supply of hard- woods, would be benefitted incalcul- ably, and the vast capital which de- pends upon water power would be made secure. Taken as a whole, the report marks a distinct step forward by outlining a definite program for preserving for continuous use one of the Nation’s greatest resources. THE-HEART OF A TREE By H. C. Bunner What does he plant who plants a tree? He plants the friend of sun and sky; He plants the flag of breezes free; The shaft of beauty, towering high; He plants a home to heaven anigh For song and mother-croon of bird In hushed and happy twilight heard, The treble of heaven’s harmony— These things he plants who plants a tree. What does he plant who plants a tree? He plants cool shade and tender rain, And seed and bud of days to be, And years that fade and flush again; He plants the glory of the plain; He plants the forest’s heritage; The harvest of a coming age; The joy that unborn eyes shall see— These things he plants who plants a LEee What does he plant who plants a tree? He plants, in sap and leaf and wood, In love of home and loyalty And far-cast thought of civic good— His blessing on the neighborhood Who in the hollow of His hand Holds all the growth of all our land. A nation’s growth from sea to sea Stirs in his heart who plants a tree. From Century Magazine, April, 1893, 45: 844. Printed by permission of Century Co. SOUTHERN APPALACHIAN-WHITE MOUNTAIN FOREST BILL OLLOWING the special report of the Secretary of Agriculture on Southern Appalachian and White Mountain Watersheds, which went to Congress December 11, the bill for the purchase of National Forests in the two regions was introduced in the House of Representatives on Decem- ber 19. Identical bills were introduc- ed by Representatives Lever, of South Carolina, and Currier, of New Hamp- shire. Both were referred to the Com- mittee on Agriculture, of which Rep- resentative Chas. F. Scott, of Kansas, is Chairman. An effort is being made to secure a public hearing on these bills on De- cember 30th, the day following the meeting of the American Forestry As- sociation. The bill is modified consid- erably from the form in which it passed the Senate in the last Congress. In its present form it is simpler and much better. Before its introduction it was carefully criticized by represent- atives of the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests, the Mass- achusetts Forestry Association, and the American Civic Association, as well as by members of the American For- estry Association and the Forest Ser- vice, and we understand that its pres- ent form is approved by all of these or- ganizations. The text of the bill fol- lows: A BILL For acquiring National Forests in the Southern Appalachian Mountains and White Mountains. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled. That the Secretary of Ag- riculture is hereby authorized and di- rected, in his discretion, to acquire for National Forest purposes by purchase or gift lands more valuable for the regulation of stream flow than for other purposes and _ sit- uated on the watersheds of navi- gable streams in the Southern Appa- lachian Mountains within the States of Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Kentucky, and Tennessee, and in the White Moun- tains within the States of New Hamp- shire and Maine. Such acquisition may in any case be conditioned upon the exception and reservation to the owner from whom title passes to the United States of the minerals and of the merchantable timber, or either or any part of them, within or upon such lands at the date of the conveyance, but in every such case such exception and reservation and the time within which such timber shall be removed and the rules and regulations under which the cutting and removal of such timber, and the mining and removal of such minerals shall be done, shall be expressed in the written instrument of conveyance, and thereafter the mining, cutting and removal of the minerals and timber so excepted and reserved shall be done only under and in obedience to the rules and regula- tions so expressed. Sec. 2. That the Secretary of Ag- riculture shall advertise in the several States named in section one for lands to be acquired under the provisions hereof; and as between lands of equal value, the lowest bids shall be accept- ed: Provided, That the Secretary of Agriculture shall have the right to re- ject any or all bids. Sec. 3. That no deed or other in- strument of conveyance shall be ac- cepted or approved by the Secretary of Agriculture under this act until the legislature of the State in which the land lies shall have consented to the ac- quisition of such land by the United States for National Forest purposes. Sec. 4. That the Secretary of Agri- 20 FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION culture may do all things necessary to secure the safe title in the United States to the lands to be acquired un- der this act; but no payment shall be made for any such land until the title shall be satisfactory to the Attorney- General and shall be vested in the United States. Sec. 5. That the sum of five million dollars is hereby appropriated to carry out the provisions of this act, out of any moneys in the Treasury not other- wise appropriated, and said sum shall be available immediately and until ex- pended for said purpose. Provided, that the Secretary of Agriculture shall each year make a detailed report to Congress on the lands acquired under this act and the cost thereof. Sec. 6. That, whereas small areas of land chiefly valuable for agriculture may of necessity or by inadvertence be included in tracts acquired under this act, the Secretary of Agriculture may in his discretion and he is hereby au- thorized, upon application or other- wise, to examine and ascertain the lo- cation and extent of such areas as, in his opinion, may be occupied for agri- cultural purposes without injury to the forests and which are not needed for public purposes, and may list and de- scribe the same by metes and bounds, or otherwise, and offer them for sale as homesteads, at their true value to be fixed by him, to actual settlers in tracts not exceeding eighty acres in area, under such joint rules and regu- lations as the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of the Interior may prescribe. And no right, title, interest, or claim in or to any lands acquired under this act or the waters thereon, or the products, resources or use thereof after such lands shall have been so acquired, shall be initiated or perfected except as in this section pro- vided. And the Secretary of Agricul- ture may, under rules and regulations to be prescribed by him, authorize the sale of any products of the lands ac- quired under this act and the use of any such land or the resources thereof January consistent with its reservation for for - est purposes. Sec. 7. That, subject to the pro- visions of the last preceding section the lands acquired under this act shall be permanently reserved, held and admin- istered as National Forest lands under the provisions of Section 24 of the Act approved March 3, 1891 (Volume 26 Statutes at Large, page 1103), and acts supplemental to and amendatory thereof. And the Secretary of Agri- culture may from time to time divide the lands acquired under this act into such specific National Forests and so designate the same, as he may deem best for administrative purposes. Sec. 8. That the jurisdiction, both civil and criminal, over persons upon the lands acquired under this act, shall not be affected or changed by their permanent reservation and administra- tion as National Forest lands, except. so far as the punishment of offenses against the United States is concern- ed; the intent and meaning of this sec- tion being that the State wherein any such land is situated shall not, by rea- son of such reservation and adminis- tration, lose its jurisdiction, nor the in- habitants thereof their rights and priv- ileges as citizens, or be absolved from their duties as citizens of the State. Sec. 9. That ten per centum of all money received during any fiscal year from each National Forest into which the lands acquired under this act may from time to time be divided, shall be paid at the end of such year by the Secretary of the Treasury to the State in which such National Forest is situ- ated, to be expended as the State legis- lature may prescribe for the benefit of the county or counties in which such National Forest is situated: Provided, that when any National Forest is in more than one State or county the dis- tributive share to each from the pro- ceeds of such Forest shall be propor- tional to its area therein: Provided further, that there shall not be paid to any State for any county an amount equal to more than 4o per centum of 1908 THE WHITE the total income of such county from all other sources. Sec. 10. That the Secretary of Ag- riculture may, for the further protec- tion of the watersheds of said naviga- ble streams, in his discretion, and he is hereby authorized, on such condi- tions as he deems wise, to stipulate and agree to administer and protect, for a definite term of years, any private for- est lands situated upon any watershed whereon lands may be permanently re- served, held and administered as Na- tional Forest lands under the pro- visions of this act; but such stipula- tion or agreement shall provide that the owner of such private lands shall THE WHITE MOUNTAINS 27 cut and remove the timber thereon on- ly under rules and regulations to be expressed in the stipulation or agree- ment, for the protection and conserva- tion of the forest thereon; and such stipulation or agreement may in any case provide that the private lands so administered and protected shall dur- ing such term be subject to all the pro- visions of this act and of the laws, rules and regulations governing Na- tional Forests so far as the same may be applicable, and in that case the said private lands shall, during such term, be so subject to all such provisions, laws, rules and regulations. MOUNTAINS BY T. L. Hoover, Brooklyn, N. Y. Stern of visage, gaunt of form, Monarchs grim in realm of storm— All the fleet of nebulous boats; Every craft-of-cloud that floats, Heaped high with vaporous cargo, Renders toll to your embargo. Stern of visage, gaunt of form, Spinners clad in cloaks of storm— From your distaves wrapped with mist, Tirelessly ye twine and twist, Winding out in glistening skein, Slender filaments of rain. Stern of visage, gaunt of form, Weavers on the looms of storm— Dashing streamlets now ye braid, From silvery strands so deftly made; Binding all these fluid fibers Into power-producing rivers. Stern of visage, gaunt of form, Wresting strength from out the storm; Pouring wealth on plains below, Where your cloud-wrought rivers flow, Turning mill-wheels as they glide To meet the ocean’s brimming tide— Pause ye not from toil, we pray, Ere our race has lived its day! Masters of the wind which rages, Reign ye on through endless ages; Enthroned eternal midst the storm, Stern of visage, gaunt of form! HOW NATIONAL FORESTS WOULD Aipeeel THE PEOPEE THE establishment of the proposed National Forests in the Southern Appalachians is intended like those in the Western States to be for the benefit of the people. Since the Federal Government owns no land in the Eastern States which it can set aside for forests, as has been done in the West, it is proposed to pur- chase the land. The way it is intended to purchase is to buy rough land or cut-over land suitable only for forest purposes wherever it can be bought cheaply, giving due regard for differ- ence in value of the soil and the amount of merchantable timber on the land. The bill it is proposed to ask Congress to pass for the establishment of the Forests provides for securing land by direct purchase from the own- ers. No person could be forced to give up either his land or his home, but should he wish to sell at a rea- sonable price, and should the land be forest land of the character desired by the Government, it would be bought for cash in the same manner as if by a lumber company. The object of the National Forests is to make homes more valuable, not to destroy them. There are several very important motives for the establishment of these Forests, none of which will operate to the detriment of the people in the re- gion where it is proposed to locate them; and most of which will be for their benefit. In the first place it is intended to buy only the highest, steepest, and roughest of the mountain land which is not suitable for farming, and wherever there are small areas within the For- est which are suitable for farming they will be used for this purpose. It is expected that retaining this mountain land in timber and reserv- ing a deep leaf mold on it by prevent- ing fires will lessen river floods which are becoming higher and more danger- ous every year, damaging farm lands, buildings, and mills, and washing away roads and railroads. This regu- lation of the streams will add to the value of water power, and promote the building of factories which are so much needed in the mountains. The timber in the forests will be so managed that the valuable trees like poplar and oak will not become ex- hausted, but that the supply of lum- ber for building purposes, and furni- ture factories, and of wood for paper- pulp, and tanning will be perpetuated. Local industries and local users of wood will be given preference in se- curing this timber over outside buy- ers. Good roads will be built into the forests to enable timber to be got- ten out at all times, and these roads will always be open to the people. In the National Forests of the West cat- tle and sheep are grazed in the for- ests upon the payment of a small fee for each head, and the same would probably be done in the East. A number of people would be em- ployed in building roads, getting out timber, and protecting the forest, while in some places men would be em- ployed to plant such trees as poplar and oak, which are becoming scare. Since the Government pays no taxes, a provision is made to reim- burse the counties by giving them for school and road purposes ten per cent of the gross receipts from the sale of timber or other income of the forest. The object is to create the forests for the benefit of all the people and not for the benefit of any one class. In compensation for this, the Gov- ernment would probably wish the States in which the forests lie to as- sist in protecting them from fire, and to aid private timber-land owners who do not wish to sell to the Government In sO managing their timber holdings as to secure the highest returns from them. THE DOMINION OF THE LONE CONE BY Olive M. McKinley, Pueblo, Colorado OWN in the southwestern part of Colorado, with one foot firmly planted in San Miguel County and the other in Dolores, rearing his oft-times cloud-capped head 12,635 feet into the air, and trailing his ermine garments of snow far beyond his feet along the mesas that form his footstool, stands a beautiful, majestic mountain, fitly named, the Lone Cone. If the aborigines, in the long-past golden age, did not crown and deify him, it was because their instinct for once failed to recognize a natural force which lavishly sustained them; for the Lone Cone gives in abundance of that most exquisite of treasures — pure, cold, snow-water—to all who will par- take. Be that as it may, the modern man, with his modern form of worship, has placed himself in harmony with the laws of this god of treasures. He has pleaded intelligently for a share of his blessing, and through it gained richly in material substances; so that where only thirty years ago the red man roamed through acres of sage brush, or lounged in groves of pinion, or hunted higher up among the spruce and quaking aspen, there now appear rich farm lands, set with beautiful homes ; and thousands of head of cat- tle graze on the uplands. The red man has gone. The wild creatures have shrunk deeper into for- est fastnesses. The sawmill has ap- peared and, as a consequence, the at- tendants of this haughty monarch— the magnificent trees—are lying prone in the dust. Very recently, the National Forest placed a restriction on the slaughter, but not until some of the finest speci- mens were gone. Now the ranchmen may not haul their annual supply of fuel without a permit. The rural free delivery serves this community, which so short a time ago was one of remote pioneers. Only steam and electricity have delayed their coming. From the lofty summit of this sov- ereign among mountains, the specta- tor may behold the kingdom over which he reigns, even to its boun- daries, and the profiles of his neighbor kings, with a little of their kingdoms. So far to the west that distance dis- solves them into a seeming dream, lie the La Salles and Blue Mountains of Utah. Between them and the Cone stretches the beautiful hilly country known as Disappointment. To the south, may be seen the hills of New Mexico. Still south, but nearer and a little east, rises Dolores Mountain on the south side of the town of Rico. Yet nearer, more eastward, and north of Rico, Mt. Wilson rears his head. A trifle further east may be seen the very trails leading from Telluride to her mines. Still on, almost straight east, rises the snowy Sneffles Range, guarding the beautiful town of Ouray from view. But away to the north, stretches the true “Lone Cone Country.” By a strange telepathy, the mountain com- municates his thoughts to the intruder, so that, for the moment, he entertains majestic notions. For miles and miles, the level mesas extend, cut here and there by a canon from five hundred to a thousand feet deep—only a trifle when the point of observation is near- ly 13,000 feet high. Down yonder are two immense reservoirs, one covering 300 and the other 200 acres, approxi- mately, each with an average depth of fifteen feet of water; tiny pools they seem, glistening in the sunlight, with the narrowest silver ribbon leading from them; yet they irrigate a hundred thousand acres of land below them. 20 - FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION wv But what, after all, is a thousand acres? The eye, sweeping across those level mesas, comprehends a million acres; and beholds just occasionally a bright green patch of alfalfa, or a golden yellow one of grain, carved out of the universal gray green of the sage-brush, or the black green of pin- ion trees. How small, how slow, how insignifi- cant, is human endeavor! As for man, there are to be seen, here and there, January west and always down, 3,000 feet, un- til it reaches the ground. He watches the electrical display — Nature’s fire- works—and listens to the terrific can- nonade of thunder, all below his feet. Yes, man is small indeed; simply one force in the Universal Grand Plan—is his lofty verdict. But very soon his brain reels with the tremendous thoughts of the moun- tain, and he welcomes a descent into the worid of man, and contemplation Wright’s Spring tiny white dots to indicate his domi- cile; but he himself is too minute to catch the eye. Yet for so insignificant a creature the mountain gathers, from the mysterious ether above, a blessing that spells the difference between life and death. The spectator, intoxicated by the rarefied air of such an altitude, for- gets wee man for awhile, and stands wrapt in wonder at a sight below him; for a king not of earth has taken the stage of nature’s endeavor before his eyes, and demands his marveling at- tention. It is the king of rain, stalk- ing from the clouds below, east and of the history of man’s smaller achieve- ments. Descending to Wright’s Mesa, which is typical of all the mesas, and better developed.~ than - the “rest he seeks to fathom the beginnings of things. Here runs an old Indian trail, well beaten in the last century between the Uncompahgre and Los Penos res- ervations; but also well beaten back into the vague mists of forgotten his- tory. How many thousand red feet trod this crude highway; what thoughts of sweet romance or cruel war sped them on; what loves and hates, hopes and despairs, inspired 1908 their masters, no one knows. There are no records to tell; only a few mute relics speak of their homes, hearth- stones, art, and weapons. From a few scattering tepee poles, still lying across patches of unclaimed land, the imagination may reconstruct their wigwams, picturing them draped in blankets or skins. By digging a lit- tle beneath the surface, one may see the flat stones regularly placed, black- ened and ready to crumble, which served them for fireplaces. A few DOMINION OF THE LCNE CONE 31 but most of them carried guns. There are no traces of basketry or pottery to be found; there are no monuments, and almost no sign of any burials; so that the questioner is puz- zled as to the disposal of their dead. The early white settlers found a race-track near the spring, and it is known that they met here annually for their races and games. These are the relics left to link us to that long ago. There are a thousand thousand days of deeds on which the First Home on Wright’s Mesa beads woven into armlets or necklaces tell of their love of adornment. A knife of petrified wood, perfectly formed and highly polished, a single specimen of its kind, was found here. But this particular spot is richest in arrow- and_= spear-head of _ flint, quartz, or smoky topaz, which are wonders of beauty and symmetry. How were they made? Some say, by heating the stone and pouring water on it; others, by chipping with another stone. At any rate, they are very old, for the later Indians tipped their ar- rows with iron when they used them; sun set in gorgeous or delicate gran- deur as it sets nowhere else in the world; there are as many nights of re- pose on which the moon shed her weird radiance; sunk in the darkness of oblivion, with no known history on which to ponder, until the advent of the white man, as late as the 70's Then the intrepid cowboy began driving his herds in this direction. One named Wright settled at the mouth of a draw, close by a spring. His was not the pioneer soul, and he soon returned to more settled lands, not, however, without leaving his 32 FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION name; and to-day, this favored spot is known as Wright’s Draw, Wright’s Spring, and Wright’s Mesa. In 1879, a young man, Edwin Jo- seph, in search of a place to establish a home, wintered here. In ’81 he re- turned and preempted a ranch. Then he, alone, with the help of a faithful horse and a saddle-cinch, dragged the logs down the hill-side, and built the first cabin on the mesa. At great ex- pense, he had a door packed over the mountain trails from Telluride. Be- fore it could be hung in the precious home, it was destroyed by vandals dur- January land. Between ’80 and ’go the cattle could be numbered by hundreds of thousands. They were owned by half a dozen companies and a few individ- uals. A hundred cowboys continually rode the range. In ’87, seventy cow- boys assembled at one round-up. At that time, with such a force of men, the round-up usually occupied a month, averaging over a_ thousand head of cattle a day. But in time the cowboy relinquished some of his picturesqueness and bar- barity. He sold some of his cattle, took a wife and a quarter section of Captain of the round-up ing a temporary absence. Not until ’82 could a second door be procured, and the house completed. Observing the incident from his point of view, the trite old saying, “Such is life in the wild and woolly West,” comes to have a deeper significance. This pion- eer is simply a type of about a score of men who began life in this place, whose fortunes, all good, have varied only in individuality. In the decade following the settling of this home, the cowboy, brave in cha- pereros, six-shooter, high-heeled boots, and sombrero, placed his stamp on this land, and settled down to responsibil- ity. By ‘90 the choicest bits of land were taken, and each section contained about four small, dirt-roofed cabins, indicating the foundation of a home. To-day, there are yet cattle and cow- boys; but the cattle are fewer, and the cowboys more prosaic. He has lost his chaps and six-shooter, the heels on his boots are not so high, and even his sombrero wears a more neutral tint. Late in the fall of ’88, a young cow- boy, Guy Hurlburt, returning to the mesa from Boulder County, found himself stalled in Montrose, with sev- 1908 enty miles of his journey unaccom- plished. He carried a bundle of silver- leafed poplars to adorn the new home he had just secured, where large hopes were already planted. Buoyed by eagerness, he decided he could walk. The road lay over a mountain top, down through the San Miguel Valley, across the river, and up the hill to the mesa. The snow came and _ blinded him. He lost his way and nearly froze, yet he never faltered nor dropped his burden. In the end, he reached the waiting welcome. The trees were duly set out, and grew. This is only an in- DOMINION OF THE LONE CONE 33 are vigorous vitality, and the means of its sustenance. The first crop was planted in ’88. It was oats, forty acres of them, and they yielded eight hundred bushels, which was threshed with flails. This was fol- lowed by alfalfa, which is still the main crop, though timothy is being intro- duced now. Then came ater: grains, and they thrive in abundance. Pota- toes also form a great crop, rivaling in excellence the output at Greeley. Ex- periments in fruit have begun. Straw- berries, gooseberries, raspberries, and currants are raised in quantities. Sev- A typical round-up dinner cident in pioneering ; but to-day a num- ber .o1 fine.) tall’ trees,- their silver leaves whispering hopeful secrets in the air, on his own and _ neighbors’ ranches, stand as monuments to the influence of endurance. The resources of this, as of many another spot in Colorado, have been barely touched. It is not the lure of gold that attracts. The products, though more commonplace, are more substantial. The toiler, instead of delv- ing deep, digs on the surface, under the gold of sunshine; and his returns eral orchards have harvest of the finest of of the ranchmen just ning to realize the possibilities in rais- yielded a Some begin- already apples now are ing honey. The most up-to-date machinery is to be found on nearly every ranch: the manure-spreader, disk-harrow, mower, reaper, binder, and thresher, the latest cream separator, and even washing- nachine, are all here. In 1886 the first schoolhouse was built, though not used for that pur- pose till the following year. In 1888 34 FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION the post-office was established and named Norwood. The first reservoir was constructed in 1889. In 1891 a spinster school-ma’am, like the one in “The Virginian,” rode up into this broad and breezy country. It rained as she came. The landscape looked gray, and so did the cabins. The mud was very deep, and the peo- ple seemed to have been wading in it. Out of the loneliness of her heart, she wrote back to Denver: “I have passed the portal of oblivion, and entered the land of nowhere.” In rgo1 she came again. Rain, as ever, greeted her ascent of the hill; and the picture in her mind was of a gray tone. But she had not reckoned on the magic of industry. Dirt-roofed cabins had disappeared. In their places rose handsome, commodious houses. Field after field was fenced, sage- brush was replaced by alfalfa, and January groves of transplanted trees surround- ed the homes. If she comes again in 1911, she will doubtless ride up the hill in a trolley car. Electric lights will twinkle in a fair-sized, prosperous town, and tele- phones will connect all the ranches. Should she climb The Cone, she will see more of those seemingly tiny pools of water; for a third reservoir is al- ready begun; and a fourth, the largest of all, is under survey. The cattle will be fewer, but with- out horns and of finer blood. The cow- boy’s manner and dress will have be- come cosmopolitan. But the beautiful Lone Cone, like the Blue Alsatian Mountains of long ago, will continue to look down with a serene, steadfast gaze, smiling to think of the futility of these efforts of man, should he only withhold his sin- gle but omnipotent gift. THE OREGON SIERRA Sierra Madre, mother peaks, That keep companion with the sun! Sierra de Nevada, streaks Of snow and sun inwound as one— Ye be but babes! Behold, behold My peaks of snow and sun and gold That gild the crimson, cobalt dawn; That ward the em’rald Oregon; That lift to God, in changeless white Above the bastion walls of night— Inspiring more to look upon That golden dolphins of Nippon. What shapely pyramids of snow, Set here, set there, set anywhere; White as white flocks that feed below; As if old Egypt planted there And left proud pyramids to grow, Ten million tall and multiplied Until they pushed the stars aside! And yet, what man hath seen or said In song or tale, how grandly fair This nameless glory overhead; This unnamed New Jerusalem White as God’s trailing garment’s hem? The pioneer, content to teach Christ’s holy lessons and to rest, To preach content and ever preach That rest, sweet rest, in reckoned best— This buckskin prophet drove the plow; For he was worn, as worn with years. Two thousand miles of thirst and tears, Two thousand miles of bated breath, Two thousand miles of dust and death, When lo, yon gleaming hemisphere! But now the world shall know, yea now His son’s face lifteth from the plow! —Joaquin Miller. LUMBERMEN’S VIEWS ON REFORESTATION BY 38 sl: Goetz, Forester for H. M. Cloud & Sons Lumber Co., Au Sable, Michigan T is all a mistaken idea that lum- bermen are simply looking towards deforesting the land, or that they sim- ply buy land for the timber there is on it. While I admit that there is one now and then, who looks only to the present | toe Tes : F money getting, yet the majority of tltem look ahead far enough to get a continuous supply of timber; and I am sure if the States and our National Government would give some en- couragement to these lumbermen in the way of relief from taxation of de- ty LRM White pine timber on the Chippewa Indian Reservation, in Minnesota, four miles east cf the village of Cass Lake 36 FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION forested land, go per cent of the lum- bermen and lumber companies would reforest their land and would be glad to do so. But who can blame the lumbermen and lumber companies of to-day for not reforesting their cut over land? The lumberman is first and last a busi- ness man, who looks towards a legiti- mate return for capital invested. It does not take him long to figure out January a small increase of land tax is causing such a quick deforestation as to influ- ence the market price of all lumber. This, as can be plainly seen, will con- tinue until all timber is cut. Then the price of timber will naturally jump up to prohibitive prices. The land if not fit for agriculture will return to the State for taxes and the State will have to nearly double the taxes on land remaining, having Virgin forest of white and Norway pine adjoining the Michigan State Forest Reserve that under the present system of taxa- tion of land, he could never hold the reforested land until the crops were half ripe. He can clearly see that the taxes would eat up his land capital and all invested in them. At the present I know of several States like the State of Maine in which killed the goose that laid the golden eggs. Take the State of Michigan to-day. Where have the millions of dollars gone that have been made from lum- ber from the once beautiful white and red pine forest? Have they remained in the State? I dare say not one-half BA thet ai &,. Z ter S in REFORI ON we “Ore VW VIE N’S 5 5 7 n o he ° ox rs) & Qa o oo Y <= cs c o = Y iLL. Guo Nici ee sg p Anz] N/Mex vi oo - / One page from the Handbook of American Trees—The tree represented here is Black Ash 42 FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION tree tops, and in hunting several sea- sons for male or female flowers of some of the species which do not bear fruit every year. We do not know of any book, Sargent’ Silva not except- ed, which contains such a wealth of good and true reproductions of trees, as Mr. Hough’s book does. It is not January only a popular book which affords the easiest and most’ pleasant way of getting acquainted with our forest trees, but is at the same time a neces- sary tool, which takes the place of an herbarium, for all who have to refer constantly to the different species of trees. HE CIVY ON. THEE EAtN BY Millard F. Hudson, Washington, D. C. Strange, indeed, were the sounds I heard One day, on the side of the mountain; Hushed was the stream and silent the bird, The restless wind seemed to hold its breath, And all things there were as still as death Save the hoarse-voiced god of the mountain. Through the tangled growth, with a hur- ried stride, I saw him pass on the mountain, Thrusting the briars and bushes aside, Crackling the sticks and spurning the stones, And talking in loud and angry tones On the side of the ancient mountain. The tips of his goat-like ears were red, Though the day was cool on the mountain, And they lay close drawn to his horned head; His bushy brows o’er his small eyes curled, And he stamped his hoofs—for all the world Like Pan in a rage on the mountain. “Where are my beautiful trees,” he cried, “That grew on the side of the moun- tain? The stately pines which were once my pride, My shadowy, droop-limbed junipers; And my dewy, softly whispering firs, ’"Mid their emerald glooms on the mountain? “They all are ravished away,” he said, “And torn from the arms of the mountain, Away from the haunts of cooling shade, From the cloisters green which flourish- ed here— My lodging for many a joyous year On the side of the pleasant mountain. “The song-bird is bereft of its nest, And voiceless now is the mountain. My murmurous bees once took their rest, At shut of day, and knew no fear, In the trees whose trunks lie rotting here On the side of the ruined mountain. “Man has let in the passionate sun To suck the life-blood of the mountain, And drink up its fountains one by one; And out of immortal freshness made A thing of barter, and sold in trade The sons of the mother-mountain. “Down in the valley I see a town, Built of his spoils from my mountain— A jewel torn from a monarch’s crown, A grave for the lordly groves of Pan; And for this, on the head of vandal man, I hurl a curse from the mountain: “His palpitant streams shall all go dry Henceforth, on the side of the moun- tain, And his verdant plains as a desert lie Till he plants again the forest fold And restores to me my kingdom old, As in former days on the mountain.” Long shall the spirit of silence brood On the side of the wasted mountain, F’er out of the sylvan solitude, To lift the curse from off the plain, The crystal streams pour forth again From mountain. the gladdened heart of the SECRETARY WILL’S LECTURE TOURS ON DECEMBER 4th, Secretary Will returned from his lecture tours in the South and West. In the South he spoke at the following points on the dates named: Raleigh, N. C., September 20; Durham, N. C., 27; Winston-Salem, N. C., 28; Charlotte, N. C., October 1; Spartanburg, S. C., 3; Savannah, Ga., 4; Columbia, S. C., 8; Greenville, S. C., 9; Charleston, $. C., 11; Augusta, Ga., 153-Columbus, Ga., 17; Mont- gomery, Ala., 18, and Asheville, NC. 20 The second trip covered middle Western and neighboring States. It included Philadelphia, November 1; Madison, Wis., November 5 and 6; 1a. Crossex 67 Wansau,>.74. Grand Rapids, 9; Eau Claire, 12; Milwau- kee, 13; Alma, Mich., 15; Muskegon, 18; Grand Rapids, 19; Ypsilanti, 20; Ann Arbor, 20; Jackson, 21; Detroit, 22; Toledo, Ohio, 23; Kalamazoo, Mich., 25; East Lansing, 26; Bay City, 27; Paducah, Ky., 29;,Colum- bus, Ohio, December 2, and Parkers- burg, W. Va., 3. The majority of these meetings were held under the auspices of boards of trade, chambers of com- merce, and similar bodies. Some were arranged by women’s clubs, while still others occurred in colleges, normal schools, and universities. The average attendance was about three hundred. Some of the best meetings contained audiences of from seven hundred to a thousand. At almost every meeting strong resolutions were adopted endorsing the National Forest policy and urg- ing the enactment of the Appalachian- White Mountain bill. In numerous in- stances earnest speeches were made from the floor in the offering and sec- onding of these resolutions. In not a single instance was there a “no” vote. The attitude of the newspapers was stimulating. Practically without ex- ception they gave freely of their space to announce meetings in advance and to report them afterwards. Column reports in both morning and evening papers were common; while the re- ports at times covered about two col- umns. Again and again, representa- tives of the press assured the Secre- tary of their readiness and eagerness to aid, in every practical way, in pro- moting the work. In numerous in- stances, the Secretary was entertained at the homes of citizens interested in the cause. To some extent, the meet- ings showed the lack, by some, of clear knowledge of the meaning of the forestry movement. The almost com- plete absence of opposition, in both South and West, was very encourag- ing; and much more so was the deep and substantial interest of many, in- cluding the strongest people in almost every community, who had informed themselves on the subject. In addition to the educational work done in the campaign, the trip was valuable in affording opportunity to the Secretary to make many helpful acquaintances, to observe forest con- ditions, waterways, power-plants, saw- mills, paper mills, and various indus- tries. It has carried the knowledge of the Association, its work and cause into regions where these were un- known. Seed, it is believed, has been sown which will bear fruit. ny iat abe tistow Adam THE CANALS: A GLORY OF FRANCE* BY ‘ J. J. Jusserand, French Ambassador at Washington SOME nineteen hundred years ago, a small town existed in a small isl- and ‘of a little known river. The town being surrounded by water, its princi- pal corporation was that of the boat- men ; they had placed themselves under the protection of Jupiter and dedicated an altar to him. The altar still exists; it was discovered in the eighteenth cen- tury under the choir of Notre Dame; for the little town I speak of was soon to outgrow its island and was to be- come Paris, the capital of France; and now, I venture to say, a “city of renown.” After a good many centuries, when the fashion came for armorial bearings and emblems, Paris, continuing the same traditions, chose for emblem a ship, with the famous motto, “Fluctuat nec mergitur.” ‘Tempests may toss but shall never sink her; which has proven true, throughout ages, of the ship, of the town, and of the country too. What tempests, what hard days, what dangers! And yet the ship is afloat; very much so. In these facts can be detected, as it were, an omen of what was to follow. The patient, hard-working, careful French people, believed by some to spend all their time in reading novels, singing songs and amusing themselves, could not fail to do for waterways what they did for roadways, and so it is that the development given by them to their inland harbors and canals has secured for me the honor of address- ing this brilliant assembly of conscien- tious, painstaking and patriotic Ameri- cans. And I owe it also, perhaps, to the remembrance that the biggest canal in the world, one dreamt of by Greek, Roman and Moslem, one which Mar- lowe’s Tamburlaine, dying, regretted not to have opened, the Suez Canal, was planned by a Frenchman, executed by Frenchmen, and built in ten years, from 1859 to 1869. At the entrance of it stands a characteristic statue of that model of energy, Lesseps, who points to the canal and seems to say: “The canal an impossibility? Be so good as to look: there it is!” We hold the record for the present ; you will hold it in your turn when the great Panama Canal is finished; we turned. the first sod; you will turn the last; and no one will applaud more heartily than your predecessors. Apart from these great attempts ben- efitting mankind at large rather than any single country, France has done good work indeed on her own soil. From the Renaissance, when the use of locks was first invented, the great plan was started which was to connect, through mountains and valleys, al! the rivers of France and all the oceans and seas washing her shores. First it was the canal of Briare, connecting the Seine and the Loire, begun by Henry the Fourth’s great minister, Sully, in 1605; then it was the great canal of Languedoc, connecting the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean, built in eighteen years by Riquet, under Louis the Fourteenth, and one of the glories of the reign. It long remained a model one, and caused the admiration of tra- velers. Visiting France more than a century later, Arthur Young, the fa- mous English economist, wrote: ‘The canal of Languedoc is the capital fea- ture of all the comity * ~~ | */aiiae a noble and stupendous work; goes through the hill about the breadth of three toises (19.24 0t.) .* *. i aeiNine sluice-gates let the water down the hill to join the river at Beziers. A noble work! * * * Many vessels were at the quay, some in motion, and every sign of animated business. This is the best sight I have seen in France. Here, Louis XIV, thou art truly great! Here with a generous and benignant hand thou dispensest ease and wealth to thy people.” And as Young was writing *Address before the National Rivers and Harbors Congress, at Washington, D. C., December 4, 1907. 1908 on French soil, two years before the French Revolution, you will not won- der that he adds the following expres- sion of his sentiments: “Such an em- ployment of the revenues of a great kingdom is the only laudable way of a monarch’s acquiring immortality.” This in any case may be noted by you all who are interested in waterways: you see from this trustworthy author- ity that canal-digging is the best way to immortality. When the Revolution came we had about 1,000 kilometers of canals. Na- poleon had great plans for this as for everything else, but they were not ful- filled, the reason being that, as you know, he had so many things to do. He built only 200 kilometers. Since then there have been two palmy pe- riods for canals in France, first dur- ing the Restoration and the reign of Louis-Phillippe, and then the present time. The canals learnt in the inter- val what a crisis was. The Second Empire was the period when an im- mense impetus was given to railroad building. Canals and railroads do not like each other; their manners are too different. People who go quickly have a tendency to scorn people who go slowly; and yet both kinds are use- ful, and we know besides, by the fa- ble of the hare and the tortoise, that it is sometimes the fastest who arrives last. Anyhow, the craze for railroads rose so high at one time that there were petitions for the drying out of a canal, in order to use its bed as a rail- road track; but the canal survived and is still in use. The greatest era of canal building in France has been the present period. One of the first things the present Re- public did was to turn her attention to the problem; and the system now in force, started in 1874, was fully or- ganized by the great law of 1870. The aim has been a thoroughly prac- tical and logical one: to complete, to unify, to cheapen. Most of the older canals had been built by contractors who recouped themselves by levying a tax on shipping. All those conces- THE CANALS OF FRANCE 45 sions have been purchased back by the State and now, on the immense ma- jority of our waterways, there are no payments. Some new creations, which were considered urgent, have been made of late years by the State with the help of the chambers of commerce, the towns and the departments who wanted them. These had to issue loans, and they levy taxes to be able to pay the interests; but this is merely a temporary shift bearing on one- eighteenth only of the whole, and the rule is to have throughout the country free canals as we have free roads. Another great work done by the Republic has been the unifying of all the waterways: depth, breadth of the canals, distance between the locks, have been made uniform throughout the country, so that our thirty or forty canals, built at different periods, in the course of centuries, are now as one single canal conveying goods to all parts of France and to all her principal seaports. Owing to the recent great effort made by the Republic, our canals’ to- tal length is now 4,675 kilometers; the total expense has been about two billion francs, and far from consider ing that it is too much we know auite well that it is not enough, and we aud new sums from time to time. Many improvements were decided upon in 1903 and our parliament voted over two hundred million frances to pro- vide for them. To which sums should be added others supplied by local mu- nicipalities or other bodies, the Douai Chamber of Commerce, for example, contributing thirty million francs above what the State is giving for the Canal du Nord. Our canals are under State super- vision; they are built and kept up by State engineers, taught in our special high schools, and forming part of the personnel of the Ministry of Public Works. The happy effect of the laws voted since the establishment of the Repub- lic was not long in making itself felt; during the twenty-five years between 46 FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION 1875 and 1900 the traffic on canals in- creased 112 per cent; it amounts now to over thirty million tons, being so active in certain inland towns that Paris, for example, has a larger navi- gation than any of our seaports, Mar- seilles included. The ‘“nautae Pari- siaci’” of Gallo-Roman times may look with satisfaction upon their descend- ants. In the regions producing in greater quantities the sort of goods fit for canal transportation (coal, grain, stone, mineral products, etc.), that is, the northeast of France, existing canals, although constantly improved and increased in number, are still in- adequate, for traffic increases even more. You would often find in those parts the water covered as far as the eye can see with flat-bottomed boats of three hundred tons (the normal di- mension) loaded with goods to the brim. The sums spent have been large, to be sure, but we consider them well spent, and the investment a good investment. That investment is valuable because of what it yields, of what it helps, and elso of what it prevents. The. best thing it prevents is the railroads rais- ing their tariffs too high. As soon as the raiiroad companies raise their tar- iff, quantities of goods find that they can very well afford to travel at a slower pace and take the water route. Our canals act, in a way, as a kind of rate bill, a self-regulating one. Another great question with which we have had to cope is that of rivers. We have a number in France; but mostly shallow and irregular. We have done much to improve their course, and have yet much to do; plans are being laid for ample im- piovements. Here a_ consideration comes in of paramount interest for you, as for every country—the ques- tion of forests. It is an absolute principle: no for- ests, no waterways. Without forests regulating the distribution of waters, rainfalls are at once hurried to the sea; hurried sometimes, alas! across country. After having devastated the January neighboring fields, the rivers find themselves again with little water and much sand; and with such rivers, how will you fill your canals in all seasons? Since our forests suffered damages which we are now bent upon repair- ing at considerable pains and cost, a river like the Loire has been entirely transformed; it used to be the best of our waterways, and it is now the river whose inundations are most destruc- tive. I do not know what damage those of the present year have done, but in 1856 the loss amounted to forty- six million francs. The question is as plain as can be: do you want to have navigable rivers, or do you prefer to have torrents that will destroy your crops and never bear a boat? If you prefer the first, then mind your forests. We can tell you, for we know. In the time of Louis XIV that same river Loire was the principal means of communication between the center and the west, and even between Paris and Brittany. To go to Brittany the fa- mous Marquise de Sevigne went to Orleans, put her coach on a flat-bot- tomed boat, navigated twelve or thir- teen hours a day, had her food cook- ed on a little stove in the boat, she herself remaining in the coach; she never tired of admiring the landscape, listening to the birds, laughing at un- toward incidents, writing to her daughter, and reading a work she had taken with her to enliven the journey ; not a naughty novel, nor one of those heroical romances she was fond of, but a history of the events in Portugal, in two large octavo volumes. Such pleasant journeys are no long- er possible on that same river; but the former state of things is going to be re-established and we hope even im- proved upon. Special studies have been made and, for the Lofre in par- ticular, the researches of M. Bureau have shown beyond doubt what parts of the country should be reforested to make that river again navigable to the same extent as before. Those parts are being reforested, and we shall have once more a navigable Loire from 1908 Roanne to the sea. The personnel who have the care of canals have also the supervision of rivers, and the num- ber of navigable kilometers increases from year to year; it has now reached eight thousand. Thus are we working in order to turn to the best possible use the na- tural resources of our country, those resources which the rashness of iso- lated individuals would often destroy, if Parliament did not interfere in the interest of the many. As the meeting of this very congress shows, you are bent on doing the same, on a scale proportionate to the immensity of your territory and of your resources. The importance of the general plan which THE CANALS OF FRANCE 47 will coofdinate the efforts made throughout the country, so that the re- sult will be a harmonious whole“and that prosperity reaches every part of this land, is proportionately great. The principles which govern the question are happily familiar to you, and you well know that if the Missis- sippi is the “father of waters,”’ the for- est is the father of the Mississippi. We watch with friendly interest what you are doing in this line, and we are confident that your ship of state will ride the waves as ours has done for sO many centuries, a ship that may know storms, but shall never founder. “Fluctuat nec mergitur.” INVTHE. HEART OF, THE WOODS Such beautiful things in the heart of the woods! Flowers and ferns and the soft green moss; Such love of the birds in the solitudes, Where the swift winds glance and the tree tops toss; Spaces of silence swept with song, Which nobody hears above; but the God Spaces where myriad creatures throng, Sunning themselves in his guarding love. _Such safety and peace in the heart of the woods, Far from the city’s dust and din, _ Where passion nor hate nor man in- trudes, Nor fashion nor folly has entered in. Deeper than hunter’s trail hath gone Glimmers the tarn where deer drink; the wild And fearless and free comes the gentle fawn, To peep at herself o’er the grassy brink. Such pledges of love in the heart of the woods! For the Maker of all things keeps the feast, And over the tiny flowers broods With ceased. care that for ages has never If he cares for this, will he not for thee— Thee, wherever thou art to-day? Child of an infinite Father, see; And safe in such gentlest keeping stay. —Margaret E. Sangster. THE NATIONAL RIVERS AND inte HARBORS CONGRESS Washington, D. C., December 3, 4 and 5, 1907 BY Mrs. Lydia Adams-Williams, of Women’s National Press Association, and International League of Press Clubs Special Report for FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION T HE large ball room of the New Willard Hotel, all in white and gold, with the National emblem in evi- dence, was the scene of a brilliant and representative gathering of the fore- most and most substantial men of the Nation, when the important Rivers and Harbors Congress held its ses- sions there on December 3, 4, and 5, 1907. Cabinet members and other repre- sentatives of the great Government de- partments, foreign Ambassadors, United States Senators and Congress- men, the Governors of many States and other notables of State and Na- tional distinction, and representatives of the most important financial and commercial industries from every part of the Union, with a sprinkling of earnest and intérested women, com- bined to make a gathering, the per- sonnel of which is seldom, if ever, equalled. In attendance there were, not count- ing many spectators, 2,000 delegates from 463 cities and towns in 43 States. These were appointed by 23 govern- ors, 51 mayors and 183 waterway and commercial organizations. Congressman Joseph FE. Ransdell, of Louisiana, President of the Rivers and Harbors Congress—he whose un- tiring energy and unswerving devo- tion to the one fixed policy of “fifty millions annually for river and har- bor improvements,’ bid fair to be crowned with success—called the meeting to order and presided in an able and impartial manner over its de- liberations. The Congress was opened with a prayer by Rev. Earl Cranston, of Washington, D. C., bishop of the M. I. Church. The able Secretary of State, Elihu Root, was the first and_ principal speaker, of the opening session. After commending the efficient work of Chairman Burton, of the Rivers and Harbors Committee, and referring to the Panama and Erie canals, Secre- tary Root said: “We have reached the bridge. It is now a question of whether we shall have our products carried or not. “There is no greater achievement than the transportation of articles from one point where they are value- less to another where they are valu- able. The railroads of the country no longer are able, physically, to carry the traffic of America, and the one avenue open to such traffic is water transportation. We must move for- ward or we will go backward. I see American production handicapped by two things; first, the cost of getting the goods to the seaboard, and, sec- ond, the absence of an American merchant marine.” The Ambassador from France, M. Jusserand, delivered an entertaining and characteristic address.* *NOTE.—Found elsewhere in this issue.—Ed. 1908 Senator F. G. Newlands delivered a strong address and advocated es- pecially unionization or nationaliza- tion in the development of all natural resources. He said the people form public opinion ; Congress records pub- lic opinion. We must, therefore, edu- cate the people. Senator Newlands explained the provisions of his bill be- fore Congress, which provides for the expenditure of fifty million dollars annually for the next ten years for the improvement of the country’s water- ways. J. C. Welliver, of Iowa, a bright “newspaper correspondent, who inves- tigated the waterways of Europe for the Government, gave an interesting comparison of European railways and waterways. Albert Bettinger, of Cincinnati, em- phasized the necessity of a five hun- dred million dollar bond issue. The Governor of West Virginia, W. M. O. Dawson, said that we should improve our rivers and harbors, so as to be ready for the Panama Canal when it is ready for us. A notable ovation was given the United States Forester, Mr. Gifford Pinchot, who delighted and interested the large audience with a masterly exposition of not only the need of utilizing the waters and forests, and the public lands for homes, but of conserving all the country’s natural resources ‘for the benefit of the public. He said that the range had been de- pleted and the coal wasted, and that a timber famine was now at_ hand. Heretofore, each individual interest had been working and fighting alone; these interests had not yet stood to- gether. They all should now unite in ‘the conservation of the whole; they should all move forward together. “Nothing can stop our progress,” said Mr. Pinchot, “if we all unite. The fu- ture of our country lies in our hands now: shall we hand on our prosperity or discount it and use it now?” Chairman of the Interstate Com- RIVERS AND HARBORS CONGRESS 49 merce Commission Martin A. Knapp spoke of the enormous increase ‘in freight traffic and said that the United States must improve the inland wa- ter transportation if we wish to com- pete with the other nations of the world in foreign commerce. Ex-Governor Dr. Geo. C. Pardee of California who, with Mrs. Pardee and a delegation of thirty-three Cali- fornians, came 3,000 miles to attend the Congress, spoke very entertain- ingly of the necessity of preserving the forests. He said we should pre- serve the rivers and harbors where they begin—in the mountains of the country. ‘The improvement of the waterways by an expenditure of five hundred million dollars, paid in sums of fifty million dollars every year, was fur- ther advocated by Governor Glenn of North Carolina, who also depreciated the spending of “millions for battle- ships that can’t enter our harbors.” Dr. N. G. Blalock of the State of Washington, a prominent figure at all irrigation and similar congresses, spoke interestingly of the Columbia River and what its development means to the people of his enterprising State. Continued cheers greeted Congress- man Theodore E. Burton, chairman of the Rivers and Harbors Committee, when he arose to address the Con- gress. He spoke of the inadequacy of railway transportation, and said: “I can stand by your platform of $50,- 000,000 a year.” Mrs. Lydia Adams-Williams also addressed the Congress and empha- sized the statements, previously made, that the forest is the father of the river, and that without forests there would be no rivers. The interest of the convention was centered in the address by James J. Hill, the railroad magnate and wizard of transportation. Mr. Hill spoke of the necessity of deepening the lower Mississippi from St. Louis to the Gulf to a depth of eighteen to twenty 50 FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION feet. He said that it would take 75,- ooo miles of new trackage, costing, with terminals, $5,500,000,000, to ac- commodate existing traffic. Governor Johnson of Minnesota, mentioned as a possible Democratic candidate for the Presidency, spoke of the Mississippi valley as one of the biggest and most powerful facts of God’s footstool; he gave many figures to support his contention that relief from the present railway freight con- gestion can be obtained only by im- proving and utilizing the waterways of the country. Many other notable people gave ex- cellent and highly appreciated ad- dresses before the Congress, among them, John Barrett, Director of the Bureau of American Republics; John M. Stahl, former president of the Farmers’ National Congress; Cyrus P. Walbridge of St. Louis; Gustav Schwab of New York; Congressman J. Hampton Moore; and President Finley of the Southern Railway ; Gov- ernor Cummins of Iowa; Governor Comer of Alabama; Governor Hoke Smith of Georgia; Lieutenant-Gov- ernor Davidson of Texas; Leroy Percy of Mississippi; and Lloyd E. Chamberlain of Boston, president of the Massachusetts State Board of Trade. Notable addresses were also made by Special Director John A. Fox, who visited twenty-six States and ninety- nine cities and who was cheered as the “Arkansas traveler; and Col. Jie F. Ellison, secretary of the Congress, who gave a very encouraging sum- mary of the work done; President Jo- seph E. Ransdell gave his report and an address outlining the principal ob- jects of the convention. Others who favored the Congress with excellent addresses were John M. Parker of New Orleans ; Henry M. Beardsly, mayor of Kansas City; and Capt. Alex McDougall, for forty years a captain of the Great Lakes, and who January has seen the traffic on those inland _seas grow from practically nothing to the enormous total of twelve million net tons, as reported in the govern- ment figures for October of this year. Also George Clinton of Buffalo, a grandson of DeWitt Clinton, who said that the Japanese are reaching out to get the trade of South America; also Chas. Emory Smith of Philadelphia, and Arthur Knox of New York City; and Governor Vardaman of Missis- Sippi. Two very interesting and much ap- preciated stereopticon and moving picture lectures were delivered, one by Thos. S. Anderson of Boston, on Eu- rope’s Great Seaports; and one by O. P. Austin of the Department of Com- merce and Labor, showing old ways and new ways of travel, in a trip around the world. The resolutions as presented by Congressman J. Hampton Moore, pledge the Congress to the adoption of a policy calling for a five hundred million dollar bond issue for river and harbor improvement; they conclude with a resolution presented by Hon. Joseph N. Teal of Oregon, conveying approbation and commendation for the loyal and unfaltering devotion to the cause of waterway improvement by the president, Hon. Joseph E. Ransdell; by the secretary-treasurer, Capt. J. F. Ellison, and by the special director, John A. Fox, all of whom were unanimously re-elected to their respective offices. The deliberations of the Congress were accorded a successful and bril- liant conclusion by a reception tender- ed the delegates by President Roose- velt and by the presentation of the resolutions to Vice President Fair- banks and Speaker Cannon, all of - whom made notable addresses ex-' pressing their appreciation of the work done by the Congress, and offer- ing every encouragement for the fu- ture progress of the work. OKESI ‘ . ee 0% ~ ae “ey, b- — \ 4 . wa i. Te, PVG S : im, ais ) — 7 UNITED STATES SERVIC The Month in Government Forest Work. In its investigations for the improvement of grazing lands within the National Forests carried on during the past year, the Forest Service has found that the ranges on some of the forests can not be fully utilized by stock because of a lack of a proper water supply. Plans have been made for bettering these conditions. Work to improve the water supply will be started this year in two for- ests, and before the coming of another grazing season a number of ranges will be improved very materially. In the Leadville National Forest, in Colorado, the men in charge will clean out and protect twelve different springs and pipe the water into troughs. The work on the Tumacacori National Forest, in Arizona, will be somewhat more extensive, although only half as many springs will be af- fected as in the Leadville Forest. This method of cleaning out and protecting springs and other watering places will result in much benefit to stockmen grazing on the strips of ranges within the forests. Improvement work along the same general lines will also be be- gun on other National Forests. Cleaning Out the Springs gb a For many years the tan of Tan 3 J 3 = pele Hack Oak bark oak in California (Quercus densiflora, Hook.) has been exploited in a very wasteful manner. The lumbermen have gone into the forests, cut down the trees, stripped them of their bark, and after cutting up a small per cent of the body of the tree for cordwood, have left the remainder to rot or to be burned up in the redwood logging operations which follow. The wood of tanbark oak has here- tofore been regarded as unsuitable for anything but fuel, but this prejudice has been mainly due to the difficulty of seasoning it. The Forest Service, in cooperation with the Northwestern Redwood Company, are studying on this problem. If it is found that sea- soning can be done as well with trees cut in the spring as in the fall, this will be preferable, because it is easier to peel the bark from trees cut in the spring. Other experiments will be made in the way of flexure, end compression, side compression and sheer tests on small specimens. Strength determina- tions will also be made on larger pieces suitable for wagon stock, coop- erage, etc. The tan bark oak grows in the Cali- fornia Coast Range from the Santa Cruz Mountains north into Southern Oregon. The tree is tall and often spreading. Its average diameter is about twenty-four inches. Despite the inroads of the tan bark industry on the stand, there is esti- mated to be about 1,000,000,000 feet yet uncut. To utilize the tree for lum- ber would result in the annual saving of many thousands of dollars. A City : The city of Los Ange- Forest, Grif- jes js planting a forest fith Park eee, = ; should be self- on a three- which supporting and profitable, thousand acre tract of waste land, known as Griffith Park. The Forest Service has. at the request of the city, made planting plans. 52 FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION The laboratories of the epee) Office of Wood Chemis- Chemiees, © tty ~=fave~ heretofore been located at Boston and New Haven. They are now being consolidated in Washington, quarters having been found at 1530 Pennsyl- vania Avenue Southeast. The one hitherto’at Boston has dealt with pa- per pulp questions largely; and the one at New Haven with wood distilla- tion. The President has just signed proclamations creating the new Vegas National Forest in Nevada, and mak- ing an addition to the Aquarius Na- tional Forest in Utah. The Vegas National Forest includes the area known locally as the Sheep Mountains and is situated in south- western Lincoln County, Nevada, and has an area of approximately 195,- 840 acres. Nevada will now have eight National Forests, with an aggre- gate area of 2,528,479 acres. -.The State’s timber resources are light and the creation of this forest will help materially to insure a permanent tim- ber supply. The creation was re- quested in petitions and letters sent to the Forest Service by Nevada citizens. Commercial species of trees in the forest include yellow pine, juniper, mountain mahogany, and pinion. The best of the yellow pine averages about 5,000 feet per acre. Under. adminis- tration the land will be protected from forest fires, theft and wasteful ex- ploitation. The new forest will be in Nevada and Utah charge of Harry EF. Matthews, who is ° also Acting Supervisor of the Charles- ton Forest, with headquarters at Las Vegas. So far as is possible Nevada men will be chosen to assist him. The land added to the Aquarius Forest, in south central Utah, is known as the Table- Cliffs addition, and is located in the southwestern part of Garfield County. This territory is a portion of the rim of Salt Lake ba- sin, separating the drainage of the Colorado River from that which flows January northerly into the Great Basin. The commercial forest consists of pure yellow pine at the lower elevations, while higher up is found this species mixed with Engelmann spruce, Alpine fir, foxtail pine and limber pines. Part of the land in the addition is covered with forest growth of a non- commercial type, which is chiefly val- uable for conserving the flow of streams used for irrigation of the fer- tile lands along the Sevier Valley. The village of Escalante receives one- third of its water. for municipal pur- poses from this area. It is estimated that 400 acres of land in Upper Po- tato Valley and 600 acres around Es- calante are irrigated by water from the Table Cliffs country. The Aquar- ius Forist is in charge of Supervisor Geo. H. Barney, with headquarters at Escalante. Farthest President Roosevelt has dhe eae just signed a proclama- tion creating a National Forest in the west central part of the State of Arkansas. This timbered area, which covers more than 1,000,- 009 acres, will have the distinction of being the farthest east of all of the Government forests. This new forest, which will be called the Arkansas, brings the total area of the National Forests up to 161,233,985 acres, a lit- tle more than one-fifth of the country’s total forested area. The Arkansas National Forest is lo- cated in the counties of Scott, Polk, Montgomery, Yell, Logan, Perry, Sa- line, and Garland. The most valuable stands of timber in the forest are made up of short leaf pine, red, white and post oak, and a little black walnut and cherry. The commercial timber varies from 1,000 to 15,000 feet an acre. A conservative estimate places the com- mercial timber in the forest at one bil- lion board feet, but it is thought prob- able that the actual amount will over- run this estimate by several hundred million feet. Samuel J. Record, formerly of the Office of Forest Management in the 1908 Forest Service, will be the supervisor in charge of the new forest; he has left Washington for Fort Smith, where he will establish headquarters. Mr. Record is a trained forester, and has practical knowledge of the forest conditions in the West by reason of four years’ field work in the Ozark region of Missouri, in Montana, Michigan, several States of the mid- dle West, and finally in Arkansas, where he made a working plan in 1906, for 70,000 acres of pine forest, and later made examination of the land and recommendation for the withdrawal of the area now included in the new Arkansas forest. Arkansas Arkansas has always Forest been rich in forest re- Resources sources. Originally the entire State was clothed with forests with the exception of about 900 square miles. The entire area of the State is 53,850 square miles. Fully 80 per cent of its area remains in woodland, of which two-thirds are commercial for- est. This places Arkansas among the most heavily timbered States, and makes it the center of unusual activ- ity in the lumber business. The total amount of standing tim- ber in the State is approximately 100 billion feet, of which pine comprises 20 billion. The total cut for the year 1906 was nearly 2 billion feet, the largest in the history of the State. At this rate fifty years will be required to cut off all the timber, assuming that the factor of growth will be offset by deterioration and waste. In all proba- bility the rate of cutting will increase se materially that the available supply will be largely exhausted in less than twenty years. If present methods are continued, most of this forest land will become barren and unproductive; if properly managed, it will play an im- portant part in the future prosperity of the State. A particularly favorable fact in con- ‘cS FOREST SERVICE 53 nection with the Arkansas National Forest is found in the hearty spirit of co-operation manifested by the Arkan- sas people, who apparently recogniz- ing the immense benefits which are to be conferred in the conservation of the timber supplies there, have accepted the incoming of the Forest Service as a salutary event and assisted the Gov- ernment officials with helpful sugges- tions. Miasiesibes Fires are very common ae throughout the region in Conditions = = which the Arkansas For- est is located. The forest will be put under administration at once, and with a competent ranger force and proper co-operation on the part of the settlers living within the boundaries of the forest, the fires can be soon be brought under control. In the West, where practically all of the National Forests are located, it has been shown-that fire can be reduced to a point where the loss is utterly insignificant, through the system of patrol which is an im- portant part of the forest administra- tion. The creation of the Arkansas Na- tional Forest has brought a relatively small area of the immense forest area of the Mississippi Valley under practi- cal forest administration. As an ob- ject-lesson as to what can be done in the way of conservative lumbering, the forest will be of great interest to lum- bermen in the Mississippi Valley, and it is hoped that the large areas in pri- vate hands will be managed on strict forestry principles when the practical results of government administration of this forest are seen. The recent additions in California, Arizona, Nevada, and Arkansas bring the total area of the National Forests of the country, including Alaska and Porto Rico, up to about 161,000,000 acres. The Alaska forests are over 12,000,000, and the one in Porto Rico about 66,000. Dy w Government Irrigation Work During the Month. Round-Up A summation of the work eee of the Reclamation Serv- ice for 1907 shows that it has dug 1,815 miles of canals, or near- ly the distance from Washington, D. C. to Idaho. Some of these canals carry whole rivers, like the Truckee River in Nevada and the North Platte in Wyoming. The tunnels excavated are 56 in number, and have an aggregate length of 1034 miles. The Service has erected 214 large structures, including the great dams in Nevada and the Minidoka dam in Idaho, 80 feet high and 650 feet long. It has completed 670 headworks, flumes, etc. It has built 611 miles of wagon road in mountainous country and into heretofore inaccessible regions. It has erected and has in operation 830 miles of telephones. Its own cement mill has manufactured 80,000 barrels of ce- ment, and the purchased amount is 403,000 barrels. Its own saw mills have cut 3,036,000 feet B. M. of lum- ber, and 23,685,000 feet have been pur- chased. The surveying parties of the Service have completed topographic surveys covering 10,970 square miles, an area greater than the combined areas of Massachusetts and Rhode Isl- and. The transit lines had a length of 18,900 linear miles, while the level lines run amount to 24,218 miles, or nearly sufficient to go around the earth. The diamond drillings for dam sites and canals amount to 66,749 feet, or more than twelve miles. To-day the Service owns and has at work 1,500 horses and mules. It operates g loco- motives, 611 cars and 23 miles of rail- road, 84 gasoline engines and 70 steam engines. It has constructed and is operating five electric light plants. There have been excavated 33,419,222 cubic yards of earth and 4,745,000 cu- bic yards of rock. The equipment now operated by the Service on force ac- count work represents an investment of a million dollars. This work has been carried on with the following force: Classified and registered service, including Washing- ton office, 1,126; laborers employed di- rectly by the Government, 4,448; la- borers employed by contractors, 10,- 789, total of all forces, 16,363. The expenditures now total nearly $1,000,- 000 per month. As a result of the operations of the Reclamation Service eight new towns have been establish- ed, 100 miles of branch railroads have been constructed, and 14,000 people have taken up their residence in the desert. Truckee-Car- Amongst the points of son Project information given out Contpicte b the Reclamation Service for the benefit of home-seek- ers are the following facts: The Truckee-Carson project is now practically completed. Four million dollars have been spent in the con- struction of dams, ditches and drains and over 100,000 acres of land are now open to «settlement. Some of the ditches have been operated for two years. During the season of 1906, 21,- 000 acres were cultivated, and during 1907 practically 25,000 acres were cul- tivated. There are now about one thousand farms awaiting settlement. 1908 The project is located in Western Nevada, in what is known as the Car- son Sink Valley. This valley is the bed of an ancient lake long since ‘dried up, and the soils are composed of the sediments deposited in this lake and are rich in all the elements of plant food. The valley is surrounded by mountains; those on the east, north and south are barren desert hills with but few trees except the hardy pinion ‘pine of the desert ranges. On the west, mountain range after mountain range is piled up, culminating in the snow-clad peaks of the Sierra Neva- da on the California border line. ; The average elevation of oe the valley is about four ene thousand feet above sea- level; or two hundred feet lower than Salt Lake City; twelve hundred feet lower than Denver. The valley is barren of all tree growth except a few cottonwoods along the streams, and -greasewood, sagebrush, rabbit - brush and other desert vegetation upon the plains outside of the river bottoms. The Carson River enters the valley from the west, flows through the en- tire length of the basin and deposits its waters in Carson Sink; which, by the way, is not a sink as generally known, but is a large bare mud flat which becomes a lake in spring dur- ing the floods, but which during the late summer and fall months is a shin- ing alkali flat, devoid of all life. The water escapes only by evaporation. The Truckee River, fed by the eter- nal snows of the Sierra Nevada and regulated in its flow by _ beautiful mountain lakes, such as Tahoe, Don- ner, Independence and others, does not enter the Carson Sink Valley; but ‘after leaving the mountains at Wads- worth, turns north and flows into Pyramid and Winnemucca lakes, and is there lost by evaporation. The Goy- ernment has, however, dug a large ‘ditch to convey the Truckee River water over into the Carson River, and irrigate the fertile lands in the Carson Sink Valley. Through this ditch we RECLAMATION SERVICE un cn have the full benefit of the waters of the Truckee River, thus uniting the two streams for the benefit of the lands around Fallon. Another Irri- gated Garden Land The valley is a desert; it needs but water and set- tlers to make it a veri- table paradise. It has all of the po- tential resources of such a country as that which now surrounds North Yakima, Wash., Boise, Idaho, or Greeley, Colo., and the same class of energetic citizens as have made those districts so beautiful, will, in the course of time, make the country around Fallon as famous and as fertile as any irrigated district in the West. To the men from the humid coun- tries, the Nevada landscape seems at first barren, cheerless and even for- bidding, but to the man who can enjoy sunshine, and who has sufficient im- agination and acquaintance with des- ert countries, the landscape is full of hope and promise; it needs but the in- telligent work of the farmer to make it beautiful and productive. The main trans-conti- nental line of the South- ern Pacific Railroad passes along the northern border of the valley, but it is not possible to see many of the irrigable lands from this railroad. At Hazen two _ branches leave the main line, one going seven- teen miles in a southeasterly direction to Fallon; the other running south to Goldfield, Tonopah and the great min- ing districts of Southern Nevada. These two lines of railroad give com- munication with the outside world, af- ford a means of distributing products to the mining market, and, as the country builds up it is likely that fur- ther extensions of these branches will be made so that farmers in out- Railroads lying districts will have railroad facilities. Fallon is the county seat Towns: of Churchill County, has Fallon : a resident population of about one thousand people, is the 56 FORESTRY largest town in the valley, and is grow- ing rapidly. It has many beautiful homes, is favorably located, and some of the streets: are well shaded and beautiful, for trees were planted in this district thirty years ago. It does a very extensive business among the mining camps in the neighboring moyintains, and is practically the dis- tributing point for territory within a radius of fifty miles. In 1902 Fallon had a population of -1,000, and has more than doubled its numbers within the last year. It promises to be a town of 3,000 people within another year, and eventually should have five to ten thousand inhabitants. There are open- ings for many lines of business in Fal- lon, and he who enters the town now will find every opportunity to build up a good business. It is the geo- graphical center of the irrigable lands of the Truckee-Carson project and can never have a competitor as a distribu- ting point. Hazen, the junctaon point of the Southern Pacific, is a town of pos- sibly 300 inhabitants, and is destined to become an important railroad cen- ter and the local distributing point for 25,000 acres of irrigable land. Hazen has a hotel, stores, etc., and offers an excellent opening for small business ventures. Stillwater is a small town fourteen miles northeast of Fallon and was set- tled in the early days when travel through Nevada was going on over the old overland trail. Stillwater has a population of perhaps fifty, but is so favorably situated that it undoubtedly will become an important agricultural distribution point, and will be the town from which miners in the mountains near by will secure their supplies. Postoffices are conveniently located at other points in the valley.. The agri- cultural possibilities of the valley will Hazen and Stillwater i AND IRRIGATION January be considered in next month’s issue of FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION. What Recla- Not the least interesting pian Does of the projects planned Tass by the Keclamation Ser- vice are those which re- late to the irrigation of the Indian res- ervations of the West. For the pres- ent fiscal year there is available for this purpose an appropriation of $1,- 200,000. The plan under which Set- retary Garfield and Indian Commis- sioner Leupp are proceeding is to make the Indians economically inde- pendent. Small farms outside the reservations will be given to individ- ual Indians who are sufficiently ca- pable to look out for themselves. The: majority, however, will continue to. live on the reservations, where in the past agriculture has been hampered or made impossible by lack of water. Now it is the intention that the water rights of the Indians shall be pro- tected, and canal systems are to be constructed for the proper irrigation of their allotments. The labor on the big dam across the Zuni River in New Mexico has been done chiefly by the Navajo, Zuni, and Pueblo tribes. These Indians have been taught to work with derricks and hoisting engines, and to operate steam drills and perform concrete mixing and trench excavation. They have done this work, of course, under the supervision of a competent engineer and assisted by a sprinkling of skilled white labor. It is hardly to be supposed that all of the Indians can be prevented from alienating their lands when they are officially allotted to them in severalty ;. but enough has been accomplished in educating them to independence to- make it reasonably certain that a large number will become industrious and contented tillers of the soil. & S FORESTRY 482 IRRIGATION THOMAS ELMER WILL WM. CANFIELD LEE CONTENTS FOR FEBRUARY, 1908 F 2 2 Editor 2 = Associate Editor EDITORIAL Pinnacles Made National Monument 66 Gaividline vat vpisatitat New Mineral Found in Alaska,................ 69 Sr, pe AS Raa al Rn a Fungus Checks Bark Beetle.............. : 70 UGE ETOGHUGRIIN GOOG ne See. ccs es eert dcecise : ; 24 7 Insects Are Rivals of Fire........................ 70 Wigs GAB ITERTIAWY GD) 0 ie o 22 2 heck ceseeer ct ae ssoets : s oAT - Shipworms Ruin Northwest Lumber........ 71 The Task and’ the. TOoIS.. ...,....ccc:ccecstecexsee a ee ee Ps ae ne Organization of Alabama Forestry Com- Equip the Association. ..............sessssee | la > a eR ee 71 Brace Up Your Congressman.................... Professor Winkenwerder of Colorado...... 72 Letic 01) nC (0) 0218 oie pe A Rs Professor Scoth-of Tows 2... ...). ices) cccascece 72 Z Antioch Summer School of Forestry ....... 72 NEWS AND NOTES Massachusetts Agricultural College.......... 72 The Annual Meeting................ Teh et eee 66 Class in National Forest Management... 73 Freight Rates and Tree Cutting............... 66 Children and Civic Betterment......... 73 What the Governor of Ohio Says............. 67 Mr. Mills’s Splendid Work.................... 74 Stay the Axe, Then Guide It... 67 Good Roads Urged by the Grange... . 74 Roosevelt Pleased at New Organization... 68 Finances of Roadside Trees................... 74 An Exasperating Anomaly....................... 68 Paying Crop for Swamp Lands............. 75 National Park on the Hudson.................. 68 Immense Number of Boxes ......0.00........ 75 The Grand Canyon Set Aside .................. 69 Planting Thousands of Pine Seeds_...... 75 DESOLATION IN DALMATIA. By Florence Keen 76 A LETTER TO OUR MEMBERS : 77 DESECRATION. (Poem.) By Harold Tecwhriige Paleiier 79 NATIONAL FORESTS AND PUBLIC OPINION. By Lydia Adams- Williams 80 HEARING ON THE APPALACHIAN BILL : 4 e : 84 What New England is Doing 84 Great Activity in the South 85 Help from Other Sources : : ; : : : : : 85 THE TEMPLES EAST AND WEST. (Poem.) By the Lumberman Poet 86 FOREST PERPETUATION AND WATER SUPPLIES. (Illustrated. ) 87 THE PEACE OF QUIET AISLES. (Poem). By Jane Taaffe ¥ 89 THE MINNESOTA FOREST SCHOOL AT ITASCA PARK. By E. G. Cheyney. (Illustrated.) , 90 MILLIONS FOR TRIBUTE, ‘BUT NOT ONE CENT FOR DEFEN SE. By F. M. Eaton. (Illustrated.) 94 REDWOOD CANYON DFEDED TO UNITED STATES. (Illustrated) 97 NATIONAL DRAINAGE CONGRESS. ( JIlustrated) 99 WITH MEMBERS AND CORRESPONDENTS , : 103 U. S. FOREST SERVICE . : 106 U.S. RECLAMATION SERVICE 112 115 RECENT PUBLICATIONS FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION is the official organ of the American Forestry Association. Price, $2.00 per year, including Annual Membership in the Association. Copyright, 1907, by The American Forestry Association. Entered at the Postoffice at Washington, D. C., as second-class mail matter. Published Monthly at Po Gea TREE NCW. WASHINGTON, D. C. ie, ‘~ aye Ca ve =" WHA OS wd Lol wo Au © a wo ~ ~Y w Sod ° a rb) S & ) on ie) ° 4 wn wo aay op 3 fe) a) = fe) Fe w YU nw w By pean co) 4 ws a a oO = ac > | Pavan Coto Vor. XIV ~ FEBRU ARY, ad EDITORIAL Despite the havoc which has been wrought in the United States by the wreck of our forests, there is less rea- son for alarm concerning the future than some people fear. There are new ways of doing things. With the use of steel and cement a great deal of the necessity for wood as a build- ing material is disappearing. There is strong ground for hope that the dearth of timber i in the United States in 1925 will not be as dire as some writers fear—Milwaukee Wisconsin. Ostriches vs. Wise Men This is the kind of writing that does mischief. It blindfolds the eyes to the facts, and lulls to sleep with base- less assurances. It fittingly typifies the ostrich which, by hiding its head in the sand and thus ‘shutting off from its own view all danger, assumes that danger does not exist. Look at a few facts. Here is a Yorest Service bulletin: “The Drain {Tpon the Forests,” dated November 30, 1907. Speaking on this very ques- tion of substitutes, it says: “The many substitutes for wood that have been proposed, and to some extent used, have not lessened the demand for tim- ber, as is shown by the fact that the per capita consumption was 260 board feet in 1880 and 1906.” How, pray, in the face of such facts, are substitutes to solve the problem? Take the case of cross-ties alone. Of these we use one hundred millions annually. To maintain each one of these ties in the track we must keep two trees growing in the forest. Substitutes have been tried here. In this country, at least, they have nally failed. At the American Forest Congress of 1905, Gen. Charles F. Manderson, general solicitor of the 440 feet in Ssig- Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Rail- road, discussing this point, said: “As yet no substitute has been de- vised for wood ties that is either eco- nomical or desirable. They maintain the alignment of the railroad tracks, which is so essential to safety, bette: than any metal substitute, and give an elasticity to the road bed most import- ant for the preservation and mainten- ance of the rolling stock. With metal ties, or a stone base, the rails would be speedily injured, and the heavy Mogul engines used to-day, drawing the heavy trains of large cars needed for the traffic, would pound them- selves quickly into decrepitude and uselessness.’ 62 FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION Wood substitutes are deceptive. In Germany, a hundred years ago, coal began to take the place of wood, but the consumption of wood in that coun- try has increased in the same ratio as the consumption of coal. From a superficial view point, one might im- agine that the iron ship would be a wood saver. In fact, however, more wood goes into shipbuilding to-day than ever before; for all ships require some wood, and more ships are now built than in any former year. The metal used at the top of the mine shaft is as nothing compared with the quantities of wood used below. Steel sky-scrapers are to-day the vogue; but more wood is used in the construc- tion of houses than ever before. The old wooden paving block has gone, but another is taking its place, which, it is claimed, is superior to any other form of paving. And so on to the end of the chap- ter. Optimism may be a good thing; but the optimism that “indulges in the illusions of hope and listens to the song of the siren,’ while hastening to- ward peril, instead of bravely meet- ing the situation and substituting se- curity for danger, is a public menace. Of such “optimism” America has had an overdose. The time for intelligent, deliberate and vigorous action is at hand. fhe : Before the American Noa Forestry Association lies a work than which, perhaps; none more stupendous ever faced a voluntary organization. It is nothing less than the arousing of eighty million people to a problem whose solution is vital to their well- being, showing them the remedy and leading them to apply it. Look at such facts as, in con- densed form, are brought together in the letter to our members, published in this issue. We have the President of the United States warning the peo- ple of the progressive and rapid de- struction of the very sources of their physical lives—the raw materials from which must be provided, in large February part, their food, shelter, and means of transportation. We have him an- nouncing this as the greatest issue be- fore the American people, and con- vening an assembly of notables to dis- cuss with him the problem. We have the United States For- ester declaring that, under present policies of use and waste, our timber supply will probably not last more than from one-fifth to one-third of a century—a period which, in the life of a Nation, is but the infinitesimal fraction of the diameter of a_ hair; and indicating the calamitous results which inevitably follow in the train of forest destruction. We have the Director of the Re- clamation Service pointing to the vast and beneficent work now in progress under Government auspices in the way of redeeming the desert and provid- ing homes for the people; but aver- ring, at the same time, that the con- tinuance and success of this work are absolutely dependent upon the reten- tion of forests upon the mountain sides, which, in turn, is dependent upon National action. We have a representative of the Waterways Commission and Bureau of Soils asserting that we are permit- ting the sweeping each year into the sea of enough soil to fertilize our whole Atlantic coast area as far west as Ohio and as far south as Georgia, the annual value of this loss being at least one billion dollars, and constitut- ing the heaviest tax upon the Amer-. ican farmer. Such loss, furthermore, is practically permanent, for the pro- cess of soil formation requires not vears or decades, but centuries and even ages. And he adds that this “soil wash and river ravage are large- ly to be traced to the absence of for- ests upon slopes in which rivers rise.’ In the case of our inland waters we have another billion dollars an- nually going to waste in the form of unutilized power, and an annual dam- age, in addition, of one hundred mil- lion dollars from floods. And here again forest conservation is essential tc the solution of the problem. 1908 But let the reader turn to the let- ter and read it in its entirety, and then let him consider the question, “What are we going to do about it?” What We can take one of two ge courses : First, we can do nothing; we can follow in the footsteps of China and Syria and the several Medi- terranean lands that have destroy- ed their birthright and are now, through the centuries, paying the grim penalty. We can continue to create conditions that will cause posterity to look back upon the present era as the golden era in American history; and to curse the short-sighted, brutal selfishness of sires who, for the brief, temporary gratification of industrial ambition, destroyed the land upon which, for all time, their children must live, and bequeathed to them an inheritance of slavery and want. Or we can grapple with the conditions like men. We can appeal to the splen- did intelligence and the great heart of the American people. We can bring home to them the facts and the invitable consequence. We can make clear to them the solution and lead them to apply it while yet there is ‘time. Which horn of the dilemma shal! we choose? 3 Suppose we discard the policy of inertia and adopt that of action? The task before us, as stated, is great. We must remember that the average man is largely absorbed in the immediate problem of procuring his daily bread. Days of toil, followed by nights of recuperation, make up the lives of most. To rouse them is no_ small task. No one medium of communica- tion reaches more than a fraction. A multitude of media must be utilized. Further, no single lesson will suffice. What is requi-ed is the line upon line, and precept upon. precept; the constant dropving that wears the stone:: the appeal to the eye through book and picture, and to the ear through the human voice until the mind has been convinced and the will enlisted. EDITORIAL 63 But, when this has been done, there yet remain the tasks, first, of indica- ting the kind of action required, of distinguishing real remedies from spurious and deceptive ones, and, sec- ond, of writing the necessary legisla- tion upon the statutes and seeing that, amidst the whirligig of political changes, the legislation is enforced and the interests of the people are safe- guarded. Here is a work which may well appeal to the noblest, and claim the service of the greatest. The Task And to cope with this an situation, what have we? e Tools eines An organization of some six thousand people, largely absorbed in their private affairs, and paying for the most part annual dues of two dollars each; an office with a_half- dozen helpers swamped with work, a magazine reaching seven or eight thousands out of eighty millions, and, more recently, a press bulletin reach- ing fifteen hundred newspapers per week. This, it is true, is something; it means a far greater efficiency than the Association has ever before known; it is a wheat grain which may ultimately yield a crop. But. as compared with the actual. daily need of the Nation, this is noth- ing at all; it is a drop in the ocean, a single lighted match in the darkness of Egypt; an ant seeking to tunnel a mountain. When, by the side of the task, we place the tools for perform- ing it, we are still, obviously, in the day of small things. This work imperatively demands adequate equipment. Its activities should be multiplied a hundred-fold. It should become a power, inspiring the forces of destruction with concern and the forces of construction with hope and confidence. The great need of this organization is funds. Nhence_ shall thev Of necessity, they must come sources. Membership Equip the Association come? from private 64 FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION fees yield something, yet their total is slight in comparison with the revenues which such an organization should command. ‘To secure even these is a serious undertaking; and for the as- sociation to devote its energies chiefly to soliciting funds, whether through membership campaigns or otherwise, is obviously a perversion of effort. Its main activities should be devoted, not simply to maintaining its own ex- istence, but to agitation, education and the quest for legislation; to serving the ends for which it was created. Otherwise, what right has it to exist at all? There is wealth in this country be- yond the dreams of the Arabian Nights. Every dollar of it has come -from the sources which are now menaced. Furthermore, considerable portions of it are devoted to works of philanthropy and public — service. Millions are constantly being poured forth to establishing and maintaining schools, churches, libraries, charities and benefactions of various types. Why are not such funds available for this work? Men talk of “prosperity.” Whence will come the prosperity when, as in China, our mountain sides are picked bare as a bone, and the soils of our valleys have largely been washed into our rivers and harbors? They ask us to look on the bright side. Why not make sure that it shall continue bright? They call “America another name for opportunity.” Why not see that the opportunity is per- petuated rather than destroyed? What greater cause could appeal to philanthropy than that of preserving our heritage? What weightier obli- gation can be laid upon the conscience of one who has accumulated millions from “our boundless resources” than to aid in perpetuating these resources? Men give to the transitory; why not to the permanent? They contribute to small causes, why not to great? They build libraries; why not main- tain the supply of material from which books and buildings must be made? They multiply colleges; why not rec- ognize that, whether schooled or un- February schooled, people must draw their sup- plies from the earth? They scatter alms; why not provide against the persistence and the intensification of poverty? Here is a field for the activity of our members. Many of them are in close touch with men or women who could put the Association on its. feet, and make it a mighty factor in the af- fairs of this Nation. Will they not exert themselves to this end? What higher service could they render the race? Brace Up “Many farmers imagine Lincelare as that the member of S Congress whom they have elected will voice their convic- tions in laws without constant brac- ing up. We rise to explain to them that they are gravely mistaken. The average Congressman will, as far as possible, legislate for the interests of his constituents; but he must be in- formed, and sometimes peremptorily, what these interests are. This is what we mean by ‘bracing up’ a Con- gressman. “Just now the members of Congress are particularly sensitive to public opinion, because nearly all of them want to be re-elected. Congressmen. seldom resign, and are always found with an ear to the ground, particular- ly in election years.” The above is from Wallace's Farm- er, a paper that has done good work in persuading Iowa farmers to give heed to what their Representatives do. Considering the relations of con- stituents to Congressmen, we should remember who is principal and who is agent. It must never be forgotten that the United States is a republic; that laws, constitution and adminis- trative acts find their sole validity in popular approval or acquiescence. The old monarchial doctrine that the king is the fountain of justice and the source of law has absolutely no place in the United States. Exactly the reverse is true; it is the people who are the fountain of justice and the source of law, and it is the people #908 from whom all officials, high or low, and of whatever character, take, or should take, directly or indirectly, their orders. To speak, as some text- book makers have done, of men in public life as “our rulers” is an an- achronism, preposterous and_ offen- sive. If any doubt, let him turn to his Declaration of Independence and read that all “governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed.” The people have exactly as much right to instruct their representatives and to control the course of their pub- lic officials in general as an employer has to instruct and control his em- ployees. The constituent who im- agines his Congressman to be mas- ter and himself servant has gotten the relations of the two exactly re- versed. He should learn to live up to the limits of his privilege, and, if he observes his Congressman pursu- ing a course contrary to the dominant sentiment of his district he should realize that it is the constituents who are chiefly at fault. By all means let them see that their representative does the work of those upon whom he de- pends for his political breath of life. One of the largest paper companies in the coun- try, the International Paper Company, is cutting on forest principles. In their logging opera- tions in Maine no spruce under 10 inches in diameter on the stump is being cut. And what a _ contrast their cut-over land offers to that of other large companies logging in the same region! On their lands, after logging, there is a large amount of Practical Forestry EDITORIAL 65 small stuff left; the forest remaining is of great value, and in a few years will be ready for another cut of spruce. On the lands of other com- panies in the same region every stick of merchantable material is taken, spruce being cut down to as_ small as six or seven inches. There is ab- solutely nothing left after logging but a barren waste of stumps and debris, forming a veritable fire-trap_ that lasts for years. The land is too often burned over and made of no value whatsoever for years to come. All chance of a present, and often all hope of a future, growth of spruce is de- stroyed. The value of conservative logging has been repeatedly illustrated. Even before forestry was much talked of in this country a few far-sighted lum- bermen were logging conservatively. Notable among them is Mr. Daniel W. Saunders, in Livermore, New Hampshire. Mr. Saunders has cut the same land over twice for spruce saw- logs, and it is still in good condition, with a large amount of small spruce which will soon be merchantable. Only trees over about 16 inches in diameter were cut the first time. The second time he cut down to about 14 inches in diameter, and, as he was also able to cut trees that were con- sidered as cull or of no value the first time, he obtained a larger cut the second time. There is still a great deal of valuable timber on this cut- over land, and in a comparatively short time it will be ready for a third cut. And the value of stumpage is still increasing. This is a striking ex- ample of what careful, conservative logging and protection from fire can accomplish. NEWS AND NOTES Members and friends will remember that the ___ Annual Meeting of the American Forestry Association oc- curs on Wednesday, January 29, at the New Willard Hotel in Washing- ton, D. C. The sessions begin at 10 o'clock in the morning and continue through the afternoon and ‘evening. The reception, earlier announced to be held at the residence of Mr. and Mrs. J.. W. Pinchot and Mr. Gif- ford Pinchot, the Forester, has, on account of the severe illness of Mr. J. W. Pinchot, been cancelled. The evening of Wednesday will, however, be packed full of important busi- ness. The program for the meeting is far advanced in point of preparation, but cannot as yet be definitely an- nounced. Much attention. will be given to the Appalachian-White Mountain question, and, in an im- portant sense, the meeting will con- stitute a preparation for the hearing before the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives to begin on the following day at 10 o'clock a. m. Distinguished and able speakers are expected to handle such topics as the following: The situa- tion regarding our natural resources, forestry as a National and State prob- lem, co-operation between Govern- ment and timberland owners, forests and the health of the Nation, the inter- est of the South in the Appalachian National Forests, the interest of the North in the White Mountain Na- tional Forests, the need of forest con- servation in West Virgina, flood dam- age from Appalachian rivers, erosion in the Southern Appalachian Moun- tains and its effect on navigable riv- ers, need of Southern Appalachian forests for protection of waterpow- ers, relation of mountain forests to water navigation, and the question, Is the Appalachian-White Mountain bill constitutional ? The meetins of the Board of Di- The Annual Meeting rectors of the Association will be held at 4 o'clock p. m. on Tuesday, January 28th, at the office of the Sec- retary of Agriculture. On arriving, in Washington, mem- bers of the Association are requested to register at room 305, Epiphany Building, 1311 G street northwest, the office of the American Forestry Association. Every member of the Association who can possibly attend is earnestly urged to be present to make this the greatest and most representative meet- ing of the Association ever held, and to aid in the most effective way in se- curing the enactment of the Appala- chian-White Mountain bill. Freight Rates The Pacific Coast Lum- op ahi ber Manufacturers’ As- 8 sociation, the North- western Lumber Association, and other lumbermen, are endeavoring to secure from Congress a law that new freight rates, higher than the old, shall not go into force, if protested against by shippers, until their reason- ableness has been approved by the Interstate Commerce Commission. They claim that when the shipper is dissatisfied with an already existing rate, as being too high, he cannot re- duce it without the delay and trouble of a hearing before the Commission ; and that it would, therefore, be only fair if the railroad, when dissatisfied with a rate, as being too low, should be subject to the same restraint in se- curing a change. In its application to lumber ship- ments this proposition has an import- ant bearing on the forest situation on the Pacific coast. Mr. A. B. Wastell. secretary of the association, writes that a raise of freight rates will great- ly reduce the thoroughness with which the trees cut in the Pacific Northwest . are utilized. The rates heretofore paid have been so high that any higher rates will render it unprofitable to ship the cheaper grades of lumber and tim- 1908. ber across the continent. These grades, which form a considerable part of the tree, will therefore be wasted, since they cannot be utilized if they are cut off from .the Eastern market. The Governor of Ohio ee the : overnor Oo j Ohio Says Urges on the Legislature the encouragement of forestry in the State. He says in his message: “The forests of Ohio are disappearing. Unless some: pro- tection is given, they will soon pass away. If our State Constitution would permit a low valuation or a re- bate of taxes on woodland dedicated for a period of years to reforestry, it would give encouragement. lowa, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Colorado, Indiana, Maine, Rhode Island and Wisconsin have enacted laws reducing taxation to en- courage the growing of forests. “I suggest that article 12, section 2, of our Constitution be amended so the Legislature can give encourage- ment to reforesting our denuded lands and protecting existing forests by re- ducing or omitting the taxes thereon. “In many parts of the State the growing of trees, as the growing of corn and wheat, would have a com- mercial value. “The Experiment Station at Wooster has commenced the encouragement of planting along this line. Since 1904 it has sent out more than half a mil- lion seedling trees to 466 farmers in 84 of the counties of the State. The Station has also taken up the work on lands of the State occupied by the Boys’ Industrial School near Lancas- ter, where it found several hundred acres of second growth forest now in good condition for the experiment. “T highly approve of the interest the Board of Control of the Experiment Station has taken in this work, and recommend further encouragement to the people in forest growing.” Se die A The Board of Trade of Thon Guide It. Ctand Rapids, Mich., is working for the Ap- palachian National Forests, and adopt- NEWS AND NOTES 67 ed some days ago the following resolu- tion: “Resolved, that the Congress of the United States be, and it hereby is, strongly urged to enact into law the Appalachian Bill, providing for the establishment of National Forests in the White Mountains of New Hamp- shire and in the Southern Appalach- ians.” In discussing the resolution, Mr. Charles W. Garfield, one of the direc- tors of the Board, and President of the Forest Investigating Commission, spoke as follows: “The principal contention for mak- ing a permanent Government reserva- tion of a considerable portion of the Appalachian Mountain region lies in the fact that it is the principal region from which we must secure our hard- woods to meet the demands of wood- working industries in our country. “In the last decade quarter-sawed oak went from $52 to $80 per thous- and; hickory from $30 to $65; yellow poplar, or white wood, from $30 to $53; hard maple from $20 to $32.50. This appreciation in values has not come so much from the greater de- mand as from the diminished supply, and although we are slow to recog- nize it we are on the border of a hardwood faniine. In support of this fact we have only to note the great reduction in the output of hardwood lumber from the States which have produced the largest supply of this important raw material. The supply from Indiana and Ohio, which was at one time the center of the hardwood industry, is practicaly exhausted. The supply from Michigan is rapidly drib- bling away. “The region best adapted to the | srowth of hardwoods, and which, if properly handled, can produce a con- tinuous supply, is the elevation of land known as the Appalachian range of mountains. The region extends from Maine to Georgia, including’ New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia. Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina. South Car- 68 FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION olina, Georgia and Alabama. In 1906 this region produced about half of the hardwood used in this country. It is safe to say that fully one-half of the present supply is within this area. It is a non-agricultural region. The rain- fall is such that the growth per acre per year is the largest to be found anywhere ‘in the hardwoed areas of America. It is an accessible region. A large part of it has already been cut otf and the best removed, with plenty yet remaining upon the ground. Lumbermen are already en- gaged in cleaning up the second time, leaving nothing behind. “A Grand Rapids lumberman said the other day that he was cutting tim- ber perfectly clean from the moun- tains, and very soon erosion would clear off nearly all of the soil ana nothing would be left but rock. * 5°" “and as may be necessary to impound the water in such reservoirs.” Bill E contains the same provision. Competing Bill F forbids the In- With terior Department “‘to Government prevent any corporation, person, association of persons or set- tlement or aggregation of people of the United States from competing for priority of right to use of the waters of any natural stream within any of the States and Territories of the arid region, with the Government of the United States, or with any other claimant.” Bill G contains the same provision. 3oth these bills graciously permit “that the Government of the United States shall have right to compete for priority of right to the use of the water for reclamation purposes in the arid States and Territories,” with this proviso: “But shall not, either di- rectly or indirectly, prevent the citi- zens of the United States from com- peting for prior rights to the use of waters in the arid region, nor retard them therein.” As against the provision of existing law “that any permission given by the Secretary of the Interior under the provisions of this Act may be revoked by him or his successor in his discre- tion,’ the following interesting pro- vision appears in some of these new bills: “And any existing right of way, license, permit or privilege for any of the purposes provided for in section t of this Act shall, upon application, be confirmed and approved by the Sec- retary of the Interior” (Bill B). Bill ~D, in prescribing that “any person, association or corporation desirous of securing the benefits of this act shall file * * * Migmap ..adds aes the application be in accordance with the terms of this act such map shall be approved by the Secretary of the Interior.” The same Act also pro- The Secre- tary “Shall” AND IRRIGATION April vides, “That any existing right of way, license, permit, or privilege for any of the purposes provided forin * * ** this act shall, provided application therefor be made by the grantee or grantees, their successors or assigns, and only in that event, be approved by the Secretary of the Interior”. Bill E contains the same provisions. Bill D grants the beneficiary “the right to- take from the public lands adjacent to such works, materials, earth, and stone necessary for the construction and maintenance thereof:” Bills E, F, and G contain the same provision ; while Bill B, apparently, by typo- graphical error, grants only “the right to take from the public lands and stone necessary,” and so forth. It is true, however, that the bills contain provis- ions for partial pay- ment for values received. Bill B, for example, provides, “That the grantee or grantees of any such right of way under this act shall pay to the United States the full value of all timber and wood cut, used, or destroyed within the right of way, in constructing and maintaining said works, including damages for injuries to the adjacent lands of the United States”. Bill D contains a similar provision, as does Bill E. Other modest payments are pro- vided for, Bill B prescribing that “lands covered by structures, dams and reservoirs or the sites therefor,’ may be purchased by the grantee or grant- ees hereunder by the legal land subdi- visions covering same, after the com- | pletion of such structures, dams and reservoirs, at the price of two dollars and fifty cents per acre.” The same pro- vision is fotmd in bills D and E. Bill D further provides that the Secretary of the ‘Interior may levy charges as follows: “for areas and sites for buildings and other structures, includ- ing reservoir sites, per acre of frac- tion thereof, one dollar; for rights of way,” per mile of fraction thereof, one dollar.” Bill E makes these fig- Petty Payments 1908 ures two dollars and fifty cents. Beside the values transferred by this legislation from public to private own- ership, such payments are, of course, but as the crumbs which fell from Dives’ table and were granted as char- ity to the beggar at his door. Thus far these bills have lain in committees. How long, however, they may - thus slumber, no one, outside the lead- ers, probably knows. It is but nec- essary to focus public attention upon them to make the average congress- man as shy of them as of the plums and prequisites of which Mr. Dooley so effectively writes. Until, however, the appearance of the President’s message above quoted the public knew little or nothing about these bills. Exactly there lies the danger in such legisla- tion. It slumbers quietly in a pigeon hole until the opportune moment ar- rives, and then, with many members absent, others preoccupied, and still others lacking information, it goes through the chute with a lot of other legislation and is entered upon the statute books. Even now, there is a possibility that some of the more vi- cious clauses in these bills may be at- tached as riders to the agricultural ap- The Danger propriation bill, and thus forced through. Me tes: It is conceded that the sion power of the Secretary to revoke licenses in his discretion might possibly, in hypo- thetical cases, work hardship. In the Agricultural Appropriation Bill, there- for, the following concession is made (page 24, lines-2-5): “Hereafter, per- mits for power plants within National forests may be made irrevocable ex- cept for breach of condition, for such term, not exceeding fifty years, as the Secretary of Agriculture may by regu- lation prescribe.” It is hoped that every friend of the National Forests, whether within or without Congress, may be alert to see that the conces- sions to private interests go no fur- ther than this. EDITORIAL 185 Another The President has just Message sent another message to Congress. At the risk of delaying the presses, attention must be called to some of its features. He says: “T am of the opinion, however, that one change in the tariff could, with advantage, be made forthwith. Our forests need every protection, and one method of protecting them would be to put upon the free list wood pulp, with a corresponding reduction upon paper made from wood pulp, when they come from any country that does not put an export duty upon them.” ForESTRY AND IRRIGATION delights to record this blow at the paper trust. While no tariff tinkering, or modifica- tion either up or down, will, without public ownership and administration, solve the forest question, the tariff upon wood pulp and paper made there- from is an anomaly and abuse which should long since have bees corrected. The following regarding waterways will meet the full approval of our readers: “Ample provision should be made for a permanent Waterways Commis- sion, with whatever power is required to make it effective. The reasonable expectation of the people will not be met unless the Congress provides at this session for the beginning and prosecution of the actual work of wa- terways improvement and controi.’ For this Nation, at a time when its railroads cannot handle the traffic thrown upon them, to permit its vast network of inland waterwavs to lie idle is as preposterous as for China to leave her coal unmined. The sinister influences which have prevented the utilization of our inland waterways were made clear in the recent prelim- inary report of the Inland Waterways Commission and the presidential mes- sage accompanying it. Lake American timberland owners in respect of wood pulp, railroad managers, of course, wanted no more competition than was inevitable. Hence, the Commission points out, they set themselves to kill 186 FORESTRY off their rivals, the waterways. but, with the failure of the railroads to do the business which they have thus mon- opolized, for the people of the country longer to put up with such a situation would reflect seriously upon their ca- pacity for self-government. That the President was not serious- ly influenced by the reactionary and as- tounding speech made by Speaker Cannon at the banquet of the Nation- al Wholesale Lumber Dealers’ Asso- ciation, elsewhere discussed, is shown by the following passage: “The Congress should recognize in fullest fashion the fact that the sub- ject of the conservation of our natural resources, with which this Commission deals, is literally vital for the future of the Nation.” Following our extended editorial on “Some Vicious Legislation,’ FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION hastens to chronicle the following additional executive dec- laration regarding these monopolistic bills: “Numerous bills power rights on navigable streams have been introduced. None of them give the Government the right to make a reasonable charge for the valuable granting water- AND IRRIGATION April privileges so granted, in spite of the fact that these water-power privileges are equivalent to many thousands of acres of the best coal lands for their production of power. Nor is any defi- nite time limit set, as should always be done in such cases. “T shall be obliged hereafter, in ac- cordance with the policy stated in a re- cent message, to veto any water-power bill which does not provide for a time limit and for the right of the Presi- dent or of the Secretary concerned to fix and collect such charge as he may find to be just and reasonable in each case.” The fact that the President would veto such legislation is reassuring, but for the fact, elsewhere suggested, that it may come in the shape of a rider up- on the agricultural appropriation bill. It ought to be possible for an execu- tive, Federal or State, to veto a portion of a bill without vetoing the whole. As law now stands, however, this is impossible for the President of the United States. It therefore behooves all friends of the forests to be on their guard against these power bills and to mark every Congressman who sup- ports any one of them in any form. See page 196 The mahogany as a shade tree NEWS AND NOTES Fcrest Plant- [f the young farmers and ing on the the children of the older Prairies f . . armers in the prairie States are during the later years of their lives to be supplied with cheap fence posts and cheap fuel, whether there is a car shortage on the railroad or not, there must be a great deal more attention paid to forest planting on the farm than there has been here- tofore. There was considerable forest planting in these States in the early years of their settlement. The object then in view was not to secure post timber or building material or fuel, but to protect the farm houses and other buildings from the storms of the Western winter. Times change, and farmers must change with them. The forest tree planting in the West, small as it ap- pears to be in comparison with the acreage, has done much to modify the severity of the winters ; more than any one would think. What is needed now is timber for fence posts, for fuel and for lumber, as well as protection against the bliz- zards of the winter and the heat of the summer.—lWallace’s Farmer. A Few The importance of tim- “aes of ber on the farm 1s be- coming plainer each year. The uses and needs are many, and these increase as the farm be- comes older. The one feature of fencing creates within itself almost a constant demand for timber for posts. Iron and stone are sometimes sug- gested as the coming fence post. This sounds as though the farmer was ab- solutely helpless in the matter of sup- ply. The farmer need not look to any source outside his land resources for fence posts or fuel, if he décides that he will plan and produce these him- self. The grove of quickly growing timbers will in a few years supply fence posts and fuel for all the needs of the farm. It is simply a matter of planting and preparing for tree growth. It does not require the lifetime of a man to do this and reap the benefits. True, it will take from ten to twenty years to see these trees satisfactorily serviceable, yet this time is often spent on a prairie homestead without any effort being made to plant, culti- vate, or grow a tree —West Texas Journal. Census of The Bureau of the Cen- Water Trans- sus has just issued a portation bulletin (No. gr) on transportation by water. The bulletin contains a summary of the main feat- ures of a census of transportation by water which covered the year ending December 31, 1906, further details of which are reserved for separate re- ports of the shipping on the Atlantic Coast and Gulf of Mexico, the Pacific Coast, the Great Lakes and St. Law- rence River, the Mississippi River and its tributaries, and all other inland wa- ters, respectively. During the year 1906, according to the census, ferryboats carried 330,- 737,039 passengers; over 63 per cent of whom were carried by the ferries in and around New York harbor. By far the largest part of the Am- erican shipping is on the Atlantic Coast and the Gulf of Mexico. The next largest is on the Mississippi Riv- er and its tributaries; but so many of the river vessels are coal barges and scows, that the value of both shipping and freight moved on the Great Lakes is greater. The total freight moved showed an increase of over 100 per cent from 1889 to 1906. On the basis of tonnage moved, coal is the most important item of freight in the water commerce of the United States. Considerable decreases are shown in the shipments of lumber and of ice. 188 The decrease in the former is due to the exhaustion of the forests near wa- ter courses; that in the latter, to the great increase in the use of manufac- tured ice. One of the striking facts brought out by the report is the rapid increase in the use of iron and steel as materials for the construction of vessels. Levee pe: In 1880 the amount of uiness C - ° Canals freight passing through the canals and canalized rivers of the United States was, in round numbers, 21,000,000 tons; in 1889, 49,000,000 tons; and in 1906, 122,000,000 tons, an increase of over 480 per cent between 1880 and 1906. This increase has resulted wholly from the increased use of Government canals, which are ship canals and can- alized rivers; the use of canals under State and corporation control, largely of the smaller type, has steadily de- creased. In striking contrast to this great in- crease in the canal freight movement is the comparatively small increase in the length of the canals and canalized rivers. The busiest canal in the world is the St. Mary’s Falls canal connecting Lake Superior with Lake Huron. In 1906 the net tonnage of vessels passing through this canal was three times as great as that through the Suez canal and more than seven times as great as that through the Kaiser Wilhelm, or Kiel, canal. This is the more note- worthy since the St. Mary’s Falls canal, on account of the severity of the cold, is open to traffic for only about eight months in the year, while the others are open twelve. Mcre Than ‘Three hundred and six- ee Miles ty-three thousand acres quare of land, hitherto untilled or upon which the productiveness was limited, was put under water or included in irrigation projects in the Inland Empire in 1907. This does not include the acreage of the FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION April projects at North Yakima. Lewiston, Sunnyside and others where the main ditches were dug before the beginning of last year; nor are the Twin Falls projects in Idaho, the Boise enter- prises, the Jefferson Valley plan or the numerous plants in the Boundary country included in the total. These would make the acreage more than 700,000. Profitsfrom Good wheat land in the prams Northwest may be de- pended upon, it is said, to produce an average of 25 . bushels a year, and the grower may realize $20 an acre gross profit out of his crop. Allowing only $150 an acre for the value of the average irrigated land crop, it produces nearly eight times as much as the same area of wheat land, and is therefore worth as much to the city near which it lies. Hence the projects that will bring the equivalent of 64 square miles of wheat land near Spokane into cultivation op- ens a new empire that will easily sup- port a population of 225,000 more than now live in the northwest. In revenue, allowing $150 an acre for its annual productiveness, it will yield $54,500,000 a year, or far more than the total value of the Inland Empire wheat crop in 1907, which is placed at $37,500,000. Since irrigation farming is so profit- able, it would seem that even in humid areas it would pay to experiment with irrigation, to see whether having con- trol of the moisture supply would not give an advantage to the farmer. Improvements During the last five in Methods of 4+ six years the work Irrigation done in the State of Washington by the irrigation investi- gations of the U. S. Office of Experi- ment Stations, especially in the Yak- ima valley, has thrown much light upon conditions existing in the irrigated dis- tricts and has pointed the way to bet- terment along many lines. In the im- provement of canal construction, in the administration of canal systems, in the 1908 methods of distribution of water and practices of irrigation, says a Wash- ington writer, the State may look for many of its greatest possibilities of de- velopment by irrigation. Drainage cf ne of the most import- Irrigated ant things in farm Lands ae: : . rainage in arid coun- tries, says Professor Brown, drainage engineer of Colorado Agricultural College, is to know just when it be- comes necessary. An excellent rule, adopted by Mr. Matthew Raer, mana- ger of the Sommer Farm in Tremon- ton, Utah, is never to allow a wet spot to appear the second season. The ex- perience on this farm is that wet spots, due to seepage, appear from year to year in different parts of the farm. By draining these spots as they appear, this farm continues to yield abund- antly. So much for wet spots which come this spring. Our immediate concern, however, is those wet spots which came last year and the year before. It is not hard to tell even now where those wet spots are. They fail to dry even when the wind blows for days, and when the surface generally is dry enough to plow. They needed very little irrigation, if any, last season. When indications of such sort as these exist, it is time to go exploring below the surface. It is surprising how few farmers ever think of digging a few holes in the ground even when confronted with most certain indications of seepage and waterlog- ging. Besides showing how thoroughly | the soil is saturated, test holes wiil reveal just what difficulties will be encountered if draining 1s attempted. Talk about the romance of engineering! Here are hundreds of thou- sands of square miles, formerly the des- pair and terror of Government and farmer alike, magically “struck,” as Moses struck the rock, and forthwith turned into smiling fields of grain, and Irrigation of Australia NEWS AND NOTES 189 far stretching stock farms capable of raising rams worth five thousand dol- lars each! So writes William George in the Technical World Magazine. Truly the “dead heart” of Australia js being slowly quickened into life by the waterwizard’s derrick and his boring pipes, that are miles deep. A wonder- ful victory of mind over matter, such as enables the Commonwealth of Aus- tralia to produce fine wool alone worth nearly eighty million dollars a year! —The Great West. Reclaimed H. H. Yard, who has op- rom = Land Thief erated most extensively in Government lands in Butte and Plumas counties, California, seeking to obtain public domain in those sections, has lost his fight for the possession of about 265,000 acres along the Feather River. The land office at Susanville has rendered a de- cision and report setting forth that in more than ninety claims there is no evidence of mineral. The lands taken by Yard revert to the Government as timber lands. The decision is causing much ex- citement in Butte and Plumas counties, where similar large tracts are endan- gered. The outcome of the controversy is a great victory for State Mineralogist L. E. Aubury, who has for years waged a bitter fight against individu- als and corporations who took up tim- ber lands under the Mineral and Plac- er Land Act. Aubury began this con- test in 1901 and took the case directly to the President of the United States. Mr. Aubury says his action is in the interests of the miners of California, who are shut out by these land grab- bers. Turks cf the The Milwaukee Journal ene says that “Kismet” is a ot. Turkish word used to stupefy the will, as opium and has- heesh stupefy the body and mind. “When evils come upon the Turk he bows his head and mutters ‘Kismet! It is Fate!’ 190 “Every winter and spring the peo- ple of the Ohio valley suffer the most destructive of floods, and they bow their heads and mutter their equivalent for Kismet. They think it fate. “But it isn’t. The floods are our fault. The science that prevents yel- low fever and is conquering the white plague knows the remedy for the Ohio floods.” The financial loss and the deaths from pneumonia, says the Journal, are due to an ill as surely curable as the toothache. The U. S. Geological Sur- vey has laid out a system of reservoirs which can be installed if the Appala- chian National Forests are established. “These reservoirs would hold back the flood waters and let them out in the dry seasons. “The whole system of forests and reservoirs might cost the Government $100,000,000. A single flood has done damage to that amount. During the recent flood, while the people of the Ohio valley were suffering untold pri- vations and losses, Congress was busy —doing what? Considering the Ap- palachian forest bill? Oh, no! That useful body was getting up the cam- paign books for 1908. So much more important than flood prevention! “And then it had to put the motto back on the coin. “The projected reservoirs on the Ohio headwaters would take 402,000,- 000 gallons out of the floods. This would, by letting it out through gates, give the Ohio twelve feet of water through the dry season, clear to Pitts- burg. Low water is as curable as flood... Cure the one and you cure the other. And in damming back this wa- ter, the Government would create more power on the Monongahela and Great Kanawha alone, than is to be got out of Niagara, without spoiling the falls—nearly 400,000 horsepower, and capable of being raised to more than I,000,000. “The power would make the pro- ject a paying one. The forest would pay alone. Deep water in the Ohio would amply pay the whole cost. The FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION April prevention of floods would pay it every year. “How would it do for Congress to let up on p!cying politics for a while and take up the real practical prob- lems of this wonderful age? OTB. Ohio Valley should know the answer? Speaking of the Appa- lachian bill, the Provi- dence Journa! of March 14 suggests that Speaker Cannon may like “to play the public buildings bill” against the Appalachian bill, and con- tinues: “As between the pork barrel and the Appalachians, the former makes the more direct appeal to many Congress- men. Despite such ineffable consider- ations, it is difficult to see how Con- gress will be able to save its face if it rejects this important measure, or even permits it to slumber in commit- tee. Silent obstruction mav prove ef- fective for the time being, but the ob- structionists will need be deaf as well if they expect to escape the righteous indignation of the advocates of the measure and the important public in- terests which these represent.” “Silent Ob- struction” The The pressure from both Political North and South is so Advantage great upon Congress for the passage of the imperatively needed act that it can be defeated only by ex- traordinary means. That all the mem- bers of that body have not made haste to endorse the measure and secure all the political benefits of such a popular ‘stand is astonishing. If Congress intends to strangle the measure in secret, what is the motive? And whatever the motive, how can it be sufficiently strong to overcome the determination of the people of at least twenty-two States that it shall pass? —Providence Bulletin. But a year has witnessed a remark- able change in the presence of public opinion. Uncle Joe now is almost ready to acknowledge this fact. “I really begin to believe that the people 1908 of New England want this bill passed,” he remarked recently to a friend of the cause—New Haven Journal-Courter. Unanimity ~The Board of Directors es Engineers’ of the American Insti- aaa tute of Electrical Engin- eers are urging protection of the head- waters of important streams by scien- tific forestry, for the sake of preserv- ing the stream flow on which water powers depend. The committee which recommended this action by the board asserted that: “The really vital point at issue is the recognition or denial of the funda- mental economic and _ engineering principles upon which forest reserves are based. On this question there can be no difference of opinion among en- gineers.” The committee further states: “It is of the ut- most importance that di- rectors of corporations and other per- sons interested in hydroelectric devel- opments should realize how great the ultimate effect upon the value of their properties will be if the forests which now protect their water supplies are destroyed, and that they should know that their advantage demands that regularity of stream flow be ensured through forest reserves and through the enforcement and improvement of the laws for the control of forest fires. Consulting engineers are urged to bring this matter to the attention of their clients with especial emphasis at the present time, when our National policy is being determined.” Directors of Investing Corporations State — The Engineering Maga- ttention . 1 m rring he Se pee gime, referring to t electrical engineers’ ac- tion, emphasizes the immediateness of the danger and of the requirement for action. “It is not a remote danger, but a present and progressive damage, with which we have to deal. The Ohio Valley is having bitter demonstration, and about the upper watersheds of the NEWS AND NOTES IQ! Delaware, the Hudson and the Con- necticut, destruction productive of like disaster is already under way. “The cutter of timber feels no con- cern as to the aftermath, and those who do have no power of control and no redress. Beyond this Federal legislation and protection there would seem to be a crying need for a strong State forest law which would prohib- it and prevent the absolute denudation now carried on, and enforce the pres- ervation of sufficient cover, if not act- ually provide for reforestation.” Will Not Persons opposing the bias Up Appalachian Bill in arms North Carolina for local political reasons have instilled into the minds of some of the mountain people that the Government proposes to take their lands for a mere pittance and drive them from their homes. This is altogether a misrepresentation. State Geologist Pratt has issued an explan- ation to allay these fears. It is not proposed to break up any farms at all, but to preserve the forests already standing and provide for reproduction of timber on cut-over lands. From the Pacific Coast, as from other sections of the country, comes the demand for the Appalachian Na- tional Forests. The Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce, after referr- ing to its past record in promoting for- est reserves and protection of water- sheds in California, expresses its sense of vital importance of the Na- tional Forests in the Southern Appa- lachian and White Mountains, and commends the same to the support of Los Angeles Resolutions the Los Angeles representative in Congress. Hieip trem Even far away Hawaii agit is championing the Ap- palachian Bill. The Pa- cific Commercial Advertiser (Hono- lulu) of March, urges the Territorial delegate to do whatever falls in his 192 FORESTRY way to aid the Appalachian bill and any other legitimate measure of the same kind. “Broadly speaking,” says the Commercial Advertiser, “it is a question of first economic importance to the Nation,” and points out that, by deferring the timber famine, it will also help Hawaii. In addition, such an aquisition would be, “it concludes, of first importance to the country at large. Would that some statesmen nearer home were as clear sighted as this Hawaiian editor! Kansas | The Kansas State Agri- Farmers cultural College, at Man- Institute hattan, has engaged C. A. Kupfer of the U. S. Forest Service, for several weeks, to talk to farmers’ institutes in western Kansas. This is in addition to the institute work done by the two professors of horticulture and forestry. The college has recently issued a practical pamphlet on “Tree Culture,” sending it to all the rural district teach- ers of the State and to all members of farmers’ institutes. It will be sent free to anyone on application to the Super- intendent of Farmers’ Institutes, Kan- sas State Agricultural College, Man- hattan, Kansas. Another pamphlet of the same sort issued by the college, especially for teachers, is entitled “Bird Life.” Short Course In Forestry A Short Course in For- try is being held at the Colorado Agricultural College, at Fort Collins, commencing Monday, March 16, 1908, and continu- ing for four weeks. The course is un- der the direction of Mr. F. W. Mor- rell, of the Inspector’s Office, District No. 2, U. S. Forest Service, assisted by members of the faculty of the Ag- ricultural College and by others from the Forest Service. At the State University of Wisconsin, 185 stu- dents are taking a lec- ture course giver by Mr. E. M. Grif- fith, the State Forester. Some students University Lectures AND IRRIGATION April may take this because they think they will have in it an easy study, but ap- parently the main reason is the in- creased interest in forestry prevailing in Wisconsin, as in other parts of the Union. At the University of Nebraska, Mr. Raphael Zon, chief of the Office of Sil- vics, in the Forest Service, has been giving a series of lectures on forest types, problems, and conditions. Mr. Zon’s alma mater is the University of St. Petersburg, Russia. Forestry at Mr. W. R. Eastman, un- = rare til recently connected with the Maryland Agri- cultural College, has gone to be pro- fessor of forestry at the Winona Agri- cultural Institute, at Winona Lake. Indiana. Industrial Congressman C._ R. aaa Davis, of Minnesota, feels greatly encouraged concerning the passage, in the near future, of his industrial high school bill. It has received numerous in- dorsements from leading American educators, has been the object of favorable resolutions from educational organizations, farmers’ associations, State colleges, commercial organiza- tions, boards of trade, manufacturers’ organizations, and industrial organi- zations generally throughout the coun- try. President Roosevelt is strongly for this bill. It is in line with his Keokuk speech of October last, in which he said: “We should strive in every way to aid in the education of the farmer for the farm, and should shape our school system with this end in view; and so vitally important is this that, in my opinion, the Federal government should co-operate with the State gov- ernments to secure the needed change and improvement in our schools. At present there is a gap between our primary schools in country and city which must be closed, and, if neces- sary, the Nation must help the State to close it. Too often our present 1908 schools tend to put altogether too great a premium upon mere literary education, and therefore to train away from the farm and shop. We should reverse this process.” In reply to the objection that National appropriations for these schools would relieve the States from the sense of responsibility, Congress- man Davis quotes a letter from Hon. Elmer Ellsworth Brown, U. S. Com- missioner of Education, showing that, between 1896 and 1906 the amount which the land grant colleges received from their several States was in- creased from $2,218,100 to $7,531,502, an increase of about 240 per cent. In 1896 these institutions received 29 per cent. of their support from the Nation ; in 1906 they received but 15.4 per cent. therefrom. The Davis bill bridges the gap be- tween the education of the school- house and that of the home, farm and shop. It is a far-reaching and benefi- cent measure. The Paducah, Ky., Sun et taf February 20th pub- Succeeds Mr. ,. : lished the following Bleecker : news item: “Mrs. Robert Becker Phillips, of the State Federation Forestry Com- mittee, has appointed Mrs. Victor Voris president of the local forestry association, to take the place of Mr. John S. Bleecker, who will leave the first of March to make his home in Columbus, Georgia. Mrs. Phillips, by right of her place on the Federation committee, has the appointment as chairman ex-officio. “The choice of Mrs. Voris is a very happy one. She is not only deeply in- terested in the work of the forestry preservation, but her talents, versatil- ity, and charming tact combine to make her an especially capable presid- ing officer.” Mr. Bleecker’s energy, intelligence, and earnestness in the forestry cause will be missed. in Paducah, but the loss of that city will be the gain of Colum- bus, Georgia. NEWS AND NOTES 193 The Hampden Forestry Association, which has been formed to acquire white pine and other timber tracts in Massachusetts and Connecticut and hold same for proper management of the timber and for en- hancement of timber values, have solved for themselves the problem of taxation, which might otherwise stand in the way of their holding timber lands. They are leasing the privi- leves of hunting and fishing in their forest to men who will stock the pre- serves with game and pay a rental practically equal to the taxes. Game Privil- eges Pay the Taxes This is but a small expense for the sportsmen, and it enables the forestry association to get the benefit of the growth of the timber. Inasmuch as wild lands are becoming scarcer and game preservation more difficult, this policy may be helpful for other parties who desire to establish commercial forests. A State Prof. A. W. Nolan, sec- Goo retary of the newly or- fos: ganized West Virginia Forestry Association, writes that that Association has decided to make FoRESTRY AND [RRIGATION its organ. FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION respectful- ly suggests to other forestry associa- tions, not provided with publications of their own, the adoption of the West Virginia plan. They can thereby save themselves the burden of publishing an organ, and can keep in touch with the general, nation-wide movement. This publication will also gladly give reasonable space to news matter, an- nouncements and other communica- tions which may be of special interest to state and local organizations. Interesting The American Forestry the Association is doing a Lumbermen good work both in agi- tating the matter of protecting the for- ests which we now have, and in en- couraging the growth of timber by 194 cultivation. The effort of the associa- tion has had the effect of interesting the lumbermen and they are acting in conjunction with others in preventing forest destruction.—Beatrice (Neb.) Sun. : Down With Lhis motto, says the Allthe Trees Kansas City Star, be- longs to the past. The organization of a club or association in St. Louis, recently, to encourage the practice of forestry, shows that lumbermen realize how serious is the situation with respect to a future tim- ber supply. The outlook in southern - Missouri, some of the largest timber land owners say, is most discouraging ; so bad, indeed, that the State’s pro- duction will continue now annually to show a very large decrease. Many mills have been abandoned entirely because the woods have been “stripped.” The St. Louis organization includes some of Kansas City’s big lumber- men. These are men who know something of the history of timber supply, and realize that that the old answer, “We'll go somewhere else when these woods play out,’ won’t do now. Lumbermen know that “some- where else” either is being stripped or will be protected by forestry rules. New York Purchases Mount Marcy Mount Marcy and _ its surrounding peaks are included in 2 purchase of a tract of 3,500 acres of land in the Adirondacks which the New York State Forest Preserve Board has just secured. The tract is heavily timber- ed and but for the State’s action in stepping in at this time the lumber would have been cut off for pulp. The Hudson river has its source in the wooded slopes of Marcy. Mount Marcy and the wooded tracts adjoin- ing are included in one of the few parcels of land in the State in which the woodman’s axe has never been swung, the forests being in their prim- itive state—Albany Argus. FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION April The Legislature of Illin- ois has passed an act de- claring the native oak tree to be the State tree of Illinois, and the native violet the State flower. State Tree and Flower Pay Rail- The President has urged pone ae prompt action on the Southern Pacific Rail- road’s claim of $1,600,000 expended in controlling the Colorado River in southern California. That work was performed by the Southern Pacific as the result of a personal letter of appeal sent to President E. H. Harriman by President Roosevelt. It cost, accord- ing to the railroad company, more than $3,000,000, and saved the Imperial Valley of California from inundation and its crops and farms from ruin. Part of the expense they hold belongs to the Government. L The North Carolina So- ecture on : : Appalachians Ciety of New York at its annual dinner recently had as a feature of the evening an ad- dress by Mr. William L,. Hall, in charge of the Appalachian investiga- tion, with stereopticon pictures. To Insure a Navigable Ohio The Indianapolis News of March 19 discusses this topic editorially, strongly advocating the adoption of measures which will insure this im- portant end. It continues: “A question has been raised in some quarters as to the constitutional power of Congress to establish National for- est reservations for such a purpose. This is a mere quibble. If Congress may establish reservations of public lands, as it has done repeatedly, it may do so by purchasing lands. The power is clearly covered by the power of Congress to promote the general welfare. It has as much right to im- prove the navigation of the Ohio and its tributaries by establishing a Na- tional forest reserve at their head- waters as it has by dredging their beds or building locks.” 1908 NEWS AND Kentucky Kentucky is making rie good progress in the movement for the pres- ervation of the forests of the State. In 1906 the Legislature enacted the law providing for the State Board of Agriculture, Forestry and Immigra- tion. During the following winter the Board asked and received the co-oper- ation of the United States Forest Ser- vice in a study of the forest conditions of the state. The work was begun last summer and the investigations of a considerable area of land in the east- ern part of the State completed. At the third annual meeting of the Ken- tucky Farmers’ Institute, at Frank- fort, in February, the subject of for- estry was discussed with an interest which promises for Kentucky a high place among the other. progressive states which are looking to the care- ful use and conservation of forest re- sources. The manner in which the forestry problem has been approached indicates that the people of Kentucky realize that the ultimate solution of the im- pending timber scarcity must, for the farmer, depend largely on how he handles his individual timber resourc- es, and that there is no better way than for him to consider the woodlot as a bank account, using the interest which is constantly accruing, but leav- ing the capital undiminished. Much education work, however, will be needed to secure this desirable end. A bill has been introduced in the legislature providing for the appoint- ment of a State Forester. Deforestation Replying to an inquiry, fa Micbiecn Mr. C. F. Schneider, section director of the Climatological Service of the Weather Bureau, at Grand Rapids, Michigan, writing February 24, says: “Regarding the connection between deforestation and floods in Grand River, my experience along this line confirms the oft repeated claims of the friends of reforestation—that the cut- ting down of trees destroys one of NOTES 195 Nature’s savings banks. Not only do the deforested slopes of the Grand River shed the heavy rains of the sum- mer very quickly, but they yield up all the water content of the winter’s snow in a remarkably short time when the warm sun and warm rains of spring come on. The rapid conges- tion of the water into creeks and riv- ers is also forwarded by the extensive network of county drains, farm drains and tilled land.” Speaking of rivers in the same sec- tion, the Huron and Raisin, the U. S. Geological Survey bulletin says: “The location of the cities and nearly all of the villages on the banks of streams was determined by the water power they afforded for grist mills and saw- mills.” This suggests a similarity of conditions in Michigan and New Eng- land, and a corresponding interest in forest conservation. Excelsior seems to the average man a trifling product that cannot rep- resent a large consumption of timber, yet there are so many uses for it that the total annual production for this country requires sixty million feet of timber. Besides the constant use in general packing, excelsior is in demand by up- holsterers of furniture and carriages, by mattress makers occasionally, for stable bedding, and by steamships to filter sea water. A richly upholstered chair and a mattress which a customer fondly supposes to be filled with hair may contain nothing but excelsior be- neath, with possibly a layer of cotton. Thus, we sit and sleep on wood as well as read wood pulp newspapers, and at the mortal end of things we are likely to repose in a coffin upholstered with a choice grade of excelsior. The New York mattress factory uses a carload a day. Teddy bears owe their rotund- ity to a special quality of fine excelsior. There is not much wood left on ten thousand acres of land when the ex- celsior machines have had their year’s rations—N. Y. Tribune. Uses of Excelsior THE NAMES OF MAHOGANY BY Dr. John Gifford, Founder and Former Editor of this Magazine THE TERM “mahogany” is ap- plied to several woods which are in no way related to the genuine article, and to several woods which are closely akin to it and re- semble it in many ways. The scientific name is Swietenia mahagoni Jacq. The genus Swietenia was named for a Holland doctor by the name of Swieten, and the specific name mahagoni is merely another form of the common name mahogany, which had its origin in the old Ameri- can Indian name of the tree. The French for mahogany is mahagoni, and since the botanist who named it was a Frenchman, this accounts for the use of the letter a in the second syllable of the specific name, instead of o as in our English word mahog- any. For the benefit of those not familiar with botany it is proper to explain that every known plant has an official scientific name. Each plant has a generic or family name, followed by a specific or individual name. These scientific names are often of interest in themselves, in that they perpetuate the common or local name, or the name of some person directly or in- directly associated with the plant, or in- dicate a region in which it grows, some striking feature in connection with it, or even some error in refer- ence to it. As an illustration of the last, the term “fiddlewood” in the English tropics is of interest. The scientific generic name is Citharexry- lum, a translation of fiddlewood. The wood, however, is absolutely unfit for violins, and has never been used for that purpose. The term “fiddle” in this case is merely a corruption of the French fidéle, meaning true or strong. Khaya senegalensis is the name of the African mahogany. Khaya is the common native African name of the tree, and senegalensis means that it comes from the region of the Senegal. One of the Indian mahoganies is Soy- mida febrifuga, Soymida being a na- tive name and febrifuga indicating that the parts of the tree are useful in combatting fever. With the foreign species of mahog- any the writer is not familiar, al- though the African mahogany is a common wood of commerce. He knows only of the genus Swietenia, and of this genus only one species ma- hagoni, although there may be other species in tropical America. Our ma- hogany varies considerably in charac- ter in the various regions in which it occurs, but these differences are prob- ably due to the great variety of con- ditions under which it grows and are not sufficiently marked and fixed to warrant the formation of a greater number of species. The seed of the Bahaman mahogany, if planted in the lowlands of Honduras and Mexico, would no doubt produce a tree indis- tinguishable from that of its native neighbors, and wice versa. There is great variation in the quality of a wood, due to its location. The tendency of botanists to name new species on insufficient grounds is unfortunate and _ unscientific, and merely lumbers our vocabulary with a lot of useless names, and renders more confusing a subject already much con- fused. It is almost impossible for the practical man to keep track of these changes in the obscure literature in which they are often published. Even then, if he knows of such changes he is suspicious of the standing of the author and the grounds on which these changes are founded. A scien- tific name is worse than useless, unless it is universally accepted and used. 1908 The name mahogany is a magic word. It stands tor excellence, so that if a dealer can affix it to a pile of lumber he can drive a better bargain with an ignorant buyer. And this in spite of the fact that ordinary mahog- any is not an expensive wood. The price of mahogany varies from eight to twelve cents per foot in the log in the New York market. I know of one instance in which a dealer sold some bilsted, or sweet gum, under the name of “mountain mahogany.” The buyer was well pleased, thinking his house was finished in a rare and beau- tiful wood. In the Philippines there is a wood called the red cedar, or toon. It produces a wood something like mahogany, and is sometimes called “Indian mahogany.” In a store in Washington, D. C., I saw furniture la- beled “toon mahogany.” It was a wood quite as beautiful and even more valuable than some mahogany. The use of the word mahogany in its name helped to sell it. The term “mahogany” is applied to woods which resemble it so faintly that it is hard to imagine how and when they were named. The Ken- tucky coffee tree (Gymnocladus dio- icus) is called mahogany in New York and Pennsylvania. Rhus integrifolia, the western sumac, is called mahog- any. The red bay (Persia borbonia) is often called “Florida mahogany,” while the true mahogany which is common in the southernmost part of the State of Florida is known as Ma- deira or redwood. In Australia there is a species of eucalyptus (&. resinifera) called “red mahogany,” and the term “mahogany gum” is sometimes applied to the fa- mous jarrah (E. marginata). It seems most incongruous to combine the words mahogany and gum, since these timbers are usually the opposite in character, although jarrah may pos- sess some qualities of both, and thus warrant this apparent misnomer. Nothing is more characteristic of ma- hogany than its color; yet there are woods known as “white mahogany.” THE NAMES OF MAHOGANY 197 Two species of eucalyptus are some- times called “white mahogany,” also a West Indian tree (Antirrhoea bifur- cata). There is a wood sometimes called “horseflesh mahogany,” or just horseflesh or sabicu. And so on—in the great American tropics there is a tangle of tree names equal to the forest itself. There are Spanish, English, Portuguese, French, Dutch, and Danish colonies in the American tropics. These have all tried to interpret the Indian names of many plants, or have invented new names. There are many Indian tribes, and therefore many Indian tree names. Add to this the negro, who is famous for corrupting names, and the Jap- anese, Chinese, and Hindus, who have brought their languages into the mix- up, and it is easy to understand how the common name of a tree is of use only in a very restricted area. The negroes of Dutch Guiana, for instance, speak Taki-Taki, which is a combina- tion of English, Dutch, Spanish, Por- tuguese, French, African, and what- not. One hopes, therefore, that some day an Official international congress may be formed to settle one scientific name and one common name on at least all the important commercial plants of the world. © In the great order Meliacee, to which the mahogany belongs, there are several genera and many species yield- ing some of the most valuable and best known woods of commerce, while tie -e ere cthers yet to be tried and de- veloped. There is the famous cigar- box cedar (Cedrela odorata), logs of which are usually worth more than ma- hogany; there is the quaraguao (Guarea trichilioides L.) of Porto Rico; there is the acajou wood (Ce- drela fissiles or brazilensis) of South America; and many others of the ce- dar type. The term “cedar” is here used merely to indicate that the wood is light and often has a cedary aroma. The trees in foliage and habit of growth look like walnuts. The term Cedrela applied to this genus is a com- bination of two Greek words, one 198 meaning cedar and the other the sil- ver fir. A specimen of the acajou (Cedrela fissiles), mentioned above, is growing with remarkable rapidity in Dr. F. Franceschi’s garden in Santa Barbara, California. Much credit is due this distinguished gentleman, who has in- troduced many valuable exotics into California. Owing to the fact that the Cedrelas mentioned above are such fine woods, of quick growth, and in general as val- uable on the market as mahogany, it would be wise to plant these trees also. One objection to mahogany is that, in comparison with these ce- drelas, it grows slowly. Dark wood of these cedrelas might be easily con- founded with light form of mahog- any. The Cuban cedrela has one qual- ity which mahogany does not possess, fragrance of the wood, which presum- ably protects cigars from insect inva- sion. Throughout Spanish America ma- hogany is usually known by its Span- ish name Caoba. Baywood was an old English name for this wood, because it came in the early days mainly from FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION April the Bay Islands in the Gulf of Hon- duras. Of all the names in common use the term mahogany is probably more familiar than any other. In fact, the Century Dictionary is authority for the verb “mahoganize,”’ to cause to resemble mahogany, as by staining. I know of one instance in which an engineer was forbid to cut mahogany. He could use all other woods on the land for ties and bridges, but no ma- hogany. The natives knew nothing of the wood mahogany, but recommended caoba strongly for the work. He pro- ceeded to cut caoba, and up to the time of his removal did not know that caoba and mahogany were one and the same. The term acajou is applied to ma- hogany, although it belongs properly only to Cedrela fissiles, mentioned above. It is claimed by some that the terms acajou and caoba had a common origin. The French is acajou, Portu- guese acaju, Spanish acayoiba, caoba and caobana. It is said also that the French acajou, applied to the cashew tree of South Europe, is an entirely different word, which has become con- fused with it. AMERICAN FORESTRY ASSOCIATION TREASURER’'S REPORT WasuinctTon, D. C., January 20, 1908. Tue BoarpD oF DrrEcTors, THE AMERICAN Forestry ASSOCIATION. GENTLEMEN: I have the honor to submit here- with my report as Treasurer of your Association for the year ended De- cember 31, 1907, including two ex- hibits, to wit: STATEMENT OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES As at December 31, 1907. Exuisit “A” REVENUE ACCOUNT For the year ended Dec. 31, ’07. EXHIBit “B” For your enlightenment I beg leave to refer briefly to the more important items of the Balance Sheet. Bonp INVESTMENTS, $6,162.80. The bonds owned by the Association are carried on the books at the pur- chase price. DuES OUTSTANDING, $790.90. Of this amount some dues have been paid since the closing of the books. It is estimated over one-half of the amount outstanding will be collected. 1908 SUNDRY AccouNtTs RECEIVABLE, $175.00. Since the closing of the books the money advanced to the Secretary on account of traveling expenses has been returned. ApVANCE To F. & I. DEPARTMENT, $2,000.00. Early in the year 1907 the Associa- tion purchased the magazine ForEsTRY AND IRRIGATION, the price being $1,- 650.00. The sum of $500.00 was ad- vanced as working capital—making a total investment of $2,150.00. Of this amount $150.00 were refunded during the year, leaving the balance on this TREASURER’S REPORT 10g Furniture & Fixtures, $449.90. This amount remains the same as last year. ADVANCE ON PosTAGE, 1908, $212.40. This is an expenditure made during 1907, but properly chargeable against the year 1908, being the cost of stamped envelopes for Treasurer’s bills, 1908. BILLs PAYABLE, $2,000.00. This is a demand loan for which three of the bonds owned by the As- sociation have been put up as collat- eral. The loan was authorized by the Board of Directors to provide funds account as above. EXHIBIT “A” ASSETS. CASH IN BANK Dee. 13-90 aie aera ass BOND INVESTMENTS (purchase price) 2 Chicago & Eastern UDA OIS | O Sare eretererierey 2 Minneapolis & St. Louis 4’s 2 Japanese Imperials 4%4’s 2,305 00 1,982 50 ee ee | 1,875 30 SuNDRY AccouUNTS RE- CEIVABLE: Deposit, Potomac Electric Power Co... Advance on ‘Travel- ing Expenses(Sec’y) 5 00 | 175 00 ADVANCE TO FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION DEPARTMENT: Set Wed et ACh asidclicea:0 ai s'ea 0's FURNITURE AND FIx- TURES: Seer eS ACCis..cie|! a's ss ss sive PCL CSE CACCLUCE isle i saiaisi|| wave ee ere oie Advance on Postage, 1908. for current expenses. BALANCE SHEET As at December 3lst, 1907 , 6,162 80 790 90 180 00 | 2,000 00 || 449 90 84 72 212 40 $10,075 76 LIABILITIES. BILLS PAYABLE: Demand Loan, Union Savings Bank...... $2,000 00 ACCOUNTS PAYABLE: Security Storage Co.. F. & I. Dept. Over- payment of Advance} HMGHeatonal Hinde: ws lease cee el DUES UNEARNED: Amntial Dues. .% 2. sas Sustaining Dues...... 846 00 125 00 | 971 00 SURPLUS ACCOUNT: Balance as per Ledger} 6,451 34 ADD: Net Revenue for Year as per Exhibit “BY 454 42 6,905 76 |$10,075 76 200 EDUCATIONAL FUND, $194.00. This is the amount of money re- ceived in response to the appeal for funds to be used in special educational work. DuEs UNEARNED, $971.00. : This amount has been received in payment of dues in advance; only $58.00 of this, however, are for years after 1908, $788.00 for annual mem- bers and $125.00 for sustaining mem- bers being for the year 1908. SurpLus Account, $6,905.76. The Surplus Account on January 1, FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION April this was reduced by $292.00, which amount was lost by dropping members for non-payment of dues, leaving a balance of surplus of $6,451.34. The NET REVENUE for the year 1907 was $454.42, which added to the balance brings the Surplus at December 31, 1907, to $6,905.76. Referring to the Revenue Account, herewith, you will find the amounts received from various sources and also the expenditures classified. Respectfully submitted, Orto LUEBKERT, 1907, was $6,743.34. During the year Treasurer. EXHIBIT ‘‘B” REVENUE ACCOUNT For Twelve Months Ended December 31, 1907. DEBITS. | CREDITS. EXPENSE OF SECRET’Y’S | | INCOME FROM MEM- OFFICE: BERSHIP: Magacine toe scew dar bX $6,729 44 | Annual Dues......... $10,080 64 Salaries & Clerk Hire..| 4,601 78 Life Membership..... 4,500 00 Stationery & Printing.| 1,642 64 | Sustaining Dues...... 1,825 00 IPOStAD Cacti taal ieee 35197; 86: | Patron Membership..| 1,000 00 Rent and Telephone... 413 50 | —_— | $17,405 64 Miscellaneous......... 549 94 WKContribetton Sere cisco ales elej ata sisiats 733 20 Sl/139 16 EXPENSE OF TREAS’R’S | MISCELLANEOUS IN- OFFICE: \| COME: Salaries & Clerk Hire.. 443 75 Exchange on Checks. 5 62 Stationery & Printing. 164 67 Sale of Circulars..... 12 05 INOS EVE ng oo ono OOuRE 165 00 Sale of Forest Con- Miscellaneous......... 23 03 | gress Proceedings. . She) UG 796 45 | ~ 56 82 Balance wear eded Owiii-cili ciel el eicieie « 264 05 $18,195 66 $18,195 66 Interest On pljoantS cic ee 6 ato ietlec = $143 33 || Balance, brought down.|.......... $264 05 Balance, being Net Rey- | Interest on Bonds...... | $267 66 enue, carried to Sur- | plus Account, Exhibit Interest on Deposits.... 66 04 TAD ccc cece eee eee ael eecceeeces| 454 42 a35n70 $597-475 $597 75 ARBOR DAY—THE AMERICAN SPRING FESTIVAL BY Wm. Canfield Lee, Washington, D. C. "THE time of year is now at hand when Arbor Day is observed in many States. The date varies ac- cording to the climatic location of the State. In the South, Arbor Day us- ually occurs in the fall; Texas and Alabama, however, keep it in Febru- ary, on Washington’s Birthday; and thence it ranges northward at vary- ing dates, until in Maine and Montana it is in May. In Georgia, the first Friday in Deceinber is fixed as the day, but the custom is to observe that _part of the year as the tree-planting season, rather than to confine efforts to a single day. In some States the day is appoint- ed by the Governor; in others by school authorities. In some it is re- quired by law, and in others it is merely a custom. In Idaho the cli- matic conditions in different parts of the State are so variable that the law requires the superintendent of schools in each county to appoint a suitable day. In Pennsylvania there are three days; two days appointed by the Gov- ernor in the earlier and latter part of April, from which schools can choose one most suitable to the locality; and another in the fall appointed by the School Department. According to one account, the Ar- bor Day idea originated with the sec- retary of the Connecticut Board of Education, Mr. B. G. Northrop, in 1865. The man who made it a public observance, however, was J. Sterling Morton, Secretary of Agriculture un- der President Cleveland. Mr. Mor- ton was reared in Michigan amidst woods. When he went to the treeless country of Nebraska as a young man, and took up a claim in 1854, he was so impressed by the need of trees that he set out a grove and made it a public institution, which has since become fa- mous for its beauty and value. In 1872 Mr. Morton induced the State Board of Agriculture to adopt a reso- lution recommending the observance of a tree-planting day. April 1oth was selected, and on that first Arbor Day, in the one State of Nebraska, a mil- lion trees were planted; some reports say several millions. Nebraska has since been called the Tree Planter’s State. At the present time the date taken for Arbor Day in Nebraska is April 22d, which is Mr. Morton’s birthday. Other States followed the good ex- ample set, and a large amount of tree planting has been done. Munnesota in 1876, is said to have planted one and a half million trees, and the Prov- ince of Ontario 40,000 in 1885. The move has spread to foreign countries, and a recent issue of this magazine noted the establishment of Arbor Day in the fall in Ireland. It has also es- tablished itself in Great Britain, France, Norway, Russia, Spain, and Japan. At the first meeting of the American Forestry Association, then called the American Forestry Congress, in Cin- cinnati, in 1882, tree planting was brought to the public attention to such an extent that there were public cere- monials; the school children and citi- zens planted a large number of trees; and the reports of this occasion help- ed to spread the knowledge of Arbor Day throughout the country. In most States the day 1s primarily used to teach children the beauty and usefulness of trees. Planting is made on school grounds and elsewhere by the school children; and in cities, where actual planting is not practic- 202 FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION April able, indoor exercises are used. ly well wooded, the value of trees has Where real planting can be done, how- not been appreciated until recent ever, that is generally a part of the ob- years. At the present time, however, servance. It is recognized that liter- ary exercises, though valuable, are not sufficient without the actual setting out of trees. The State Superintend- ent of Washington writes that in the western part of the State trees are en- tirely too numerous, hence indoor ex- ercises make up the day’s observance, but east of the Cascade Mountains the reverse is true. probably every State and Territory in the Union has an Arbor Day, fixed by proclamation of some public authority. Innumerable applications are made by citizens all over the country for trees from the Government nurseries. These cannot be granted, because the Government is unable to grow trees enough for the planting needed in the National Forests. Furthermore, the Starting the seedling collecticns on their way after packing j school children have planted trees, however, brvt their ex- ample has stimulated their elders; and in fact, Arbor Day has heen by no means intended for a school day only, but it has been recognized as a day for the whole community to act in unison for this form of public improvement. This is especially the case in the prairie States, where trees are scarce, and the need is felt. As we all know, in the parts of the country which are natural- Not only the kinds of trees desirable vary to the greatest extent with the infinite diver- sity of climatic and soil conditions. It has been suggested, however, that the States provide means for distribution of trees at a low cost, for school pur- poses or to promote tree planting by citizens where trees are scarce. Twen- ty-six States now have forest officers, and all have agricultural experiment stations, where such work might be carried on. 1908 Prof. F. W. Rane, State Forester of Massachusetts, has had success in such work. He offered the citizens of Massachusetts 150 each of white pine and white ash seedlings, two years old, for the price of one dollar, with the understanding that they were to be planted in Massachusetts. He further offered to schools, at the same price of one dollar, a collection consisting of twelve white pine seedlings, twenty- four white ash seedlings, twelve red spruce seedlings, five beech seedlings, ARBOR DAY 203 price, it would be better than giving them away free. A small charge would save the States the experience of Kansas. That State supplies 300,- 099 trees or more, for planting to her people each year; but often, in busy days, the farmer lets the trees he has asked for lie untended at the express office till they die, and thus he loses the trees, which have cost the State something. Again, nurserymen might co-oper- ate in the movement because it would Planting forest trees cn sand plain in Connecticut—This land is assessed at six dollars an acre, though worthless for agriculture one-half ounce of white pine seed (about goo seeds), twelve chestnuts for seed, twenty-five acorns for seed, and fifty white ash seeds. These, it will be seen, furnish an excellent stock for a school nursery. A large num- ber of orders were received for both collections. Directions planting were given with the trees and seeds. This is a line of effort that might well be copied in other States. If the State would furnish funds for supply- ing these seedlings and seeds at a low for be an excellent way of stimulating a demand for forest tree nursery stock. Professor Rane also urges that chil- dren be taught to collect tree seeds. The interest of live things for chil- dren is well known, and the value of nature study is recognized by educa- tors. Arbor Dav is one form of na- ture study. It is much to be desired that the children should be taught to ceive care to the trees after planting, and it may not be impracticable to of parks and woodlots for 204 BORES ORY AN tree study, and for training in the use of trees, as at Princeville, I1]., where it is reported that a forty-acre woodlot, which has come into the possession of the village, is to be used for nature study. The animal kingdom as well as the vegetable, should have its share in na- ture study. Arbor Day and Bird Day are the same in quite a number of States, as Connecticut, Delaware, I[]- linois, New Jersey, and Wisconsin. . & a ta ca - D IRRIGATION April essential relation of tree growth to the material side of our civilization, can on Arbor Day be impressed upon the childish mind, so that the next gener- ation will be readier than the present to use economically this gift of Provi- dence. A circular on Arbor Day issued by the Forest Service, says: “What child has not seen a muddy freshet? Yet ihis sight, so common in the spring, 1s full of suggestion for a forest lesson. sR TERE \ NAL \ V\\ ee ty) ight Normal school students at Washington, D. C., stratifying seeds in sand to carry them thrcugh the winter—The seeds are collected in the city parks One mission of Arbor Day should be to make every child in the United States know the native trees near his home, how they grow, and how they are reproduced. Such a lesson will ultimately be invaluable when the Na- tion begins to realize the necessity for conservative lumbering and the arts of reforesting. Then it will be known what trees to use. The facts of which the general pub- lic is now taking cognizance, as to the The stream is discolored by the earth which it has gathered from the soil. This carries us back to the stream’s source, in the forest springs. Again, it shows us with what force the water has rushed over the exposed ground where there was no forest to shield and bind it. In just this way the Mis- sissippi tears down and flings into its bed, each summer, more soil than will be dredged with years of costly labor to make the Panama Canal. An ex- 1908 periment with fine and coarse soils, stirred quickly in a tumbler of water, and then allowed to settle, explains how the stream continues muddy while it runs swiftly, and how it clears again as it slackens on more level stretches, dropping the soil to the bot- tom. “On any steep, plowed hillside, or on any railroad or trolley embankment, exposed soil may be seen washing with the rain. A forest on a mountain ARBOR DAY 205 spongy soil of a forest and the bare soil or bed rock from which the for- est litter has been removed. In many cases the trees planted by school children on Arbor Day are ne- glected afterwards and allowed to die. In many other cases, however, they are carefully looked after by the chil- dren; and in Idaho, South Dakota, and Utah, the law requires the school board to care for them during the va- cation. Portion of the class at work planting tree seeds slope may be pictured by a cloth upon a tilted table; then if water be poured on the higher edge, it will creep down- ward through the cloth and drip slow- ly from the lower edge, as would rain falling upon the forest. If now the cloth be plucked off, and the water still poured, we may observe at once what happens when such a forest is destroyed.” This is an admirable illustration of the difference in run-off between the The State Superintendent of North Dakota reports that the treeless char- acter of the country is the reason why the people fail to realize the need of replacing, by artificial culture, the fa- vorable conditions which nature sup- plies in a forested country. He says, however, that progress is being made in bringing this to the knowledge of the people. In Kansas the day ap- pointed is so late in the season that trees planted then are not apt to thrive 206 unless given unusual care. The State Superintendent urges that Arbor Day should be changed to the fall, as trees planted then are more apt to survive. In addition to the tree planting there is a notable effect in many States in the embellishment of school grounds in other ways, as_ by planting shrub- bery, cleaning up the yards, fixing fences, and the like. In Nebraska the boys have fenced the school yards. In some places the law requires the school board to fence the yard. In other places the school work has been the means by which the idea of tree plant- ing and land-scape gardening was in- troduced to the general public, and so not only the schools, but the villages and the country surrounding have been beautified. In Bath, Pennsylvania, for many years it has been the custom to plant a tree each year and name it in honor of some eminent man or woman. Last year “the Carnegie oak” was planted. Many States, one-third or more, have Arbor Day manuals issued by the State Superintendent, the State For- ester, or the Federation of Women’s Clubs. In Ohio monthly bulletins on forestry and arboriculture are sent out by the extension department of the State University. In other States ele- mentary agriculture is taught to the children, by legal requirement; and this should, and often does, include the primary elements of forestry. In West Virginia the day was not much observed for several years, but in 1¢07 the State Superintendent of Schools issued a good-sized manual and suc- ceeded in obtaining general recogni- tion of the day. An Arbor Day manual, which espe- cially carried out the intent of the authors of Arbor Day, was issued in 1902 by Arthur Le Fevre, then State Superintendent of Public Instruction, in Texas. This took account of the forest resources of Texas, and of the organizations for forest work in the States, in the Nation, and in foreign nations; and discussed the practical value of woodlots and of forests as a protection to many industries. In Hawaii Arbor Day was first ob- served on November 3, 1905, when the Governor generously contributed half FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION April of a fund for a prize of $5 in each of the 154 public schools, to be given to the grade whose planting on Arbor Day secured most successful results. The other half of the fund was raised by subscription. Most of the trees were furnished by the Territorial nur- sery, at Honolulu. In Forestry AND IRRIGATION for May, 1907, was given an illustrated ac- count of the notable work done by the schools and citizens of Winnebago County, Illinois, under County Su- perintendent Kern. In the same issue was given Presi- dent Roosevelt's proclamation to the school children of the United States. In this the President said: “It is well that you should celebrate Arbor Day thoughtfully, for within your lifetime the Nation’s need of trees will become Seriogds... o7 * A people without children would face a hopeless future; a country without trees is almost as hopeless.” One of the best examples of Arbor Day accomplishment in village im- provement outside of school work is in the park at Manhattan, Kansas. When this town was laid out in 1854, a large square tract of forty-five acres was set aside as a city park, but the land was bare prairie, and the pioneer citi- zens had no time to turn it into a park; for many years it was used as a coun- ty fair ground. In 1894 a fountain was placed in the park, and in 1904 an obelisk was erected to the memory of the Indian Chief, Tatarrax, who, legend says, befriended Coronado when on his trip of exploration. Elm, box- elder, sycamore, and hackberry have grown rapidly. Norway and Austrian pines and red cedar have done fairly well. White pine and arborvite have been a failure. A few oaks of differ- ent species are thriving. This experience further shows the value of providing for things of pub- lic benefit, even though they cannot be realized at once. The founders of Manhattan placed this park on their plat, and though for thirty-four years no real park was there, yet when the time came the ground was public prop- erty, and only needed to be improved. A view of this park is shown in the frontispiece of this magazine. SHALL UNCLE SAM DRAIN THE SWAMPS? HE, jocular statement was made recently by one of the best qual- ified observers of Congressional legis- lation, in speaking of the chances for enactment of the various measures ad- vocated by the President, looking to the conservation and utilization of the Nation's internal resources, that a Na- tional drainage enactment of some sort was practically assured, since the majority in both branches of Congress had introduced swamp bills. While mated at this session; but for an issue which has heretofore been spoken of, certainly remarkable pro- gress has already been made, and the National Drainage Bill now pending, a very comprehensive, home-making measure, appropriating about $6,000,- 000, is well along on the Senate calen- dar and likely to pass that body at an early date. It is grounded on the same vital principle as that upon which the Irrigation Act is based. 1 SCarcely One cf the present inhabitants of the land to be reclaimed—lIn the Florida Everglades the gentleman has withheld his “re- marks” for a possible slight revision of the figures, it is nevertheless a fact, as shown by the Congressional Rec- ord, that for a new legislative issue, a large number of bills have been intro- duced providing for the drainage of swamp and overflow lands by the Fed- eral Government, and much interest has been shown by various Senators and Representatives in the subject. It is hardly to be expected that drainage legislation will be consum- This principle, embodied nearly a dec- ade since in the first irrigation reclam- ation bill, introduced by Senator New- lands of Nevada, provides a happy sol- ution, for the time being, of the prob- lem of getting annual sums from Con- gress for internal improvement ; name- ly, an automatic appropriation into a “reclamation fund” of the money re- ceived by the Government from the sales of public lands. The Drainage Bill appropriates the proceeds of such sales from 1902 to date and hereafter, 208 and places them in the hands of the Secretary of the Interior for drainage construction, as in the case of the irri- gation reclamation act. As under that act, the fund becomes a revolving one, the amounts by which the Govern- ment is repaid for the cost of drain- age construction, going back into the fund to be used in future projects. In the account published in For- ESTRY AND [IRRIGATION of the re- cent National Drainage Congress at Baltimore, the general statis- iY oa i a € ie |= Me BUSES A ge. LSS SA ae EY FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION April ornia. The report also shows that the Reclamation Service is conducting actual drainage construction on a large scale in connection with a num- ber of the Western irrigation projects, so that, as Secretary Garfield points out, these two bureaus of his depart- ment are fully prepared to prosecute any further new drainage work, either surveys and plans, or construction. Many of the best friends of this proposed development of a great la- tent resource of the Nation, express Not all of this work is in remote regions—Here are drainage ditches on Staten Island, New York—Constructed in connection with mosquito war, but incidentally the land grows paying crcps cf hay tics regarding the areas of swamp lands were stated; but since then a re- port has been transmitted to Congress by the Secretary of the Interior, giv- ing some further interesting informa- tion, and showing that the Geological Survey has made a preliminary inves- tigation and survey of large areas of swamp lands, and is now conducting a number of special drainage surveys. notably in, Minnesota, Mississippi, and the great Sacramento Valley of Calif- grave doubt as to the constitutionality of the drainage by the Government of land in private ownership. There would appear to be no real difference between improving either by irriga- tion or drainage a tract of land which is today Government land, but when reclaimed tomorrow will be home- steaded and become privately owned, and reclaiming land which was home- steaded vesterday, but which must re- m2in undeveloped unless reclaimed. 1908 However, the constitution is some- times a serious stumbling block to the carrying out of good policies, as it is a safe-guard against the consumma- tion of bad ones. There are many, nevertheless, who believe that both irrigation and drain- age of private lands by Federal agency is a constitutional privilege, if not a duty, of the General Government. Senator Newlands puts it, that drain- age considered broadly is an inter- state affair in its direct effects, because it influences the flow of interstate rivers; a disturbance of the conditions DRAINING THE SWAMPS 209 trend of the times seems to be to ac- cord more power to the state than heretofore, and to take into considera- tion broadly the question of general welfare. For instance, the Supreme Court of the State of Maine handed down an opinion during the month, that the State Legislature had a right to prevent forest destruction or waste on private lands. Ifa legislative body has such a right and power to go on to privately owned lands—and the opinion calls attention to the fact that all lands are originally derived from the State—and prevent the owner Swamp scene in Dugdemona Bottom, Louisiana of run-off or drainage in any one lo- cality must affect other localities wide- ly separated, and in the case of drain- age on a large scale the changes caused would be very great. Yet even aside from this phase of the question, the projects and commodities from drainage reclamation would enter in- to interstate commerce; and the Sen- ator holds that upon this broad ground alone the Nation would be warranted in prosecuting the work. Various other good constitutional lawyers have stated their belief in the constitutionality of such work. The from wasting his timber, a natural re- source, in the interests of the general welfare, it should similarly have a right to go upon private waste lands and make them productive. The fact that in irrigation, as well as in the pro- posed drainage construction, the cost of the Government work is returned to the Government, removes the ob- jection of many legislators who look with disfavor upon annual appropria- tions for internal improvements, the benefits from which come back to the Government only indirectly. 210 i! . = abe = TE: B77) Pea i + ma i < ; f } % p h a FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION April Pupils of Rcsedale School, Cleveland, on Arbor Day, 1907, planting ‘““Louise Klein Miller tree” TREE PLANTING IN SCHOOL YARDS Louise Klein Miller, Curator of School Gardens, Cleveland, Ohio [f AN appreciation of forests and forest preservation is ever to be- come general, public sentiment must be aroused, and the most comprehen- sive way of accomplishing the result is to educate the children of the pub- lic schools and, through them, their parents. Through the efforts of the Home Gardening Association, the children of Cleveland are becoming intelligent- ly interested in flowers, and as a con- sequence, back yards have been cleaned up, and made objects of beauty and de- light. The association was organized a few years ago by the residents of Goodrich House, a social settlement in one of the most congested and immoral districts of the city. The neighbors were called together and a Home Gar- dening Club was formed, each member paying ten cents as annual dues, and receiving in return ten penny packages of seeds. The dreary back yards were transformed, the people were regener- ated, and light came into many souls through contact with the beautiful. What proved so uplifting in one community it was felt could not fail to be of influence in other sections of the city. The president of the Home Gar- dening Association secured permission from the school authorities to sell penny packages of seeds to the chil- dren of the public schools. The first year 40,000 packages were sold; and lest year over 546,000 packages were disposed of to children of Cleveland and other cities that have adopted the Cleveland plan. By purchasing seeds in large quantities the association found it could make money, all of which is used for extending the work. The school gardens, the outgrowth of the movement, were started about three years ago, supported by the Home Gardening Association and the Board of Education. Last year the school gardens were made a regular part of the school work, under the di- rection of the Curator of School Gar- dens. She co-operates wit!: the Home Gardening Association, has direction of the school gardens, superintends the planting of trees and shrubs for the improvement of the school grounds and delivers illustrated lectures in the public schools for the purpose of giv- ing specific directtons on preparation of soils, planning and laying out of gardens, artistic color combinations, and succession of blooming and crops. The city is not only made more sani- tary and beautiful, but the children are becoming strong and well, and are acquiring a life- -giving, wholesome oc- cupation. The herbaceous botanical garden which has been started will enable the children to study plants scientifically. In the near future it is hoped to have an arboretum of trees and shrubs, which will serve as a laboratory for students taking a course in landscape gardening, horticulture, arboriculture, and the elements of forestry ; and serve as a base of supply for the improve- ment of the school grounds. The children raise their flowers at home. and in the autumn bring them to the schools for the annual flower shows. Judge Dellenbaugh, who has always been a most generous friend, will give each school that had a flower show last autumn a tree for Arbor Day. Last spring the Board of Edu- cation supplied one or several trees for each school yard. Each child who did efficient and faithful work in the school gardens was given a Ca- talpa speciosa for home planting, sent by Mr. Brown, editor of Arboriculture. Through the generosity of Mr. Brown a thousand Catalpa speciosa are ready for distribution to the children and schools this spring. The superintendent of one of the parks states that the work being done in the schools is showing its influence, because several years ago, in some of the foreign neighborhoods, as soon as trees and shrubs were planted they were injured or destroyed, but now it is a rare thing for any plant to be dis- turbed. CALIFORNIA IRRIGATION NEEDS FORESTS BY Lewis E. Aubury, State Mineralogist of California N CONSIDERING the subject of irrigation, I wish to say a few words upon that of forests, which are essential as an aid in conserving the water supply. While the subject of irrigation has at times been of absorbing interest to the people of this State, they have given little thought to the sources of spin. All went well for a while. Sud-- denly the machine came to a stop, and! believing something had gone wrong with the running gear, he jumped out, wrench in hand, to seek the cause of the stoppage. First he turned a crank, then he tightened a bolt. He went un- der the machine, and over the ma- chine, and all around the machine. He- Necrth side of Strawberry Peak, California, looking east—Snow held by the pines water supply; which lack of interest, in view of the necessity for protection of these sources, reminds me very much of a friend of mine who recent- ly purchased an automobile. He was so proud of his new acquisition that he invited a few of his friends for a screwed and unscrewed, opened valves: and closed them, but all to no avail— the blamed thing would not budge. After expending considerable time in efforts to discover the cause of the dif- ficulty, it suddenly occurred to him to examine the gasoline tank, when to» 1908 jhis astonishment and consternation, he found it empty. So with our friends, the irrigation- ists. Unless they awaken in time to the fact that if they ignore the protec- ction of the sources of their water sup- ply,their ditches will be empty, they will, like my friend who owned the auto, suddenly discover that they have paid too little attention to the most es- sential requirement. An empty gaso- dine tank will not furnish power to IRRIGATION NEEDS FORESTS 21 , a cured forty millions. I am aware that I do not voice the unanimous sentiment of all citizens of our country, and particularly not that a few non-resident owners Of timber lands in California. These persons have been particularly active of late, both in the halls of Congress and in so-called land conventions, as well as elsewhere, in endeavoring to create a sentiment antagonistic to the present National Forest policy, so ably con- Hillside two miles west of Fredalba, San Bernardino County, California— Nearly all the timber cut away—Erosion begun—Nothing to hold the water propel a motor, neither will empty -ditches promote the growth of alfalfa. Our present executive, far seeing, and knowing the protection needed, has wisely set aside tracts of timbered ‘lands at the sources of our water sup- plies. National Forests have been so extended under the administration of Theodore Roosevelt that to-day we ‘have in California over 20,000,000 acres of timbered lands in forest re- serves, and it is my personal regret that the President could not have se- ducted under the direction of Gifford Pinchot. They say the lands should be thrown open for settlement by the people. What great solicitude the per- sons who are fathering this movement are exhibiting for the poor people! Let me say that their scheme is too transparent. We have had too many demonstrations of fine bodies of tim- bered land which have been acquired by the people, only to be transferred to the control of the timber grabbers. STA FORESTRY Under the present National Forest policy, the home builder will be prop- erly taken care of when he can find land suitable for cultivation. We of California are just beginning to real- ize what a protection to our interests the National Forest means. It may be true that there are 1so- lated cases where the management of the National Forests works a hard- ship, not only on the stockraiser but on the miner; but I say, give the For- est Service a chance—it is yet young, AND IRRIGATION April monopoly, and to be continually con- fronted with the sign, “Keep off the grass. I see much trouble ahead in the not far distant future for the people of this State, and particularly the north- ern portion of California, unless the Government, and for that matter, the State, provides means to properly con- trol the monopolistic tendency to ac- quire not only our timbered lands, but our water supply as well. The miner, agriculturist, horticulturist. and in Hillside and irrigating ditch in perfect condition, undisturbed by fire—In the absence of trees, brush does much to hold the scil and the rain water and I believe, from my knowledge of the system of conducting these hold- ings, that any wrongs with which it may be afflicted will soon be reme- died. The complainants might well be ask- ed which they would prefer—Govern- ment supervision, or private ownership of the timber lands in the hands of a fact, the people generally, will have their most valuable public utilities con- trolled by a few individuals. Therefore, as a check to our mon- opolistic friends I can see no better method to adopt than strengthening National Forests and lending our aid towards the present policy of the President. CANADIAN FORESTRY ASSOCIATION MEETING HE Canadian Forestry Association met in its ninth annual session in the Board of Trade rooms, Montreal, Province of Quebec, on Thursday and Friday, March 12th and 13th. His honor Sir L. J. Jette, Lieut.-Governor of the Province of Quebec, opened the meeting, which was: presided over by the Association’s president, H. M. Price, of the city of Quebec. The meeting was a large and enthusiastic one, and Was a success in every way. An announcement _ that brought great gratification to the members of the association and evoked hearty ap- plause was made by Hon. Sidney Fish- er, Dominion Minister of Agriculture, who declared the intention of the Do- minion Government to set aside, in a short time, the whole of the eastern slope of the Rocky Mountains, from the international boundary as _ far north as the timber goes, as a forest reserve. The new reserve will em- brace the entire belt of the foothills, so that a vast area running north and south over 1,500 miles will be pre- served as a national asset of incalcul- able value. In extent and magnitude of virgin woodland, this will be no doubt the greatest government forest reserve on earth. An important feature of the meet- ing was the use of both the French and English languages; papers were read and discussions carried on in both tongues, and two editions of the re- port of the meeting will be published, one in English and the other in French. Much importance was also attached to the active and enthusiastic interest taken in the meeting by a number of the higher Roman Catholic clergy of the province. Among these were Archbishop Bruchesi and Bishop Ra- cicot, of the Archdiocese of Montreal, and Canon. Dauth, of Laval Universi- ty, who gave addresses, and Monsig- nor Laflamme, dean of the faculty of arts in Laval University, who gave an admirable paper on “Le maniere dont quelques cultivateurs usent le bois de leurs terres” (The way in which some farmers use the wood on their lands). Mr. G. C. Piche, forester to the De- partment of Crown Lands of the pro- vince of Quebec, also gave a paper in French, while papers in English were contributed by Messrs. H. G. Joly de Lotbiniere, A. H. D. Ross, E. Stew- art. Re Ro Bradley; and l.-©O. Arm- strong and Dr. Robert Bell. The idea that the forests of the far North were practically illimitable was combated by several speakers who had traversed these districts. Mr. E. Stewart and Mr. Macoun both stated that very little was known of the real timber resources of the North coun- try, since explorers necessarily trav- eled by the rivers, canoeing up in summer, or taking the frozen surface of the streams in winter. In this way they traveled through the river bot- toms, which were heavily wooded, and thus were apt to get quite mistaken ideas of the country, since the districts back of the river valleys might be quite useless from a timber point of view. American publishers will be inter ested to know that an export duty on both pulpwood and pulp was strongly favored. On Thursday evening Prof. F. Roth gave a lecture, illustrated by ster- eopticon views, on “Forest Lands and Agriculture,” and at the noon hour, on Friday, Dr. Fernow addressed the Canadian Club of Montreal on Canad- ian forest policy and problems. The necessity of protecting the for- ests from fires, especially along the line of the new transcontinental rail- way, and the question of restricting the export of pulpwood, also figured large- ly in the discussions. Mr. Overton W. Price represented the U. S. Forest Service. Mr. E. A. 216 Sterling, of Philadelphia, and Prof. Hugh P. Baker, of the Pennsylvania State College, were also welcome guests from south of the international boundary. Resolutions were adopted by the mecting urging on the different gov- ernments the necessity of more thorough protection of the forests from fire; calling on the governments —especially those of the provinces cf Ontario and Quebec—to take measures to re-acquire their areas of waste and broken land and set these apart for forest reserves; and congratulating the provinces of Ontario and Quebec on the adoption of forward steps in forestry. The following were elected offcers for 1908-1909: Patron, His Excellency Earl Grey, Governor-General of Canada. Honorary President, Rt. Hon. Sir Wilfrid Laurier. President, Mr. W. Chatham, N. B. Vice-President, Mr. worth, Toronto, Ont. Secretary, Mr. A. H. D. Ross, Fac- ulty of Forestry, University of Toron- to, Toronto, Ont. Assistant Secretary, Mr. F. W. H. Jacombe, Ottawa, Ont. Treasurer, Miss Marion Robinson, Ottawa, Ont. Mr. R. H. Campbell, who resigned the position of secretary, was added to B. Snowball, Thos. South- FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION April the Board of Directors. The Association has now a member- ship of 1,282, an increase of sixty dur- ing the past year. CANADIAN SOCIETY OF FOREST ENGINEERS Canadian foresters have organized the Canadian Society of Forest Engi- neers. The society was formed on March 13, 1908, at the time of the an- nual meeting of the Canadian Forestry Association. The objects of the so- ciety, in the words of its constitution, are “the advancement of its members in the theory and practice of forestry by the discussion of technical and pro- fessional topics, the promotion of a better mutual acquaintance among Ca- nadian foresters, and the cultivation of an esprit de corps among the members of the profession.” Four classes of members are provided for, namely: Honorary, Active, Student, and Asso- ciate. The inaugural dinner was held ° in the Place Viger Hotel, and the so- ciety numbered among its guests Mr. Overton W. Price, Prof. F. Roth, and Prof. Hugh P. Baker. Dr. Fernow was elected president of the society; Mr. R. H. Campbell, Dominion Su- perintendent of Forestry, vice-presi- dent, and Mr. F. W: H. Jacombe, of the Forestry Branch, Department of the Interior, secretary-treasurer. The society already numbers thirteen mem- bers. THE MOUNTAINS By Haver Charles Hurst Gazing across the level of the plain, A stranger little dreams that any call | To march against that purple mountain wall Could yield him aught of pleasure or of gain; Yet these same mountains never will disdain, Upon approach, to ope to one and all Their canyons’ gates with wood and waterfall, And rivers flowing down to the blue main. E’en so the alien soul at times doth stand Doubting the blank face of eternity, Not knowing that the walls on either hand Make way for living rivers, pure and free, That flow on through a sweet, ethereal land, And empty in a great and boundless sea. —The Western Field. PROTECTION FOR AMERICAN INDUSTRY BY Hon. Asbury F. Lever, Representative from South Carolina At the annual meeting of the American Forestry Association, January 29th, Congressman Lever was called upon to speak, the Chair- man remarking that here was a lever which might be used in moving Con- gress. Mr. Lever responded: Mr. CHAIRMAN, LADIES AND GEN- TLEMEN: You may be interested to know that my mother was a Derrick, and a com- bination of a Lever and a Derrick ought to be able to move somebody or something. So far, that combination has not been able to move the powers that be in the National House of Representatives; but we are hopeful, we are optimistic, we are rather sanguine with respect to the pending bill. It was not my purpose to make a speech here to-night, and I am not going to do so. I came down to hear speeches made, and I am glad I have come, because Mr. Shepard has very briefly but very comprehensively met the chief objection that the friends of this proposition find in the House, namely, that relating to the power of Congress to appropriate money for this purpose. He has shown you, he has convinced me—though I was con- vinced before—that if Congress has the power to appropriate money for the purpose of dredging your rivers and your harbors; if Congress has the power to appropriate money for the purpose of building locks and dams in the aid of navigation ; if Congress has the power to acquire lands at the head of navigation on the Mississippi River in aid of the navigation of that great artery of commerce; if Congress has the power to appropriate money for the purpose of acquiring artificial means in aid of navigation, then, in the name of heaven, I ask why has not Congress the power to acquire the natural reservoirs of this country in aid of navigation? I am not a lawyer—I am glad sometimes that I am not one. I ap- proach this subject, therefore, as a layman. [I approach this subject without the constitutional cobwebs that sometimes grow in the brains of great lawyers, but I can look at it, I hope, from a purely practical and busi- ness point of view. I take it that the Democrat from Texas who votes an annual appropriation of $500,000 for the purpose cf controlling the cotton boll weevil will not have the nerve to stand up and argue his constitutional conscience upon this proposition. I take it that the member of Congress from Kansas who appropriates Fed- eral money for the purpose of destroy- ing the green-bug that destroys the wheat fields out there, will not have the nerve to stand up and quibble about his constitutional objections to this proposition. I take it that the New Englander who voted an emerg- ency appropriation of $500,000 for the purpose of stamping out the foot-and- mouth disease in that section several years ago, is not going to find it very easy to reconcile his constitutional ob- jections to this proposition with his past record. I take it that these gen- tlemen who vote appropriations of over a million dollars each year for the maintenance of the great Weather Bureau of the Department of Agricul- ture, which furnishes such valuable in- formation, not only to the agricul- tural, but to the commercial, the in- dustrial and the shipping interests of this country, will find it a rather hard 218 task to reconcile their boasts in that direction with their objections to this proposition. So, if we are looking for precedents, I think we can find them, world without end, amen. What interest do I have in this proposition? JI have the honor to represent the capital district of the lit- tle State of South Carolina—iittle in area, but great in her possibilities, and great in her history. I am in the cen- tral part of the State. I am one hun- dred and fifty miles from any of the forests that we are now talking about. What interest, therefore, have I? I will tell you. There is not a wheel of industry in the city of Columbia, the capital of my State, that is not de- pendent upon the rainfall in the South- ern Appalachian Mountains. There is not a foot of rich, alluvial, bottom land on the Congaree or the Santee River that is not dependent upon the rainfall up there, and dependent upon the sponge-like humus of those mountains to protect it from the overflow of the river. That is my interest. I am here to protect myself against the State of North Carolina. Every navigable stream in the State of South Carolina has its origin in North Caro- lina, in these very mountains that we seek to set aside as a forest reserve. South Carolina, therefore, is at the very mercy of North Carolina. What reason, says North Carolina, do I have for desiring Congress to set aside large appropriations to establish re- serves to protect the forests of North Carolina? But we of South Carolina know that the forests of North Caro- lina are a necessity to the people of South Carolina, and if these forests are destroyed, what redress have we in our own State? None, except the appeal that we are making to Con- gress to exercise the power vested in it, and to discharge its duty in aiding a great National undertaking. The three States of Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina have capital invested in cotton mills, I am informed, amounting to forty million dollars, with an annual output of one hundred million dollars. These mills FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION April are absolutely dependent upon water | power to keep them running. ‘Three hundred thousand of our population are dependent upon these mills for their daily bread. Is not that a big problem? Is not that getting to the point that Mr. Jackson reached in one of his famous veto messages, that the problem must be National before the Federal Government had the power to deal with it? I think so. And I rather agree with Mr. Jef- ferson in his statement relative to the power of Congress to erect lighthouses in aid of navigation. Mr. Jefferson held that we did not have that power; but the Congress of the United States thought otherwise, and kept on and on making appropriations until Mr. Jef- ferson finally said—and I quote him literally—‘‘The thing is so valuable that it justifies the infraction of the Constitution,” and Mr. Jefferson was quite right there. Mr. Monroe’s ob- jection in his famous veto of the Cum- berland Gap road was based upon the fear that the Federal Government would usurp the jurisdiction of the State Government, and that was a fear that we can right readily understand when we take into consideration the history of that period; but we in this bill guard against the objection that Mr. Monroe found to the Cumberland road proposition; by making it neces- sary, or making it a condition prece- dent, upon the part of the State Legis- lature to give us the authority to go into a State before we do go into it. Then, as I said a moment ago, Mr. Jackson, in putting the final quietus upon this Cumberland road _ propo- sition, said that he vetoed it because it was a local and not a National propo- sition; that the Federal Government had no power except over National propositions. And I take it that there is not a sensible man, woman, or ten- year-old child in America who under- stands the situation with reference to the propositions pending before Con- gress in these bills that will not con- cede that we have a National and not a local proposition. Why, my friends, the water power 1908 PROTECTION FOR in the Southern Appalachians amounts to 2,700,000 horsepower, which at an annual rental of $20 per horsepower would amount to something over ‘$50,000,000 of revenue per year. If Congress had done its duty and passed this bill when it was introduced some ten or twelve years ago, and had ac- quired these lands in the Southern Ap- palachian and in the White Mountain ranges, the Government would have been saved millions upon millions of dollars; and the longer we delay the more the destruction goes on, and the more in the end will we be called upon to appropriate out of the Fed- eral treasury. The time is now; this is the accepted moment. The lumber industry is in a pretty bad way, I am informed. Great lumber companies are willing to sell their cut-over lands very cheaply; they are willing to sell a great deal of their virgin timber rather cheaply, much more cheaply than they would twelve months ago; and if we are to act, now is the time to begin. I am glad to see this large represen- tative gathering of peop'e here, and I want to ask you to come over to-mor- row to the Committee on Agriculture, of which committee I happen to be a member. I want you to come in such numbers, and pack in there so thickly that when you breathe you will burst the walls of the building. I want you to let that committee know that there is a strong, wholesome sentiment be- hind this proposition. Heretofore we have been told that there was no real sentiment behind it; that there was nothing more behind it than the theory of a few dreamers. We have been told that the Federal Govern- ment surely is not going into the busi- ness of buying scenery. We want the business men of this country to go be- fore the committee to-morrow and im- press upon the committee that this is no scenery proposition, but that it is a business proposition pure and simple. We are said to have a business ad- ministration up there in the House, but sometimes the folks there, when they don’t want to do a thing, find it AMERICAN INDUSTRY 219 convenient to have an attack of con- stitutional tight colic. I want you to go before that committee and give them a preventive for this dread ‘dis- ease. I feel, my friends, that if we could get that bill out of the committee it would pass. Surely, when the Senate of the United States has passed the bill so many times without any serious objection; when the Committee on Agriculture, last year, without any in- formation on the subject before it ex- cept some comparatively meager data, passed it unanimously, surely that committee, with this full report that the Forest Service has made, which emphasizes the need of this legislation, will act this year. A committee which passed the bill last year, with prac- tically no information about it, surely ought to pass it this time; and if the committee does not pass it this time there will be an inclination in the breasts of some of us to inquire why it does not pass it. I am glad that you are here. I want the committee, and I want the House of Representatives, to know that there is a sentiment behind this proposition; that there is a strong sentiment behind it. I want them to know that they have some constitu- ents at home who are watching them. It is a pretty good idea for the public to keep its eyes on members of Con- gress. I am glad you are here, and I want the Congress to know that the ballot box down there in South Caro- lina has been heard from, and the ones in North Carolina, and in West Vir- ginia, and in Pennsylvania, and in New York, and throughout the New England States; and that the returns show that the country is overwhelm- ingly in favor of this proposition. I believe that when the committee understands this proposition, I believe that when Congress understands this proposition, they will both be very much in the position of the parrot that the country parson owned. This parson bought a parrot that had a habit of using cuss words. When the parson’s friends would come to call on him he 220 was very much mortified at the old- fashioned South Carolina cussing that this parrot would do, and the parson did not know what to do to remedy the evil. He finally went to the man from whom he got the bird and said to him, “Your parrot is a fine bird, but he has a habit of cussing, and this em- barrasses me very much. What can I do to cure him?” ‘That’s easy,” was the reply; “next time he begins cuss- ing you take his cage and whirl it around and around until you make him dizzy, and then dash him into water, and you will have no further trouble.” The next Sunday the par- son’s friends dropped in. They began teasing the parrot, and the parrot started his cussing. The parson picked up the cage and whirled it around un- FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION April til he got the parrot dizzy, and then he dashed him into a tub of water. When he took him out the bird sat there wobbling from side to side. When he came to himself he shook his feathers, turned around, looked at the parson and said, “Will you tell me where the devil you were when the cyclone struck me?” And I feel, my friends, that when the powers in Congress know we have a strong public sentiment in favor of this proposition, when Congress knows that we are attempting to protect the future and to protect the present, by preserving our natural resources—I am satisfied when Congress finds that out, they will ask the question that the parrot asked the parson. THE KNELL OF THE FORESTS By George Klingle, Summit, N. J. Have you heard the throb of the forest heart? The crash as the shivering timbers part, And a life goes out—a forest king Reels to his fate where the ax strokes ring? Have you seen the monarch of centuries past Throw down his crown and give over at last, From the struggle of years to bring to its height The shaft reaching up to the blue and the light? The struggle to gather from earth and from air The elements wrought into food by his. care; To gather the waters and hold them for you To be fed to the springs, and fed to the dew? The struggle with drought and tempest and blast? Oh, the doomed, passing forests! The die is cast! Each moment that spins from the wheel of Time, Marks a veteran’s fall in his native clime. There are deserts to-day, where a while ago, The rain-spirit brooded, and wild buds could blow; Where the arms of the forests were held to the sky As a pledge that the water-springs never should dry. But the ax of invasion swung in with its threat; The forest-heart reeked where the ax-blade was set; And the Earth, in revolt, gave the shafts of her dead, But her waters withdrew! The sun burneth red, Where Verdure once wrought at her looms, and the rain Through the forests sung Nature’s sweet, joyous refrain; But to-day, where scorched Nature lies burned with its brand, The death-angel broods on the wings of the sand. Shall America, garden of earth, cast away, The gifts of the centuries, felled in a day; Till she stands in her poverty, branded, servile, A target for cycles of time to revile? THE WHOLESALE LUMBER DEALERS’ CONVENTION REPORTED BY Mrs. Lydia Adams- Williams HE sixteenth annual meeting of the National Wholesale Lumber Dealers’ Association was held at the New Willard Hotel, Washington, D. C., March 4 and 5, 1908. The attendance was representative, delegates coming from all parts of the United States. The most important questions con- sidered were those relating to lumber transportation and rates. The preser- vation of the forests received much at- tention, about one-fourth of the time, exclusive of the banquet, being devot- ed to that subject. The work of the U. S. Forest Service was highly prais- ed. Resolutions were adopted favor- ing the Appalachian Bill and com- mending President Roosevelt’s ef- forts to increase the effectiveness of the work of the Forest Service. OUR LITTLE SUCCESSORS A pleasant feature of the conven- tion, early in its progress, was a re- ception tendered the delegates and their guests by President Roosevelt. The President said to them: “It behooves every man who wishes to see the land left better, instead of worse, for the children that come after him, to join with the Government in trying to take steps to make the lum- ber industry a permanent industry, to perpetuate, through use, the forests of this country. We, all of us, in this country, must turn our attention more and more to the conservation of the natural resources of the land; but there is no body of our citizens to whom it is a matter of such immediate moment as this body that I am now addressing.” Mr. Roosevelt remarked on the presence of some little representatives of the next generation, in whose behalt he was speaking. BUSINESS ACTION The annual address of the president of the Association, Mr. J. M. Hast- ings, of Pittsburg, Pa., dealt princi- pally with the year’s business condi- tions. Secretary E. F. Perry gave a very complete report of the year’s work. He urged the formation of a plan of co-operation with the Forest Service, whereby the study of Forestry may be introduced into the public schools of the country. Committees were appointed on nom- inations, resolutions, and trade rela- tions ; and reports were heard from the committees on hardwood inspection, fire insurance, trade relations, arbitra- tion, and marine insurance, and legis- lation. FOREST PRESERVATION The second day’s session was de- voted to topics connected with forest preservation. The chairman of the forestry committee of the National Wholesale Lumber Dealers’ Associa- tion, Hon. Nelson P. Wheeler, an old- time lumberman and a member of Congress from Pennsylvania, present- ed a very interesting report, in which he said that conservative lumbering is getting to be the rule, that all parts of the tree are used, even the scraps being raked together and sent to the pulp mills. He said that the lumbermen are doing more, probably. than any other agency to promote the cause of forestry ; that they approve in general of the National Forest policy of the Government; and that under such management the forests should 222 continue forever to furnish material for the homes of men and to preserve the water flow. Mr. Wm. L,. Hall, assistant forester of the Department of Agriculture, who had charge of the work of surveying the proposed Appalachian and White Mountain National Forests, spoke very interestingly of conditions there. After eulogizing the address made by Mr. Wheeler, Mr. Hall emphasized, from his study and observation, the deplorable waste of timber now going on in the Appalachian and White Mountains, through destructive meth- ods of lumbering. Mr. Hall said that it is the prac- tice of some lumbermen, where spruce is taken out full length on the higher slopes, to cut the hardwoods, which are then left on the ground to decay, making one of the worst examples of wasteful lumbering to be seen in the country to-day. Fires sweep through this decaying timber, destroying the leaf humus and leaving the soil bare, so that the for- est cannot reproduce itself in hun- dreds of years. Mr. Hall said that the Forest Ser- vice had pictures showing thousands of acres, in the aggregate, on which the soil has been absolutely destroyed. One of the most valuable addresses, from a scientific standpoint, and from its wealth of useful statistics, was made by Mr. R. S. Kellogg, of the Forest Service. Mr. Kellogg gave the an- nual drain upon the forests as 100 bil- lion feet, board measure; and the an- nual growth as not over 40 billion, leaving 60 billion as the net annual re- duction of our national stock of stand- ing timber. The largest estimate possible of the standing timber is 2,000 billion board feet, so that there is a prospect of ex- haustion in thirty-three and one-third years, or one gemeration. In the United States, said Mr. Kellogg, we use 450 feet of timber per annum for every man, woman and child in the country; Europe uses 60 feet, a re- markable contrast. FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION April Mr. Kellogg spoke further of the importance of conserving other natu- ral resources. A very interesting dis- cussion followed Mr. Kellogg’s paper. “The Drain upon the Forests’ is the title of a recent circular of the Forest Service, written by Mr. Kel- logg, and published in November of last year. F. E. Underhill, of Philadelphia, delegate to the hearing on the census of standing timber, gave his report and said that from 1880 to 1906, 55 billion feet of lumber had been cut from the forests of Pennsylvania, in- dicating the vast amounts of timber that are being taken regularly from the State and from the Nation. A. D. Hopkins, forest entomologist of the Department of. Agriculture, said that the Bureau of Entomology, of which Dr. L. O. Howard is in charge, has now arrived at facts and methods whereby loss of timber from insects can be controlled and _ pre- vented. CHINESE FLOODS George H. Maxwell, chairman of the National Irrigation Association, gave a splendid exposition of the con- trol of floods by forests and forest planting. He spoke of the floods on the Ohio, Mississippi and Missouri rivers and their tributaries, the floods growing more destructive each year, and said that in a comparatively few years we will have the same condi- tions on the Mississippi that they have in China today. In that country there are no forests to control floods, and the water runs out over the coun- try, with the result that we have the news every once in a while of those awful famines in China, and an appeal to the world for aid, caused by noth- ing but forest destruction. Mr. Maxwell advocated a_ postal savings bank, such as is in operation in France and New Zealand, to bring into the National treasury money for planting forests, acquiring forest lands, reclaiming swamp lands and 1908 overflowed lands, and for building waterways. Here we are facing a timber fam- ine, with more than half a million men out of employment, with $500,- 000,000 locked up in chimneys, bu- reau drawers, and other hiding places for money. Put the money in United States postal savings banks at two per cent; reinvest it in reclaiming lands, building waterways, and acquiring forests, that will pay four per cent an- nually and give employment to almost a million ide men. YALE FOREST SCHOOL R. C. Lippincott, of Philadelphia, made a long statement describing the splendid work of the Yale Forest School, which was endowed by James W. Pinchot (since deceased). Mr. Lippincott made a plea for further subscriptions for the support of the chair, which is known as “The Yale School of Lumbering and Applied Forestry,” saying that they wished to raise $150,000. Mr. Lippincott also discussed a change in the grade of maple flooring. BANQUET AT THE NEW WILLARD The sessions of the Association were brought to a brilliant close by a ban- quet at the New Willard hotel. Mr. J. M. Hastings, of Pittsburg, Pa., the retiring president, was toast- master, and the speakers included Speaker Cannon and Senator Knox, both presidential possibilities. Contrary to precedent in the Lum- ber Dealers’ banquets, (but an agree- able feature, nevertheless) the ladies were invited to the banquet hall to listen to the speeches and toasts. Senator Knox complimented the lumbermen on their character and achievements, mentioning the vastness and value of their products, and that LUMBER DEALERS’ CONVENTION 223 the area of production extends from Washington to Florida, and from Maine to southern California. “Unity of interest and unity of pur- pose,’ said Senator Knox, “are what constitute a meeting like this.” The Senator closed with a plea for unity, commercial unity, and said that the country should unite for the benefit of the whole, and that one section should not be pitted against another. Hon. Joseph G. Cannon, Speaker of the House of Representatives, re- ceived an ovation when he appeared in the banquet hall. He told of his boyhood days in Indiana and com- pared the conditions of those times with the present. Mr. Cannon’s re- marks were in strong opposition to President Roosevelt’s aim of preserv- ing carefully, by legislation and public administration, the natural resources of the country. Mr. Cannon ridiculed the idea of any necessity for this, and intimated that such agitation is based on ignorance. A fuller mention of Mr. Cannon’s speech will be found in the editorial department of this maga- zine. RESOLUTIONS Strong resolutions were adopted, binding the National Wholesale Lum- ber Dealers’ Association to co-op- erate with the Forest Service in intro- ducing the study of forestry in the public schools, and pledging the sup- port of the association to the bill pro- viding for the establishment of Na- tional Forests in the Southern Appa- lachian and White Mountain regions. The resolutions further urge the prompt securing of a practical census of the timber of the United States; endorse President Roosevelt's untir- ing zeal in promoting forestry; and commend the Bureau of Entomology in the Department of Agriculture for its useful efforts in the investigation of forest and timber insects. The Month in Government Forest Work. What Fores- Many people in this try Has Done country think that for- Already estry had never been tried until the Government began to practice it upon the National Forests. Yet forestry is practiced by every civ- ilized country in the world except China and Turkey. It gets results which can be got in no other way, and which are necessary to the general welfare. What forestry has done abroad 1 the strongest proof of what it can ac- complish here. The remarkable suc- cess of forest management in the civil- ized countries of Europe and Asia is the most forcible argument which can be brought in support of wise forest use in the United States. The United States, then, in attack- ing the problem of how best to use its great forest resources, is not in the position of a pioneer in the field. It has the experience of all other coun- tries to go upon. There is no need for years of experiment with untried theories. The forest principles which hundreds of years of actual practice have proved right are at its command. The only question is, How should these be modified or extended to best meet American conditions? In the management of the National Forests the Government is not working in the dark. Nor is it slavishly copying Eur- opean countries. It is putting into practice, in America, and for Ameri- cans, principles tried and found cor- rect, which will insure to all the people alike the fullest and best use of all forest resources. A circular entitled “What Forestry Has Done,” just published by the For- est Service, and obtainable upon appli- cation to the Forester, Washington, D. C., reviews the forest work of the lead- ing foreign countries. Study of An exhaustive study of Forest the forest taxation prob- Taxation lem has been begun by the New Hampshire State Forestry Commission, in cooperation with the United States Forest Service. The study will take in all questions of for- est land taxation and protection of New Hampshire forests from fire. This study is sure to be followed up with great interest by other States which are findirfg the tax difficulty a serious check to forest preservation. Taxation of timber land is one of the most difficult problems now before the forestry people of the country. On its right settlement depends largely the rapidity with which private owners adopt forestry principles. At the same time that efforts are made to reduce or remove taxation from standing forests, or defer it un- til the harvesting of the timber crop, there are people who urge increased taxes on such property on the ground that it does not now pay its just share of the general tax burden. In Maine the tax commission appointed by the last Legislature is about to hold public hearings and it is said that the com- mission will be asked to recommend taxing wild land on the same basis as municipal property. In the New York Legislature, on 1g08 FOREST the other hand, a bill has been intro- duced which would tax timberlands no higher than barren, unproductive land, provided the timberland is managed in a way to meet the approval of the For- est, Fish and Game Commission. ‘The bill provides an additional tax on the stumpage value of the timber when cut. The New York bill seeks to en- courage forestry as a means of in- creasing the wealth of the State; the Maine plan, if carried through, will powerfully discourage forestry. The New Hampshire study has been undertaken in the belief that it will help solve what is undeniably a knotty problem. A forest taxation law which is both wise and practicable is by no means easy to draw. In Pennsylvania, a State which appreciates the value of its forests and the importance of fore- sighted action to prevent non-agricul- tural lands from becoming worthless wastes, a law passed in 1905 provid- ing for a rebate of taxes levied upon forested lands was pronounced uncon- stitutional by the courts because it des- troyed uniformity of taxation. On the other hand, the State of Michigan has one-sixth of its area on the delinquent tax list because the land is worthless for any purpose but growing forests and is taxed too high to be held by the owners for this purpose. Lumber The Forest Service has ile ad just issued a sheet show- ing the wholesale prices of lumber year by year from 1886 to 1908. The prices on July 1, 1886, and January 1 of every year thereafter are given on twelve different kinds of lumber in the New York market, and selected kinds in Baltimore, San Francisco and Buffalo; also the mar- ket reports of the Yellow Pine Manu- facturers’ Association. Luquillo For- The Luquillo National estto Be Ad- Porest is the only one in ministered Z ~ : the insular possessions of the United States, and while it was created in 1903, provisions for its ad- ministration were not made until early SERVICE 225: in January of this year, when the Comptroller of the Treasury affirmed the jurisdiction of the Department of Agriculture over the forest. Mr. M. Rothkugel, of the Forest Service, has sailed for Porto Rico to investigate conditions and prepare plans. On reaching Porto Rico he will confer with Governor Post, who has been ex- ceedingly anxious that the forest be early put under administration. While in Porto Rico Mr. Rothkugel will select and appoint native rangers, picking men who have a thorough knowledge of forest conditions in Por- to Rico. This is in keeping with the Government’s policy of putting all Na- tional Forests under administration of local officers. Many of the laws governing the reg- ulation of the National Forests in this country will not apply to Porto Rico forests, because of the different con- ditions. It is expected that the Lu- quillo National Forest will not be put under actual administration until next fall, by which time the details of the plans will have been worked out. The Luquillo National Forest takes in nearly 66,000 acres in the north- eastern part of Porto Rico. Chief There are six inspection Inspectors’ districts in the National ict Forest system of the United States. The chief inspectors of these districts meet annually for consultation with each other and the higher officers of the Service and to make estimates for the expenses for their respective districts, that the funds may be properly distributed. This meeting has just taken place in Washington. The reports show that the affairs of the forests are in excel- lent condition, and no changes in pol- icy are found to be necessary. Thirty-Six The Forest Service has Thousand recommended that the Sheep number of sheep allowed to graze on the Prescott National For- est in the Territory of Arizona, dur- 226 ing the season of 1908, be increased from 30,000 to 36,000 head. This is the first year of administra- tion on a large area which was added to the forest, and the grazing allot- ment has been increased to provide for all of the stock which is entitled to be grazed upon this range through regu- lar use in the past. Government The work of cutting Harvests the basket willows to Basket : Willows supply slips for free distribution has just been begun at the Government's ex- perimental holt at Arlington, just across the Potomac from this city. ‘These experiments in extensive willow culture are carried on by the United States Forest Service, which distributes each year a great many cuttings, together with special instruc- tions for growing them, to applicants in all parts of the country. This country’s willow-ware indus- try now has to depend on foreign growers for a great part of its sup- ply, but each year marks an increase in the number of American holts. Willow cultivation is sometimes more FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION April profitable than the growing of other crops. The four varieties of approved bas- ket willows propagated at Arlington have made an excellent growth com- pared with those of other holts throughout Maryland and Pennsyl- vania. The unfavorable weather in the spring of 1907 greatly retarded the growth of the young rods in most localities, but the holt at Arlington is so favorably situated that little or no harm was done the willows there. On the contrary, the American Green va- riety has made a better growth in the Government holt this year than in any previous year. The rods are long,. straight and branchless. After the rods of each plat are cut and carefully sorted into different height classes, they are tied into bund- les weighing from 40 to 50 pounds and placed on their butt ends in a pit containing water from 4 to 6 inches deep. They remain in this position until the sap rises and the rods put forth new leaves. During the latter part of April and early May the bark will be removed by ordinary hand peeling. A large percentage of the rods of all varieties have been selected to make cuttings for free distribution. THE GOVERNMENT’S HANDY MAN Your Uncle Sam he says to me, “I want a man to ride, To pack a hoss, and shoot a few, and sleep outdoors beside;” So I signed with him as a ranger bold, to ride the forests free, But lands! you ought to see the stunts your Uncle Sam gave me. It’s law in the morning, science at night, Study all day, and figger and write; He gets high-browed work on a high-browed plan, Does the Government’s handy man. I’ve broke my jaw on science names fer every tree and bark; I’ve got to know fine points in law, jest like a Blackstone shark; I’ve got to pick out min’ral land, same as a blamed M. E.: And this here ranger job ain’t jest what it’s cracked up to be. It’s readin’ the Use Book early and late, Rules by the hundred—get ’em all straight. He’d ruther punch cows, but he-does what he can, Does the Government’s handy man. —Denver Republican, Sc = ce —————— Government Irrigation Work During the Month. Good Lands To Be Opened This Spring A number of exceptional opportunities will be of- fered this spring by the Government for enterprising and in- telligent farmers to secure choice farms on a dozen or more large irrigation projects which are now nearing com- pletion. Owing to the rapid narrowing of the limits of the unoccupied public do- main, it is doubtful if these opportuni- ties will ever occur again. It is prob- able, therefore, that the West will see in 1908 one of the greatest influxes of homeseekers that has been witnessed in many years. The great fertility and wonderful crop yields from irrigated lands, and the favorable terms the Government offers settlers, warrant the belief that before the year closes not a single farm will be without its entryman. These farms are located in North Da- kota, Montana, Wyoming, Nevada, and Kansas. A letter addressed to the Statisti- cian, U. S. Reclamation Service, Washington, D. C., will secure full in- formation concerning the location, soil, climate, crop possibilities, and terms of disposal. Uncle Sam has 412 choice 40-acre farms in Montana which he offers to-day, on very easy terms, to practi- cal fafmers who are citizens of the United States. These farms are in eastern Mon- tana, in the beautiful valley of the Yel- lowstone River, one of the richest ag- In Montana For Instance ricultural sections of the Northwest. Each is located within three miles of a railroad, and each is irrigated by one of the best irrigation systems in the world. The lands lie at an elevation of 3,000 feet above sea level. The cli- mate is delightful, the soil of excep- tional fertility, producing abundant crops when watered. Wheat, oats, rye, barley and alfalfa are the principal crops grown. Alfalfa yields five tons per acre, and is selling to-day at $5 per ton in the stack. Apples, small fruits, and vegetables do well here. An especially proftable crop is the sugar beet, which last year in the valley yielded nearly $50 per acre net, when properly cultivated. Detailed information concerning the available lands and terms may be ob- tained by addressing the Statistician, U. S. Reclamation Service. Washing- tome. Eleven tracts of land, eich mostly quarter-sections, River have been withdrawn from public entry and segregated for townsite purposes in connection with the Sun River pro- ject, Montana. This segregation is for the purpose of carrying out the Re- clamation Service farm village idea, which provides for a_ village about every six miles. On the whole Sun River project there will be nearly twenty of these little towns. No set- tler will be more than three or four miles from one of these villages, and he will thus be in close touch with the usual town facilities. 228 Min aie As a sample of the re- on Garden j j j Sas quirements 1n connection with the opening of new land to settlement, by the Reclamation Service, and as particular information in regard to the Garden City project, in western Kansas, the following pub- lic notice of the opening of the Garden City project is given. This notice was issued about March 14th by the Secre- tary of the Interior: Water will be furnished from the Garden City project in Kansas under the provisions of the Reclamation Act in the irrigation season of 1908 for the irrigable land shown upon plats of Townships 23 and 24 South, Ranges 32, 33 and 34 West, 6th principal me- ridian, approved March 2, 1908, by the Secretary of ‘the Interior, and on file in the local land office at Dodge City, Kansas. The limit of areas for which water right application may be made, for lands in private ownership, shall be 160 acres of irrigable land for each land owner. The charges which shall be made per acre of irrigable land which can be irrigated by the waters from the said irrigation project are in two parts, as follows: 1. The building of the irrigation system, $35 per acre of irrigable land, payable in not less than five nor more than ten annual instalments, each not less than $3.50 per acre. 2. For operation and maintenance, which will, as soon as data are avail- _able, be fixed in proportion to the amount of water used, with a mini- mum charge per irrigable acre whether water is used thereon or not. The operation and maintenance charges for the irrigation season of 1908, and until further notice, will be $2.75 per ecre of irrigable land, whether water is used thereon or not, and I hereby es- tablish the regulation that no water will be furnished in any year until the portion of the installment for opera- tion and maintenance for the preced- ing years have been paid. This will apply to the irrigation season of 1909, as to these charges for 1908. FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION April © The first instalment on account of said charges, for all irrigable areas shown on these plats, whether or not water right application is made there- for or water is used thereon, shall be due at the local land office at Dodge City, Kansas, on December 1, 1908. The portion of the instalment for the building charge for subsequent years shall be due on December 1 of each year at the same place, and until further notice the portion for opera- tion and maintenance, $2.75 per acre of irrigable land per annum, shall be due at the same time and place. The charges herein provided for may, for the convenience of applicants, be paid to and received by the Special Fiscal Agent of the U. S. Reclamation Service at Garden City, Kansas, for transmission to the Receiver of the U. S. Land Office at Dodge City, Kansas, on or before the dates specified herein for payments at the local land office. Leos! vee The charges for land emselves i Will Manage and water | in the Sho shone project, Wyom- ing, were stated in last month’s issue. The Garland main canal, with a bot- tom width of forty feet, is practically done, as are the lateral canals, so that every settler will find an abundant supply of water delivered at the high- est point of his farm. It is believed that this is the first irrigation system of such magnitude ever constructed where the farmer will have to go to no expense whatever to get the water on his land. It is proposed to arrange an organization of water users for each lateral, whereby they will operate the lateral and distributary canals them- selves, thus reducing the cost of ad- ministration, the Government doing only the wholesale distribution and ad- ministration. The drainage of these lands is unusually per- fect. The surface soil is underlaid with a deep stratum of gravel, which can be depended on to carry off excess moisture and prevent waterlogging. The surface soil, how- Soil and Weather 1908 ever, is of satisfactory depth, and is of fine quality for growing all kinds of farm crops common to a latitude 500 miles south of this. The climatic conditions in the Shoshone basin are controlled largely by the mountain ranges which entirely surround the Shoshone and Big Horn basins. The snowfall, like the rainfall, is very lim- ited. The weather conditions are in- dicated by the fact that building work on reinforced concrete structures has been carried on continuously through- out the entire winter. Coaland There are abundant coal oF Deposits measures within team- andy ing distance of the irri- gated lands. A coal mine has been opened within the area served by the Frannie extension of tke Garland canal. Also oil, in commercial quan- tities, has been developed in the vicin- ity. The oil has a paraffin base, and can be refined for illumination. Richness Power for all. purposes a Water will be available in ower a great quantities from the Shoshone dam. water to be impounded into the reser- voir will be discharged under a pres- sure of 240 feet. Two 42-inch cast- iron pipes are being placed in the base of the dam for immediate power gen- RECLAMATION SERVICE Practically all the - 229 eration, thus insuring for the people of this project one of the most inex- pensive and permanent water powers in the entire West. The power thus made available will belong exclusively to the irrigators filing on the lands, the receipts from the sale of power going naturally first to defray the cost of maintaining and operating the irri- gation works; and as the power is utilized it should, and undoubtedly will, yield a substantial annual rev- enue, probably more than sufficient to operate and maintain the entire canal system. The Shoshone reservoir now under construction, when completed, regu- lating as it will the entire discharge of the north and south forks of the Shoshone River, will provide water sufficient to cover 400,000 acres of land three feet in depth each year. The Garland canal, now under construc- tion, is only one of four main canals which may ultimately be built. There is not a wooden structure on the entire project: The Shoshone dam, the highest masonry dam in the world, will be of concrete masonry. The Corbett diverting dam is of con- crete masonry reinforced with steel bars. This structure has an overflow weir 400 feet long, with a capacity t handle twice the greatest flood eve known in the Shoshone River. ONIONS AS IRRIGATORS While it is unquestionably true that ir- rigation water in general must come from wooded mountain slopes, it appears this is not absolutely the only source. A farmer in Ohio has made a discovery that will be of vast importance to farm- ers during a dry season. He has found that when onions and potatoes are plant- ed in the same field in alternate rows the onions, being so strong, bring tears to the eyes of the potatoes in such vol- umes that the roots of the vines are kept moist and a big crop is raised in:spite of the drought. WITH MEMBERS AND CORRESPONDENTS Mr. Henry A. Barker, chairman of the Commit- tee on Parks and Public Reservations, American Civic Asso- ciation, wrote on March oth: “T want to compliment you very heartily on the March number of For- ESTRY AND IRRIGATION. It is impos- sible to imagine any Congressman reading it through and waiting a day before calling up the Appalachian matter. “Will you send me several more copies, as I want to distribute them to the papers in order that they may be reviewed ?” Miles Roberts, of New York, sends in a new member and asks es- pecially that the new member receive the March issue, saying that this is the best number yet out, as it seems to him. The March Magazine Improve- A correspondent writing Ree from Kansas City says: z “I must congratulate you on the improvement, and I think the improved appearance, you have made in ForESTRY AND IRRIGATION. I wish you and the magazine much success.” Texas to Mr. John M. Gilbert, of pak Beaumont, Texas, writes egislation that an effort is being made to procure advanced forestry legislation in that State. He has obtained copies of the for- estry laws of various States, includ- ing Maryland, California, and Ala- bama, which are generally regarded as being the most comprehensive and practical of any which have been pass- ed in the three sections of the country which these States respectively repre- sent. It is fortunate that a man of long experience and high standing among the lumbermen of Texas, such as Mr. Gilbert, is taking an active interest in this work, and it is to be hoped that his influence will bring about more conservative methods of logging in the region affected. Rev. David R. Breed, of Pittsburg, Pa., professor of practical theology in the Western Theological Seminary. wrote on March 16: “l. have. been. acmenmber Of iue Forestry Association for some years. Next Monday morning I am to read a paper before our ministers’ associa- tion on ‘Reforestation— Our Su- preme National Duty.’” He asked for literature to distribute at the meet- ing. May not a minister, by such means, aid in establishing the “new earth in which dwelleth righteous- ness?” Practical Religion ae : Mr. Alfred Senn, of em the 7 4 Opportunity Sheboygan, Wisconsin, sent in recently a large number of new members and the fol- lowing information: “Tt seems to me that with regard to private forestry the symptoms are now indicating a prosperous future in this State, and I have decided to take this kind of work. There are besides lumbermen and land companies, quite a number of wealthy people that have holdings in the northern part of this State, but none of these are under management. There are quite a num- ber of people that ought to take up planting. All it needs is to illustrate to these people that from the economical and financial point of view, reforest- ing of waste land is the best and surest investment.” 30th the new members and the in- formation are appreciated. Fighting Mrs. D. M. Osborne. of ee Her Auburn, N. Y., is not rees only exceedingly inter- ested in the forests at large; but has been making a fight for her own trees, with lawsuits against a telephone com- pany which put up a line on the road without her permission and trimmed trees on her part of the way merci- lessly. Half of the road belongs to Mrs. Osborne, and when she learned what was going on she drove off the workmen and cut down the poles. 1908 ed Mrs. Ruth H. Spray, of sates Salida, Colorado, wrote that the women’s club in that city offered prizes last year to school children for the best essay on trees. This is one good way to inter- est the young people. A new member from San Diego, California, sends his dues and says: “This is the only mite I can contribute to a public business policy that I feel sure goes to the accomplishment of much good. I send also list of names, as requested.” These two mites of help may appear small to some people, but such cooperation on the part of many is what makes a movement go. Help of Two Kinds Mrs. E.M.Eno Hu- wet mason, of New Brit- ‘Longer Flow Jinn: Con née, writes that she hopes we may be permitted to see the results that will be accomplished by irrigation our sandy deserts and forestry on MEMBERS AND CORRESPONDENTS 231 and uncultivated lands in the Western States. No other improvements that can be made in our country will show greater benefit than what has_ already been done by these two kinds of effort. From a soil rich in itself, but waste for want of water, irrigation combined with forestry brings health and wealth, together with a country beautiful to pass through. In our Eastern States, she adds, we see the result of the disappearance of much of our forests; the silver streams no longer flow, and the larger rivers decrease in size and power. Mr. R. M. Shurtleff writes from New York that the New Hampshire Society, to which he belongs, is very much interested in the work of the American Forestry Association. Mr. Shurtleff is an artist, and has painted the forests of the Adirondacks for forty years. His painting of a tree in his own woods is on exhibition in the Corcoran Gallery at Washington un- der the title “The First Snow.” Paintings of Trees _ Young black walnut near Linden, Indiana—The walnuts were scattered thickly in a potato patch and cultivated in, and then allowed to care for themselves— Trees at 23 years of age are about 30 feet high, and 3 to 6 inches in diameter -See page 201 ey PUBLIC. AT ION The Naturalist and The Civil Engineer. This plea for the conservation of na- tural forces and the betterment of in- land navigation was read before the Cincinnati Society of Natural Huastory on February 4, by M. D. Burke, M. Am. Soc. C. E., and has been printed as a pamphlet. The paper may be characterized as unprofessional be- cause it contains no technical figures or formulae, but is a presentation of conservative conclusions, well based on accurate observations. The Indiana State Forester’s Report for 1907 has just come to hand. It tells of the work accomplished on the State forest reservation, discusses the econ- omic problem and some experiments, and gives the Governor’s Arbor Day proclamation, with articles on the ob- servance of Arbor Day. Recent Publications of the Fcrest Ser- vice: Circular 127. Forest Tables—West- ern Yellow Pine. Circular 128. Preservation of Piling against Marine Wood Borers. Circular 132. The Seasoning and Preservative Treatment of Hemlock and Tamarack Cross-Ties. Circular 133. Production of Veneer in 1906. Circular 134. Estimation of Moist- ure in Creosoted Wood. Circular 135. Chestnut Oak Southern Appalachians. Circular 136. Seasoning and Preser- vative Treatment of Arborvitae Poles. Circular 137. Consumption of Poles in the in 1906. Circular 139. A Primer of Wood Preservation. Circular 140. What Forestry Has Done. Circular 141. Wood Paving in the United States. Circular 142. Tests of Vehicle and Implement Woods. Senate Document 91. Report of the Secretary of Agriculture on the South- ern Appalachian and White Mountain Watersheds. The Superintendent of Forestry for the Dominion of Canada makes his annual report for 1907 in a document recently received at this office. The document includes reports from the various pro- vinces and from persons in charge of special enterprises in the lines of for- estry and of irrigation. An account is given of experimentation in sowing maple and ash seed with a machine; it is hoped the results will be satisfac- tory. About twenty-five pages are given to a detailed account of the trip by Mr. Stewart, the late superintend- ent of forestry, down the Mackenzie and up the Yukon Rivers, in the year 1906. The American Lumberman for March I4 reports an excellent and strikingly significant address by G. E. Ames, of the Puget Mill Company, Port Gamble, Washington, before a meeting of the State assessors at Seattle, Washington, upon unjust taxation of timberland. En- lightenment of assessors on this subject is a good thing. Vick’s Magazine is another periodical: that is running in ‘each issue a special featuring of one or another line of en- deavor for social progress. In May it will have an Arbor Day issue, and will make efforts to co-operate with the school children in rendering Arbor Day useful. The New Jersey Forest Park Reserva- tion Commission. The Third Annual Report of this body, for 1907, has just come to hand. It contains much valu- able material. New Jersey has been active in forestry during the year. The report of the State fire warden, Mr. T. P. Price, is especially valuable. There has been a gradual decrease in the area burned by forest fires from 1872 to 1907, from 100,000 acres to I1,525 acres. Another fact brought out is- that the fires of the past year were of comparatively brief duration. This, of itself, is evidence of little dam- age done and of the activity of the wardens. The State Forester, Mr. Alfred Gaskill, contributes an article on growing chestnut for profit. FORESTRY AXD IRRIGATION THOMAS ELMER WILL FRANK GLOVER HEATON CONTENTS FOR MAY, 1908 EAST ROOM OF WHITE HOUSE THE WHITE HOUSE CONFERENCE. “THE GOVERNORS SAY” THE HILL MAN’S LAMENT. WORK IN EDITORIAL: (Poem.) By A NATIONAL FOREST. By Charles Howard Shinn ditor Associate shi PAGE (Lllustrated) Arthur Chapman Considered......... Forests of Korea to be Prote ected. eee Some Criticisms 4 Notable Conference.....,........ 248 PRTUSt fos DE ETE Ded arta, sexes palsioletelsers The Woods “We Haves: < crc sien ccre 249 Government to Try Siberian Legumes Interrelation of Phases. ..2 2.2.00 250 Startling Words of Timber Expert... PiereAsppalachian Bill feels cts cree! os aye 250 Engineering Experiment Stations .... AMERICA’S GREATEST IRRIGATION SCHEME. (Illustrated) By Agnes Dean Cameron WASTE OF NATURAL RESOURCES, AND NEED FOR CON SER- VATION. By Mrs. Lydia Adams- Williams THE SPENDTHRIFT. NEWS AND NOTES: Widening Interest in Conservation... Upholding the Government.......... OL Stites tes Cah force eke ccenens.v slate wehcvete naps Peat Briquettes for Mexico’s Fuel... Better Figures on Tree Growth Soon PROA TALE Oreo aes ranave sole ciateier eters crosses THE CRY OF THE PINES. (Poem.) By Robert M. ees Reports Successful Initial Year...... Colorado Farmers Want Forests...... Manufacturers "Take Note of Forestry Mrs. Williams to Speak at Boston... AS Wabon Of L/OVG-n race: c1sie'epeuh cteeie ns Argentine Republic to CSUS Mi eiera ee = ini'nllw (alas wie! nile pth ile ete rensie als Lumber (Poem.) By Anne McQueen WITH MEMBERS AND CORRESPONDENTS: Southern Timber is Almost Gone.... TseMaich Appreciated .%..%. Sats Photo Copyright by Harris & Ewing, Washington THE WHITE HOUSE CONFERENCE President Roosevelt, Governors, and conferees on the North Portico of the Executive Mansion Vol. JUNE 1908. hak GOVERNORS . CONFERENCE Historic Gathering at the White House—Executives of Nearly All the States and Territories Present—Steps Taken Toward Permanent Organization—The Story of the Conference BY Frank Glover Heaton, Editor of Forestry and Irrigation. There is neither East or West— Border, nor breed, nor birth— When two strong men stand face to face, Though they come from the ends of the earth. T was a gathering of strong men, that White House Conference—a meeting of the strongest men in the public life of America, called by one of the strongest Chief Executives the Nation has had; and the questions con- sidered were those upon the finding of correct answers to which the abiding prosperity of this, the greatest Nation that has arisen in the world’s history, absolutely depends. “Conservation.” That was the key- note of the Conference from the open- ing address to the close of the final session. Not the miserly hoarding of Kipling. the country’s resources, but the wise husbanding of timber and coal, of ores and soil, of waters and all the natural wealth which which the Western hemisphere is so richly endowed, and the fullest proper utilization of these resources, that their benefits may be shared equally among the whole peo- ple, and that they may be passed on, a practically undiminished capital, to the generations to come. : Crystallized into as brief a para- graph as possible, the sentiment of the Conference was that the work of con- servation of all natural resources— 292 FORESTRY forests, minerals, soils and waters— should be left as largely as possible to the several states, and that a perma- nent organization of the State E tives should be made, through which the will of the people of the several states shall be expressed, ie a prehensive plan of Nation-wide con- servation shall be formulated ne car- ried out by the States, working in concert among themselves and with the Nation. The tangible ence, generally xXECU- com- results of the Confer- speaking, are: The AND IRRIGATION June has the President of the United States met in consultation with the Execu- tives of practically all the states and territories for the consideration of any questions, big or little. And practi- cally every speaker, from President Roosevelt con through the list, empha- sized the statement that from the meet- ing in the East Room of the White House would undoubtedly spring an organization of the Governors that, through its deliberations and _ the its matured opinions, would in the years to come, a tre- weight of exercise, formation of a tion of state permanent organiza- Executives, and the arousing of a degree of interest among the Governors that resulted in the announcement by several of them that their first official act upon return- ing to their home states from the Con- ference will be the appointment of State Forestry Commissions. From the opening to the close of the Conference stress was frequently laid upon the great historical signifi- cance of the gathering, and repeated references were made to the fact that never before in the Nation’s history Photo Copyright by Harris & Ewing, GUESTS OF THE PRESIDENT Mr. Andrew Carnegie, Hon. W. J. Bryan, Messrs. J. J. Hill, and John Mitchell Washington mendous influence over the destinies and the affairs of the Nation. With the severe simplicity of its or- dinary decoration brightened by dra- peries of green velvet that overspread almost all the east wall and the plat- form erected there for the presiding officer, the speakers, and the members of President Roosevelt’s Cabinet, the East Room presented an unfamiliar appearance. ‘Two great maps, pre- pared especially for the Conference, hung on the east wall, one of these maps showing the timber resources of the United States, while the other il- 1908 THE GOVERNORS’ CONFERENCE lustrated the country’s mineral depos- its. Between these maps, which were the largest, it is said, ever made by mechanical means, an arrangement was provided whereby the different phases of conservation were illus- trated by means of superb transpar- encies. The light for illuminating these transparencies came from a win- dow in the east wall, and the scenes were frequently changed. On the floor the seating plan had excellent making as easy as possible. The membership of this, the initial is undoubtedly to assembly the arrangement of what labo rs of ot the details Gr mnnference 293 for develop into one of the most impor- tant deliberative and advisory the country has ever known, be foll dies WS: Special guests of President Roose- velt: Hon. Andrew Photo Copyright by Harris & Ewing, William Jennings Bryan, Carnegie, SOME OF THE SPEAKERS Standing—Profs. R. A. Long, J. C. White, and H. S. Putnam Sitting—Dr. George A. Pardee, J. J. Hill, John Mitchell. been worked out most admirably. Im- mediately in front of the platform spe- cial chairs for the Governors were ranged in semi-circles, while to the rear and at the sides of these were seats for the Governors’ advisers and the other members of the Conference. The problem of seating all the con- ferees in the limited space was no small one in itself, and its satisfactory working out reflected credit upon the general secretary of the Conference, Mr. Thomas R. Shipp, to whom is also due a share of the credit for the Mr. James J. Mr. Hill, Washington and Mr. John ee Owing to his recent illness, former President Cleve- land was unable to mre the Confer- Cnce;: The Governors of the states and territories and their advisers: Alaska: Gov. Wilford B. Hoggatt, Sitk: Maj. W P. Richardson, U. S. A.; Hon. Dudley N. DuBos Nom Stephen Birch, Veldez Arkansas Acting Gov. X. O. P1 ll, Little Rock. H. M. Armstead, Little Rock; H: L. 294 Ponder, Walnut Ridge; Sid B. Redding, Little Rock. Alabama: Gov. B. B. Comer, Montgomery. Hon. R. M. Goodall, Birmingham; Hon. F. M. Jackson, Brmingham; Hon. W. F. Tebbetts, Mobile. Arizona: Gov. Jos. H. Kibbey, Phoenix. Hon. W. F. Nichols, Willcox; Dwight B. Heard, Phoenix; Hon. B. A. Fowler, Phoenix. California: Gov. James N. Gillett, Sacramento. Hon. Frank H. Short, Fresno; Arthur R. Briggs, President, State Board of Trade, San Francisco; Otto von Geldern. Colorado: Gov. Henry A. Buchtel, Denver. Hon. Earl M. Cranston, Denver; Will- iam L. Hartman, Pueblo; Thomas W. Jaycox, State Engineer, Leadville. Connecticut: Gov. Rollin S. Woodruff, Hartford. Dr. Arthur T. Hadley, President, Yale University, New Haven; Col. Norris G. Osborn, Editor, Journal-Courier, New Haven; Chas. Hopkins Clark, Editor, The Courant, Hartford. Delaware: Gov. Preston Lea, Dover. Hon. George Gray, U. S. Circuit Judge, Wilmington; Hon. James Pennewill, Associate Judge, Dover; Benjamin Nields, Wilmington. Florida: Gov. Napoleon B. Broward, Tallahas- see. Hon. W. H. Milton, U. S. Senate; Hon. E. H. Sellards, State Geologist, Talla- hassee; George F. Miles, St. Augustine. Georgia: Gov. Hoke Smith, Atlanta. John H. Finney, Atlanta; Charleton B. Gibson, Columbus; Chas. S. Barrett, Union City. Hawaii: Gov. Walter F. Frear, Honolulu. Wm. O. Smith; Alonzo Gartley; Ralph S. Hosmer. Idaho: Gov. Frank R. Gooding, Boise. Hon. F. F. Johnson, Wallace; Hon. Fentress Hill, Twin Falls; Hon. E. M. Hoover, Boise. Illinois: Gov. Charles S. Deneen, Springfield. Dr. Edmund J. James, President, Uni- versity of Illinois, Champaign; Isham Randolph, President, Internal Improve- ment Commission of Illinois, Chicago; Lyman E. Cooley, Secretary, Internal Improvement Commission, Chicago. FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION June Indiana: Gov. J. Frank Hanly, Indianapolis: Henry Riesenberg, Indianapolis; Hon. Frank B. Posey, Evansville; Hon. Jo- seph D. Oliver, South Bend. lowa: Goy. Albert B. Cummins, Des Moines. Dr. A. B. Storms, President, Iowa State College, Ames; I. M. Earle, Des Moines; William Louden, Fairfield. Kansas: Gov. Edward W. Hoch, Topeka. John E. Frost, Topeka; Hon. Eugene F. Ware, Kansas City; John Powers, Mar- ion; Kentucky: Gov. Augustus E. Willson, Frankfort. Col. Andrew Cowan, Louisville; John B. Atkinson, Earlington; J. W. Porter, President, Kentucky Development Asso- ciation. Louisiana: Gov. Newton C. Blanchard, Baton Rouge. John M. Parker, New Orleans; Thos. J. Kernan, Baton Rouge; Hon. E. H. Farrar, New Orleans. Maine: Gov. Wm. T. Cobb, Augusta. Ex-Gov. John F. Hill, Augusta; Hon. Edgar E. Ring, Orono; Prof. Austin Cary, Brunswick. Maryland: Gov. Austin L. Crothers, Annapolis. Dr. William Bullock Clark, Johns Hop- kins University, Baltimore; Bernard N. Baker, Baltimore; Edward Hirsch, Balti- more. Massachusetts: Goy. Curtis Guild, Boston. Prof. Frank W. Rane, State Forester, Boston; Prof. Kenyon L. Butterfield, Amherst, President, Massachusetts Agri- cultural College; "-of. George F. Swain, Massachusetts In:..ute of Technology at Boston. Michigan: Gov. Fred M. Warner, Lansing. Dr. James B. Angell, President, Uni- versity of Michigan, Ann Arbor; Hon. Chase S. Osborn, Sault Ste. Marie; Charles B. Blair, Grand Rapids. Minnesota: Gov. John A. Johnson, St. Paul. Dr. Cyrus Northrup, President, Uni- versity of Minnesota, Minneapolis; Ex- Gov. John Lind, President, Board of Re- gents, University of Minnesota, Minne- apolis; Hon. F. B. Lynch, St. Paul. Mississippi: Gov. Edward F. Noel, Jackson. Judge D. M. Miller, Hazlehurst, Miss.; A. M. Pepper, Lexington, Miss.; Dr. J. D. Barkdull, Natchez. 1908 Missouri: Gov. Joseph W. Folk, Jefferson City. Dr. William H. Black, Marshall; 'N. W. McLeod, St. Louis; Col. James A. Ockerson, St. Louis. Montana: Gov. Edwin Norris, Helena. Paul A. Fusz, Philipsburg; W. B. George, Billings; Henry M. Rae, Gilt Edge. Nebraska: Gov. G. L. Sheldon, Lincoln. Nevada: Gov. John Sparks, Carson City. B. F. Leete, Reno; C. H. E. Hardin, Ocean Park, Calif.; James A. Yerington, Carson City. New Hampshire: Gov. Chas. M. Floyd, Concord. Philip W. Ayres, Concord; Gen. Charles J. Hamblett, Nashua; Hon. Ir- ving W. Drew, Lancaster. New Jersey: Gov. John F. Fort, Trenton: Charles L. Pack; Henry B. Kummel; Wilbur F. Sadler, Jr. New Mexico: Gov. George Curry, Santa Fe. W. C. Barnes; Ralph E. Twitchell, Las Vegas; George Arnot, Albuquerque. New York: Gov. Charles E. Hughes, Albany. Dr. Nichols Murray Butler, President, Columbia University, New York City; Dr. Jacob Gould Schurman, President, Cornell University, Ithaca; Hon. James S. Whipple, State Forest, Fish and Game Commissioner, Salamanca. North Carolina: Gov. Robert B. Glenn, Raleigh. Judge A. Boswell, Charlotte; Hon. C. H. Arnfield, Statesville; Hon. A. D. Woods, New Bern. North Dakota: Gov. John Burke, Bismarck. Hon. J. L. Cashel, Grafton; Judge F. L. Thompson, Cando; Dr. L. S. Platou, Valley City. Ohio: Gov. A. L. Harris, Columbus. Maj. George B. Fox, Lockland; D. J. Sinclair, Steubenville; Allen Ripley Foote, Columbus. Oklahoma: Gov. C. N. Haskell, Guthrie. Geo. W. Barnes, President Commercial National Bank of Muskogee; J. Y. Calla- han, Enid; Hon. Thos. H. Owen, Mus- kogee. Oregon: Gov. George E. Chamberlain, Salem. C. S. Jackson, Daily Journal, Portland; Hon. B. S. Bean, Chief Justice, Supreme Court, Salem; F. C. Knapp, Portland. THE GOVERNORS’ CONFERENCE 295 Pennsylvania: Gov. Edwin S. Stuart, Harrisburg. Col. C. A. Rook, Pittsburg; Alba B. Johnson, Philadelphia; Hon. Robert S. Murphy, Johnstown. Porto Rico: Gov. Regis H. Post, San Juan. Hon. Toulio Larrinaga, Commissioner from Porto Rico, Washington, D. C.; Hon. Beekman Winthrop, Assistant Sec- retary of the Treasury, Washington, D. C.; Hon. Geo. W. Davis, Washington, ID) XC Rhode Island: Gov. James H. Higgins, Providence. Dr. William H. P. Faunce, President, Brown University; E. G. Buckland, Vice- President, New York, New Haven and Hartford R. R.; William J. Feeley, Provi- dence. South Carolina: Gov. Martin F. Ansel, Columbia: Prof. A. C. Moore, South Carolina Uni- versity, Columbia; J. E. Sirrine, Mill Architect and Engineer, Greenville; J. C. Hemphill, Editor, News and Courier, Charleston. South Dakota: Gov. Coe I. Crawford, Pierre. Hon. R. O. Richards, Huron; Hon. T. S. Everett, Redfield; Hon. Bartlett Tripp, Yankton. Tennessee: Gov. Malcolm R. Patterson, Nashville. Hon. John Allison, Nashville; Hon. Floyd Estill, Winchester; Hon. Eldridge E. Wright, Memphis. Texas: Gov. T. M. Campbell, Austin. Hon. W. Goodrich Jones, Temple; Hon. Richard F. Burges, El Paso; Hon. B. M. Baker. Utah: Gov. John C. Cutler, Salt Lake City. Wm. W. Riter, Salt Lake City; Frank B. Stephens, Salt Lake City; James H. Mays, Salt Lake City. Virginia: Gov. Claude A. Swanson, Richmond. Dr. E. A. Alderman, President, University of Virginia, Charlottesville; Hon. James B. Russell, Winchester; Hon. Rosewell Page, Beaver Dam. Washington: Gov. A. E. Mead, Olympia. Hon. E. W. Ross, State Land Commis- sioner, Olympia; Prof. O. L. Waller, State College, Pullman; Frank H. Lamb, Ho- quiam. West Virginia: Gov. W. M. O. Dawson, Charleston. Dr. I. C. White, State Secologist, Mc rgan- town; Hu Maxwell, Morgantown; James 296 FORESTRY W. Paul, Chief, Department of Mines of West Virginia, Charleston. Wisconsin: Goy. James O. Davidson, Madison. Hon. E. M. Griffith, State Forester, Mad- ison; Hon. J. H. Stout, Menomonie; Hon. George A. Whiting, Neenah. Wyoming: Gov. Bryant B. Brooks, Cheyenne. Hon. C. W. Burdick, Cheyenne; George Metcalf, Douglas; Hon. Edward Gillette, Sheridan. Vermont : Goy. Fletcher Proctor, Montpelier. __ Hon. Joseph A. DeBoer, Montpelier; AND IRRIGATION June American Civic Association, President, J. Horace MacFarland, Harrisburg, Pa. American Economic Association, Presi- dent, Simon Patton, Philadelphia, Pa. American Federation of Labor, President, Samuel Gompers, Washington, D. C. American Forestry Association, Col. Wm. S. Harvey, Philadelphia, Pa. American Institute of Architects, Presi- dent, Cass Gilbert. Washington, D. C. American Institute of Electrical Engi- neers, President, Henry G. Stott, New York City. American Medical Association, President, Dr. Jos. D. Bryant, New York City. American Institute of Mining Engineers, D> > AMERICA’S INLAND WATERWAYS 4 River System of the Nation, to be Developed by Dredging and Canalization Hon. Jonathan L. Southwick, Burlington; Hon. Willis N. Cady, Middlebury. Representatives of national organi- zations interested in the different phases of conservation: American Association of Agricultural Colleges and Experiment Stations, Presi- dent, J. L. Snyder, Lansing, Mich. American Association for the Advance- ment of Science, President, T. C. Chamber- lin, University of Chicago, Chicago, III. American Academy of Political and So- cial Science, President, L. S. Rowe, Uni- versity of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pa. American Bar Association, President, J. M. Dickinson, Park Row, Chicago, III. American Chemical Society, President, Marston T. Bogart, Columbia University, New York City. President, York City. American National Livestock Association, President, H. A. Jastro, Bakersfield, Cal. American Newspaper Publishers’ Associa- aon President, Herman Ridder, New York ity. American Public Health Association, ap ale Dr. Richard H. Lewis, Raleigh, American Pulp and Paper Association, eaten David §S. Cowles, New York city. John Hays Hammond, New American Railway Association, Presi- dent, F. A. Delano, New York City. American Railway Engineering and Maintenance of Way Association, Presi- dent, Walter G. Berg, New York City. American Railway Master Mechanics As- sociation, President, Wm. McIntosh, Jer- sey City, NoJ- 1908 American Scenic and Historic Preserva- tion Society, President, Dr. Geo. G. Kunz, New York City. American Society of Civil Engineers, President, Chas. MacDonald, New York City. American Society of Mechanical Engi- neers, President, M. L. Holman, St. Louis. American Society for Testing Materials, President, Chas. B. Dudley, Altoona, Pa. American Statistical Association, Presi- dent, Hon. Carroll D. Wright, Worcester, Mass. Atlantic Deep Waterways Association, President, J. Hampton Moore, Philadel- phia, Pa. Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers, Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen and Engineers, Brotherhood of Railroad Train- men, H. R. Fuller, Washington, D. C. Business Men’s League, President, James E. Smith, St. Louis, Mo. Carriage Builders’ National Association, President, J. B. Dort, Flint, Michigan. Chautauqua Institute, President, Dr. eaoes H. Vincent, University of Chicago, Farmers’ National Congress, President, B. Cameron, Stagville, N. C. General Federation of Women’s Clubs, President, Mrs. Sarah S. Platt Decker, Den- ver, Colo. Geological Society of America, President, Samuel Calvin, Iowa City, Iowa. Interstate Inland Waterway, President, C. S. E. Holland, Victoria, Texas. Interstate Mississippi River Improve- ment and Levee Association, President, Chas. Scott, Rosedale, Miss. Lake Carriers’ Association, President, William Livingston, Detroit, Mich. Lakes-to-the-Gulf Deep Waterways As- sociation, President, W. K. Kavanaugh, St. Louis, Mo. Mining Congress of America, President, J. H. Richards, Boise, Idaho. Missouri Valley Improvement Associa- tion, President, Lawrence M. Jones, Kansas City, Mo. National Academy of Sciences, President, Ira Remsen. Baltimore, Md. National Advisory Board Fuels and Structural Materials, Vice-Chairman, Robt. W. Hunt. National Association of Cotton Manufac- turers, President, W. D. Hartshorne, Law- rence, Miss. National Association of Manufacturers, moe James W. Van Cleave, St. Louis, Mo. National Association of Agricultural Implement and Vehicle Manufacturers, President, Newell Sanders, Chatanooga, Tenn. THE GOVERNORS’ CONFERENCE 297 National Association of State Universi- ties, President, Chas. R. Van Hise, Madi- son, Wis. National Board of Fire Underwriters, Powell Evans, Chicago, III. National Board of Trade, Vice-Pres- ident, Frank L. Lanne, Philadelphia, Pa. National Business League of America, A. A. Burnham, Chicago. National Civic Federation, Seth Low, New York City. National Council of Commerce, President, Gustav H. Schwab, New York City. National Editorial Association, President, Henry B. Varner, Lexington, N. C. National Educational Association, Presi- dent, Dr. E. G. Cooley, Supt. of City Schools, Chicago, II. National Electric Light Association, Pres- ident, D. Farrand, Newark, N. J. National Geographic Society, President, Willis L. Moore, Washington, D. C. National Grange, President, N. J. Bachel- der, Concord. N. H. National Hay Association, Chas. J. Austin, New York City. National Irrigation Congress, President, Frank C. Goudy, Denver, Colo. National Lumber Manufacturers’ Associa- tion, President, Wm. Irvine, Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin. National Rivers and Harbors Congress, President, Hon. Jos. E. Ransdell, Lake Providence, La. National Slack Cooperage Manufacturers’ Association, President, H. M. Schmoldt, Beardstown, IIl. National Wagon Manufacturers’ Associa- tion. President, Richard Carpenter, La Fay- ette, Indiana. National Wool Growers’ Association, President, Fred Gooding, Shoshone, Idaho. Ohio Valley Improvement Association, President, Col. John L. Vance, Cincinnati, Ohio. Society for the Promotion of Engineering Education, President, Chas. S. Howe, Case School of Applied Science, Cleveland, Ohio. Society of American Foresters, Overton W. Price, Forest Service, Washington, Trans-Mississippi Commercial Congress, President, J. B. Case, Abilene, Kans. United Mine Workers of America, Pres- ident, T. L. Lewis, Indianapolis, Ind. Upper Mississippi River Improvement Association, President, Thomas Wilkinson, Burlington, Iowa. Besides these delegates, members of the United States Supreme Court, members of the Cabinet, and mem- bers of Congress, together with rep- resentatives of the press, made up the personnel of the Conference. President, President, FIRST DAY’S SESSIONS Calied “te order: at.-a7 o'cloels, on Wednesday, May 13, by the President, the session was opened with a reading from the Scriptures by the Rev. Ed- ward Everett Hale, followed by a prayer by the venerable chaplain. Fol- lowing the invocation, President Roosevelt addressed the Conference in a speech that sounded the keynote of the meeting. The President’s address follows: Governors of the Several States and Gen- tlemen: I welcome you to this Conference at the White House. You come hither at my re- quest so that we may join together to con- sider the question of the conservation and use of the great fundamental sources of wealth of this Nation. So vital is this ques- tion ihat for the first time in our history the chief executive officers of the states separately, and of the states together form- ing the Nation, have met to consider it. With the governors come men from each state, chosen for their special acquaintance with the terms of the problem that is before us. Among them are experts in natural re- sources and representatives of national or- ganizations concerned in the development and use of these resources; the Senators and Representatives in Congress; the Su- preme Court, the Cabinet, and the Inland Waterways Commission have likewise been invited to the Conference, which is there- fore national in a peculiar sense. This Conference on the conservation of natural resources is in effect a meeting of the representatives of all the people of the United States, called to consider the might- iest problem now before the Nation; and the occasion for the meeting lies in the fact that the natural resources of our country are in danger of exhaustion if we permit the old, wasteful methods of exploiting them longer to continue. With the rise of peoples from savagery to civilization, and with the consequent growth in the extent and variety of the needs of the averaze man, there comes a steadily in- creasing growth of the amount demanded by this average man from the actual re- sources of the country. Yet, rather cu- riously, at the same time, the average man is apt to lose his realization of this depend- ence upon nature. Savages, and very primitive peoples gen- erally, concern themselves only with super- ficial natural resources; with those which they obtain from the actual surface of the ground. As people become a little less primitive, their industries, although in a rude manner, are extended to resources be- low the surface; then, with what we call civilization and the extension of knowledge, more resources come into use, industries are multiplied, and foresight begins to be- come a necessary and prominent factor in life. Crops are cultivated; animals are do- mesticated; and metals are mastered. Every step of the progress of mankind is marked by the discovery and use of nat- ural resources previously unused. With- out such progressive knowledge and _ utili- zation of natural resources population could not grow, nor industries multiply, nor the hidden wealth of the earth be developed for the benefit of mankind. From the beginnings of civilization, on the banks of the Nile and the Euphrates, the industrial progress of the world has gone on slowly, with occasional setbacks, but on the whole steadily, through tens of centuries to the present day. But of late the rapidity of the process has increased at such a rate that more space has been actual- ly covered during the century and a quarter occupied by our national life than during the preceding six thousand years that take us back to the earliest monuments of Egypt, to the earliest cities of the Babylonian plain. When the founders of this Nation met in Independence Hall, in Philadelphia, the conditions of commerce had not funda- mentally changed from what they were when the Phoenician keels first furrowed the lonely waters of the Mediterranean. The differences were those of degree, not of kind, and they were not in all cases even those of degree. Mining was carried on fundamentally as it had been carried on by the Pharaohs in the countries adjacent to the Red Sea. In 1776 the wares of the merchants of Boston, of Charleston, like the wares of the merchants of Nineveh and Sidon, if they went by water, were carried by boats pro- pelled by sails or oars; if they went by land, were carried in wagons drawn by beasts of draft or in packs on the backs of beasts of burden. The ships that crossed the high seas were better than the ships that 3,000 years before crossed the Aegean; but they were of the same type, after all—they were wooden ships propelled by sails; and on land the roads were not as good as the roads of the Roman Empire, while the serv- ice of the posts was probably inferior. In Washington’s time anthracite coal was known only as a useless black stone; and the great fields of bituminous coal were un- discovered. As steam was unknown, the use of coal for power production was un- dreamed of. Water was practically the only source of power, save the labor of men and animals; and this power was used only in the most primitive fashion. But a few small iron deposits had been found in this country, and the use of iron by our coun- trymen was very small. Wood was prac- 1908 tically the only fuel, and what lumber was sawed was consumed locally, while the for- ests were regarded chiefly as obstructions to settlement and civilization. Such was the degree of progress to which civilized mankind had attained when this Nation began its career. It is almost im- possible for us in this day to realize how little our Revolutionary ancestors knew of the great store of natural resources whose discovery and use have been such vital fac- tors in the growth and greatness of this Nation, and how little they required to take from this store in order to satisfy their needs. Since then our knowledge and use of the resources of the territory of the present Pe neat oe - THE GOVERNORS’ CONFERENCE el aoe DESTRUCTION OF A WATERWAY 299 Yet our fathers, though they knew so little of the resources of the cised a wise forethought in reference there- to. Washington clearly saw that the per- petuity of the states could only be secured by union, and that the only feasible basis of union was an economic one; in other words, that it must be based upon the development and use of their natural resources. Accord- ingly, he helped to outline a scheme of com- mercial development, and by his influence an interstate waterways commission was appointed by Maryland and Virginia. It met near where we are now meeting, in Alexandria, adjourned to Mount Vernon, and took up the consideration of interstate commerce by the only means then ayail- le country, exer- Formation of Silt Bar in a Navigable Stream United States have increased a hundred- fold. Indeed, the growth of this Nation by leaps and bounds makes one of the most striking and important chapters in the his- tory of the world. Its growth has been due to the rapid development, and alas! that it should be said, to the rapid destruction, of our natural resources. Nature has supplied to us in the United States, and still sup- plies to us, more kinds of resources in a more lavish degree than has ever been the case at any other time or with any other people. Our position in the world has been attained by the extent and thoroughness of the control we have achieved over nature; but we are more, and not less, dependent upon what she furnishes than at any pre- vious time of history since the days of prim- itive man. able, that of water. Further conferences were arranged, first at Annapolis and then at Philadelphia. It was in Philadelphia that the representatives of all the states met for what was in its original conception merely a waterways conference; but when they had closed their deliberations the outcome was the Constitution which made the states into a Nation. (Applause.) The Constitution of the United States thus grew in large part out of the necessity for united action in the wise use of our natural The wise use of all of our natural resources, which are our na- tional as well, is the great mate- rial question of to-day. I have asked you to come together now resources. resources because the enor- mous consumption of these resources, and the threat of imminent exhaustion of them, 300 due to reckless and wasteful use, once more calls for common effort, common action. Since the days when the Constitution was adopted, steam and electricity have revolu- tionized the industrial world. Nowhere has the revolution been so great as in our own country. The discovery and utilization of mineral fuels and alloys have given us the lead over all other nations in the produc- tion of steel. The discovery and utilization of coal and iron have given us our railways, and have led to such industrial develop- ment as has never before been seen. The vast wealth of lumber in our forests, the riches of our soils and mines, the discovery of coal and mineral oils, combined with the efficiency of our transportation, have made the conditions of our life unparalleled in comfort and convenience. The steadily increasing drain on these natural resources has promoted to an ex- traordinary degree the complexity of our industrial and social ilfe. Moreover, this unexampled development has had a deter- mining effect upon the character and opin- ions of our people. The demand for effi- ciency in the great task has given us vigor, effectiveness, decision, and power, and a ca- pacity for achievement which in its own lines has never yet been matched. (Ap- plause.) So great and so rapid has been our material growth that there has been a tendency to lag behind in spiritual and moral growth (laughter and applause) ; but that is not the subject upon which I speak to you to-day. Disregarding for the moment the ques- tion of moral purpose, it is safe to say that the prosperity of our people depends direct- ly on the energy and intelligence with which our natural resources are used. It is equal- ly clear that these resources are the final basis of national power and perpetuity. Finally, it is ominously evident that these resources are in the course of rapid ex- haustion. This Nation began with the belief that its landed possessions were illimitable and ca- pable of supporting all the people who might care to make our country their home; but already the limit of unsettled land is in sight, and indeed but little land fitted for agriculture now remains unoccu- pied save what can be reclaimed by irriga- tion and drainage. We began with an un- approached heritage of forests; more than half of the timber is gone. We began with coal fields more extensive than those of any other nation, and with iron ores regarded as inexhaustible, and many experts now de- clare that the end of both coal and iron is in sight. The mere increase in the consumption of coal during 1907 over 1906 exceeded the total consumption in 1876, the Centennial year. The enormous stores of mineral oil and gas are largely gone. Our natural waterways are not gone, but they have been so injured by neglect, and by the division FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION June of responsibility and utter lack of system in dealing with them, that there is less navi- gation on them now than there was fifty years ago. Finally, we began with soils of unexampled fertility and we have so im- poverished them by injudicious use and by failing to check erosion that their crop pro- ducing power is diminishing instead of in- creasing. In a word, we have thoughtless- ly, and to a large degree unnecessarily, di- minished the resources upon which not only our prosperity but the prosperity of our children must always depend. We have become great because of the lavish use of our resources, and we have just reason to be proud of our growth. But the time has come to inquire seriously what will happen when our forests are gone, when the coal, the iron, the oil, and the gas are exhausted, when the soils shall have been still further impoverished and washed into the streams, polluting the rivers, de- nuding the fields, and obstructing naviga- tion. These questions do not relate only to the next century or to the next generation. It is time for us now as a Nation to exer- cise the same reasonable foresight in deal- ing with our great natural resources that would be shown by any prudent man in conserving and wisely using the property which contains the assurance of well being for himself and his children. The natural resources I have enumerated can be divided into two sharply distin- guished classes accordingly as they are or are not capable of renewal. Mines if used must necessarily be exhausted. The miner- als do not and cannot renew themselves. Therefore, in dealing with the coal, the oil, the gas, the iron, the metals generally, all that we can do is to try to see that they are wisely used. The exhaustion is certain to come in time. The second class of resources consists of those which cannot only be used in such manner as to leave them undiminished for our children, but can actually be improved by wise use. The soil, the forests, and the waterways come in this category. In deal- ing with mineral resources. man is able to improve on nature only by putting the re- sources to a beneficial use, which in the end exhausts them; but in dealing with the soil and its products man can improve on nature by compelling the resources to renew and even reconstruct themselves in such manner as to serve increasingly beneficial uses— while the living waters can be so controlled as to multiply their benefits. Neither the primitive man nor the pioneer was aware of any duty to posterity in deal- ing with the renewable resources. When the American settler felled the forests, he felt that there was plenty of forest left for the sons that came after him. When he ex- hausted the soil of his farm he felt that his son could go West and take up another. So it was with his immediate successors. When the soil-wash from the farmer’s fields 1908 choked the neighboring river he thought only of using the railway rather than boats for moving his produce and supplies. Now all this is changed. On the average the son of the farmer of to-day must make his living on his father’s farm. There is no difficulty in doing this if the father will ex- ercise wisdom. No wise use of a farm ex- hausts its fertility. So with the forests. We are over the verge of a timber famine in this country, and it is unpardonable for the Nation or the states to permit any fur- ther cutting of our timber save in accord- ance with a system which will provide that the next generation shall see the timber in- creased instead of diminished. (Applause.) Moreover, we can add enormous tracts of the most valuable possible agricultural land to the national domain by irrigation in the arid and semi-arid regions and by drainage of great tracts of swamp lands in the humid regions. We can enormously increase our transportation facilities by the canalization of our rivers so as to complete a great sys- tem of waterways on the Pacific, Atlantic, and Gulf coasts and in the Mississippi Val- ley, from the Great Plains to the Alleghe- nies and from the northern lakes to the mouth of the mighty Father of Waters. But all these various cases of our natural resources are so closely connected that they should be co-ordinated, and should be treat- ed as part of one coherent plan and not in haphazard and piecemeal fashion. It is largely because of this that I ap- pointed the Waterways Commission last year and that I have sought to perpetuate its work. I wish to take this opportunity to express in heartiest fashion my acknowl- edgment to all the members of the Commis- sion. At great personal sacrifice of time and effort they have rendered a service to the public for which we cannot be too grateful. Especial credit is due to the in- itiative, the energy, the devotion to duty and the farsightedness of Gifford Pinchot (great applause), to whom we owe so much of the progress we have already made in handling this matter of the co-ordination and conservation of natural resources. If it had not been for him this convention neither weuld or could have been called. We are coming to recognize as never be- fore the right of the Nation to guard its own future in the essential matter of nat- ural resources. In the past we have ad- mitted the right of the individual to injure the future of the Republic for his own present profit. The time has come for a change. As a people we have the right and the duty, second to none other but the right and duty of obeying the moral law, of re- quiring and doing justice, to protect our- selves and our children against the waste- ful development of our natural resources, whether that waste is caused by the actual destruction of such resources or by making them impossible of development hereafter. Any right thinking father earnestly de- THE GOVERNORS’ CONFERENCE 301 sires and strives to leave his son both an untarnished name and a reasonable equip- ment for the struggle of life. So this Na- tion as a whole should earnestly desire and strive to leave to the next generation the national honor unstained and the national resources unexhausted. There are signs that both the Nation and the states are waking to a realization of this great truth. On March 10, 1908, the Supreme Court of Maine rendered an exceedingly important judicial decision. This opinion was ren- dered in response to questions as to the right of the legislature to restrict the cut- ting of trees on private land for the pre- vention of droughts and floods, the presery- ation of the natural water supply, and the prevention of the erosion of such lands, and the consequent filling up of rivers, ponds, and lakes. The forests and water powers of Maine constitute the larger part of her wealth and form the basis of her in- dustrial life, and the question submitted by the Maine Senate to the Supreme Court and the answer of the Supreme Court alike bear testimony to the wisdom of the people of Maine, and clearly define a policy of conservation of natural resources, the adop- tion of which is of vital importance, not merely to Maine, but to the whole country. (Appiause. ) Such a policy will preserve soil, forests, water power as a heritage for the children and the children’s children of the men and wonien of this generation; for any enact- ment that provides for the wise utilization of the forests, whether in public or private ownership, and for the conservation of the water resources of the country, must nec- essarily be legislation that will promote both private and public welfare; for flood prevention, water power development, pres- ervation of the soil, and improvement of navigable rivers are all promoted by such a policy of forest conservation. The opinion of the Maine Supreme bench sets forth unequivocally the principle that the property rights of the individual are subordinate to the rights of the commu- nity, and especially that the waste of wild timber land derived originally from the State, involving as it would the impoverish- ment of the state and its people and there- by defeating one great purpose of govern- ment, may properly be prevented by state restrictions. The court says that there are two reasons why the right of the public to control and limit the use of private property is peculiar- ly applicable to property in land: “First, such property is not the result of productive labor, but is derived solely from the state itself, the original owner; second, the amount of land being incapable of increase, if the owners of large tracts can waste them at will without state restriction, the state and its people may be helplessly im- poverished and one great purpose of gov- ernment defeated. * * * We do not 302 think the proposed legislation would oper- ate to ‘take’ private property within the in- hibition of the Constitution. While it might restrict the owner of wild and uncultivated lands in his use of them, might delay his taking some of the product, might delay his anticipated profits and even thereby might cause him some loss of profit, it would nevertheless leave him his lands, their prod- uct and increase, untouched, and without diminution of title, estate or quantity. He would still have large measure of control and large opportunity to realize values. He might ‘suffer delay but not deprivation. * * * The proposed legislation * * would be within the legislative power and would not operate as a taking of private property for which compensation must be made.” The Court of Errors and Appeals of New Jersey has adopted a similar view, which has recently been sustained by the Supreme Court of the United States. In delivering the opinion of the court on April 6, 1908, Mr. Justice Holmes said: ‘The state, as quasi-sovereign and representative of the interests of the public, has a standing in court to protect the atmosphere, the water, and the forests within its territory, irre- spective of the assent or dissent of the pri- vate owners of the land most immediately concerned. * * * It appears to us that few public interests are more obvious, in- disputable and independent of particular theory tnan the interest of the public of a state to maintain the rivers that are wholly within it substantially undiminished, except by such drafts upon them as the guardian of the public welfare may permit for the purpose of turning them to a more perfect use. (Applause.) This public interest is omnipresent wherever there is a state, and grows more pressing as population grows. * * * We are of opinion, further, that the constitutional power of the state to in- sist that its natural advantages shall re- main unimpaired by its citizens is not de- pendent upon any nice estimate of the ex- tent of present use or speculation as to future needs. The legal conception of the necessary is apt to be confined to somewhat rudimentary wants, and there are benefits from a great river that might escape a law- yer’s view. (Laughter and applause.) But the state is not required to submit even to an aesthetic analysis. Any analysis may be inadequate. It finds itself in possession of what all admit to be a great public good, and what it has it may keep and give no one a reason for its will.” These decisions reach the root of the FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION June idea of conservation of our resources in the interests of the people. Finally, let us remember that the con- servation of our natural resources, though the gravest problem of to-day, is yet but part of another and greater problem to which this Nation is not yet awake, but to which it will awake in time, and with which it must hereafter grapple if it is to live— the problem of national efficiency, the pa- triotic duty of insuring the safety and con- tinuance of the Nation. (Applause.) When the people of the United States consciously undertake to raise themselves as citizens, and the Nation and the states in their sev- eral spheres, to the highest pitch of excel- lence in private, state, and national life, and to do this because it is the first of all the duties of true patriotism, then and not till then the future of this Nation, in quality and in time, will be assured. (Great ap- plause. ) Following the address of the Presi- dent, it was suggested that, in order to expedite the work of the Confer- ence, the special statements, or papers, to be presented by the “experts,” be limited to twenty minutes ; that discus- sion be limited to ten minutes, and that all resolutions be handed, without reading, to a committee on resolu- tions, such committee to be charged with the work of formulating the gen- eral conclusions of the Conference. In line with this suggestion President Roosevelt proposed Governors Blanch- ard, of Louisiana; Fort, of New Jer- sey; Cutler, of Utah; Davidson, of Wisconsin, and Ansel, of South Caro- lina, as a Committee on Resolutions, and on motion of Governor Johnson, of Minnesota, the suggestion was car- ried out. Dr. W J McGee, secretary of the Inland Waterways Commis- sion, sat with the committee. At the conclusion of the morning session the members of the Conference passed out through the Blue Room, where the President met and person- ally greeted each of the Governors and conferees. AFTERNOON SESSION When the afternoon session was called to order President Roosevelt announced that, owing to his multitu- dinous duties, it would be impossible for him to preside over all of the ses- sions, and that he would call to the chair one or another of the Governors present to act in his place. The 1908 President stated that he would open each session, remaining until after the reading of the first paper. Governor Noel, of Mississippi, was then called to the chair, the President retiring at the conclusion of the paper read by Mr. Andrew Carnegie. Mr. Carne- gie’s address dealt with the country’s supplies of iron and related ores, and, being the statement of perhaps the best posted practical authority in the United States on this subject, it was received with careful attention. The address follows: You have begun to make history to-day, for never before has the National Gov- ernor called all the state Governors into conference. The President has acted upon the axiom that while it is well to follow good precedents, it is better to make them. Washington in 1785 invited the Commis- sioners of Maryland and Virginia to Mount Vernon, when they conferred at Alexan- dria upon the joint regulation of the Po- tomac. This was the first slight revelation of the important interstate problems which lie imbedded in our Federal system. It is no new question with which you have to deal. My province to-day is to ask your at- tention to the situation as affected by our mineral supplies, chiefly iron and coal. But let me first state that for all the data, facts, and much else used in this address I am indebted to Government officials of the Geological Survey and other scientific bu- reaus, the extent and variety of whose knowl- edge have much impressed me, although I have long known that our Government is celebrated for the range and thoroughness of its investigations and the amount of sta- tistical information it has acquired and keeps up to date regarding the Nation and people. I have heard more than one promi- nent public man of other lands express admiration for our governmental reports. Of all the world’s metals, iron is in our day the most useful. The opening of the Iron Age marked the beginning of real in- dustrial development. The mining of cop- per and tin and the making of bronze im- plements closed the Stone Age in Europe and Asia, but it was not until the smelting of iron started in Africa and spread to Europe that industrial progress began; in all countries the highest civilization has fol- lowed the use of iron in the arts and crafts. To-day the position of nations may almost be measured by its production and use. Iron and coal are the foundation of our industrial prosperity. The value of each depends upon the amount and nearness of the other. In modern times the manufac- turing and transportation industries rest upon them, and, given sufficient land area THE GOVERNORS’ CONFERENCE 393 and fertile soil, these determine the prog- ress of any people. When the United States entered upon its unexampled career the ex- tent and value of our deposits of iron and coal were unknown. It was only through the growth of population, increase of knowl- edge, and invention, that they gained such value as to render their quantity an impor- tant public question. Iron smelting began with charcoal made in neighboring forests. Electrical smelting by means of water power has only recently been tried. To-day the reduction of our ores and the manufacture of iron practi- cally rest upon the extent and availability of our coal. When the Republic was founded there were, according to recent expert estimates, approximately 2,000,000,000,000 tons of coal in the territory now forming the United States. Practically none of this supply was used for over a quarter-century; but during the 75 years from 1820 to 1895 nearly 4,000,000,000 tons were mined by methods so wasteful that some 6,000,000,000 tons were either destroyed or allowed to remain in the ground, forever inaccessible. During the ten years from 1896 to 1906 as much was produced as during the preceding 75 years; while more than 3,000,000,000 tons were destroyed or left in the ground be- yond reach of future use. To date the actual consumption of coal has been over 7,500,000,000 tons; the waste and destruc- tion in the neighborhood of 9,000,000,000 tons. If mining were perfected from now forward we might reckon that considerably less than 1 per cent of our original stock has been consumed; but estimating on the basis of the wasteful methods hitherto pur- sued, nearly 2 per cent of our available supply is gone. Coal consumption is increasing at an as- tonishing rate. During the period for which statistics have been gathered, it has doubled during each decade; of late it has more than doubled. In 1907 the production was about 450,000,000 tons. At the present rate of increase the production in 1917 will be 900,000,000 tons, in 1927 1,800,000,000 tons, and in 1937 Over 3,500,000,000 tons, or an amount in that year alone nearly equal to the production of the 75 years ending in 1895; and with continuation of the waste- ful methods of mining, the consumption and destruction together during that one year would equal our total useful produc- tion up to the present date. And at that time—which many of us will live to see— more than an eighth of our estimated orig- inal supply will have been consumed or de- stroyed. All estimates of future consumption and destruction of coal are liable to error; yet making all reasonable allowance, unless there be careful husbanding, or revolution- izing inventions, or some industrial revolu- tion comes which cannot now be foreseen, the greater part of that estimated 2,000,- 304 000,000,000 tons of coal forming our origi- nal heritage will be gone before the end of the next century, say two hundred years hence. To each generation the ultimate disap- pearance of coal is of less concern than current prices. With the working out of seams and fields, plants and transportation facilities are removed or abandoned, and other losses are incurred; and the cost of these in the end increases prices. Already this is felt; it is estimated that by reason of the progressive exhaustion of American fields, coal consumers are to-day paying on an average IO per cent or I5 per cent more than would be necessary if the supply were unlimited—and the advance must continue with each decade as the supply lessens. Still more wasteful than our process of mining are our methods of consuming coal. Of all the coal burned in the power plants of the country not more than from 5 per cent to 10 per cent of the potential energy is actually used; the remaining 90 per cent to 95 per cent is absorbed in rendering the smaller fraction available in actual work. in direct heating the loss is less, but in electric heating and lighting it is much more—indeed in ordinary electric light plants hardly one-fifth of I per cent, one five-hundredth part, of the energy of the coal is actually utilized. There is at pres- ent no known remedy for this. These wastes are not increasing; through the development of gas-producers, internal combustion engines, and steam turbines they are constantly decreasing ; yet not so rapid- ly as to affect seriously the estimates of in- crease in ccal consumption. We are not without hope, however, of discoveries that may yet enable man to convert potential into mechanical energy direct, avoiding this fearful waste. If that day ever comes, our coal supply might be considered unending. The same spirit of recklessness that leads to waste in mining and in the consumption of coal leads to unnecessary risk of human life. During the year 1907 in the United States the killed and wounded in coal min- ing operations exceeded 9,000. The danger to life and limb in the mines is increasing far more rapidly than production, because gas becomes more abundant and the work of rescue more difficult as the mines extend deeper or farther from the entrance. When the Republic was started in 1776 little iron was used. Each family was con- tent with a few score pounds in the form of implements, utensils, and weapons, so that the average annual consumption was but a few pounds per capita. In 1907 alone the production of iron ore in the United States was 53,000,000 tons, or more than 1,200 pounds for each man, woman and child of our 88,000,000 population. And the production is steadily increasing. The latest trustworthy estimates of our present stock of iron ore are: for the Lake Superior district, about 1,500,000,000 tons; FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION June for the Southern district (including Ala- bama, Georgia, Tennessee, and Virginia), about 2,500,000,000 tons; and for the rest of the United States, 5,000,000,000 to 7,000,- 000,000 tons—making an aggregate of about 10,000,000,000 tons. Our highest-grade ore is that of the Lake Superior district, which yields about four- fifths of the current production. In 1905 its yield was over 33,000,000 tons, in 1906 some 38,000,000 tons, and in 1907 nearly 44,000,000 tons; by the end of the present decade it will average 50,000,000 tons or more. Even without further increase, the known supply will be exhausted before 1940. It is true that there are frequent re- ports of new ore bodies in this district; but on the other hand, the old bodies generally run far below the estimates. The total production of iron ores in the United States up to 1890 was some 275,- 000,000 tons; in the next ten years it was nearly 200,000,000; and in the seven years from 1901 to 1907 more than 270,000,000 tons were produced, or nearly as much as the total for the first century of our his- tory. The aggregate production to date, 750,000,000 tons, is about one-thirteenth of the estimated original supply. At the pres- ent rate of increase (doubling each decade) the production in 1918 will exceed 100,000,- 000 tons, by 1928 200,000,000 tons, and by 1938 it will be over 400,000,000 tons—i. e., in that single year, which many of us may expect to see, an amount approximating the entire production in the United States up to the close of last year. By that date about half of the original supply will be gone, and only the lower grades of ore will remain; and all the ore now deemed work- able will be used long before the end of the present century. Compared with Britain or Germany, our only two important competitors in iron and steel, we were until the past few years in much more favorable condition. Britain then was apparently within twenty years of her end as an important steel producer, owing to exhaustion of her ore supplies. Recent discoveries in Northern Sweden have given her a new lease and also bene- fited Germany, both of which are already drawing part of their supply from the new mines, which are said to be by far the most extensive ever known. ‘The ores are of ex- cellent quality. It is not improbable that ere long we also in the Eastern States shall be compelled to rely upon these deposits for part of our supply. While both waste and risk of life in the mining and reduction of iron ore are much less relatively than in coal mining, the ad- vances in price due to progressive exhaus- tion are large. An example is found in Iron Mountain, Missouri, which forty-odd years ago was declared, even by experts, to be inexhaustible; the entire deposit is gone —work abandoned. The additional cost of ore due to progressive exhaustion of the 1908 bodies of ore can hardly be estimated at less than 10 per cent; this is already felt, and must increase as field after field is ex- hausted. Next to iron our most useful metal is copper. It was the only metal used ef- fectively by the natives of North America before Columbus landed; and for over three centuries native copper was mined and wrought by white men cheifly in In- dian mines and by Indian methods. The mining and reduction of copper ores has grown up within 50 years; and within a dozen years the copper industry has been revolutionized through electrical applica- tion. Although production is enormous and increasing apace, it fails to keep up with the demand, which more than in any other commodity is limited by price. If the cur- rent price could be reduced 35 per cent the demand would be doubled or tripled; if it could be reduced 50 per cent copper would replace iron for roofing, cornices, piping, and other constructional purposes so as to raise the demand ten-fold, if not more. While the stock of copper in the ground has not been estimated (miners and oper- ators deeming the supply unlimited, just as a generation ago they thought iron inex- haustible), unless the quantity exceeds the indications, it clearly cannot long withstand the demands which would follow any great reduction in price. Unless it does so, the use of copper cannot seriously check the drain upon our iron resources. Zinc, lead, silver and other ores abound in our rocks, and their production is stead- ily increasing. Neither the original sup- plies nor the time they will last have been estimated; it is known only that one mine or district after another has been worked out, or the depths of the workings so in- creased as to raise the cost to a prohibitive figure and compel abandonment. The cur- rent and avoidable waste in mining and re- ducing these and the copper ores is esti- mated by experts to average 30 per cent. As iron and coal are the basis of indus- trial values, so gold is the basis of commer- cial values. Tho there is enough gold-bear- ing mineral in the United States to give us a powerful influence in maintaining parity of gold, the aggregate supply has not been estimated—indeed it cannot be, since nearly all rocks and earths and even the waters contain gold in various quantities, so that production is controlled wholly by the market price. Our production is large and steadily increasing; tho the increase does not quite keep pace with that of such staples as corn, cotton, wheat, sugar, iron, coal, copper, silver, lead, and zinc. Doubt- less the duration of the supply will depend solely upon commercial conditions. The waste in mining and reduction has always been large, ranging from 25 per cent to 50 per cent—indeed it is not uncommon for later miners to get their best returns from working the tailings left by their predeces- sors. THE GOVERNORS’ CONFERENCE 305 In view of the sobering facts presented, the thoughtful man is forced to realize, first, that our production and consumption of minerals are increasing much more rap- idly than our population; and, second, that our methods are so faulty and extravagant that the average waste is very great, and in coal almost as great as the amount con- sumed. The serious loss of life in the mines is a feature that can no longer be overlooked. Nor can we fail to realize that the most useful minerals will shortly be- come scarce, and may soon reach prohib- itive cost unless steps to lessen waste ure taken in the interest of the future. I have for many years been impressed with the steady depletion of our iron ore supply. It is staggering to learn that our once supposed ample supply of rich ores cam hardly outlast the generation now appear- ing, leaving only the leaner ores for the later years of the century. It is my judy- ment, aS a practical man actustomed to dealing with those material factors on which our national prosperity is based, that it is time to take thought for the morrow. I fully concur in the opinion of the Presi- dent that the state of our resources raises one of the most serious issues now befoie the American people, and hope that this Na- tional meeting will lead to wise action. We are nationally in the position of a large family receiving a rich patrimony from thrifty parents deceased intestate; tiie President may be likened to the eldest son and the Governors to younger brothers, jointly responsible for the minors; the ex- perts assembled may be likened to the family solicitors. Now, the first duty of such a family is to take stock of its patrimeny; the next to manage the assets in such man- ner that none shall be wasted, that all he put to the greatest good of the living and their descendants: Now, we have jist he- gun to take stock of our national patri- mony; and it is with the deepest sense of responsibility imposed upon me by the in- vitation to this meeting, to the Nation and to coming generations of all time, that I speak as one of the junior solicitors. 'n iy opinion we should watch closely all the as- sets and begin both to save and to use them more wisely. Let us begin with iron: We must in all possible ways lessen the demands upon it, for it is with iron ore we are least ade- quately provided. One of the chief uses of this metal is connected with transportation, mainly by rail. Moving 1,000 tons of heavy freight by rail requires an 80-ton locomo- tive and twenty-five 20-ton steel cars (each of 40-ton capacity), or 580 tons of iron and steel, with an average of, say, ten miles of double track (with 90-pound rails), or 317 tons additional; so that, including switches, frogs, fish-plates, spikes, and other inci- dentals, the carrier requires thé use of an equal weight of metal. The same freight may be moved by water by means of 100 to 250 tons of metal, so that the substitution 306 of water-carriage for rail-carriage would reduce the consumption of iron by three- fourths to seven-eighths in this department. At the same time the consumption of coal for motive power would be reduced 50 per cent to 75 per cent, with a corresponding reduction in the coal required for smelting. No single step open to us to-day would do more to check the drain on iron and coal than the substitution of water-carriage for rail-carriage wherever practicable, and the careful adjustment of the one to the other throughout the country. The next great use of iron is in con- struction, especially of buildings and bridges. Fortunately the use of concrete, simple and reinforced, is already reducing the consumption of structural steel. The materials for cement and concrete abound in every part of the country; and while the arts of making and using them are still in their infancy, the products promise to ‘e- come superior to steel and stone in strength, durability, convenience, and economy of use. The cement industry is growing rap- idly, largely in connection with the making of iron and steel so that the substitution of the new material will not involve abandon- ment of plants or loss of invested capital. The hitherto useless slag hills, of which many may be seen around blast furnaces, are now being made directly into cement and yielding high profits. It has become a by- product, the extra cost scarcely more than the former cost of piling the slag away. A large current use of steel of the highest quality is for battleships, ordnance, pro- jectiles and small arms. Happily there are signs of an awakening of tie public conscience and of the sense of national righteousness, whereby civilized nations must be led to adopt those moral standards which already regulate individual conducz; the world is soon to learn that war is not only too disgracefully inhuman but too wasteful to be tolerated, and this serious drain upon our iron ores will cease. A promising mode of reducing iron con- sumption is opening through the develop- ment of iron alloys. The making of steel was first an accident, and long a secret “art and mystery;” it was not until after the Republic was founded that steel was recognized as an alloy of iron and carbon, and it was only within the memory of men now present that nickel, silver, zircon, tung- sten, and other materials were scientifically alloyed with iron to yield those protean modern steels adapted to an ever-increasing range of uses. And the end is not yet; every expert knows that metal alloying is in its infancy. Among the most abundant materials of the earth-crust are silica, alumina, and car- bon compounds, all with more or less at- finity for iron; already the alloying of car- bon with iron has revolutionized the indus- trial world, and of late the alloying of silica with iron (in “ferro-silicon,” etc.) gives FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION June promise not only of yielding a superior metal but of permitting reduction of silice- ous ores hitherto unworkable, while alum- ina has been alloyed with iron in a useful way. It is not too much to hope that re- search into the ultimate constitution and relation of these commoner materials will yield both better and cheaper metals than any thus far produced, and that newly dis- covered alloys will help to relieve the pres- sure On our mines of iron, copper, zinc, sil- ver, and lead. We now come to coal. How shall we save that? Current uses—or rather current wastes—offer suggestions: ‘The most se- rious waste arises from imperfect com- bustion in furnace and firebox. The waste of 90 per cent and over of the potential en- ergy of the fuel in power-production— which, however, we know not yet how to avoid—is appalling in itself, while the smoke and soot from the chimneys becloud and befoul cities, poison human lungs and prepare the way for pneumonia (one of our worst modern scourges), and initiate all manner of additional wastes. We have al- ready learned that internal-combustion en- gines and gas-producers double or triple the power per unit of coal, obviate the smoke nuisance and also permit the use of lignite, culm, slack, and inferior coals— in fact, so far as power-production by re- ciprocal engines is concerned, the days of steam seem to be numbered, although de- velopment of substitutes is still in its in- fancy. The consumption of substitutes is still in its infancy. The consumpt.on of coal in smelting is necessarily large; of late the loss is reduced by using the furnace- gases for power, and by making by-pro- ducts; yet the chief saving must lie in econ- omy in the use of metals. Much of our coke-making is still extravagant; some ovens use the gases, and all should do so without delay—if necessary, under State regulation, since the people have some rights both in the preservation of their heritage and in maintaining the purity of the air they breathe. Next to imperfect combustion, the chief waste of coal arises in mining. The early colliers saw no value in coal in the ground, any more than early millers saw value in the flow of the stream; to them coal acquired value only by the labor of mining it, just as to the miller the stream acquired value only as head was produced by the labor of building dam and mill. So the coal taken out in the British and German collieries was a sort of treasure trove; that left in the ground was nobody’s loss. Likewise in early American mining the coal mined merely yielded a return for labor, and the pillars and slack and poor coal left in the ground were nobody’s affair; it was years after mining began before coal lands were thought to have any other value than as wood-lands or farm-lands. Thus the in- credibly wasteful methods were natural 1908 enough; if labor could be saved and profits gained by taking out but a third or a half of the richest part of the seam, leaving the rest to be rendered inaccessible by caving, so be it. No one thought of it as improvi- dent. Now that the coal in the ground is recognized as part, and a great part, of the value of coal lands, self-interest impels the operator to take out all he can, and leads the miner to work close to floor and roof. Bad results may sometimes follow, as in the anthracite region, where the entire forest growth has been stripped and both land and streams ruined to timber the mines, and in those terrible accidents when in re- moving the pillars of coal the miners are buried. Coal mining cries out for expert knowledge whereby the full yield may be obtained without needless risk or loss; and for wise police regulation whereby life may be protected against ignorance and cupid- ity. The most promising check on coal con- sumption is the substitution of other power. Naturalists tell us that coal is a reservoir of solar energy stored up in ages past, and that the same is partly true also of other chemically complex substances, including ores. The sun-motor still runs; its rays render the globe habitable, and may yet be made to produce power by solar engines or may be concentrated in furnaces—as in the Portuguese priest’s heliophore at the St. Louis Exposition, with its temperature of 6,000 degrees F., in which a cube of iron evaporated like a snowball in a Bessemer converter. The-sun helps to raise the tides, which some day will be harnessed; and still more practically it raises vapor from the sea to fall as rain and supply our mill- streams and rivers, which it is estimated may some day yield over 30,000,000 horse- power—or more than all now produced from fuel by all our engines combined. Dr. Pritchett is responsible for the statement that on a clear day, when well above the horizon, the sun delivers upon each square acre of the earth’s surface exposed to its rays the equivalent of 7,500 horsepower, working continuously. Thus, there is abundance of power lying around us, if we only knew how to harness it. It is only within the past decade that electrical trans- mission has made water-power generally available for driving machinery, for smelt- ing, and for moving trains, and has at the same time created a new market for cop- per; yet it is a safe forecast that this method of using solar energy (for such water is as the product of sun heat) will soon affect the constantly increasing drain on our coal. And just as the woods and the ores and the mineral fuels have become sources of wealth and power within our memory, so will become the running waters within a few years! No practical man can study our mineral supplies without seeing that they are melt- ing away under our national growth at a THE GOVERNORS’ CONFERENCE 397 geometrically increasing rate, and without realizing that unless the loss is checked his descendants must suffer; nor can he con- sider ways of preserving the supply with- out realizing the need of wider and deeper knowledge than we now possess. It was not resources alone that gave this country its prosperity, but inventive skill and indus- trial enterprise applied to its resources. In- dividually we have been both forehanded and foreminded. Nationally we have been forehanded chiefly by the accident of dis- covery by John Smith and Walter Raleigh, but nationally we are not yet foreminded. So far as our mineral wealth is concerned, the need of the day is prudent foresight, coupled with ceaseless research in order that new minerals may be discovered, new alloys produced, new compounds of tom- mon substances made available, new power- producing devices developed. The most careful inventory of the family patrimony should be made. I plead for economy, that the next generation and the next may be saved from want—but especially I urge re- search into and mastery over Nature, in order that two blades may be made to grow where one grew before, that the golden grain may be made to replace woody grass, that crude rocks may be made to yield fine metals, I urge on the Executives here assembled as our greatest need to-day the need for better and more practical knowledge. It was never more true than now that “Knowl- edge is power.” The states have done much, the Federal Government has done much, in- dividual men have done much for research; in the history of this country knowledge has advanced as never before, and thereby the materials and forces of nature have been brought under control as no man dreamed when the Nation was founded. Yet if our career of prosperity is to continue, it must be on the basis of completer con- trol of national sources of material and power than we have thus far exercised, a control to be gained only by research. In conclusion, Mr. President and Govy- ernors of our states, it seems to me our duty is: First, conservation of forests, for no for- ests, no long navigable rivers; no rivers, no cheap transportation. Second, to systematize our water trans- portation, putting the whole work in the hands of the Reclamation Service, which has already proved itself highly capable by its admirable work. Cheap water trans- portation for heavy freights brings many advantages and means great saving of our ore supplies. Railroads require much steel, water does not. Third, conservation of soil. More than a thousand millions of tons of our richest soil are swept into the sea every year, clog- ging the rivers on its way and filling our harbors. Less soil, less crops; less crops, less commerce, less wealth. 308 The way is not new: Washington and his compatriots pushed into the unknown in projecting a Nation on new principles. Franklin grasped a hardly known principal- ity through the Geneva Treaty, and Jefferson seized an unexplored half-continent despite protests of those whose knowledge was even less than his own; Fulton, Morse, Henry, Edison and Beil came to stand as kings among men by pushing into the un- known. To-day the time is ripe for a fur- ther advance; our President, with far- sighted patriotism, has arisen to lead effort and action. He deserves, and I am sure will receive, your earnest support and that of all citizens who understand the impor- tance of the problems involved. The authoritative remarks of the great ironmaster elicited prolonged applause at frequent intervals, and when the twenty-minute limitation prevented the completion of his ad- dress unanimous consent tc an exten- sion of time was instantly given. Following the address of Mr. Car- negie, Dr. I. C. White, State Geologist of West Virginia, discussed “The Waste of Our Fuel Resources,” his paper being given here in full: A great geologist once said. “The na- tions that have coal and iron will rule the world.” Bountiful nature has dowered the American people with a heritage of both coal and iron richer by far than that of any other political division of the earth. It was formerly supposed that China would prove the great store-house from which the other nations could draw their supplies of carbon when their own had be- come exhausted, but the recent studies of a brilliant American geologist in that far-off land, rendered possible by the generosity of the world’s greatest philanthropist, tell a different story. The fuel resources of China, great as they undoubtedly are, have heen largely over-estimated, and Mr. Willis reports that they will practically all be re- quired by China herself, and that the other nations cannot look to her for this all im- portant element in modern industrial life. A simple glance at a geological map of the United States, will convince any one that nature has been most lavish to us in fuel resources, for we find a series of great coal deposits extending in well scattered fields almost from the Atlantic to the Pa- cific, and from the Lakes to the Gulf, while - even over much of New England and the coastal plains, vast areas of peat, the primal stage of coal, have been distributed.. But coal of every variety from peat to anthra- cite is not all of nature’s fuel gifts to for- tunate America. Great deposits of both pe- troleum and natural gas occur in nearly FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION June every state where coal exists, and in some that have no coal. What greater dowry of fuels could we ask when we find them stored for us within the bosom of our mother earth in all three of the great types, coal, petroleum and natural gas, only await- ing the tap of the pick and drill to bring them forth in prodigal abundance? What account can we as a Nation give of our stewardship of such vast fuel treas- ures? Have we carefully conserved them, using only what was necessary in our do- mestic and industrial life, and transmitting the remainder, like prudent husbandmen, unimpaired to succeeding generations? Or have we greatly depleted this priceless her- itage of power, and comfort, and source of - world-wide influence, by criminal waste and wanton destruction? The answer should bring a blush of shame to every pa- triotic American, for not content with de- stroying our magnificent forests, the only fuel and supply of carbon known to our fore-fathers, we are with ruthless hands. and regardless of the future applying both torch and dynamite to the vastly greater re- sources of this precious carbon which prov- ident nature had stored for our use in the buried forests of the distant past. The wildest anarchists determined to destroy and overturn the foundations of govern- ment could not act in a more irrational and thoughtless manner than have our people in permitting such fearful destruction of the very sources of our power and great- ness. Let me enumerate some of the de- tails of this awful waste of our fuel re- sources that has been going on with ever increasing speed for the last 4o years. First let us consider how we have wasted natural gas, the purest form of fuel, ideal in every respect, self-transporting, only awaiting the turning of a key to deliver to. our homes and factories, heat and light and power. Partial nature has apparently de- nied this great boom to many other lands. It is practically unknown in France, Ger- many and Great Britain, our chief competi- tors in the world of industry. Even wood and coal must first be converted into gas be- fore they will burn, but here is a fuel of which nature has given us a practical mo- nopoly, lavish in abundance, already trans- muted into the gaseous stage and stored under vast pressure to be released wherever wanted at our bidding. The record of waste of this our best and purest fuel is a national disgrace. At this very minute this unrivaled fuel is passing into the air within our domain from uncontrolled gas wells, from oil wells, from giant flambeaus, from leaking pipe lines and the many other methods of waste at the rate of not less than one billion cubic feet daily and probably much more. Very few appear to realize either the great importance of this hydro-carbon fuel resource of our country, or its vast original quantity. Some of the individual wells, if we may credit the measurements, have pro- 1908 duced this fuel at the rate of 70 million cubic feet. daily, the equivalent in heating value of 70,000 bushels of coal, or nearly 12,000 barrels of oil. In my humble opinion the original amount of this volatile fuel in the United States, permeating as it does every undisturbed geologic formation from the oldest to the most recent, rivaled or even exceeded in heating value, all of our wondrous stores of coal. Suppose that it were possible for some Nero, inspired by a mania of incendiarism, to apply a consuming torch to every bed of coal that’*crops to the surface from the Atlantic to the Pacific, and that the entire coal supply of the Union was threatened with destruction within a very few years, what do you think would happen? Would our State Legislatures sit undisturbed pano- plied by such a carnival of fire? Would the Governors of 30 States remain silent while the demon of flame was ravaging the coal resources of the Republic? Certainly not; there would be a united effort by the Governors and Legislatures of all the States in the Union to stay the progress of such 2 direful conflagration; even the sacred Con- stitutional barriers wisely erected between State and Federal authority would melt away in the presence of such an awful calamity, and the mighty arm of the Na- tion would be invoked to help end the com- mon peril to every interest. And yet this imaginary case is an actual one with the best and purest fuel of the coun- try, equal probably in quantity and value for heat, light and power to all of our coal resources. This blazing zone of destruc- tion extends in a broad band from the Lakes to the Gulf, and westward to the Pa- cific, embracing in its flaming pathway the most precious fuel possessions of a conti- nent. No one can even approximate the extent of this waste. From personal knowl- edge of conditions which exist in every oil and gas field, I am sure the quantity will amount to not less than one billion cubic feet daily, and it may be much more. The heating value of a billion cubic feet of nat- ural gas is roughly equivalent to that of one million bushels of coal. What an ap- palling record to transmit to posterity! From one well in eastern Kentucky there poured a stream of gas for a period of 20 years without any attempt to shut it in or utilize it, the output of which, it has been figured, was worth at current prices more than three million dollars. Practically the same conditions characterized the first 25 years of Pennsylvania’s oil and gas history, and the quantity of wasted gas from thou- sands of oil and gas wells in western Penn- sylvania is beyond computation. In my own state of West Virginia, only eight years ago, not less than 500 million cubic feet of this precious gas was daily escaping into the air from two counties alone, prac- tically all of which was easily preventable, y a moderate expenditure for additional casing. When it is remembered that one thousand cubic feet of natural gas weighs THE GOVERNORS’ CONFERENCE 309 48 pounds, and that 6,000 cubic feet of it would yield a 42-gallon barrel of oil when condensed, so that-a well flowing 6,000,000 feet of gas is pouring into the air daily the equivalent of 1,000 barrels of oil, what would our petroleum kings think, if they could see this river of oil (for the equiva- lent of a billion feet of gas is more than 160,000 barrels of petroleum, and of prac- tically the same chemical composition as benzine, or gasolene) rushing unhindered to the sea? Would they not spend millions to check such a frightful waste of this golden fluid? And would they not be the first to appeal to the national government for aid in ending such great destruction of property? And yet because natural gas is invisible, and its waste is not so apparent to the eye as a stream of oil, or a burning coal mine, the agents of these oil magnates have not only permitted this destruction of the nation’s fuel resources to continue, but they have prevented by every means in their power the enactment of any legislation to stop this frightful loss of the best and purest fuel that nature has given to man. There can be no doubt that for every barrel of oil taken from the earth there have been wasted more than ten times its equivalent in either heating power, or weight even, of this the best of all the fuels, and also that much more than half of this frightful waste could have been avoided by proper care in oil production and slight ad- ditional expenditures. In justice to the great oil-producing cor- porations, it must be seknowtedeet that they have not permitted much waste of pe- troleum except what has been sprayed into the air by their awful waste of gas, and also that their handling of petroleum has been from the beginning a model of busi- ness economy and management. The great mistake of the oil producing interests has been in not properly apprehending the enor- mous fuel value of the natural gas they were destroying, and in not demanding leg- islation for its protection instead of suc- cessfully throttling and preventing it in every state of the Union except one—In- diana. When the people of that great state awoke to the fact that their richest min- eral possession was being rapidly wasted, they rose to the occasion, and although it was largely a case of “locking the stable door after the horse had been stolen,” they effectually prevented any further useless waste of natural gas. This Indiana statute which has been declared constitutional b our highest courts, says in effect to the oil producers—‘You cannot take the oil from the ground where nature has safely stored it, until you provide a method of utilizing the accompanying gas, or volatile oil as well,” and it also says to both the producer and consumer of natural gas, that it is against “public policy to waste this val- uable fuel and that it will not be permitted to either party.” This Indiana statue for the conservation of petroleum and natural gas should be enacted into law in every 310 state where this precious fuel exists; and why has it not been done? Let the answer be found in the history of my state, where the waste of natural gas has been exceeded only by that of our sister state of Penn- sylvania. For ten years your speaker has appealed in his official capacity as State Geologist to the Legislature of West Virginia to put some check upon this frightful waste of our State’s most valuable resource. Three pa- triotic Governors, including our present able executive, Governor Dawson, have in every biennial message besought the Legis- lative branch to end this criminal destruc- tion by appropriate legislation, but some unseen power greater than Governors or Legislatures has so far thwarted and pal- sied every effort to save the state and the Nation this priceless heritage of fuel, so that although five successive Legisla- tures have attempted to deal with the ques- tion in biennial sessions not an effective line has yet been added to the statutes, and at this very hour not less than 250 million cubic feet of gas, and possibly more than double that quantity, is daily being wasted in this one state alone, 80 per cent of which is easily and cheaply preventable. Why should a few oil producers in their insane haste to get rich quickly, or add to fortunes already swollen beyond safety to the Republic be permitted thus to despoil the entire country of its choicest fuel? But surely if men have thus permitted the loss of our gaseous fuels, often because they could neither see the substance itself nor realize the extent of what they were doing, certainly they would not be so waste- ful of the solid fuels, the coal beds, some- thing they can readily perceive and handle and weigh. The record here is also one to make every citizen of our Nation feel dis- tressed and humiliated, for of the total quantity of coal we have produced since mining for commercial purposes began, amounting to about five billion tons, at least an equal amount and possibly more, has been left in abandoned mines, and irretriev- ably lost. You who are unacquainted with the details of mining operations, and of the structure of coal beds, will doubtless won- der how such a vast loss of fuel could take place. There are many causes for the ex- istence of this enormous waste in the ex- traction of coal. Let me enumerate a few of them. First: The individual coal bed is not all pure coal and this is especially true if it be very thick. Some of it consists of layers of sulphurous or bony coal, rich in carbon, it is true, but containing more ash, sulphur, or earthy material than first-class coal should hold: hence the purchaser objects, and refuses his patronage to the party who sends him coal that is high in ash. There being no market for such coals, the opera- tor leaves this kind of fuel unmined if it be in either the roof or bottom of his coal bed, and if it be interstratified with the pure coal, as it frequently is, he simply FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION June throws it along with other mine refuse into the gob heaps within the mine, or piles it in the hillocks of culm containing shale, clay, and other waste material at the en- trance. The quantity of this impure coal varies from Io to 50 per cent in nearly every coal bed, and it would possibly average 25 cent in all the mines of the country. This material is rich in carbon, both fixed and volatile, and when utilized through the agency of producer gas, and the gas engine, will yield much more power than the same weight of the best Cardiff or Pocahontas coal when the steam engine is the agency of conversion. Why should our great man- ufacturing companies permit one-fourth of our entire coal resources to be thus wasted and permanently lost, when the researches of the Technical Branch of the United States Geological Survey have fully demon- strated the practicability of converting these impure coals into great sources of power? If in all new installations provision were made for the use of gas engines, a large portion of these impure coals could be util- ized, and our purer types of fuel preserved for other purposes. Second: In the mining of coal it is nec- essary to support the overlying strata over large areas of the mine in order that the coal may be even partially taken out, and hence it is the common mining practice tem- porarily to utilize about 50 per cent of the solid coal itself, in the shape of supporting pillars for the protection of roadways, air courses, working rooms, etc. On account of accidents, like falling roof _ rock, “squeezes,” “creeps,” “crushes,” mistakes in mine engineering, bad roof, and other causes, many of these huge pillars are fre- quently submerged and surrounded with broken rock material, and thus another large portion of every coal bed, the quan- tity varying from Io to 50 per cent, is ut- terly lost, so that approximately 25 per cent more of the nation’s coal resources is wast- ed from these, largely preventable causes. With 50 per cent of our coal left in the abandoned mines, from which it can never be recovered, except at enormous expense, one would think that the end had come to wanton destruction of our coal resources, but not so. A third means and one of unknown ex- tent has yet to be considered. Some of the impure layers of coal may have a still larger percentage of earthy matter, and then they become partings of shale, the fossil muds and soils borne into and spread over the ancient peat bogs by the draining streams of geologic time. ‘These partings vary in thickness from a few inches to several feet. When thin, and not exceed- ing 6 to 12 inches, the usual mining prac- tice is to take them out and secure the coal, but where they attain a thickness of 18 to 24 inches their removal entails too much expense for the production of bituminous coal under present, commercial conditions, and hence the parting is not removed and 1908 the underlying or overlying coal, as the case may be, is left in the mine, usually in such a condition as to be practicably irre- coverable. These parting shales often occur near the middle of the coal seam, and thus one-half of the bed will remain buried in mine rubbish, with no possibility of ever se- curing its precious fuel. Very much akin to this is another kind of waste about which we as yet cannot even approximate the extent. It is well known that in very rich coal fields several (3 to 10) beds may overlie each other in the same mountain, separated by from five to 200 feet of rock material. It often happens that the thickest and best of the beds may underlie all the others, and hence will be, the first one mined, regardless of the fact that when the overlying strata break down, some and pos- sibly several of the higher coal beds will be so dislocated and disturbed and their areas so permeated with deadly gases from the . abandoned mines below that much of this higher coal will be lost. Just how much no one yet knows, but it is feared that the fuel waste from this source will prove large. Of course nearly all this loss could be pre- vented by mining the higher beds first. An- other deadly peril to deep coal mining is an incident of oil and gas production. Many thousands of holes have been drilled through the coal measures to reach the pro- ductive oil and gas zones below. Very many of them have found only natural gas, and unless the well was very large or a profitable market near at hand, the casing has been drawn and the well abandoned. It is greatly feared that, in such cases, an- other great menace will be added to the coal mining industry, since these abandoned oil and gas wells, which penetrate the coal measures, are numbered by the thousand, and no accurate public charts of the same have ever been kept. The same story of waste of fuel comes from every mining center. The experts of the United States Geological Survey report the quantity of fuel left unmined in the ground all the way from 40 to 70 per cent of the total deposits. I shall not worry you with details from all over the country, but shall illustrate the rapid exhaustion of our fields by special reference to one great dis- trict with which many of you are person- ally familiar. The mining of bituminous coal, and the manufacturing industries dependent there- on, originated at Pittsburg only about a century ago, and her citizens, as well as all others, may learn a useful lesson by recall- ing the history of this beginning. The earliest settlers found there cropping high in the steep hills which border the Monon- gahela River a thick bed of splendid coal. As roadways could not be constructed to the inaccessible cliffs where the coal was first discovered, some other method of se- curing it was necessary. At that time the American bison, or buf- falo, roamed the vast plains of the middle West in countless millions, and these ani- THE GOVERNORS’ CONFERENCE 311 mals were so abundant even in the Pitts- burg region that their skins were used for conveying the coal from the mines to the factories in the deep valley below, a few bushels of coal being sewed up in each hide and then rolled down the steep slopes. To our forefathers the supply of buffalo ap- peared “inexhaustible,” and yet less than a century of wanton slaughter has practically exterminated this noble animal. This pass- ing of the buffalo illustrates in a striking way what will just as surely happen to vast areas of our fuel resources, great as they are, even within the limits of the present century, unless our people awaken to what they are doing and make a determined ef- fort to stop their destruction. The people generally have been so often told of their “inexhaustible” supplies of fuel that its waste has not impressed them as a problem worthy of serious thought. They have gen- erally believed that its exhaustion was so remote that its consideration even con- cerned the present only in an academic way. Let us see about that. We shall take for our illustration the Appalachian coal field, which is conceded by all to be the richest in fuel of any on the continent. It is also the most important to the welfare of the country, since it is nearest the seaboard and contains the vast bulk of our good coking coals upon which our pre-eminence in the iron and steel industry depends. With the exception of a few narrow strips close to regions of rock disturbance or folding in our Western country, no first-class coking coals have yet been discovered in the United States outside of this Appalachian Basin. It has long been recognized by all that the Pittsburg district is located in the heart of the Appalachian field, where fuel of every description is most abundant and most accessible. You will pardon a per- sonal reminiscence which illustrates how an eminent political economist regarded this favored region. It was my good fortune to accompany the lamented Blaine, one of the greatest statesmen that America has ever produced, up the beautiful Monongahela River the last time that he visited his boy- hood’s home, 20 years ago. He had ac- quired 1,100 acres of Pittsburg coal lands in the vicinity of Elizabeth, about 22 miles above Pittsburg, and the party stopped there a few hours to permit Mr. Blaine to examine his property, which he termed his “savings bank,” since he had acquired it by the occasional purchase of small farms dur- ing a period of several years. Being curi- ous to know why he had made an invest- ment of this kind. so far removed from his home in Maine, I asked him how it hap- pened. His reply impressed me deeply be- cause it contained a prophecy. He said that cheap fuel was the most important element in the life of nations, and that in looking the country over he had concluded that there was more of it easily accessible to the Pittsburg region than in any other por- tion of the country, and hence the Pittsburg district would sometime become the man- 312 ufacturing center of the world, and there- fore that investments in its coal fields could not fail to prove remunerative. The proph- ecy of that far-seeing statesman was ful- filled much sooner than even he expeced, since Pittsburg has certainly held first place among the workshops of the world for the last ten years. It is not generally known that the tonnage originating in the Pitts- burg district and passing through it now exceeds that of the four greatest seaport cities of the world, London, New York, Liverpool, and Hamburg combined, so that not only Pennsylvania but every State in the Nation is interested in perpetuating as long as possible this empire of industry which our wonderful natural resources and the genius of the American people have conquered. How long can we hope to main- tain this industrial supremacy in the iron and steel business of the world? Just so long as the Appalachian coal field shall con- tinue to-furnish cheap fuel and no longer. If the wasteful methods of the past are to continue; if the flames of 35,000 coke ovens are to continue to make the sky lurid within sight of the city of Pittsburg, consuming with frightful speed one-third of the power and half of the values locked up in her priceless supplies of coking coal, the pres- ent century will see the termination of this supremacy. Many of you may not credit this statement, so let us do some figuring on the matter as an aid in forecasting the future. All will admit that no portion of the Appalachian field is richer in fuel re- sources than the Pittsburg district, and if we can estimate approximately how long its fuel will last we will have gauged, in a rough way. the productive life of the Ap- palachian field. The Pittsburg Coal Company owned on January I, 1908, according to its recent an- nual report, 143,000 acres of the Pittsburg coal bed, or practically one-seventh of the entire acreage of this famous seam remain- ing yet unmined in Pennsylvania. During the year it exhausted 2,241 acres, obtaining therefrom for all purposes 18,000,000 tons of coal, or an average of 8,000 tons to the acre, leaving in the ground about 5,000 tons per acre of waste and unmined coal. Hence this average of 8,000 tons may be taken as a measure of the total amount of first-class fuel that will be won. under present mining methods from each acre of Pittsburg coal yet remaining unmined in the Pittsburg dis- trict. In 1906 Pennsylvania produced 109 mil- lion tons of bituminous coal, 84 millions of which came from the five counties of Alle- gheny, Fayette, Greene, Washington and Westmoreland, which hold practically all of Pennsylvania’s Pittsburg coal area. In 1907 Pennsylvania produced 129 million tons of bituminous coal, and in the absence of exact statistics it is safe to say that at least 100 million tons of this product came from the five counties in question, and not less than 95 million tons of it from the Pittsburg seam. FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION June There remains unmined in Pennsylvania only eleven hundred thousand acres of this great coal bed or a total available product of eighty-eight hundred million tons of coal, measured by the quantity (8,000 tons per acre), obtained by the best mining methods of a great corporation during 1907. Eighty- eight hundred million divided by 95 million yields a quotient of only 93 as the number of years this fuel in the Pittsburg seam will _ last if the present annual production should not be increased by a single ton. But who is there to say that it will not be doubled even within the next decade? The West Virginia productive area of this great bed is only about the same as that of Pennsylvania, so that this contiguous re- gion can add only a few years to the life of the Pittsburg coal production. It may be replied that the Allegheny series of coals which underlie the Pitts- burg bed may add greatly to the fuel re- sources of the Pittsburg district. This is an error, as the coals in the Allegheny and Conemaugh series appear to thin away and disappear as commercial propositions when they pass beneath the principal areas of the Pittsbburg coal, while the active de- mand for coal at the seaboard will exhaust all of the productive areas of these lower and thinner coals with our present waste- ful mining methods, even before the Pitts- burg bed fails. The productive coal area of the Appa- lachian basin has been greatly over-esti- mated in every one of the six great states through which it passes from Pennsylva- nia to Alabama. The drill of the seeker for petroleum and natural gas, while it has wasted untold millions of precious fuel, has taught one useful lesson, viz: that there is a wide area, 50 to 75 miles in breadth deep down in the center of the Appalachian basin, that is practically barren of commer- cial coal. This barren region begins with the lower measures just north from Pitts- burg, and embracing large portions of the former supposed coal fields of both Ohio and West Virginia, passes southwestward into Kentucky, having a breadth of 25 miles where it enters that state. To what extent the productive area of Kentucky, Tennessee, and Alabama will be affected by the southward extension of this barren belt, which has already cut the for- mer estimates of Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West Virginia in half, we do not yet know, but certain it is that all the great coal formations, instead of holding productive coal entirely across this basin, as formerly supposed, are productive only as fringes 20 to 30 miles in breadth around the borders of the basin, while the great central trough is practically destitute of valuable coal. Hence, with only a reasonable estimate for increased coal production, if the present wasteful mining methods continue, there will be but little coal for manufacturing purposes within 100 miles of Pittsburg at 1908 the opening of the next century, and prac- tically no cheap fuel left in the entire Ap- palachian basin with which to maintain our supremacy in the iron and steel trade of the world. The prospect is not a pleasing one to con- template. That celebrated word picture of Lord Macaulay in which he describes a future traveler as standing on a broken arch of London bridge, in the midst of a vast solitude, sketching the ruins of St. Paul’s, may find its substantial counterpart much nearer home than we could wish. True, the natural wealth of our beloved Union is so great and varied; our riches of soil, of forest, and stream are so vast, if preserved, and their boundless possibilities thoroughly utilized, that we would prob- ably have the advantage of all other nations in the struggle for existence even after our fuel resources have been exhausted; but this is no reason why we should not do everything possible to conserve them so that we may retain, to a remote future, the great benefits which their possession as- sures. Honorable Governors of the several states, the questions involved in this dis- cussion are those in which you and your constituents are most vitally interested. Our patriotic President, ever watchful of the Nation’s welfare, and of the people’s inter- ests, ever alert to guard against dangers from without, or the more insidious foes that would betray the people’s liberties from within, has summoned you to a conference more important to the future of our great Republic than any council that has ever before met in the history of our country. Our honored President would protect this Nation not alone from perils on the ocean, but from the graver ones on land. The dangers that confront us on the Pacific as well as upon the Atlantic are serious and of far-reaching importance to the future of our country, and the people’s President, under whose wise administration there is happily no North, no South, no East, no West; to whom in his official capacity the rights of all citizens, whether rich or poor, white or black, look alike, will be sustained by a united country in the request which he has made of Congress to provide “big sticks” in the shape of an adequate navy for both oceans as the surest and best guar- antee of either peace or respect from the other nations of the earth. But the dangers that confront the great Republic from abroad are as nothing compared to the perils that lurk in the shadows at home. What will it profit this Nation to have won the wreath of industrial supremacy if in our thirst for gold and sudden riches we permit corporate greed, as well as individual avar- ice and selfishness, to waste and devastate . the very sources of our prosperity? For just as sure as the sun shines, and the sum of two and two is four, unless this insane riot of destruction and waste of our fuel resources, which has characterized the past THE GOVERNORS’ CONFERENCE 313 century, shall be speedily ended, our indus- trial power and supremacy will, after a me- teor-like existence, revert before the close of the present century to those nations that conserve and prize at their proper value their priceless treasures of carbon. Whatever is possible in the shape of leg- islation for the protection of our fuel re- sources should be done by the individual states which you represent. Twenty-nine of the 46 states of the Union produce coal, and 24 of these produce more than a million tons annually, while practically the same number produce vast quantities of both pe- troleum and natural gas. The percentage of coal left in the ground beyond recovery, as we have seen, varies from 40 to 70 in the different fields, to say nothing of the waste- ful and extravagant use of the portion ex- tracted, while the waste of natural gas, the most precious fuel of all, is so vast that no one can even approximate the percentage. The task before you and your constituencies is indeed formidable. The forces of greed and selfishness are so intrenched behind corporate power and influence that to attack them may often appear to you as useless as the labors of Sisyphus. But as you love your states and country, I adjure you to take up this fight for the conservation of our fuel resources, with the determination never to surrender until the forces of greed and avorice, which are so rapidly sapping the very foundations of our country’s great- ness, capitulate and agree to end the wild riot of destruction that has characterized the past. Mr. President, I greatly regret that the part assigned me in this discussion has led along such unpleasant lines. The story of the awful waste of our most valuable nat- ural resources is one of such a disgraceful character that its exposition to the world is necessarily mortifying to all patriotic Americans; but a sense of duty to our common country compels that the truth be told, however humiliating to our national pride. This conference will not have met in vain if it shall result in awakening public sentiment to the peril which overshadows the Republic in this uncontrolled waste and dissipation of our fuel resources. These eminent Governors, whom you have sum- moned to hear this narrative of rapine and devastation, to many of whom the story is new and almost unbelievable, owe you a debt of gratitude which they can only ade- quately repay by arousing the citizens in their respective states to such a realization of the gravity of the dangers which follow in the wake of unbridled waste that what- ever is possible for legislation may be speed- ily enacted into law. Forewarned is fore- armed, and this conference, which has brought together so many influential citi- zens from every state in the Union, should not fail to be productive of untold good to the Nation’s future. 314 General discussion of Mr. White’s paper was opened by Mr. John Mitch- ell, for years, and until last January, president of the United Mine Work- ers of America. Mr. Mitchell has long been known as an eloquent and forcible speaker and writer upon mat- ters connected with coal, mining oper- ations, and mineral fuel supplies, and his brief paper was the statement of a man who has during his life been in actual, close touch with all sides of this most important question. Mr. Mitchell took issue with those experts who state that one-half the coal of our mines is lost through wasteful or unscientific mining opera- tions. He stated, however, that his personal observation led him to be- lieve that fully twenty-five per cent of the coal was so wasted beyond recoy- ery—through difficult physical charac- teristics of some of the formations, through pillaring the workings with solid coal for the support of the roofs of tunnels and other workings, through cave-ins, and through the shunning of veins of low-grade coal. Mines oper- ated under any of these faulty condi- tions, he stated, were, when worked out, left to cave in, and thus the coal remaining in them was permanently lost. He stated that large coal consum- ing corporations in America pay about a dollar a ton, at the mines, for their coal supplies, while like corporations in other countries are forced to pay from $2 to $3 per ton for their fuel supplies. He said that, while it is vi- tally important to our industrial well being that large manufacturing con- -cerns be furnished their coal supply at a cost sufficiently low to enable them to compete with manufacturers in other countries, still, in view of the tremendous waste of energy that ac- companies the use of cheap fuel, the conclusion is inevitable that this very cheapness is as extravagance, and not an economy. [Illustrating this point, he stated that the cheapness of fuel led to improper firing and the use of imperfect furnaces, the result being that three tons of coal are consumed FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION June in creating the power that under proper conditions would be generated by a single ton. Touching on the shocking loss of life that accompanies coal mining operations in the United States, Mr. Mitchell stated that for every 100,000 tons of coal produced in this country one mine worker is killed and several are injured. Last year, he said, 2,500 coal miners were killed and more than 6,000 were seriously injured in the coal mines of the United States; and he stated that in the foreign coun- tries, where mining is most hazard- ous, the proportion of those killed to those employed in the mines is from fifty to seventy-five per cent less than in the United States. In conclusion Mr. Mitchell said: “In our mad rush for spoils and profits we not only waste and destroy those ma- terial resources with which God has so bountifully endowed us, but we press for- ward in the race, sacrificing, unnecessarily, the lives and the comfort of our fellow beings. It seems to me that the time has come when we should stop for a moment and think—not alone of those inanimate things that make for comfort and pros- perity, but also of the men, and the women, and the children, whose toil and deprivation have made and will continue to make our country and our people the most progres- sive and the most intelligent of all the na- tions and of all the peoples of the earth.” At the conclusion of Mr. Mitchell’s talk, Governor John A. Johnson, of Minnesota, who had arisen to make a motion, was urged to the platform, and his extemporaneous talk was lis- tened to with deep interest, outbursts of vigorous, applause punctuating his speech at frequent intervals. Governor Johnson announced that his real purpose in arising was to ask the Conference to listen to Dr. Charles R. Van Hise; but the Conference was not minded to let the Minnesotan off without a speech after he had arisen. Governor Johnson said: “T have been very seriously impressed in the few hours during which we have been together. It seems to me that if all that has been said is fact, and I assume it to be fact, that the sun of American prosperity has reached the zenith, and that the shad- 1908 ows are beginning to find their places on the other side of the hill. When I realize that this is going to make no particular difference to us of this generation, the great patriotic duty devolves upon us, and upon the people of the country as a whole, to do that which is going to work out some solution of the various problems for the future, whether it be one hundred or two hundred years hence.” Referring to Mr. Carnegie’s statement in regard to the approaching exhaustion of iron ore beds, Governor Johnson said: “T am rather inclined to contradict some of the statements that have been made, if I might be permitted to do so. I am rather a stranger in the realm of iron to contra- dict any opinion Mr. Carnegie may have. Certainly he ought to know as much on this subject as any other man in the country, except, possibly, Mr. Hill, who I am sure will be glad to take issue with him on cer- tain things. * * * I think some eight or ten years ago Mr. Schwab, who was con- nected with all of the companies in which Mr. Carnegie was interested, said on the stand that there was something like a bil- lion tons of ore in the Mesaba region. Mr. Carnegie says it is a billion and a half tons. I am sure that if there has been a growth of half a billion tons in eight or ten years, there is little necessity for conservation of that natural resource.” (Laughter and ap- plause.) “In the long run the problem with us is going to be—is even now—an engineering porblem. If you will notice on the map, the Father of Waters, the Mississippi, runs al- most to the very outer western edge of Lake Superior. The Government has paid out sixty-odd millions of dollars to improve ' Superior, Huron and the other Great Lakes. I think less than seventy millions of dollars have been invested there, and with this ex- penditure the Government’s engineers have made out of the lake system the greatest commercial waterway in the world. There is nothing like it. Now, if seventy millions of dollars will make out of the lakes such a commercial waterway, what would a few millions, intelligently used, amount to if Lake Michigan, from its southern extrem- ity, were canalized into the Mississippi; if Lake Superior were canalized into the up- per portion of the Mississippi, and if the Mississippi were improved? We would be given such a power of distribution as we have never had, and with us this is, after all, the great problem. It seems there are two problems here—not only the conserva- tion of our natural resources, but the de- velopment of our industries—and one is just as important’ as the other. I do not believe the American people want to lock up the iron mines; I do not think they want to lock up the industries of the Middle West or of the country. I believe that what they want is the true, scientific devel- opment of all of these resources and indus- THE GOVERNORS’ CONFERENCE 315 tries; and with such development the fu- ture will come pretty near taking care of itself.” Governor Johnson then asked the Conference to listen to Dr. Van Hise, president of the National Association of Universities, and for many years connected with the United States Geo- logical Survey. Dr. Van Hise said: According to Dr. C. K. Leith the known iron ore resources of the Lake Superior region are about 1,900,000,000 long tons, bearing fifty per cent or more metallic iron. According to Dr. E. C. Eckel the known iron ore reserves of the Southern Appa- lachians are 2,500,000,000 long tons, bearing thirty-three per cent to fifty per cent metal- lic iron. ‘Taking into account the ditfer- ence in metallic content, the amount of iron in the known high grade ores is about the same in each of the two regions. While these two regions contain the great Inown reserves of iron ore in the United States, the known reserves of the central and east- ern states are not unimportant. Also the known reserves of the western states are large, although not to be compared with those of the Lake Superior region or the South. While the amount of iron ore which has heen mined in the United States has been rapidly decreasing during the past twenty- five years, rising from 8,400,000 long tons in 1883 to 48,907,900 long tons for i907. the discovery of new deposits has gone on at even a more rapid rate, so that it 15 certain that for the Lake Superior and the South- ern Appalachian regions, together as well as separately, more iron ore is now known to exist than at any previous time in the history of the country. If the grade of what is called iron ore for the Lake Superior region should be dropped from fifty per cent to forty per cent—and some material is already mined which runs between these figures—the amount of reserves would be enormously increased. But no quantitative statement can be made at the present time in réfer- ence to additions which would be thus available. Also, in the Southern Appalachians, Eckel estimates that the probable amount of iron ore which will become known in the future by deep mining—that is, below the thou- sand foot level—especially if the percentage of metallic iron be somewhat lowered, will greatly exceed the present known reserves. Indeed, he suggests that future develop- ment along this line may amount to three times as much as the present estimated re- serves, or 7,500,000,000 tons. This forecast may be too sanguine, and is admittedly more or less conjectural. However, it can hardly be doubted that the quantity of iron ore to become known in the future in the south is enormous. 316 In considering the material available to the United States we should take account of the supplies in adjacent countries. Mex- ico is as yet very imperfectly explored. In Canada there are vast areas of wholly un- explored territory. In Cuba, examinations made by Spencer show that the known re- serves of iron ore of fair metallic content are very large, and some of the more ex- tensive of these deposits are already con- trolled by United States capital. Of the South American iron ore resources we are as yet very imperfectly informed. While the additions to the known re- serves of iron ore available to the United States, which are to be made by discoveries 1 the western United States, in Canada, in Mexico, in Cuba, ar * ‘n South America, are uncertain, it is hardly possible that the amount will not be very important; but as vet there is no reason to suppose that dis- coveries in any of these countries, with the possible exception of Cuba, will reveal iron ore deposits comparable in importance to the Lake Superior and the Southern Ap- palachian districts. From the foregoing facts it appears prob- able that for some years to come iron ore available in the United States will continue to be discovered more rapidly than it is ex- ploited, and consequently the total known reserves will increase rather than decrease. Hence the crest for known iron ore re- serves of high grade may therefore be some years in the future. While, therefore, it is safe to say that the available high grade iron ore will be ade- quate for possibly a century, even if the rate of production further greatly increases, it is to be remembered that as the percent- age of iron ore goes down a larger amount of coal is required to obtain a ton of metal- lic iron, and, therefore, in proportion as our rich ores are exhausted, the draft will be- come steadily heavier upon the most im- pee of the underground resources— uel. Turning now to another metal, copper, so far as I know there has been no systematic attempt to estimate the copper reserves, but it is safe to say that the known reserves of high grade copper are at the present time very much less than they were some years ago. It is true that the copper product of the United States, as well as that of the world, has steadily increased for many years until 1906, when maxima of 410,000 long tons for the United States and 705,000 long tons for the world were reached. The vear 1907 shows a falling off from these figures of between 9,000 and 10,000 tons for the United States and between 7,000 and 8,000 for the world. Whether this check is temporary is uncertain, but it suggests that ‘f we have not already reached the crest of production for copper we are nearing it. Indeed the rapid annual increase in the out- put of copper for the past dozen years has only been accomplished by the exploitation FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION June of increasingly lower grade ores. At the present time it is clear that the crest of known reserves of high grade copper ore has been passed. However, as in the case of iron, the extent of the low grade mate- rials is very imperfectly known, and in the future for a time the output may remain as great as in the past, provided sufficiently low grade ores be worked. But with refer- ence to copper, as with reference to iron, it is to be remembered that the lower the grade of ore the more it costs to produce a pound of metal, and therefore that, as the grade of the ore decreases, the price of the copper must rise. Those who are familiar with the situation know that in any of the great camps, upon the average, it costs nore to make a pound of copper than it did a few years ago. For lead and zinc, gold and silver, it -is not possible to make statements even as definite as those concerning copper. ‘These metals are usually developed in the mines only to a limited degree in advance of their exploitation. Therefore there never have heen at any one time in many years reserves of the ores of lead and zinc, of gold and silver in sight. There are no great known reserves for those metals in the sense that reserves are known for j-%» ore. However, exploration and exploitation have gone on together with the result that there has been a steadily increasing output of these metals both for the United States and for the world. Indeed the increase for the last twenty-five years has been remarkable. The percentages of increase for 1907, as com- pared with 1883, twenty-five years previous. ly, are as follows: For lead, 150 per cent; for zinc, 537 per cent; for gold, 62.9 per cent; for silver, 21.8 per cent. Apparently the maximum output for none of these metals has been reached, with the exception of silver, which with the United States has been nearly horizontal for about fifteen years, and for the world has somewhat declined for the last half dozen years, as compared with the previous period of the same length. How long we may expect an increase in the output of lead, zinc and gold is uncertain, but, as in the case of copper, it may be said that the maintaining of an increasing output for the United States and for .. world has only been possible by utilization of lower grade ores. It is a very conservative statement to make that during the last half century from the earth there have been taken morc of our metallic wealth than during all the previous history of its exploitation. Jor some of the metals we may illustrate the marvelous increase since 1850: From 1810 to 1853 the amount of iron ore exploited in the United States is estimated at 4,500,000 long tons; from 1854 to 1907, more than 640,000,000 long tons. The pig iron product of the world from 1500 to 1908 1850, 350 years, is estimated at about 125,- 000,000 metric tons; from 1850 to 1906, 56 years, at I,1I3,000,000 metric tons, or about nine times as great. In the case of copper the amount which was taken out before 1850 in the United States is inconsiderable, but in 1906 it reached fifty-eight per cent of the world’s production. For the first half of the nine- teenth century the copper production of the world was 831,400 long tons, and for the second half 8,675,899 long tons, or more than ten times as much. The gold production of the world from 1493 to 1850, 358 years, is estimated at 152,- 779,050 fine ounces, and from 1851 to 1907 at 405,075,135 ounces, or about three times as much. The increase in the amount of silver mined was not so great as for gold. The estimated silver product from 1493 to 1850, 358 years, is 4,816,939,012 fine ounces, and from I85I to 1907, 58 years, 5,166,804,675 fine ounces. The above figures illustrate the point that the exploitation of the base metals, iron, copper, lead, and zinc, was relatively unim- portant until the middle of the last century, whereas in the case of the noble metals the amounts exploited before 1850 were import- ant. So far as the progress of the world is concerned, there is no question that the base metals are of immeasurably greater consequence than the noble metal.s Statements similar to those concerning the base metals may be made even more emphatically in reference to coal. Illus- trative of this in the United States, the coal production of the year 1856 was 12,293,- 000 metric tons, whereas for 1907 it was about 492,000,000 metric tons, or more than thirty-three times as great. Similar, al- though perhaps not so striking, figures might be given for other countries; so that it is safe to say that the amount of coal ex- ploited in the last half century for the world is several times as great as the amount mined during all previous time. The above statistics show that during the last half century our metallic resources and coal have been drawn upon at a rate which has never before been dreamed of. This revolution has been largely due to the rise of applied science and its application to machinery and transportation. If instead of the last half century the last quarter century only were considered, the enormous drafts upon our metallic resources would seem even more startling. During this period the total value of the annual metallic product of the United States has increased from about $447,000,000 to over $2,000,000,000 or more than four times. Since the great acceleration in the ex- ploitation of our metallic resources has occurred so recently, the yardstick with which we are to project into the future is very short. We do not know whether the acceleration of exploitation of the past THE GOVERNORS’ CONFERENCE the 317 few years will be continued at the same rate, but it seems rather probable that the time is near at hand when the speed of ac- celeration will lessen. But whatever we may conclude in reference to this matter, we cannot doubt that for many years to come the amount of metals extracted for any one decade will exceed that of the pre- vious decade—that is, that the acceleration will proceed at some rate. Also it has been seen that while an approximate estimate can be made of the reserves which are yet to be developed or discovered in unexplored territory. Hence it is impossible to make any definite forecasts as to the time when ores of any given metal will be exhausted. Upon the whole, the foregoing very brief review of the situation does not warrant such extremely pessimistic views as have sometimes been stated in reference to our reserves of iron, lead, copper, zinc, gold, and silver. It is rather probable that we of this generation shall not see any great shortage of these metals. The same may be true for the next generation; but even the most sanguine calculation cannot hold out the hope that the available high grade ores of iron, copper, lead, zinc, gold, and silver, at the present rate of exploitation, will last for centuries into the future. And what are one or two centuries compared with the expected future life of the Nation? But it may be said that when the metallic ores are mined and reduced the metals are but put into a more available form. In short, that they are capitalized. This is true in large measure for all the metals. It may be very well illustrated by the world supply of gold, now in the treasuries of the banks and circulation among the people, es- timated at about $7,000,000,000. However, it is plain that with the baser metals, lead, zinc, copper, and iron, we are very careless in preserving the existing accumulations. These materials are so handled that the yearly losses are very great. By care and economy the losses could be immensely re- duced and thus our capital of metals kept in a relatively unimpaired condition. Certain it is that it took the building of the world, involving concentration and re- concentration of the metals, to produce the ore deposits. The process of their forma- tion is so slow that so far as we are con- cerned it may be ignored. We and our des- cendents are in the position of a man who has in the bank a definite amount of money upin which he may draw during his life- time. He may be more or less ignorant of the amount which is available in the bank, as we are ignorant of the amount of metal- lic ores available in the bank of the earth. It is therefore plainly our duty in exploit- ing the metal ores to do this in such a fashion that the reserves of lower grade products not now available because of market conditions may in the future be ex- ploited. Also it is plainly our duty to use met- 318 als which have been mined and reduced in such a way that the yearly loss shall be as small as possible. In short, we should keep the capital as nearly unimpaired as practicable. These two duties are plainly before this generation. If they are disregarded our descendants will charge us with wanton ex- travagance. We shall be in the position of a father who has wasted his patrimony and left a diminished estate to his son. Following a brief .discussion in re- gard to points of procedure, during which the suggestion was made that, Governor Burke, of South Dakota, be made honorary secretary of the Con- ference, Mr. John Hays Hammond, the celebrated mining engineer, who has the distinction of being the highest salaried private individual in the world, addressed the Conference on the ore and mineral deposits of the country. Mr. Hammond said: “What has been said of the danger of the rapid depletion of the iron and coal de- posits, is applicable, mutatis mutandis, to the other mineral deposits of the country. “In common with every other national in- dustry, that of mining is vitally concerned in the conservation of our natural resources. These discussions show conclusively the in- terdependence of our national industries. The exploitation of our mines depends, chiefly, upon the costs of labor, power, and supplies; and these costs are determined by the economies attending the development of our other natural resources. Thus, the cost of mining-labor is dependent upon the ex- penses of living; the cost of power, upon the cost of fuel or the cost of power hydro- electrically generated; and lastly, the cost of supplies depends upon the cost of their production. Therefore, upon the economies effected in the other national industries, de- pends, reciprocally, the cost of our mineral products. Now, obviously, the lower the cost of mining, the greater the available ton- nage of products that can be profitably mined. Indeed, in many of our low grade mines, so-called, the margin between profit and loss is so small that any appreciable increase in the cost of mining involves pe- cuniary loss and, consequently, the cessa- tion of operations. Furthermore—and this is important—the mines of this character are those from which the major part of our production is derived. “Tt has, unfortunately, been the popular custom to refer to large deposits of ore’as illimitable and inexhaustible. Such hyper- bole characterizes the description of the fa- mous gold deposits of the Transvaal. Asa matter of fact, we mining engineers know that these exceptionally extensive deposits will practically be exhausted within a cou- FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION June’ ple of decades—certainly within a genera- tion. The ever-increasing rapidity of ex- ° ploitation, consequent upon the exigencies of modern engineering and economic prac- tice, inevitably tends to an alarming diminu- tion of the lives—if I may use that term—of our mineral deposits. The culmination of our mining industry is to be reckoned in de- cades, and its declension, (if not practically its economic exhaustion) in generations, not in centuries. While it is undoubtedly the fact that a very considerable lowering of the working cost, or a _ correspondingly greatly enhanced value of the mineral pro- ducts, would prolong the activity of the mining industry, yet the statement I have made, predicated as it is upon the known mineral deposits, may be regarded as con- servative. Explorations will undoubtedly lead to the finding of new mining fields, but the discovery of the more important de- posits will, in all probability, occur in the comparatively near future. “There is no way of revolutionizing our mining methods to attain better results; but they are susceptible, it is true, of greater improvements, and especially so in the metallurgical processes. But even therein the irreducible minimum is not great. com- pared with the advantage that would result to the mining industry from the conserva- tion of the natural resources of the coun- try. “In striving, as we engineers are doing, to prevent, as it were, the leakage of water through the bung-hole, we see a large vol- ume flowing out through the broken staves at the other end of the barrel. It is for this reason that you may rely upon the hearty co-operation of the miners of our country in your efforts to conserve the Na- tion’s natural resources, and to perpetuate our national supremacy.” Answering calls from every part of the floor, Honorable Elihu Root, Sec- retary of State, extemporaneously ad- dressed the Conference. Secretary Root said in part: “Forty-four sovereign States are repre- sented here, I see by the newspapers; all sovereigns here upon the invitation of the Executive of the sovereign Nation, the United States. No one can over-estimate the importance of maintaining each and every one of the sovereignties of the states (applause), and no one can overestimate the importance of maintaining the sov- ereignty of the Nation. “The Nation cannot perform functions of the state sovereignties. If it were to under- take to perform those functions it would break down. The machinery would not be able to perform the duty. The pressure is already very heavy upon the national ma- chinery. “T feel deeply impressed, however, with ‘1908 the idea that the forty-six sovereign states, in the performance of their duties of gov- ernment, are lagging behind the stage of development which the other sovereignties of the earth have reached. As the popula- tion of our states increases; as the rela- tions between the people of each state and other states grow more frequent, more com- plicated, more important, more intricate, what every state does is most important to the people of every other state. (Ap- plause. ) “Tf you look at the international life of the world you will see that the correspond- ence between the nations is continually in- creasing; not in the letter-writing sense, but in the intercommunication and under- standing of things that they should do in concert for the benefit of all their people. “Scores and hundreds of conferences and congresses are being held under govern- ment auspices to regulate the action of the different nations of the earth. England and France and Germany and Spain, and all the nations of Europe, are considering the conduct of their governments with refer- ence to the effect which their action shall have upon the pecple of each other govern- ment. “Now, the states, in the exercise of their sovereignty, in the exercise of the powers reserved to them, rest under the same kind of duty (applause), a duty that forbids the people of any statc to live unto itself alone. (Applause. ) “The Constitution of the United States prohibits the states from making any agree ment with each other without the consent of Congress; hut you can make any number of agreements with the consent of Con- gress. Why should not the powers that are reserved to the state sovereignties be exer- cised by those sovereignties, with a wise re- gard for the common interest, upon con- ference, upon complete understanding of the duties of good neighborhood, under a firm resolve to make it wholly unnecessary that this continual pressure to force the Na- tional Government into the performance of the duties that the states ought to perform should continue? (Applause.) “I regard this meeting as marking a new departure, the beginning of an era in which THE GOVERNORS’ CONFERENCE ‘ has ever existed before.” 319 the states of the Union will exercise their reserve sovereign powers upon a_ higher plane of patriotism and love of country than (Great applause.) Secretary Root was followed by Sec- retary of the Treasury George B. Cortelyou, who made a few happy re- marks along the line of Mr. Root’s speech. Hon. W. M. O. Dawson, Governor of West Virginia, took the platform at the close of Secretary Cortelyou’s re- marks, and spoke on the necessity of conserving the country’s resources in coal, petroleum, natural gas, etc. He said that no state in the Union can say that its affairs are of importance to no one save the people within its borders. If the people in Missouri are wasting a part of the common heritage of the whole country, he said, the people of West Virginia, as a part of this com- mon country, are interested in seeing that Missouri stops such waste; and, likewise, if West Virginia wastes the natural resources that are the common property of all the people, all the other states are interested in seeing that the waste in West Virginia is ended. After some little discussion it was decided that the Governors, governors’ advisers, members of Congress, mem- bers of the Supreme Court, and mem- bers of the Cabinet be given equal privilege in the matter of being heard, and after a motion to this effect had been made by Governor Blanchard, seconded by Governor Hoch of Kan- sas, and carried, a motion by Gover- nor Hanly of Indiana, to adjourn, closed the first day of the Conference. SECOND DAY’S SESSIONS The morning session of Wednesday, May 14, was called to order at ten o'clock, Governor Johnson, of Minne- sota, taking the chair when President Roosevelt retired. The session was opened with the address by Mr. James J. Hill. Mr. Hill was originally scheduled to read a paper on “Transportation,” and according to the original program his paper was to have been read at the morning session of May 15. This was changed, however, and Mr. Hill’s sub- ject was “The Natural Wealth of the Land.and its Conservation.” It is per- haps not generally known that the great railway magnate is a_ high authority on this subject, and his pa- 320 per, in the breadth of information it displayed, was a surprise to a major- ity of the Conference. Mr. Hill’s pa- per follows: In some respects the occasion that calls to- gether this assemblage is unprecedented. The dignity and public influence of those present as guests and advisors mark its importance. It is in effect a directors’ meeting of the great political and economic corporation known as the United States of America. The stockholders are the 87,000,- co) people of this covntry~ the directors are the state and federal oifiers, whose posi- tion brings them in touch with the operation of the whole country. We should not fail to recognize the high note that has been struck and the influence of the interests involved upon the lives of millions yet to be. * *«* * The two-fold significance of this meeting is found in the comparative novelty of its subject matter and of the method by which it has been approached. The subject is the conservation of our national wealth, and a careful study of our national economic re- sources. Two years ago, in an address delivered before the meeting of the Minnesota State Agricultural Society, at St. Paul, I re- viewed the practical consequences and the statistical proof of that national wasteful- ness which competent scientific authority had already set down as distinguishing the American people. From data of the high- est certainty, no one of which has ever since been called in question, I then fore- cast some of the conditions certain to arise within the next half century, when the pop- ulation of this country will have grown to more than 200,000,000. The facts were pointed out not in the spirit of the alarmist, but in order that attention might be directed to the way by which the Nation may escape future disaster. So rapidly do events move in our time, so swiftly do ideas spread and grasp the public mind, that some policy di- rected to the ends then set forth has already become a National care. It is this policy— the conservation of national resources, the best means of putting an end to the waste of the sources of wealth — which largely forms the subject matter of this Confer- ence. For the first time there is a formal national protest, under seal of the highest authority, against economic waste. * * * “Of all the sinful wasters of man’s in- heritance on earth,” said the late Pro fessor Shaler, “and all are in this regard sinners, the very worst are the people of America.” This is not a popular phrase, but a scientific judgement. It is borne out by facts. In the movement of modern times, which has made the world com- mercially a small place and has produced a solidarity of the races such as never FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION June before existed, we have come to the point where we must to a certain ex- tent regard the natural resources of this planet as a common asset, compare them with demands now made and likely to be made upon them, and study their judicious use. Commerce, wherever un- trammeled, is wiping out boundaries and substituting the world relation of de- mand and supply for smaller systems of local economy. The changes of a single generation have brought the nations of the earth closer together than were the states of this Union at the close of the Civil War. If we fail to consider what we possess of wealth available for the uses of mankind, and to what extent we are wasting a national patrimony that can never be restored, we might be likened to the directors of a company who never examine a balance sheet. The sum of resources is simple and fixed. From the sea, the mine, the forest and the soil must be gathered everything than can sustain the life of man. Upon the wealth that these supply must be conditioned forever, as far as we can see, not only his progress but his continued existence on earth. How stands the in- ventory of property for our own people? The resources of the sea furnish less than five per cent of the food supply, and that is all. The forests of this coun- try, the product of centuries of growth, are fast disappearing. The best esti- mates reckon our standing merchantable timber at less than 2,000,000,000,000 feet. Our annual cut is about 40,000,000,000,000 feet. The lumber cut rose from 18,000,- 000,000 feet in 1880 to 34,000,000,000 feet in 1905; that is, it nearly doubled in 25 years. We are now using annually 500 feet board measure of timber per cap- ita, as against an average of 60 for all Europe. The New England supply is gone. The Northwest furnishes small growths that would have been rejected by the lumberman of 30 years ago. The South has reached its maximum pro- duction and begins to decline. On the Pacific Coast only is there now any considerable body of merchantable standing timber. We are consuming yearly three or four times as much tim- ber as forest growth restores. Our sup- ply of some varieties will be practically exhausted in 10 or I2 years; in the case of others, without reforesting, the present century will see the end. When will we take up in a practical and intelligent way the reforestation of our forests? * * * The exhaustion of our coal supply is not in the indefinite future. The startling feat- ure of our coal production is not so much the magnitude of the annual output as its rate of growth. For the decade ending in 1905 the total product was 2,832,402,746 tons, which is almost exactly one-half the total 1908 product previously mined in this country. For the year 1906 the output was 414,000,- ooo tons, an increase of 46 per cent on the average annual yield of the 10 years pre- ceeding. In 1907 our production reached 470,000,000 tons. Fifty years ago the an- nual per capita production was a little more than one-quarter of a ton. It is now about five tons. It is but eight years since we took the place of Great Britain as the lead- ing coal producing nation of the world, and already our product exceeds hers by over 43 per cent, and is 37 per cent of the known production of the world. Estimates of coal deposits still remaining must necessarily be somewhat vague, but they are approxi- mately near the mark. The best authorities do not rate them at much over 2,000,000,- If coal production continues 000,000 tons. THE GOVERNORS’ CONFERENCE States doubles about once in seven years. Jt was less than 12,000,000 tons in 1893, 24,000,000 tons in 1899, 47,740,000 tons in 1906 and over 52,000,000 tons in 1907. The rising place of iron in the world’s life is the most impressive phenomenon of the last century. In 1850 the pig iron produc tion of the United States amounted to 563, 757 tons, or about 50 pounds per capita. Our production now is over 600 pounds per capita. We do not work a mine, build a house, weave a fabric, prepare a meal or cultivate an acre of ground under modern methods without the aid of iron. We turn out over 25,000,000 tons of pig iron every year, and the production for the first half of 1907 was at the rate of 27,000,000 This is two and one-half times the product of Great Britain. It is nearly half the pro Ons. Photo Copyright by Harris & Ewing, Washington “THE HOUSE OF GOVERNORS” Group of State Executives who took Initial Steps toward forming a Permanent Organization of Governors to increase as it has in the last ninety years, the available supply will be greatly re- duced by the close of the century. Before that time arrives, however, resort to lower grades and sinking of mines to greater depths will become necessary; making the product inferior in quality and higher in price. Already Great Britain’s industries have felt the check from a similar cause, as shown in her higher cost of production. Our turn will begin probably within a gen- eration or two from this time. Yet we still think nothing of consuming this priceless resource with the greatest possible speed. Our methods of mining are often wasteful; and we not only prohibit our industries from having recourse to the coal supplies of other countries, but actually pride ourselves upon becoming exporters of a prime .eces- sity of life and an essential of civilization. The iron industry tells a similar story. The total of iron ore mined in the United duct of the whole world. And the supply of this most precious of all the metals is s far from inexhaustible that it seems as if iron and coal might be united in their dis- appearance from common life. The large deposits of iron ore in this country are now located. For cheap iren we depend upon the Lake Superior district, because of its high grade, the ease Of ex- tracting the ore from the mines and its nearness to cheap transportatior At the rate of over 50,000,000 tons per year, our present consumption, it would require over 2,000,000,000 t supply the demand for the next 40 years, supposing it to remain stationary. This would appr h the end of all the higher gr de or 1! large de- posits now in sight. The product of other workings would | f inferior quality and highs from mar- ket But i ert to increase even mor ly th in t st \ few 322 years ago a Swedish geologist prepared for his government a report, stating that the entire supply of the iron ore in the United States would be exhausted within the pres- ent century. The United States Geo- logical Survey declared this an over- statement; but here is the conclusion of its own report. I quote the official pub- lished document: “Assuming that the de- mand for iron ore during the present cen- tury may range from 50,000,000 to 100,000,- 000 tons per year, the Lake Superior dis- trict would last for from 25 to 50 years more, if it supplied the entire United States. But counting on the known reserves else- where in the United States the ore will Jast for a much longér period, though, of ‘course, it must necessarily show a gradual, but steady increase in value and in cost of mining, along with an equally steady de- “crease in grade.’ The most favorable view of the situation forces the conclusion that iron and coal will not be available for com- mon use on anything like present terms be- fore the end of this century; and our indus- trial, sccial and political life must be read- justed to meet the strains imposed by new conditions. Yet we forbid to our consumers access to the stores of other countries, while we boast of our increased exports, of that material for want of which one day the nation must be reduced to the last extrem- ity. We now turn to the only remaining re- source of man upon this earth, which is the soil itself. How are we caring for that, and what possibilities does it hold out to the people of future support? We are only »eomning to feel the pressure upon the land. The whole interior of this continent, aggre- gating more than 500,000,000 acres, has been occupied by settlers within the last 50 years. What is there left for the next 50 years? Excluding arid and irrigable areas, the latter limited by nature, and barely enough of which could be made habitable in each year to furnish a farm for each immi- grant family, the case stands as follows: In 1906 the total unappropriated public lands in the United States consisted of 792,000,000 acres. Of this area the divisions of Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Mon- tana, Nevada, New Mexico and Wyoming contained 195,700,000 acres of unsurveyed land. Little of Alaska is fitted for general agriculture, while practically all of the rest is semi-arid, available only for grazing or irrigation. We have (subtracting these to- tals) 50,000,000 acres of surveyed and 36,- 500,006 acres of unsurveyed land as our actual remaining stock. And 21,000,000 acres were disposed of in 1907. How long will the remainder last? No longer can we say that “Uncle Sam has enough to give us all a farm.” Equally threatening is the change in qual- ity. There are two ways in which the pro- ductive power of the earth is lessened; first by erosion and the sweeping away of the FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION June fertile surface into streams and thence to the sea, and, second, by exhaustion through wrong methods cf cultivation. The former process has gone far. Thousands of acres in the East and- South have been made unfit for tillage. North Carolina was, a century ago, one of the great agricultural states of the country and one of the wealthiest. To- day as you ride through the South you see everywhere land gullied by torrential rains, red and yellow clay banks exposed where once were fertile fields; and agriculture re- duced because its main support has been washed away. Millions of acres, in places to the extent of one-tenth of the entire ara- ble area, have been so injured that no in- dustry and no care can restore them. Far more ruinous, because universal and continuing in its effects, is the process of soil exhaustion. It is creeping over the land from East to West. The abandoned farms that are now the playthings of the city’s rich or the game preserves of pat- rons of sport, bear witness to the melan- choly change. New Hampshire, Vermont, northern New York, show long lists of them. In Western Massachusetts, which once supported a flourishing agriculture, farm properties are now for sale for half the cost of the improvements. Professor Carver, of Harvard, has declared, after a personal examination of the country, that “agriculture as an independent industry, able in itself to support a community, does not exist in the hilly parts of New Eng- land.” The same process of deterioration is af- fecting the farm lands of western New York, Ohio and Indiana. Where prices of farms should rise by increase of population, in many places they are falling. Between 1880 and 1900 the land values of Ohio shrank $60,000,000. Official investigation of two counties in central New York dis- closed a condition of agricultural decay. In one land was for sale for about the cost of improvements, and 150 vacant houses were counted in a limited area. In the oth- er the population in 1905 was nearly 4,000 less than in 1855. Practically identical soil conditions exist in Maryland and Virginia, where lands sell at from $10 to $30 an acre. In a hearing before an Industrial Commission, the chief of the Bureau of Soils of the Department of Agriculture said: “One of the most im- portant causes of deterioration, and I think I should put this first of all, is the method and system of agriculture that prevails throughout these states. Unquestionably the soil has been abused.” The richest re- gion of the West is no more exempt than New England or the South. The soil of the West is being reduced in agricultural potency by exactly the same processes which have driven the farmer of the East, with all his advantage of nearness to markets, from the field. Wihin the last forty years a great part of 1908 the richest land in the country has been brought under cultivation. We _ should, therefore, in the same time, have raised pro- portionately the yield of our principal crops per acre; because the yield of old lands, if properly treated, tends to increase rather than diminish. The year 1906 was one of large crops and can scarcely be taken as a standard. We produced, for example, more corn that year than had ever been grown in the United States in a single year before. But the average yield per acre was less than it was in 1872. We are barely keeping the acre product stationary. The average wheat crop of the country now ranges from twelve and one-half, in ordin- ary years, to fifteen bushels per acre in the es seasons. And so it is on down the ine. But the fact of soil waste becomes start- lingly evident when we examine the record of some states where single cropping and other agricultural abuses have been preval- ent. Take the case of wheat, the mainstay of single-crop abuse. Many of us can re- member when New York was the great wheat-producing state of the Union. The average yield of wheat per acre in New York for the las ten years was about eigh- teen bushels. For the first five years of that ten-year period it was 18.4 bushels, and for the last five 17.4 bushels. In the farther West, Kansas takes high rank as a wheat producer. Its average yield per acre for the last ten years was 14.16 bushels. For the first five years it was 15.14 and for the last five 13.18. Up in the Northwest, Minnesota wheat has made a name all over the world. Her average yield per acre for the same ten years was 12.96 bushels. For the first five years it was 13.12 and for the last five 12.8. We perceive here the working of a uniform law, independent of location, soil or climate. It is the law of a diminishing return due to soil destruction. Apply this to the country at large, and it reduces agri- culture to the condition of a bank whose depositors are steadily drawing out more money than they put in. What is true in this instance is true of our agriculture as a whole. In no other important country in the world, with the exception of Russia, is the industry that must be the foundation of every state, at so low an ebb as in our own. According to the last census the average annual product per acre of the farms of the whole United States was worth $11.38. It is little more than a respectable rental in communities where the soil is properly cared for and made to give a reasonable return for culti- vation. There were but two states in the Union whose total value of farm products was over $30 per acre of improved land. The great state of Illinois gave but $12.48, and Minnesota showed only $8.74. No dis- crimination attaches to these figures, where all are so much at fault. Nature has given to us the most valuable possession ever THE GOVERNORS’ CONFERENCE 323 committed to man. It can never be dupli- cated, because there is none like it upon the face of the earth. And we are racking and impoverishing it exactly as we are felling the forests and rifling the mines. Our soil, once the envy of every other country, the attraction which draws millions of immi- grants across the seas, gave an average yield for the whole United States during the ten years beginning with 1896 of 13.5 bush- els of wheat per acre. Austria and Hun- garv each produced over seventeen bushels per acre, France 19.8, Germany 27.6 and the United Kingdom 32.2 bushels per acre. kor the same decade our average yield of oats was less than thirty bushels, while Germany produced forty-six and Great Britain forty-two. For barley the figures are twenty-five against thirty-three and 34.6; for rye 15.4 against twenty-four for Germany and twenty-six for Ireland. In the United Kingdom, Belgium, the Nether- lands and Denmark a yield of more than thirty bushels of wheat per acre has been the average for the past five years. * * * Our agricultural lands have been abused in two practical ways; first by single cropping, and second by neglecting fer- tilization. It is fortunate for us that na- ture is slow to anger, and that we may arrest the consequence of this ruinous policy before it is too late. In all parts of the United States the system of tillage has been to select the crop which would bring in the most money at the current mar- ket rate, to plant that year after year, and to move on to virgin fields as soon as the old farm rebelled by lowering the quality and quantity of its return. It is still the practice; although diversification of in- dustry and the rotation of crops have been urged for nearly a century and are today taught in every agricultural college in this country. The demonstra- tion of the evils of single cropping is mathematical in its completeness. At the experiment station of the Agricul- tural College of the University of Min- nesota they have maintained 44 experi- mental plots of ground, adjoining one another, and as nearly identical in soil, cultivation and care as scientific hand- ling can make them. On these have been tried and compared different meth- ods of crop rotation and fertilization, to- gether with systems of single cropping. The results of ten years’ experiment are now available. On a tract of good ground sown continuously for ten years to wheat, the average yield per acre for the first five years was 20.22 bushels and for the next five 16.92 bushels. Where corn was grown continuously on one plot while on the plot beside it corn was planted but once in five years in a system of rotation, the average yield of the latter for the two years it was under corn was 48.2 bushels per acre. The plot where corn was grown gave 324 20.8 bushels per acre for the first five and 11.1 bushels for the second of these years, an average of sixteen bushels. The difference in average of these two plots was 32.2 bushels, or twice the total yield of the ground exhausted by the single crop system. The corn grown at the end of the ten years was hardly hip high, the ears small and the grains light. But the cost of cultivation remained the same. And the same is true of every other grain or growth when raised con- tinuously on land unfertilized. We fre- quently hear it said that the reduction in yield is due to the wearing out of the soil as if it was a garment to be de- stroyed by the wearing. The fact is that soils either increase or maintain their productivity indefinitely under pro- per cultivation. If the earth is to “wear out,” what is to become of the race? The two remedies are as well ascer- tained as is the evil. Rotation of crops and the use of fertilizers act as tonics upon the soil. We might expand our resources and add billions of dollars to our national wealth by conserving soil resources, instead of exhausting them as we have the forests and the contents of the mines. For there is good authority for the assertion that the farmer could take from the same area of ground in four years’ grain crops out of a total of seven years as much as the whole seven now give him; leaving the products of the other three years when the land rested from grain as clear profit due to better methods. He can do far more than that by joining stock raising with grain rais- ing. Nature has provided the cattle to go with the land. There is as much money in live stock as there is in grain. Looked at in any way there is money in live stock; money for dairy products, money for beef, money for the annual increase, and most money of all for the next year’s crop when every particle of manure is saved and applied to the land. We need not consider at present real- ly intensive farming, such as is done by market gardeners with high profit, or such culture as in France, in Holland, in Belgium and in the island of Jersey produces financial returns per acre that seem almost beyond belief. What our people have to do is to cover less ground, cultivate smaller farms so as to make the most of them, instead of get- ting a scant and uncertain yield from several hundred acres, and raise pro- ductivity, by intelligent treatment, to twice or three times its present level. There is more money in this sytem. The net profit from an acre of wheat on run-down soils is very small; con- sequently decreasing the acreage of wheat under certain conditions will not materially decrease profits. Here are FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION June some reliable estimates. The price of wheat is given from the United States Department of Agriculture Yearbook. 8 Ons Vv SR, = 32 bs é ~ I op ~ Yield. Brite. 3 Aedes iar 5) — a) a Aeer ee (3) v a... Oe 6 ae ZO se TOae $0.638 $12.76 $78 + $4.87 1c pete ean .638 10.21 FS 2.32 IZ ee 638 7.66 7.80). “= 23 LONG ee .638 6.38 789 — L.5I Shei s ack .638 5.10 7.89 — 2.79 I have dwelt upon the conservation of farm resources because of the com- manding importance of this industry and because of its relation to our future. Nearly thirty-six per cent of our people are engaged directly in agriculture. But all the rest depend upon it. In the last analysis, commerce, manufactures, our home market, every form of activity runs back to the bounty of the earth by which every worker, skilled and un- skilled, must be fed and by which his wages are ultimately paid. The farm products of the United States in 1906 were valued at $6,794,000,000 and in 1907 at $7,412,000,000. All of our vast do- mestic commerce, equal in value to the the foreign trade of all the nations com- bined, is supported and paid for by the land. Of our farm area only one-half is improved. It does not produce one- half of what it could be made to yield; not by some complex system of inten- Sive culture, but merely by ordinary care and industry intelligently applied. It is the capital upon which alone we can draw through all the future, but the amount of the draft that will be hon- ored depends upon the care and intel- ligence given to its cultivation. Were any statesman to show us how to add $7,000,000,000 annually to our foreign trade, it would be the sensation of the hour. The way to do this in agricul- ture is open. Our share in the increase would not be the percentage of profit allowed by successful trading, but the entire capital sum. On the other side stands the fact that the unappropriated area suited to farm purposes is almost gone, and that we have been for the last century reducing the producing power of the country. Nowhere in the range of national purposes is the reward for conservation of a national resource so ample. By the fixed rate of increase in the past, we must count upon a population Photo Copyright by Harris & Ewing, Washington PROMINENT FIGURES AT THE CONFERENCE Standing—Secy. Shipp, Gov. Swanson, Chief Forester Pinchot, Gov. Folk Sitting—Gov. Willson, Gov. Sheldon. Folk, committee on permanent organization. Willson, Sheldon and Swanson, and Willson, committee on ways and means of over 200,000,000 in the United States in the year 1950. The annual increase from natural growth is about one and one-half per cent each year. Adding for immigration only 750,000 a year, which is less than three-quarters of the figures reached in recent years, we shall have about 130,000,000 people in 1925 and at least 200,000,000 by the middle of the century. Where are they to go, how are they to be employed, how fed, how enabled to earn a living wage? The pressure of all the nations upon the waste places of the earth grows more intense as the last of them are occupied. We are approaching the point where all our wheat product will be needed for our own uses, and we shall cease to be an exporter of grain. There 1p» still some room in Canada, but it will soon be filled. The relief will be but tempor- ary. Our own people, whose mineral re- sources will by that time have greatly diminished, must find themselves thrown back upon the soil for a living. If con- tinued abuse of the land should mark the next fifty years as it has the last, what must be our outlook? ae ie Not only the economic but the politi- cal future is involved. No people ever felt the want of work or the pinch of poverty for a long time without reach- ing out violent hands their po- litical institutions, believing that they might find in a ch: relief from their distress Although there have been moments of such restlessness in our against some been SO Se@- country, the trial has ne vere or so prolonged as put us to the test. It is interesting that one of the ablest men in England during the last century, a historian of high merit, a stateman who saw active service and a profound student of men and things, put on record his prophecy of such a future ordeal. Writing to an American 326 correspondent fifty years ago, Lord Ma- caulay used these words: “As long as you have a boundless extent of fertile and unoccupied land your laboring popu- lation will be found more at ease than the laboring population of the Old World; but the time will come when wages will be as low and will fluctuate as much with you as they do with us. Then your institutions will be brought to the test. Distress everywhere makes the laborer mutinous and discontented and inclines him to listen with eagerness to agitators who tell him that it is a monstrous iniquity that one man should have a million and another cannot get a full) meal -*%** The day will come when the multitudes of people, none of whom has had more than half a breakfast or expects to have more than half a dinner, will choose a legislature. Is it possible to doubt what sort of legislature will be chosen? * * * There will be, I fear, spoliation. The spoliation will increase the distress; the distress will produce a fresh spoliation. * * * Either civilization or liberty will perish. Either some Czsar or Na- poleon will seize the reins of govern- ment with a strong hand, or your re- public will be as fearfully plundered and laid waste by barbarians in the twenti- eth century as the Roman Empire in the fifth.” We need not-accept this gloomy picture too literally, but we have been already sufficiently warned to prevent us from dismissing the subject as unworthy of attention. Every na- tion finds its hour of peril when there is no longer free access to the land, or when the land will no longer support the people, -* %)* Ear may this day be from us. But since the unnecessary destruction of our land will bring new conditions of danger, its conservation, its improvement to the highest point of productivity promised by scientific in- telligence and practical experiment, ap- pears to be a first command of any po- litical economy worthy of the name. If this patriotic gospel is to make head- way, it must be by just such organized mis- sionary work as is to-day begun. It cannot go on and conquer if imposed from without. It must come to represent the fixed idea of the people’s mind, their determination and their hope. It cannot be incorporated in our practical life by the dictum of any in- dividual or any officer of Nation or State in his official capacity. It needs the co-oper- ation of all the influences, the help of every voice, the commendation of Nation and State that has been the strength and inspir- ation of every worthy work on American soil for 120 years. We return, for our gath- ering in council and for our plan of action for the future, to the model given us by the Fathers. State and Nation are repre- FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION June sented here, without jealousy or any ambi- tion of superiority on either side, to apply to the consideration of our future such co- operation as that out of which this Nation was born and by which it has won to worthy manhood. Reviving the spirit of the days that created our Constitution, the days that carried us through civil conflict, the spirit by which all our enduring work in the world has been wrought, taking thought as Washington and Lincoln took thought, only for the highest good of all the people, we may, as a result of the deliberations held and the conclusions reached here to-day, give new meaning to our future; new lustre to the ideal of a Renublic of living federated states; shape anew the fortunes of this country, and enlarge the borders of hope for all mankind. Immediately after the conclusion of Mr. Hill’s paper, Dr. Thomas C. Chamberlain, President of the Ameri- can Association for the Advancement of Science, head of the department of Geology, University of Chicago, and editor of the Journal of Geology, read a. paper on “Soil Wastage.” Dr. Chamberlain stated that his studies and investigations have brought him to the belief that the era of the earth’s future habitability. is vastly greater than we have been wont to think. He stated that it is a familiar deduction of geology that for untold ages rains have fallen on the lands, and soils have grown in depth while the sur- face has been washed away. Produc- tion and removal, he said, have run hand in hand, and yet thev have been controlled to such a degree by the ad- justments of nature that no part of the surface seems ever to have been so far denuded that plants could not grow on it. More than this, it appears, said Dr. Chamberlain, that the ordinary adjustments of nature make for the increasing fertility of the soil, rather than for depletion. Dr. Chamber- lain’s address follows: The invitation to give thought to the re- sources that affect our future appeals to me with peculiar—indeed almost per- sonal—force, for my studies of the past decade have led to the belief that the era of the earth’s future habitability is vastly greater than we have been wont to think. We have grown up in the belief that the earth sprang from chaos at the opening of our era and is plunging on to catastrophe or to 1908 a final winter in the near future. Quite at variance with this, I have come to believe that the earth arose from a regenerative process and that it offers a fair prospect of fitness for habitation for ages yet to come. If this be true, it is eminently fitting that our race should give a due measure of thought to the ulterior effects of its actions. It is one of the latest conceptions of geology that climatic conditions have been of the same order as at present from early eras, in the large view, in spite of some notable variations, and that this uniformity is the resu!t of a profound regulative sys- tem which has sufficed to keep the tempera- tures of the earth’s surface and the consti- tution of the earth’s atmosphere within the narrow range congenial to life for a vast period. Asa result there has been no break in the continuity of land life since it came into being eras ago. It appears further that the sources of supply of the vital elements are still adequate, and are likely to be so for long ages, that the regulative system is still in effective control, and that a vast future of habitability may fairly be pre- dicted. Whether you are prepared to ac- cept so large a view of the habitable future or not, I trust you will strike hands with me in the conviction that the probabilities of the future are at least so great as to render imperative the serious consideration of our obligations toward it. Let us turn at once to the basal factor in the problem, the rainfall, the soil, and soil- wastage, the special theme of this hour. The rainfall is an inherited asset, the soil is an inherited asset, even a little soil is an asset, but reckless soil-wastage is a serious error. Soils are the product of the atmos- phere and its waters modifying the rock surface. When the atmospheric waters have aided the air in producing soil by rock decay they pass, on the one hand, into plants or back to the surface soil and thence through these again to the atmos- phere by evaporation, or, on the other hand, they pass on down to the ground-waters and thence into the streams, furnishing in them the basis for water-foods, of power, and for navigation. Here is a good deed— soil production—followed by a_ laudable course either up or down with beneficent results in either course. The alternative is to rush away as foul erosive floods on the surface, wasting soil and plant food, gully- ing the surface, choking the ravines, flood- ing the valleys, silting the pools, filling the reservoirs, sweeping out the dams, barring the streams and clogging the deltas. If it shall be found that all or nearly all the waters should go into the soil and thence into the underdrainage, coming out slowly and steadily by seepage and by springs into the streams, these streams should present nearly ideal conditions for water-food, for water-power, and for river-navigation. The solution of the soil problem may therefore be, in large part, the solution of the whole THE GOVERNORS’ CONFERENCE 327 complex of problems of which navigation is the last term. It may thus prove to be the key problem. We have as yet no accurate measure of the rate of soil production. We merely know that it is very slow. It varies obvi- ously with the kind of rock. Some of our soils are derived from material already re- duced to a finely pulverized condition. Such are the lowland accumulations from highland wash. Such also is the glacial drift, rock-flour rasped from the face of the rock by the glacial file and ground up with old soils. Soils may be developed from such a base of half-prepared material with relative rapidity, but observation shows that even on these, when the slope is considerable, wind, wash and cropping re- move the surface much too fast for stable fertility. But for average rock, under ordi- nary favorable conditions, in our range of climate, the usual estimate has been a foot of waste in 4,000 to 6,000 years, which in- cludes channel cutting and bank-under- mining. These are too rapid for ordinary soil waste and replacement under our nor- mal conditions. Without any pretensions to a close estimate, I should be unwilling to name a mean rate of soil-formation greater than one foot in 10,000 years on the basis of observations since the glacial per- iod. I suspect that if we could positively determine the time taken in the formation of the four feet of soil next to the rock Over Our average domain, where such depth obtains, it would be found above rather than below 40,000 years. Under such an estimate, to preserve a good working depth, surface wastage should not exceed some such rate as one inch in a thousand years. If one chooses to indulge in a more liberal estimate of the soil-forming rate, it will still appear, under any intelligent estimate, that surface wastage is a serious menace to the retention of our soils under present modes of management. Historical evidence enforces this danger. In the Orient there are large tracts almost absolutely bare of soil on which stand ruins which imply for- mer flourishing populations. Other long- tilled lands bear similar testimony. It must be noted that more than loss of fertility is here menaced. It is the loss of the soil- body itself, a loss almost beyond repair. When our soils are gone, we too must go, unless we shall find some way to feed on raw rock or its equivalent. The immense tonnage of soil-material carried out to sea annually by our rivers, even when allow- ance is made for laudable wash, and for material derived from the river channels, is an impressive warning of the danger of negligent practices. Nor is this all; the wash from one acre is often made the waste-cover for another acre, or for several. Sometimes one’s loss is another’s gain, but all too frequently one’s loss is another’s dis- aster. If the atmospheric waters may not run 328 off the surface freely without serious men- ace, where may they go and what may they do consistent with our welfare? The an- ‘swer lies in a return to the study of the origin and internal work of soils. For necessary brevity, let us neglect all sec- ondary soils, or overplacements, and con- sider simply the origin and activities of primary soils derived from primary rocks. ‘The action of air and water in producing ‘soil from such rock is partly chemicai and partly physical. Certain rock substances ‘are made soluble and become plant food ‘or plant poisons, while others remain rela tively insoluble but are reduced to a finely divided state and form the earthly element of the soil. Some of the soluble substances thus formed at the base of soils are necessary plant food, while some are harmful; but what is more to the point, all are harmful if too concentrated. There is need there- fore that enough water passes through the forming soil, and on down to the ground- water and out through the underdrainage, to carry away the excess of these products. An essential part of the best adjustment is thus seen to lie in a proper apportivimment of the amount of water which goes through the soils. If this be not eno1gh, the plants will suffer from saline excess; if too much, the plants may suffer from saline deficiency. ' When evaporation from the surface is active and prolonged, waters which had previously gone down to the zone of soil- formation and taken up soluble matter, rise again to the surface bringing the soluble matter up and leaving it at the surface on evaporation. Up to a certain point this is favorable to the plant; beyond the critical point, it begins to be harmful, as abundantly shown in the “alkaline” efflorescences of arid regions. Beside the water that goes through the soil into the subdrainage, and that which runs off on the surface, enough must be held’ at all times in the soil during the growing season to supply the plants, and yet not enough to water-log the soil. The key to the problem lies in due control of the water which falls on each acre. This water is an asset of great possible value. It should be looked upon as such. It should be computed by every acre-owner as a possible value, saved if turned where it will do good, lost if permitted to run away, doubly lost if it carries also soil values and does destructive work below. Let us repeat the story of its laudable paths. A due por- tion of this should go into the underdrain- age carrying away harmful matter; a due portion should go again up to the surface carrying solutions needed by the plants; a due portion should obviously go into the plants to nourish them; while still another portion should run off the surface carrying away a little of the leached soil matter. There are a multitude of important details in this complex of actions but they must FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION June be passed by; the great features are clear and imperative. Experimental studies have shown that, on the average within our domain, crops can use to advantage all the rainfall during the growing season, and that, in most cases, crops are better for all the stored supplies that can be carried over from the non- growing seasons. ‘This greatly simplifies the general problem, for it justifies the con- clusion—to which there are many local ex- ceptions, of course—that the highest crop- values will usually be secured when the soil is made to absorb as much of the rainfall and snowfall as practicable. In securing this maximum absorption and internal soil-work, the run-off, and hence the surface wash, will be reduced to a minimum. It has already been seen that the wash of even this inevitable minimum is likely to be still too great to keep the proper slow pace with soil-genera- tion, when the surface has much slope. Ex- cept on very level ground and on lodgment surfaces, there need be no solicitude about a sufficient removal of the soil surface. The practical problem then lies almost wholly in retaining and passing into the soil the maxi- mum of the precipitation. Obviously this gives the minimum of wash to foul the streams, to spread over the bottom lands, to choke the reservoirs, to waste the water- power, and to bar up the navigable rivers. The solution of the problem for the tiller of the soil essentially solves the whole train of problems. How is this control to be effected? Asa geologist, I naturally turn first to nature’s time-tested processes. Nature has been working on this complex problem of bal- ance between soil formation, soil waste, sur- face slope, plant growth, and stream de- velopment, for millions of years, and we have inherited the result, a magnificent in- heritance. The larger part of our domain, when invaded by us, had reached a fair ad- justment of slopes to precipitation, was cov- ever with a soil-mantle of fair depth and high average fertility, and was clothed with rich vegetation. There were exceptions to this, and some of these were large, but limi- tations of time shut out such exceptions here. Looking at nature’s methods for sugges- tions, we note that a much larger variety of plants are used by nature to cover and pro- tect the soil than we use, and that these have a wider range of adaptation to the special situations where protection is needed. This invites the inquiry whether it is not possible to follow this precedent further than we have done by developing a larger number of profitable plants, among which shall be more that are adapted to pro- tecting the surface, and to growing on slopes specially subject to wash. Forest trees are an important resource of this kind and should be employed as fully as practi- cable, as will, no doubt, be urged with great cogency by those who discuss the problem WISCO NSIN’S RAVISHED FORESTS v Burned-off White Pine Lands in Douglas County of forestry. We also have many berry- bearing shrubs, vines and fruit trees, whose employment to the maximum in covering slopes is likewise urged either alone or in conjunction with trees. But, for the greater part, berries and fruits are perishable and have limitations of preservation, transporta- tion, market, etc. But if shrubs could be evolved by modern selective methods whose nut-meats or dry seeds should be suitable for food in place of the watery pulp, and which could be treated much as cereals are, and have similar wide year-round markets, there would be a larger choice of crops to grow in soils subject to wash, and we might secure soil-protection with less crop-limita- tion. There would then be less need to press the culture of the cereals so far as we do now, and they could be limited more largely to surfaces less subject to harmful soil-loss. Another marked feature of nature’s method is the development of plant-societies, or from our point of view, combination- crops. There can be no doubt that there is much deleterious crowding and repress- ive rivalry among the natural mixtures of plants, but at the same time, there seem to be associations that are mutually beneficial. No doubt man secures a great temporary advantage by isolating chosen plants and freeing them from competition, but this is clearly at some permanent disadvantage which is partially corrected by rotation, fer- tilizing, and tilth. Cannot a greater ad- vantage be secured by a larger use of the combination method? It is clear that legumes and cereals are helpful associates in rotation and in some combinations. May not this be pushed so far by skillful selec- tion and proper culture that legumes and helpful associates may replace weeds in be- coming the constant and spontaneous asso- ciates of cereal crops, so that, while kept in such subordination as to be the servants of the cereals, they may still aid in covering and protecting the soil and thus guard against undue surface loss. Certainly much can be done by such plants, used as fall and spring crops, to cover the soil when spe- cially exposed to wastage. The full list of tried methods should be pressed into the utmost employment. Since the chief object is to cause the maximum of rainfall to be absorbed into the soil, it is obvious that all methods of culture and all crops that increase the gran- ularity and porosity of the soil contribute to the end sought. Deep tilth to promote soil granulation, and deep-rooting plants to cause root-tubes, are specific modes of great value. Artificial underdrainage by preventing the water-logging of the soil and by promoting its granulation, assists in absorption and transmission. Contour cultivation, by arresting the direct descent of the waters on the surface and distributing them along the slopes, when properly controlled aids absorption 330 and limits surface wash. On the steeper slopes, special devices may be used to sup- plement contour cultivation, such as strips of grass-land, shrub-land, or trees, alter- nating with zones of plow-land. Reservoirs at the heads of ravines and at suitable heights in the ravines where surface wash is concentrated, may be used to arrest storm-floods, and if these are connected with lines of tile-drain following contours on either hand, the concentrated waters will be redistributed and at the same time trans- ferred from the surface to the subsoil. These and similar devices serve to limit the wash of the slopes, but the more radical and permanent remedies will, I think, be found in the development of values in trees, shrubs, vines, and grasses to such an extent that they may be employed almost exclu- sively in clothing the steeper slopes where wash is most menacing, and where the usual modes of culture that give rise to bare sur- faces during portions of the year can scarcely fail to involve a degree of wash which cannot be replaced by soil growth below. Is not the time at hand when trees, shrubs, vines, grasses, and combinations of these, may be so developed and extended in value and availability by modern selective processes that they shall become sufficiently profitable crops to monopolize all the areas where wash threatens the ultimate removal of the whole soil? By such extension of these crops may not the bare-surface culture be so limited to relatively level lands as to cause in these, when intelligently handled, only that degree of surface loss which they can stand without menace to the perpetuity of the soil? But a critical question remains to be answered: Can such modes of soil-man- agement and crop-selection be made to give reasonable profits? Before we can hope that the millions who till the soil will join effectively in a radical scheme of soil-con- servation, it must be made to appear that it will give some reasonable returns at every large stage of its progress; must pay, let us say, in the long run of a lifetime. We may fairly assume that intelligent people will be guided by the total returns of a lifetime, in lieu of beguilement by the ultra-quick re- turns of forced and wasteful cropping in total neglect of later results. It may be assumed that he who tills a farm from his twentieth to his sixtieth year will find more satisfaction in the summed profits of forty crops of increasing value enhanced by the higher value of his land at the end, even though the margin above cost be no greater, than in the sum of forty crops of decreas- ing values with a debased value of the land at the end. Our practical problem is there- fore so to improve processes, so to increase intelligent management, and so to exalt the point of view, that every step in the pro- cesses proposed shall give satisfactory re- turns for the labor involved. How far this is practicable just now, I must leave to FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION June those whose technical knowledge in the practical art of tilling fits them to answer; but in any event, it seems that this must become so in time; for if the loss of soils proceeds at the present rate and the num- ber of inhabitants continues to increase as now, the value of the residue of tillable land which will remain after a few centuries will sO appreciate as to force extreme measures for its conservation. The pitiable struggles of certain Oriental peoples to retain and cultivate the scant remnant of once ample soils is at once an example and a warning. Our escape from this dire struggle should spring from a clearer forevision, a deeper insight, greater technical skill, and inde- fatigable industry. Before the discussion of these pa- pers was opened, Hon. James Wilson, Secretary of Agriculture, was called upon by the Conference and responded with a brief address that was crowded in every crisp sentence with hard, common sense. Secretary Wilson opened his re- marks by saying that he did not think it wise for him to say anything to the Conference. “I have been filling up since you came here,” he said, ‘‘and really you should do the talking and give us instruction. I am one of the servants of the American people, and I am anxious to know what is best to be done for the general good.” Continuing, Secretary Wilson said: “The paper read by Mr. Hill this morning made a very deep impression upon me. The greatest asset we have in the United States is our soil; we are destroying that as rap- idly as we can, and the oldest settled part of the United States has made the most prog- ress in the destruction of our soil (laugh- ter), of which we have a great variety. Down on the Gulf coast the land has been peopled longer than the upper part of the Mississippi Valley. The heavy rainfalls, and the perpetual cultivation and growing of crops have helped erosion, and the soil has been destroyed in that way. It is going off very, very rapidly. The cure is a system of agriculture that will keep the soil filled with plant food, organic matter, humus. That is the cure; that is the way to keep up the soil. Somebody once asked an English gardener how he got such a fine lawn. He had a beautiful grass lawn which attracted attention. He said, ‘We weeded, and we weeded ; we manured and we manured, for eight hundred years; and that is the way they got it. (Laughter.) “Now, jumping from one part of the United States to another—because I am go- 1908 ing to speak but a very few minutes—the people in the grass belt of the Mississippi Valley have ceased to grow crops to so great an extent as they do in some other parts of the country. They grow grass, be- cause they are compelled to. The factory, the railroad, the mine, have taken away the farm help, and farmers are not able to com- pete with those other institutions in hiring men. So far as the poor land is concerned, the land is being abandoned and is going back to nature; and nature is good to it, if you give her time. But this results, too, in rich land being put in grass. “Anybody in studying wheat and looking into the production of one of those states that at one time grew fifty million bushels will discover that now they grow scarcely any. Why? It does not pay them. Put wheat up to a dollar a bushel and the state of Iowa will grow fifty million of bushels a year. They will plow up the pastures and grow wheat. “The people of the Southern states were not able to engage in cattle raising, because nature had planted there an obnoxious tick, and the business was not profitable; but the United States Government has set about destroying that tick, and the effort will suc- ceed. Those people will get cattle; the people will grow grasses; the grasses will fill the soil; erosion will cease, and when they want a great cotton crop they will plow up the soil, as the man in Iowa plows up the pasture to get a corn or a wheat crop. (Applause. ) “Go further west, into what was known as the Great American Desert, and which is to all intents and purposes the American desert now, west of the one hundredth meridian. The Department of Agriculture hunted the world over for plants that grew in dry regions, and along the deserts in Asia and Africa they found such plants. They found a hard wheat; and we had quite an interesting time in getting it introduced, be- cause the miller did not want to grind hard wheat; it took more power. But we heard of fifty million bushels of it last year. (Ap- plause.) It is the richest wheat that grows; there is more nutriment in it than in any other wheat, and to-day it is growing all the way from the Dakotas to the Pacific Ocean. “But you cannot grow crops forever with- out legumes. The people out West have a rich land; the disintegrated rock has not been carried away, as in the Southern states, by floods of water, because they do not have floods of water. (Laughter.) When the irrigation problem, under my friend Newell here, lets water on that land it will grow anything, because it is exceedingly rich. “When you speak of the destruction of a soil it means that you have taken away that part of the plant’s food that comes from the atmosphere; and good farming means the keeping of a supply of organic matter in the soil. THE GOVERNORS’ CONFERENCE 331 “It is well to apply fertilizer if your sys- tem of farming is such that you cannot get a pasture. But the people in the Mississippi Valley never have used fertilizers, and, let me tell you, they never will, because there is not enough fertilizer to be had in the market to supply the American farmer. We have got to farm without it; that is what we have got to do. And the people in the dry regions of the West are some day going to supply the cities of the East with wheat from that same dry region. (Ap- plause.) “We sent men two years ago way up into Northern Siberia to find wheat and legunies for North Dakota. We knew it must he there, because man could not live withont legumes; and when we went there we found a clover that lived in the winter, with the thermometer six degrees below freezing; and we found a new alfalfa. We are going to bring this winter wheat and this clover and alfalfa here this summer and take them out to the people west of the one hundredth meridian, and then these people will be ready to farm.” (Great applause.) When Secretary Wilson had closed his remarks, Governor Johnson started a hearty laugh among the politicians present by a humorous application of one of the points made by the Secre- tary. He said: “I think the Secre- tary has struck a very happy note in one thing. He has advised a remedy. He says that we must have something from the atmosphere for the enrich- ment of the soil. I know there are a number of men here who are in poli- tics, and it seems to me that this will give a number of our politicians a steady occupation. If hot air is just as good as cold, we know now what the politicians of the future have got to do.” Mr. Jas. S. Whipple, State Forest, Fish and Game Commissioner of New York, one of the advisers chosen by Governor Hughes of New York, made a short talk on forestry conditions as they exist in the Empire State, and told what that state is doing along the line of forest conservation. Mr. Whipple said: “We have in the state of New York 41,; 000,000,000 feet of lumber, board measure, standing, including farm lots and all. The state owns 1,500,000 acres of woodlands, which, under the Constitution, cannot be touched; and therefore that must be de- ducted from the whole amount. We cut 455 last year 1,250,000,000 board measure. A simple mathematical calculation will tell us that in twenty-two or twenty-three years, at that rate, not one solid stick will stand in the Empire State, although twenty-seven per cent of our total area is now covered with forests. “The state’s agricultural lands are depre- ciating in productive value, as has been stated by the Secretary of Agriculture and by Mr. Hill, and the water sources are dry- ing up. The formation of New York is such that most of the water comes from the great upland plateau, extending from the Adirondacks to the foothills of the Al- leghanies. In such a state it is especially imperative that the forests be preserved in sufficient quantity, else our agricultural lands will be depleted to such an extent that it will not be practical to farm them. Sup- pose that in an hour, by reason of some great natural catastrophe, every tree should be swept from the state of New York, what would be the result? Chaos, desolation everywhere, streams dried up, dry creek beds and river beds in July and August, no water for the farm, agricultural products decreased fifty per cent, and price of farms decreased as much, or more. “Therefore, for the benefit of agriculture alone, to say nothing about the question of a timber supply, which is so imperative, all sensible men ought to read the history of the countries that have demonstrated this fact for a thousand years, and act upon the teachings of that history. They should not sit quietly by and see their forests wiped away and the interests of their country ruined beyord repair—for it takes one hun- dred vears to grow a tree that can be cut down in five minutes. The most imperative thing we have to do is to save the forests of this country. (Great applause.) “Let me tell you what we are doing in the state of New York. We planted last vear 1.100,0GO pine trees in the waste lands of the Adirondacks. Look at the history of forestry in your states and in the Nation. and you will see that New York has planted as many trees as all of the states and the National Government combined. Mr. Pin- chot sent his forester to our gardens last year, and he said that they are the best in the United States. We have ten or twelve acres, all told, of tree gardens. What of other countries? German has fifteen or twenty tree gardens of two hundred acres each, and they raise 10,000 trees in one lit- tle bed, while the Empire State has twelve acres of tree gardens to furnish its trees. “Coal cannot be reproduced; iron cannot be reproduced; but the forests can be re- produced, and if you preserve the forests by planting, and by careful cutting, you will have water courses, and your water courses will save the forests and save the farms. “Tast year we cut an acreage five times as great as that which was replaced. The rate of cutting is increasing every year, and FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION June I ask you what are we coming to? If we cut last year five times the amount that was replaced, and if we cut this year eight times the amount replaced, and if next year we cut ten or twelve times the amount replaced, how long will it be until we have none left to cut?” Governor Brooks, of Wyoming, arose to ask the speaker if the work of reforestation done in New York is not entirely under the supervision of the State Forestry Association; and Mr. Whipple replied that such was the case, stating that the New York State Forestry Service has been in existence eighteen years. Governor Brooks asked if it was not a fact that in the Adirondacks many sections have al- ready been cut over three different times ; and Mr. Whipple answered tiat no section in New York had been cut over three times, although some have been cut over twice. Governor Brooks stated that he was under the impres- sion that in the reports of the New York State Forest Commiss‘on, is- sued during Governor Flower’s ad- ministration, it was stated that certain sections of the Adirondacks had been cut over three times, trees cut being twelve inches and upward in diameter. To this Mr. Whipple replied: “Every green tree on the slopes of the Hudson of twelve inches, or eight inches, or three inches, has been cut, and throughout that entire area erosion is taking place to-day. It has not been cut over three times because after the first and second cuttings nothing was left to cut.” Mr. Whipple continued by calling attention to the fact that natural re-seeding of cone trees in American will never be a commercial success. He stated that the hard- woods will re-seed successfully, but artificial propagation of cone bearing trees is a necessity, because of the fact that the planted tree or the transplant- ed tree will grow in height twice as fast as the tree naturally re-seeded in the forest, this being due to the larger root growth secured with every trans- plantation. From the commercial side alone, he said, the business of raising coniferous trees is the most profitable 1908 in the whole forestry proposition, as i* will pay twice compound interest to any one who will invest his money in it. Mr. Whipple concluded with the suggestion, which was received with distinct appreciation, that every state in the Union place on its statute books a law exempting from taxation the land dedicated to tree raising. Hon. John F. Fort, Governor of New Jersey, followed Mr. Whipple with a statement in regard to New Jersey's forestry work. Governor Fort said that New Jersey has pur- chased within the last three or four years 10,000 acres of land to be main- tained as state forest reserves. The New Jersey legislature this year ap- propriated $25,000 for the work of the Forestry Commission, and it is the state’s intention to purchase from 5,000 to 6,000 acres of land this year, to be added to the previously acquired reserves. An agreement between state and townships has been made, whereby the townships in which these acquired for- est reserves are located, are paid two cents an acre on their taxes from the State Treasury for every acre of tax- able land acquired by the state. Another thing that has been done in New Jersey, Governor Fort said, is the establishing of fire lines along all the railways of the state. A line, ten feet wide, 100 feet from either side of the track is provided for, and it is also provided that persons who will not allow the State to establish such fire lines through forest lands privately owned, shall not have any action against railroads for damages by fire. Where permission is granted to estab- lish fire lines, individuals have their remedy, as now, in case fires occur. Governor Fort concluded by saying that New Jersey proposes to go on in the work of reforestation and forest conservation, with the intention of making the State Forests playgrounds, as well as sources of profit, for the people of New Jersey and of the United States. THE GOVERNORS’ CONFERENCE 333 Governor Woodruff, of Connecti- cut, then introduced Dr. Arthur D. Hadley, President of Yale University, who spoke briefly on the work of the Yale Forestry School. Dr. Hadley said: “When we first started our forestry school at Yale, eight years ago, things looked darker than they look now. It did not seem as though there was any interest in forestry at all. We worked with Mr. Pinchot, here in- Washington, and, acting under his advice, developed a school which should not only teach forest botany, but which should teach forest economy, and forest economy adapted to American con- ditions. (Applause.) Our fear in the es- tablishment of that school was that there would not be demand enough for the grad- uates. The numbers have increased until now we are sending out each year from thirty to forty men, trained in the actual business conditions of American forestry, besides giving instruction in summer to a large number of practical forest men in certain of the theoretical parts of the work. “The growth of demand for these men has been so unexpectedly rapid that I feel sure, if this assembly can manage to tide over the dangerous time of the next twenty years, that after that the thing will take care of itself. The people will get such new conceptions of forestry and the demand for lumber, that, on mere business ground, for- est preservation, in expert hands, will take care of itself, as a matter of course. But just now it is for an assembly like this to make the demand, before we reach the dead line, instead of waiting until that comes. “How can we do it? First, by working in our own state in the way that the Gov- ernors in their speeches, and the delegates in their speeches, have shown, and still more, I think, by putting pressure on the National Government in favor of the exten- sion of forest reservation in every possible way. (Applause.) Powerful as we are in our own states, an assembly like this, called by the President, is yet more powerful in carrying the public opinion of the country with it; and we stand here for the principle that our Government should not be a Goy- ernment for the partial interest of the coun- try, not even a Government for the impor- tant interests of the country, but a Gov- ernment for the permanent interests of the country. (Applause.) “Second, we have it in our power also, as has been suggested, to make intelligent for- estry by individuals more profitable than it is to-day. (Applause.) Suggestions have been made regarding possible tax laws. I shall not try to repeat them. But by the appointment of committees, by the exchange of expert opinions, a body like this can make a great many things that do not quite 334 pay to-day, and yet are overwhelmingly for the public interest, pay five or ten years hence. “T believe. gentlemen, that you have it in your power to put this great national work where, twenty years hence, it will take care of itself.” (Applause.) Hon. Robert B. Glenn, Governor of North Carolina, followed Dr. Hadley with an address that wrought the Conference up to a pitch of enthu- siasm such as had not been reached through the entire two days’ sessions. Governor Glenn’s reference to the bills pending in Congress, providing for the establishment of a forest re- serve in the Southern Appalachians, were punctuated with crashes of hand- clapping that fairly rattled the chan- deliers. He said: “Mr. President, Governors, and gentle- men of the Conference: In the language of one of the greatest sages and statesmen of this Union, Grover Cleveland (applause), ‘a condition and not a theory confronts us to-day. We have heard from the very able paper of the strong and patriotic Presi- dent of the United States (great applause) something as to our duty in conserving our resources; and we have heard from the papers of Mr. Carnegie and Mr. Hill that something must be done to preserve the nat- ural resources of this great Union in which we live. “Now, Mr. President, what has caused the present condition? If you have listened to the papers that have been read you have learned that our forests are being denuded; our water powers are becoming exhausted ; our land is being washed away and made worthless; our harbors are filling up; our commerce is being paralyzed; and some- thing must be done to stop this waste, to stop this extravagance and to bring forward a remedy that will enable this great Nation to go forward as it has never done in the past. “What is the most serious of all these ter- rible conditions confronting our people to- day? I can answer almost in one word. It is the failure of the people throughout the states to protect the great forest re- sources of the land in which we live. (Ap- plause.) This is the source and cause of all these other ills of which I have just spoken. The people have been regardless of the future, only living for the present, thinking of themselves and not of their chil- dren and their children’s children that are going to come after them, as all patriots should think. Vandals are going into our forests and denuding and destroying them, and their hands must be stayed. Vandalism FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION June must be stopped; there must be an end to this waste, or else there can be no hope for our soil throughout the length and breadth of this Nation. “For this existing condition there must be some remedy; but where must this remedy come from? It must come alike from the states and the Nation, state going hand in hand with state, and the states joining with the Nation. (Applause.) “Last night at a banquet given to the Governors of this great Nation of ours Speaker Cannon said the township com- menced, then the county, then the state, and then came a call upon the Nation for help and succor. The townships of the various states have already acted. We are cleaning out our little creeks and rivers, stopping the waste all we can by indictment and other- wise; we are trying to protect our resources as best we can, but the great arm of the Nation must be used to aid the people of this great section in which we live. (Ap- plause.) A state can control intra-state commerce, but a state is powerless to con- trol inter-state commerce. A state can con- trol intra-state destruction, but a state is powerless to control inter-state destruction. Therefore we must have some means by which we can be brought together, and by which the Government and the states may go hand in hand—to prevent the devasta- tion and the destruction now going on. “There is a bill now pending in Congress which would bring about this remedy (ap- plause), and I say to the members of the Senate and to the members of the House of Representatives that if they will only pass that bill every state government from Maine to Texas and to the great Pacific Coast will co-operate with this Government in bring- ing about a condition of things that will build up the great Nation in which we live to-day. (Great applause. ) “We have come before these men from 1899 up to the present time. Five or six times, representing my state, have I been here ind knocked at the door of Congress, asking for relief. Each time they said ‘next session,’ and ‘next session,’ and ‘next ses- sion. When is the next session to come, Mr. President? (Laughter and applause.) Will they wait until all the forests are de- nuded, until all the rivers are dried up, un- til commerce is paralyzed? Then we do not want their help. We want it now, and must have it. “T want to say to this great Convention that it does seem to me that a resolution ought to be passed by this Convention, in- dorsed by every Governor of every state present, calling upon this present Congress to wait no longer, but even in the short ses- sion yet remaining, to pass this bill that means so much to the peace, happiness, wealth, power and glory of this great Na- tion in which we live. (Great applause.) “You Dei is calling for the preservation of the forests for humanity’s sake, for 1908 THE health’s sake. Vox populi is calling for the prevention of this waste for manufacturing purposes, for electrical purposes, for dam purposes, for commercial purposes—for all Washington Photo Copyright by Harris-Ewing, CONFERENCE CHAIRMEN Govs. Noel, Dineen and Johnson Secretary Shipp at center in rear of these purposes. And vox Dei and vox populi together shall be heard, and must be heard, or else we will get a tribunal that will listen to the demand of this great American Nation, as year after year we come here, urging our members to do their duty to the great land ae which we live to- day. (Gre at applause. “Men, Governors, aa ernors of the great West, our members have stood by you in your forest preserv ation; we have stood by you in your irrigation acts (applause) ; we have stood by you in every single thing for the upbuilding and the glory of this great Nation in which we live. And coming to- day, voicing the people’s voice, the voice of Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Con- necticut, Massachusetts; voicing the senti- ment of Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Vir- ginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, I plead with you and beg of you to come to our relief and join with us in helping to save the country from this waste and de- vastation. We will plant our crops, we will plant our grasses; but, sir, as long as floods continue to come tearing and rushing down our steep, unforested heights, into the val- GOVERNORS’ CONFERENCE 335 leys and eee tl e crops which we may plant are absolut worthl 1 ‘In conclusion, fi want to wel mark of Speaker Cannon, and that was this —that there ought to be « the White Mountains, and in the Appa lachian chain, and that we ought not to ask help of the Union—that confederation ought to be the means by which this waste is to bs stopped. “{ cannot answer for New Hampshire or Rhode Island or Massachusetts, but I can answer for the South. We tried confedera tion once, and it did not pay (great ap plause). You told us to come into the Union, and then to ask for anything we wanted; and now that we have come into the Union, and make our request, do not rebuff us the first time we come and ask you tor relief. (Great applause. ) “Thank God, as was said yesterday, that there is no North, no South, no East, no West. A Confederate son and_ soldier stands before you, who would die for his country and his state because he loves it. And that Confederate soldier is just as true to the Union as any man born in the North could possibly be.” (Great applause.) Following Governor Glenn, Hon. James O. Davidson, Governor of Wis- consin, spoke along the same lines. He said that to no state in the Union is the question of conservation of nat- ural resources more vitally important than to the state of Wisconsin. Only a few decades ago, he said, the north- ern and eastern parts of Wisconsin were one broad forest, broken only by occasional stretches of prairie land. Pine, hemlock, oak, and maple grew in such abundance that it was the state’s proud boast that Wisconsin alone could supply the whole country with timber for a century. Amid its great forests were swamps and hun- dreds of small lakes, from which deep, swift streams rushed to form the riv- ers that added their volume to th Mississippi But, with its great for- est wealth and its immense ate1 Wisconsin, like its sister states, present Pp wer, lived only in t le immediate id Governor “Great lumber c I Davidson, “inspired only by an enthusiasm and a greed which ki ds, at- tacked these forests, engaging in a mad race each to strip its territory, to market its lum ve forward and No tree was re- cutting. neter were cut for 336 lumber. Millions of young trees and sap- lings, which were too small to have any commercial value, were crushed by falling timber, or were cut to make rcom for log- SOUTHERN YELLOW PINE Native to the Region of the Proposed Southern Appalachian Forest ging roads. Those that escaped the ax of the loggers fell victims to forest fires, the destruction by which can only be counted by the millions of dollars—a further melan- choly ‘evidence of the carelessness with which our forests tracts were guarded. “To-day we are beginning to feel the pen- alty for this indifference. Our proud posi- tion as the greatest timber state of the Union has passed to others. Thousands of acres of land of no value for agriculture have been rendered bare and _ practically worthless; our swamps are drying up, and as a consequence many of our streams have shrunk to but a small proportion of their former size. ‘lhe destruction of our for- ests has taken from us that great regulater of the streams, for with no forests to pro- tect the head water of rivers and to detain the water upon the soil, we have frequent freshets and floods and are confronted with the problem of dealing with rapidly rising and falling stream yolume—a_ condition which has already rendered many of our FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION june one time valuable water powers practically worthless “Wisconsin has, however, awakened to its duty to the public ; it created the first state forest commission ever appointed by any of the states, and this commission has already developed into a Board whose la- bors are characterized by a continuous and progressive policy of forest administration. Vast tracts of public lands have been made into state forest reserves. Agriculturally profitable land has been sold and the pro- ceeds used to extend the resources in less fertile soil. The United States Govern- ment has added a large tract, aimed to pro- tect the head waters of our large rivers; while lumber companies, at last recognizing the state’s wise policy, have dedicated sev- eral thousand acres to the forest reserves. Wisconsin has acquired over 300,000 acres, and this acreage is constantly being ex- tended. It has been the policy to concen- trate these holdir:3 in counties having the greatest number of lakes feeding into large streams, and in some counties the state now holds ten per cent of the entire land area. “For the further protection of its water powers, the legislature has authorized cor- porations to erect series of reservoirs on certain streams, thus producing a uniform water flow throughout the season. The lo- cation of such reservoirs and dams, the height of dams, the amount of land which shall be overflowed, and the time and man- ner in which the stored water shall be re- leased, is determined by the State Board of Forestry; and the law also provides that holders of such storage reservoirs shall be permitted to charge reasonable tolls for water used, provided a certain previously agreed upon storage capacity is realized— such tolls not to exceed a net annual re- turn of 6 per cent on the cash capital ac- tually paid in. The capital of companies such as these, and the rates charged, are under the strict regulation and supervision of the State Railroad Commission. “Forestry is a new science in America, and no country has greater need for the adoption of its teachings. The state and National Governments still possess millions of acres of rich forests, a part of which should be preserved for the benefit of fu- ture generations. The public forests must be protected for the benefit of the public, enlarged as conditions permit. When tim- ber shall have ceased to be possible for fuel purposes, when coal beds have approached exhaustion, it is in our great forest tracts that we will find conservators of the sub- stitute for fuel—water power—and, in ad- dition, such forest tracts will rank as a most prolific source of public revenue.” Upon motion of Governor Folk, the morning session then adjourned. 1908 THE GOVERNORS’ CONFERENCE 337 AFTERNOON SESSION At the opening of the afternoon session, former Governor Pardee, of California, addressed the Conference. Dr. Pardee had prepared a paper in advance, but on taking the platform he stated that he had consigned his written remarks to his pocket, and that his talk would be purely extem- poraneous. Dr. Pardee stated that on his trip to Washington from California he could not help noticing that the same conditions exist cléar across the coun- try; that forests are disappearing, mines are being exhausted, rivers that are naturally great arteries of com- merce are deserted, their surface prac- tically unrippled by the wheels of steamboats, and that none of the states which he crossed on his journey seemed to be taking any steps to cor- rect this condition. He stated that Mr. James J. Hill recently told the country that five billion dollars would be required to put the country’s rail- roads into shape to handle all the busi- ness that is offered them, and if the population and the business of , the country increases in the future as rap- idly as it has in the past, that five bil- lion dollars will not do the work. And yet, he said, experts say that one half a billion ($500,000,000) will put the waterways and the harbors of the country in a condition to handle the excess of the country’s commerce. Continuing, Dr. Pardee said: “Here before me I see the Governors of almost all the states of the Union. Here in the capital of the Nation sits the Nation’s Congress, within reach of your voices, with- in a few minutes’ walk, within five minutes on the cars, by which you can go and tell these legislators what we desire and what the people of this country ought to have, and must have. (Applause.) I notice the instantaneous applause which greets every reference to the country’s inland water- ways, and I take it that you agree with me that, first of all, the waterways should be preserved. In order to do that the forests must be taken care of, and, as you have been told so many times to-day and yester- day, and will be told to-morrow, the care of our forests is the thing upon which all our deliberations and all the things we are here to discuss absolutely depend. (Applause.) “Here, on the platform, five or six pic- tures will be shown within the next five minutes. These pictures represent the work of the Reclamation Service in the West and Southwest. Out there dams are being built to store the waters of the rivers, so that water may be turned upon the millions of acres of arid and semi-arid lands, where, in time to come, the great civilization of this land, and therefore of the world, will be congregated. There, upon a few irrigated acres, a family of American children may be raised and given the benefit of both coun- try and urban civilization. The time is near when the American people, instead of de- manding 160 acres, will be, and must be, content with a much smaller acreage; and it is the work of the Reclamation Service that will bring this about. I am told that the Service has already opened waterways and ditches, which, if joined end ‘o end. would reach from San Francisco to [ienver {Applause.) And yet they have only made a beginning. (Applause. ) “Gentlemen, is not the time for talking gone by? Has not the time arrived when the representatives of 80,000,000 people here assembled shall show to Congress and to the people of the country that we must have the things which we are here discussing? (Applause.) That we must have the for- ests renewed, must have the inland water- ways preserved, deepened and made ca- pable of taking care of the country’s grow- ing commerce? (Applause). Must have the arid and semi-arid West and Southwest taken care of, for the overflow of the agri- cultural population which is now heading, I am alarmed to say, too much to the cities —must have all these things taken care of in a wise and beneficent way? (Loud ap- plause and cheers.) “Perhaps it would be revolutionary; per- haps it might not be the thing to do; but if I were a governor instead of an ex-gov- ernor, I would suggest that my colleagues from the various states meet with the Com- mittee on Agriculture of the House of Rep- resentatives, and show that Committee, by the presence of the Governors of forty-four states, that what this Conference talks about it means, and what it means it wants, and what it wants, it ought to have. (Applause and cheers.) “We have a way of doing things in Cali- fornia. My native city, but two years ago swept by the flames of a great conflagration, lay prostrate in the dust; but within those two years it has almost rehabilitated itself. Here are forty-four Governors who can take themselves to Congress and by their presence and influence have Congress re- habilitate the natural resources of the coun- try which have been so shamefully laid waste.” (Loud applause.) 338 At the conclusion.of Dr. Pardee’s talk Governor Deneen of Illinois, took the chair, President Roosevelt retiring. A paper prepared by H. A. Jastro, of Bakersfield, Cal., president of the American National Live Stock Asso- ciation, was read by Mr. William C. Barnes, Mr. Jastro having been taken suddenly ill and being unable to de- liver the address himself. Mr. Jastro’ S paper was confined in the main to grazing and stock rais- ing conditions in New Mexico, Ari- zona, and California. In that region, it was stated, there are at present over 8,000,000 head of sheep, nearly 3,000,- 000 head of cattle, and about 700,000 head of horses and mules, the gross estimated value of which is over $100,- 009,000. This live stock is supported almost wholly upon the the open graz- ing lands in the region mentioned, the grazing area being about 135,000,000 acres. This range, it was stated, is fast being destroyed by unwise and indiscriminate use and abuse. ‘The only exception to this statement that can be noted is on the lands which have been withdrawn for purposes of forest protection, and on such lands a wise and efficient system of manage- ment is rapidly and almost miracu- lously restoring former splendid graz- ing conditions. “Mr. Jastro’s paper referred to the stories of range wars and feuds that are said to have existed between cattle and sheep men from the beginning of grazing on the open range; and refer- ence was also made to the disastrous conditions that have come about through over-grazing and over-stock- ing the range, resulting in the tramp- ling out and practical extinction of many of the native forage plants. Referring to conditions governing water supplies, it was stated that it is beyond contradiction that forested slopes surrounding the head waters of streams exert a tremendous influence in equalizing stream flow throughout the year, and thus provide ample irri- gation waters during the summer months. The extension of forest re- FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION June serves, and an intelligent conservation of wooded, brushy slopes, has already saved thousands of dollars to the stockmen and the irrigation farmers of the arid and semi-arid regions, he said, and the good results that can be attained by methods such as are fol- lowed by the Forest Service and the Reclamation Service can only be meas- ured by the extent of the new work which these Services are enabled to complete. Mr. Jastro’s paper closed with the statement that the entire situation in the arid regions can, at present, best be dealt with by the General Govern- ‘ment, and, referring again to grazing conditions, the statement was made that unless a just and equitable law is promptly passed, authorizing Federal protection and control of the public grazing lands, the native grasses will soon be completely trampled out through over-stocking, and hence the beneficial use of such lands by stock- men for grazing purposes will be very materially curtailed. Hon. Joseph W. Folk, Governor of Missouri, then addressed the Confer- ence, making the initial suggestion that resulted in the inauguration of the movement to form a permanent organization of the Governors. Governor Folk declared that the Conference would be world-wide in its influence. He said that at no time in the Nation’s history would it have been possible for so many Governors to meet together. Prior to the Civil War, he said, transportation facilities were inadequate; and after the war the sectional feeling for so long a time was such as to make a meeting of this kind impossible. “But now,” he said, “we have met here together as mem- bers of one large family. In looking at the map, I have been impressed with the fact that the states of this Union are, after all, closely connected by blood and in interest. Tennessee, my native state, is largely made up of people from North Carolina and Vir- ginia; Missouri, my adopted state, composed largely of Kentuckians, 1908 Tennesseeans and Virginians; Texas, made up, in the main, of Missourians and ‘Tennesseeans, and Oklahoma, whose citizens are principally Texans and Kansans. And so it is, all over this broad land; our American states are united by blood, united in pur- pose, and joined together by patriotic bonds to a common country. (Ap- plause.) It does not matter so much where a man is from as what that man is. In Kipling’s words: “There is neither East or West— Border, nor breed, nor birth— When two strong men stand face to face, Though they come from the ends of the earth.” After referring briefly to the situa- tion in Missouri as regards coal, iron and other minerals, Governor Folk aroused a tremendous burst of ap- plause by the declaration that “‘the for- estry question is our problem, and it is a problem that we must settle, and set- tle soon. The waterways question is our problem, and if we do not settle it we will fail of our duty, not only to the present generation, but to those who may come after us.” Continuing in this vein, the Mis- souri Executive said: “Governor Glenn this morning spoke of a bill before Congress in reference to forests and waterways. I want to indorse what Governor Glenn said. That bill ought to pass. (Applause.) Governor Glenn spoke of vox populi, vor Dei. But there is a new voice in the land—a voice that was not con- templated by the Fathers of this Republic— vox Cannoni. (Applause and_ laughter.) This later voice has often proven more pow- erful than vox populi, and it sometimes seems that it has been thought greater than vox Dei. “We want to put our forests in proper condition to preserve the timber we have, and we want to adopt a comprehensive scheme of reforestation. I am sorry to say that in Missouri we have no State Forester; but as soon as I go back home I intend to appoint a State Forestry Commission . (Ap- plause and cries of “Good! good!”) I be- lieve that every Governor ought to do the same thing, and I am sure that every legis- lature, when it meets, will ratify such action. We want to preserve our forests. I hope I am not treading on forbidden ground, but I have been wondering why, with the neces- sity for forest preservation, it would not be THE GOVERNORS’ CONFERENCE 339 a good thing to put lumber on the free list. (Great applause.) I hope this is not heresy. It seems to me that, for every foot of lum- ber brought to us from another country we preserve a foot of lumber in our own for- ests.” (Applause.) Governor Folk then turned to the subject of improvement of inland wa- terways. He referred to the Missouri River, stretching clear across his state. As it is a navigable stream, he said, it belongs to the Federal Government. The states, he said, cannot undertake the work of improving such streams without obtaining the consent of the Government. If the Government does not care to undertake the permanent improvement of the Missouri River, he went on, and if the consent of the Government is granted, Missouri is willing to undertake the work, pro- vided that, by act of Congress, Mis- souri is given the right to use the water power generated by the river. Applause followed his announcement that Missouri would undertake to do this work and to pay for it out of the revenues derived from the sale of the water power; and not only that, but to run the state government out of such revenues also. And, he stated, he believed that every state through which courses a navigable stream could and would undertake the same work, under similar conditions. Governor Folk was followed by Governor Osborne, of Michigan, whose announcement that the Senate Committee on Interstate Commerce had favorably reported the bill for the perpetuation of the Inland Waterways Commission brought forth a round of cheers and hand-clapping. Practical results, stated Governor Osborne, were expected from the Conference; and among the practical results already obtained were the announcements by Governor Folk and others that they intended immediately to appoint State Forestry Commissions ; and he pleaded for the same action on the part of every Governor present whose state has not already such a Commission. Governor Cutler, of Utah, then spoke. He said that Utah has at pres- 340 ent eighteen National Forests, with a total area of 7,415,832 acres, and that it was estimated that in addition to this it would be well to place under Government supervision ab-ut I,500,- 000 acres of forest lands, all of the forested areas, he said, lying high up in the mountains. About one-half of this latter 1,500,000 acres, he stated, is privately owned, and cannot be ob- tained by the Government except by purchase. He stated that it is the ex- perience of every one in Utah that, from every point of view, it is desirable that the forest reserves be kept in- tact. Reforestation, to reniedy the de- vastation wrought in former years by disastrous forest fires, is going on in Utah, he stated, adding that he under- stood that the Government nurseries of Utah have now over two and a half millions of seedling trees that will be ready for transplantuig next year. In view of the fact that Utah is a state wherein exist very extensive grazing and stock-raising interests, Governor Cutler’s advocacy of a law for range regulation was most inter- esting. He stated that the question of grazing is a vexed one, but that he believes it would be well to re- strict the number of head of live stock to be grazed on the ranges and in the National Forests to the actual carrying capacity of such ranges, and that if this is done the ranges, etc., will be maintained in their present good condition. Some measure such as that introduced last winter by Sen- ator Burkett, of Nebraska, providing for Federal supervision of the range, and the establishment of a leasing sys- tem, would, he thought, bring about nothing but beneficial results. Governor Cutler referred to the work of the Reclamation Service on the Strawberry Project, in Utah, say- ing that he was convinced, after a re- cent visit to this project, of the wis- dom of entrusting such works to the Government. The Strawberry Pro- ject will, he said, reclaim 60,000 acres of land, at a cost of about $40 an acre, but making the land worth over FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION June $100 per acre; and he said he consid- ered this a good investment. He re- ferred to the efforts of President Roosevelt to save from vandalism the scenic marvels of Utah, by setting aside the land surrounding the three great natural bridges of the State as National Parks, these lands containing also ruins of cliff-dwellers’ houses, and canyon walls covered with the hiero- elyphic picture-writing of the extinct, unknown races that once peopled the western country. Summing up, he said that it is the laudable desire of President Roosevelt and his associates to do everything possible in the way of conserving those natural resources the country possesses, for the benefit not only of the people who now enjoy them, but also for the generations yet unborn, and he concluded with the declaration that, so far as he was con- cerned, he intends to give his loyal sup- port in the undertaking. . Governor Gooding, of Idaho, and Governor Norris, of Montana, in brief talks that bristled with figures and cor- uscated with Western enthusiasm, told of the work that is being done in their States toward reclaiming desert and arid lands. Both spoke of the work of the Reclamation Service in the highest terms; both declared, however, that the work being done by the states, under the Carey Act, was far greater in amount and value than the work of the Government. The plea of both speakers was for the adoption of some plan whereby the states themselves could carry on the work of forest con- servation, reclamation, etc., unhindered by the Government. Governor Nor- ris added to the enthusiasm of the ses- sion by declaring that he intended to follow the example of Governor Folk and appoint a State Forestry Commis- sion immediately upon his return home. Dr. James, president of the Univer- sity of Illinois, told the Conference that the statesmen of the country, from President Roosevelt on through the list, are today taking up and in- corporating into the political economy 1908 of the Nation ideas that were advo- cated by men of science thirty years ago. It was his optimistic opinion, however, that no such waste as had been alluded to by previous speakers had existed in ‘this country; or, if it did exist, it was not really waste, but the simple methods that, instinctively adopted by the early settlers of the country, had proven themselves in the main correct. He said that the fact that farms of the East have passed out of cultivation is not necessarily an in- dication that those farms have lost their productive power, but, rather, that they have been abandoned be- cause of the opening up of broad- er fields of usefulness in the regions beyond the Mississippi and the Mis- souri, and he said he believed that, after all is said and done, the greatest natural resources the country pos- sesses is not its forests, its rivers, its mines or its soil, but in the brains of its people. Hon. James R. Garfield, Secretary of the Interior, was called upon for a talk, and responded in a manner that drew from the conferees repeated ex- pressions of approval. Secretary Garfield said that it is only within recent years that the Na- tion has felt the need of extending, by means other than those nature gave us, the areas where men could build homes. Such necessity, he said, has now arisen; lands that can be farmed, if water for irrigation can be supplied, are being given this water, and the cultivable area of the western states is rapidly being enlarged, this enlarge- ment necessarily tending to wipe out, for some purposes, the boundaries be- tween states. Such obliteration of state lines does not, however, mean that the states are going to lose any of their inherent rights. Referring to the question of forest reserves in the West, Secretary Gar- field said: “It has been suggested that in the West- ern forest reserves that which has been at- tempted by the Federal Government may not be along the right lines. We do not for a moment maintain that the final word has THE GOVERNORS’ CONFERENCE 341 been said, that the ideal law has been passed, or that the regulations adopted cannot be improved. In regard to the question put by the Governor of Montana—I believe, something to this effect: ‘Why should the Federal Government charge in the forest reserves those people who are using the forests; why should not the work in the reserves be paid for by the Government as a whole, rather than by the imposition of charges upon those who use the reserves?’ —I will answer that question with another: Why should a great resource, which is owned by the people at large, be used by private interests, by somebody who is look- ing only to his own benefit, and not the benefit to the people of the whole country? (Applause.) That applies not only in the forest reserves, so far as grazing is con- cerned, but it applies equally well to the use of the water powers of this country, (Ap- plause), first, in the conservaion, and then in the use of such water powers. (Ap- plause. ) “The people as a whole own these natural resources and it is for them to determine whether the resources shall be used for the benefit of all, or be turned over to be used without regulation for the benefit of who- ever may happen first to get a foothold in any special locality.” (Applause.) Secretary Garfield said that as he listened to the addresses, he had reached the conclusion that the key- note was practically the same through- out—that it was simply a question as to how we can best work out the prob- lems that confront us. He stated that his idea of conservation was the high- est possible development, year by year, to meet the needs of the country’s growing population; such develop- ment to be for the people as a whole, and not for the enrichment, by mon- opolization, of individual or corpor- ate private interests. Professor Burnett, director of the Nebraska Agriculture Experiment Station, was the next speaker, his ad- dress dealing with the topics of soil conservation, the extension of scien- tific methods of cultivation, and the determination,of crops that may profit- ably be grown under what would or- dinarily be considered unfavorable conditions. He made a plea for the extension of agricultural education in all of the states in order that the na- tural resources-of the farm may be built up through intelligent handling of the soil. 342 Mr. W. S. Harvey, of Philadelphia, designated as representative of the American Forestry Association by the Association’s president, Hon. James Wilson, spoke on behalf of the Amer- ican Forestry Association, the Com- mittee on Forestry and Irrigation of the National Board of Trade, and the State of Pennsylvania. He paid a deserved tribute to Mr. Wilson and Mr. Pinchot, stating that he has drawn his inspiration for the protec- tion and intelligent use of the forests and waterways from these two men. He stated that the Forestry and Ir- rigation Committee of the National Board of Trade in January, 1906, made a report to Congress embodying information gathered by the Commit- tee from the General Land Office. The Committee was advocating the repeal of the Timber and Stone Act. He said that under this act 5,000,- ooo acres of the most valuable timber land belonging to the United States was sold from Igor to 1906 at the rate of $2.50 an acre, and that thus, for $13,000,000, the United States parted with lands actually worth more than $100,000,000. The law that made this possible, he said, the Nation- al Board of Trade and the American Forestry Association has been trying to have repealed, but so far little head- way has been made. Mr. Harvey said that the State of Pennsylvania has acquired for State forest reserves 900,000 acres of land, and the State is planting this year 400,000 white pine seedlings. In the state reserves, Mr. Harvey said, sani- tariums for the use of sufferers from tuberculosis were being established, the State having last year appropri- ated $600,000 for such sanitariums. This he called special attention to as an admirable feature of the work that is being done by Pennsylvania. Mr. Harvey read a copy of a dis- patch sent on the 5th of May to Speaker Cannon— “a cannon,’’ he said, “that many of us wish might be spiked.”—in regard to the forestry question: FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION June “Forest reserves of the South and East are vital for the preservation and perpetu- ation of our waterways, for transportation and protection of cheap power, and essential to the extension of foreign trade, if we are to maintain the American wage level in competition with other manufacturing na- tions. The Leever Bill, I believe, is consist- ent with the Constitutional requirements of the House Judiciary Committee, and satis- factory to the friends of waterways and forests. Will you not exert your influence and power at this psychological time for a wise and perpetually beneficent cause that is earnestly advocated by more than fifty million Americans?” The country, he said, knows what course Speaker Cannon chose to take. He commented on the development of water power in the south and east that will be made possible by the es- tablishment of national forests in the southern states and in the New Eng- land regions, saying that in the south- ern states alone development of the maximum possible water power would amount to a saving tc the peo- ple of the Southern Appalachian and tributary regions of $45,000,000 an- nually. He urged that Congress be petitioned so frequently and forcibly that it would be obliged to listen to the voice of the people in behalf of the preservation, conservation, and utilization of the country’s great na- tural resources. Governor Burke, of North Dakota, and Mr. W. G. Jones, of Texas, contributed to the general discussion, and at 5.25 o'clock P. M., on motion of Governor Noel, the session ad- journed. Following adjournment, and in pursuance of the suggestion made by Governor Folk, a number of the Gov- ernors met to take preliminary steps toward perfecting a permanent organ- ization. About twenty Governors took part in this preliminary meeting, and before the meeting came to a close, “The House of Governors” had been launched. A meeting to be held in the coming autumn, either at St. Louis, or Chicago, was decided upon; Governor Swanson of Virginia, and Governor Willson of Kentucky, were chosen as the neucleus of an executive 1908 committee and empowered to ap- point five other Governors to act on the same committee; and this execu- tive committee will hold a meeting during the early summer to elaborate further the plans for the first gather- ing of the new “House of Governors.” In commenting on this organization, Governor Folk, who stands as the father of the movement, said: “One hundred years from now the House of Governors will be looked upon as one of the greatest factors in the Government and development of the United States. It will cement the states of the Union as they have never been cemented before. The value of the work that such an organization can do cannot be over-estimated. While the body will have no legal standing, and will, therefore, be in no position to dictate what laws shall, or shall not, be passed by the various legislatures, it is, nevertheless, true that recommendations made by the Governors would undoubtedly be enacted into law. In this way, many problems which now prove troublesome, would be solved. We could easily deal with uni- form divorce laws, railroad legislation, and other such matters of interest outside the borders of any.one state. There will be no conflict between the action of the Con- ference, in placing the power in the hands of the President to call the next meeting of THE GOVERNORS’ CONFERENCE 343 Governors to discuss the conservation of natural resources, and that of the commit- tee which proposes to call a meeting of the Governors to discuss all matters of com- mon interest. We will work in harmony, and our object is simply to broaden the scope of the work of the proposed meeting.” As has been stated, Govenror Folk really stands as the sponsor for the new movement. He, and _ others among the Governors, felt that the proposition for assembling a confer- ence of the Governors on call of the President left matters too indefinite; and it was also felt that such confer- ences as might be called by the Presi- dent, while they might work efficiently toward handling problems of general conservation, would not feel like deal- ing with other problems, such as an organization like the House of Gov- ernors might wish to take up. The matter of temporary organiza- tion was left in the hands of Govern- ors Willson and Swanson, though it was regarded as practically settled that Governor Folk would be made a members of the permanent executive committee. THIRD DAY’S SESSION At the opening of the session of Friday, May 15th, Governor Blan- chard read the report of the Commit- tee on Resolutions. He stated that this report is not really in the form of a set of resolutions, but rather was designated to express the views and recommendations of the Conference. “We, the Governors of the states and territories of the United States of Amer- ica, in conference assembled, do hereby de- clare the conviction that the great prosper- ity of our country rests upon the abundant resources of the land chosen by our fore- fathers for their homes and where they laid the foundation for this great Nation. “We look upon these resources as a her- itage to make use of in establishing and promoting the comfort, prosperity, and hap- piness of the American people, but not to be wasted, deteriorated, or needlessly de- stroyed. ; “We agree that our country’s future is in- volved in this; that the great natural re- sources supply the material basis upon which our civilization must continue to de- pend, and upon which the perpetuity of the Nation itself rests. “We agree, in the light of facts brought to our knowledge and from information re- ceived from sources which we cannot doubt, that this material basis is threatened with exhaustion. Even as each succeeding gen- eration, from the birth of the Nation, has performed its part in promoting the prog- ress and deyelopment of the Republic, so do we in this generation recognize it as a high duty to perform our part, and this duty, in large degree, lies in the adoption of measures for the conservation of the nat- ural wealth of the country. “We declare our firm conviction that this conservation of our natural resources is a subject of transcendent importance, which should engage unremittingly the attention of the Nation, the states, and the people in earnest co-operation. These natural re- sources include the land on which we live, and which yields our food; the living waters which fertilize the soil, supply power, and form great avenues of commerce; the for- ests which yield the materials for our homes, prevent erosion of the soil, and con- serve the navigation and other uses of our streams; and the minerals which form the 344 basis of our industrial life, and supply us with heat, light, and power. “We agree that the land should be so used that erosion and soil wash should cease, that there should be reclamation of arid and semi-arid regions by means of irrigation ; that the waters should be so con- served and used as to promote navigation, to enable the arid regions to be reclaimed by irrigation, and to develop power in the interests of the people; that the forests, which regulate our rivers, support our in- dustries, and promote the fertility and pro- ductiveness of the soil,‘should be preserved and perpetuated; that the minerals found so abundantly beneath the surface should be so used as to prolong their utility; that the beauty, healthfulness, and habitability of our country should be preserved and in- creased; that the sources of national wealth exist for the benefit of the people, and that pe ey ps thereof should not be toler- ated. “We commend the wise forethought of the President in sounding the note of warn- ing as to the waste and exhaustion of the natural resources of the country, and sig- nify our appreciation of his action in call- ing this Conference to consider the same, and to seek remedies therefor through co- operation of the Nation and the states. “We agree that this co-operation should find expression in suitable action by the Congress within the limits of, and co-exten- sion with the national jurisdiction of the subject, and, complementary thereto, by the legislatures of the several States within the limits of, and co-extensive with, their juris- diction. “We declare the conviction that in the use of the natural resources our independ- ent States are interdependent and bound together by ties of mutual benefits, responsi- bilities, and ,duties. “We agree in the wisdom of future con- ferences between the President, members of Congress, and the governors of the States on the conservation of our natural resources with the view of continued co-operation and action on the lines suggested. ,And to this end we advise that from time to time, as in his judgment may seem wise, the Presi- dent call the governors of the states, mem- bers of Congress, and others into confer- ence. “We agree that further action is advis- able to ascertain the present condition of our natural resources, and to promote the conservation of the same. And to that end we recommend the appointment by each State of a commission on the conservation of natural resources, to co-operate with each other and with any similar commission on behalf of the Federal Government. “We urge the continuation and exten- sion of forest policies adapted to secure the husbanding and removal of our diminish- ing timber supply, the prevention of soil ero- sion, the protection of headwaters, and the FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION June maintainance of the purity and navigability of our streams. We recognize that the pri- vate ownership of forest lands entails re- sponsibilities in the interests of all the peo- ple, and we favor the enactment of laws looking to the protection and replacement of privately owned forests. “\Ve recognize in our waters a most vain- able asset of the people of the United States, and we recommend the enactment of laws looking to the conservation of water resources for irrigation, water supply, power, and navigation, to the end that nav:- gable and other streams may be fully util- ized for every purpose. “We especially urge on the Federal Con- gress the immediate adoption of a wise, active, and thorough waterway policy, pro- viding for the prompt improvement of our streams and conservation of their water- sheds required for the uses of commerce and the protection of the interests of our people. “We recommend the enactment of laws looking to the prevention of waste in the mining and extraction of coal, oil, gas, and other minerals with a view to their wise conservation for the use of the people, and to the protection of human life in the mines. “Let us conserve the foundations of our prosperity. “Respectfully submitted, “NEWTON C. BLANCHARD. “JOHN F. FORT. “J. O. DAVIDSON. “JOHN C. CUTLER. “M. F. ANSEL.” Commenting on this report, Gov- ernor Blanchard said that the Com- mittee, while endeavoring to make its report broad, liberal, and of national scope, had tried also to limit its dec- larations to subjects concerning the conservation of natural resources. He said that he had long thought if the Governors of the several States could meet from time to time and exchange ideas on Governmental affairs and af- fairs of their states, much good would come of it. He said that the problems of conservation were proper subjects for the fullest co-operation between the states of the United State, and on his motion the resolu- tions were adopted. Following this, Honorable William Jennings Bryan addressed the confer- ence. -He said,.in part: “T hesitate to speak at all, because the Governors who are assembled here repre- , 1908 sent constituencies, and those constituen- cies, well marked, are looking to them for the protection of state interests in conjunc- tion with the development of National in- terests, and I recognize that a private citi- zen like myself with no. fixed constituency (laughter and applause) speaks, if he speaks at all, either for himself or for a nebulous portion of the Nation. I recognize that such an one is not only under the same ob- ligation that the Governors are, but that he speaks with less authority; and I have been anxious that those who were in official po- sition should discuss these questions and leave to us unofficial visitors the bringing up of the rear end, so to speak, of the dis- eussion.. = *) = “I acknowledge my obligation to Presi- dent Roosevelt for the opportunity which he has given me to participate in this meet- ing. The Conference marks the beginning of a new era, during which increasing at- tention will be given to the far-reaching problems involved in the conservation of the Nation’s resources. (Applause. ) The epoch-making speech with which the Chief Executive opened the first session must ex- ert a powerful influence upon the country at large, as it has upon those who were for- tunate enough to hear him. * * * “T am a strict constructionist, if that means to believe that the Federal govern- ment is one of delegated powers and that constitutional limitations should be care- fully observed. I am jealous of any en- croachment upon the rights of the states, believing that the states are as indestructi- ble as the union is indissoluble. It is, how- ever, entirely consistent with this theory to believe, as I do believe, that it is just as imperative that the general government shall discharge the duties delegated to it, as it is that the states shall exercise the pow- ers reserved to them. “There is no twilight zone between the Nation and the State, in which exploiting interests can take refuge from both, (great applause), and my observation is that most —not all, but most—of the contentions over the line between Nation and state are trace- able to predatory corporations which are trying to shield themselves from deserved punishment, or endeavoring to_ prevent needed restraining legislation. The first point which I desire to make is that earnest men, with an unselfish purpose and con- cerned only for the public good, will be able to agree upon legislation which will not only preserve for the future the inherit- ance which we have received from a bount- ful Providence, but preserve it in such a way as to avoid the dangers of centraliza- tion. Nothing that is necessary is impossi- ble: and it would be a reflection upon the intelligence, as well as upon the patriotism of our people, to doubt the value of gath- erings of this kind. * “T begin with the proposition that it should be our purpose, not only to pre- THE GOVERNORS’ CONFERENCE 345 serve the Nation’s resources for future gen- erations by reducing waste to a minimum, but that we should see to it that a few of the people do not monopolize that which is in equity the property of all the people. (Applause.) The earth belongs to each gen- eration, and it is criminal to fetter future generations with perpetual franchises, mak- ing the multitude servants to a favored fac- tion of the population, as it would be to impair, unnecessarily, the common store. (Applause.) I am glad that Secretary Gar- field emphasized this point. It is one that must always be kept in mind by the Na- tion and by the several states. * * * “T was surprised at the statistics given in regard to our coal and our iron ore. While it is possible that new coal measures and new ore beds may be discoveréd, we can- not afford to base our conduct upon specu- lations as to what may yet be discovered. We should begin an intelligent supervision and conservation of that which is known to exist, and I respectfully submit that it is worth while to ask ourselves whether we can afford to offer a bounty to those who are engaged in exhausting the supply of raw materials, which, when gone, cannot be replaced. Surely if there is any im- portation which we can properly encou:- age by a free list, it is the importation of those raw materials of which our own sup- ply is limited. (Applause.) And what I say in regard to coal and iron ore is equally applicable to timber. “It is hardly consistent to discourage the importation of lumber, while we worry about the devastation of ou: forests. “Mr. Hill has rendered the Conference a real service in presenting the facts and sta- tistics set forth in his address on land and its cultivation. Few of us, probably, were conscious of the impairment of the crop value of our soil. I am sure that a clear understanding of this subject will lead to*a still further enlargement of the work of the Department of Agriculture and to still closer co-operation between the Depart- ment of Agriculture and the States in teaching economical methods of agricul- ture. (Applause.) Already the rapid growth of the agricultural college offers encouragement and I am glad to express my appreciation of the valuable work done by Secretary Wilson and his associates in bringing to our country fruits, plants and grasses suited to the different parts of ou country. As the farmer pays more than his share of the taxes and receives less than his share of the direct benefits which flow from national appropriations, it 1s only justice to him that we shall be liberal in the support of every effort put forth for the improvement of agriculture. (Ap- plause.)’ “Irrigation has justified the arguments which led to the inaugauration of the work. No one who has witnessed the trans- formation of the desert into field and gar- 346 den can doubt the wisdom of the steps that have been taken. Here, as elsewhere, both the Nation and the State can find a field for legitimate activity, and I am sure that there will be a continuation of this work until all of the waters which can be utilized for that purpose have been appropriated. * * * “The same principle which was invoked in support of irrigation can be invoked in support of drainage.. The question is not whether the water should be brought upon the land or taken off the land; it is whether the land shall be made tillable and its wealth-producing qualities utilized. Drainage of the swamps is, therefore, as legitimate a work as the reclamation of arid wastes. “No subject has been brought out more prominently at this Conference than the subject of forestry, and it justifies the time devoted to it, for our timber lands touch our national interests at several points. Our use of lumber is enormous, but immense as would be the inconvenience and loss caused by the absence of lumber, the consequence of the destruction of our forests would be still more disastrous to the Nation. As has been shown, the timber on our moun- tain ranges protects our water supply. Not to speak of changes in climate which might follow the denuding of our moun- tains, the loss to the irrigated country could not be remedied and the damage to the streams could not be calculated. And if this is not enough to arouse the interest of all, I may add that the destruction of the forests on the mountain ranges would in time impair the underflow upon which we rely for our well water. “The good effects of this Conference are already apparent in the determination ex- pressed by several governors at once to ap- point Forestry Commissions and begin such work as the state can do. (Applause.) In this case action is so urgent and the field to be covered so large that both the Na- tion and the several states can exercise themselves to the full without danger of doing too much. (Applause.) The na- tional reservations already made in the West, and the new reservations that ought to be made, and are likely to be made, in the White Mountains and in the Appala- chian Range can doubtless be so adminis- tered as to protect national interests with- out unduly burdening the states in which the reservations are located, or needlessly interfering with the development of the _ states. No national policy need retard the development of the western states, and their own interest should restrain them from sacrificing future wealth and protec- tion for temporary advantage. “Lastly, I come to our interior waterways. I shall not defend the improvement of these waterways on the ground that such im- provement would help to regulate the rail- road rates, although it would aid regula- tion; for whenever the people are ready, FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION Tune they will exercise the power which they have. But water traffic is less expensive than traffic by rail, and there are many commodities which can be transported much more cheaply by water than they possibly could be carried by land. I believe it has been estimated that an expenditure of $500,- 000,000 on interior waterways would result in a saving of nearly $200,000,000 annually. Just a word in conclusion about an in- vestment in permanent improvements. Money spent in care for the life and health of the people, in protecting the soil from erosion and from exhaustion, in preventing waste in the use of minerals of limited sup- ply, in the reclamation of deserts and swamps, and in the preservation of forests still remaining and the planting of denuded tracts—money invested in these and in the development of waterways and in the deep- ening of harbors is an investment yielding an annual return. If any of these expend- itures fail to bring a return at once the money expended is like a bequest to those who come after us. And as the parent lives for his child as well as for himself, so the good citizen provides for the future as well as for the present. This gathering will be remembered by future generations, because they as well as ourselves will be the recipients of the benefits which will flow from this Conference. We have all been strengthened by communion together; our vision has been enlarged and the enthusi- asm here aroused will permeate every state and every community.” (Great applause). At the conclusion of Mr. Bryan’s address, the peroration of which elic- ited tremendous bursts of applause, President Roosevelt stepped quickly across the platform and shook the Ne- brakan heartily by the hand. When the enthusiasm had subsided, Judge Goudy, President of the National Ir- rigation Congress, invited all present to attend the sixteenth session of that organization at Albuquerque, New Mexico, September 29th to October 3d. Hon. B. B. Comer, Governor of Al- abama, was recognized and made a short talk, following the President’s suggestion that those governors who had not been heard be called on for their contribution to the discussion. Governor Comer dwelt on the re- sources of Alabama and on the state’s waterways, saying however, that his sentiments were much the same as those of Governor Folk, and that he hesitated to take a stand for turning 1908 over the control of waterways and re- sources to the National Government. President Roosevelt came into the discussion with a forcible statement along the lines brought out in the re- marks of the different governors. II- lustrating the stand taken by the Fed- eral Government, the President said: “My position has been simply that where a privilege, which may be of untold value in the future to the private individuals granted it, is asked from the Federal Government, the Federal Government shall put on the grant a condition that it shall not be a grant in perpetuity. (Applause.) Make it long enough that the corporation shall have an ample material reward. The corporation deserves it. Give an ample reward to the captain of industry, but not an indeterminate reward. (Applause.) Put in a provision that will enable our chil- dren at the end of a certain specified period, to say what, in their judgment, should be done with any great natural power which is of use to the grantee only because the people as a whole allow him to use it. It is eminently right that he should be allowed to make ample profit from his development of it, but make him pay something for the privilege, and make the grant for a fixed period, so that when the conditions change, as in all probability they will change, our children—the Nation of the future—shall have the right to determine the conditions upon which that privilege shall then be en- joyed. (Applause). “Where that policy can best be carried out by the states, carry it out by the states; where it can best be carried out by the Na- tion, carry it out by the Nation. My con- cern is not with the academic side of the question. My concern is in the employ- ment either of the state rights or the prin- ciple of National sovereignty, as it will best conserve the needs of the people as a whole. (Applause and cheers.) Hon. A. E. Mead,, Governor of Washington, followed the President, and brought up a subject that had not before been mentioned—the conserva- tion of the resources upon which a very important northwestern industry depends, the fisheries industry. He said that the salmon industry of the northwest is of tremendous importance to the people of that part of the United States, and he spoke for the enactment of laws that would pro- tect that industry, both for the sake of the State of Washington and the territory of Alaska. THE GOVERNORS’ CONFERENCE 347 Hon. J. Frank Hanly, Governor of Indiana, followed with a series of in- terrogations, saying that they were submitted as an appeal for informa- tion along certain lines of conserva- tion. He wanted to know if the pro- gram of conservation meant the im- position of limitations upon produc- tion of coal, lumber, etc., and asked, if this is the case, would it not mean putting limitations upon the industrial life of the Nation. He expressed his full sympathy with the purposes of the Conference, and stated that his remarks were made solely for the pur- ‘pose of gaining information, and not in a spirit of opposition or criticism. Hon. Augustus E. Willson, Govy- ernor of Kentucky, presented some facts in regard to the utilization of natural resources in his State. Refer- ring to Mr. Mitchell’s statement in re- gard to the loss of life attendant upon coal mining operations, he said that one of the big coal companies of Ken- tucky has produced in the last ten years 1,100,000 tons of coal with the loss of only one life. This coal com- pany, he said, owns or controls great areas of land, and on its land the com- pany, unaided, has planted 1,000,000 black walnut trees and a quarter of a million other trees. He spoke of Kentucky's interest in the improvement of the country’s waterways and said that no other State in the Union realized more ful- ly the importance of a rational and practical development of a system of inland water transportation. Hon. Eward W. Hoch, Governor of Kansas, expressed the interest of the Sunflower State in the problem of conserving and extending the nation’s inland waterways. He said that he had been deeply impressed with the mutuality of interest which had de- veloped in the Conference. “Calif- ornia,”’ he said, “cannot say to Florida or to Colorado, ‘we have no need of thee’, and Maine cannot say to Texas, ‘we have no need of thee’. We are mutual in interest, and this Confer- ence has cemented our Union as noth- ing has ever done before.” 348 Governor Sheldon, of Nebraska, spoke on the excellent work being done by the agricultural experiment stations in his State. He said that in Lancaster county, Nebraska, for the last five years, the yield of corn has been thirty-five bushels per acre. Yet the corn raised under the direction of the agricultural experiment station located in that county, under the same conditions and the same _ circum- stances, but in accordance with the teachings of science, has yielded sev- enty-six bushels to the acre for the last five years. He said that these ob- ject lessons are something that the farmers of the country cannot argue down or get around; and he contin- ued with a plea for the extension of this line of governmental work. Re- forestation and the planting of new forests, he said, was also a vitally im- portant work, and he urged that indi- vidual and State co-operation be given the National Government in its work along this line. Lieut. Governor Davidson, of Tex- as, spoke on the natural resources of that State and urged the extension of a system of water conservation for irrigation and power purposes in the mountainous regions of western Tex- as. Mr. William Louden, Iowa, spoke briefly in a general summing-up of the proceedings of the Conference; and FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION June Mr. Bryan presented the following resolutions. “Resolved: That this Conference records its deep regret that Ex-Presi- dent Cleveland is prevented by sick- ness from participating in this historic meeting; and that, extending to him a cordial greeting, it expresses a sin- cere wish for his speedy recovery.” After a brief discussion, at the close of which it was decided to print the proceedings of the Conference in full, Governor Blanchard said: “With profound appreciation of the great work that this Conference has accomplished, I do now move that the Conference adjourn sine die.” Before putting the motion, Presi- dent Roosevelt said: “Let me extend a word of thanks to all of you, to the Governors and the other guests for coming here. The White House has held many distin- guished gatherings in its day. I do not believe it has ever held as distin- guished a gathering as this, composed. of executives and representatives of the executives of all of the States of the Union. I thank you for coming; and I can assure you that at least no body of guests has ever been more welcome than you have to the White House.” Thereupon, at 1:30 o’clock P. M., the Conference stood adjourned. Mew THE FOREST LESSON By ARTHUR CHAPMAN In order to reforest a part of the Adirondacks, it has been found necessary to import a million young trees from Germany.—Press Dispatch. THE throb of the ax in the forest went on through a nation vast, Like a fevered heart that is beating in measure that’s all too fast; We gave carte blanche to the woodman, and none stayed the vandal hand, And now, to replant our forests, we must send to the Fatherland. The sawmill shrieked in the mountains, and the sound was borne on the breeze, O’er the crash of the falling giants as they splintered the smaller trees, And all that was left was silence, where whispered the forests grand— And now, to repair the mischief, we must send to the Fatherland. We have gained some industrial captains—of lumber monarchs a few— But somehow they don’t quite balance the damage that such chaps do; There’s naught to make up for those barrens where wantonness set its brand, In these days when for forest seedlings we must send to the Fatherland! —Denver Republican. IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT The American Forestry Associa- tion has recently written its members, urging their aid in securing what an enthusiastic member calls “short term educational subscriptions” to ForEsSTRY AND [RRIGATION—1.é., Six months’ sub- scriptions, at the rate of 25 cents each. The responses daily pouring into its offices have far exceeded its expec- tations. Members thus co-operating are cordially thanked, while those who have not replied are urged to do so. As announced, the current issue of FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION is devoted to a report of the White House Con- ference. To find space, the size of type used has been reduced, and the number of pages increased twenty- five per cent. That none desiring it may fail to receive a copy of this report, the forms are being held, that another edition of the magazine may, if needed, be run off. Trial subscribers should, in every case, receive the June number. Mem- bers, therefore, intending to comply with the request made of them in the letter above referred to, should act promptly. . Numbers soon to follow will treat of inland waterways, drainage, water- power, reclamation of arid lands, and other questions connected with the conservation of natural resources. In pushing its educational propaganda, the Association desires to avail itself fully of the deep and widespread in- terest aroused by the Governors’ Con- ference. Members willing to aid its work can find no better time and no greater opportunity than that afforded by the great gathering so recently ad- journed. Let the orders come. THE DRAINAGE CONGRESS 3 HE friends of Federal aid to drain- age have every reason to feel en- couraged at the meeting held by the National Drainage Association in Washington on May 12 and 13. While the Congress was not so largely at- tended as had been hoped, this is ac- counted for by the Conference of the Governors, at the White House, and by other gatherings of scientific and professional men in the Capitol at the . same time. The several sessions were replete with general interest ; some of the most pronounced advocates of Federal aid to drainage appeared before the Con- gress, and in no uncertain terms gave assurance to the members of their thorough conviction that the cause will ultimately triumph. Among those speaking were Sen- ator Clapp, of Minnesota, Senator Newlands, of Nevada, Representative Nelson Steenerson, of Minnesota, and Representative H. R. Burton, of Dela- ware. Hon. William Jennings Bryan volunteered a most excellent talk, in which he assured the audience of his thorough belief in the cause of Fed- eral aid through the reclamation of overflowed and swamp lands. Under the call of states, every dele- gate was emphatic as to the absolute necessity, both from a commercial and a sanitary standpoint, for prompt ac- tion by Congress in this great work of internal improvement. There was a slight diversity of opinion as to the best methods of obtaining Congres- sional action ; however, eleven-twelfths of all present were in favor of a bill such as has been formulated by the Secretary of the Interior, and which is known as the Flint Bill. At all periods of the Congress the utmost harmony prevailed. Every delegate realized that the cause of Fed- eral aid to drainage had made remark- able strides since the first meeting at Oklahoma City, in December, 1906. 349 350 FORESTRY It is proposed, during the summer, by the friends and advocates of National drainage, to carry on a vigorous edu- cational campaign, to the end that not only members of Congress, but mem- bers of State Legislatures, as well as the people themselves, shall be- come fully alive to the absolute neces- sity of securing the passage of the much-needed legislation. It is thought CONSERVATION AND IRRIGATION June more than probable that in this work of education several speakers will be placed in the field, for the purpose of spreading the propaganda of “Draining the swamps for homes and health.” The Executive Committee did not determine the place or time of holding the next annual Congress; however, this question is now under advise- —WOMAN'’S WORK BY Lydia Adams- Williams ROM time immemorial when any great work is to be accomplished —any achievement which vitally con- cerns the life and the welfare of human- ity, any uplift of the children of men in Lydia Adams-Williams. A writer and lecturer on Conservation, and who is the first woman to take up this work. the home or in the broader field, the world—to woman’s integrity, re- sourcefulness, genius and capacity for endurance has the final triumph been due. Joan of Arc’s patriotism and _ in- spiration enabled the peasantry of France to throw off the yoke of Eng- lish oppression. To Josephine’s devo- tion to her husband and the cause nearest his heart belongs the credit for the victories of Napoleon. To the intuition of Isabella of Spain, to her tenacious grasp of a great idea, to her foresight and her divine sympathy the world is indebted for the discovery of a great continent, for the civilization we enjoy to-day and for the great wealth of resources, the development of which has made us the most pow- erful nation on the face of the earth. And as it was the intuitive foresight of a woman which brought the light of civilization to a great continent, so, in great measure, will it fall to woman, in her power to educate public senti- ment, to save from rapacious waste and complete exhaustion the resources upon which depend the welfare of the home, the children and the children’s children. This is the inevitable conclusion, for to woman has the practice of saving, of conserving, ever been a paramount issue. Man has been too busy building railroads, constructing ships, engi- neering great projects, and exploiting vast commercial and financial enter- prises, to take the time necessary to consider the problems which concern 1908 the welfare of the home and the fu- ture. That has been left for woman, and it is conclusively a field where her care and love and devotion to all that makes for the betterment of human- ity will find ample scope for work.’ Man has always been the maker of money, while to woman has fallen the province of being the saver of money. When the necessity of economy is felt in the home, woman bravely meets the emergency, and plans for and effects the necessary saving. So in the great national crisis which now confronts us—the necessity for economizing and preserving our fast- disappearing resources for ourselves and our children—woman is found the willing and ready partner to carry on the work. One has but to attend any gathering of representative women, in conven- tion assembled, to learn that there is an overwhelming sentiment and a con- sensus of opinion in favor of preserv- ing forests and conserving natural re- sources. Many women’s organizations have already placed themselves on record as in favor of preserving forests. The District of Columbia Federation of Women’s Clubs, with its seventeen af- filiated clubs and 4,000 members, was the first woman’s organization to adopt resolutions, introduced by the writer on November 30, 1907, indors- ing President Roosevelt's policy of conserving the natural resources: while the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolu- tion followed, a close second. The General Federation of Wom- en’s Clubs, with its 800,000 workers and hundreds of state and_ local branches, has for several years made a CONSERVATION—WOMAN’S > WORK 351 specialty of work for preserving the forests, upon which the proper con- servation of all other natural re- sources depends. It is conceded that the almost universal sentiment in fa- vor of preserving forests is due to the interest taken in the subject by the women’s clubs and the work done by them. The Conference of Governors on the natural resources, just closed at the White House, was honored by the presence of Mrs. Sarah S. Platt Declk- er, of Denver, Colo., president of the General Federation of Women’s Clubs, whom President Roosevelt especially invited. “The recognition thus accord- ed the women of the country by the President and the other great men of the Nation shows the trend of public opinion and gives evidence of the re- alization and appreciation of woman's ability along these lines. Mrs. Roose- velt was also an interested listener at the meetings. The saving of the country’s re- sources will be an assured fact when the women of the country earnestl> devote themselves to that work. It is peculiarly woman’s work, as the time is short, and as men are slow in ac- tion, even when knowing the facts. Far-reaching results may be accom- plished speedily by women educating the men of their families. Then by inculcating in their children the pre- cepts of economy, and then impress- ing them with the patriotic duty of elevating the Nation to the highest plane of civilization, the entire senti- ment of the Nation may be changed by the motherhood of the country in a single generation, and this people converted from the most wasteful and extravagant in the world to the most prudent and conservative. EDITORIAL Forestry and Irrigation First The report of the White House Conference, practically complete, is contained in this issue of FoRrESTRY AND [RRIGATION; and this magazine is the first among periodicals to publish a full account of the meeting of the Governors. Almost the entire maga- zine is devoted to this report, and the papers, addresses, discussions, etc., are given in the order in which they oc- curred. Sixteen pages have been added to the magazine in order to do this ; and even with such addition it has been found necessary to omit prac- tically all other features, departments, etc., usually found in the magazine. None but papers actually read at the Conference appear in this issue; sev- eral extremely valuable ones not de- livered because of lack of time, but which will appear in the published re- port of the proceedings, will be printed later in this magazine. Be VE ME “A New Departure in Government” The Governor’s Conference has been well styled “a new departure in gov- ernment.” The states of the Union have grown in number from thirteen to forty-six. The Nation has risen from a position in which the govern- orship of a state or even the mayor- alty of an important city was held as a higher dignity than membership in either branch of Congress. Yet never before, in the century and a quarter during which this development has been in progress, have representa- tives of the states and of the three co-ordinate branches of the National Government met together. As an in- novation, if nothing else, the event might well be styled “epoch-making.” Such a coming together reflects strikingly the spirit of the age. This is an era of congresses, conventions, and great concourses. Modern fa- cilities, notably railroads, telegraphs, and daily newspapers, are rapidly uni- fying the world. For the first time in history it is now possible for men scattered over an area as great, al- most, as that of Europe, to come to- gether quickly and inexpensively, to confer, surrounded by “all the com- forts of home,” to keep in touch, meanwhile, with their ordinary inter- ests, and to return promptly to their regular work. Hence, meetings of bodies, commercial, political, economic, educational, scientific, religious, phil- osophical, and what-not, are the order of the day. Thus, influenced by the Time Spirit, it was probably inevit- able that representatives of all of the states should, sooner or later, be brought tegether in conference with representatives of the several branches of the Federal Government As a factor in developing the Na- tional spirit, as against the old time particularism which, once regnant, made the development of the Nation and a true National policy so difficult, such a meeting was doubtless potent. As a factor in developing uniform pol- icies among multiplying and widely separated states, this meeting, with those to follow, may be even more potent. The individualism which so long characterized the American man, has likewise, in large measure, char- acterized the American state. State policy, state legislation, state admin- istration, has hitherto been, in great degree, a matter of “every tub stand- ing on its own bottom.” The result has been divorce laws, labor laws, cor- poration laws, and the like, striking- ly suggestive of a patchwork quilt. While, super-imposed upon this maze of dissimilar and inharmonious state legislation, has been still another sys- tem of Federal legislation, making the confusion worse confounded. But the states are now learning | what individuals earlier began to learn; namely, that their relations in © a commonwealth are relations not of independence, but of interdependence. — Further, as harmony and substantial 352 1908 uniformity of policy among the busi- ness and other organizations men- tioned has been found wise, so har- mony and uniformity among the states will doubtless also gradually be found wise. Though convening to consider a specific question, that, namely, of con- servation of natural resources, it 1s noteworthy that the one conference held sees far beyond that single ob- ject. Governor Swanson, of Virgin- ia, mentioned extradition, standardiz- ation of laws on marriage and divorce, taxation and police power as questions that should be considered at the next conference. The remarks of both President Roosevelt and Mr. Bryan are likewise suggestive of future pos- sibilities with respect to corporation control. Speaking of the respective fields of state and Nation, the Presi- dent said, “I am trying to find out where one or the other can act, so that there shall be some sovereign power that, on behalf of the people, can hold every big corporation, every big individual, to an accountability so that its, or his acts shall be beneficial to the people as a whole.” While Mr. Bryan pointed out felicitously that there should be “no twilight zone” between the domains of state and Na- tion in which corporations may hide and escape control. On reflection, it should be evident that if the people of the United States have seriously set themselves to work to control, through their various gov- ernments, National and state, their cor- porations and trusts, no better scheme could be devised than a conference representing all these governments and deliberately formulating a policy, leg- islative and administrative, whereby this end should be pursued. The fa- miliar process of scudding from state to state, and of oscillating between state and federal jurisdictions, where- by, it is commonly believed, great in- terests have played hide-and-seek with justice, and snapped their fingers at Government, might, in this way, be seriously discouraged. EDITORIAL 353 Again, the jealousy between state and Nation over the question of re- spective powers that has proved so serviceable to mighty lawbreakers could, by this method, be settled with the minimum of difficulty. The Presi- dent declared that, as respects the “‘ac- ademic side of the question” of state and National functions, he cared noth- ing. “TI deal,” he said, “with the mat- ter from the standpoint of true popu- lar interest, and therefore my desire is to employ indifferently either the principle of states’ rights, or the prin- ciple of National sovereignty, which- ever in a given case will best conserve the needs of the people.” With this view the Conference acquiesced, much to the disgust of at least one newspa- per prominently identified with corpor- ate interests. Obviously, when states and Nation cease disputing over which shall or shall not catch the hare, the prospect for catching it will materially improve. That such conferences, meeting per- haps annually, in future may develop a legislative “third house” naturally suggests itself. This first conference did. in fact, urge action by Congress, as is shown by the following resolu- tion: “We especially urge on the Federal Congress the immediate adoption of a wise, active, and thorough waterway policy providing for the prompt im- provement of our streams and consery- ation of their watersheds required for the uses of commerce, and the protec- tion of the interests of our people.” Other recommendations, applicable to Congress, were also made. Conceding the point, however, does it not afford ground for congratula- tion rather than for regret? The gov- ernors are nearer the people certain- ly than the upper, and probably than the lower house of Congress. Con- gressmen are in the National Capitol, most of them hundreds, many of them thousands of miles from their constit- uents. Governors are in their home states, in closest touch with public sentiment. Furthermore, the govern- 354 ors in conference can only recommend; and for whatever recommendations they may make, they are directly re- _sponsible to the voters in their respec- tive states. The extraordinay harmony of the Conference affords added ground for profound satisfaction. That men com- ing together from regions so remote and representing interests so multi- tudinous, diverse, and apparently con- flicting should, for three days, have compared views, and concluded with practical unanimity of sentiment, not only testifies to the substantial oneness of the American people, but augurs well for the future of the Republic. The first Conference of Governors has proved an overwhelming success. We may well wish it “many happy re- turns.”’ Grants in Perpetuity Among the most notable utterances made at the Governors’ Conference is the following by President Roosevelt : “My position has been simply that where a privilege which may be of untold value in the future to the private individuals granted it is asked from the Federal Government, that the Federal Government shall put on the grant a condition that it shall not be a grant in perpetuity. Make it long enough so that the corporation shall have an ample material reward. The corporation deserves it. Give an ample reward to the captain of industry, but not an indeterminate reward. Put on a provision that will enable our children at the end of a certain specified pe- riod to say what in their judgment should be done with that great natural power which is of use to the grantee only because the people as a whole allow him to use it. It is eminently right that he should be allowed to make ample profit from his development of it, but make him pay something for the privilege, and make the grant for a fixed pe- riod, so that when the conditions change, as in all probability they will change, our chil- dren—the Nation of the future—shall have the right to determine the conditions upon which that privilege shall then be enjoyed. “Where that policy can best be carried out by the states, carry it out by the states; where it can best be carried out by the Nation, carry it out by the Nation. My ecncern is not with the academic side of the question. My concern is in the employ- ment either of the principle of states’ rights or the principle of National sovereignty, as FORESTRY AND. IRRIGATION June will best conserve the needs of the people as a whole.” What is meant is, in a word, where an individual or corporation applies to Government for a privilege, and this be granted, let the grantee pay for it, and let it be understood that his pri- vilege will last but for a limited time. Should this proposal be made in the hearing of a “traveller from Mars,” we should expect him to say, “Of course; have government privileges in your country ever been granted in any other way?” To this inquiry we should be com- pelled to reply that this is exactly the way in which they have not, as a rule, been granted. In these columns, not long’ since, (page 182) appeared an editorial en- titled “Some Vicious Bills.” Here was considered a series of bills before the first session of the present Con- gress, asking for grants of Govern- ment privileges in perpetuity, and of- fering only nominal compensation. When our public domain was frit- tered away, and transferred in king- doms and empires to railroads, was the above mentioned principle ob- served? What compensation did the Nation receive? And when will the grants terminate? Our fast disappearing mineral wealth once belonged to the people; now only the fag end of it is theirs. The remainder has been transferred from them to individuals and corpora- tions. What have the people received in return, and when will the grants end? The principle enunciated by the President applies with peculiar force to natural resources; and of these, he was, of course, speaking. Natural re- sources are but an aspect of the earth, the basis of all organic life, human and sub-human. The President’s statement suggests some interesting inquiries: Who own the earth? Upon what is their title based? How long will that title hold good? We have heard of the tramp who was ordered off the duke’s land, and 1908 who thereupon inquired into his lord- ship’s title. “Where did you get this land?” “From my father,” answered the duke. “And where did he get it?” asked the tramp. “From his father,’ answered the duke. “And where did your first ancestor get it?” asked the tramp. “He fought for it,’ answered the duke. “Then I will fight you for it,” an- swered the tramp, who proceeded to suit action to word. This whole question of rights to land was learnedly discussed in 1850 by Herbert Spencer in Chapter IX, of his Social Statics. He there reached the conclusion that the duke reached. His readers were left to draw, if they chose, the same inference drawn by the tramp. Jefferson declared that “the earth belongs in usufruct to the generation at any time living upon it.” And this apparently is the President’s view. The application of this principle will seriously interfere with the time-hon- ored custom whereby generations, long since gone, control, in funda- mental ways, the generation living. It will interfere seriously with the pro- cess whereby the “dead hand” reaches forth from the grave and rules a liv- ing world. The President’s principle will, of course, be challenged. But let the wordy contest come. For wars on the forum may prevent wars on the field. In any event, they clear the air; and, with the modern growth of the trust and special privilege, the air must be cleared if the nation would escape the advent of evil days. The Appalachian Bill in Congress In his message of April 27 Presi- dent Roosevelt said: “Forest reserves should be established throughout the Appalachian-White Mountain region wherever it can be shown that they will have a direct and real connection EDITORIAL 255 with the conservation and ment of navigable rivers.” On April 20 were introduced into the House the Pollard Bill, H. R. 21220; the Weeks Bill, H. R. 21221; and on April 28, the Lever Bill, H. R. 21357. Epitomes of these three bills appeared in Bulletin No. 39 of The American Forestry Association. No one of the bills was favorably reported. Cn May 16, the Senate passed the Brandegee Bill, S. 4825. Its leading provisions follow: improve- The Secretary of Agriculture is to pre serve navigability of navigable streams, to acquire lands more valuable for regu- lation of stream-flow than for other pur- poses, and situated on watersheds in Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Ala- bama, Kentucky, Tennessee, New Hamp- shire and Maine. Minerals and mer- chantable timber may be reserved by owner, to be cut or mined under Govy- ernment regulations. The Secretary is to advertise for lands and accept lowest bids. No land must be taken over until State Legislature has consented, and ceded to the United States jurisdiction over offenses against Federal laws. Land titles must be sat- isfactory to Attorney General. Five million dollars are made immediate- ly available. The Secretary is to report annually to Congress on lands purchased, with cost. Small agricultural areas included may be sold by Secretary in eighty-acre homesteads, jurisdiction over land there- upon reverting to State. The Secretary may authorize sale of products of lands acquired. Lands acquired under this act to be held and administered as National For- est lands, under provisions of Section 24 of Act of March 3, 1891. The State to retain criminal and civil jurisdiction over persons, save for offenses against the United States. Twenty-five per cent of annual receipts from each National Forest to be paid to State for benefit of public schools and public roads. Secretary may administer and protect private forest lands upon watersheds upon which are forest reservations; owner to cut and remove timber ac- cording to regulations agreed upon. Senator Brandegee accompanied his bill with a fifteen-page supplemental report, Calendar Number 490. — This report gives reasons why National Forests are necessary: 1. To protect 356 the watersheds of navigable streams ; 2. To safeguard available water-pow- ers; 3. To improve timber supply; 4. For health and recreation; 5. For pur- ity of water supply; 6. For protection of soil; 7. In the control of floods; 8. The states cannot act; 9. Experiences of other countries show that the Fed- eral Government must do this work; 10. The present a favorable time for action; 11. Proposed action is funda- mental to any systematic plan of con- servation of natural resources. It in- dicates the land needing protection, discusses the treatment of the region, the method of acquirement and cost of lands, and epitomizes the history of the movement for Appalachian Na- tional Forests. Senator Teller spoke nearly two hours against the Brandegee Bill, and Senators Daniels and Newlands spoke for ‘it. On May 21 the House of Represent- atives passed a bill, H. R. 21986, known as the Scott Bill. Its title is, “A Bill to Enable any State to Co-op- erate with any other State or States, or With the United States, for the Conservation of Navigable Rivers, and To Provide For the Appointment of a Commission.” Following are the provisions of the bill: The consent of Congress is given for each state to enter into such agree- ment or compact, not to conflict with any law of the United States, as it may deem desirable or necessary, with any state or states to conserve forests and water supply of states in agreement. One hundred thousand*dollars is ap- propriated to enable the Secretary of Agriculture to co-operate, when request- ed, with any state or states by supplying expert advice on forest preservation, util- ization and administration, and on re- forestation of denuded areas. He is au- thorized to agree with owners to admin- ister and protect private forest lands up- on watersheds of navigable rivers, pro- vided owners cut and remove under reg- ulations for the protection of the for- ests in aid of navigation. The United States shall not be liable for damage re- sulting from fire or other cause. A National Forest Commission, con- sisting of five Senators and five Repre- sentatives, is created to investigate con- nection between forest preservation on FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION June watersheds of navigable rivers rising in White and Southern Appalac hian Moun- tains, and navigability of said rivers, and to ascertain extent, if any, to which U. 5S. Government should acquire land, with probable cost, or whether Government should supervise watersheds without pur- chasing land. The Commission is to re- port to the President not later than Janu- ary I, 1909. It may expend twenty thou- sand dollars. Representative Scott, Chairman of the Committee on Agriculture, ac- companied this bill with report num- ber 1700, on “Co-operation of States for Conservation of Navigability of Navigable Rivers, etc.” In this, he apologized for the delay, extending throughout practically the entire long session, in considering a measure which he concedes has" been “widely discussed and has awakened profound interest throughout the entire coun- try.’ He stated four methods that have been suggested of handling the problem: 1, Facclusive state action; 2, U. $. Government co-operation, by ad- vice and assistance, with states or pri- vate owners; 3, The exercise of Fed- eral jurisdiction over privately owned forests on watersheds having connec- tion with navigability of navigable streams; 4, Federal purchase of all lands necessary to protect watersheds of navigable rivers, and exercise over forests of rights and privileges of ab- solute ownership. The Bill H. R. 21986 was, he said, drawn to meet in a measure each of these four proposed plans. He then explained the bill and recommended its passage, which promptly followed. This bill is, of course, highly objec- tionable to friends of National Forests in the Southern Appalachians and White Mountains. It seeks to shift responsibility from Congress to the States, thus reflecting the view so of- ten expressed by the Speaker. As the Boston Transcript puts it, it provides for a Congressional junket, enabling ten statesmen to spend the summer in the mountains, .with two thousand dollars of Government money apiece for expenses. It staves off the issue on the assumption that more investi- 1908 gation is needed, when the Congres- sional ship has already been loaded to the water’s edge with information on every conceivable pertinent aspect of the case. Meanwhile, it permits for- est slaughter, soil erosion, and stream impairment to proceed. It is understood that the Senate will ignore this bill. The Southern News- paper Publishers’ Association, in con- vention at Charlotte, N. C., has re- cently gone on record, by unanimous vote, for the proposed Appalachian- White Mountain National Forests. Hon. John H. Small, representative from the First district in North Caro- lina, in an address before the Ameri- can Cotton Manufacturers’ Associa- tion at Richmond, Virginia, on May 20, said: The only agency which can properly preserve these mountain forests is that of the United States. It is utterly im- practicable for any single state, and equally so for any confederation of states. Any suggestion to the contrary comes from an enemy and not a friend of this great National resource. Speaking of “powerful obstacles which block the way,” he said: There are no legislative obstacles so great which the American people in their might cannot remove. ‘This can be done by continuing the propaganda of edu- cation so insistently waged by the Amer- ican Forestry Association, and by your Association, as an active ally. _ The feeling of the Cotton Manufac- turers is shown by the following reso- lution, passed unanimously on the same day: We, the American Cotton Manufactur- ers’ Association, in convention assembled, hereby urge upon the Congress of the Uni- ted States the passage, at this session, of bill H. R. 21357, or a similar bill, providing for the purchase, in aid of navigation, of forest lands in the Southern Appalachian and White Mountain regions, and also for co-operation between private owners and the Federal Gcvernment with a view of preserving the forests on privately owned land for the regulation of stream-flow in aid of navigation. Congress is expected to adjourn in the week ending May 30th. If so, EDITORIAL 357 and nothing further is accomplished this session, there will still have been gained the passage of an excellent bill by the Senate, and the development of public sentiment which should re- sult in the rebuke at the polls, if not the actual retirement, of congressmen who have dallied with or obstructed a measure so generally recognized as in- dispensable to national well-being. ye ype Some Western Criticisms. The following editorial paragraph is quoted from the May 2 issue of Field and Farm, published at Den- wens “Tt listens big to read how a mil- lionaire Senator has bought 12,000 acres of coal land in Colorado; but is it a good thing for the state, or a solace to posterity? The time is com- ing when the country will be owned, soul and body, by the millionaires.” Has it ever occurred to the editor of Field and Farm that in voicing sentiments such as this, and in con- tinuing also to protest against the work of the Government in creating National Forests and mineral reserves (as proposed not long ago by Presi- dent Roosevelt) a clash of argument occurs that speaks but poorly for the editorial bump of logic? The proposition to extend greatly the work of the Government in es- tablishing National Forests is, to many in the West, as to the proverb- ial red flag to the bull. So, too, is the proposition that the several states establish within their borders state forest and mineral reserves, though the latter proposition does not arouse such an intense degree of antagonism as does the former. Probably this is because propositions looking toward the establishment of state forests have been neither frequent nor strongly ad- vocated ; but this is by tne way. Now, the question resolves itself to this: A large part of the Western press, and a great majority of the peo- ple of the West, are violently opposed to the acquisition by individuals or 358 private corporations of vast tracts of timber or mineral lands. This is in- dicated in the paragraph quoted above, and the sentiment expressed therein is fairly representative of the opinions of a good majority of Western men. It is also a fact that the bulk of oppo- sition to the establishment by the Fed- eral Government of National Forests is in the far West. Forest conserva- tion has its friends—and excellent ones, too—in that part of the country lying west of the Missouri River; but the bitter, vituperative and strenuous pposition to the Government’s pro- gram comes also from that section. It is true, too, that propositions that have been made in the past for the several states to do their own work in establishing forest reserves and re- erves of mineral lands—these to be held in perpetuo for the benefit of the whole people, and to be taken from the lands owned by the states and lying within their own borders—have like- wise met with strong opposition; so strong, in fact, that no serious at- tempt has ever been made to put such a program into effect. Now, what remedy do our protest- ing friends propose? So far we have failed to see or hear of any. All that has as yet come to our attention is a continuous performance of protest against everything. Protest against the segregation under individual or corporate ownership of tremendous tracts of timber and mineral lands; protest against the broadening of the National Forest scheme; protest against the establishment of a state scheme for forest and mineral re- serves. And, with all the protest, not even the suggestion of a remedy. Does it not occur to these protestors that, if they have no remedy to offer, it ill be- comes them to rail continuously against existing conditions? There is no room for doubt that if the sentiment of the voting public in FORESTRY: AND IRRIGATION June any or all of the Western states were to be vigorously expressed the states. would be forced to enact legislation looking toward the preservation and conservation of the natural resources. upon or within the lands owned by such states. It requires only the ex- pression of a crystallized public sen- timent to secure the adoption of any legislation desired; and the fact that no such crystallization has taken place, and the added fact that proposals to- this end have been bitterly opposed, would seem to indicate that the pub- lic—that is, the voting public—of the states in question does not want such legislation. It is an equally patent fact, if one is to judge by expressions of individual and collective opinion and the edi- torial utterances of the newspapers, that many people of the far West op- pose the Nationalization of forests, etc. Nobody denies the right of the Government to set aside National For- ests when the land so set aside is Gov- ernment land; nevertheless, the oppo- sition to the establishment of National Forests continues vociferously, and ‘t is the strongest in the far Westert states. There is hardly room for doubt, either, that if the Western states would undertake the work of preserving the remaining forests and caring for them in a wise manner, safeguarding them against exploita- tion and conserving the timber within them for the fullest possible use, the National Government would have lit- tle to do there along the line of for- est conservation. But the states will not do this; the objectors within the states are as strongly opposed to such steps as they are to the plan of Na- tional Forests. They offer no sub- stitute plan; therefore it would seem “to a man up a tree” as if they had only themselves to blame for the other aggressions and abuses which so arouse their ire. —— ee oa OE rrSrS Pais NEWS AND NOTES ‘Timber Owners Organize to Fight Fires A most important economic move- ment of the times, which, as yet, has attracted little attention from the gen- eral public, is the organization of tim- ber owners in different sections of the country, for protection against fires. The Washington Forest Fire Associa- tion, with headquarters at Seattle, has just elected officers for the year, this organization having 3,000,000 acres of forest under its control. Plans followed by the United States Forest Service for fighting and controlling fires have been adopted. Oregon and Idaho also have organizations of this sort, in the latter state a portion of the expense being paid from taxes received by the State Treasurer. One of the big western railroads has also taken steps to guard its timber pro- perties from fires. Away over on the other side of the continent, the timber owners in Maine have begun to form a similar organization, and pre- liminary steps in the formation of fire-fighting organizations are reported from other sections of the country. When it is considered that forest fires have destroyed more timber than the lumbermen have cut, the wisdom of such moves is readily apparent. TA TA tA ye oe oye NOVEL FORESTRY COURSE. At the Massachusetts Agricultural College this year thirteen students are taking the course in the study of shade trees. This is an elective course of the senior year. It has been given for several years, and includes a study of all the factors which in any way touch on shade trees; for instance, tree war- den laws, proper trees for street plant- ing, transplanting and care of trees; the various factors that interfere with tree growth, such as soil conditions, macadamized roads and sidewalks ; bi- ological features such as micorhiza, etc.; the effects of drought, winds, lightning, direct and alternating cur- rents, illuminating gas, and the atmos- pheric gases. Attention is also given to the study of the fungi affecting shade trees and shrubs, and some prac- tical work in tree filling, chaining and bolting is done, together with treat- ment of cavities, and proper methods of pruning. “us s us = es Possibilities for Turpentining in North- west. L. W. Hawley, expert on wood dis- tillation for the Forest Service, has just left Washington for Oregon, Wash- ington, Montana and Idaho, to investi- gate the possibilities of a future tur- pentine industry in the northwestern portion of the United States. Mr. Hawley has taken with him a small distillation apparatus, which he will set up at various places in these states, distilling the different woods to determine their value in the production of turpentine. In this manner an ac- curate idea of the yield of extracts from the various woods can be ob- tained, and samples of the material will be sent to Washington for analy- sis and estimation of its value for use in paints, varnishes, and other naval stores. There are at the present time in the Northwest, several wood distilling plants which are producing various grades of turpentine, wood preserving oils, and materials of a similar nature. It is believed that a careful study of existing conditions in this section will yield results which will give an accu- rate idea of the possibility of utilizing the enormous quantity of saw mill re- fuse now going to waste. og ae og ve = ve Proposed Summer Home for Teachers Lewis C. Greenlee, for many years superintendent of public schools in Denver, Colorado, and lately elected president of a reclamation and devel- opment company owning lands in Routt county, Colo., has evolved a 359 360 scheme for providing a summer home and resort for members of the Nation- al Educational Association. His com- pany proposes to dedicate to the As- sociation a tract of land in Routt coun- ty, upon which members may build, and which will be capable of agricul- tural development, with the idea of providing a resort where vacations may be spent with as little expense as pos- sible. The land lies along the eastern side of the company’s irrigation ditch, running up into the mountains, and offers what is said to be an ideal loca- tion for summer residences, cottages or resort hotels. The Moffat Road, now approaching completion, taps the section from Denver, and Routt coun- ty affords some of the finest scenery, as well as magnificent farming, gar- dening and fruit-growing lands, to be found in the Centennial State. The proposition will be made to the Asso- ciation at its annual meeting in Cleve- land, Ohio, this summer. LZ “ uf wow ow New National Forest in Kansas President Roosevelt has just signed a proclamation creating additions to the present Garden City National Forest amounting to 205,107 acres. This proclamation also provides that the original Forest known as the Gar- den City with the additions shall be called the Kansas National Forest. The additions will bring the area of the Kansas National Forest up to 302,387 acres. The forest is located in Finney and Kearney counties, in the sandhill re- gion of Kansas, on the Arkansas Riv- er. Its creation received the support of the entire Kansas delegation in Congress, and, through petitions, the support of industrial associations and_ citizens generally of the counties in which this land is situated. The Kansas National Forest was created mainly for experimental plant- ing, since the rapidly increasing de- mand for timber in the agricultural FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION June communities adjacent has led the peo- ple to believe that this sandhill land, otherwise worthless except for a lim- - ited amount of grazing, can be made ~ to produce timber. Fair success has been obtained with black locust on lands similar in character, and it is thought that further experiments will demonstrate that the entire sandhill region south of the Arkansas River can be made to produce timber. To this end, the Forest Service has made arrangements to plant 65,000 seedlings of valuable hardwood spe- cies on this forest this spring. A new planting station at Garden City, to supply trees for future planting on this forest, was established March I, on a tract of five acres of land which was leased from the County Commis- sioners of Finney county, for yearly rental of $1 per acre. The an- nual capacity of this nursery will be 300,000 trees. The value of timber for fence posts, fuel, and other do- mestic uses, which it is believed this forest is capable of producing, is al- most incalculable in that practically treeless country. It is unquestionable that, if the Forest Service is success- ful in these experiments, many _ pri- vate individuals will benefit from the results obtained by the Government, and plant trees for domestic purposes in connection with other work on their ranches. Tree planting experiences in Kan- sas have been many and varied. Ig- norance of proper methods of plant- ing and caring for the trees and the frequent choice of stock entirely un- suited to the region brought many failures during the year following the enactment of the old timber claim law. There have been many success- es, however, in tree planting, where landowners have exercised judge- ment and care in the work, and the fine groves of trees in the western part of the state give promise of the reclamation of much of the great stretch of land lying south of the Ar- kansas River, known as the sandhills. FORESTRY 48D IRRIGATION FRANK GLOVER HEATON | THOMAS ELMER WILL = {47/07 CONTENTS FOR JULY, 1908 BORRANG ObWON. GLE BOR DEEINGH OM: aint ..ae tera veer a reels. Frontispiece Illustration for ‘‘The New Commission,’’ page 380 Rib atORkOheiEtheStOlecHhso—bBby A. bs. Clowmanieonteeesdse scenes eee eae 363 Illustrated tHE DEATH OFTHE KORES i—Poem—By Lillian i -Shuey.t2.. 2... .c2+eesee om 300 WATER CONSERVATION IN ARIZONA—By W. B. Mershon.................... 370 Illustrated THE NEXT GENERATION’S REPROACH AGAINST ITS ANCESTORS— Poem—byamichard Je. Dount Boetkersasctecmc oe le heheh obewsisleeye visvsi< ois (0 ecco, se ee 372 FORE SIe REE NURSERIES —ByOMR. Grattan a dees ack eae oe ce ean 373 Illustrated ES IV re Oy WME SSO) Ne one eet cher ou achat ee SP Ale uch Sarae San edovete, Salas Seo eames 380 With frontispiece illustration WORK IN A NATIONAL FOREST—By Charles Howard Shinn................-..- - 383 EDITORIAL Mhe Conservation. (COmMmiSsion: o o- alc qyare sratelen ser. “Nominate. Members? < ts.ciccls oi. «scien sis aware 92 AVInIted “WE sStan dete. cceasistes ered sixecuossin Glove go ceaelene 388 Conservation of Human Resources............ S92 Mountain Forests and Floods....-......:...... 390 The Forestry Fight in Demnver............... 392 BYSPVL AY + OL MRED rieicl pres betes wate ae elem SOG OB URCAMCUA CG Yow itelsinis ale dunetevel sts PF . 393 He eM EH TACT: OL mus DOW. ectel corse © a.cle ercleeattine ens 391 Government ‘‘Taxes’’ ....... ee aaa canes SO4 Where “here Are No: “SHOWS? oo cn eros cue cies 391 NEWS AND NOTES Irrigation Development in Washington......... 395 Government to Study Shelterbelts er 399 Reclamation Work for Socialist Settlement..... 395 Wood-pulp Report .:...........:..- : 101 Big.-Project for Palouse’ Country .c6/5. 0. 60.5 05% 397 France’s Far-sighted Forest Policy... 402 American Irrigation ‘Scheme... 0 -.....00. 22. c2 eee 398 The American Nfle .......-..... acre. more “thane in places where there is no_ protection. About fifteen acres are benefited in this way. It is highly improbable that the windbreak occupies sufficient land to offset this benefit. An Illinois farmer sums up his ob- servations upon this matter thus: “My experience is that now, in cold and stormy winters, wheat protected by tim- berbelts yields full crops, while fields not protected yield only one-third of a crop. Twenty-five or thirty years ago we never had any wheat killed by win- ter frosts, and every year a full crop of peaches, which is now rare. At that time we had plenty of timber around our fields and orchards, now cleared away.” The Forest Service proposes to find out just when and how much wind- breaks increase the yield of crops. To carry out the plans, much technical work will be necessary. Instruments will be used to measure heat and cold, moisture and dryness, both above and below ground; to register the force of the wind near the windbreaks, and some distance away; to measure light intensity, and take note of the effects of shade; to register frost at different dis- tances from the trees; and to keep ac- count of the effect of the windbreaks on the snow which covers the ground to leeward in winter. Many other measurements and tests will be made, and elaborate data will be collected by experts who will have charge of the study. Many disputed questions will thus be settled and the data gathered will be placed at the disposal of the farmers who desire it. Doubtless rows of trees between fields sometimes do more harm than good, by casting shade and ab- stracting water from the soil. Trees may also increase the danger from frost, since the movement of the air lessens that danger. The Forest Serv- ice will study all sorts of conditions, in- cluding the relative value of wind- breaks, consisting of a single row of trees, and shelterbelts, made up of a number of such rows. A _ windbreak is usually planted for protection alone, NEWS a shelterbelt for both protection and the growing of timber. Corn will be the crop studied behind the windbreak this year. Trustworthy conclusions cannot be obtained by com- paring results from different crops. Each crop makes its own demand upon the soil, so that what would destroy one might do little harm to another. Corn is a particularly good crop to ex- periment with because it is easily in- jured by hot, dry winds, will not stand ‘shading, and is very sensitive to frost. The instruments and apparatus for each state will be read weekly by per- sons assigned to that duty by the Agri- cultural Experiment Stations in the re- spective states. The whole work will be in charge of an expert for the For- est Service at Washington, who will be assisted this summer by three or four persons, also from the Forest Service, who will study general conditions in the states under investigation, in regard to the effect of windbreaks on crops. The work will continue until crops are gath- ered next fall, when the actual yield of sheltered fields will be measured, and results compared with near-by unshel- tered fields. Some of the observations will continue through the winter. It is expected that the results will be published both by the Forest Service and by the experiment stations which cooperate in carrying out the work. we Ee Wood-pulp Report PRELIMINARY report of the con- sumption of pulp wood and the amount of pulp manufactured last year has just been issued by the Bureau of the Census. The advance statement is made from the statistics collected by the Census Bureau in cooperation with the United States Forest Service. Many of the figues bring out interest- ing facts which show the rapid growth of the paper-making and allied indus- tries during the last decade. Nearly four million cords of wood, in exact numbers 3,962,660 cords, were used in the United States in the manufacture of AND NOTES 401 paper pulp last year just twice as much as was used in 1899, the first year for which detailed figures were available. More than two and one-half million tons of pulp were produced. The pulp mills used three hundred thousand more cords of wood in 1907 than in the pre- vious year. The amount of spruce used was sixty- eight per cent. of the total consumption of pulp wood, or 2,700,000 cords. The increased price of spruce has turned the attention of paper manufacturers to a number of other woods, hemlock ranking next, with 576,000 cords, or fourteen per cent. of the total con- sumption. More than nine per cent. was poplar, and the remainder consist- ed of relatively small amounts of pine, cottonwood, balsam, and other woods. There was a marked increase last year in the importation of spruce, which has always been the most popular wood for pulp. For a number of years pulp manufacturers of this country have been heavily importing spruce from Canada, since the available supply of this wood in the north-central and New England states, where most of the pulp mills are located, is not equal to the demand. Figures show that the amount of this valuable pulp wood brought into this country was more than two and one- half times as great in 1907 as in 1899. In 1907 the importations were larger than ever before, being twenty-five per cent. greater than in 1906. The spruce imports last year amounted to more than one-third of the consumption of spruce pulp wood. Only a. slightly greater amount of domestic spruce was used than in 1906. Large quantities of hemlock were used by the Wisconsin pulp mills, and the report shows that the Beaver State now ranks third in pulp production, New York and Maine ranking first and second, respectively. Poplar has been used for a long time in the manufac- ture of high-grade paper, but the sup- ply of this wood is limited and the con- sumption of it has not increased rapidly. Wood pulp is usually made by either one of two general processes, mechani- 402 cal or chemical. In the mechanical process the wood, after being cut into suitable sizes and barked, is held against revolving grindstones in a stream of water and thus reduced to pulp. In the chemical process the barked wood is reduced to chips and cooked in large digesters with chemicals which destroy the cementing material of the fibers and leave practically pure cellulose. This is then washed and screened to render it suitable for paper making. The chemicals ordinarily used are either bi-sulphite of lime or caustic soda. A little over half of the pulp manufactured last year was made by the sulphite process, and about one- third by the mechanical process, the re- mainder being produced by the soda process. Much of the mechanical pulp, or ground wood as it is commonly called, is used in the making of news- paper. It is never used alone in making white paper, but always mixed with some sulphite fiber to give the paper strength. A cord of wood ordinarily yields about one ton of mechanical pulp or about one-half ton of chemical pulp. td < we France's Far-sighted Forest Policy RANCE has under way a far- sighted forest policy which will re- quire two centuries before the work reaches its greatest efficiency. The plan covers the reforestation of vast tracts of denuded land and the work is in the hands of four thousand trained forest- ers in the pay of the Republic, and a large number of men employed by the communal governments. Consul General R. P. Skinner tells how this work is being done by a great nation keenly alive to the necessity of doing it, and determined that it shall be done well, though years and centuries are consumed in the doing. Colbert, in the reign of Louis XIV, exclaimed: “France will perish for lack of wood,” and his prophecy was coming true a century and a half later, when the French people wakened to the peril which threatened them, and called a halt. FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION Their forests were vanishing as are those in the United States to-day, but the depletion had gone even farther than it has yet gone in America. France commenced protecting and restoring its wooded areas nearly a century ago, and has stuck to the task ever since, but so much yet remains to do that Mr. Skin- ner says in his report: “The work is slow. It will require probably two hundred years to bring it up to its maximum effectiveness. But the time is foreseen when existing dam-’ aged forests will be reconstituted, and when all the waste spaces will be re- planted to the point of proper propor- tion to insure the conservation of the water supply, and to furnish the timber and wood required by the population. The effect upon private landowners of this public work has been most salutary. Where bald mountains have been re- planted, very surprising local results are now visible to all observers. This is especially true in the Hautes Alpes. which had the enviable reputation of being the poorest department of France, and is, in fact, one of the few from which the United States has re- ceived several thousand French immi- grants. There are now many artificial- ly planted forests in this department of twenty-five years’ standing, and in the bottomland below, conditions have so improved that a state of general pros- perity prevails.” The plan of the French foresters is comprehensive. It embraces the care of forest land, planting of trees, fixa- tion of dunes near the coasts to prevent the drifting of sand upon agricultural land, utilization of water in pastoral and forest regions, and the surveillance of river fishing and fish culture. This comprehensive service extends to every part of the Republic. The area of the National Forests of the United States exceeds twenty-fold the national and communal forests of France, but the problems are the same. France has been longer at the work and when it began its forests were in a worse condition than ours are now, but no worse than our privately owned NEWS AND forests will be if present methods con- tinue. Consul General Skinner concludes his report with the suggestion to those in America who have shown sufficient in- terest in the matter to write him on the subject: “If correspondents could penetrate, as the writer has done, the almost in- accessible mountain villages of this country, and there discover the en- thusiastic French forester at work, ap- plying scientific methods which cannot come to fruition before two or three hundred years, they would retire full of admiration and surprise and carry the lesson back to the United States.” we The American Nile _ g i cee Geological Survey has _ pub- lished (in Water-supply Paper No. 211) a most interesting comparison of the Nile, the Colorado, which has been called the Nile of America, and the Susquehanna. The Nile and Colorado are similar in type, and the Susquehan- na is introduced to show the difference in flow between arid and humid re- gions. The comparison uses a normal year based upon records for the Colo- rado and Susquehanna, collected by the Survey in the last ten years, and such data as could be found in regard to the Nile. The Colorado is taken as the standard of comparison. The Nile has 5.7 times the drainage area and the Susquehanna about one- eighth the area of the Colorado. The rainfall in the Nile basin is 3.8 times greater; that in the Susquehanna basin is 4.5 times greater. The run-off per square mile from the Nile basin is 1.9 times greater; that from the Sus- quehanna basin is thirty-seven times greater. The ratio of run-off to rain- fall in the Nile basin is one-half as NOTES 403 great; that of the Susquehanna basin is 8.2 times greater. The discharge of the Nile is 10.8 times greater; that of the Susquehanna is 4.5 times greater. The maximum flow of the Nile is about three hundred fifty-three thou- sand second-feet, and occurs about the first of September; that of the Colo- rado is from seventy thousand to one hundred ten thousand second-feet, and occurs in May, June, or July; that of the Susquehanna is from two hundred thousand to four hundred thousand second-feet, and occurs during March, April, and May. The minimum flow of the Nile is about fourteen thousand five hundred second feet, and occurs about the end of May; that of the Colorado is from two thousand five hundred to three thousand second-feet, and occurs dur- ing January and February; that of the Susquehanna is from two thousand five hundred to five thousand second-feet, and occurs in September and October. The mean flow of the Nile is about one hundred fifteen thousand eight hun- dred second-feet, of the Colorado about ten thousand seven hundred second-feet, of the Susquehanna about forty-three thousand second-feet. Estimates of the amount of sediment carried by the Nile and Susquehanna are not given, but the water of the Colorado is said to carry an immense amount. reaching as high as two thou- sand parts of sediment to one hundred thousand parts of water. Prof. R. H. Forbes, in a bulletin of the Arizona Agricultural Experiment Station, states that “it is estimated conservatively that the river brought down during 1900 about sixty-one million tons of sedi- mentary material, which, condensed to the form of solid rock, is enough to cover 26.4 square miles one foot deep, or to make about 164 square miles of recently settled submerged mud one foot deep.” CFELRA SDD ~ Ls | Lp all] ZL P PU THE DRYAD'S LAST STAND By VICTORIA ELISABETH GITTINGS, Baltimore, Md. I WINTRY nights, when weird and eerie Clouds fly swiftly o’er the moon; When the wind howls mad and dreary, Then drops sadly to a croon; Stir we restless in our dreams: Something in the air there seems. Il Not broom-mounted witches riding To their Sabbats, whip and spur; Neither elves the morning biding; Nor lost souls, as some aver. *Tis the Dryads of the trees, Worshipped long in ancient Greece. III Swaying, rythmic as their tree-tops, Wringing hands so slim and fair, Loud they mourn the land of Cecrops— For their homes were sacred there. “What can we poor Dryads do? IV Recently they held a meeting Weighty was the theme discussed ; Anxiously they kept repeating That preserve their trees they must. “Man has proved our deadly foe; Either he or we must go!” 4 “Through the land is heard the droning Of the forest guillotine.” Here a deep and dirge-like moaning, Answered from the nymphs in green: “Vain in council are we met; Man is on destruction set.” VI Then a Hamadryad older, Wiser far than all the rest, Cushioned on a lichened boulder, Silenced them, and thus addressed: “Wood-nymphs all, be still, attend; Hear me patient to the end! j VII “True it is that mortals doom us, All to perish from the land. Strong enough they to entomb us; Weak indeed is our small band. But restrain your grief and see Whether man the gainer be. ps?) |) OD TRAAY 12 TB ULL UO Nel] wi (tim, am UA ee Vie With our woods, they slay us too!” A 5 IE ALOE. a Wy 0 I yl i A 2 RE ee Oe | fee lh / VIII “When abroad in heat of noon-day, Vainly will he seek the shade; Vainly trust his footsteps soon may Lead him to some sheltered glade. When for cooling draughts he’ll long, Hushed will be the brook’s glad song. iit “Poet and his artist brother, Sick of ocean’s monotone, Will begin to search for other Subjects in the forests lone. But of these no trace they'll find— Save the dead roots left behind.” i With surprise in growing measure Did these words the wood-nymphs hear ; Gone, the speaker marked with pleasure, Were repining sigh and tear. Then he finished: “Man should weigh ’Gainst his gains, the price to pay!” XI “Now, my nymphs, I’m weary dwelling On man’s folly, in good sooth, Gained my object, all-compelling, Which was to convey this truth: That revenge will yet be ours, E’en though dealt by higher Powers.” XII “Then your counsel is, O brother,” Cried a Dryad young and fair, “That we struggle not, but smother Love of life in meek despair. This—your pardon, I entreat— This is neither wise nor meet! XIII “Now, if we succeed in showing, Poor, dull-witted man that he For his own loved race is sowing Seeds of future misery— Haply he will pause—take breath, Think—and stop his work of death.” XIV Such the cordial, hearty greeting, Given to this hopeful speech That when dawn broke up the meeting, Each nymph pledged herself to teach Erring man his ways to mend, = That he spare his life’s true friend! (4 5 catim bsl S3 ey — 0m d KK ALOVE IN THE DEPARTMENTS Forest Service, Reclamation Washington National Forest (aes summer the Geological Survey began the mapping of the Mount Baker quadrangle, in the state of Wash- ington. This area lies in the northwest- ern corner of the Washington National Forest, west of the main range of the Cascades, north of the Skagit River, and south of the British Columbia boundary. It is a region of low valleys, high mountains, heavy timber, and dense brush. Standing as it does al- most directly east of the Straits of Fuca, it catches all the precipitation brought in by the moisture-laden winds of the Pacific, and hence it rains much of the time, although there is a so- called dry season from June to Sep- tember. The area is covered with a splendid growth of fir and cedar, some of the fir trees being sixteen feet in diameter, while many of the cedars are twelve feet. This forest would be much im- proved if the ripe. dead, and down tim- ber were removed, thus facilitating the more rapid growth of the young trees. Cutting the timber could easily be ac- complished, as the slopes all lead down to railway transportation, a short dis- tance to tidewater and market. The two main valleys, the Skagit and Nooksack, are low, and an immense number of smaller streams flow into them. All carry large volumes of water over steep gradients and offer unexcelled opportunities for the devel- opment of water power, which will un- doubtedly sometime be utilized. Two large cement plants at the village of Baker now get their power from side streams above them, using small vol- ume of water under big head, and a large electric plant on the North Fork of the Nooksack furnishes light and power to the city of Bellingham. 406 Service, Geological Survey Mount Baker, ten thousand eight hundred feet, and Mount Shuksan, nine thousand one hundred feet, are the most prominent peaks in this region. Baker Lake, seven miles east of Mount Baker, and six miles south of Mount Shuksan, is only six hundred sixty feet above the séa. The glaciers of Mount Baker are among the largest ice fields in the United States proper, and reach down to three thousand five hundred feet above sea level. Travel in this region is mostly on foot, as roads and trails are few and it is impossible to take animals away from them. Under such conditions the making of a topographic survey is most laborious. The worker must fight his way through brush and over fallen logs and wade ice-cold streams while toiling up or down steep slopes with a pack on his back containing short rations and scanty bedding, sleeping nights at any place he happens to be, always tired, and most of the time hun- ery, wet, and ragged. ue ye ye Reclamation in the Northwest HE great agricultural development now going on in the far North- west is attracting widespread interest throughout the country. On three of the Government irrigation projects approximately one hundred thousand acres of fine farming land is now ready for settlement. These lands lie under the Lower Yellowstone project, Montana-North Dakota, the Huntley project in Southern Montana, and the Shoshone project in Northern Wyo- ming. The projects are divided in forty-acre and eighty-acre farms, which are given away to bona fide settlers, who are required to pay only the actual LOWER YELLOWSTONE PROJECT, MONTANA Finished Portion of the Main Canal, Sixty Miles in Length cost of building the irrigation works. This cost is divided pro rata among the lands benefited. and is payable in ten annual instalments without interest. That homeseekers are not overlook- ing this opportunity is evident. Hun- dreds of inquiries are being received daily at the office of the Reclamation Service, and trainloads of settlers are hastening to the new fields. Compact farming communities are being estab- lished along the canal lines, and villages and towns are appearing as if by magic. These projects possess many condi- tions in common. Excellent transporta- tion facilities are afforded by the C., B. & Q., Northern Pacific, and Great Northern Railroads, which con- nect them with the Denver, Twin Cities, and Pacific coast markets. The irrigable lands are surrounded by a fine free- range country, and alfalfa, the great forage crop of the West, is especially adapted to the soil and climate. The lands lie at an elevation of from three thousand to four thousand feet above sea level, the climate is healthful and delightful, and the soil is of excep- tional fertility. Sugar beets promise to be a profitable crop. A beet-sugar fac- tory is already established at Billings, near the Huntley project, and factories on the other projects are assured as soon as areas large enough to warrant their establishment are cultivated. Ce- reals, apples, small fruits, and garden vegetables do well, and it is probable that these valleys will develop into ex- cellent dairy countries. Many thriving towns have sprung up along the rail- road lines, so that all the farms will be within short distances of shipping points. Cheap fuel is found in the lig- nite mines of North Dakota and the coal mines and forests of Northern Wyoming. The lands now open to settlement un- der the Shoshone project consist of fifteen thousand acres lying about sev- enty-five miles east of the Yellowstone National Park. The farm units are eighty acres, and the building charge, 407 408 $45 per acre, payable in not less than five nor more than ten annual instal- ments. In addition there is an annual charge of $1 per acre for operation and maintenance. One-tenth of the build- ing charge and one year’s maintenance and operation fee, or $5.50 per acre, be- comes due at the time of filing. The Huntley project is situated on a part of the ceded portion of the Crow Indian reservation, and settlers are re- quired to pay $4 per acre to the In- dians, $1 at the time of entry, and 75 cents annually for four years. The cost of building the irrigation works is $30 per acre, payable at $3 per annum for ten years; the payments may be made in five years if desired. The maintenance charge is 60 cents per acre. The first payment of $4.60 be- comes due when the land is filed on. The cost per acre of water rights on the Lower Yellowstone system has not yet been determined, but water will be available for forty-eight thousand acres in the spring of 1909. a Would Prevent Spring Floods i ers greatest development of water power that has ever taken place in the United States has been accom- plished during the last few years on the rivers which drain the Southern Appalachian Mountains, according to an official report on the water re- sources of this region. It is estimated that there is at least two million eight hundred thousand indicated horse- power developed by the streams which have their headwaters on this water- shed, and more than half of this indi- cated power is available for economic development. Only a comparatively small part of this has been made use of yet, but the portion that has been utilized has been one of the most important factors in the recent industrial development of the South. In the future the use of this power and its value are bound to in- crease tremendously. Manufacturing plants are constantly increasing in num- ber in the region, and it is reasonable FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION to expect that in time the center of the cotton-weaving industry in the United States may be moved from the streams of New England, where it has remained so long, nearer to the source of supply for the raw material. Moreover, water power, or power originating in the streams, will be more and more in demand here, as every- where else in the country, on account of the increasing cost of fuel power through dwindling fuel resources of the country. Already the water power costs much less than the fuel, and the difference will inevitably grow greater. One great difficulty of the users of water power, not only in the South, but along the New England streams as well, though possibly to a less degree, is the fact that it cannot be depended upon the year around, but must be sup- plemented and replaced for some weeks or months every summer by costly fuel power, because the streams run too low to be of service. More than this, as the years go on mill owners are painfully aware that the low-water periods are growing longer and longer. This is because the forests at the headwaters of the streams are being cut off. with the re- sult that the melting winter snows and the spring rains pour off the denuded and hardened land in _ devastating floods, sending down for a few weeks far more water than they can use, and, moreover, reducing the capacity and usefulness of their mill ponds by filling them with hundreds of tons of sand and soil which the floods scour off the unprotected upper slopes. Nowhere are business men wider awake to the danger than in the South. If indiscriminate cutting of the for- ests on the crests of the watershed can be stopped there is a possibility, ac- cording to a recent report of experts, of increasing the development of power up to anywhere from three to thirty times the one million four hundred thousand horsepower at present availa- ble. Without it, almost nothing can be done. The method proposed to develop the Appalachian river resources to the total of forty-two million horsepower is IN FHE DEPARTMENTS by storage reservoirs, which would catch the surplus waters of the spring and retain them until the summer months, when the mills now have to fall back on fuel or close down. The United States Geological Sur- vey has kept records of stream flow in the Appalachians for a number of years and recently they made a care- ful study of the possibilities of storage reservoirs in that region. The Forest Service has published their report un- der the title “The Relation of the Southern Appalachian Mountains to the Development of Water Power,” as Forest Service Circular 144, and will send it free to any one upon application. The experts of the Geological Survey who made the investigation, after pick- ing out reservoir sites and estimating their capacity and the area from which they would receive the run-off, consider the figures given above extremely con- servative. Even with onlv one million four hundred thousand horsepower, the annual return at $20 per horsepower per year would amount to $28,000,000. That is equal to a gross income of three per cent. on a capital of about $933,000,000. These figures seem to justify a considerable outlay of money to achieve the benefits promised. we we Forest Service Supply Depot at Ogden RRANGEMENTS have been com- pleted by the Forest Service for a central supply depot to be established at Ogden, Utah. Mr. A. M. Smith, who has been property clerk of the For- est Service at Washington for the past year, began the organization of the of- fice about the middle of June, and after July 1 all National Forest supplies will be distributed direct from Ogden. The establishment of this supply de- 5 er IN Lj ) " ’ ~ i2- Mi 4 S - 409 pot at Ogden, a central point in the West, is in accordance with the policy of the Forest Service to do as much of its work in the field as possible. It is estimated that both time and money will be saved by having the distribu- ting point at Ogden instead of Wash- ington. It is expected that Western pro- ducers will meet the demands of the depot and cooperate with the Service in making the movement successful and in expediting business. In keeping with the same policy of the Service, a branch of the office of Engineering, which has charge of the extensive permanent works now under way on the National Forests, has been established at Ogden. ME WE Maps of the Grant's Pass Quadrangle NEW sheet of the topographic at- las of the United States, known as the Grant’s Pass (Oregon) sheet, has been published by the United States Geological Survey. The region cov- ered by the map extends northward from the Oregon-California line to parallel forty-two degrees, thirty min- utes, which is about five miles north of Grant’s Pass, and from the eastern bor- der of range three W. to the eastern third of range seven W., correspond- ing to meridian 123 degrees to 123 de- grees thirty minutes W. It shows large portions of Rogue River Valley and that of its tributary, the Applegate, as well as the Siskiyou Forest Reserve. The map is of interest in connection with both forestry and irrigation, as it clearly shows the relation between the two in this part of Oregon. The broad alluvial valleys lying immediately north of the reserve contain many reservoir sites, which may be utilized in the de- velopment of irrigation and water power. FOREST CONSERVATION Paper Read at the White House Conference By R. A. LONG RESIDENT ROOSEVELT in address- ing a body of business men in June, 1903, among other things said: “The forest problem is in many ways the most vital internal problem before the American public to-day,” and that “the more closely this statement is examined, the more evident its truth becomes.” I want thus early in my address to lend emphasis to this statement, for coming from such a source and from one so prolific of good deeds pertaining to public matters, and one who has given such careful study and arrived at such wise conclusions concerning so many of the live and vitally important sub- jects before us in recent years, it should in- duce our minds to be in a most receptive mood, and if what we have to say is true and practicable, it is advisable that it shall find such lodgment in the minds of our people as will compel action and result in carrying out the purposes for which this conference is called. Since I was to be honored with a place on this platform I am glad this subject was left for me; for it has to do with a thrilling, throbbing, and beautiful life, which is less true of any of the other subjects to be dis- cussed. ’Tis true, some of our forests, as it were, lay aside their beautiful gowns in the fall, passing apparently into sleep, in which con- dition they remain until spring, when again they don a garb even more beautiful—not of silk or satin, trimmed with gorgeous orna- mentation of man-made goods, but of a kind fashioned by an artist who makes no mis- takes, and never fails to please the most fas- tidious and artistic. The remainder of our magnificent forests, and much the larger part, continues to wear its mantle of green, not only during the springtime and in the summer days, but de- fies the frosty fall season and the zero weath- er of the wintry days. The tree has ever been the symbol of life, strength, beauty, and of rest, and the eye of man cannot continue to look, day after day, upon these stately God- given queens of nature without their charm being reflected in his life, making him a healthier, happier, and better man; and their destruction means not only the removal of our most desirable natural resource, from a practical and utilitarian standpoint, but from the viewpoint of health, morality, spiritual- 410 ity, and beauty, their loss would be irremed- iable. There is much more that might be said on the sentimental side of this subject, but I refrain and pass to the practical side. I want to lay down, first, the broad propo- sition that, aside from the soil itself, no other natural resource compares with our forests. Can you think of one that comes so nearly supplying every want of man? From the tender, touching song we _ hear “There is no place like home’—that place so sacred to every one worthy to wear the title of man—and we know that there is no other resource under the sun that supplies so many homes in every essential as does the tree, es- pecially as applied to the large majority of our people, those whose labors go hand in hand with the prosperity of our nation. However crude the workman, with only an ax for his tool, he may go into the forest and build a comfortable home in which to live. The leaves and bark of the tree may be con- verted into clothing for his body, and the nuts and fruits give him sustenance. Look within the house, be it shanty or mansion, and the furniture will remind you of this natural resource. The ties supporting the great railway sys- tems of this country, and nearly all the buildings connected therewith, are of its product. The mines—coal, copper, gold, silver—yea, all minerals, from the cheapest to the dearest, require its use for their production and our satisfaction. Data gathered tells us we are using not less than one hundred sixty-five million cubic feet annually in this direction. What of the millions and millions of tons of paper on which is printed the news by our great daily newspapers, making it possible for even the poorest inhabitants of all the nations of the earth to keep posted as to the daily happenings of the world? It is claimed, and I believe truthfully, that at least ninety-nine per cent. of the products of our forests are used for practical and use- ful purposes; yet of the total quantity of these products but a small fraction is actually utilized, probably three-quarters going to waste. It is conceded also that forests aid much in the utilization of our rainfall, as the leaves and branches of trees and the accumu- ’ FOREST CONSERVATION lation of humus and leaf-mold resist the compacting effect of the raindrops, and hence the soil is kept loose, allowing the water to readily percolate. This covering of loose litter, twigs, etc., absorbs and holds back the precipitation, preventing its disap- pearing rapidly by surface drainage, goes largely into the ground, and as a subsoil or underground drainage, reappears in the form of springs, which being gradually fed by per- colation from above, themselves feed rivulets or streams of perennial character. The snows of winter melt more gradually in forest- covered areas, giving more time for the water resulting therefrom to soak into the ground and pass off through the springs. The streams fed from such sources have a continuous supply to be used for irrigation or such other purposes as man may require. On the other hand, when the forest lands have been denuded, the rainfall passes rap- idly away, and its resulting effect is not long felt or seen excepting by the filling of the channels of the stream by slit, sand, and gravel washed from above, and the result of the waters having spread over the adjacent low lands, destroying crops, improvements, live stock and sometimes even the lives of the inhabitants. It is not unusual in some sections for the fertile valley lands to be destroyed by gravel, stones, and debris car- ried and deposited by the waters. Water power exerted througn electrical en- ergy, and in operation in so many industries, is impossible without constant and uniform watet supply, and this cannot be had except along streams whose head waters have an adequate protection of forest covering; otherwise, the erosion of the soil soon fills the reservoirs, and waters running unob- structed on the surface converge in great torrents, carrying logs and debris of all kinds, surging irresistibly through the river valleys, taking with it dams, gates, power plants, and destroying what it cannot carry away. Originally the rivers and even the rather small water courses of our country were to a greater or less extent navigable. Their chan- nels were deep, their waters mostly clear and free from sediment and silt. At the present time, owing to the deforestation of the lands along their banks, and especially of their head waters, the breaking up of the sod and the loosening of the soil consequent upon set- tlement and cultivation of crops, these chan- nels, formerly deep, have been in some in- stances entirely filled, and everywhere ren- dered more shallow, until water transporta- tion has ceased and river navigation has be- come almost obsolete on rivers which were once teeming with commerce. Our Government is at great annual ex- pense in the construction of levees, dikes, jetties, and other devices to prevent the de- structive overflows, and in dredging and deepening the channels in order that suffi- cient depth of water may be obtained and preserved to encourage the re-establishment and preservation of our waterway navigation, 411 so that means of transportation, competitive with and supplemental to that furnished by our railroads may be had; a substantial pro- portion of the money and energy thus ex- pended, if used in the preservation of our forests, would materially better conditions in this regard. The western half of the United States con- tains enough fertile land, now barren and un- profitable, only because of insufficient mois- ture, to support under adequate irrigation a population of probably fifty million people; further than this, as it has been truly said, such population in the West would support a like additional population in the manufactur- ing districts of the East, and the two would support another large population engaged in the transportation and distribution of the commodities of commerce between them. The possibility of such irrigation depends largely on the preservation of the forest cover of the mountains, which catches and holds the melting snows, and thus forms the great storage reservoirs of nature. We have been for many years, and are now, using all our resources of diplomacy, and even almost threatening at times to rein- force it, if necessary, by our naval and mili- tary strength, to maintain an “open door” in the Far East for the benefit of our com- merce, while at the same time we have only dimly realized the possibilities of building up an empire in our midst, whose yearly require- ments of the commodities of commerce would equal the requirements of an equal number inhabitants of the Far East for a generation, and the annual purchasing power of whose productive activities would amount to more than all the goods we could hope to sell through the “open door” in possibly more than a quarter of a century. We have it upon the authority of the Holy Writ, that a thousand years before Christ the eastern shore of the Mediterranean was the seat of large cities having an extensive maritime commerce. The mountain region bordering east and west, extending for many miles inland, was covered with a dense for- est, comprising the cedar of Lebanon, the fir and the sandal wood, covering an area of three thousand five hundred square miles. The in- habitants of Sidon were largely engaged in cutting, hewing, and shipping timbers from the forests of Lebanon, and the seat of Sidon was a great lumber market, and its citizens skilled ax-men. The cities of Tyre and Sidon were largely constructed of wood; their ships built of cedar, the masts of fir, and oars of oak. Solo- mon procured all of the timbers used in the construction of the Temple, as well as in other buildings, from the forests of Lebanon by a contract therefor with Hiram, King of Tyre, in whose dominion they lay, and he supplied eighty thousand laborers to assist in cutting and hewing the trees. The timber was loaded into ships and conveyed to Joppa, thence by land to Jerusalem. The region about Jerusalem was fertile, and Solomon 412 provisioned more than one hundred fifty thousand men for a period of perhaps twenty years, and supplied Hiram with one hundred fifty thousand measures of wheat, with as much barley, besides one hundred fifty thou- sand gallons of wine, and a like quantity of oil annually, from which we must understand the country was rich and productive. These forests have all been destroyed, with no re- newal thereof, and with their destruction dis- appeared the fertile soil. The rain-bearing clouds still float above the mountains of Syria, but they pass on over the bare and heated rocks, and the brooks and _ small streams of Palestine no longer exist, and throughout Syria stone furnishes the only material for building, and wood is as precious as_ silver. ' May it not be true that the destruction of Tyre and Sidon was in great part in conse- quence of the destruction of these forests, which has rendered that country a barren desert, supplying a scanty sustenance to the sparse population—its beauty, its fertility, its usefulness gone? So the physical geogra- phers assure us. In “Sinai and Palestine,’ by Dean Stan- ley, an authoratative record, appears the following: ; “The countless ruins of Palestine, of whatever date they may be, tell us at a glance that we must not judge the resources of the ancient land by its present depressed and desolate state. They show us, not only that ‘Syria might support tenfold its present population, and bring forth tenfold its pres- ent product,’ but that it actually did so. And this brings us to the question which eastern travelers so often ask, and are asked on their return, ‘Can these stony hills, these deserted valleys, be indeed the Land of Promise, the land flowing with milk and honey?’” The effect and influence of forests on the climate, health and water conditions of the country is evidenced by the chronicles of the Mosaic, the Roman and the Greek writers, and many of their far-seeing priests prevent- ed the destruction of the forests. The conse- cration of groves to religious uses and to va- rious mythological rites connected with them is an evidence of the reverence the ancients had for forests. Homer calls the mountain woodlands the “habitations of the gods, in which the mortals never felled the trees, but where they fell from age when their time had come;” and in his “Tree and Woodland Nymphs,” originating in springs, he suggests the intimate relation of forests and springs. Aristotle, in his “National Economy,” points out that an assured supply of acces- sible wood material is one of the “neces- sary conditions of the existence of a city.” Plato writes that the consequences of de- forestation is the “sickening of the country.” Cicero, in one of his philippics, designates those engaged in forest devastation as the enemies of the public interests. Mesopotamia, one of the most sterile coun- tries in the East, was once praised on ac- FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION count of its fertility, where, according to Herodotus, “the culture of the grape could not succeed on account of the moisture;” and the Euphrates River, once the source of an ample water supply, is swallowed up in this desert. Greece shows the progress of a similar decadence. Sicily, once the never-failing granary of the Roman Empire, while it was well wooded, is now entirely deforested and crop failures are the rule. Cesar and other Roman writers describes the “vast forests” throughout the entire territory. Since then, thousands of square miles have been defor- ested. Many countries, where the destruc- tion has been most reckless, have taken sys- tematic measures to control the destruction and secure the reproduction of exhausted areas. To this they have been driven, not only by the lack of timber and fuel, but also by the prejudicial effects exerted upon the cli- mate and the irrigation of the country by this denudation. In Denmark much of the woods, which at one time covered nearly the whole country, having been cut down to make way for agriculture and to supply fuel and timber, the vast area thus bared has become a sandy desert. Parts of Bohemia, Hungary, and Austria have been rendered practically val- ueless, because the growing forests were de- stroyed. In France, the frequent inundations of the last fifty years were caused, as is stated by writers, by the deforesting of the sources of the Rhone and the Saone. Since that time, thousands of acres are annually planted, and where the forests have been restored, the conditions have changed for the better. In Encyclopedia Britannica, volume 6, page 4, it is said: ‘Hence, the essential dif- ference between the climate of two countries, the one well covered with forests, and the other not, lies in this, that the heat of the day is more equally distributed over the twenty-four hours in the former case, and therefore less intense during the warmest part of the day; hence the nights are warmer and the days are cooler in wooded districts.” And so it is also said, “Nothing is more cer- tain than that forests not only prevent evap- oration of moisture by protecting the sur- face of the earth, but they serve to retain the light clouds which otherwise would be distributed until they contain sufficient con- - sistence to descend in rain or refreshing nists.” In the American Forest Congress in 1905 the Hon. John Lamb quoted the following from Bernard Palissy, which is so pregnant of truth that it will bear repeating: “For when the forests shall be cut all arts shall cease and they who practice them shall be driven out to eat grass with Nebuchadnezzar and the beasts of the field. I have at divers times thought to set down in writing the arts that would perish when there shall be no more wood, but when I had written down a great number, I did perceive that there FOREST CONSERVATION will be no end of my writing, and having diligently considered, I found that there was not any which could be followed without wood, and I could well allege a thousand reasons, but it is so cheap a philosophy that the very chamber wenches if they do but think may see that without wood it is not possible to exercise any manner of human art or cunning.” China has paid absolutely no attention to the preservation of her forests; hardly a twig left in what was her great forest fields, while Japan, close by, has fifty-nine per cent. of her total area under forests, and the Gov- ernment has reserved under its control a very large part of the whole. Compare the conditions of these two countries, side by side, and draw your own conclusions. While practically all other countries are effectually practicing forestry, none of them, I believe, save Sweden and Russia, foresaw the dif- ficulties toward which they were drifting— at least, made any effort to provide against them until they found themselves importing lumber in great quantities. One nation, Germany, paid out in a single year $80,000,000, and still their timber re- serves are being depleted at a rapid rate. Realizing into what condition she was drift- ing, she set at work to remedy the evil, and to-day is in the forefront in working out this great problem, and it will not be many years before she will be producing an annual crop equal to her consumption. This is most com- mendable, but it would have been much less expensive and more businesslike had she have exercised the same judgment and fore- thought in the matter our leading business men make use of in handling the problems affecting their interests to-day. As is usually true, those spending the most money in the development of an industry obtain the best net results. To illustrate, Germany and France are spending about $11,000,000 a year and reaping $30,000,000 net; while we, last year, spent $1,400,000, receiving $130,000. Considering all of the above, coupled with the fact that from the viewpoint of the value of annual production, it stands as the fourth greatest industry in the United States, being exceeded only by, first, food and kindred products, the annual value of which is $2,845,234,900; second, textiles, annual value $2,147,441,418; third, iron and steel and their -products, annual value $2,176,739,726; lumber coming fourth, annual value $1,223,730,336; which pays annually in wages about one hun- dred million dollars, providing an income and living for something like two million of our people. Can it be passed lightly by without bringing the censure of the generation that will live after us, upon our heads? But need we say more of the important part forests play in the affairs of our coun- try, or what bearing they have had and are having on the nations of the world? It seems to me we should determine, if we can, the life of our forests under existing condi- 413 tions and upon the course necessary to their perpetuation. In January, 1903, I prepared a paper on the subject of stumpage, ta be read at a convention of lumbermen. I spent a vast deal of time in gathering the data necessary to its preparation; I took into account only the white and Norway pine of the Lake States the yellow pine of the South, and the timber growing in the states of Oregon, Washington, and California, as they were the only woods entering in any large way into the lumber supply of this country, calcu- lating that long before any of the woods in question had been exhausted, practically all other woods in our nation would have large- ly passed out of use. My investigation led me to make a state- ment that the timber in the Lake States would not exceed sixty billion feet; that within ten years it would probably play no larger part in the lumber supply of this country than did poplar at that time. I see no reason to change that statement unless the effects following our recent panic, which are very depressing on the lumber industry, should continue longer than is now expected. As to the life of the southern yellow pine, I gave it as my belief, that eighteen years would find it cutting no great figure in our lumber supply. I am more convinced of the correctness of this statement now than I was then. Adding the white pine, yellow pine, and Pacific coast products together, my esti- mate was that the life for all was forty-one years. I am not so sure as to the amount of timber on the Pacific coast, but I do not be- lieve the total life of all will vary to exceed five years from the date indicated. Some calculate that substitutes, such as cement, will likely curtail the demands for lumber; judging from the experience of other countries, it will not; even in England, where nearly all of the lumber used is im- ported, their lumber consumption per capita is increasing at the rate of five per cent. per annum. In France and this country it is in- creasing at the rate of ten per cent. per capita. But why speculate on our timber supply, a question of such great importance to this nation, when definite information can be had? It is unlike any of our other natural resources. It all stands above the ground and can be estimated with great accuracy. Men and money are the only means neces- sary for securing this valuable information. The former can be had by supplying the lat- ter. Should a nation as rich as ours hesitate to furnish the means required for informa- tion of such great value? My plan would to be take our timber areas, and, working them by counties, parishes, or townships, make a complete estimate, as if a purchase was to be made; where the timber was practically the same in several counties, townships, or parishes near each other, a careful estimate of one, and a reckoning of others on the same basis, would be suffi- ciently accurate for all purposes. This would _ 414 FORESTRY give us a correct basis to start with, and from which intelligent statements could be made in the future. The owner of a given piece of property is controlled, as to retention or disposition, largely by the net results that may be ob- tained at different periods. Carrying charges, or the expense incident to holding a commod- ity or article of commerce, enter very large- ly into such calcualations. Taxes constitute a large part of such charges, and have no little bearing on the subject under consider- ation. Instead of timber lands being favored in order to encourage their conservation, not only for the benefit of the owner, but for the use of generations yet unborn, they are not given an even chance with other properties. The crop of the farmer is taxed when it is ready for the market, and no crop is taxed more than once. A crop of timber is taxed continuously and annually until disposed of. The farmer’s crop matures yearly; the crop of the timber owner matures once in about a hundred years. Let us illustrate: As the value of the tim- ber is less in its earlier years than when ma- tured, we will use fifty years as the average life, basing the value on the matured prod- uct. Rice, cotton, and sugar lands in some sections of the South, in close proximity to timber lands, are assessed at about the same prices as timber lands. The rice, cotton, and sugar lands net the owner at least $7.50 an acre annually after paying taxes and all other expenses. In fifty years the owner would get $375 off of each acre of his land, besides ob- taining enough annually to pay his taxes; the land itself being worth $50 per acre, making a total of $425, plus the interest on the money made annually, while the _ timber owner could not get more than $120 per acre in the gathering of his entire matured crop, after spending a goodly fortune in building a plant preparatory to its harvest. Again, the cut-over lands are taxed practically their full value, thereby making it burdensome to carry them, much less to spend anything on them for the purpose of reforestation. The effect of such laws is shown in the state of Michigan, where over six million acres have reverted to the state. A like con- dition, to a lesser extent, exists in other states. I find the constitutions of several states permit them to exempt such properties from taxation; others permit them to class- ify; others to either exempt or classify. And now we come to the vital point of the subject, namely: the conservation and per- petuation of this great resource. In dealing with this subject as it now presents itself to us, it become necessary to dwell on some features that directly and immediately affect the interests of the timber owners. Belong- ing to that class, we would refer to these features with some embarrassment, did we not feel it had been our purpose, in prepar- ing these thoughts for your consideration, to treat them on broader and more patriotic lines than any exclusively selfish idea would AND IRRIGATION permit; besides, we believe the thoughts pre- sented will appeal to you as eminently fair and correct, and will of themselves prevent your ascribing to us a selfish motive. I want to give especial emphasis to the statement that conservation and perpetuation of our forests and unremunerative prices for lumber cannot travel the same road, for con- servation means to handle, to treat, to take care of, and save in such manner as to re- tain the use or benefit of a given product as long as possible. Perpetuation of forests means to so exploit the forests as to make them continuous and pérpetual, which can only be done by spending money continuous- ly in planting, seeding, protecting, etc., while low prices of any commodity means neglect and waste. This cannot be more forcibly illustrated than by the conditions existing to- day, as applied to lumber; on account of the low prices now prevailing, the logs making low grade lumber, secured principally from that portion of the tree approaching the limbs, and constituting at least twenty per cent. of the forests, are left in the woods to rot, or be burned, because the lumbermen would no more think of using the raw ma- terial out of which he could not obtain cost, than the farmer would harvest a crop of faulty corn out of which he could not obtain the cost of gathering. This leaving of twenty per cent. of our logs in the woods—as applied to the yellow pine industry alone—if we market as much lumber this year as last, means that we will have wasted over three hundred thousand acres of forest land, and so, in order that the product of these low grade logs may take their place in the lumber supply of the world, and our timber saved or conserved, the man- ufacturer must at least have cost for his low grade lumber, which means a comparatively better price for the better grade; and this need not necessarily mean high priced lum- ber, but the price must be removed material- ly from the prices now prevailing, and such as we touch periodically, even in normally good times; for lumber is like every other product, controlled by supply and demand, and if we build mills with sufficient capacity to supply the demand of the country in times of extreme activity, such as we had in 1906 and the first two-thirds of 1907, we will have capacity beyond our requirements in normal times, and under such conditions down go the prices. On account of such varying and unstable conditions, it will be found difficult, if not impossible, to get the timber owner to enter actively into the methods required for the perpetuation of the forests by spending even the minimum required, which I understand to be about fifty cents per thousand. While this does not seem a large amount, there are concerns making as much as two hundred fifty million feet of lumber per annum, and hence to these, the cost of this item would be $125,000 per annum. If his or its competitor was pursuing the same practice, all would be FOREST CONSERVATION well; if not, he would, for the immediate present, be out that much more money than his competitor, and during dull periods, such as now, when prices were close to the cost line, even for the better grades of lumber, he would hardly feel disposed to contract for such an outlay. The Government only owning about twenty-two per cent. of our forest area, can- not alone, to any great degree, effect what we are seeking in this conference, so far as forests are concerned. It might, however, accomplish the purpose in one of the follow- ing ways: First. The Government could, by a con- tractual relation with the owners of the for- ests where lumbering operations are now be- ing carried on (who constitute at least eighty per cent. of the timber holdings of the United States), provide that conservation and reforestation should be practiced under rules prescribed by the Forest Service, and assess the cost thereof against the timber lands pro- portionately. These rules should provide that the lumbering operations, so far as con- servation and reforestation were concerned, should be conducted under governmental control; that no more timber should be cut than was necessary to supply the current de- mands, thus maintaining such uniformity of prices as would justify the operator to utilize every log the tree would produce; that only trees of a certain size should be cut; that seed trees, properly distributed, should be left; that the young growth should be pro- tected from fires and other elements of de- struction, and it would seem clear that the establishment of such a relationship would certainly accomplish this highly desired ob- EC Second. A plan might be worked out jointly between the owners of the timber lands, and the Government, by which conser- vation and reforestation would be practiced along such lines as the Government might lay down, as outlined above, and the timber own- ers be protected in the prices of all lands cut over and handled under the conditions prescribed. Whatever plan is adopted must furnish an incentive, a substantial inducement to the timber owner, to forego a present gain for the public good, and in this matter it can only be accomplished by governmental co- operation. And what is done should be done quickly, for the time is fast approaching when our forests will be so nearly gone that it will be too late. Will the Government avail itself of this golden opportunity to lend its aid to the conservation of this splendid natural re- source, in order to supply the timber for fu- ture generations; be wise and_ patriotic enough to provide for the inevitable result that must occur before the middle of the twentieth century, and thereby perform the true function of all good governments in the promotion of the health, wealth, and pros- perity of the people? Or, with climatic 415 changes following the destruction of our for- ests, shall manufacture die with them, and commerce fail as a natural result of agricul- tural and manufacturing decadence ? Disclaiming all partisan or political refer- ences, and speaking only of economic condi- tions as we find them, I do not think I should neglect to say that the present demor- alizing conditions existing in our commer- cial and manufacturing life, and the conse- quent waste and loss incident thereto, and especially incident to the wasteful destruc- tion of hundreds of thousands of acres of timber annually is, in my judgment, due largely to the pernicious effect of that class of legislation which, by its application, has placed an absolute prohibition on every form of agreement looking to conservation; has placed a ban upon all meetings and discus- sions having for their object the adoption of the most salutary measures for the preserva- tion of this natural resource, and the instant and unfair denunciation of every meeting of the so-called “Lumber Trust,” which does not and never did exist; has produced such a condition of mind among lumbermen, that they feel that they can no longer meet to- gether for the general discussion of matters so vitally affecting their interests and the welfare of this nation, without subjecting themselves to the humiliation of a prosecu- tion. This condition in the lumber business has led to the reduction of the wage scale of hundreds of thousands of men, affecting many millions of people; it has left twenty per cent. of the timber in the forest to waste; and unless we have relief, these evils will increase and others will follow in their wake. Attempts at compulsory competition is our present commercial nightmare. Such com- petition is not healthy but disastrous, and serves only, in the end, to create the most pernicious monopoly by destroying all com- petition—it means the survival of the strongest and not the “fittest.” Is it not sufficient for all that our re- sources should be conserved and saved for all generations; is it right or just that a great industry should suffer, and generations to live hereafter be deprived of an adequate supply of lumber, in order that a prejudice be vindicated, and the consumer of to-day buy his lumber at less than cost? And in this connection, it may be well to say that a reduction of our tariff on lumber would at once bring us into direct and disas- trous competition with lumber from Canada, where stumpage is cheaper and wages lower, and where the consequent tendency toward wastefulness necessitates corresponding dis- regard on our part. Waste is loss, and adds nothing to consumption. We want greater consumption, but we should conserve and re- produce, not waste. The part played by the United States Steel Corporation since its organization, in the maintenance of staple prices, while obtaining a profit and not improperly using its power, is a most substantial demonstration of the 416 salutary effect of concentrated control of any commodity in the interest of uniform prices and conservatism, without injury to the con- sumer or harm to any one. The American people have common sense, are patriotic, and fair, and a full understand- ing of the real conditions confronting us will appeal to their good sense. and they will support any measure of true relief. And now, Mr. President, before closing, I want to say again, aside from the soil itself, this is the most important natural resource at the command of the American people to-day. It has its most intensely practical side, but is not by any means devoid of its sentimental side, the absence of which from human breast, leaves one devoid of one of the most beautiful attributes of human kind. One that possesses this finer nature has said: “A tree-is one of nature’s words, a word of peace to man; A word that tells of central strength from whence all things began; A word to preach tranquility to all our rest- less clan.” FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION “Ah, bare must be the shadeless ways, and bleak the path must be, Of him who, having open eyes, has never learned to see, And so has never learned to love the beauty of.a tree.” “Who loves a tree, he loves the life that springs in star and clod, He loves the love that gilds the clouds, and greens the April sod; He loves the Wide Beneficence; his soul takes hold on God.” I am happy in the thought of this confer- ence for the purpose of discussing this and kindred subjects, and shall hope that we may not rest satisfied in the thought that there is plenty for our day and generation, for such a thought means selfishness; selfishness means littleness. Anything that is small is prescribed by a very limited circle; and I venture the statement that there is no place of comfort or happiness in the universe of God or the realm of man for such an in- dividual. i Ss HUNTLEY PROJECT, MONTANA Hauling Sugar Beets to the Factory. Sugar Beets Are One of the Most Profitable Crops of an Irrigated Country FORESTRY 482 IRRIGATION FRANK GLOVER HEATON, £dtor CONTENTS FOR AUGUST, 1908 VIEW IN THE NEW CLEVELAND NATIONAL FOREST...:....... ... Frontispiece A PLEA FOR THE NATIONALIZATION OF OUR NATURAL RESOURCES SV CRELENGYs RA CSCHDET On taser tr carat Fe arekeve terre oe atc tal eter ot fam eka loyaen o) Piss Sion clench eaves ag 419 THE BRANDING OF THE FORESTS—Poem—By “The Poet Lariat”............ 425 FE AUT Fe CAMP) =F) OTS ey g> WV Oh pe Be a ars cr Re on eaten aS ote ane cma SCs & 2 Be pia lot le okie 426 RP ASGNCA sy POOR SOM PO Ol red Cie ED aetet Sok Ui onde tis ee tact ote aly ne Sees 428 MEMORIAT: 1O.EX- PRESIDENT -CLEVABDAND cs i) Oredl beri. aio cree ain erates lee Sunred 449 Costly Steam Yachts.............. No tbel. — ey — ) ——— a THE VALUE OF NATURAL SCENERY By J. HORACE MAcFARLAND, President American Civic Association Address Delivered at the White House Conference, May 14, 1908 URGE this august and influential as- sembly to consider the essential value of one of America’s greatest resources—her unmatched natural scenery. It is well that we should here take full account of the peril to our national pros- perity, indeed to our very national existence, which lies in further wastéful disregard of our waning resources of forest and mine, of water and soil. By the possibilities of conservation here discussed, the mind is quickened, the imagination fired. But the glory of the United States must rest and has rested upon a firmer foundation than that of her purely material resources. It is the love of country that has lighted and that keeps glowing the holy fire of patriot- ism. And this love is excited, primarily, by the beauty of the country. Truly inspired is our national hymn as it sings— “My native country, thee, Land of the noble, free, Thy name I love; I love thy rocks and rills, Thy woods and templed hills: My heart with rapture thrills Like that above.” Paraphrasing a recent utterance of Mayor McClellan upon city beauty, I insist that “The country healthy, the country wealthy, and the country wise may excite satisfaction, complaisance and pride, but it is the country beautiful that compels and retains the love of its citizens.” We cannot destroy the scenery of our broad land, but we can utterly change its beneficial relation to our lives, and remove its stirring effect upon our love of coun- try. We can continue to convert the fair- est land the sun shines upon into a desert of ugliness. Indeed, we are abundantly able to outdo the Sahara itself in desolation, for that vast waste, so singularly like the United States in contour and extent, and once, geologists insist, as well wooded and watered as was our favored land a century ago, has somber dignity in its barrenness—a dignity completely absent from our civilized Saharas of culmbank and ore-dump, from timber slashing and filth-filled river. Scenery of some sort will endure as long as sight remains. It is for us to decide whether we shall permanently retain as a valuable national asset any considerable por- tion of the natural scenery which is so beneficently influential upon our lives, or whether we shall continue to substitute for it the unnatural scenery of man’s careless waste. Shall we gaze upon the smiling beauty of our island-dotted rivers, or look in disgust upon great open sewers, lined with careless commercial filth, and alternating be- tween disastrous flood and painful drought? Are we to consider and hold by design the orderly beauty of the countryside, or permit unthinking commercialism to make it a horror of umnecessary disorder? Is_ the Grand Canyon of the Colorado to be really held as nature’s great temple of scenic color, or must we see that temple punctuated and profaned by trolley poles? Shall we hold inviolate all the glories of the Yosemite, or are we to permit insidious corporate attacks upon its beauty under the guise of question- able economics? Shall the White Moun- tains be for us a great natural sanitarium, or shall they stand as a greater monument to our folly and neglect? It is certain that there has been but scant thought given to scenic preservation hitherto. I remember the contempt with which a lawyer of national renown alluded to the absurdity of any legislation by Congress in preservation of scenery, when, in its wisdom, that body chose to give a measure of tem- porary protection to a part of Niagara’s flood. Indeed, one of the potent forces of ob- struction to the legislation now demanded by the country in scant protection to the almost destroyed mountain forests of the East has expressed itself in a contemptuous sneer at national expenditures for the pres- ervation of scenery! We meet in a historic place, in a historic city. The Father of our Country was not only greatest in war and in statesmanship, but one of the greatest of his time in esteem of natural beauty, and in the desire to create urban beauty in what he wisely planned as the Federal City. George Washington loved dignified beauty, and the wisdom of his plan has resulted in making a national capital not only admirable in its adaptation to the pub- lic needs, but destined, as his plans are car- ried out, to be beautiful beyond compare. 457 458 What is the effect of the scenic beauty of Washington upon the citizens of the nation who come here? Is not their pride awakened, their patriotism quickened, their love of country increased by the dignity of man’s effort for beauty here? Consider wealthy Pittsburg, busy Cincinnati, proud Chicago, with their. wasteful smoke, their formless streets, their all-pervading bill- boards and grime—would one of-these serve to stimulate love of country as the national capital ? No, the unthinking and ofttimes unneces- sary ugliness of civ.lization does not foster patriotism, nor does it promote the health and happiness which are at the very basis of good citizenship. When, in looking over the horrors of industrial civilization, Will- iam Morris urged humanitarian effort “Until the contrast is less disgrace- ful between the fields where the beasts live and the streets where men live,” he brought out a bitter truth. We have made our cities ugly, for the most part; but we are learning the basis of happy citi- zenship, and, while we cannot altogether make over these centers of population, we are bringing into them the scenic suggestion as well as the physical facilities of the open country, in the parks. In these parks lies the answer to the ignorant contempt for scenery to which I have alluded; for it is incontrovertible that peace and health and good order are best fostered in the parks including the most natural scenic beauties. Mr. Chairman, there is, too, a vast eco- nomic reason for jealously guarding all of our scenic heritages in America. Visiting a quiet Canadian community on the shore of Lake Ontario a few days since, I was impressed by the number and the beauty of the summer homes there existing. Inquiry brought out the astonishing fact that they were almost exclusively owned by residents of a certain very wealthy and certainly very ugly American city, where iron is_ king. The iron manufacturers flee from the all- pervading ugliness they have created, and the money earned in complete disregard of the naturally fine scenic conditions about their own homes is used in buying scenic beauty in a foreign country. Perhaps a cer- tain form of protection is here suggested! It is authoritatively stated that the tour- ist travel tribute paid annually to Europe exceeds a half-billion dollars, of which vast sum America contributes a full half, get- ting back a far smaller sum in return travel from all the world. No one will suggest that there is travel to see ugly things, or to look upon wasted scenery, in Europe. No, this vast sum is expended almost entirely in travel to view agreeable scenic conditions, either natural or urban. The lumber king leaves the hills he has denuded into piteous FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION ugliness, and takes his family to view the jealously guarded and economically beautiful Black Forest of Germany. The coal opera- tor who has made a horror of a whole coun- try, and who is responsible for the dreadful kennels among the culm-banks in which his imported labor lives, travels with*his gains to beautiful France, and he may motor through the humble but sightly European villages from whence came his last invoice of workers. Every instinct for permanent business prosperity should impel us not only to save in their natural beauty all our important scenic possessions, but, also, to fully safe- guard the great and revolutionary develop- ment almost certain to follow this epoch- making conference. We are assured by ex- perience that the use of our great renewable resources of soil fertility is attended with the cont nuance of beautiful scenic condi- tions. The smiling farm, the blooming and glowing orchard, the waving wheat-fields, the rustle of the corn—all these spell peace- ful beauty as well as national wealth which we can indefinitely continue and increase. Can we not see to it that the further use of our unrenewable resources of minerals and primeval forest is no longer attended with a sad change of beautiful, restful, and truly valuable scenery into the blasted hill- side and painful ore-dump, ugly, disturbing and valueless? The waters of our streams must furnish the “white coal” of the future, and electri- cally turn the wheels of commerce in smoke- less economy. Such a change can consider, retain, and sometimes increase the beauty of the scenery; or it can introduce the sacri- legious ugliness of which the American gorge at Niagara is at present so disgraceful an example. The banks of the waterways. we are to develop can be made so pleasing as to attract travel, rather than repel it, if we care for this land of ours as a place to dwell in, rather than to flee from. We cannot, either, safely overlook the ne- cessity for retaining not only for ourselves, but for our children’s children, at least a portion of God’s glory of mountain and vale, lake, forest, and seaside. His refuge in the very bosom of nature, to which we may flee from the noise and strain of the market- place, for that renewing of spirit and strength which cannot be had_ elsewhere. True, we can continue and expand our travel tribute to the better sense of the Eastern World, but that will not avail our toiling millions. “Beauty for the few, no more than freedom or education for the few,” urges William Morris, and who shall say that such natural beauty of scenery as we have is not the heritage of all, and a plain necessity for good citizenship? Every one of us recognizes the renewing of strength and spirit that comes from even a temporary sojourn amidst natural scenic delights. The President has but just returned CONSERVATION OF from a “week-end” visit to his castle of rest in the Virginia hills. Could he have had equal pleasure in Hoboken? Mr. Carnegie’s enterprises built dreadful Homestead, but he finds the scenery about Skibo Castle much more restful! Who of us, tired with the pressure of twentieth century life, fails to take refuge amid scenes of natural beauty, rather than to endeavor to find that needed rest in a coal-mining village, or in the heart of some sordidly ugly timber slashing? The most blatant economist, who sneers at the thought of public beauty, accessible by right to all, is usually much interested in private beauty of scenery, of home and of person if accessible to him alone! Selfishly and inconsistently he recognizes in his own use the value of the natural resources he affects to desp:se. I am convinced that the vast majority of my countrymen hold deep in their hearts sen- timents of regard for the glorious natural beauty of America. If to my inadequate words there be any response among those here present, may I but hint at some things that might well result? First, we must hold inviolate our greater scenic heritages. All the nations vist the Falls of Niagara as the wonder of the Wes- tern World, yet we are even now engaged in an attemnt to see how closely we can p?re its glories without complete destruction. Em- inent authorities warn us that the danger line is passed, and that recurrence of a cycle of low water in the Great Lakes mav completely extinguish the American Fall. A hundred other water powers in New York and On- tario would together give as much wheel- POWER RESOURCES 459 turning electric energy, but all the world cannot furnish forth the equivalent of Niag- ara in beneficent influence upon the minds of men, if held as a scenic heritage. The glory of Niagara to-day hangs by a hair, and m]- lions of incorporated private money seek covetously to cut the hair. The National Parks—all too few in num- ber and extent—ought to be held absolutely inviolate, as intended by Congress. Intru- sions for questionable water-supply needs, against the unselfish protests of those whose love of country cannot be impugned, should not be permitted. The scenic value of all the national do- main yet remaining should be jealousy guard- ed as a distinctly important natural resource, and not as a mere incidental increment. In giving access for wise economic purposes to forest and range, to valley and stream, the Federal government should not for a moment overlook the safeguarding to the people of all the natural beauty now existing. - That this may be done without in any way pre- venting legit.mate use of all the other nat- ural resources is certain. The Governors of sovereign states here as- sembled, the many organizations here rep- resented, possess the power and have the op- portunity to so change and guide legisla- tion and public opinion as to foster the un- derlying desire for public beauty, both nat- ural and urban. We have for a century stood actually, if not ostens bly, for an _ uglier America; let us here and now resolve, for every patriotic and economic reason, to stand openly and solidly for a more beautiful, and, therefore, a more prosperous America! CONSERVATION OF POWER RESOURCES By H. ST. CLAIR PUTNAM, LL.B., E.E., Member A. I E. E. Consulting Electrical Engineer (New York) Address Delivered at the White House Conference, May 14, 1908 ITHOUT disparaging other aspects of our progress, it is not .too much to say that our time is preeminently the Age of Power. This applies to the world at large, but especially to the United States. Our population is increasing with unprece- dented rapidity, but our mineral production is increasing so much more rapidly that this is not inaptly styled “the Age of Metal.” Steel, copper, and wood are combined in me- chanical devices at a rate increasing so much more rapidly than ore production that we may be said to live in the Age of the Machine; yet that aspect of modern life which most impresses the student of development is the increasing use of mechanical power through the development of prime motors and the utilization of new power sources. Rap dly as our population advances, it is outrun. by metal production, and that in turn by ma- chine building; yet our most rapid progress —the feature in which our advancement ex- ceeds all others—is in the development and use of Power. Historically considered, the our power resources has undergone characteristic phases of development. In the first, power was produced directly by natural resources such as falling water and wind, and its use necessarily was lim- ited to those places where these natural forces were found. This led to the early utilization of three 460 growth of industrial communities in such favored localities as is illustrated by the prosperity of the early manufacturing es- tablishments of New England, grouped about easily available water powers, and in this country it held ascendency in the manu- facturing industries until about 1870. The second phase was characterized by the development of the steam engine which rendered practicable the utilization of the stored energy in fuel as a source of power. During this period the development of coal mines and rapid growth of our railway sys- tems imparted a tremendous stimulus to commercial enterprises. Proximity of water powers was no longer controlling, and fac- tories were established at points selected by reason of the availability of raw material, labor, transportation facilities, and markets, as well as power supply. As in the first pe- riod, however, the power necessarily was used where developed and the size of the plant was limited to the requirements of the individual user. Electrical transmission of power is the new art which now is resulting in another and radical change in methods of utilizing our power resources, permitting, as it does, de- velopment whether by water power or by steam at points most convenient and eco- nomical and transmission to the consumer in form adapted to great variety and con- veniece and use. This new development in applied science calls for reappraisement of the sources from which our power is derived. The size of the power plant is no longer limited to the requirements of the individual user, but the power for entire communities can be supplied from a single station. The enlargement of this field of work newly opened by the electric transm’ssion of power from great distances is now in active and practical development. As a result rapid changes are taking place in the methods of using power. New economics are possible of accomplishment and the resulting effect upon the conservation and util:zation of our power resources is of the greatest importance. Where power is developed from the com- bustion of coal, wood, oil or gas, our natu- ral resources as such are destroyed and they cannot be replaced, excepting to a limited extent in the case of wood and similar prod- ucts. The supply of natural oil and gas is limited and uncertain and the amount avail- able is required for special industries. The coal production of the United States for the year 1906 was 414,157,278 tons; for 1907, about four hundred fifty million tons. If the production of anthracite coal is continued at only its present annual rate the supply will be exhausted in sixty to seventy years. Since the beginning of our coal industry the pro- duction has doubled approximately every ten years. Assuming that this rate of increase cannot be maintained, but will become con- stant in about one hundred fifty years, it is estimated that the supply of bituminous coal FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION will be exhausted in approximately seven hundred years. But that the coal production should become constant even one hundred fifty years hence, implies that our industries must become stationary, unless other power resources are found. We cannot look for- ward to such a condition with equanimity. Without coal our domestic and industrial life are inconceivable, and our existence in great cities and crowded communities is impossible unless a substitute is devised. The future welfare of the nation requires that all prac- ticable means be employed for the conserva- tion of the supply of coal. Where power is derived from water, winds, and tides, only energy otherwise wasted is used. The energy thus extracted is added to our assets instead of being a permanent loss as is the case with the com- bustion of coal. It is now feasible and prac- ticable to develop water powers, wherever located, for electric power. In the aggregate the available water powers of the nation greatly exceed the present power require- ments, but unless there is some curtailment in the rate of our development, our water power resources, while being of great magni- tude, will not of themselves solve the prob- lem of our future supply of power. The amount of water power available in the United States is not known. Some par- tial estimates have been made, but these are necessarily approximate, as exact figures can be obtained only after careful survey and study not only of the existing physical con- ditions, water flow, and available reservoir capacity, but of the practicable auxiliary steam power that can be profitably installed. The power of Niagara Falls has been esti- mated, by Prof. W. C. Unwin, at seven mil- lion horsepower. A partial estimate of the water powers of the upper Mississippi River and tributaries places the available water power at about two million horsepower. The southern Appalachian regions can furnish a minimum of nearly three million horse- power. Both of these estimates can be greatly increased by including the use of reg- ulation reservoirs and auxiliary steam plants. The water powers of New England are more fully developed than elsewhere in the coun- try, though much remains yet to be done. In the Rocky Mountains and the far West there are immense water power possibilities; in the State of Washington alone there are three million horsepower available. Even approxi- mate data upon which to base an estimate of the total amount of available water power in the country is lacking, though a good: start in its collection has been made by the War Department and the Geological Survey with the [imited means at their disposal. It 1s probable that the water power in the United States exceeds thirty m/llion horsepower, and under certain assumptions as to storage reservoirs this amount can be increased to 150,000,000 horsepower or poss-bly more. Much depends upon whether regulation res- He | CONSERVATION OF ervoirs and reserve steam plants are included in theestimate. Both have been demonstrated to be practicable and undoubtedly should be considered in any estimate made of the avail- able water power resources of the country. Using the smaller figure of thirty million horsepower as an illustration, to develop an equal amount of energy in our most modern steam-electric plants, would require the burn- ing of nearly 225,000,000 tons of coal per an- num, and in the average steam engine plant, as now existing, more than s:x hundred mil- lion tons of coal, or fifty per cent. in excess of the total production of the country in 1906. At an average price of $3 per ton it would require the consumption of coal costing $1,890,000,000 to produce an equivalent power in steam plants of the present type. The supply of water power is limited, how- ever, when the rapid rate of increase in our power requirements is considered, and great care, therefore, must be exercised to insure the preservation of our water power re- sources and to secure the maximum practical development. Using the data furnished by the census returns of 1900, 1902, and 1905 as a basis, and applying the prevailing rate of increase in the industries included in these reports, and adding an equivalent amount for the steam railroads, it is estimated that the total installed capacity of prime movers in all our land industries for the year 1908 approxi- mates thirty million horsepower. The average load on steam and other en- gines is much less than their rated capacity, and, owing to the overlapping of loads, it is probable that the total average load does not exceed one-third or one-quarter of this amount. During the past thirty years the total amount of power used in our manufactories and other industries, as recorded by the census, has doubled approximately every ten: years. The fact that substantially the same rate of increase has existed in coal pro- duction, railroad gross earnings, freight ton- mileage, passenger mileage and the value of agricultural products as well as in total power consumption, is a striking demonstration of the close inter-relation and mutual depend- ence of these great factors which, in the ag- gregate, measure the industrial progress of the nation. Yet the records of power used in small units are far from complete. We cannot foretell how long the present rate of increase in our industrial enterpr ses will continue. This will be determined by the general laws which govern industrial de- velopment and by the increase in wealth. It is clear, however, that if our power resources are exhausted or wasted, the result will be disastrous. Of the total estimated power at present produced by prime movers, about twenty-six million horsepower is produced by steam eng.nes, three million horsepower by water reotors, and seven hundred thousand horse- POWER RESOURCES 401 power by gas and oil engines. These figures emphasize the present position of the steam engine in our industrial development, and the relatively much less important place now oc- cupied by water power. Of the total thirty million horsepower, in- cluding the railroads, used in the country, it is estimated that nine million horsepower, or thirty per cent., is now utilized electrically. This remarkable growth has been accom- plished in twenty-five years. The use of electric power at the present time is being doubled approximately every five years, as contrasted with the phenomenal doubling of the total power every ten years. If the pres- ent rate of increase is maintained, electrically applied power will equal or exceed the power mechanically applied in 1920. This great growth is due to the convenience, earning capacity, and economy resulting from the use of electrically applied power. The sign fi- cance of this remarkable increase in the use of electric power in manufacturies and other industries lies in the market thus provided for the utilization of our water powers, wherever located and whatever their magni- tude Where coal is the source of power, elec- tric transmission and distribution greatly re- duce the amount burned to perform given mechanical work. This results from the sub- stitution of a few large and highly efficient boilers and engines for a larger number of relatively small and uneconomical ones and from the introduction of plant economies and skill in operation not attainable in the smaller plants. A material saving is effected also in the application of the power directly to the work through motors instead of indirectly through inefficient countershafting and belting. A further material gain also results from the fact that a large plant carrying the load formerly carried, for example, by one hun- dred small plants is operated under condi- tions more nearly approximating uniformity of load, and therefore at higher economy. Greater economy can be obtained, even in our large plants, through the more general use of so-called fuel economizers, superheat- ed steam, higher vacuum, and better combus- tion under the boilers. We may expect still higher efficiency from the development of larger boiler and engine units. These econo- mizing appliances, which are relatively un- important in small plants, become of great importance in large plants, and will have still greater influence on steam practice as the price of fuel increases and the cost of capital decreases. This discussion would incomplete without mention of the great possible fuel economy that may result from the use of gas and other similar engines. - Though engines of this character ante-date the use of the electric motor their development has been slow, and they occupy a relatively un- important place as power producers. The be 462 FORESTRY ordinary steam engine utilizes not more than four or five per cent. of the heat energy in coal, and our best modern steam electric plants show a heat efficiency not exceeding ten or twelve per cent. W2-th the gas engine and producer gas the heat efficiency can be more than doubled, and still higher efficiency seems probable with higher compression or through the use of other possible improve- ments. This is a most promising field for development, and it is entirely poss-ble that the gas engine may revolutionize our methods of using fuel for the production of power. Beyond these gains, which may be con- sidered well within the limits of possible at- tainment by present knowledge, there stands the theoretical prospect of still greater econ- omies, the possibility of which cannot be de- nied so long as methods employed in devel- oping energy from coal results in a waste of from seventy-five to ninety-five per cent. of the potential energy which nature has stored in the coal. But the science of the present time does not permit us to assume any radi- cal increase in efficiency of fuel engines be- yond the limits which I have indicated and our only safe course is to base our estimate upon the progress of the present time with such reasonable allowance for improved economy as is dictated by recognition of prog- ress of the art along lines now within the horizon of possible science. Where the water power is the source of supply, electricity promotes economy for rea- sons identical with the foregoing, except that absence of fluctuation of load is relatively less important, but the great gain which results from electric transmission is the utilization of water powers remote from power markets. Where several water powers along a stream are developed it becomes possible to utilize, in conjunction with the larger and more cheaply developed powers, others which, con- sidered independently, could not be utilized to advantage. Prior to 1870 the use of water power in manufactures exceeded that of steam power. ‘Water power expressed in percentage of the total power employed has since steadily de- clined, falling from 48.3 per cent. in 1870 to 2 per cent. in 1905. During the correspond- ing period steam power increased from 51.8 per cent. in 1870 to 78.2 per cent. in 1900. The census of 1900 showed a marked falling off in the rate of increase in the percentage of steam power used as compared with the rate prior to 1890, and this was accentuated in the census of 1905, when the percentage of steam power fell to 73.6 per cent. of the total. This check to the ascendency of directly ap- plied steam power was due to the introduc- tion of electric power. In 1890 electric power was negligible. In 1900 it constituted 4.8 per cent. of the total. In 1905 this had increased to 11.8 per cent—a marvelously rapid growth when the aggregate increase of over one mil- lion horsepower in five years is considered. If the present rate of increase prevails until AND IRRIGATION 1910 electric power will have reached eighteen per cent. of the total and steam power will have dropped to sixty-eight per cent. If the same rate of increase is maintained until 19309, electric power as applied to the manufactur- ing industries w.ll exceed the amount of steam power applied direct. The tendencies illustrated by the changes that have taken place in the methods of utilizing power in manufacturing, apply gen- erally to other. industries. The increasing use of power is phenomenal; the steam en- gine as a source of power is thus far para- mount in them all, but the percentage of elec- trically applied power is increasing at nearly double the rate of increase of the total power used. ; The extraordinary growth of the electric lighting industry is familiar to all. Unfor- tunately the results of the special census of 1907 are not yet available, but the ind‘ca- tions are that the five years that have elapsed since the previous census will show phenom- enal growth. During these five years the gross sales of the great electric manufactur- ing companies have doubled, and the propor- tion of the output consisting of electric power apparatus and generating units of large size has greatly increased. An ‘nfluential factor in the growth during this period has been the rapid development of long distance hydro-electric power transmission plants. Since the displacement of horse and cable cars in the cities a few years ago, electric railways have been extended to suburban and interurban districts and are rapidly form- ing a network over the entire thickly settled portions of the country. In the nature of their traffic many of these roads are scarcely dis- tinguishable from steam railroads, and many railroads are using them as feeders. In a few cases railroads have converted steam operated branches into electric lines. A beginning is being made in the electrifi- cation of our steam railroads. The New York Central, the Pennsylvania, the Long Island, the New York, New Haven & Hart- ford, the Grand Trunk, the Northern Pa- cific, the Erie, the Southern Pacific and others have electrified portions of their lines, and most of these are now in successful operation. Many of these roads are extending the elec- tric zone. Thus far most of this work has been induced by terminal requirements, tun- nels, heavy grades or other special conditions which emphasize the advantages to be de- rived from electric operation. The increase in capacity, convenience, and greater earning power as well as the economies resulting from electric operation will stimulate the electrification of steam railroads, just as these factors have stimulated the use of ‘electric power in other industries. The problem pre- sented is larger because of the necessity of interchangeability of equipment, and the de- velopment must necessarily be gradual on ac- count of the magnitude of the ‘nterests and the large capital expenditures involved. The CONSERVATION OF railroads are among the largest consumers of fuel, and electric operation, exclusive of the use of water powers, would reduce the coal consumption to less than one-half of that required for similar operation. with steam locomotives. During the past few years, there has been renewed interest in water powers on account of the practicability of their use for the gen- eration of power and the electrical transmis- sion of this power to distant markets. The great hydro-electric development at Niagara was the first large enterprise of this char- acter and has demonstrated its practicability. The census of 1905 gives a partial list of long distance hydro-electr.c plants developing power aggregating six hundred horsepower, and this list can now be largely increased. Our most desirable water powers are being absorbed rapidly, and it becomes important, * therefore, for us to take stock of our water resources and formulate plans for their con- trol and proper utilization. In the improvements that have been made on navigable rivers too little attention has been given to the development of the inci- dental water powers. On some waterways, "as in several instances on the Mississippi, im- mense sums of money have been appropriated and expended on especially difficult portions of the river. If this money could have been available in large amounts, instead of by driblets over periods of many years, water powers of great value could have been de- veloped and the navigation cffectively and permanently improved. Unfortunately this has not been our policy. Too often the ap- propriations have been inadequate for carry- ing out the work as it should be done, and frequently the work has not followed any well-digested plan. With the data at hand it is impossible to make an accurate estimate of the amount of power that can be developed incidentally to river navigation. A partial estimate of the power developed at existing Government locks and dams places the amount at 1,600,000 horsepower. This is based on the mean low water discharge for three months. The sub- ject should receive careful consideration. Im- provements in navigation should be made only after thorough study of the possibilities of power development. On the other hand, many water powers are on streams that are navigable, or are capable of canalization, and these streams should be developed for power purposes only after careful examination has been made of the possibilities of the stream forming a link in the system of inland water- ways. There are many streams that are not now navigable, or are navigable for only a por- tion of the season, that can be canalized and converted into streams of great commercial value. The use of our waterways for both power development and navigation causes no conflict; these uses are in fact co-related and their interests harmonious. Where it ‘s neces- sary to place a dam across a stream to de- POWER RESOURCES abe velop power, the slack water so produced, with the addition of locks, renders otherwise impassable stretches of river available for navigation. Every water power development is vitally interested in obtaining a uniform flow of water. This exactly meets the re- quirements of navigation. The approximate realization of regularity of flow can be at- tained only by the construction of head-water regulating reservoirs and the preservation of our forests. Every water course that is im- proved for the production of power and for navigation produces, therefore, vigorous self- interested allies in the cause of forest preser- vation, head-water regulation and the main- tenance of conditions which are favorable to both interests. Considerations which affect the use of our rivers and streams, as sources of power and for navigation, apply also to canals. Here- tofore, canals built for transportation pur- poses have not been used, to any great extent, for the development of power. In some cases this has been on account of the limited srpply of water, but more frequently it has been due to the great difficulty experienced by the ani- mals in towing boats against the rapid cur- rent produced in the canal by the flow of water to the water wheels. In recent tests it has been demonstrated that canal boats can be towed by electric towing machines at a much lower operating cost than is possible with animals and that operated in this man- ner the speed can be greatly increased. The first cost of electric equipment is relatively large, but the change to electric towing will pay handsomely when the volume of traffic is sufficiently large. The traffic required ts well within the uJtimate capacity of the canal. With electric towing the increase in the rate of current flow introduced by the develop- ment of water power on the canal is not a serious impediment to navigation. There are large areas in the Western States where the soil is of wonderful fertility, but irrigation is essential to the successful growing of crops. The cultivated lands usually lie in valleys and water is carried to them through long and = oftentimes wasteful irrigation ditches. In many cases the water could be utilized for developing power on the head- waters of the streams without injury to the irrigation interests, as is illustrated by the ex cellent work now being done by the Reclama- tion Service. The development of water power will introduce another party whose self-interests dictates the use of every avail- able method of preserving the volume of water supply, its continuity, and regularity of flow. In some cases irrigation channels can be converted into canals suitable for at least lim- ited navigation, and where practicable this should be done. Some types of apparatus as now developed for towing canal boats by electricity require but little space along the side of the ditch and can be installed, usually, without additional grading wherever an irri- gation ditch can be constructed. Electric tow- 464 ing cannot be economically practicable, how- ever, unless the traffic reaches a considerable volume. With animal power the additional capital investment is small and is proportional to the amount of business handled. W.th electric towing the first cost is large and manifestly sufficient traffic must be secured to meet the capital charges before profits can be realized. What has been said upon the subject of irrigation canals applies to the development of the water supplies for our cities. This work, like irrigation, should be carried out so as to develop the maximum water power possible without injury to the water supply. The preservation of the purity of water for domestic use is of great importance to the welfare of the nation. A consideration of this subject, as well as of navigable water- ways, canals, irrigation and water powers, emphasizes the absolute necessity of compe- tent supervision of the natural water re- sources of the country. The flow of water in many streams annual- ly fluctuates between wide limits. The low water periods limit the profitable water power development and the high water pe- riods often cause disastrous floods. On most streams the average rate of flow for the year is many times the minimum flow. It is possible in some cases to utilize a flow ap- proximating the average by constructing con- trolling reservoirs on the headwaters of the stream. Our Great Lakes form a natural reservoir of this character for the Niagara River. The Upper Mississippi has great natural reservoirs, which assist in regulating its flow and which easily can be made very effective in its control. The notable floods of the Ohio River can be greatly reduced by the construction of controlling reservoirs on its headwaters, which wll result in the saving of millions of dollars now annually destroyed. On a stream which I recently investigated the minimum flow furnishes but two hundred norsepower. The construction of a storage reservoir increases the continuous twenty- four hour power that can be utilized to eight thousand horsepower. If storage reservoirs could be constructed on the Susquehanna River, upon which a great water power de- velopment is now in course of construction, so as to obtain a uniform flow throughout the year, the available power at this site would be increased from a minimum of 30,000 horsepower to 200,000 horsepower. While it is impracticahle to construct reservo_rs capable of holding back all flood waters it is nevertheless certain that material gain would result from well-directed efforts along the lines suggested. On account of the great annual fluctua- tions now existing in stream flow it has been found profitable to install steam plants sup- plementing the water power during seasons of low water. This method, on account of its expense, greatly handicaps the full develop- ment of our water powers and increases the FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION amount that must be charged for the power. Under given conditions the most profitable amount of water power to develop and the best size of steam plant to install can be de- termined with great accuracy. The reserve steam station need not be located at the water power; in fact, it preferably should be located at or near the market for the power when that is distant, as greater reliability and con- tinuity of power supply is thus secured. Head- water regulation would greatly reduce the necessity for such auxiliary steam plants. Similarly the water power which can be purchased economically by a prospective cus- tomer who already has a steam plant in oper- ation can be accurately determined. This. amount depends upon the relative cost of gen- erating different portions of the load by steam as compared with the amount charged for the water power supplied. In its econo- mical application this method of operation works out so that the water power plant car- ries the steady portion of the load where tne coal consumption per horsepower capacity is greatest, and the steam plant is called upon to: carry the peaks only where the coal consump- tion per horsepower is least. In addition to their reserve function in time of low water or flood auxiliary steam plants and inter-connected plants are val- uable as insuring the continuity of power supply.. If the lines are run overhead, as they must be for long distance transmiss'on in the present development of the art, all electric transmission plants are subject to occasional short interruptions due to storm, lightning or malicious mischief. It is eco- nomical and desirable to tie together two or more plants, thus greatly increasing the re- liability of service. If one plant or transmis- sion line fails the others can be pushed to take the load. From an engineering stand- point, and from the standpoint of the engi- neer as well as the power producer, this method of operation has great advantages. In 1905 the value of the product of our manufactures amounted to $16,866,706,985 ; the total receipts of the steam railroads were $2.325.765,167. In manufacturing the value of the product was $1,152 for each horsepower installed and the yearly wages amounted to $248 per horse- power. In the railroad industry the gross receipts amounted to $555, and the vearly wages to $224 per horsepower, rated on a basis com- parable to that used in the census report cov- ering manufactures. I have selected these two classes of indus- try for the reasen that they use the bulk of the power and illustrate its tremendous pro- ductiveness in increasing our wealth. These figures emphasize the vast financial importance of our power resources and the necessity of their conservation and their in- telligent development. Much can be accom- plished by the National Government in con- nection with irrigation of national lands and THE WATER-SUPPLY PROBLEM the improvement and preservation of naviga- ble waters. The state governments can greatly assist in this work, within their respective territories. A reliable census of water resources is greatly needed. The Geological Survey has accomplished much in measuring and record- ing the flow of streams, but the work done is small as compared with that which remains to be done. Obviously in order that records of this character shall constitute a uniform and safe basis for the very large capital in- vestment which must be made in the future, in order that our water power resources shall be properly utilized and our fuel supplies con- served, they should be made under the im- mediate direction of the National Govern- ment. The National Government can render great assistance also in the research work which it has undertaken into the better utilization of our fuels. Excellent results have been ob- tained by the able corps of engineers engaged on this work, but when we consider that we are now utilizing but five or ten per cent. of 405 the heat value in fuels it is evident that much remains to be done. Power and transportation are the two great physical bases upon which modern industrial development rests. Without power our meth- ods of trafisportation must revert to a level with those existing in China. Up to the pres- ent time, while Nation and state have regu- lated, and in some degree aided, in the de- velopment of transportation, the power re- sources of the country have been utilized or wasted by the private individual and the cor- poration with little hindrance, and still less assistance from the constituted authorities. Next to individual enterprise the most essen- tial factor in the development of our national resources is wise governmental regulation so applied as to insure the vigorous working of individual initiative and at the same time pre- vent the waste by individuals of that which is vital to our national welfare and to secure in the utilization of our natural resources the highest practicable degree of economy which scientific knowledge and engineering skill can attain. 5 5 a>) ~ SNC AON ACR QF THE WATER-SUPPLY PROBLEM Its Solution Found in the Increasing Use of Hydraulic Rams and Similar Engines LEVATING and conveying water E most economically, efficiently, and under all weather conditions, have, from ages back, been the study of those whose purpose is to solve the problems of supplying man’s commodi- ties. One of the most perplexing prob- lems of those isolated from _ public water, wells, springs, or natural reser- voirs, is how and by what simple and practical manner they may obtain an efficient water supply suitable for all necessary requirements. Irrigation has within recent years, turned arid prairies into fertile fields. The enterprising, hard-working farmer need no longer depend on the mercy of S the weather to bring rain to his crops. He can, by his own ingenuity, supply his fields with water. It is possible for him to irrigate his lands not only by natural gravity, with streams from reservoirs, but, also, by elevating the water to fields above the source of sup- ply. This can be accomplished with hydraulic rams, which are made in sizes sufficiently large to supply the or- dinary demand in such cases. Among the pumps extensively used for these purposes are the Rife Automatic Hy- draulic Rams, as well as other similar engines, all of which are being used for lifting water above the source of sup- ply. Such a ram is a modern develop- 466 ment of its ancestor—an old-fashioned type—and is of such ingenious con- struction that it gives the maximum amount of water from the source of supply. Being a machine of many sizes it meets all requirements. It can convey to the housewife what water she needs from a spring any distance from the house; it can supply a whole town with all the water it needs; or it can serve as the agent of conveying to a dry and barren field all the water necessary to irrigate the tract. Such a machine, when once placed to work by falling water—only a fall of two feet is sufficient to convey’a stream any dis- tance at an altitude of sixty feet—will run without any further attention day and night, year in and year out, never freezing, never wearing out, and never in need of oiling. These rams are simplicity itself. and combine the most perfect application of hydraulics known to science. There is nothing to break and nothing to get out of order, and they always deliver an abundant and reliable stream. A hand pump is out of the question for any amount of work, and a wind- mill runs only in a breeze, and it is worn and subject to repairs, needs oiling, etc. A gasolene engine requires attention, needs fuel and is more expensive. None of these troubles enter into the running of a hydraulic ram, the expense of which operation is nil. FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION This kind of hydraulic ram makes it possible for a number of towns and cit- ies to install a system of waterworks, whereas, under certain conditions, they would have none. All municipalities cannot afford to incur an annual ex- “pense of from $1,500 to $5,000 for op- erating a steam plant to run a water- works, but it becomes very easy for them to lay out about $10 a year for minor repairs where a hydraulic ram ts doing the work. Numerous towns throughout the United States and Can- ada are using such rams to supply their reservoirs and stand-pipes with water. Fire protection is a most urgent neces- sity, and, where natural conditions jus- tify it, it is hard to understand how any town can well afford to be without a system of waterworks where the engine in question does the work. As evidence of the merit found jin these machines, it may be stated that the United States Government has adopted some at various points, both for supplying tanks used for fire protection and others for water supply. The Rife rams which have now been on the market for nearly fifteen years, are used extensively here and abroad, many having found their way to fields of irrigation in South America, South Africa, and the Hawaiian Islands. The Government operates a number in the Philippine Islands. ‘% rat peti Penn As peak & ER lt ENS Sk i SeoelMNeNNANY Way piitparren* . “OREFI fe i AL Mé A G AZ 1 N . UOT eT AMERICAN FORESTRY ASSOCIATION FRANK GLOVER HEATON, £dztor CONTENTS FOR SEPTEMBER, 1908 S TH PRROREIT ETON, | hwy, Ni SP OVVPLON ee ae FE: Be X% % RECLAMATION WORK- IN THE WEST 2.02.20 00 ie-B cece esc cece eee ene Frontispiece THE CULT OF CONSERVATION—By W J McGee, LL.D......00..05-.....--+---. 469 WORK ON A NATIONAL FOREST—By Charles Howard Shinn...................- 473 [llustrated VOR ST LOLIGCYVOERLEENNS YE VANITAH— by sjobm: T:; Strobecks .n. .2 -t~t-0saica wtare 481 Illustrated NATIONS? NEED OF FORESTRY WORK—By Mrs. J. E. MacKisson.............. 487 Illustrated THE PEEA OF THE CITY ELM—Poem—By Marian Mead... .. 02. ssn ceeciecene ss 492 EDITORIAL—With Illustrations STEEL GE se Petia, od eae lehaie Cet Pare tove emicies eoetia 493 Conservation, a World-movement............... 496 GUM ADULY: (CO -EOBCETICV it. sas Acinic ivccs eweceaweene t 493--oROrent. ILS. cetke fo ais oe sistas gp kre omic ee wields ba meres 498 NGIR COR OSU AY Seer fates 09. 28s v,> ondic/eine dard cre 493 The Next Annual Meeting..........:........... 500 PGE RA CHICHI: WVAGRT se ahke tke nin tne aad Wy aicte avert. any 494 Another Form of Activity... 501 Lee eee ee iy he Poet: Lariat’. scr vcs oie 6 ne wise nisl ann’. sin awe ae i Pe D ~ 503 THE AGE ALAGOILAN NATIONAL. FOREST ASSOCIATION. ©... 000.02 cuseeees- 504 THE NATION’S HERCULEAN TASK—By Claude N. Bennett.............-....44: 500 NEWS AND NOTES Arizona Benefits from National Forests... ... BOS Government Maps for Automobilists noo Japan Makes Innovations in Forest Management.. 50S New Publications 510 AS ONE FOREST RANGER) VIEWS. IT—By Fred. Hanson........................ 512 A-GRBAE. FORBES by, John Collins. MDs 5 ies oe. os cee lete eee cats ae Vebiew ees a tue Sam CONSERVATION is the official organ of the American Forestry Association. Price, $2.00 per year, including Annual Membership in the Association. Entry applied for at the Post-office at Washington, D. C., as second-class mail matter Published -Monthly at 1417 G STREET N. W. WASHINGTON, D. C. OpesOJOD ‘AJUNOT PJrysey ‘H222D IHJry UO youeY Arey prHesissy MYOM NOLLVWY19su RTT) Savi ‘a4 Vol. XIV SEPTEMBER, 1908 No.9 THE CULT OF CONSERVATION By W J McGEE, LL.D., Erosion Expert, U. S, Bureau of Soils Member National Conservation Commission, Secretary of the U. S. Inland Waterways Commission NEW Patriotism has appeared. A It was born of Enlightenment inspired by International Comity. Fittingly, it first saw light in the land in which Enlightenment found birth in the principle of equal rights of all men to life, liberty, and the pursuit of hap- piness; yet its field of future activity is the world. Its object is the conser- vation of national resources; its end the perpetration of People and States andthe exaltationof Humanity. The key- note of its cry unto the spirits of men is THE GREATEST GOOD TO THE GREAT- Est NUMBER FOR THE LONGEsT TIME. The house of this Nation was founded on Land. The Fathers saw no value, no means of enrichment in purse or en- largement of character in aught else; even their and their sons sowed maxims and sang ballads assur- ing all the world that “Uncle Sam is rich enough to give us all a farm.” Iron was a luxury from Sweden, steel a sybaritic morsel from Sheffield; coal was unknown, except as_ laboriously burned from willow as a dentifrice, or aspen for the furnace; petroleum and sons sons’ rock-gas were beyond dreams; forests were obstructions to settlement, the haunt of savages and beasts, and nigh unto a public evil. Every day was Arbor Day on which a youth won praise not by planting but by felling a tree— unless perchance the tree were a cherry and the chronicler of its fall a hero- worshipful Weems. Apart from men and their homes and fields, but a single resource was note, and that merely as appurtenant to the land—1. e., the estua- ries and streams used mainly for car- riage and over-sea commerce; which appurtenance happily inspired a Water- ways Commission, yielded a Constitu- tion, and established a Nation in a man- ner none foresaw save possibly Wash- ington. To the Fatners the Land, with its in- cidentally appurtenant water, was enough; they wanted little more—and none too much of that! George Rog- ers Clark and Benjamin Franklin were viewed askance because they broughi into the infant country more territory beyond the mountains than the strip for which the Fathers fought along-shore, 469 470 and Jefferson was all but sent to Coven- try when he bought an empire for a song—just as within our own memory “Seward’s Folly” was a synonym for resourceful Alaska, and even within a decade McKinley and Wilson and Day were derided for opening over-sea lines for our teeming growth Lulled by woodland zephyr and prairie breeze, the pioneer forgot Eden and its penalty in the sweat of his face for the posterity of men; revelling in boundless acres, he even forgot the line of his loins, and cravenly and impotently sware ‘‘Poster- ity be condemned! Let posterity take care of itself!” Thus he blasphemed the blood of those who fought for Land and Liberty, and foolhardily jeopard- ized the Nation woven of their lives! So patriotism waned. Yet prosperity spread apace over fair America; for the fruit of the ages was ripe unto harvest. The half of what he did not eat the settler wasted, and most of the rest he turned over to bud- ding trusts to be used in shaping shackles for his own ankles and wrists ; so that after thirteen decades of the freedom for which the Fathers fought, certain seven men—none chosen of the people—hold in their hands the indus- trial and commercial destiny of eighty millions of citizens! So substance was scattered away and tyranny trained up. A new revolution began—for every revolution is at bottom mental—when citizens saw a decade past that ravage of woodlands sacrifices streams. Al- ready the story is old. There is still wood enough to last half a lifetime at the current increasing rate, and it is growing a quarter as fast as cut; but the homestead spring has dried up, the mill-stream is shrunken to a_ slimy thread, the old-time dell is torn by storm torrents, the river is beset by bars, the river-side field caves into the flood a rood at a slump, while the richest of the soil washes into the sea at the rate of half a ton each acre-year. Such is the lesson of the disappearing forest ; naturally it led first to uneasiness, later to full awakening; and at last to an inventory of resources, and an analysis of their relations. CONSERVATION During the thirteen decades of Amer- ican independence, domestic iron pro- duction has increased from nearly noth- ing to over 50,000,000 tons per year; the consumption from less than ten pounds to 1,300 pounds per capita. The original stock was some 10,000,- 000,000 tons; and while only about 750,000,000 tons have been consumed and wasted to date, if the current rate of increase continues the annual pro- duction will within thirty years reach more than half that amount—and _ be- fore the end of the present century our iron will be gone. When the Declaration of Independ- ence was signed there were in what is now mainland United States about 2,000,000,000,000 tons of coal—then but a useless black stone, of which lit- tle was used until within a century. Already some 9,000,000,000 tons have been wasted and destroyed, and 7,500,- 000,000 tons have been consumed in ways so wasteful that less than five per cent of its heat value has been turned to useful account. The consumption is increasing beyond belief in any ear- lier decade; the mere increase in 1907 over the use in 1906 was greater than the total consumption in that Centen- nial Year (1876) in which America be- came known as a leader among the world’s manufacturing nations. In 1907 some 450,000,000 tons, Or Over 5 tons per capita for our 84,000,000, were taken out of the ground; and if the current rates of production and in-. crease continue, all will be gone by the end of the next century. And still more woeful is the tale of oil and gas, already largely squandered! The birthright Land of the thirteen Colonies for which the Fathers fought comprised some 200,000,000 acres, of which a full half was felt forever worth- less save for rocks and swamps and trees; but the remaining hundred mil- lions was thought enough for the Nation for all time. With the Clark-Franklin claim allowed at Geneva, Jefferson’s Louisiana Purchase, the Florida acqui- sition, the Oregon discovery and de- mand (less the spiritless surrender of “Fifty-four forty or fight”), the Cali- FRE CULT. OF fornia conquest ratified at Guadalupe Hidalgo, the Gadsden Purchase, and the Texas adhesion, the estate increased tenfold; and each accession brought its greatest enrichment in strengthened national character,as elsewhere told.’ Of the 2,000,000,000 acres “‘more or less” of the mainland “lot or parcel,’ some three-fifths is semi-arid, and arable only in spots; so a mere billion acres is suita- ble for settlement—of which the most fertile 75,000,000 (a richer heritage than that of the Revolution) is swamp or overflow land, serviceable only after drainage. To-day ‘Uncle Sam’s farm” is virtually gone; no more arable acres remain to be given away. Whenever a vacated parcel is opened to settlement, it is seized in a day by soul-searing gamble or disgraceful rush or paralyz- ing wait-in-line Except as Science bids the desert blossom, or commands the field to yield two ears of grain where a blade of grass grew before, the limit of the land has been reached. When the American Constitution was framed on the foundation of inter- state waterways, the rain fell on the just and the unjust alike, little recked by either ; now the interstate rain is the basis of prosperity, and a coming foun- dation for even closer union among the People than that written down in the Constitution. Some 200,000,000,000,000 cubic feet of rain descends from the heavens each year on the 2,000,000,000- acre farm of mainland United States; and with a half or even a third of the acres to receive the boon, were it equably distributed the population and productivity, the manufacturing and merchandizing, might be great as they are—with an advantage in reduced cost of transportation. Nominally, lands sell by the acre or foot; actually the price within ten per cent is fixed by the associated water. In verity the 200,- 000,000,000,000 cubic feet, or ten Mis- sissippis, of annual rainfall is the sole effective capital of the country ; without it the land would be desert, devoid of tree or shrub or other living thing. 1“National Growth and National Character,” National Geographic Magazine, Vol. X, p. 186, 1899. 2“The Beginning of Agriculture,” by VIII, p. 350, 1805. W J McGee, The American Anthropologist. CONSERVATION 471 More than half (say five-eighths) of all is evaporated to temper climate, form dews, and re-descend elsewhere; a fifth goes down to the sea in rivers; say an eighth is stored for a time as ground-water ; the remaining twentieth, or half a Mississippi, is stored or used in the ontosphere—in the living struc- tures and functions of animals and plants. The time of storage is short; an animal may survive a week, a humid- land annual plant six weeks or a tree six months, without renewed supply; springs fail and brooks run dry under a three-months’ drought. Were a rain- less year to come, half the lesser rivers of America would dry up; within seven such years in succession, the Missis- sippi and Colorado would cease to flow, and within ten the lake-fed St. Law- rence and Columbia would be no more. While the witchery of water still ap- peals—and all the more by reason of better knowledge—the days of witch- craft and mystery of waters are num- bered; for Science has risen to show the sources of spring and well and brook and river, of flowing sap and pul- sing life-blood—and all run back to the life-giving benediction of the clouds. Yet because the grandsires of the Fathers were from riverless islands of ample rains and virtually waterless statutes, they and their sons were slow to see natural wealth in water; and it is the irony of American history that the interstate waters which yielded a Con- stitution were half-forgotten for a cen- tury—before a realization of their value arose, begotten of bitter experience in arid regions. For the deepest impulses of Humanity have been inspired by water in dearth rather than abundance ; the altruism of which Civilization is the fruit bloomed first in the world’s des- erts—and necessarily so—as told else- where.*. The rivers of America form ways of commerce, virtually abandone:l through legislative ineptitude and an administrative apathy now happily ended; and in their natural head lies Vol. 472 power, far beyond that of the hundreds of millions of tons of coal consumed each year, of which but a fraction is harnessed—and most of that monopo- lized. Their freshets due to defores- tation destroy houses and goods to the value of $150,000,000 annually; their increasing impurities cost lives in thou- sands; their myriad feeders lick the cream of the soil from the Nation’s fields to the measure of a billion tons a year, cutting down the annual crop- yield grievously—say from $8,000,000,- 000 to $7,000,000,000. The destruction wrought by waters running wild is vast ; the half of an average year’s loss applied over a decade of judicious im- provement would tame them forever, terminate the destruction for all time, and bring the Nation’s richest re- source under complete control. How long will the folly of sluggardly som- nulence continue? How long will the People permit the penny-wise pound- foolish policy to persist? How long— —how long! When the lotus-eaters forgot the travail of the Nation’s birth, and con- demned their own posterity to perdi- tion unknown, national spirit oozed out of their idle fingertips. They wasted what Nature saved through the ages, scattered that which their sires garn- ered, ceased to consider the fate or even the fact of posterity—so that the very blood of the birthright Land is become of alien tincture, and homes are given over to foreign Lares and Penates Thus unity grew lax, and patriotism weakened; standards of mo- rality sank below normal instead of ris- ing steadily as is their wont; and the budding notion of national efficiency was chilled back. Monopoly sought to enslave citizens to its sordid behest, and workers retaliated by restricting their own capacity to that of the most in- competent of their class, whereby ac- tual efficiency—which grows by exer- cise—was lowered. The industrial twins, Labor and Capital, quarreled and disturbed the national household by their bickerings and the anathemas of CONSERVATION each against the Mother of the other; and from darker corners Anarchy thrust a hideous head. Yet, as deeper darkness presages dawn, the enfeeble- ment of national spirit but made way for the new era in which Patriotism looms loftier and larger than ever be- fore—and with farther foresight. No longer able to dispense acres equally to all, the National instead affords equal opportunity for all to develop a wider range of resources. To-day there are four foundations for prosperity in lieu of one. The Land remains, and in in- creased worth by reason of intensive treatment rather than extension of set- tlement ; the Forests accumulated above- ground during the centuries and the Minerals below-ground during the ages have acquired worth through the orderly growth and natural develop- ment of the country; and Water is coming within ken as the basis of prime values on which all others must depend, and as an inalienable birthright of the People—a common heritage for the common interest, to be administered by Nation and States jointly as befits its interstate character, but never to be withdrawn or withheld from direct con- trol by citizens for their own common good. Just as the Land for which the Fath- ers fought was at once the tangible basis and the inspiration for patriotism in an earlier day, so in this day the birthright Land, the soil-making For- ests, the native Minerals, and the life- giving Waters inspire Patriotism anew. Each is well worthy of story and song and shrine; and each inspiration is warmer and the whole are knit in closer union by reason of each other. In 1776 the Fathers of the United States joined in a Declaration of Ameri- can Independence; in 1908 the Gov- ernors of the United States joined in a Declaration of American Interdepend- ence. The first Declaration marked an epoch in world-progress through exten- sion of free institutions. Can the sec- ond do less in its intensifying of the spirit of such institutions ? abuse. rotation, timber cutting, and the re- planting of lumbered areas. Colombia, Nicaragua, and (uate- mala also have taken steps toward the preservation of the forests and the conservation of soils and waters. The monthly bulletins of the Bureau. of American Republics contain frequent references to the progressive attitude of the South American states as re- gards conservation of natural re- sources, and it is from that Bureau that the information has _ been secured. above DESTRUCTION OF THE FORESTS Fire in a Rocky Mountain Forest, Rosebud County, Montana No; we are not alone in the desire to save our forests, utilize our waters, and waterways and conserve our soils and minerals. We are of a distin- guished company, that embraces the thinking nations of the world. The cult of conservation is by no means wholly American; it is altogether cos- mopolitan. And there is even a dan- ger that we, as a people, may perhaps lag behind some of those other nations that we have believed to be far less pro- gressive and practical than our own. ue es Forest Fires S THE summer advances the re- ports of disastrous forests fires be- come more frequent. From northwest, west, southwest, north, east and all di- rections, the reports of conflagrations come, until it would seem as if our timber supply, only estimated at suff- cient for half a century or so, could not now last over a score of years. The newspapers were full, a short time ago, of reports of the tremendous loss of standing timber caused by the 498 great forest fires in Alberta and north- western Canada. Several towns, it was reported, have been wiped out; hundreds of square miles of forest and range lands were burned over; many lives were lost, and the property loss caused by the fire, according to con- servative estimates, will amount to $5,000,000, Or more. In Montana—in the Helena Na- tional Forest—another disastrous fire occurred during the early part of Au- cust. Reports in the papers stated that this fire was caused by lightning, and lightning was also the cause of fires in the Sierra National Forest. Small fires are reported from other parts of the country; and, as a whole, the months of July and August have been disastrous as regards destructive fires in the forests. In the case of the great Canadian fire, carelessness seems to have been the principal cause of the tremendous loss. The fire had been smoldering 1n the brush for days, never seeming to threaten any great blaze, and not being considered threatening enough to re- quire attention. Finally, however, the wind shifted; a heavy gale set in, EDITORIAL blowing the smoldering sparks to a raging ocean of fire that engulfed and devoured everything in its path. The Canadian Pacific Railroad is reported to have lost several million ties, worth more than a million dollars, while the loss in standing tim- ber, in crops destroyed, in the destruction of buildings and improvements, etc., ran the total up to an estimate of over $5,000,000. Care would have prevented the fire; care in the first place would have prevented its starting at all. Hunters or campers, it is be- lieved, left the embers of their campfire uncovered and unextinguished, and nobody seems to have thought it worth while to put out the small fire that later developed into a holocaust. The fires on can side of the border, in Montana, while not nearly so ex- tensive or destructive, still were by no means trifling blazes. These fires, the Ameri- Fire Sweeping an Arizona Mountain however. were fought from the start. Originating, it is believed, by of dead trees being struck by light- ning, the fires spread rapidly, but for- est rangers and guards were rushed in, the fires were fought systematically, 4 reason “imum of loss to the timber. 499 a min The Same and were finally controlled with was true in the case of the Sierra Na- tional Forest fires. Threatening at first, they were fought hard and syste- Fire in an Arizona Canyon matically, and were put out within a short time. lires of this latter origin cannot be guarded against. Lightning rods for every tree in a forest would be rather an expensive proposition, but carelessness on the part of those using a forest can be prevented, to a large degree National for- ests are posted at frequent intervals with conspicuous warning against the dangers of careless handling signs of fires; and fire-fighting is a part of the “curriculum” of forest officers. No blaze, no matter how trifling in appear- ance at the beginning, allowed to gain headway, 11 it is possible to reach the spot in time; and if the blaze can- not be kept from increasing in volume, through inability forest force to reach it in time, effort is exerted by every available hand—often for thirty-six, or even sixty, hours at a stretch—to ex- tinguish it. The annals of the field force of the Forest Service contain in- is ever of the ceaseless Fire in an Arkansas Forest numerable tales of hard-fought battles with the flames; battles fought against apparently overwhelming odds and in the face of difficulties that would make the members of a metropolitan fire de- partment quail. In these titanic strug- gles many a life has been sacrificed, and not a few of the Government’s field workers have at last retired from fights of this kind, maimed, scarred, and crippled for life. A few months ago a writer — Mr. Emerson Hough — in Everybodys Magazine, told the story of the work of the Forest Service in the field. His story opened with the words, “My friend, last night some- body burned your house!’ The words were startling, but they were absolutely true. Last month somebody burned your house, reader; somebody burned your neighbor’s house; somebody burned, during July and August, enough houses to make a good-sized city. Five million dollars’ worth of standing timber means a vast amount of sawed lumber; it means lumber enough for several thousand houses. That many homes burned when the flames ravaged the Canadian forests in the Northwest. Flames, at the time of this writing, were raging in the pine and spruce forests of Washington and 500 well-known Oregon; they were threatening the de- struction of the redwood forests of the Yosemite, in California; and from a dozen other points came the story of raging fires and doomed forests. The houses that have been burned, in this wholesale destruction of timber dur- ing the past two months, would make a city of 50,000 inhabitants. But still there are those who say “There are plenty of forests; there can never be a timber famine in America; there is no need for even the National Forests we already have.’’ And they oppose the Appalachian Forest plan; they oppose the White Mountain National Forest: they continue, in the West, their oppo- sion to the whole forest program of the Government. When will their eves be opened? The Next Annual Meeting LANS are now forming for the next annual meeting of The American Forestry Association, the date of which has been fixed by the Ex- ecutive Committee. The meeting will be held in Washington on January 13, 14, and 15, 1909, and members of the association are urged to begin now their preparations to be present and to EDITORIAL help to make the coming meettng the most memorable in the association’s history. The plans contemplate the elimina- tion of all dry. routine reports; such reports, it has been decided, are to be submitted in printed form, and the time of the meeting is to be given up wholly to the actual, live work of the associa- tion. It is the intention to have pres- ent some of the ablest speakers on the conservation problem, and to set be- fore the country, in plain English un- adorned with flowers of rhetoric, or un- marred with long tabulations of what the Association has done in the past year, exact statements of what is re- quired in the way of taking care of our remaining natural resources. It is the intention to have graphic statements from acknowledged experts, of the exact conditions of the Nation’s natural resources, and it is the aim of the Ex- ecutive Committee to make our coming annual meeting as full of interest—not only to our members, but to the coun- try at large—as was the con- ference at the White House last May. It has been suggested that the individual members of the Association send to this office suggestions as to what, in their opinions, should be in- cluded in the discussion at the coming annual meeting. These suggestions, it should be borne in mind, should be brief and_ to the point; and it is hoped, from the mass of suggestions, to work out a profitable, as well as highly entertain- ing, program. It is the belief of those in control of the Association’s affairs that the members should be urged to take a more active part in the work of the organization ; and it is thought that by following the plan suggested above, a more active interest can be aroused and held. Suggestions along the lines here suggested will be gladly received, and this office hopes to find its mail well 501 filled with such suggestions from now to the time of the annual meeting. wee Another Form of Activity PERSISTENTLY recurring sug- gestion that comes to the office of the Association in one form or another from all parts of the country is that we should enlarge our activities by adopting a new sort of educational work. The work suggested is that of encouraging the organization of local clubs for the study of forestry and the allied phases of the conservation move- USE OF A NATIONAL FOREST Homestead Located in the Black Hills N. F., South Dakota ment. While at the present time it seems, for many reasons, impossible for the Association to take up, actively, the work suggested, it has seemed that there is more than a small measure of practical value in the idea. It is suggested that the Association’s field of usefulness can be vastly en- larged by the adoption of some plan of this kind. Ours is a nation of club- men and clubwomen; not a village but has its Browning or Shakespeare club, and the interest in purely social organi- zations such as these would seem to in- dicate a fertile field of usefulness for 502 clubs having as their object the study of the vital economic problem of con- servation of natural resources. Several hundred such clubs, in differ- ent parts of the country, would, it is Homestead Entry in the Black Hills National Forest believed, inevitably result in the for- mation, or the crystallization, of a strong public sentiment in favor of the objects for which our Asso- ciation stands. Semen Sythe a ene Frontispiece THE NATIONAL CONSERVATION COMMISSION—By Henry Gannett........... 51 N [RRIGALAD PAN) OPECORDUNIFIES= By Gite Browneo. -. 2 een eee eee 521 Illustrated. TREE, SURGERY (A'S A“SCIENCE—By Martin L. Daveyocl.....2.Si.t7.0 mae ceo ek 533 Illustrated. ACBEGINNER JIN’ FORESTRY—Paper -=By Anne. Warmert.:! >. 2-24. 2 iee cee 540 SOUR. WANING COAT SUP PL Y—By..Gen A: Warilers. <.% 0: «.-svaene- see aeiee. 542 THE APPALACHIAN NATIONAL FOREST ASSOCIATION—Secretary’s Page... 546 EDITORIAL The Business Side of Conservation.............. 548 Louisiana's Proposed Forest Law............... 552 As a Money-saving Proposition................. 548 National Forests in.the Past.................. 554 Reforestation Good Business..:................. 548 Business Men Should Take Part.............. 555 AS Rermuanient im her: SUPT. a aise s oie - oes 549 ‘The Forest Holocaust..-.:...%..<.<... cord ites 4 NE SLen Mera pOntetlOl..@ cir ot Sths ce isyec wet hate ce dad 550. Obstrdctionists: Retired tad- 50s snjescae sce wettee ss 558 Water-power and Waterway Extension......... 551 COMMUNICATIONS Wary lie Vil wear ca tecee a race talons casts bc ase encocncs. 559 Sweeping Winds..... 150 Land Scheme NEWS AND NOTES A SCSHOn Of OUR Ul cre ee om oho ais 0% 0 wb ain es 561 Vroduction of Pig Iron in the United States.... 565 Blood Damare inthe; SGUth tee skis ee oaks wows cee 5GL Harry. Day: “WyGrett eu sc. oni. s ar Sesisie a wale eae oe 566 National Conservation League.................. 562 The New Mexico. Coke Industry: ... 5. 26s | Le a nema ae ore 4 aa a »~v Be SCENE ON THE HUNTLEY PROJECT Wool Going to Market, Billings, Mont, chards, however, the to raise any “second” ing at the land values very closely, is the general opinion that these same values which some people consider high at the present time, will increase each year. The demand for apples is grow- ing, and especially so for the first-class No. 1 apple. Land that will grow this hardy apple is limited, so the orchards now bearing are conceded to be good investments. A greater part of the best apple orchards in the West are now productive orchards. However, the esti- growers try not apples. By look- mated increased production jor the next four or five years will be about twenty per cent. per year. The demand in the last five years for first-class apples has increased thirty-five per cent. per year, so in comparing these two items it is certain that the demand will continue to increase over and above the supply. There is hardly a person that owns over twenty acres of orchard land, many tracts are divided into ten and five acre allotments, which clearly to show the great value of even a five- tract of this desirable fruit land and very or" eS acre A HOMESTEAD IN IDAHO Typical Rancher’s Hous-, on the Minidoka Irrigation Project Potatoes in Young Orchard, Uncompahgre Project At the present value of orchard land in Washington and Oregon, it takes a great deal more capital to make invest- ments in this territory. While this fruit land is a wonderful investment in the above-named places, and while the apples raised here cannot be equaled in any place known, the prices of the land are somewhat too high for the class of American investors with a_ limited amount of money. While Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, and other sections where irrigation is carried on at the present time raise nearly any kind of fruit, their apples are not the hardy and keeping apple which is grown in Washington and Oregon. Elegant apples are raised, which are known as the “Christmas apple,” but which after this season be- come soft, and have not the keeping qualities which make the northern 7 eae Set OP Mn et Apple Orchard, Uncompahgre Project IRRIGATED apples so famous. This is proven to be due to the mild climate the year round. The land values in these places will never reach the value of the northern fruit lands, but in comparison to the price paid for the land, any _invest- ments here are surely good. In the first place, land in Idaho and the sur- rounding territory, with water rights, is selling far below the same land in LAND OPPORTUNITIES 525 falfa can be readily sold to the ranchers who occupy the hills and mountains during the summer months, and who are in the market during the fall for their winter The territory west of Colorado is in its infancy. People by the thousands are taking up land, there are opportu- nities in every line, and all the small in population and feed. towns are increasing GRAPES ON IRRIGATED LAND Climate and Soil Well Adapted to Grape Culture Small Vineyard on Payette-Boise Project, Idaho. Washington and Oregon, and for that reason alone you cannot expect the high values. However, small fruit such as prunes, plums, grapes, cherries, peaches, pears, apricots, and most all berries, make an excellent yield. Sheep, cattle and hog raising in this territory where grains and alfalfa are raised, is really the best and most profitable investment. Grains and alfalfa can be raised to great advantage, and are very essential to the sheep, cattle, and hog industry. Profits in fattening hogs and cattle are enormous. If the settlers do not own their own stocks, all their hay and al- wealth accordingly. The people are congenial, and the life is ideal. There has never been an opportunity for a safer investment for a person with moderate means than at the present time in the great irrigated tracts in the West. The irrigation projects-are for the benefit of the masses, and as each district is opened the land is taken up immediately by the people who realize and appreciate the great benefits that can be derived from its wonderfully productive soil. There are some irri- gation projects which are not equal to others, but there is only one thing for Irrigated Wheat Ranch in Colorado people making investments to watch closely, and that is the water supply. This one thing is the all-essential for this land. Any one taking acreage should look at the water supply very closely, the reservoirs and the dams, and especially the flumes and ditches. The government has completed, and is now completing some excellent projects. Private corporations have done won- ders for the country. A close observer will look to the supply of water, seeing that the same is ample at all times, whether it is from the mountain reser- voirs or the rivers. One thing is cer- tain that there has never been a failure due to irrigation in the West. While | believe all the irrigating companies at Irrigation Gardening in Montana BLACK LOCUST TREES ON IRRIGATED LAND Row of Three-year-old Trees on Payette-Boise Project, Idaho, Climate and Soil Seem Well Adapted to This Species, and Annual Growth Is about Five-cighths of an Inch be dai cb aa a Typical Home on Irrigated Ranch in Montana the present time are responsible, and in best shape for giving results to home seekers, there may be some projects in the future, due to some great boom, that will not stand the test. There are many acres of land that it would be ut- terly impracticable to put water on. The different ways of obtaining water are either by damming the rivers and raising the water to such a height that the same can be put on the land, or by constructing reservoirs in the hills and Stacked Alfalfa on an Irrigated Ranch in Idaho IRRIGATED mountains to hold the water as the snow and ice gradually melts off the mountain tops. However, along the rivers there are a great number of tracts which obtain their moisture by pumping water from the streams upon the land. Probably one of the greatest irrigating systems in the West is in the Lewiston-Clarkston Valley in Idaho. In a portion of this valley the water is carried in pipes under the ground, and land is irrigated by turning hydrants LAND OPPORTUNITIES 529 is certain. All the land needs is water. They have the weather, the sunshine, and the soil, and by adding the water to these narrow valleys, which are merely pockets in the mountains, one can raise wonderful crops. and _ net large returns per acre. This is what makes even a ten-acre tract a priceless possession. The soil is a volcanic ash; it is very fine and compact, and there is very little evaporation from the same when water is applied. The irrigating How Potatoes Grow under Irrigation in Colorado and putting the water on in this man- ner. This is surely a very convenient and practical way, although the water charges are higher. Nearly every one visiting these dif- ferent tracts, or hearing of the same, will ask, “how can they raise such large crops on this soil, and reap such large returns from a single acre?” In ex- plaining this I will say that there is no excuse for crop failure. Excessive rains and floods never come; the sun- shine, which makes all vegetation grow to the highest state of perfection where water is applied, is not interrupted by cloudy weather, therefore, your success or reclaiming the areas in the West has been going on for sometime. However, it never reached large proportions until the Reclamation Act was passed by Congress in June, 1902. Since that the has promoted some twenty-five or more projects, and thousands of people have made their these lands, and still other thousands are moving to these new sec- tions to reap the benefits which there await them. While you may say that the irrigation projects throughout the West are in their infancy, vou will find that the simple irrigation projects have nearly all been taken up, and the gov- time government homes on 530 ernment has been devoting its time to the more difficult engineering problems. As time goes on all irrigating problems will be more difficult engineering feats, and the area of land that will be put under water will be much less in acre- age. Values will constantly rise, and while there are thousands of oppor- tunities in the West at the present time, in a few years from now the same people that are investing at this time will see their land double and treble in CONSERVATION value. The people in the East and Mid- dle West are just beginning to realize these advantages and in one tract that was opened the first of June in south- ern Idaho, if every person had Been given land that applied for the same, each would have received about four acres. This is one fact that goes to show the tendency of the times, and this same tendency is growing day by day, as the people are becoming famil- iar with western possibilities, IRRIGATED SHEEP RANCH Feeds 17 Head per Acre, and Could Support 23 Head. Payette-Boise Project, Idaho THE CHAUTAUQUA AS A PROPAGANDA MEDIUM By THOMAS ELMER WILL medium through which to reach the people with the truth The American Forestry Association de- sires to propagate. The Chautauqua Assembly was founded in 1874, largely through the efforts of Reverend, now Bishop, John Heyl Vincent. at Lake Chautauqua, New York. Like many other good things, the Chautauqua, both as an idea and an in- stitution, grew. Chautauqua literary and scientific circles were established throughout the country. In_ these, students pursued courses of reading, culminating with academic degrees. In- creasing multitudes made annual sum- mer pilgrimages to the home of the institution, Lake Chautauqua. With the growth in numbers, how- ever. came increasing difficulty for Chautauqua patrons to avail themselves of the advantages of the great parent assembly. In time was born the idea that, instead of making it necessary for the mountain to come to Mohammed, Mohammed should go to the mountain. In other words, local Chautauqua as- semblies were established at various points throughout the country. The writer well remembers attending one of these little, local Chautauquas ‘ which had pitched its tents and taber- nacles in a canyon of a pioneer settle- ment in north central Nebraska about 1890. Distinguished clergymen, lec- turers and teachers were brought many hundreds of miles, and gave to the people there clustering on the very edge of civilization the best thought and highest inspiration of the more populous centers. For a number of years, this local Chautauqua was one of the great features in the life of this community, and was talked of from its adjournment one year to its assembly the following year. 3 aN WORD as to the Chautauqua as a Such local Chautauquas multiplied. They now flourish, especially, in the ter- ritory between eastern Ohio and Colo- vado. Winconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, and Missouri are among the leading Chautauqua states. Local Chautauquas have, in cases, organized permanently, bought land, and erected tabernacles for assembly purposes. Like theaters and schools, they now constitute a regular feature of the entertainment and educational life of the communities in which they are found. Quite recently the Chautauqua has made a new departure. Its organiza- tion and ownership have become not local but central; instead of being fixed to one spot, it travels, like a circus. The type of this latter form of Chau- tauqua is the Redpath Chautauqua System. It experimented with the new plan in the summer of 1907; it devel- oped it to large proportions in the sum- mer of 1908. During the past summer the Redpaths maintained six Chautau- qua outfits, each comprising a crew, railway car, large assembly tent, and smaller tents. The institution is owned by the corporation known as the Red- path Chautauqua System. Crew, car, and tents were, in each case, in charge of a superintendent. They went into a town on Monday, operated six succes- sive days. morning, afternoon, and even- ing, and then moved by rail to another town where they repeated the process and, to a greater or less extent, the same program. Certain speakers and teachers stayed with a given tent through the season, meeting practically the same audience daily for six days. Another type of speaker, however, spoke on Tuesday at one Chautauqua, on Wed- nesday at another, and so on through the week, oscillating back and forth among the six Chautauquas, perhaps for several weeks; in cases, throughout 531 532 the entire season of eleven weeks. He might give the same lecture or enter- tainment at each point visited, or he might vary it. The season began at Winona, Minnesota, on June 16, and ended at Salisbury, Missouri, on Au- gust 30. Continuing eleven weeks, and serv- ing six towns per week, the Redpaths held sixty-six Chautauquas in the sum- mer of 1908. Of these, two were in Wisconsin, six in Minnesota, nineteen in Missouri, and thirty-nine in Iowa. On rare occasions, a session was broken up by a violent rainstorm. As a rule, however, eighteen sessions were held in each town visited. Tickets cost $1.50 each. Single admission was charged for at a higher, variable rate. The writer began at the beginning and stayed to the end of the Redpath season. He visited each of the sixty- six towns and spoke at sixty-four. At two, Dubuque, Iowa, and Savannah, Missouri, though present and ready, he was hindered from speaking by furious rainstorms. He carried with him a handsome set of slides and a first-class lantern and outfit. He was accompan- ied by an operator, who attended for the most part to lantern, curtain, bag- gage, and the like. The audiences addressed at these sixty-four meetings were conservatively estimated at about 1,000 each. In addition, much space—commonly from one column to two columns—was given by the local press to reports of the lecture on conservation. Thus the number reached through the press was probably very much larger than the number reached in the tents. Marked copies of papers reporting the lectures were also quite commonly sent to the representatives and senators of the states in which the lectures were given. To most of the hearers, the subject of general conservation and even that of forestry seemed practically new. Ear- nest expressions of approval were, how- ever, constantly heard, some auditors declaring the conservation lecture to be worth the entire price of the one-week season ticket to the Chautauqua. CONSERVATION Among the speakers with whom the writer was privileged to associate on this tour may be mentioned the Rev. Samuel Parkes Cadman of Brooklyn; Dr. John S. Carson, of Brooklyn; Hon. David A. De Armond, congressman from Missouri; Judge Lee S. Estelle, of Omaha; Thomas’ Brooks _ Fletcher, of Cleveland; Rev. Samuel Garvin, of Kansas City; Dr. Thomas E. Green, of Chicago; Gov. Warren G. Harding, of Ohio; Gov. E. W. Hoch of Kansas; Capt. Richmond Pearson Hobson, of Alabama; Judge Ben B. Lindsey, of Denver; Mr. George L. McNutt; Opie Read, of Chicago; Senator Robert L. Taylor, of Tennessee; and Dr. E. A. Winship, of Boston. A majority of these men spoke in high terms of the importance of the writer’s mission. An officer of the Redpath Chautauqua Sys- tem said the lecture was the type of what, in his judgment. was ideal Chau- tauqua work—solid instruction on a vital theme, combined with a measure of entertainment. As a medium for presenting forestry and allied truths to the ear and eye of the people who make up the bone and sinew of the common life, the Chau- tauqua has no equal. A certain con- tingent comes merely to be entertained, and may not stay to the end of a solid lecture. The great majority will, how- ever, listen intently to every word. Seed may thus be sown which will, in time, bear a rich fruitage. Hence, no more important work could be done by the Association than to cultivate the Chautauqua field. In closing, the writer may mention a personal experience. On August 25 he spoke at Carrollton, Missouri, the county seat of Carroll County. As a boy, he had lived in that county. and now re- turned to it for the first time in thirty- one years. With feelings probably similar to those of Goldsmith, author of “The Deserted Village,” he visited the home of his childhood, to find it re- duced to a corn field; one of the few traces still remaining of the old home site being the newly-made stump, over three feet in diameter, of a magnificent maple tree planted by his father nearly forty years ago. Cemented Cavity health of trees in the wild wood- land, where nature is the care- taker, the necessity for a science that deals with the weaknesses and infirm- ities of the individual tree may come as a great revelation. He sees the vigor- ous trees survive, and the weak ones perish, and he conceives the idea of the “survival of the fittest,” from which he concludes that when a tree dies, its death is inevitable. Though erroneous, the conclusion is a natural one, and it is not until he has seen the decline of some favorite tree, one, perhaps, that has shaded his home for generations, that he wonders what might be done to save it. The care of trees is not new. crude way, it has been practiced for centuries; and it remained crude until about half a century ago, when the science of tree surgery was conceived. Like all the movements that have sprung into being, tree surgery is the result of an idea. McCormick felt the pulse of the farming industry, and it was slow. He recognized the great need of labor-saving machinery and he set to work to meet that need. Then came his reaper, which demon- strated its possibilities. Its advent quickened the agricultural pulse, and with other similar inventions has served to raise the business of farming to its modern plane of a science. In like manner, tree surgery was de- veloped. Some fifty years ago a young man breathed the inspiration to leave the old English farm where his early years had been spent, and find his life’s : | ‘O HIM who has seen the glorious Tn a soon TREE SURGERY AS A SCIENCE By MARTIN L. DAVEY Davey's School of Practical Forestry Cavity Healed work among trees and flowers. After the customary careful manner prevalent there, he served his apprenticeship in one of the large English nurseries. Not long after this he felt the call of the New World, and making his way hither, settled in a little town in Ohio. There his work with trees began in earnest; but, in following the course of his training, he recognized its limi- tations, and set about to remove them. The young man’s name was John Davey, and his were the ideas which have so completely revolutionized the methods used in the care of trees. It was evident to him that the ordinary methods were not sufficient. Trees were rapidly going to pieces; their lives were shortened by adverse cir- cumstances ; “tree-butchers”’ were everywhere; ignorance of tree life was almost universal. sut the worst trouble was that the people hardly realized the seriousness of the situation. To them a tree was almost an inan- imate object—a mere feature of the landscape, like the little brook that rambled through the fields, or the lofty cliff that jutted from the mountain side; a thing that existed rather than lived. But the tree lives, thought Mr. Davey ; it has a life as real as our own, subject to certain fixed laws, which, i recognized, will insure its health, ie lengthen its life, but which, if violated, will bring about its decline and pre- mature death. It is truly fascinating to study the principles which govern the life of tree, and the conditions under which it 533 534 thrives or decays. In the tree there is a circulation that is as real and vital, and necessary to its existence, as that in the human body. The tiny feeding rootlets take up the liquid food from CONSERVATION orous, but if one is destroyed, the other perishes. The transformation of the sap into tree-food is extremely inter- esting. This takes place in the leaves, where the sap is spread out to the action of the sun and the atmosphere. The oxygen, which is so nec- essary to our existence, is ex- haled, and the carbon dioxide, so dangerous to human life, is absorbed and combined with the elements in the sap, to make the food with which the tree builds. With this understanding of the principles involved in the life of the tree, let us consider the troubles that arise from their violation, and which it is the business of the tree sur- geon to remedy. In general, they include the following: A TYPICAL CAVITY Cherry Tree on Estate of W. B, Thompson, Yonkers, N. Y. Note Front and Rear Openings the soil, and send it up through the cells of the wood fiber to the leaves, where it is transformed into the tree- food, and returned under the cavities, splitting crotches, dead branches, destruction of the roots, and unfavorable root conditions, insect pests, and general diseases, fungus growths, gas and electricity, clinging vines, the over-thickness of the top, interfering bark, in what is known as the cambium layer, building as it goes, and finally again reach- ing the little rootlets that are so necessary to the life of the trees) Poe breathes; it breathes through its and through its through its roots. It has its time of rest and_ activity. There is a wonderfully inter- esting reciprocal relation be- tween the roots and the leaves. The roots are the organs that take up the food, and the leaves are those that digest it. tree leaves, bark, and If the roots are healthy there is plenty of food to digest; and if the leaves are healthy, there is an abundance of material from which to build. Each is de- pendent on the other; if both are healthly, the life of the tree is vig- A TYPICAL CEMENT FILLING Same Tree as Above. Contous of Tree Preserved branches, lack of sunshine, and other conditions unfavorable to the leaves. Perhaps the one deserving first con- sideration is the cavity and its treat- TREE ment. The causes which produce cav- ities are almost innumerable, but the most common are the following: im- proper trimming, splitting of weak crotches, gnawing by horses, bruises caused by lawn mowers and other im- plements, the raising of the bark by lightning, and, not infrequently, the lacerations caused by the climbing- spurs used by telephone men, and, sad to say, by the ordinary “tree-butcher.” It may safely be said that as long as the bark, including, of course, that on the roots, remains perfectly sound and whole, there will be no cavities; there- fore, whenever the bark is destroyed and the wood fiber is left un- SURGERY AS A SCIENCE 535 top of a tree is cut back improperly. The stubs invariably decay, unless the cut is made down close to a good, live branch, sloping away from that branch, and protected by some method of water- proofing. The method of treating a cavity, as devised by Mr. Davey, is extremely comprehensive. It is based on exactly the same principles as those of dentis- try. First of all, the decayed matter is carefully removed back to good, healthy tissue. The walls of the cavity are then thoroughly water-proofed and studded. with nails driven in, which serve to hold the filling firmly against protected, there will be a cav- ity. Fully half the work of the tree surgeon is undoing the damage that some one else has done. One of the worst troubles which he encounters is the result of improper trim- ming. When the average man cuts otf a limb, he gen- erally does so where the di- ameter is the smallest, neces- sarily leaving a stub; or he may leave the stub under the impression that the decay will be so much the slower. And in those rare cases where the cut is made properly, it is sel- dom that he uses any precau- tion’ to keep the wood from decaying while the bark is healing over the wound. All cuts should be made flush with the limb or trunk from which the branch is taken; but, in order to un- derstand the reason for this, it is neces- sary to take into consideration the cir- culation of the tree, and the way in which it heals. As a matter of course, where there are no leaves there can be no circulation; and where there is no circulation there can be no_ healing. Where the end of a limb is taken off, the circulation is destroyed in that part of the tree, the bark dies back to the main limb or trunk, and the stub de- cays till it falls out and leaves a cav- ity. The same thing is true when the A WATER-SHED Ash Tree on John D, Rockefeller Estate, Tarrytown, N, Y., showing Watershed around Cavity the sides. Drain-tubes are always put in at the bottom of the cavity, extend- ing to the outside of the tree, so that in case water gains entrance from any unforeseen cause, it may be carried off, and the cavity remain dry. Wherever the tree is especially weak because of the cavity, steel braces, both longitudi- nal and transverse, are put in for the purpose of reinforcement. Water- sheds are invariably used, to keep the moisture out; these consist of deep V-shaped grooves extending from the inside of the top, along both sides of the mouth of the cavity, and out at the bottom, over a ledge that slopes up- ward and inward. Then the filling of 536 cement is put in and tamped into place; and aiter it has set sufficiently, it is shaped in such a manner as to preserve the contour of the tree, and permit the bark to heal entirely over it. In some cases the extra precaution is taken of placing a zinc cap over the cement, fit- ting it inside the edges of the bark. The thoroughness of this method is at once apparent, and the thousands of trees which have been thus treated bear CONSERVATION which, though less expensive, was only a temporary makeshift, quickly corrod- ing and tearing loose from the tree as it swayed in the wind, and leaving the cavity open and unprotected as before. Think of a dentist simply placing a piece of tin over an unfilled cavity in a tooth! It was once thought impossible to render the filling of a cavity perma- nent and effective; this idea was based THE RESULT OF NEGLECT Weak, Unsupported Crotches Are Dangerous. eloquent testimony to its effectiveness. How striking, then, is the analogy be- tween this method of treating a cavity and the modern system of dentistry; both are based on the same three prin- ciples; the decayed matter must be en- tirely removed; the cavity must be pre- pared in such a manner that the filling will stay permanently in place; and moisture and all foreign substances must be absolutely excluded. This method is a striking improvement over the antiquated system of merely clean- ing out a cavity superficially, and tack- ing over the outside a piece of tin, Loss of Branch Destroys Symmetry and Beauty of Tree on the supposition that the growth of a tree was on the inside, and that in consequence the cement would event- ually be forced out. But as a matter of fact there is absolutely no growth on the inside of a tree, which acts as a physical support. The entire growth takes place immediately under the bark, and if the filling is properly put in, so that it is entirely inside the growing tissues, the bark will heal completely over it, eventually encasing it within the body of the tree. Another very common trouble which the tree surgeon meets in his work is TREE SURGERY the splitting crotch, which to his skilled eye often presents a serious danger which the casual observer would never suspect. It is perfectly natural for the weak crotch to exist in some trees; the varieties most subject to this weakness are the elm, the soft maples, the lin- den, and the beech. It is sometimes found in other varieties, but more sel- dom. It may be caused by cutting back the leader and forcing out the two lat- eral buds when the tree is young. Its AS .A SCIENCE 537 heavy winds and the consequent admis- sion of more water. All this while the tree continues to heal on the outside, making the pouch more extensive. The operation continues until one of the branches becomes too heavy to be longer supported, and is torn off in a windstorm. The method dewised by Mr. Davey for the treatment of such cases is most effective. It consists of the chain and lag-hook, with the ad- dition, in serious cases, of a double- THE CHAIN AND LAG-HOOK SYSTEM Weak Crotches Made Secure. treatment is complicated, and demands the utmost care, especially in the ad- vanced stages. When the limbs have attained a sufficient size and weight, the swaying in the wind causes a slight splitting between the diverging branches. Water is thus admitted and starts the process of decay. Although the tree seeks to protect itself by heal- ing over the outside of the crack, it merely forms a pouch for the water, and the decay continues with increasing rapidity, because the tree becomes weaker by the repeated splitting in the Maple on Estate of George Lauder, Jr., Greenwich, Conn, headed bolt between the branches, and bolts through the sides of the water- pouch. The chains and lag-hooks are used in many cases for their preventive value. It is invariably the rule where trees of this kind are treated, to tap the pouch between the limbs, and pre- serve an opening by means of one or more drain-tubes. The split itself is caulked in such a manner that the bark will heal over it; however, it is some- times necessary when the split is very bad to excavate as with other cavities and fill in the same manner, although 538 this is an extremely critical under- taking. The roots of the tree must receive careful consideration. The general health of the tree will also indicate the health of the roots. It is too often true that in carrying out landscape designs the roots are cut off, and the tree left high and dry. The death of the tree, or at least of part of it, is under these conditions inevitable. Or it may be that the roots have been buried; which is just as sure to cause the destruction of the tree. It is absolutely necessary that the roots of the tree receive air and water and nourishment, as it is for the human body. It may be that the tree has become sod-bound, which pro- duces the same result. In order to take care of these conditions, the proper method is the digging of a circular trench out under the edge of the branches, making it as the occasion may require, from three to six feet deep by about two wide. In this trench tile is placed for the purpose of aeration and watering. The trench is then filled with a mixture of good, nourishing tree food. In this manner it is often possible to save both the sod and the tree. The question of insect pests and gen- eral diseases, including fungus growths, has been so thoroughly discussed by all the government and state authorities that it is hardly necessary to do more than mention it in passing. However, it is of the utmost importance to give these matters consistent and careful at- tention, especially as regards spraying. The evil effects of electricity are noticed only at infrequent intervals. But the escape of gas in the soil its most deadly. Its presence for any con- siderable period means certain death for the tree, and the only possible way to remedy the trouble is to stop the leak, remove all the poisoned soil, and replace it with good rich earth. Vines in most cases, after they have attained to any size, are detrimental to CONSERVATION the health of the trees, and the skilled tree surgeon will almost invariably recommend that they be destroyed, un- less the tree itself has gone too far to be saved. In many cases the top of the tree is altogether too thick, and must be thinned out to produce the best re- sults. This is especially true in the case of fruit trees. Interfering branches must be removed or else bolted to- gether so that they cannot rub, as the chafing of the branches invariably de- stroys the bark, and decay is the result. Trees are often planted too close to- gether, and this results either in the stunting of the weaker ones, or a lack of symmetry in all. In all life, health is the normal con- dition. Nature designed us to be well, and the laws which govern life are simple. At the same time, she attaches severe penalties to their violation; and these penalties, unchecked, mean de- cline and death. It is just as true with the tree as with human life; to meet success, one must know the laws of na- ture, and act in harmony with them. Ignorance or disregard of these laws are evident wherever the unskilled hand touches a tree. Why should a tree die at fifty years, or a hundred years? It cannot be called old, when there are other trees of the same kind, ranging in age from 300 to a thousand years; and there are trees in existence which have reached 5,000 years or more. To the average man the life of ‘a tree and the principles which govern it have been a sealed book; and we have permitted neglect and abuse to be heaped upon our trees which we could never be per- suaded to tolerate in any other living thing. The need for the tree surgeon is apparent; the good which he is ac- complishing is immeasurable; and the calling ranks in nobility with those other great sciences which have for their province the betterment of life in whatever form. FOREST Kern River Canyon, about Four Miles below Little Kern Lake, and near the Mammoth Power Project of the IN SIERRA NATIONAL VIEW Edison Electric Company A BEGINNER IN FORESTRY BY ANNE WARNER (Book Rights Reserved) Paper 1 to learn. There is always some- thing interesting in the ignorance of those who intend to grow wise. Those already wise are interested be- cause they are conscious how much is to be learned; and those equally ig- norant like to observe the struggles of their fellow in evolution. Therefore, I am. going to write out the steps—the first steps—of my own personal pro- gression. Perhaps it will amuse the ones who know it all anyway, but it is not for them that I[ shall trouble to write ; it is for the others—the others who know no more than I do myself (at present). I shall write for them in the hope that they, too, may be led to learn. In the first place, then, I must begin by telling where I am to go to school. Lichtenberg is the place, and it is para- dise. When I came abroad to look for a place in the country, yet near a town, where everything should be pure country, except that there must*be all the comforts of town, where I could have plenty of rooms and yet not be charged over three shillings a day, and | AM very ignorant, but I am going where there must be a forest handy— well, no one thought that I could find it. I hunted from Berlin to Munich, and even farther, cross-country, and I found it—as I never doubt that I shall find anything if I set out to look for it. The Gasthof lies in the edge of the Harz; the view from my windows is over a sea of cultivated fields, dotted with fifteen picturesque little villages; the comforts are all here, the beer is ideal, my stove is equally good, and the forest is so close that when we cross the road behind the house we enter it at once. “We” are “She” and I. “She” is a wood-fairy and all the teacher that I have so far. The forester is in Thur- ingia for a fortnight—whes he comes home he will teach me gladly. Until then I have a German lexicon, and as it doesn’t give pictures of the leaves, and does give all the names in Latin, it is very little good to me. You are to understand that I am well grounded in the theories and ideals of the subject. I know all its bearings on history, commerce, and progress. I have learned by heart all the deficien- cies of bad management and just what is bound to occur if we don’t stop and think. I know all this quite well. But it is of the forest out there on the other side of the road that I am ignorant. I spend hours in it daily, and we strive like two untrained deaf mutes to make out something of one another’s mean- ing, but I cannot understand. Why, in the middle of the mile of mixed trees, do we find a whole hill- side of pines? Is it true that the moss under the pines is different from the moss under the mixed trees, or do we only fancy so, or is it only accident? Is there a rotation in crops with trees, or why, when there is not one oak in the forest, did they plant the whole last clearing to oaks? The roads are splendid in every di- rection; they are of broken rock, with sand and gravel crushed in with a road- roller. The underbrush is all cleared out, and the carpet of dead leaves is only broken by patches of moss. The prettiest mushrooms grow everywhere ; some are exactly like edelweiss, and some are pink. There are pink-shelled snails, too, and great red snails without shells. The fairy very justly observes that when one goes barefoot she notices snails and mushrooms much more than when wearing shoes. What I notice more than anything else is the unspeak- able order of it all; not a dead tree, not a broken branch—all is so quiet, so still, so clean. For miles along these hills it is all “planted wood,” as the Germans say, and all is in the same order. And yet one rarely sees a workman. Deer, yes, and rabbits often, but hardly ever a man. Perhaps in August there is no need to give the trees attention—that is another thing that I must learn. There is one very interesting tree among them all. In the midst of the forest, on the crown of the ridge stands a ruined castle where Barbarossa and all the rest have often come and gone. Mausfield besieged it and took it and wrecked it, and on the mounds of its ruin very large trees have grown and been cut down. But the strangest tree of all lies across the way from the old entrance. I thought at first that it was a mound with trees growing upon it, but the fairy pointed out to me that the mound itself was a tree, vast and hollow. Around the top of:the hollow the old shell bunches, as if to cover some sort of ancient scars, and out of each bunch springs a thriving tree, six to ten inches in diameter, which seems in some odd way to serve itself through the medium of the roots of the old stump. It is so odd. One sees willows do something like this, but this tree is not a willow. I don’t know what it is. Oh, I have much to learn. Even this huge old tree must have its lesson when I can read it. I want so much to learn. I sympathize as I never did before with Alfred the Great. And he learned. (To be continued) OUR WANING By GEN. A. VERY man of intelligence and any E scientific knowledge must agree with the President in the supreme importance of preserving our natural resources ; and this importance was last spring emphasized by perhaps the most celebrated gathering ever assembled at the White House. It seems to be con- ceded that first in importance of our natural resources to be preserved are our forests. It is, however, to the ex- tent and rapid exhaustion of our coal fields that the writer wishes especially to direct attention. Many years of the earlier life of the writer were spent in geological examinations in the Appa- lachian coal fields, from northern Penn- sylvania through West Virginia, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Alabama, following the line of the earlier investi- gations of H. D. Rogers in Pennsyl- vania and William B. Rogers in Vir- ginia. The great reports of these two early geologists have been the founda- tion of all later surveys. Later the writer became interested in different sections of this greatest of coal fields, by extensive drillings and shaft open- ings, and early came to the conclusion that the number and extent of the work- able beds of coal in nearly the whole of the Appalachian field had been greatly over-estimated. Later examinations by eminent geol- ogists confirm this view. Prof. I. C. White, state geologist of West Virgin- ia, in his excellent report on the coal deposits of that state, cuts down pre- vious estimates of the area of workable coal from 15000 square miles to pos- sibly less than 10,000, and limits the area of the greatest and most valuable beds of coal perhaps in the United States, namely, the great Pocahontas and New River beds, to 600 to 700 542 COBEL SUPPLY WARNER square miles. Again, the extensive drillings that have been made in recent years show that in reality the valuable coal beds throughout the most of the Appalachian field are actually contained within a marginal belt from twenty to thirty miles wide on the eastern and western sides of the field in the states of Kentucky, West Virginia, Ohio, and the western side of Pennsylvania, a large elliptical area within these limits containing no workable seams of coal. The western side of the field in Pennsyl- vania embraces the Monongahela and Conemaugh series, and contains, in the Laurel Hill and Chestnut Ridge syn- clinals, perhaps an exception to this structural limitation of workable coals. But it is nevertheless estimated that the soft coking coals contained in these synclinals, and westward in the Pitts- burg seam, will be practically exhausted in twenty-five to thirty years; certainly in less than fifty years at the present rate of consumption. If the Appalachian basin is viewed longitudinally any geological map will show that it narrows down as it ex- tends into Tennessee and Alabama, and in Tennessee is diveded by an anti- clinal ridge formed by an_ uplift of lower limestones, which divides the coal area into two or more basins and limits the area of coal. The question of the thickness of the coal measures and the number of work- able beds is of the greatest importance. If a vertical section could be made that would expose to view the thickness of each of the five great divisions agreed upon by the later geologists—the Dun- kard on top, the Monongahela, carrying the great Pittsburg seam, the Cone- maugh, the Allegheny, and the Potts- ville, down to the floor of the whole OUR WANING basin. it would be easier to see how the coal measures are divided vertically as well as longitudinally. In such an ex- posure it would be seen that only the lower beds, or those contained in the Allegheny and Pottsville divisions, ex- tend into Tennessee and Alabama; it would also show that but few coal beds extend evenly over wide areas, an ex- ception being the great Pittsburg seam. It would also show that good seams of coal are seldom found side by side, or layer upon layer in the same section. But let us come to the main problem. How long will it take to exhaust the several parts of these fields? Beginning with Alabama: At the rapid rate at which the coal in this valuable field is being mined, there cannot be much left in forty years, and yet a senseless clam- or is made to have certain rivers im- proved so that this coal can be shipped out of the country! Considering the relation of this coal to iron ore that will last probably 150 to 200 years. and per- haps longer (as one is known to extend all through the Clinton formation) the shipment of any of the coal out of this field ought to be prohibited by law. Tennessee has less coal in quantity ; but being for the most part of good quality, it is being rapidly mined by the Ten- nessee Coal and Iron Company for its own use, and by numerous other com- panies for the general market, and twenty-five to thirty-five years will see but little left, and long before that time the price will have advanced to the monopolistic limit. It is then, to the coals found in the upper series in Kentucky, West Vir- ginia, eastern Ohio, and Pennsylvania that we must look for our supply in the later years of the century. But when we see how rapidly certain of these coals—the Pittsburg, the upper Free- port, equivalent to the Cambridge of Ohio, and what is left in veins in the Pottsville series in Ohio and Pennsyl- vania—are going now by lake and rail to supply the demand in the North and Northwest, it really becomes an alarm- ing problem to determine what even the next generation will do for fuel. COAL SUPPLY 543 The coals of Indiana and Illinois are all needed in the Middle West, and will be mined out to supply these markets before the century is half out. But let us turn again for a moment to the 600 to 700 square miles of the Poca- hontas and New River beds and see what is going on in this, the most val- uable part of the Appalachian field, and. all told, perhaps more valuable than any other, even than the anthracite field. Al- ready this coal is being shipped as fast as trains can carry it to different parts of the country, and to the Atlantic coast, to supply, not only our own navy, but the navies of other countries, and to supply the markets of the world. And now new railroads are being hur- ried into the field to compete for this traffic. How long will the field last under these conditions? One item will shed light on this question. The large steamships that now ply the ocean use approximately 100 tons of coal an hour, or over 2,000 tons a day, or 10,000 tons in crossing the ocean. An acre of coal will afford on an aver- age 1,000 tons for every foot in thick- ness, or 4,000 tons for a vein four feet thick, which is rather over than under the average thickness in the New River field. The rest is a matter of compu- tation. Why, then, should there be such a rush to get this most valuable coal out of the United States? Turning to the anthracite field, it is well known that at the present rate ot exhaustion, there will be little of this field left in fifty years, and long before that time the price will almost certainly be whatever the owners of the field agree on. What will Philadelphia New York, all New England, all the eastern part of the country, then, do for fuel? They cannot hope for relief from the Appa- lachian field, for there will be little left to draw on from there. And yet to so momentous a question, 999 persons out of a thousand will answer: “That is as long as I shall live.” In the language of Puck, “What fools these mortals ad 544 I do not touch upon the great fields in Wyoming and other mountain states, as these fields have not yet been thor- oughly surveyed, and these coals can hardly come to eastern markets. There is another most important phase of the coal question that has here- tofore received all too little attention, and that is the reckless and wasteful way mining in all fields is carried on. Under present methods only from two- CONSERVATION thirds to three-fourths of. the coal is taken out. The rest is left in the mines as pillars, or otherwise. From twenty to forty cents a ton more, while the field is being worked, would save practically all the coal. But for manifest reasons this cannot be done in one field alone. Legislation is required to stop. this waste of a substance without which man cannot live. And the legislation must come from many states .at the same time, or from the United States. THE EFFECTS OF EROSION Denuded and Washed-out Slope in Western North Carolina WATER-POWER DEVELOPMENT Cotton Mills at Columbus, Ga., on the Chattahoochee River THE WASTE OF THE FIELDS Silt Bar Deposited on the Banks of a Navigable Stream. Washed Down by Floods rom the Fisids, and Must Be Removed by Dredging. Mississippi River APPALACHIAN NATIONAL FOREST ASSOCIATION WO important meetings have been held by the Association during September in the inauguration of its plan to obtain an active member- ship; one in Lynchburg, Va., on Sep- tember 17, and in Richmond, Va., on the 22d inst., in both places before ap- preciative and earnest audiences. These meetings are deemed by us of great im- portance, because they are considered by us as demonstrating, not alone the interest of the people in the forest cause, but as proving the practicability of our plan for obtaining a membership made up of organized clubs, etc., al- ready equipped for work as it were, and, therefore, capable of giving influential and aggresive aid to our campaign. They show that our plan for organiz- ing a branch of our Association in each southern city is practical; they show that these branches can be better organ- ized into a State Forest League; they show that the people are keenly alive to the vital questions which are involved, and most clearly of all show that the earnest and thoughtful man and wom- an, want to be put to work on some practical lines that will accomplish re- sults. The Lynchburg meeting was held under the joint auspices of the Lynch- burg Board of Trade, Woman's Club. Retail Merchant’s Association, and Civ- ic League. It had been thoroughly ad- vertised by the energetic and capable Secretary of the Board of Trade, Mr. J. A. Faulkner, and a representative audience assembled at the Y. M. C. A. Auditorium to greet Mr. Fred G. Plum- mer, of the Forest Service, and Mr. John H. Finney, Secretary of our As- sociation. Mr. Long, a _ prominent Lynchburg attorney, presided most ca- pably. 546 Mr. Plummer dealt with the work of the Forest Service and its administra- tive features, illustrated by beautiful lantern slides, it was a running comment on conditions and practices, and was most entertainingly presented and en- thusiastically received. Mr. Finney dealt with the need for forest extension by the government, along the lines of a definite forest policy, urging of course, the acquisition of the Appalachian and White Mountain area, as of supreme importance, and then taking up the state work that must be done in coop- eration with the government and with individual owners, told graphically the plans of the Association for furthering the work. His address also covered the history of the fight for this Appalachian for- est, and vigorously scored the politicians who have heretofore prevented action by Congress. At the conclusion of the speaking, the audience unanimously passed a resolution endorsing the work of the Association, pleading its coop- eration, and the four organizations voted to join the Association in a body. A particularly gratifying result was the gift by Mrs. Cora L. Mosby, of Lynchburg, of fifty acres of land as the beginning of the “Virginia State For- cee: From this gift, we feel, must come large results, for we are convinced that there must be other patriotic women and men in Virginia whose generosity and patriotism must get stimulus and inspiration from this gift to her state by a noble woman. The Richmond meeting, held under the Chamber of Commerce in their as- sembly hall, was equally interesting and instructive. APPALACHIAN NATIONAL FOREST ASSOCIATION Mr. Henry W. Wood the vice-presi- dent of the Chamber, presided, and elo- quently presented the subjects and the speakers, Mr. F. G. Plummer, and Mr. John H. Finney. The subjects chosen by the speakers were the same as in Lynchburg, and were ably handled, to the enjoyment of the select audience present. The papers had given much space to. the meeting, and strong editorial com- ment made both before and after the lectures on the importance of the subject. Among the audience, was Congress- man John Lamb, a member of the Agri- cultural Committee of the House of Representatives, who briefly followed Mr. Finney in a speech which severely “roasted”? Speaker Cannon, declaring that the movement for the acquisition of the Appalachians had been blocked by his committee appointments. “Uncle Joe did it,’ he declared, “but the time will come when he won't be there.” Captain Lamb strongly endorsed the speeches of Mr. Plummer and Mr. Fin- ney, reminding his hearers that the work was not only one for the present, but for the good of posterity. Resolutions were unanimously adopt- ed endorsing the Association and pledg- ing to its aid the Chamber of Com- merce, Business Men’s Club, Woman’s Club, the Civic Improvement League, and the Traveler’s Protective Associa- tion. The Association has planned similar meetings, probably handled by the same speakers, at Danville and Roanoke, Va. ; 4 547 Winston-Salem, Charlotte, Greens- boro. and other North Carolina points ; Rome and Athens, Ga.; Montgomery, Ala., ete., and is almost daily in receipt of requests for speakers. It is naturally a tremendous work, one that we feel we must continue ; but it is work that must have, to be success- ful, the individual conscience of our membership. We feel that the in- fluences which these meetings are en- listing and setting in motion are to re- sult in large consequences—for the good of the whole Nation. We are be- ginning, as a people, to understand the need of the forests and the vital con- cern of the individual in their proper conservation. Such costly object-les- ~sons as the recent floods in the South; the present costly forest fires in all sec- tions of the country; the existing drought conditions in Pennsylvania and adjoining states, vividly portray the future of America without its for- ests, and tell the story, appalling though it be, more eloquently and more forcibly than any words of ours. Once get the thinking man or wom- an educated to real conditions and to the necessity of work on his or her part, and the blind indifference of Con- gress and the opposition of the Speaker and his committees will be swept aside with a force which cannot be gainsaid, and the forests shall be saved. We are, indeed, “pledged to the For- est Cause.” : THe APPALACHIAN Forest ASSOCIATION. NATIONAL EDITORIAL The Business Side of Conservation Le IS a fact not readily understand- able that the preservation and con- servation of our natural resources has not, heretofore, seemed to have any particular appeal to the mass of busi- ness men of the United States. In fact, it is true, and has been true for a great many years—ever since the in- ception of the conservation plan as ap- plied to our forests, in particular—that college-bred men, scientists and the like, have waged the battles, while hard- headed, practical “men of affairs’ have jeered and _ obstructed. Of course, this is not universally true; but as a general proposition it cannot be gainsaid. College professors, men of science—the class of men for whom your average “business man” has a hearty and_ ill-concealed contempt— have been the ones to tell the world what will be the inevitable result if a continuance in the course of reckless waste and extravagance as_ regards timber, etc.,, unless their warnings were heeded; the men who “dream,” as the hard-headed ones declare, have for years and years been telling these “practical men of affairs’ to what they were coming, and to what they were bringing the land, by their “practical”’ exploitation of all of mature’s resources. It is a healthy symptom to see that these same practical men are beginning to realize that the dreamers dreamed true; and it augurs well for the cause of con- servation in general to know that at last the business sense of the country has been awakened. YE WE As a Moneyvsaving Proposition OOKING at the matter solely from the practical side, the grossly ma- terial view-point, it seems strange that this awakening has been so long defer- 548 red. For instance, Pittsburg has for years been subjected to disastrous an- nual floods, during which the business section of the city, and Allegheny, have been laid waste and prostrated under sweeping torrents of water from the Ohio and the Monongahela and Alle- gheny rivers. At any time it would have been entirely practicable to do away with the flood visitations; at any time in the past quarter century it would have been an easy matter for the business element of Pittsburg to secure legislation looking toward the reforestation of the watersheds of these rivers; at any time in that period it would have been easy for this business element to pave the way for the inaug- uration of a policy of reservoir build- ing, the damming of valleys and the storage of flood waters that have been wasted—worse than wasted, indeed. because of the millions of dollars of damage these waters have done. But no; the business element taking the fatalistic view-point, or the criminally careless one, did nothing; the denuded hillsides and mountainsides have re- mained largely as the ravaging lumber- man left them; the waters have been — permitted to pour unobstructed into the valleys and lay waste the towns, the villages, and the cities, and the dam- age done has been charged, probably, to profit and loss, or to “visitations of Providence.” Scripture says, “The wages of sin is death.” Carelessness, heedlessness, ignorance, is sin; and the wages of either of these is likewise death—death to the individual, or to the community, or to material well- being and prosperity. Ww Me Reforestation Good Business hie even the solely utilitarian, present-day view-point, a general policy of reforestation—together with a EDITORIAL rigidly adhered-to policy of forest con- servation—is good, sound business. The reforestation of denuded slopes, moun- tainsides and watersheds is the only sure preventive of floods. Floods wash away, destroy, and lay waste, an- nually, property to the value of millions upon millions of dollars. If, therefore, even twenty-five per cent. of this waste can be pre- vented by reforestation, it would seem as if the ‘‘sound business sense” of a community would not hesitate a second to adopt such a policy. But there are other equally sound reasons for adopt- ing such a policy—reasons sounder by far than those upon which rest. the present industrial development of the ccuntry. Railroads require ties; mines have to be timbered; city building calls for lumber; farmers must have at least measurably fertile soil; and upon a, prosperous, permanent and contented farming element rests the ultimate prosperity of any community or state. If the supply of railroad ties, let us say, in Pennsylvania, is approaching exhaustion, it becomes necessary for the roads to seek their ties farther away, and the same is true as regards the mines. The farther away the tim- ber supply is, the more it must neces- sarily cost to secure it. Everybody who has built, in the past few years, knows how the price of lumber has increased. And, as regards the farmer and his “Wworn-out” farm, the reports of the im- migration officers of the Canadian northwest make interesting reading. Hundreds and thousands of American farmers have, well within the last de- cade, moved across the border, leaving their “worn-out” farms for the virgin soils of Alberta, Manitoba, or British Columbia. Railroads and factories can- not easily follow the example of the farmers; but even factories may close down permanently, and railroads are no strangers to receiverships. With a per- manently prosperous farming commun- ity a state will have prosperous factor- ies and industrial concerns—the two go hand in hand; and with these, the rail- roads have plenty of business. Now, for the words “worn out,” as applied 549 to farms, write “washed away,” and you have it. Farms, the top soil of which has all been carried into the rivers and down to the sea, cannot produce crops, and so the farmers are compelled to go elsewhere. And with the going of the farmers—the extinguishment of a per- manently prosperous agricultural popu- lation—goes the basic principle of in- dustrial or any other prosperity. Pro- tect the forests and you protect the farms; protect the farms and you re- tain the farmers; retain the farmers and you maintain the prosperity of the community—it is as simple and as ob- vious as that two and two make four. we we A Permanent Timber Supply ND not alone from this side can it be unanswerably argued that it is sound business sense to preserve the forests and to reforest the stripped slopes and watersheds of the land. Take the following illustration: A young man starts in life with $10,000, invested so as to bring him six per cent. a year. Now, this young man cannot, or does not want to get along on $600 annually, so he uses his income and, yearly, trenches upon his principal to the amount of an additional $600. The second year he must draw still more heavily upon his capital; he cannot do with less than $1,200 per year. And so, at a steadily increasing rate, his capital is wiped out, until, in a few years. he has neither income nor capi- tal. Your “practical business man” would call this young man a fool, and he would be right. But this very thing is what the sensible business men of the country have been doing for a long time. Let the $10,000 represent the orig- inal timber supply of, say, Pennsyl- vania; let the six per cent. represent the natural annual production, and let the $1,200 stand for the annual con- sumption of timber. Or apply the il- lustration to the country at large. Now, instead of making steady, year by year inroads on the forests, it would have been as easy to provide for a perma- WATER-POWER UTILIZATION Plant of Columbus River Co., mn Muscogee County, Georgia, on Chattahoochee River, which Heads in the Southern Appalachians nent timber supply, by securing legis- lation that would prevent forest wast- age, despoliation and the total stripping of timber from vast tracts. Instead of using the income—the natural reproduc- tion—and a part of the capital—the orig- inal forest—each year, put the capi- tal to work—take care of existing for- ests, and provide for new ones. If such a plan had been adopted in Pennsyl- vania fifty years ago, what would now have been the condition of the state? And what would. to-day, be the value of a permanent and adequate timber supply to the state? Mr. Practical Business Man, suppose you answer! ye ye pe a F Water Transportation O THINKING man will deny that a comprehensive, well-developed system of water transportation would be wonderfully beneficial to the inland commerce of the United States. But to have a system of waterways, we must first have the water. There is plenty of water ; but, under present conditions, 550 it comes too much in bunches. At one season we have raging, swirling yellow torrents, while at another we _ have sand bars, shallows, and silt reefs. How can this condition be modified? Simp- lest matter in the world. Five words will explain: forest and flood water reservoirs. Let us reforest the de- nuded hillsides, mountain tops and watersheds, so that the storm waters, the melting snows, and the spring rains will not carry down with them, in their mad rush the stones, gravel, sand, and silt, but will pass somewhat gradually down from the hills. Then let us dam the valleys at whose bottoms lie the feeders of the larger rivers; let us equip such dams with gates for regulat- ing the flow of the water into the streams; let the reservoirs be of suffi- cient capacity to restrain any ordinary flood; and then let us so regulate the outflow of water from them as to main- tain a navigable stage even in seasons of serious drought. We can then im- prove existing waterways, and plan and execute new ones, until the country is covered with a network of canals and streams made navigable by man; our WATER-POWER ON A SOUTHERN RIVER Typical Reservoir, Dunlap Dam of the North Georgia Power Co., on the Chattahoochee River at Gainesville, Ga. railroads can be reserved for the trans- portation of perishable freights and passengers, our coal supplies can be conserved—and the freight rates on heavy merchandise can be materially lowered. If the application of this idea to the state of Pennsylvania alone, and to the Ohio River only from Pittsburg to Louisville, cost a hundred millions of dollars, it would still be well worth do- ing, and would still pay good returns on the investment. ue ye a ey ire Water-power and Waterway Extension T IS also beyond doubt—a very eas- ily demonstrable fact—that the sale of water-power created by reservoirs such as are spoken of here would be a source of large income to the state. It is, in fact, easily conceivable that the returns from such sales would provide funds for the maintainence of the en- tire system. It is not easy for the un- technical mind to grasp the immensity of this phase of the matter, or to con- ceive of the tremendous income—both - in sale of power and in saving of coal consumption—that could readily be se- cured. Of course, long-distance trans- mission of electrical power is still a wasteful process; but with industrial concerns so thickly centered as they are in Pennsylvania—still using that state as an example—no serious obstacle would have to be overcome from that cause. It is no great matter to conduct electrical power two, or twenty, of fifty miles ; it can be done commercially at a good profit. Much more so then, can it be done when the distance of trans- mission is only a very few miles, or nothing at all. If Pennsylvania will undertake the construction of a system of storm-water reservoirs and _ all-the- year-round waterways, and carry the plan through to completion and_ utilt- zation, she will do these things: She will insure a permanent timber supply for the state; will insure a_per- manently prosperous rural community and, therefore, the same sort of business community; she will put her coal sup- ply in a position where it need never she 551 THE DESTRUCTION OF FARMING LANDS Alluyia! Bottom, Ruined by Flooding. Soil Gone, Nothing Left but Gravel and Stones, | and Worthless Swain County, North Carolina again be worried about; she will pre- vent the annual loss by floods of mil- lions of dollars of real property and hundreds of lives; and she will do it all at no actual cost to herself—the in- come from the investment will pay the upkeep and leave a handsome balance ot profit. If the hard-headed business men of Pittsburg would turn their at- tention in this direction, instead of toward the formation of billion-dollar trusts and the upbringing of sons to make a laughing-stock of Pittsburg and America in general, or to fill Mattea- wen and similar places, it would be a better argument for their business sense. Louisiana's Proposed Forest Law F ROM _ recent expressions in the Southern press it appears that an erroneous impression exists in regard to the proposed forest law now pending in the Louisiana legislature. Different newspapers and periodicals in the South 552 have interpreted the provisions of the bill to mean that no timber whatever under twelve inches in diameter at four feet above the ground is to be cut un- der any conditions. If this was the in- tention of the bill, it would be well if it were defeated, as no such provision would be either just or practical. But this is not the intention of the measure, and the publications which have so con- strued it have fallen into error. By the terms of the proposed statute the cutting of trees under twelve inches in diameter, four feet from the ground, is forbidden, it is true but only under certain conditions. The provisions of the bill do not apply to those who in good faith wish to clear the land for agricultural purposes, those who need the timber on the ground for roads, ditches, or construction purposes, or those who intend to use the wood for domestic purposes. Furthermore, lum- bermen will be required to fell trees in such a way as to cause the least dam- age to young timber, and the refuse from lumber operations must not be AN “ABANDONED " FARM Deeply Eroded Gullies on a Slope Formerly Cultivated. Slowly Growing Up to White Pine left where its presence will invite fires or in any other way endanger young trees. The law provides likewise for thinning timber stands so as to pro- mote forest growth and prevent over- crowding and deadening, but such thin- ning is to be conducted under strict regulations and is not to be taken as an excuse for violating the spirit of the law. The penalty for violations of the proposed law is a fine of twenty-five to one hundred dollars for each offense, to which may be added imprisonment ; and each tree cut in violation of the law is made to constitute a separate offense. The proposed law not only defines and delimits offenses and names penal- ties, but also sets forth the reasons why the law is thought advisable. Timber is becoming scarce, it says, and ought not to be needlessly wasted. Forest destruction will carry with it other evils beside a dearth of wood. It will cause destruction, soil erosion, and in- crease floods and drought to the dam- age of the whole people. Furthermore, the forests should not be wholly cut down. because they assist in obstruct- ing the progress of disastrous torna- does. A recent ruling of the Supreme Court of Maine declares that that state may lawfully restrict the clearing of priv- ately owned forest land, if it is shown that the general public would be en- dangered by such clearing. While fol- lowing the lines of the opinion rendered by the Maine Supreme Court, Louis- iana’s proposed law goes still further in the same direction. It is worthy of note that the two states which have been first to take so advanced a stand in the matter of forest protection are 1,500 miles apart, and their forests are not at all alike in character. They have different soils, climates with few points in common, crops of wholly different kinds, geography and topography of op- posite extremes; yet to each of these states has come a full realization of the immense importance of the forests and how absolutely essential their protec- tion is to the continued prosperity of the people. 553 WATER-POWER UTILIZATION Dam and Power House of North Georgia Power Co., on the Chattahoochie River, Georgia National Forests in the East HERE is a perceptible drift of sen- timent in the East at the present time in favor of the establishment of the Southern Appalachian and White Mountain National Forests at the ear- liest practical moment; and it appears probable that by the time Congress con- venes in December this sentiment will have crystallized to such an extent as to make it possible to secure favorable action by both branches of the national legislature Publications that in the past have been either opposed to the establishment of the two forests men- tioned, or very lukewarm in support of the proposition, are almost daily becom- ing more favorable; while the trend in the case of individuals is still more pro- nounced. The educational work that has been done by the American Forestry Association, the new Appalachian Na- tional Forest Association, various com- mercial clubs, and similar organiza- tions, and the large body of the press that has for years steadily supported the idea of national forests for the East, is bearing good fruit, and there is 554 every reason to hope that at the com- ing Congressional session. crowded as it is sure to be with other work, there will still be found time for favorable action in this vitally important direction. It would appear as if the develop- ments of the present campaign have aided materially in bringing members of Congress to a realization of the pub- lic stand on this eastern forest ques- tion. All through the campaign voters in various parts of the East have been demonstrating in unmistakable fashion their approval of the proposal for the government to acquire, by purchase or otherwise, the tracts embraced within the boundaries of the two proposed for- ests; and not even the distractions of a national campaign have been sufficient to draw attention from this subject. Representatives and senators alike have come to a pretty full realization of the fact that the people generally in the regions affected desire above all things the establishment of the Southern Ap- palachian and White Mountain Nation- al Forests, and it is believed by many who are competent to judge from sur- face indications that the opposition to GUARDING AGAINST EROSION Rip-rap” and Framework on Mississippi River. Protecting Bank from Washing and Caving Away the establishment of the forests will be powerless to prevent favorable action at the next session. as “ us eK Business Men Should Take Part N ORDER to make doubly sure of such favorable action, however, it is necessary that business men and _ busi- ness organizations, such as commercial clubs, etc., should take a positive stand and voice their opinions in decided language. So far as we know, no com- mercial organization in the East has as yet opposed the establishment of these two national forests; but there has in many instances been a lack of positive approbation and decided utterance on the part of such organizations. If the business bodies and the business men of the sections affected will between now and November 3 take a determined and decided stand in favor of imme- diate enactment of measures that will provide for the establishment of the two forests, and will take the trouble to let their opinions be known and fully understood by their representatives, or by candidates who are to be voted for on November 3, it seems certain that the establishment of the forests will be provided for. It will not do however, to relax effort; a continued program of educational work and uninterrupted de- mand for the enactment of such a law is vitally necessary, and this program should not be discontinued with the election. It should go right on, follow- ing the general election, until Congress convenes, and should be continued by able and tactful representation during the sessions of Congress and until the bills for such establishment have finally passed both houses. . ye oe oe as es The Forest Holocaust HE long’ season of rainless weather, the tinder-like condition of woods and fields, which affects prac- ere 555 WHY pue ISI, PITY 24) Ul Sa4oV Jo spuesnoy] SulefIay AljenuUY 21 SIq] se yong sorlorg "JeueD UONesI413] UIeY] Jo DHRU] pue ‘jURTG JoMmog ‘we LoalOud NOILVOWI NYALSAA V Vol. XIV SM EMBERS 1908 THE FRAUDULENT HOMESTEADER By ALFORD L. THAYER LAY on the heart-strings of a man until you strike the lost chord of his better self; that part of him grown indifferent and callous in the struggle of money making, and he may confess the weakness of his wrongs upon which you attack him. He may tell you the secrets of years, buried within him, and perhaps through tears, may walk entirely out of his old mer- cenary career into a decent, honorable life. In making investigations of the fraud- ulent homestead and timber claims within the boundaries of the National Forests in the West, I have in almost every district, discovered two distinct types—the person who deliberately sets about to defraud the Government out of 160 acres of land, and the party who has been the victim of a profes- sional locator, working in the interests of some large corporation. The Gov- ernment has no room on its ts lands for a timber thief; Uncle Sam has a great heart that forgiv es the man who has been betrayed by cunning plans of those higher up who are playing the “big timber game.” I recently called on a shingle weaver, living with his wife and five ‘children i in a small house just outside of Everett. I asked him whether he was the same party who was attempting to hold a homestead claim in the Cascade moun- tains, forty miles from that city. He said he was, and was very much aston- ished when I explained to him the regu- lations. Of course he had not complied with the requirements of the homestead law, and offered the usual excuse. “Why, hundreds of people in this country have taken up claims back in these mountains, and have never been on the land.” “But.” I argued, “because thousands of acres of valuable timber have been illegally acquired in the past, is it a reason for continuing such a plunder- ing system in the future?” “No, but I can’t see why you pick me out. My boss at the mill and his lawyer said I could work there, and hold this claim down. They ought to know, for they have had experience before in these cases.” “Have you read the homestead law ?” I inquired, storing in my memory what 579 580 he had just said, but ignoring the statement. “No, I should say not. What do we have attorneys for? My boss sent me out with the company cruiser to see the land, go over it, stay out there for a couple of nights, and then the lawyer FRAUDULENT HOMESTEAD This 160-acre Claim in Washington Has Six Million Feet of Red Fir and Cedar on It fixed up the papers and told me what to say when I went to the land office. I tell you right now, I ain’t going to give it up, for the boss has been to big expense, and if I back down, he may fire me.” Poor wretch, led by the nose, har- nessed into the cart of subjection, and blindly violating the law, depending entirely upon his “boss’’ and lawyer to protect him in case of trouble. And yet, hundreds of people have success- fully made entries on public lands and secured patents under just such pre- texts of complying with the law. CONSERVATION After a long and strenuous argu- ment the man was finally compelled to see his serious position with the Govy- ernment, and relinquished his rights and title to the land, with the under- standing that I would make an effort to prevent his “boss” from discharging him. I called next morning on this timber “king” in his beautiful private office, looked him square in the eye, and said quietly : “Your man Brown has relinquished his homestead claim located by your timber cruiser because he has failed to comply with the law. He is afraid you will become angry with him, and dis- charge him from your employ. Please do not let this happen. You are not in position to take any such action against him. Do you understand?” He glared for a moment into my face as if he would gladly mutilate my features, then slowly paled, and _ sat forward in his heavy leather chair. His voice was low and strained. “T understand. Brown shall keep his place. I hope this is the end of the matter.” [ bowed myself out without saying much, for I knew this man would sooner or later have to face a federal grand jury, and I did not wish to com- mit myself. To-day this same man is spending his time in a United States prison, thinking over some of the errors of his ways. Such has been the end of a busy, prosperous but unscrupulous life. And now comes the story in brief of one of the most noted and remarkable timber locators and public land rob- bers in the Northwest. There are but few characters like this man in the his- tory of fraudulent claims in_ this country. Cascade Bill, omitting the rest of his name for fear of offending him, is a stoutly built, short, burly fellow with one eye, steel gray, and a wealth of fierce black whiskers. For twenty years he has been a professional timber locator in the Index, Washington coun- try, the heart of the Cascade Mountains, THE thirty-seven miles from Everett. Index is a picturesque mountain town, with towering peaks around it, and is the great gate entrance to most of the claims taken in that region. Cascade 3ill dropped into that country from California with a pretty good know- ledge of the Benson-Hyde system, and some ideas of his own. He located with his wife on a tract of land, built a cabin and several outbuildings, cul- tivated a patch of potatoes, and pro- ceeded to put his “system” into exe- cution. And so it came to pass that hundreds of people, mostly hard-working, ignor- ent Swedes, Danes, and Germans, began to swarm into Index, lured by the inducements thrown out by their friends already snugly settled on mil- lion-foot timber homestead tracts of 160 acres. Cascade Bill, with his gang, would meet the new victims at the train upon its arrival at Index, con- duct them up the trail, and over the ‘Settlers’ Bridge” (about which I will tell later) constructed across the Skykomish River, a beautiful mountain stream, dashing in a swift, tumbling fashion along the edge of the town, and skirting Cascade Bill’s land on the east. After a three-mile walk between mag- nificent firs and stately cedars, drink- ing in the crystal air, and listening to the lavish descriptions of the timber and “chances” to make a “stake” out of the homestead “business,” the new arrival is quite willing and anxious to part with his ready cash as soon as he is “located.” After a good “feed,” for Mrs. Bill is a capital cook, and a sound night’s rest, the victim was conducted to his “land,” and Cascade Bill showed him what were supposed to be the corner stakes and witness trees. It so happened, however, that the would-be home- steader, knowing little or nothing about such matters, was perhaps shown the corner stakes of some claim already settled on. The wily locator was care- ful to keep “‘locaters” far enough apart on the land, so that when the cabins were built they would be at a respectable distance from each other. FRAUDULENT HOMESTEADER 581 Then the party would pay over to Cas- cade Bill $325 as a locating fee, or all the cash he had on hand, and give his note with “certain agreements” on its face for the balance. “It comes high,” says the one-eyed man, “but I ain’t takin’ no chances for nothin’.” A VALUABLE "CLAIM" {o0-acre Tract in Washington, with Five Million Feet of Timber, Worth about $25,000 And so for years this state of affairs went merrily on, and hundreds of poor people were filched out of hard-earned money, and located on land, some of which had been “located” as high as ten times before. Cascade Bill actually showed four men the timber on the east forties of his own claim, and ingeni- ously piloted them around trails, cov- ering the same ground until they had tramped over 160 acres of land, then “located” them on his own land. The innocents took his word for it, and built cabins which to-day stand on the claim originally squatted on by Cascade Bill. 582 But all good things come to an end in time, and so when I arrived on the scene with two big husky rangers, to make investigations of the land frauds in that section, Cascade Bill was at first panic stricken. He knew it would now only be a question of a short time until his crooked work would _ be exposed, but like all rascals he had dis- posed of his money lavishly, on the “come easy, go easy” system, until he had little left but the notes of his vic- tims, an occasional fee for a short time, and generally a comfortable “cargo” of Index whisky. Then he was afraid to leave his homestead claim for any length of time, as he had never offered even a filing (in order to keep his land off the records, so that he might juggle it in the fashion stated above), for fear some person might “jump” his claim. On the other hand the old grizzled mountaineer saw the “handwriting on the wall,” and dreaded to think of iron bars and striped suits. So Cascade Bill fumed and stormed at the bar over his whisky, and threat- ened that if “that damned inspector did not ‘come in, he would scatter his brain matter about the sidewalks of Index.” I paid no atention to the statements issued from this timber “baron,” and proceeded to “break’’ into his ring. Three days of terrifically hard work, and some good results ; Cas- cade Bill suddenly changed his tune, and became diplomatic. With three of his right-hand men he called on me at the hotel, and was very gracious. His smile was a painful effort, and did not add to the beauty of his already dis- torted features, caused by his blind eye. He held out his clammy hand, and sprawled into a rocker, chewing tobacco like a cow her cud. He beamed on my two rangers, who ignored the honor, and stationed themselves near me, in close proximity to their six-shooters. The fact seemed to get out that Cas- cade Bill was a “dead shot,” and the boys were loath to gather up my gray matter, and ship me in sections back to Washington. Of course I was amused, but concerned, not to say interested, in CONSERVATION this character who had collected home- stead fees to the amount of something like $25,000 in the twenty years he operated in that country. Cascade Bill found that his threats had failed to drive us from the work we had been detailed to do, and changed his tactics. He outlined a generous plan by which we could all make a nice ‘‘rake off” and still hold our posi- tions. I declined with thanks, and he switched again, and asked me to par- take of Sunday dinner with his wife and himself. I accepted in haste, for this would give me an opportunity I wanted greatly, to meet and talk to a woman whom I understood wrote all of her husband’s letters, acted in fact as his private secretary, for Cascade Bill could neither read nor write. The rangers were greatly worried over my going alone to this man’s cabin up in the woods, but I arranged to have them near by, and instructed them by means of a signal that would not be noticed by the locator or his wife, that I could give in case I needed them. They were to remain in hiding until after the din- ner hour, then saunter leisurely in, as if they had accidently happened that way. I was on hand next day on schedule time, and Mrs. Bill made a great fuss over me. She fumed and sputtered as most fat people do, over the dinner, but finally we sat down to a very excellent repast, with chicken as the principal feature. Everything moved smoothly, and our conversation became quite animated on various subjects, until coffee appeared. I noticed a queer odor about it the moment Mrs. Bill placed the cup beside me. [ also noticed the woman was unusually pale. despite her red face. Then I detected a rather greenish scum appearing on the top of the coffee, and decided that I would only make a pretext of drink- ing it. You see, I was on the lookout for almost anything to happen, and knew that Cascade Bill had some “ax to grind” by that invitation. The old man eyed me cautiously, and noticed I did not drink the coffee. THE FRAUDULENT HOMESTEADER “Drink up, and I will show you about the place,” he insisted. I thanked both of them graciously, but I said I never drank coffee, and we left the table. I thought the locator looked disappointed. I urged Mrs. Bill and her husband to exhibit their garden and other “improvements,” and managed to get them outside without disturbing the debris of the dinner. Then I gave the signal for the boys, and soon they sauntered quietly in. In a moment, while one of the rangers was engaged with Cascade Bill and his wife over a peculiar species of berry that grew in the mountains, I managed to get the other ranger aside, and instructed him to get into the cabin unseen, if possible, and empty the con- tents of that coffee cup into his can- teen. This feat was dextrously performed, and we soon left the claim, after expressing ourselves pleased with the call, and myself with the dinner. Sufficient to relate, that after an analy- sis of the coffee by an expert, it was found to contain one-half ounce of rat poison. Thus does man escape the traps set for his downfall. I was very grateful that the manufacturer had inserted an odor into his poison. [| often wonder what Cascade Bill said to his wife about it after I left their hos- pitable roof. I went on with my work of investi- gation, and turned up startling and lurid tales about this man and his dark deeds. As fast as the deceived home- steaders gave up their land, they unfolded their troubles to me, and were willing witnesses as to his treachery. Space will not permit me to repeat one- tenth of these stories, but the history in brief of Cascade Bill’s creation of the “Settlers’ Bridge’ should not be overlooked. None of the claims in question could be reached by a single roadway, as they were located between two steep moun- tain walls, with no highway entrance to the outside world. The railway crept through a narrow strip of right of way, following the river banks into the town 583 and out of it. Index is perhaps one of the very few towns in the United States having no roadway in or out of it to the country outside. Therefore, when Cascade Bill first located in this timber fairyland, one of his first acts was to build a suspension teh ise i > Te dt & wes —" = cxenaaets Wi 4s ; A \ 4 \ \\ f oa a, > -™ 2 ANOTHER RICH "CLAIM" This 160 Acres Contains Nearly Ten Million Feet of Valuable Timber foot bridge across the river. It was constructed of wire cables and _ short planking, closely set, with timber arch- ways at either end. The bridge is said to have cost originally $500. From each new settler crossing that bridge to fame and fortune, the old locator collected $10, as his or her share of building that structure. It is carefully estimated that Cascade Bill located in the neighborhood of 1,200 persons in the twenty years he carried on his sys- tem in that country. Thus he realized the fabulous profit of $11,000 on his original investment. THE SETTLERS’ BRIDGE A Profit of Nearly $20,000 Was Made on This Bridge, which Cost, Originally, about $500 And this is not all. Most of these homesteaders located in the vicinity left their claims during the severe win- ters, and sought residence in the sur- rounding towns. But Cascade Bill re- mained on his claim all winter, for there was money in it. About once a month, he dictated a letter to nearly every settler, informing him or her, that a storm had damaged the bridge to such an extent that it would have to be repaired immediately. He explained that each man or wom- an’s share of the expense would be about $5. It is said that, in the fifteen years he practiced this scheme, he collected about $8,000 for repairs to a bridge, which people in Index told me never was damaged but twice in that time, and then was repaired in a half day at a cost of about $50. But Cascade Bill Waterloo, as murder came out. He came home fearfully intoxicated one night in December, kicked his faith- ful spouse out of locked her in the woodshed, and threw in after her the bones his dog had not touched that night. The next morning he temporarily disappeared, and one of our rangers found the woman in a half- dead ccndition from cold and hunger, two days later, attracted by her pitiful 584 soon met his doors, cries for help, as he passed near the claim to a ranger station close by. We took the woman in charge, and after she had fully recovered, she told us one of the most heart-rending sto- ries Of abuse that | have ever listened to. A complete separation and divorce followed, and on the condition that she would testify against her husband in land matters, I agreed not to push the poison case against her. The shadow of prison walls hover grimly over the wasted form of Cas- cade Bill to-day, and his dreams can only be of the ill-gotten gold he took from the ignorant poor who trusted and listened to him. The guards say that he turns restlessly in his sleep, and mutters something about “fine loca- tion,” and a “fee of $325.” In a dis- tant northern city his wife, old and gray, is toiling out her few remaining years over a sewing machine, and shed- ding a tear now and then for the man who came to her many years ago in the excellence of his young and promising manhood, and asked her to be his wife. She can only live over in her memory again a few happy years before he be- gan his downward course, and who en- vies this isolated woman the little com- fort she may gain from a few stray golden thoughts of the buried past? THE BLIGHT ON CHESTNUT TREES By JOHN MICKLEBOROUGH, Ph.D., Brooklyn, N. Y, chestnut trees in the New York Zoological Park gave evidence of the presence of a very destructive disease. It was soon discovered to be the work of a deadly fungus. Dr. William A. Murrill of the New York Botanical Garden, made a careful study from living trees, twigs and pure cultures and published his observations in June, 1906, and in September of that year gave a scientific description, placing the fungus under the genus Diaporthe and from its characteristic habit this new species was appropriately named para- sitica. Botanical relations—The fungi are spore-bearing plants and are regarded as higher than the fresh water and marine alge or seaweeds, and lower in organization than the mosses or ferns. The fungi include such plants as moulds, mildews, rusts (on plants), mushrooms, and yeasts. The class of the fungi with which we are now con- cerned are known as the sac fungi or Ascomycetes. Probably 50,c00 species of fungi are known to science, and of this number more than 15,000 species belong to the sac fungi. The order of the Ascomycetes to which parasitica belongs is termed Prenomycetes. More than 110 species of Diaporthe have been described. Most of these species are saprophytes—that is, they subsist on dead or decaying tissues. One species, at least, is a parasite, and its only host seems to be our native chestnut trees. Method of growth.—The spore, car- ried by the wind, on the feathers of a bird, or in the fur of a squirrel, finds a lodgment where the bark is abraded and immediately develops the threads or filaments, technically called myce- lium threads, which constitute the vege- tative body of the fungus. The de- Ie THE summer of 1905, the native struction begins by a spore gaining ac- cess through an opening in the bark to the cambium or thin-walled cells which make new wood on one side and new bark on the other. As the spore de- velops beneath the bark, there are in- numerable thread-cells which grow up and down and especially around the branch or trunk. The tree. or twig, or branch, is now at the mercy of the parasite. In one or two seasons at most the girdle is complete, and all nutriment is effectively cut off from all parts beyond the place of the infection. The girdling is as complete as if one had taken an ax or a saw. During July and August of 1907, and also during the summer of 1908, many branches of chestnut trees showed signs of decay and the green leaves of spring with- ered long before the frosts of autumn had touched the foliage. By degrees the young bark changed its color from an oOlive-green to a dull reddish-brown. On the older trees the discoloration of the bark is not apparent, but in the deep fissures evidences of the presence of fungus may be seen. By skilful tapping with a hammer, any one may distinguish the dead from the living bark on the oldest trunks. Where the fungus has been at work, the sound is a tone lower and somewhat muffled and has not the characteristic sound coming from the healthy bark. There is a dead layer between the bark and the wood of the trunk. But there is another stage of growth to be considered. It is the fruiting body, solely for the purpose of produc- ing spores and perpetuating the species. As the fungus grows, it also matures by sending out through the pores of the bark small oval pustules. These are the fruiting bodies or spore-pro- ducing bodies of this parasite. Each 585 WORK OF THE CHESTNUT FUNGUS Trees Killed by the Disease which Is Rapidly Destroying the Chestnut Timber of the East pustule, the size of a small pea, yellow- ish in color, may enclose several tiny flasks with long necks opening on the outer surface. These flasks are lined with a number of sacs, each containing eight spores. It would take about 500 of these tiny sacs to measure one inch, if placed end to end. About 3,000 of these spores, end to end, would meas- ure one inch. These sacs filled with spores are the resting stage and carry the parasite over the winter months. Early in spring innumerable spores, of another kind and size, are produced in long thread-like masses directly from the mycelium threads. A partition is thrown across the end of a thread and it becomes a spore. Thus spore after spore is produced from the same thread by a process called “abstriction.” The sac spores are fertilized spores and the second kind of spores are the asexual ones. There are two distinct kinds of spores, different in origin, but the same in power, each kind capable of produc- ing a new plant. Spores are produced by countless millions. Geographical distribution—In Octo- ber, 1907, woodchoppers were set at 586 work to cut down all the chestnut trees in Prospect Park in the city of Brook- lyn, N. Y. The park has an area of 516 acres, of which about 110 acres are natural woodland. During last winter over 1,400 trees were felled and cut into cord wood. Brooklyn has an- other park on its eastern border of 536 acres, most of which is natural wood- land, and there are in it from 3,000 to 5,000 chestnut trees—many are dead and probably not one can be saved. The writer delivered an address to the students in the State Normal School at Trenton, N. J., on Arbor Day, May I, 1908, and an examination of chest- nut trees in the vicinity of Trenton gave ample proof of the ravages of the Diaporthe parasitica. On Staten Island, on property adjacent to Sailors’ Snug Harbor, the disease exists in malignant form. From personal inspection of the forests in the northern part of Som- erset County, New Jersey, and also Morris County, very many of the chest- nut trees were badly infected. In the localities examined in these two coun- ties, the chestnut growth was very abun- THE BLIGHT ON CHESTNUT TREES This Blight Has so Far Confined Itself to the East, where It Threatens Soon to Destroy All the Chestnut Timber Standing. Picture Taken in Forest Park, Brooklyn, N. Y., in June, 1908 588 dant, the chestnut trees being two to one over any other kind of tree. The microscope revealed the spores taken from chestnut trees as far north m the Hudson Valley as Newburg, Beyond this point the limit has not been ascertained. During the past summer a careful examination was made on each side of the Kaaterskill Cove in the Catskill Mountains and the chestnut trees were found to be not infected. The trees in the Hudson Valley at Palenville were found to be in a healthy condition. 30 55 5.00 |) 39:27] 62 |100 9:09 |; 29 28 46.27] 82 89 9.90 |) eens Gir. ROR Se ed 50 40.13 39 92° |. 6141 19 35.28 | 63 (138i 7.70 | 18 20 562.10] 32 |164 9.65 45.01] 88 |143 | 8:41 |} 24 27 $6557 | 14 73 7.30 |) S517). 4m 1271: )2751005 75 26 Sia 44° 865 -| 8 Tees ee 614 greater during the later half; and (2) that in every case the precipitation with- in the drainage basin was less—in sev- eral cases materially less—during the ‘later half of the period. The number of low waters, and the duration of the low-water periods were augmented in even more notable degree during the later subperiods, though the records are less complete. In all cases the change accompanied extensive deforestation. Were the preparation of a plan of im- proving the Ohio under the new policy adopted by the President and Secretary of War now in question. it is probable that a preference would be given to a system of fixed dams and locks, since such a system would tend toward a more complete control of the water, and hence toward counteracting the steady growth of the physical obstacles CONSERVATION to navigation; but the question of plan has been settled—a good enough plan has been adopted, and the only sane course is to carry out that plan vigor- ously, promptly, and effectively. Mean- time, the efficient scientific bureaus in the Departments of the Interior and Ag- riculture may safely be trusted to devise and put in execution those nonengi- neering plans required to control and retain the water in such manner as to prevent floods, keep the channels clear of sediment, and insure a sufficient vol- ume of water to meet the needs of nav- igation even during extraordinarily dry seasons. For the ensuing year nearly all the old officers were reelected, including Col. John L. Vance of Columbus, as president, and Capt. J. F. Ellison. of Cincinnati, as secretary and treasurer. HIGH WATER ONiTHE OHIO RIVER Car Tracks, Railroad Yards, and Warehouses Flooded in One of the Manufacturing Cities of the Upper Ohio Valley DROUGHTS AND FLOODS By JOHN H. FINNEY, Secretary of The Appalachian National Forest Association O SEER, looking ahead a dec- ade and prophesying concern- ing the future of America with- out its forests, could well have drawn a more vivid imaginative picture of conditions than the actual recital in the daily press in the past few weeks of forest fires throughout the country and of droughts in Pennsylvania, Ohio West Virginia, etc., setting forth the tremendous money damage, the loss of life; the paralysis of business, the seri- ous menace to the health of the people caused by them; where the supply of water was so short that it became a more profitable crop than produce; when baseball was being played in what was the bed of the Ohio River; where dried-up streams had become vast open sewers and were being sprinkled with lime to prevent an epidemic of disease ; where prayers were being daily offered for rain! These conditions, due to a shortage of water, appalling though they be, tell but a part of the forest story; the other part is told by the disastrous flood con- ditions which the South was experienc- ing at the same time; a story that has to do with too much water, but told to the same accompaniment of loss in money and human lives. Surely, if a forest preservation les- son is needed to make us heed the con- ditions which our present policy means to future America, these occurrences under our own eyes and touching the material welfare of our own neighbors and friends ought to be realistic enough to drive the lesson deep into our hearts and consciences. A FLOODED CITY Scene on River Avenue, Pittsburg, During an Inundation. Floods at One Season, Droughts at Another, because the Forests Are Gone 616 That both sides of the story are due to our recklessness of cutting and waste of the forests can hardly be ques- tioned by thinking men. - The recent southern flood in August and September covered a wide area in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia, the principal damage being done along the Cape Fear, the Yadkin, the Catawba, the Broad, and the Savan- nah rivers and their tributaries. The CONSERVATION running from six to eight miles an hour, and lasting for a period of forty-eight hours, the flood covering an area from east to west of five miles from North Augusta Highlands to a point beyond Horse Creek. With all communication with the out- side world practically cut off—wires down, no street-car service, no electric or gas lights, without fire protection, and short of water, except the twenty- IN A FLOOD-SWEPT REGION House Washed Down the River by High Water, During a Flood in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania damage done to crops and low grounds, by washouts of roadways, and railroad rights of way, railroad bridges, county bridges, and by losses in the various cities affected is not short of $25,000,- 000, with a lamentable loss of nearly a hundred human lives. The worst flood in the history of the Savannah River overwhelmed Augusta in the early morning hours of August 26th. the high-water record of the worst previous flood, that of 1888, be- ing exceeded by two feet before mid- night of the 26th, at which time the height of the water over the street-car tracks on the principal thoroughfare, beautiful Broad Street, was two feet, five miles of red and raging torrents that swept over her and submerged her to the farthest foothills; with hundreds of people homeless; business and traffic entirely suspended, is it necessary to go into further details to bring the horrors of the scene more closely home to you? Augusta’s experience is in part du- plicated in Columbia, S. C., and other less important points in the section af- fected, and along all the streams are striking evidences of the power of the unrestrained and angry waters that will take many months and many mil- lions to restore to normal condition. There should be no story without a moral. This one carries a striking one DROUGHTS AND FLOODS in the conclusion that the forest cover- ing is needed and must be had. A glance at the map will show at once that all the streams named have their headwaters in the Southern Appalach- ians and are necessarily affected by the destruction of the forest in that region. How strikingly true this is can be best shown by the statements recently made by City Engineer Twiggs, of Augusta, that “The power canals in Augusta have filled up from silt more in the past eighteen months than in thirteen years previously ;” the character of the silt showing clearly its mountain origin. And this is borne out by the testimony of A. M. Schoen, Chief Engineer of the Southeastern Underwriter’s Asso- ciation, in his report on the Augusta flood in the following impressive warn- ing: “Furthermore, there is reason to believe that heavy freshets in rivers taking their rise in the Southern Appa- lachians are to be anticipated more fre- quently in the future than in the past, owing to the rapid cutting away of the 617 timber on the watersheds comprising the drainage basins of these streams, which means an increasing probability of such occurrences as that which over- whelmed Augusta.” Wherein lies common sense regard- ing this whole matter? Is it not along the line of the immediate establishment of the Appalachian-White Mountain National Forest, and the adoption of a definite forest policy by the National government covering the whole country, as the first step, and does it not point out the work that the states themselves must do within their own borders and with their own citizens toward a ra- tional policy of perpetuation of their own forests—a policy that can be car- ried out only by themselves ? If the lesson is learned and heeded, we should have. as promptly as Con- gress can pass the bill, the Appalach- ians, and a State Forest in every South- ern state that will in time insure them against such damage as is_ herein chronicled. ONE OF PENNSYLVANIA'S PERIODICAL FLOODS Wreckage of a Steel Bridge, on the Pennsylvania Railroad. Crossing Deer Creek, in Allegheny County Three Lives Were Lost in the Wreck, besides a Locomotive and Five Cars A BEGINNER IN FORESTRY By ANNE WARNER Paper Two for trees so that they may produce railroad ties, houses, and other truly artificial necessaries, we haven't lost sight of the whole basic principle of Forestry. The real need of trees is so that weary mortals may get out of houses and off of railroad ties, and back to one of the greatest pleasures of life—the pleasure of just being alive—the pleasure of becoming a child in heart—the pleasure of being happy without knowing why. The place where I am is small, not much frequented, totally ignored by Herr Baedecker, and the most of the inhabitants of the village are the sim- plest peasant folk, men and women who work in the fields and go home at night in long, uneven ranks, seven or eight together, each carrying his or her rake, hoe, or shovel. There is a domain, or large landed estate, and the woods be- longing to the estate come as strictly under the forester’s rule as if they were government property. The whole countryside is covered with beautiful forests—mainly “‘self-planted.” The forester has explained to me that, when there is a good growth of young trees after the cut, they let them alone, only concerning themselves with the thin places or the places where the soil is evidently not fitted for the young trees springing there. The soil in this vi- cinity is chalky and the lay of the land makes me want to study geology— when I dont want to study mush- rooms, botany, astronomy, or any other one of the new-old primitive sciences which press powerfully to the fore when one comes under the forest’s scepter. 618 | BEGIN to wonder if, in the caring The desire to know the answer to the riddle is that the riddle here is so big. The great plain of Northern Ger- many lies straight outspread beyond me as I write. Wide and flat, dotted with villages, fertile, with rich upper soil. The ocean once rolled to the foot of this hillside, and, ages earlier, all the rocks of which the hill and all those around are made, was formed in its depths. Now, this is the riddle: All the rocks are strata, plainly de- fined, and without exception they are all tipped almost perpendicularly on end. The slant is invariable, and the ends of the strata have a sharp little twist just beneath the soil. The soil on these rocks is only one or two feet deep and is first sand and then the rich black of vegetation. Such a big riddle to me. The foresters interest me greatly. Men who care for the growth of 150 years and who cherish the life in that which will come to its end in 2050 or thereabouts, must have some traits which any American may well find in- terest in studying. The forester here tells me that he loves his vocation. and I can understand that no man would choose it who did not love it, because of all vocations it would be the least pos- sible to give a living to an indifferent follower. 1 went with him the other day to see his knife mark out the su- perfluous saplings and I soon learned the two rules that saved or condemned: health at the root, and whether or not the young top formed part of the cover overhead. The cover overhead must be continuous or else grass grows be- neath, and grass is not allowed in Ger- man forests. I mean, of course, as a general thing—there are large open A BEGINNER IN FORESTRY spaces every little way, places where the sun streams in and illuminates the whole scene with a radiant, heavenly glory, that makes the legend of St. Hubert most easily believed. I spoke once of the exquisite “order” of the German woods, and I must speak of that again. As I said before, this is no frequented resort, no show- place, and yet the woods-paths, the little bridges, the tiny stone culverts, the wide, even macadamized roads for wood transport—everything is in what we might call ‘‘most beautiful order.” The dead branches and twigs belong to the poor to gather for the first two days after storm or wind. We see them coming home—old men and wom- en—their loads bound on their shoul- ders—just as they have come for thou- sands of years. They go quietly by piles of neatly stacked cut-wood to be taken to town and sold when the men shall have time, and the cut-wood re- mains undisturbed until that time. The absolute sturdy honor and honesty of the poor man in Europe is quite as much to each nation’s credit as the care they give to their trees. To my eyes it links somehow to the spirit that leads the market women to -leave her full basket outside the church door and go in to pray. We shall come to that spirit in future centuries; we laugh at it now because it is as easy to laugh as it is to give the California trees over to the executioner—but—a long way ahead—we shall not laugh. We shall pray, too, in that day—we shall give cast off wood to the poor, instead of heaping it together to burn forthwith; we shall have a reverence for what has grown old in service, and we shall be as willing to furnish schools for our trees as for our children. Some few out of each thousand know now how close is the unseen bond between the trees that we are trying to guard and those same children. It 1s closer yet 619 between the trees and those children’s children. And between our trees of to-day and the third generation hence it may well be vital. One little word more and then I shall have filled my space and must end. I want to tell of a curious way, the like of which I never saw before. For about a quarter of a mile along the highway there runs on one side a wide strip of land laid off in rows of parallel trees (parallel with the road) planted about ten feet apart, but with deep hollows running lengthwise be- tween. The trees have had their tops cut in the old French fashion until the new sprouts form a thick cover over- head, the whole too low to walk upright through. I was very curious about this way and could not think by whom or for what purpose it could possibly have been made. So I asked the forester, and he told me that the way used to stretch around the angle and down the hillside to the manor-house barns, and that it was planted centuries since and kept filled in as the old trees died, so as to pro- vide a covered shelter for the herds and flocks which were driven daily through the wood and out to the pas- ture land on the other side. The herds and flocks are not so plenty now, and the way itself has been curtailed, but when it rains we go in under its close green shelter and—like many moderns who think the sun takes a year to go carefully and kindly around our little earth—thank the old Lords of the Man- or for having thoughtfully saved us a wetting. I hope next time to write something of the old forest history of Germany something of the days when the kaisers or koenigs gladly gave forests away if the receiver would just kindly measure them and save the crown the trouble of working out the problem of its own generosity. SOW OY NZaee* COMMUNICATIONS THE FALL WEB-WORM EpitorR CONSERVATION : We have heard much concerning the gipsy moth and brown-tail moth of the East, but this pest, the ‘‘fall web-worm,’’ shown in the ac- companying photograph, is so familiar to our gaze that we see no more harm in them than in the English sparrow. In many parts of New York State, the the country. The average tree will die after five consecutive years of defolia- tion. Alarmed at their increase, and at the lack of attention to their ravages, the writer has made the pest a special study during this last season. They follow in the wake of the Eng- lish sparrow, and are most numerous where there are the least trees. On NESTS OF THE FALL.WEB-WORM upper portion of Pennsylvania, and all the upper half of Ohio the trees are covered with them. They are seen on the rose bushes and shrubs of almost every lawn and dooryard. The ceme- teries have them, and the woodlands are becoming devastated by them. In five years they, have increased a thou- sand to one; increasing by geometrical progression—in fifteen years—there cannot be a living tree in the regions named nor in many other portions of 620 the way to Alabama, in August, the writer found that they disappeared just above Dayton, Ohio, and there were but few through Kentucky and Ten- nessee; but the writer met a gentleman in Huntsville, Ala., who said they were quite numerous down the eastern coast line, clear to Florida. The reason why people are not more concerned over the ravages of this caterpillar is, presumably, that it is con- sidered a local pest; but it will soon be COMMUNICATIONS a national one, and spraying is entirely out of the question. How could hun- dreds of thousands of acres of forest be sprayed? And if they could, only a part of the worms would be destroyed. The restoration of our birds is our only hope. It is significant that these worms’ nests are most numerous near- est the human abode. There are rea- sons for this; our songsters, the small insectivorous birds, are buffeted and driven away by that foreign vagabond, the English house-sparrow ; and should a bluebird, oriole, or wren succeed in hatching a brood near a human habi- tation, the little fledgling usually drops to the ground, in its first effort at flight, and is grabbed by a cat. The Audu- bonists have ascertained that there are some 50,000,000 cats in the country, and that they destroy on an average, fifty young birds each, or 2,500,000,000 useful birds annually! The crows are multiplying at an enormous rate of speed, and they do little else in the nest- ing season than to rob small birds’ nests to feed to their own young. The young bird is a dainty bit for the snake, and the hawk has a piercing eye. Our valuable birds are disappearing at the rate of at least ten per cent. annually. Good people of America, something must be done at once to restore the birds. A paper is prepared, summariz- ing the food habits of our small birds, accompanied by a petition blank for their restoration. We ask that every reader of Con- SERVATION send for the pamphlets and commence work at once. Take them to your clubs; put them into the hands of school teachers. Full instruc- tions are given. Please remember it “takes money” to do printing, and we-ask you to enclose a stamp to pay postage. Address, John Davey, Kent, Ohio, Ye ME ME Two Essays Epitor CONSERVATION : The enclosed article. the valedictory address of Miss Ellen M. Hast- ings, of Elk River, Minn., High School, 621 is to my mind a unique piece of for- estry literature, not so much because of any new information which it contains, but from the novelty of its source and its fresh, wholehearted and_ concise treatment of a broad national topic. It seems to me that we can ill afford to let the spirit of young America therein displayed go unnoticed, since that is the spirit and generation whose interest and support we want to enlist to carry forward the movement for the conser- vative use of our natural resources. I venture to say that that address, linked as it was with the personal interest of every member of the audience in the speaker, and borne to them in the spirit of such an occasion as that, was a fac tor of more potentiality for lasting im- pressions than a score of similar ad- dresses delivered by the most enlight- ened propagandist. The author is not personally known to me, but I am nevertheless interested to see all such endeavors encouraged. Louis .S. Murpny. Thompson, Mont. MISS HASTINGS’ VALEDICTORY ESSAY The forests; what do they mean to us? Do they not embody strength, beauty, protec- tion, inspiration? What would our environ- ment here be without the woods? A deso- late prairie, bleak in winter, and dazzling and torrid in summer. Would we be content to see our oaks gradually disappear, until we might look across an interminable space, with only the frail habitations of mankind to obstruct our view? No; a thousand times no! If we, a very small part of the whole, can begin to realize the importance of the preservation of forests, how much more ought our great, progressive, and far-seeing nation to realize the momentous value of the advancement of forestry. When the early colonist settled along our eastern coast he found it covered with for- ests. These furnished him lumber for his home, and fuel. His old respect, matured in the old world, was fostered. From a friend the forest soon changed to an enemy. Did it not shelter his deadly enemies, the Indians and wild beasts? Did it not pre- vent the pursuit: of agriculture? Naturally he assumed’ the attitude that- the forests must be destroyed if civilization was to ad- vance. As his descendants moved westward they continued to meet and to destroy the dense forests, maintaining, long after there was the faintest cause, the attitude rightfully assumed by the first settler. 622 Before this destruction was begun the for- ests covered all this country except the plains west of the Mississippi. East of the Missis- sippi were the white and southern pine, which have supplied the generations with lumber; the hardwood forests of oak, ash, hickory, and gum. West of the Mississippi and the plains were the Rocky Mountain evergreen forests and the Pacific coast for- ests of redwood and firs. These were prob- ably the richest forests in the world. Not only did they represent a vast, untold wealth in lumber, but they also had a direct and tremendous effect upon the productivity of the land. The roots of the forest form a great sponge which, as a natural reservoir, holds the water at the earth’s surface. Where water for irri- gation is the “life blood” of a community, the first and greatest necessity is a forest at the source of the streams. The forests also have a great influence over the climate. It has been proven by many observations that the temperature within the forest in the winter is several de- grees higher than in the open, and in the summer is several degrees lower. This mod- eration is due to the moisture of the forest cover. Besides these inestimable effects upon the vital interests of the entire country there are the local uses. In the mountains the forests are safeguards against snow slides and floods. On the open prairies or by the sea they afford protection against winds and storms. Seemingly unconscious of the future and with the same idea of our ancestors, we are still destroying in hours what it will take centuries to produce. What has been done with this mass of wealth and power? The greater part of it has been used in supplying the ever-increas- ing demands of our growing nation. Al- though concrete and metal have replaced lumber in some ways, it is still an undisputa- ble fact that they have not reduced the de- mand for hardwood. While they are finding substitutes for wood in construction, they are also substituting it for other functions. Recently great areas of spruce timber have been purchased by pulp and paper manufac- turers. Already the pulp mills are meeting a very large part of the naper demands of this country. Every year large tracts of splendid forests have also been criminally destroyed. This devastation has been carried on by forest fires. In the early years this method of de- struction was encouraged because of its rapid and thorough results. Now, although the United ‘States Government is taking every precaution against these fires, men called “timber pirates” succeed in burning large areas in order to obtain the “dead and down” timber. Had the destruction of this vast wilderness of trees affected only the lumber resources of ‘he nation the result would have been sufficiently appalling. The destroying of the forests, has, in many cases, caused CONSERVATION the disappearance of rivers and_ streams which had their headwaters in the forest reservoir. Even now, while representatives from the valley of our “Father of Waters” are knocking at the doors of Congress for a one hundred million dollar appropriation to deepen. the channels of this great river for a navigable highway, we can hear the echoes of the axes and the crash of the quivering giants as they fall to the ground. Fell the forests, dry up the reservoirs of the river's headwaters, then ask for one hundred million dollars to deepen its channel! The same source accounts for change in climate from moderation to extremes, and for the increase of destructive storms and floods. If this reckless destruction continues, how are we going to maintain waterways or check floods? Where are we going to obtain lumber and fuel for the innumerable de- mands? Surely we do not expect to devise substitutes for all its natural resources or to import it for its artificial uses. Yet if this devastation goes on as at present, within a short time we will be entirely without the most useful servant to man, except the earth itself. With these facts facing us, the broad- minded men of this nation are awakening to the realization of the tremendous significance of forestry. They are considering it as the greatest problem with which our nation has to deal. What can we do? Preserve the remaining forest. Make it the obligation of every owner of a woodlot that he shall protect it. Let him use the accumulating interest and leave the principal untouched. Agitate the question of national and state reserves. Let the Government guarantee the best care and protection for them. Further than this, let the Government reserve tracts of land suitable for new fores‘s. Instruct the legislators to see that more stringent laws concerning the growing and cutting of timber be passed and more strictly enforced. But more important than all this should be the founding of good forestry schools. More bright and capable voung men should be made interested enough in forestry to make it their profession. To draw their at- tention, the schools should be made popular and attractive. If once our young men became enthusiasts, their enthusiasm will arouse the nation. Forests will be produced, preserved, and pro- tected. Once more we will live in closer communion with nature. we we Epitork CONSERVATION : I have been away from our home in Cartersville, Ga., since Jure, but have only had my interest in our forests strengthened by the awful fires which COMMUNICATIONS obscured the sunlight from Maine to Philadelphia. During my stay in Philadelphia, my native place, I found the enclosed com- position, written by a young nephew. I am sending it for you to read, because it seemed to me to contain quite a good synopsis of the reasons why our school- children should be persuaded to become friends of the forests. CAROLINE D. G. GRANGER. New York City. OUR FORESTS—A NATIONAL NECESSITY In America, as in other countries before it, the first settlers found it necessary to hew down certain portions of the forest in order to make clearings in which to build their houses and plant their corn. Moreover it was necessary to push farther from their dwellings such forests as sheltered wild beasts and savages. Subsequently, as the population grew, the trees were cut down for purely commercial purposes, namely, for the selling of wood for building lumber, pulp, turpentine, and other uses. The continuance of this unrestricted cutting down of trees for centuries without any replanting of young trees, has resulted throughout the larger part of the eastern United States in the partial destruction of the forests, while in some places they have been completely destroyed. Some states, notably New York, saw the peril of this practice in time and guarded against it by careful restrictions and by the state buying up tracts of forest in which the streams took their rise. Other countries learned the lesson too late. France has had to spend forty millions of dollars in endeav- oring to restore lost soil and forest to her mountains after a long course of destruction, such as is now going on in America. The countries which have taken steps to preserve their wood supply, are found to be those which at the present day are most prosperous, and have the best prospects for the future. The need of wood for some purposes has been lessoned; coal, for instance, has been largely substituted for wood as fuel, and many.other manufactured things have taken its place for building purposes; but in spite of this, there is more wood used to-day than ever before. Forest land acts as a vast reservoir, for the earth is naturally soft and easily absorbs the rain, which, on account of the cover of dead leaves and the shade afforded by the trees, is not evaporated by the sun, but is stored up in innumerable springs and in many small lakes or ponds. From many such reservoirs, large and small, are fed the streams which flow down to the lower lying farm lands and make our larger rivers navigable. By this natural method there is a constant supply of water through- 623 out the year; whereas when the land is de- nuded of forests the rainfall and melting snow flow at once into the streams, transforming them into raging torrents, although during the larger part of the year the stream may not contain water enough to make the land fertile. Thus it happens that where there are no natural reservoirs of water in the for- ests, artificial reservoirs have to be built, and an expensive system of irrigation carried out. Moreover, both the natural and the artificial reservoirs guard against floods, which wash off the loose earth from the mountainsides and carry it to the mouths of rivers, where it is deposited, and from which it must be dug at an outlay of an enor- mous amount of money. When the forests fail, the rivers will dry up, for without them there will be nothing to keep the water from running right off. In some rivers already the water-for most of the time is not deep enough, but in the spring the streams overflow their banks and cause terrible damage. The floods on our own Mississippi show us what the ruthless destruction of our» timber about its head- waters is accomplishing. When the forests are gone the country be- comes uninhabitable. For this reason Tyre and Sidon, Babylon and Antioch came to ruin. One third of China has become unfit for habitation through destruction of the forests, for when they are destroyed the soil soon be- comes so poor that it will not support a large population. The country is astounded at a great disaster like that at San Fran- cisco. The people respond willingly, and millions of dollars are immediately given for its aid. Yet we are told that a city like San Francisco might be destroyed every three or four months without causing greater loss of national wealth than is now going on all the time. The pinch is being felt already, for with the decrease in the supply of hardwood, in- dustries, such as carriage building and furni- ture making, will be wiped out. The decline in the wood-working industries of Ohio be- tween 1900 and 1905 was more than fifty- seven per cent. In Indiana the timber-using industry fell from the third to the eighth place. In 1905 the furniture establishments in the United States reported the annual use of 580,000,000 feet of lumber, and withoiit hardwood lumber they are helpless. Yet the present supply, which is for the most part in the highlands of the East, will be exhausted in fifteen years. Building materials also have become more expensive, and hence the rents go higher. Farming also suffers. Thousands of acres once cleared land have been abandoned, and in the South the farms are moving farther and farther up the mountainsides, with only a brief space between the beginning and the end of their usefulness. Commercially, as a public asset, from the tourists’ viewpoint alone, the White Moun- 624 CONSERVATION tains are worth $8,000,000 a year. Such famous places as Crawford Notch are rapidly being made hideous by the cutting away of the forests. It is a pleasure to see that the Senate has recently passed a bill appropriating $5,000,000 for beginning the purchase of lands in the Southern Appalachian and White Mountains. Our trees must be considered as a crop which needs to be replanted if we would have it continually, and not as something which we may forever cut down and never exhaust. We must face the fact that with- out forests we can have neither fertile soil nor navigable rivers, and hence without for- ests we shall become an impoverished nation. Henry Grecory ALLYN. May 17, 1908. we we Eucalyptus Growing EpITOR CONSERVATION: I spent most of last winter in south- ern California, and devoted a large part of the time to a study of the eucalyp- tus. I found, as claimed by growers, 100 Or more species and distinct variet- ies nearly all of which are grown suc- cessfully where they can get a supply of soil moisture sufficient to produce farm crops, and where the temperature does not fall more than three degrees to six degrees below freezing. They are grown extensively for fuel, wind breaks, street shade and ornamental trees, and are now being largely planted for railroad ties, telegraph poles, lum- ber, and many other uses. But ex- perience, as it appears, has not yet fully established the value of the different species for the various purposes, and there is a considerable diversity of opin- ion as to their relative merits. There are many species of very rapid growth, making annually from three to six ‘times as much wood as the best of our eastern forest and ornamental trees, and while it is doubtful if the enormous profits claimed by some promoters will ever be realized, I believe that as a business, whenever soil and climate are suitable, the growing of eucalyptus will be reasonably profitable. It may be profitably grown on all suitable lands that would otherwise remain unoccu- pied, and every landowner and home- maker should plant more or less for shade and ornament, wind breaks, fenc- ing, fuel, and various other uses for which trees and their products are al- ways in demand. : S: T. Kriser. Las Cruces, N. Mex. EDITORIAL The Forest Fires LMOST without interruption the reports of forest fires continue to occupy the columns of the daily news- papers. When the final reports for the year 1908 are received and the figures tabulated, it will be found that never in the nation’s history have forest fires been so numerous, or their consequences so disastrous as in the year now draw- ing to a close. No sooner have the fires died out in one region than they have sprung up in another. The fires in the far West and Northwest are ex- tinguished and immediately we read re- ports of forest conflagrations farther east. The ravaging flames in Minne- sota, Wisconsin and Michigan burn themselves out and Maine takes up the story. Back again to the Adirondacks and the White Mountains; then the tel- egraph tells us of the wasting of Penn- sylvania’s scanty forests, and before the smoke has pased away, the scene shifts again to Michigan. Maryland and New Jersey also suffer, and the National Cap- ital itself is shrouded in a pall of smoke from burning forests within fifty miles of the Washington Monument. WE YE Ye Thirty Years' Fire Damage nay PEIN the last thirty years, and not including the fatalities for 1908, 1,956 people have perished in for- est fires or fires caused by burning for- ests. Up to the time of writing, the death list for 1908 totals 296, as re- ported by the newspapers, or about seventy-two human lives per year lost in the flames of burning forests and the conflagrations arising from them. In 1891 the Division of Forestry col- lected authentic records of 12,000,000 acres burned over in a single year. The value of the timber destroyed that year was estimated at $50,000,000. The of- ficial census of 1880 estimated the area 5 burned per year as 10,000,000 acres. While now the acreage of forest burned over every year is undoubtedly smaller, the loss is not decreased, but is even greater, because the value of stumpage has increased since 1880 at least five times, and it is, therefore, only neces- sary to burn 2,000,000 acres annually to cause the same amount of loss. Estimate Not Excessive ITING a few examples of individ- ual fires, it will be seen that the Census Bureau and Forest Service es- timates of fire loss are not at all exag- gerated. For instance, in 1894, the Hinckley fire in Minnesota burned over an area of 250 square miles, killed 418 people, and destroyed $750000 worth of property, this being entirely apart from the vast amount of timber and lumber that was burned. In I9g02 a fire on the dividing line between Wash- ington and Oregon destroyed property amounting in value to $12,000,000. During the whole of the month of September, this vear, forest fires raged in northeastern Minnesota. The towns of Hibbing and Chisholm, which were in the paths of these fires, were prac- tically wiped out, and the total loss, as conservatively figured. amounted to nearly $10000,000. The town of Chis- holm alone suffered a loss to property, stocks of merchandise, and other items of direct loss, amounting to about $1,500,000. The fires that are raging in northern Michigan at this writing have already caused losses estimated at anywhere from $1,500000 to $3,000,000, accord- ing to the newspaper reports. One of the appalling features of this great Michigan fire was the derailment and destruction of a train loaded with fugi- tives from the fire districts. The train, speeding over a track hemmed in on 625 AMONG THE RUINS, CHISHOLM, MINN. either side by blazing forests, was thrown from the rails, and with no means of escape possible, the fugitives, penned in the cars, were slowly roasted to death. Press dispatches gave the number burned in this wreck and fire as forty-five to fifty men, women and children. It is certain that very few es- caped from the doomed train. Other Features of Loss HE above are the salient, glaring points in the story of this year's forest fires. There are other points, however, that cannot be ignored—other items of loss that figured in the grand total of the Nation’s bill for forest con- flagrations. The loss to new forest growth alone, conservatively estimated, amounts annually to $90,000,000. If it were not for these forest fires, we might expect an additional growth of twenty cubic feet per acre per year. This, for a forest area of 500,000,000 acres, would amount annually to 10,000,000 cubic feet. Ten billion cubic feet is equal to 45 000,000,000 feet board meas- ure, or more than the present annual consumption of saw timber in the United States; and figured at $2 per thousand this amounts to $90,000,000. ANOTHER VIEW IN CHISHOLM, AFTER, THE FIRE EDITORIAL Other items of loss which cannot be estimated in any manner are those of loss of soil fertility where the humus and top soil is burned and calcined to a depth of from a few inches to two or three feet, and where all soil nutriment is absolutely destroyed ; damage to river courses and to farming land adjacent to burned-over forests, such loss arising from floods and droughts which are caused by the destruction of forest cover and which annually cost the Na- tion many millions of dollars; and the constant depreciation in forest wealth and land values which have destroyed and are destroying the prosperity of many sections, and which form a ma- 627 terial hindrance to business enterprises and industrial development. ve ye ye Fire Losses of 1907 HE final statistics of fire loss for the year 1907 for national forests having a total area of about 150,000,000 acres show that last year was an un- usually favorable one so far as con- cerned forest fires. Heavy rains in all parts of the country kept down the fires and made conditions such as to be very unfavorable for the starting of any material conflagration, Following is a statement compiled by Mr. E. A. Zieg- ler, of the Forest Service, covering the fires of 1907. STATEMENT OF FIRE LOSSES FOR 1907 ; Showing Lost of Fire-fighting on National Forests otal, arom? DUTHOO) OVOLs ~6 © ce ers ste ae a'efeleciee mms oie bo 212,850! acres or .14 per cent. of 150 million acres reporting Pe iinerend A0Om PUTMEM OVOL. «oy oats ailatslawix wicieciavs i AIO UNE OL LIMPOr dOSCrOy OM. <0). o = ..6 10a oyeloe eve «)in lei ste 29,365? acres 31,026,000 board feet (or less than”™.007 per cent. of the 450 billion B.M. estimated stand on this area) MMVRING: OF CIMNGT CEBtLOVON . ¢ ocicm ed cs cc wc c sleet see es 5. Cost of fire fighting (exclusive of forest officers’ salaries): Labor Class A Total . Cause of fires: Campers Railroad locomotives. . Lightning Donkey engines Clearing: “Jatitisic cea ve titi bos sacisca vevve Incendiary Hiiniters. 53, Vinson s ce enn Ge ce eas ened ee dee en Ferderss,: os HNRAOOPTT tPTOMS oy Sonuaiaiciwteti mine Seri FICIAL MAGA ZI i e Tee —— AMERICAN FORESTRY ASSOCIATION FRANK GLOVER HEATON, £ditor CONTENTS FOR DECEMBER, 1908 coe TWEEN ¥-EIGH TH ANNUAL: MEE CING, 0 i 3s... so tmp +o) Caw dhe ane eee 640 SON Saeed LO Iee VV BoB be atc See oy eine ikl nial dite Givin &sulcinns nate tes Sse ee Lee ena 641 THE APPALACHIAN NATIONAL FOREST ASSOCIATION. ........0icccedeesss 643 THE ATLANTIC DEEPER WATERWAYS. ASSOCIATION. . ...405.- 0 sdltemy capees 645 THE MISSISSIPPI-TO-ATLANTIC WATERWAYS ASSOCIATION............... 647 ANNOUNCEMENT OF SECRETARY ‘WEILL’S RESIGNATION... ... 5... ss 0s0neue 648 neta ert ise A): Reeie On conc gone + Raldlaa't asi Mla ose sso tae ok tesa eee ween 649 THE RELATION OF THE U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY TO THE PUBLIC Bin Gears Oui Siiilidi, oes A oeneg Jo SSS BS DOC OIE ono nacre path clean Cristy eye 6 Tac 652 REPORT OF THE WATER SUPPLY COMMISSION OF PENNSYLVANIA..... 659 BEARING OF THE PROPOSED APPALACHIAN FOREST ON NAVIGATION een eg cs rele ee i he hal Det 661 PRESERVE. EOE > SOM Poem—By ton Ac Joyce. 6c: seis cist. cic rdendendevecs 663 IOC S OY 1P( QU Rl DeSean eR ores Se ere eee re ree 664 A BEGINNER IN FORESTRY—Paper Three—By Anne Warmner...................5- 665 IEEE TOS 2 UM TPS 11 a ea FO 2a 2) a ed PSY DAS) ee ce ite ee Ses AeA ere 667 TN GREAS 2 al: Koos ts Mib ss tee eee areen «oc Sie doin « choca saygieln atenle bi clsie eikie miele. w amy 668 FOREST SCHOOL NOTES—Illustrated— SGI MOREEE, {NCHGOL. ss secac duis Delsarte ale eels diners 672 Colorado School of Forestry..... Tr ee 675 Pennsylvania Forest School..............0.ee0- 674 MOTHER —Parm—Ee/Pileshor: Vani Allens oasis. css n is vo eclen ctu wnadss dpe cn dae ae Ree 678 ORIGIN OF THE RESERVOIR SYSTEM IN THE UNITED STATES—/Ilustrated— By “ThadsG, Potida clos acess cts Patera Mae oon BDI jo 1d Samo ae aa 679 mee, BOREST. HOBMIEAUS | —A. SympOSniaas «osc oc sco Sa sla ¥ vareineeh divin y 008 Soke 687 NEWS AND NOTES— Forest Service Personnel in Six New Field Forest Receipts in Western Depositories........ 695 SOUOREOTE . oan dae y hs ewan Mate ea Shae ow oe 691 Arboretum for Cornell University............... 606 menocie tlio, - Ohbinvel | NONE Sct. chdus beet kd ebies 694 Resolutions by Carriage Builders’ Association... 696 manerican Mining ComngreGi ssc cistiecescccncaccses 694 State Revenues from National Forest Increased. 696 panols’ Votes. for “WaterweS sec ccaica 6 ie wlscvicn en 695 CONSERVATION is the official organ of the American Forestry Association. Price, $2.00 per year, including Annual Membership in the Association. Entered as second-class matter August 1, 1908, at the Post Office at Washington, D. C., under the Act of March 3, 1879 Published Monthly at 1417 G STREET N. W. WASHINGTON, D. C. THE TWENTY-EIGHTH ANNUAL MEETING SERVATION of the Anti-Forest Fire Congress to be held in Washington, D. C., January 13-14, 1909. This will be the twenty-eighth annual meeting of the American Forestry Associa- tion, and forms an important link in the series of meetings and conferences to be held in Washington during the coming winter. Announcement of a number of these meetings which are to be held in December appear elsewhere in this issue. Following these important meetings, the Anti-Forest Fire Con- gress of the American Forestry Association will be notable in many respects. In the first place, it follows a season of disastrous loss from fires in all parts of the country. The congress will be par- ticipated in by representatives from all the states which are con- cerned with forest fires—the losses sustained through them, and their prevention. One of the most important sessions of the con- gress will be that devoted to the prevention and control of forest fires. The session which will be devoted to forest reservations will be equally interesting. As the subject of conservation of natural resources has been presented and discussed all over the country, the public mind has turned strongly to the necessity for constant improvement of the National Forests of the West, and to the need for extending the National Forest System to the eastern mountains. Nine out of ten persons, in discussing the conservation movement, say that one of the first steps to be taken is the protection of the Appalachian Mountain Range, north and south. The session on Forests and Waterways will also be of primary unportance. Never before has there been so keen an interest among thinking people of all classes in the relation which exists between mountain and forests and waterways. Indeed, one of the fore- most discussions of the year, in engineering papers, has been on this question The congress will also devote a session, or at least a part of a session, to the subject of Forest Education and Policy. The public is anxiously awaiting each advance of information on the means by which the resources of our country may be made to serve their highest use to the Nation. All of these subjects, and others which will doubtless be included, will make this meeting one of the most important to be held in Washington during this winter. Many popular organizations have already signified their intention to be represented, and many prominent men will be present and speak. On account of the very important meetings coming early in December, it is thought best not to issue a program in advance of these meetings. A NNOUNCEMENT was made in the November issue of Con- CONSERVATION Vol. XIV DECEMBER, No. 12 1908 “CONSERVATION WEEK" The Second Meeting of the Governors in Washington, to Receive the Report of the National Conservation Commission I to December 12, in Washing- ton, occurs the second meeting of the Governors, pursuant to the action taken at the memorable White House Conference held last May. The first full meeting of the National Conserva- tion Commission occurs on December I, and at this meeting the reports of the four branches of the Commission —Water, Forests, Lands, and Miner- als—will be received. During the time which has elapsed since the White House Conference, these four branches have been making an inventory—tak- ing stock, as it were—of the natural resources of the country—their extent value, present condition, promise for future use and development, etc.—and the meetings which begin on December 1 will receive these reports. The re- ports will be put into shape by the Commission, sitting as a body, and the results of the six months’ work will be ready to submit, in proper form, to the Governors, their advisors, and the representatives of the State Conser- vation Commissions and the commis- LD) URING the period from Decem- sions selected by the various national associations, at the meetings which be- gin on December 7. With less than six months in which to make the inventory, the four branches into which the Commission is divided, aided by the cooperation of the Government depart- ments, have brought together what is prob- ably the most useful collection of facts about the material things on which national indus- try and progress are based that has ever been assembled at one time. Reports presenting these facts and point- ing out their significance have been prepared. These reports, summarized and indexed, will be submitted to the Commission at its com- ing meeting. All through the summer general interest in the work and object of the Conservation Commission has been growing. The public is now well posted on a subject of which only a few specialists had knowledge at the time of the Conference of Governors and experts at the White House, in May. The Governors carried the spirit of the conference home with them to their own people, and have kept things moving ever since by appointing state commissions to study local problems, by writing and speaking upon the subject of conservation, and by keeping in close and helpful touch with the National Commission. They are ready to take part in the approaching joint meeting. 641 642 The bare announcement that it had been set for December 8 resulted in a number of acceptances before the formal invitation of the Commission had even got into the mails. When the conservation movement was started, specific information about the actual state of our resources was partly wanting, partly inaccessible. Certain facts were broadly known. It was at least unquestiona- ble that our resources had been wastefully used, and that some of them, notably the mines, were sure in time to be completely exhausted, while others—for example, the forests—could still be kept perpetually useful by right management. The first work was to get the facts, to show exactly what the situation was and how it could be improved by measures that would work. Without an inventory of the resources which should show the present condition of resources and the way to develop them to the best advantage, conservation was in danger of staying up in the air. Plans for the second assembly of the Governors, together with the Govern- ors’ advisors and the other representa- tives making up the whole body, are practically completed. The sessions start with a mass meeting at the Belasco Theater at which President- elect Taft presides. The National Rivers and Harbors Congress and the Southern Commercial Congress, hold- ing their sessions in Washington at the same time, take prominent parts in the program. The meetings during the week of December 1 are to be held in the Senate Reading Room of the Li- brary of Congress, while the place of holding those of the Joint Conservation Conference had not, at the time this was These lat- written, been decided upon. CONSERVATION ter sessions will be at 10 a. m. and 2.30 p. m. daily, and it is believed the con- ference will continue at least three days. The sessions of the National Conser- vation Commission, it is announced, will not be open to the general public. The work to be done at these meetings is that of receiving reports from the four divisions of the Commission, and, while it is realized that the discussion of these reports will be exceedingly full of interest, it is also realized that little could be accomplished in the way of putting these reports into shape for con- sideration at the later meeting, were the public made free of the sessions. While, of course, not even the sem- blance of a forecast of the Commis- sion’s final report, or any outline of the inventory taken during the past sum- mer, is or can be available until the conclusion of the meetings, it is safe to state that never in the history of the country has so valuable a contribution been made to science and to the general information of the country as is con- tained in the documents that will be submitted to the Joint Conservation Conference. The January number of CONSERVATION will contain the reports in full of the meetings of the Commis- sion, and the later meetings of the Con- ference, and this number will, therefore, be of especial interest and value to all members of The American Forestry As- sociation, as well as the members of other conservation organizations and friends of conservation in general. THE APPALACHIAN NATIONAL FOREST ASSOCIATION By J. H. Finney, Secretary WO matters of great importance to our work are making these “strenuous days’ for us and are engaging our utmost activity. The first of these is the work we are doing and planning in connection with the Southern Commercial Congress, which meets here in Washington, De- cember 7 and 8, during what might be termed “Conservation Week,” for fol- lowing their meeting the Great Na- tional Rivers and Harbors Congress assembles for a three-day session on December 9, I0, and 11, while the Gov- ernors and their advisers meet again in conference, this time with the National Conservation Commission on December 8 for a two or three day session. The Southern Commercial Congress promises to mark a new mile-post in Southern affairs and thought. It is to be a gathering of the brains of the South in a program of presentation and interpretation of the South’s resources in men and opportunity and material things—topics handled by men_ best qualified to discuss them intelligently and forcefully on the broadest lines,— not only that the South has these things, but what they should mean to the South, to the Nation, to the world at large. It is a big conception, rightly planned, as to time and place, and our part in it will not be insignificant, for we are asked to present the Appalachian Forest Question at that time. What we are going to do is to present it right, and, working in cooperation with the Forest Service, we will decorate the small ballroom of the New Willard with a complete exhibit of maps, dia- grams, pictures, transparencies, printed matter, etc.. and in every way possible enlist the active aid of these men in the fight we are making for National action. We feel that if we can once get the South to see the commercial im- portance of the Appalachians to it, that we shall arouse in these commercial bodies an aggressive and powerful agency of good. The other matter is also “worth while,” for the Agricultural Committee gives to us on December 9g another hear- ing on the Appalachian question, this time on Senate Bill 4825, being the bill which passed the Senate last session and which was referred to the House Committee on Agriculture. This hear- ing is most timely, for we ought to be able to present, through the conser- vation forces here at that time, the im- portance of the matter, and the over- whelming sentiment in the matter that the Nation is demanding this piece of legislation and intends to have it! We feel that in no higher or more useful way could these several bodies serve the country, and more effectively further the conservation idea than by getting squarely behind this legislation and making their wishes known in un- mistakable terms. So, in this we are working to get out these influences and _ effectively using them at the hearing. Our Association has just sent out suggested resolutions to practically every Board of Trade or Chamber of Commerce in the South, requesting their adoption and early return to us. We have prepared and have mailed a brief review of the Appalachian-White Mountain project, which is quoted be- low, giving the scope, its present statu:. and pointing the way to success, to all the leading papers in the South, ask- ing for their editorial comment and cooperation. 643 644 CONSERVATION We will get it, too, for the South realizes more than ever that it must have the Appalachians and will range itself squarely behind the work we have been doing for its establishment. The brief review of the project fol- lows: A BRIEF STATEMENT CONCERNING THE PRO- POSED APPALACHIAN-WHITE MOUNTAIN FOR- EST RESERVE This project contemplates the purchase by the National Government of forest areas in the Southern Appalachian and White Moun- tain regions, and their creation into a Na- tional Forest under the care and direction of the “Forest Service,” on identical lines of management and use as are employed in the existing National Forests in the West, where to-day the Nation has some 168,000,000 acres, to be kept in forest covering perpetu- ally under such wise restrictions as to use as insure their utmost value to the people now and in the future. While the project has been suggested for a period of twenty years and aggressive agi- tation has been made for eight or ten years, since the need of Government action has been apparent, it has been along somewhat indefinite lines until the last session of Congress. At this session, following the exhaustive survey and report of the Secretary of Agri- culture there were introduced in the House two bills and in the Senate two bills on identical lines in both branches, all provid- ing for the purchase of 5,000,000 acres in the Southern Appalachians extending from Alabama to Pennsylvania, and 660,000 acres in the White Mountains in New Eng- land, and proposed an appropriation of $5,000,000 therefor. Without going into much detail, no action was taken by the House, the bills dying in the Committee on Agriculture, not being re- ported out. In the Senate one of the bills passed, near the close of the session, and being sent to the House, met the same fate as the House bills: viz., “Not reported out of Committee.” The result was no action, though the real earnestness, the real urgency of it, the vital concern of the whole Nation in it, were never better or more convincingly shown. See House Document, “Hearing on the Appa- lachian Bill.” The Senate Bill (No. 4825) being still be- fore the House Committee on Agriculture for their action, must be taken up and dis- posed of at the coming session of Congress, and if the committee can be induced to report it so that the House can consider and debate it, it stands an excellent chance for enact- ment into law, for a careful poll of the pres- ent House seems to show that the project, which has the cordial endorsement of the whole Nation, will win by a large majority if a vote can be had on it—and that the old device of keeping it buried in committee may not at this session avail to prevent action. We are not so much concerned with the success of any special measure. We want and must have in some definite form an ade- quate start toward a National Forest in both sections, so that we plan to support heartily any measure or measures which will best bring this about, as a start toward a definite, systematic and clearly defined forest policy on the part of the Government, the carrying out of which would mean the extension of the National Forests to all sections where they may be “constitutionally” established and “insure national sanity” as regards their ai conservation to the utmost extent pos- sible. A large impetus has been given to the cause of forest perpetuation along these broad lines by the conservation movement, which had its inspiration in the Governors’ Conference in May last. The National Con- servation Commission appointed by the President as the result of that conference has been engaged for months in a study of the National resources and of all the ques- tions involved in their wise utilization. Its early report must be an authoritative utter- ance. -If this report fixes the forest question as of first importance because of their rapid destruction and their early complete exhaus- tion, it will arouse a demand for their preser- vation that Congress must heed—and this de- mand must name the Appalachian-White Mountain region, first. Whether the Con- servation Commission does this or not, condi- tions are such as demand that there be no let up in the earnest and hard work of the un- selfish men and women of the Nation who are urging National action in this important matter, and legislation bearing on it should continue to receive loyal and earnest support. The Agricultural Committee of the House proposes to grant a public hearing on the Senate bill on December 9, in Washington. There will be in session in Washington on December 7 and 8, the Southern Commercial Congress, representing the commercial voice of the entire South. There will be in ses- sion there on the 8th the Governors and their advisors, in conference with the President and the National Conservation Commission. There will be in session there on the oth, roth, and 11th, the great National Rivers and Harbor Congress—and every man in attend- ance upon them, who is alive to the conserva- tion idea, should be in attendance on this hearing and make his influence felt before the committee. Furthermore, every civic league, every chamber of commerce or similar body, every woman’s club in every Southern city, should, prior to December 9, pass ringing resolutions demanding this legislation and see that the Appalachian National Forest Association in Washington gets them in time to use them at the hearing on December 9. Do you plan to help? ATLANTIC DEEPER WATERWAYS ASSOCIATION Atlantic Deeper Waterways Asso- ciation was held in Baltimore, November 17 to 19, 1908, a large at- tendance and intense interest marking the gathering. Representatives were present from all the Atlantic Coast states, as well as from a number of the inland states. The old officers were reelected and strong resolutions were adopted. The resolutions follow in full: The Atlantic Deeper Waterways As- sociation, at Baltimore, assembled in its first annual convention, November 17 to 19, 1908, after full consideration and discussion of the relation of waterways to domestic commerce, and particularly of the requirements of the commerce of the 30,000,000 Americans living upon the Atlantic seaboard, approves and adopts the following resolutions : Resolved, That the business interests of the seaboard population directly, and of the entire nation indirectly, require the removal, at the earliest possible mo- ment, of the natural obstructions to a free interior deep water route from Massachusetts Bay to Key West along the lines indicated by existing canals and by surveys already made under the auspices of the Government of the United States. Resolved, That in the judgment of the members of this association, and of several of the foremost railway ex- perts in the country, the construction of this water highway can alone give gravely necessary and permanent relief to the business of transportation al- ready hampered by insufficient facilities and threatened with more serious ob- struction in the early future. Resolved, That the evidence is con- clusive that an interior deep water channel along the coast will be likely to repay even very large cost within a 4 | ‘HE first annual convention of the brief period by reducing the charges for the movement of commodities. Resolved, That the canals should be digged in any case by the Federal Gov- ernment; first, because the Government alone has authority over navigable water; second, because all the canals should be free, but chiefly because the enterprise, planned in the interest of peace, will have incalculable value for the whole nation in case of war. Resolved, That in the opinion of this association Congress should deal with this problem as a permanent remu- nerative national investment, and not as a matter of making annual expendi- tures, and in view of the need for the earliest relief from the impending con- gestion of railroad transportation, the money required for deeper waterways should be met by an issue of bonds. Resolved, That this association warmly commends and asks the con- tinuation and deepening of the water- way from Norfolk to Beaufort Inlet, N. C., now in process of construction under an appropriation and project heretofore adopted by Congress; it asks that Congress shall make the Delaware and Chesapeake Canal the property of the Federal Government and begin its reconstruction in accordance with the recommendation of the Agnus Com- mission ; that surveys shall be made for a canal from Beaufort south and from the Delaware River to New York har- bor; that the Hudson River shall be deepened so as to meet in its upper reaches the needs of the traffic upon the improved Erie Canal; and that all necessary promotion shall be given to the projects for opening a channel be- tween Long Island Sound and Massa- chusetts Bay. Resolved, That this association pledges itself finally and irrevocably to the Atlantic Deeper Waterways scheme 645 646 in its entirety and in detail, preferring no one link in the chain to any other, but ardently desiring that each lini shall be dealt with promptly and in ac- cordance with its requirements in its relation to the total undertaking. Resolved, That notwithstanding this association was organized particularly to promote the construction of a con- tinuous waterway from Maine to Flor- ida, we are in sympathy with all meri- torious movements for the improvement of our waterways. A waterway from the Lakes to the Gulf is demanded by the great states composing the Mis- sissippi Valley; and, whenever the en- gineers shall have recommended a route satisfactory to that section, within rea- sonable limits of cost, this association stands ready to unite with other sec- tions in promoting legislation favorable to the great waterway. The movements for a waterway connecting the Missis- sippi with the Atlantic Ocean and the Atlantic with the Gulf, together with other waterway improvements which are shown to be practicable, also have our sympathy and cooperation. This association is committed to a_ broad, liberal policy consistent with the de- mands of commerce and within the ability of the Government to construct. Resolved, That this association ex- CONSERVATION tends cordial greetings to the National Rivers and Harbors Congress which will soon convene in the city of Wash- ington. That body has prosecuted a forceful propaganda of education among the people of the country for larger and more regular appropriations for the deepening and improvement of our harbors and waterways. We pledge our sympathy and active support in the continued prosecution of the work of that Congress. Resolved, That the association ap-- proves the work of the United States Forest Service and commends the pro- gressive and efficient administration of this service under the present Chief Forester; and commends the work otf the “Inland Waterways Commission” and the other official and individual movements for the conservation of our natural resources. If the normal flow of our navigable streams is to be pre- served, if the disastrous results of floods are to be averted, the forests and their floor covering at the headwaters must be preserved under the regulation of in- telligent foresters. The interdepend- ence of navigable waters upon their re- related natural resources is fully recog- nized and we pledge our efforts for the maintenance of all movements for their conservation. MISSISSIPPI-TO-ATLANTIC DEEP WATER- WAYS ASSOCIATION NOTABLE convention of the a month was that of the organiza- tion hitherto known as the “Gulf Coast Inland Waterway Association.” It was held at Columbus, Ga., Novem- ber 10-11, and was largely attended by delegates from Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, and Florida, with members and guests from Illinois, In- diana, Ohio, South Carolina, and the District of Columbia. Notable ad- dresses were made, that by Hon. Dun- can U. Fletcher, U. S. Senator-elect from Florida, attracting particular at- tention as an exposition of the present condition and needs of navigation in the Southern States. The name of the organization was changed to “The Mississippi and At- lantic Deep Waterways Association,” and a committee was appointed to re- vise the constitution. was elected president for the ensuing year, with Mr. Leland J. Henderson, secretary, and Mr. G. A. Waterman, treasurer, with a strong body of vice- presidents and an effective executive committee. The resolutions adopted (apart from those of a more personal character) are as follows: Feeling that the full industrial de- velopment of the southeastern states must depend on improved transporta- tion facilities, we favor the adoption and prompt execution of a comprehen- sive plan of waterway improvement. We especially favor and call for, as a just right, the construction of a deep inland waterway along the eastern gulf coast to connect the Mississippi River with the Atlantic Ocean, together with the improvement of the gulf slope rivers in such manner as to open new territory to water transportation. We favor the execution of the work under Senator Fletcher | federal appropriations adequate for prompt and certain completion of the entire project; and, in case the state of the public treasury forbids sufficient ap- propriations at an early date, we favor the issuance of bonds in such an amount as to insure the completion of the work in a businesslike way. In voicing our needs, we appeal to the Federal Government as of right; and as citizens and as representatives of the citizens of six sovereign states we claim consideration and action by Congress in accordance with the re- peated recommendations of the federal administration and the united declara- tion of the governors of all the states of the Nation. Resolved, that this convention cor- dially and unreservedly approves the work of the National Rivers and Har- bors Congress, and endorses the policy advocated by it, and that this associa- tion take out a membership in the Na- tional Rivers and Harbors Congress and send delegates, not exceeding fifty, to the coming convention of said con- gress in Washington, December 9, 10, and 11, 1908, and urge upon all munici- palities and commercial organizations in the states represented in this con- vention to do likewise. That this association authorize the president to appoint three members as directors of the National Rivers and Harbors Congress, and ask that these appointees be elected such directors by said congress—one from the Chatta- hoochee River Basin, one from the east gulf coast, and one from the Atlantic Coast of Florida. Resolved, that the Mississippi to the Atlantic Inland Waterways Association endorses a comprehensive businesslike system of caring for and improving 647 648 rivers and harbors and of extending such natural advantages by means of connecting canals whenever needed or justified by prospective requirements of trade between such natural waters. We specifically approve and endorse the In- land Waterways Commission. That this convention heartily en- dorses the national policy of conserving all natural resources, and especially the sources of control of the water supply of inland streams, and to that end ad- vise that the several states of the Union legislate with a view to vesting in the National Government sufficient author- ity above heads of navigation to ade- quately protect the rights of posterity as well as the advantages of the pres- ent generation. That this association calls upon the governors of the states who have not named delegates to the approaching meeting of the National Conservation Commission to do so at once, selecting suitable persons who will attend the meeting and represent the states from CONSERVATION which appointed ; and that the president of this association be requested and urged to attend said meeting of said National Conservation Commission, and the Hon Napoleon B. Broward, gov- ernor of Florida, be requested to ap- point the president of this association as one of the delegates from the State of Florida. That we unreservedly endorse the project and purposes of the Southern Commercial Congress, to meet in the City of Washington, December 7 and 8. the purpose of said congress being to bring the South itself into a clearer understanding of its rich possessions and to bring to the North and the rest of the world a fuller and therefore juster appreciation of the resources and opportunities of the South. Said liberations, we urge every resident of Southern States to visit Washington for this and the other great events of the week beginning Monday, Decem- ber 7. RESIGNATION OF DR. THOMAS E,. WILL At a meeting of the Executive Committee on October 19 Dr. Thomas E. Will tendered his resignation as Secretary of the American Forestry Association. It was accepted to take effect on October 26. Although without connection with the Association since October 26, Doctor Will retains a deep interest in Forestry, and articles from his pen may be anticipated from time to time. WATER-POWER Our Unappreciated Resource and Our Future Refuge By M. O, LEIGHTON, Chief Hydrographer, United States Geological Survey were featured in the daily press ac- counts of floods in some southern Appalachian rivers. The descriptions contained nothing new. The story of some earlier flood would have been quite as satisfactory if a few names and figures were changed to correspond with local conditions. The really important facts were, as usual, omitted. To il- lustrate this, a single instance will be discussed. Augusta, Ga., is situated on the Sa- vannah River, at the head of naviga- tion and at the foot of a series of falls and rapids that surmount forty-four feet in seven miles. A water-power privilege is thereby afforded, which, if fully developed, would furnish a min- imum of about 15,500 horse-powers. Bear in mind that this is the develop- ment which, under present conditions, limits the value of the privilege. With an accommodating market, more power might be sold during seasons of high water, but 15,500 horse-powers are all that could be guaranteed throughout the year. In other words, until a greater flow can be secured during low- water seasons the Augusta privilege must be classed as 15,500 horse-power. Newspaper reports fixed the dam- age of the August flood at Augusta at about $500,000. For present purposes it matters not whether the proper fig- ure be one-half or twice the newspaper estimate. The items of damage in- cluded loss to real property, raw ma- terials, and finished merchandise, ma- chinery and other equipment necessary to manutacturing and commerce. Pos- sibly the estimate included losses due to interruption of traffic, delay in pro- duction cessation of wages, and other circumstances consequential in nature. ie THE closing days of August there It is unlikely that the estimate included depreciation of property values, arising from the menace and uncertainty of fu- ture recurrent floods, though this is often a larger item of flood damage than all those above cited. Finally, it is cer- tain that the estimate did not include the most serious loss of all: The loss of the food water. It swept by Augusta unrestrained, carrying with it far more astonishing possibilities of ultimate benefit than can be measured by the devastation resulting from its unre- straint. For the purpose of measur- ing this most serious loss, let us scale is off in terms of water-power. During the August flood there passed by and through the city of Au- gusta approximately 62,000,000,000 cubic feet of water in five days. If the water so lost had been conserved in forests and reservoirs on the upper drainage area of the Savannah and re- leased uniformly throughout, say, the six low-water months of the year, the flow past Augusta would have been in- creased during these months by about 4,000 cubic feet per second. We know from observation of flow in the Savan- nah, that the remaining six months of the year will furnish at least as much as this, in addition to the usual low- water flow. Now. this amount of water, falling over the forty-four feet at Augusta, will produce 14,500 horse- powers. All this assumes a condition under which the entire flood could have been stored. But we know that all could not have been stored. With proper conditions of forestation, and with available reservoir sites utilized, about sixty-five per cent. of this flood could have been withheld. Therefore, we must reduce the power above given by the same proportion. The final re- 649 650 sult is, therefore 9,500 horse-powers, which, added to the previously stated minimum power, would raise the rat- ing of the Augusta privilege from 15,500 to 25,000 horse-powers. Seventy dollars per horse-power is not a large installation cost in this coun- try. Some developments in the region have cost far more than this. There- fore, the value of the Augusta privilege alone, on the basis of the August flood, would have been increased $665 000 by the adoption of proper means for sav- ing the flood water. This is the figure which represents the principal item of loss in the Augusta flood, and of which neither the press nor the world made record. The Augusta case has been discussed because its application is so thoroughly general. Like consideration apply to all water-powers. We have in the first place, an amount of economically avail- able water-power, enormous in the to- tal for the country, with rivers in their present condition of unrestraint. Sec- ondly, we have a reserve which may be made available by means which will save the flood waters now wasted. No consideration of water-power is com- plete unless it comprehends the double possession. The extent of our suffer- ing from floods must, therefore, be an index of our wastefulness of water- power. This may be accepted as fun- damental. We, as a Nation, present the curious appearance of being highly progressive on the one hand, and ruinously extrav- agant on the other. We get what we want, but the price that we pay is ex- orbitant. At the present time we are using not less than 26,000,000 steam horse-powers for manufacturing, light. traction, etc. It is true that there was a time when steam was the cheapest and most adaptable motive power. That day is past, or is rapidly passing, for everything except marine locomotion, and the twilight of that is not far dis- tant. Steam-power is comparatively expensive, yet steam installation is con- stantly increasing. We persist in us- ing expensive motive power, while mil- lions of horse-powers are going to waste CONSERVATION in our rivers. The steam-power plants of the country must use approximately 260,000,000 tons of coal per year, an amount considerably more than one- half our total consumption of coal for 1907. Therefore, not only are we pay- ing more than is necessary for our mo- tive power, but we are in the process of making great and greater demands on our coal resources, to hasten their ultimate exhaustion. It will be well now to consider how much cheaper is water-power than steam-power. Of course, there is a wide variation depending on many factors, most important of which is the price of coal. There are places in which coal is so cheap that the cost of steam-power exceeds little, if any, the cost of water-power. In other places, the difference in favor of water-power may exceed $60 per horse-power. The State Water Supply Commission of New York, working under the guid- ance of one of our most competent engineers, calculated that in that state a steam horse-power per year is $12 more costly than a water horse-power. This may be considered a small mar- gin, resulting partly, no doubt, from the proximity of New York State to the Pennsylvania coal fields. Therefore, we shall be exceedingly conservative if we use this factor for the entire country. As previously stated, there are in use 26,000,000 steam horse-powers. Un- doubtedly there is some of this so sit- uated that it could not at present, be replaced by hydro-electric power. If ten per cent. be allowed for this we shall be making a very liberal concession. This leaves 23,400,000 steam _horse- powers which, at an excess cost of $12 per horse-power, gives a total of about $281,000,000, which the people of the United States pay annually for the priv- ilege of squandering their coal re- sources. In view of this conservative estimate, is it not remarkable that we do not use more water-power ? Whether or not the people awaken to the bountiful water resources of the country, it is inevitable that the pro- gressive exhaustion of our coal depos- WATER-POWER ics, and the consequent increase in the price of fuel, will drive us to water- power. It is, therefore, proper to ask whether or not the water resources of the country are sufficient to meet future demands. It is recognized that the de- mand for power must have future in- crease, even greater than that of the past. Therefore, let no one underesti- mate the task of providing a substitute for steam. Notwithstanding this, the prospect to one who has looked broadly into the country’s water-power re- sources, is altogether pleasing. No one can tell at present just how extensive are those resources; although, in a few months, approximate figures will be at hand. Yet if we estimate from infor- mation now available, there is a wealth of conservation in the statement that 50,000,000 horse-powers may be pro- duced from our rivers. Nor would there be any surprise on the part of the author if the final surveys show that with maximum conservation, three times the above amount may be real- ized. In any event the demands of a goodly number of generations will be amply served. Our duty to ourselves and to pos- terity in the stewardship of our natural resources is not ended with the accom- plishment of great achievements. Be- cause we may, by wise procedure, en- sure unto the fifth or sixth generation an abundant supply of this or that necessity, the obligations imposed by our stewardship are in no wise satis- fied. Yet if, by conserving all water- power that can be made available on de- mand, we can look ahead to a_ suffi- 651 ciency for that fifth or sixth generation, we shall have accomplished a duty man- fully and well. Having done all that we can, our responsibility, at any rate, will have been discharged. It will not suffice merely to know that the United States affords 50,000,000 or 150,000,000 water horse-powers. Like riches, horse- powers have wings. Present possession provides no guaranty of future avail- ability. Our duty lies in securing those horse-powers, using what we need and placing the remainder in safe deposit. Thus would a private corporation do. Why, then, should not a public corpor- ation do likewise? The same economic principle controls both. Present practices, all too familiar, will finally so dissipate our water- power resources that they will not be sufficient even for present demands. Therefore, the precept is utterly con- vincing that the first duty of the people is to study these resources and provide corrective measures for those practices. Thus shall we not only achieve power in more than one sense, but we shall consequentially provide for all other lines of water utilization and conserve our most valuable mineral deposits. There is but one great problem invol- ved; to break it into parts, to pursue one object to the disregard of another merely betrays a narrow and obsolete view-point. Water-power is but one factor, although the most important, in a vital and world-wide problem, the so- lution of which has fallen to us. So far our shirking has been ingenious. The process has been easy, but even now we are paying the price. Cor ** THE RELATION OF THE UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY TO THE PUBLIC By GEORGE OTIS SMITH, Director U. S. Geological Survey pose of every Government depart- ment and bureau. As a part of the public service the Geological Sur- vey has functions prescribed by law. In the organic act establishing this bureau twenty-nine years ago it is specified that the Director of the Geological Survey shall be charged with the classification of the public lands and the examination of the geologic structure, mineral re- sources and products of the national do- main. Thus did Congress express its recognition of the practical relationship existing between geology and the min- eral industry as well as its appreciation of the fact that these mineral resources constitute the Nation’s material wealth. The Survey thus became a pioneer agency in the development of the coun- try. Its name expresses the scope and character of its work as national. scien- tific, and practical. “Survey” stands for work in the field, and this branch of the public service is an organization for practical investigation in which the methods of pure science are made to serve utilitarian ends so as to insure the attainment of the economic results desired by the public. To be successful a Government scientific bureau must be practical. The extent of the operations of the Survey depends upon the size of the annual appropriations in its behalf. Congress has gradually increased these from $100,000 to more than one and a half million, so that the Geological Sur- vey has from year to year become bet- ter equipped to occupy the large field of public service to which it was given a title in 1879. Its activities are all directed toward . ‘O SERVE the people is the pur- the public benefit, but are so varied as to deserve a simple classification for purposes of description. The explora- tion work of the Survey includes the discovery and mapping of the previ- ously unknown; the investigations by the Survey have as their purpose the determination of the value of all the new data collected by the fieldmen; ana the publication side of the work in- volves the making known to the world the results of these explorations and investigations. As I speak of the explorations of the Survey, I must mention first the twenty- five to thirty thousand square miles of territory that is mapped each year by the Survey topographers. Explora- tion is the correct term, for our topo- graphic surveys bring out new discov- eries even in portions of the United States long settled. For example, the highest points in such old states as Ohio and Pennsylvania have been de- termined only recently in the course of the field surveys of these areas by our topographers. The detailed maps that are being thus made of the country already number 1,800 sheets, which together cover one- third of the area of the United States. These maps constitute the “mother map” of the country in that they are based upon actual surveys, so that the other maps with which the public is familiar, whether published in geog- raphy, atlas, or as a folded state or county map, are to a large extent based upon the United States Geological Sur- vey maps. These topographic maps are utilized not only by the map-makers who sell their publications, but by the Govern- *Address delivered before the Maine State Board of Trade, September 22, 1908. 652 RELATION U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY TO PUBLIC ment cartographers, for example, in making the Post Route maps of the Post-office Department, or as bases for the military maps prepared by the War Department. While we know the ex- tent to which the maps are put to a federal use, we can only estimate how largely they are utilized by the engineer in private practice in the great indus- trial enterprises of the day These maps now possess a degree of accuracy which fits them to serve the general purposes of preliminary sur- veys, so that the engineer can use them for the location of railroads, canals, highways, trolley lines, or in connec- tion with planning water supply, sewer- age, drainage, or irrigation systems. The fact that the sales of these Sur- vey maps average over a_ thousand sheets every day in the year is evidence of a popular demand, but the measure of the contribution of these surveys to the public includes more than the ex- tent of map distribution. Over all parts of the country there have been lines of levels run amounting to more than 200,000 miles, over 8,000 miles be- ing run last year. Permanent bench marks are established, 2100 last year, as a result of this accurate level- ing, and these monuments serve the public, whether it be the western ranch- ers planning their irrigation system or the eastern engineers selecting a pipe- line route. Geologic mapping by the Survey geologists is another branch of explora- tion work, in which not only is the surface distribution of the rocks and soils observed and mapped, but also the subjacent formations are studied, to the end that the published maps may fur- nish the prospector, the mine-operator, or the driller for oil, gas, or water with _ reliable information as to what may be encountered at hundreds and thousands of feet beneath the surface. Detailed geologic maps covering thousands of square miles are issued each year, and the issue of such a map of a mining dlis- trict is eagerly awaited by the mining engineers and mine-owners. Nowhere has the Survey made a better record than in Alaska. Ex- 653 ploration work in this northern out- post of our country has resulted in maps that have well served the pur- poses of the prospectors and miners who have added so much to the Na- tion's wealth. The literature on Alaska of value to mining men is almost wholly of Survey authorship; yet the explora- tions represented by these reports and maps have involved an expenditure of less than half a million dollars or only one-half of one per cent. of the gold output of Alaska for the same period, not to mention the increasing produc- tion of coal and copper. Few taxes are so light as this. The investigation work of the Survey is closely connected with the explvura- tions by the field-men. The data col- lected must be studied, whether these are geologic, geographic hydrographic, or technologic: that is, whether they concern, for instance, ore deposits, mountain passes, waterfalls, or smoke abatement. Many are the lines of in- vestigation, and each in its final analy- sis is found to be utilitarian. One of the most important investi- gations under the Geological Survey is that of the water resources of the coun- try. The daily flow of streams has been gaged at over 1,500 points throughout the United States for a period of years, and from these records the public can gain the most authorita- tive information available regarding the average flow of these rivers. Dur- ing the past year 630 gaging stations were maintained. Still another line of activity in scien- tific investigation by the Geological Survey is its technologic work. The testing of the fuels and structural mate- rials, of which the Government itself is so large a consumer, has inaugurated investigations which have already yielded results of the greatest value to the public. Time permits mention only of the general scope of this work, but this is sufficient to indicate its im- portance. These investigations include the gas-producer tests which have shown the practicability of utilizing for power generation low-grade fuels, such as slack coal, bone, and lignite; the 654 manufacture of briquetts, so commonly used in foreign countries, and the test- ing of these briquetts on locomotives and naval vessels; comparative tests of the producer-gas engine with the steam engine and of the internal-combustion engine using gasoline and kerosene as well as alcohol; coking and washing tests which demonstrate the coking possibilities of many of the Rocky Mountain coals heretofore regarded as non-coking; smoke abatement in- vestigations. which have indicated the conditions in steam boiler practice nec- essary for securing more perfect com- bustion; inquiries into the available supplies of concrete materials and the study of these constituent materials; the investigation of concrete as a struc- tural material for different purposes and under different conditions with tests of concrete beams of different ages; comparative tests of different materials to determine their fine resist- ing qualities and strength at different temperatures; all these investigations have been carried forward and results of the most practical kind secured. Over 1,000 inspection analyses have been made of coal purchased by the Government on specifications, resulting in the delivery of coal up to the fixed standard of purity. This method, just inaugurated in the Government service, of getting the coal it pays for and of paying for just what it gets, is worthy of imitation by the general public. In a similar way all these technologic inves-’ tigations, while made by the Survey primarily for the benefit of the Govy- ernment, are in reality of even greater value to the public at large. Another line of investigation has as its purpose the prevention of mine disasters, with the consequent appalling loss of human life. Experimental work in the testing of explosives has just begun at Pitts- burg under the supervision of the Survey. The explorations and investigations of the Survey realize their full purpose only as the results attained are pub- lished. The relation of the Survey to the public demands that these results must be presented in the form best CONSERVATION adapted to secure publicity and that the publications must be distributed with care and expedition. Thus the Survey becomes a bureau of publication as well as of investigation, and here lies the real test of its success in the service of the people. Publicity of results is secured by the preparation, publication, and dis- tribution of the reports of the various investigations, geologic, geographic, hydrographic, and technologic, by the engraving and printing of the maps representing the surveys, and by the distribution of news bulletins issued weekly for use by the newspapers of the country. This news service de- serves a further word inasmuch as it represents the Survey’s point of di- rect contact with the most efficient agency of publicity, the mewspaper. Advance notices of Survey publica- tions. summaries of reports of special interest, preliminary statements of the statistics of mineral production, and news items regarding work in progress in the different branches of the Survey constitute the subject-matter of these press bulletins. Their purpose is to acquaint the public with the activities of the Bureau and to advertise the re- ports as issued, that the public may secure promptly the results of the work that is supported by public money. In this press-bulletin service there is no intention of advertising any one con- nected with the Survey, nor of creating public sentiment, nor of influencing public opinion, except as public opinion may be molded by the facts presented in the reports published by the Sur- vey. In short not only must the scien- tific economic investigations of the Sur- vey be made to yield authoritative results, but these results must be given to the public. Whatever form of pub- lication secures the greatest publicity without affecting the integrity of the statement of these results, that form best serves the public. In the publication branch of the Sur- vey, there were issued in the fiscal year just closed: 127 books, comprising over 10,000 pages, nine geologic folios, eighty-seven new topographic maps, RELATION U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY TO PUBLIC 127 reprints of maps, and fifteen special maps—a separate publication for every day of the year, with a grand total of copies issued of over 900,000. The total distribution of these publications was nearly 850,000 copies. : After this review of the different phases of the work of the United States Geological Survey, it may be appropriate to speak of the policy gov- erning this branch of the public serv- ice. I have said that the Survey had its origin in an appreciation of the im- portance to the Nation of its mineral resources. In 1870, the treasure house of the country had barely been opened ; the value of last year’s mineral output was approximately six times that of the product of 1880. This phenomenal growth of the min- eral industry during the life of the Survey has emphasized the industrial dependence of the country upon its mineral wealth, and the present year has seen a nation awakening to a realization of its future needs. Thus it is that the Survey’s duty to the peo- ple has caused its role to.change in these thirty years from that of the pro- moter of the development of the min- eral industry to that of the conserver of these sources of wealth. The Na- tion, under the lead of President Roosevelt, has begun to take thought of the morrow, and it has turned to its scientific bureaus for authoritative information. The problem before the American people to-day is the extension of the life of its natural resources. It is fortunate that the explorations and investigations of the Geological Survey net only have contributed to the de- velopment of these resources, but also have furnished quantitative data that are available at this time of popular awakening to the needs of national conservation. The practical value of the Survey’s scientific work has thus won popular recognition and apprecia- tion, so that the Bureau can realize more fully its purpose of promoting the eco- nomic development of the country along proper lines. Conservation as applied to mineral 3 655 resources means the meeting of pres- ent-day needs with an eye open to the requirements of the morrow. To this end, an inventory of the country’s present supply of the essential mate- rials is the first step, and for a period of years the Survey has been engaged in stock taking. The Survey geologist has measured the coal and iron re- serves; the Survey hydrographer has gaged the streams of the country, de- termining their flow and calculating the available power; the Survey topogra- pher has explored and mapped the little- known areas, furnishing us with relia- ble data from which may be determined the feasibility of reclamation by irriga- tion or by drainage, and the Survey statistician has determined and _ re- corded the increasing rate of produc- tion and consumption of mineral prod- ucts. With this information already at hand, the greatest incentive to economy is provided. The phenomenal indus- trial growth of the past few years can- not continue without endangering the future unless wasteful methods are stopped. The campaign of conservation must be one of education. In this educa- tional service, the Geological Survey, like the other scientific bureaus, long since enlisted. Its policy has been to better economic conditions by the in- vestigation of the Nation’s natural resources. Through such _ investiga- tions by the Geological Survey the Forest Service and the Reclamation Service both originated, the older bu- reau by its preliminary work marking out the great fields open for the larger activities of the younger organizations. In the subjects other than forestry and irrigation, the Survey has continued its work and to-day is presenting to the public facts that constitute most forci- ble arguments for national conservation. The subject of our mineral fuels is one of intense interest to the American who desires his country’s future to be no less brilliant than its present. On the eve of the Governors’ Conference at the White House, the Survey issued a map of the coal fields of the United States. This showed both graphically and _ sta- 656 CONSERVATION tistically the extent of the Nation’s coal reserves; but great as are these stores of fuel, at the present rate of increase in consumption, these statistics indicate that the supply of easily mined coal will be exhausted before the middle of the next century. Cheap coal has given this country its industrial supremacy, and it is well to take this account of stock. The very abundance of our mineral fuels and ores of the important metals has discouraged economy, so that the problem immediately before us is that of waste prevention. Nowhere are the present conditions more critical than in the case of coal. At every stage in the mining and utilization of coal there is waste to an extent almost beyond belief, and much of the technologic investiga- tion on the part of the Survey is di- rected toward lessening the waste in the production of coal and increasing the efficiency in its consumption. Water is unquestionably our greatest mineral resource. All great industries —agriculture, manufactures. transpor- tation, and mining—depend upon it, and it is fortunate indeed that our President has called the Nation’s atten- tion to the value of its water resources. The possibilities of our rivers and streams well deserve the investigation I mentioned earlier as being carried on by the Survey. Flood prevention would save to the Nation over $100,000,000 annually, and it is believed that flood control could be secured by an expen- diture equivalent to the present losses from the floods of a few years. Inland water navigation is demanded to solve the present-day problems of interstate commerce. Reclamation by irrigation and drainage means the winning to the use of man of vast tracts of fertile land and thus increasing the national wealth. Even more opportune to-day is the dis- cussion of the utilization of our water power. While America is the greatest consumer of coal, more than one-half of the present consumption in the United States has for its object the generation of power. In the presence of enormous undeveloped water pow- ers, this drain upon the coal resources seems in a large part unwarranted. Utilize this water power and there will result not only the financial saving of to-day, but also the conservation of the coal. Nor should we think that pos- terity alone is concerned in this con- servation of our resources. Every step toward the exhaustion of our easily mined coal, for instance, will be marked by a rise in price. It is, then, only by systematic study of the natural resources of the coun- try that progress can be made toward national conservation. The practical value of the Survey’s scientific work has been recognized in this connection and the usefulness of its results appre- ciated by the general public. With reliable information before us regard- ing our stores of natural wealth our present wasteful practices, and our pos- sibilities of improvement in methods of utilization, there should indeed be suff- cient incentive to join in the movement for national betterment. As a citizen of Maine, addressing a representative body of Maine men, I should speak of the share our state has in this national conservation. In all that relates to natural resources, political boundaries play little part. Most of the important rivers of the country are interstate streams. The distribution of the forests and depos- its of valuable minerals antedated by centuries and ages the definition of state boundaries. Thus the paper man- ufactured from timber from the Maine forest by power derived from one of our rivers may go to a southern city, or again, the steel used by one of our Maine mills may be the product of a Pennsylvania furnace using Minnesota ore, West Virginia coke, and New Jer- sey limestone. It is this interdepend- ence, this community of interest, that makes anything that affects any part of the country a matter of real concern to the citizens of Maine. Yet there are certain phases of this broad subject that touch us more intimately than others. The farm, forests, and water powers of Maine comprise her chief natural wealth and constitute the real basis for her industrial life. Of these I will men- —— -— RELATION U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY TO PUBLIC 657 tion only two, the forests and the water resources, which indeed cannot easily be discussed separately. The rivers of Maine now contribute to the industries of the state a total of 341,976 horse-power. It is estimated that, fully developed, Maine’s water powers might yield with proper stor- age somewhat more than _ 1,000,000 horse-power. This conservative esti- mate gives our state the equivalent as regards power generation, of the coal production of several of the fairly im- portant coal states. The development of these water powers is the line for Maine’s future industrial progress. The preservation of this source of cheap power is a trust which we of to-day must acknowledge, and waste of this natural resource is criminal, inasmuch as with proper care water power can be utilized to the full- est extent arid at the same time be suc- cessfully conserved for use by posterity. The discussion of the conservation of our water resources leads directly to the consideration of our forests. Full appreciation of Maine’s depend- ence upon her forests and exact knowl- edge of the extent and present condition of this resource are essential if we are to seek to inspire the people to adopt a policy of economy. There must be an educated and aroused public opinion if waste is to be discouraged. First of all, we must not be led by sentiment, but rather be urged onward by prac- tical knowledge. Waste may or may not find some excuse for existence. There is a theoretical waste which it is not practicable to avoid under present conditions, but there is also waste against which both theory and practice warn us. There are the tops and limbs that cannot be taken from the forest, because their utilization would cost more than it could yield; but there are many forms of waste which may be avoided with profit to all concerned. Chief among these is the annual loss by forest fires. Two well-qualified speak- ers are to address you on this subject, and will discuss the prevention of this form of waste. / After several years of field work in the states of Michigan and Washing- ton, where I have traversed hundreds, if not thousands, of square miles of territory devastated by forest fires, I feel qualified to add my warning as to the consequences that follow close upon such devastation. The forest is not only of value for the timber it contains, but it is the great conserver of soil and water. We might do without wood, but we cannot do without the forest. The soil that formed under the protection of the forest cover is soon washed away after the forest fire, if indeed the best of the soil was not reduced to ashes along with the forest itself. The streams that had their sources in the forested hills become seasonal torrents after the fire and the burnt-over land is indeed a thirsty land. No caliper surveys, however carefully made, of the burnt-over tract can furnish an esti- mate of the actual loss to either the owners or the people at large. The land at best has been made non-pro- ductive for a long term of years, and if the acreage is large the industrial equilibrium of the state is seriously disturbed. But no truer statement of these disastrous results can be made than that set forth by our Maine su- preme court, in that opinion which deservedly called forth the admiration of President Roosevelt. In this opinion, our jurists have taken an advanced position in the pro- tection of the public’s interest in the forest, yet they have not misjudged the state’s need of protective legislation. For weeks now we have seen the dan- ger signal each evening as the sun sinks in the west, and the issue of the hour is plainly the conservation of our forest lands. You business men of Maine should stand shoulder to shoulder with your supreme court justices and ask for the prompt enactment of laws which will preserve for our children the forests and water powers of Maine. The forestry problem in Maine pre- sents to me a two-fold aspect. First of all, the system of taxation of forest lands must be one to encourage the gathering not of one crop alone, but 658 of many harvests of trees from these lands which are fitted only for timber culture. [I have very vivid memories of the cut-over lands of Michigan, and that is a state where a faulty policy of heavy taxation led the landowners to strip their lands of the valuable pine and then abandon the barren hills and plains to the state. The most practical precaution against over-cut- ting on private lands would seem to be the automatic restriction which is be- ing advocated here in Maine: namely, the method of taxing what is cut rather than what is left. The other part of the problem, however, presents a more urgent need than any scheme of pro- tection of these timber lands from the greed of private owners and that is the necessity of safeguarding these lands from utter devastation by fire. Here lies the opportunity of the executive officials of the state for I deem it their duty to be as progressive and_far- sighted as the state judges. This is no time to fall back behind precedent, nor to stand pat upon past procedure. There are exigencies that create and justify new methods of protecting the public interest. Our supreme bench is quoted by trade and commercial jour- nals as far as the Pacific coast—do we wish it said that our judiciary consti- tute our only guardians of the public interest? Is there or is there not a law requiring efficient spark arrestors on locomotives? If such a law is on the statute books, why is it not enforced by those appointed to execute the laws of the state? Or are they awaiting resub- mission of this statute also? It will be written down to the credit of the Roosevelt administration that the federal officials have been aroused to a new appreciation of their obliga- tions, not to this or that great interest, but to the public at large. The bureau officer at the center of government no longer complacently takes the Vander- biltian view of public service; he gets busy in the performance of his whole duty as a servant of the people. This reform has been accomplished by placing before the whole departmental service the true aim and purpose of CONSERVATION government: namely, that of securing for every citizen all his rights and privi- leges. There is nothing new in this idea, but its manifestation has not yet become common enough, and_ the Roosevelt idea of stirring up public officials might well go beyond federal circles. As a fellow servant of the people then, I would urge the state officials to meet the present emergency with the sole purpose of protectng the public interest at stake. Both executive and legislative branches must approach this forest problem not from the standpoint of the railroad companies, nor that of timberland proprietors, nor that of the pulp or lumber-mill owners, though we may agree that all these classes deserve much consideration, nor from that of any other special interests, but from the viewpoint of the whole people, whom alone you represent. Burn off the for- ests of the state, dry up its rivers, lay waste its land, and it will be not the timberland owners or the great manu- facturing corporations, but the people at large who will suffer most and, as I understand it, that is the principle set forth in the supreme court opinion that we do well to quote, to consider, and to act upon. I am not satisfied that the idea now current as to the status of the wild lands of the state as regards trespass is correct. The right of the public to hunt over the lands in private owner- ship is a question I will leave to the students of the law, but I would chal- lenge the right of the public to build fires upon these lands. I cannot be- lieve that the common law grants to a landowner the right to make any use of his own land that will endanger the property of his neighbor, and the gen- eral public should hardly expect any privileges that do not belong to the owner himself. Those who have in charge the execution of our state laws in protection of these wild lands may well at a time of exigency like the present prohibit the building of fires by those who wish to traverse the timber lands. Should such a prohibition inter- fere with their hunting, their loss con- REPORT OF WATER SUPPLY COMMISSION sequent upon such interference is out- weighed by the danger to the property of others and to the public good that surely results from their camp-fires. When the interests of the Maine public are at stake, our law officers must surely be able to find some legal pro- tection against non-resident tenderfeet. The opportunity before our state officials is an exceptional one. by increasing the efficiency of the present admirable forest fire warden system, by 059 expending larger sums before the fires start and relying less upon the average rainfall, by promptly meeting each new problem with the proper initiative and independence by considering the inter- est of the whole people, and that alone, they can insure the future prosperity of the state and be public benefactors in fact. Some of us may advocate the conservation of the state's wealth, to these officials comes the privilege of actually protecting these resources. Report OF THE WATER SUPPLY COMMISSION OF PENNSYLVANIA useful papers of the year on stream flow and water supply is the Report of the Water Supply Com- mission of Pennsylvania for 1907. The Commission was established in 1905 to procure facts concerning the water sup- ply of the state and to provide for its utilization, conservation, purification, and equitable distribution. In 1907, the jurisdiction of the Com- mission over the water companies of the state was increased by requiring all applications for charters for water and water-power companies to name _ the waters which it is proposed to use, by requiring all agreements for the con- solidation or purchase of water or power companies to designate and limit their source of supply the same as orig- inal applicants for charters and by re- quiring all companies subject to the provisions of the law to procure the approval of the Commission before they can take or use any new or additional source or supply. To intelligently carry out the provi- sions of this comprehensive law the Commission found it necessary to study the water supply of the state from sev- eral aspects. Particularly it had to give Oe of the most enlightening and attention to the influences which are working to reduce the available water supply and to render stream flow more irregular. Fortunately for the Commission it was provided with funds sufficient for the employment of an able corps of engineers under the charge of Mr. Far- ley Gannett. Mr. Gannett and his as- sistants have not been satisfied merely to compile information. They have done this, to be sure, have compiled much in fact, but they have also gone after original data on the topographic and hydrographic conditions of the state. The Commission has given a large amount of attention to the obstruction of streams through various kinds of development work. Its investigations have brought to light the existence of serious conditions in several important streams. For instance, “the carrying capacity of the Kiskiminetas River has been greatly reduced by the flattening of the slope by deposits carried down from above, and by encroachments along its bank. while changing condi- tions in its watershed make necessary a greater facility for discharge. This stream was one of the chief contribu- 660 CONSERVATION tors of the great flood at Pittsburg in March, 1907.” No one will question but that it is for the best interest of the state that hereafter any obstruction to a navigable stream must first be approved by the Commission. Upon no part of its field of inquiry does the Commission lay greater em- phasis than the relation of forested watersheds to stream flow. An entire chapter is given to this subject and considerable original data is presented for several Pennsylvania streams. How thoroughly the Commission is convinced of the fundamental importance of for- ests to stream flow is shown by the fol- lowing statement which occurs in the introductory part of the report: “One of the causes which lessens the avail- able water supply is deforestation, and the results of the work of this Commission show that stream flow is more irregular than formerly, and the value of the streams to the Commonwealth greatly decreased for this reason. The investigations of the Com- mission on this subject demonstrate that, in order to preserve the present value of our streams, active steps must be continued to protect and preserve the existing forest lands of the state, as well as to reforest those dis- tricts which have been denuded of the tim- ber land. “The effects of floods upon the streams of this state have been given careful considera. tion by this Commission, and wherever pos- sible flood conditions have been carefully studied. The control of floods is closely al- lied with and interdependent upon the de- velopment of water power, and the results of the investigations of this Commission on these subjects are set forth in detail in the following pages. Flood influences may be ameliorated by reforestation of the denuded forest areas of the state, by the construction of extensive storage reservoirs for excess waters, and by the straightening, widening, and deepening of the channels of streams. The interest recently taken in inland navi- gation, to effect which would necessitate the erection of numerous dams, and the revival of the use of water as power, may aid in protecting the streams of this state against flood. Through whatever means such re- sults are accomplished the effect will be both a decrease in the damage to property and also an increase in the available water supply. The larger streams of this state may not yet have reached the condition where conser- vation of the water in reservoirs for supply purposes is necessary, but provision must be made by means of reforestation and recla- mation of streams which are now undesira- ble for use, to keep the supply at its present capacity.” The Commission does not stop with the mere statement that deforestation is bad. It says in effect that the con- dition is so bad that it must be reme- died and that it must be done through the protection or renewal of the forest. It heartily endorses the work of the State Forestry Reservation Commis- sion in establishing state forest reser- vations on the headwaters of streams to the extent of over 750,000 acres. and in introducing scientific methods of lumbering and forest culture. It fa- vors the legislation now pending in the Federal Congress, providing for Na- tional Forests in the Appalachian Mountains, extending over the head- waters of the Monongahela River. Working in accord with the Forest Reservation Commission as it is doing, the possibilities of usefulness of the Water Supply Commission to the great Commonwealth of Pennsylvania can scarcely be overestimated. Its results should attract the notice of other states where the need of a similar body of authority on water supply is equally great. | BEARING OF THE PROPOSED APPALA- CHIAN FOREST RESERVE ON NAVIGATION By W J McGEE, LL.D., Expert, Bureau of Soils, Department of Agriculture (Secretary U. S. Inland Waterways Commission) HE states whose rivers will be di- rectly influenced by the Appa- lachian Forest Reserve when es- tablished are Alabama, Georgia, Ken- tucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia, with northern Flor- ida. Their area is 400,000 square miles. The rivers comprise the principal tribu- taries of the Ohio, including the Cum- berland and Tennessee ; the Mobile sys- tem, including especially the Alabama and Tom Bigbee, with their leading af- fluents; the Appalachicola system, of which the chief members is the Shap- pahooche; the Ocmulgee, Altamaha, and Ogechee systems; the Savannah and Coosawhatchie, Edistow, Santee, and Pee Dee systems; the Cape Fear, with some of its affluents, the Noose, Tar, and Roanoke, with connected waters; the James and Rappahannock ; together with the great bordering riv- ers, especially the Mississippi and ‘Ohio, which extend the influence into all the adjacent states. The mean annual precipitation with- in the states directly influenced by the Appalachian forests is about fifty inches; the total quantity per year ‘s about 45,000,000,000,000 cubic feet. This boon-from the skies is the chief value of the region; it controls produc- tion; it determines the value of form lands; it fixes sites of towns and facto- ries ; it forms ways for water traffic and governs other lines of commerce. W ithout it the region would be a bare and uninhabitable desert; with it the far-reaching hills and dales have made homes for 20,000,000 sturdy and inde- pendent people, and are capable of sus- taining many times that number. Of the 45,000,000,000,000 cubic feet of water annually distilled from the clouds, perhaps a half is returned to the air through evaporation; this tempers _ the atmosphere and acts as a blanket retaining the warmth of the day throughout the night; a part of it forms dew which sustains vegetation, while a larger part drifts away to maintain that atmospheric condition and circu- lation on which the habitability of the region depends no less than the direct precipitaton. About a quarter of the aggregate rainfall is absorbed by the earth or consumed in chemic changes, chiefly connected with growing plants. The remaining quarter gathers into streams, of which the larger are navi- gable; and all parts of each river sys- tem from its sources in the forest-clad Appalachian ranges to its mouth are interdependent of the 10,000,000,000,- 000 Or 12,000,000,000,000 cubic feet of water annually flow ing from this greater Appalachian region into the sea. More than half flows through navigable channels—it forms the sole and entire basis of interstate and intrastate water- way commerce throughout what may be called the waterway states; and it virtually controls the interstate com- merce on the bordering rivers—the Ohio and the Mississippi. Many prim- itive peoples worshiped rivers and im- puted to them supernatural attributes ; even within our own times some regard them as mysterious in their movements 661 662 and wholly beyond human control; but with advancing conquest of the earth’s surface, the mystery of rivers has been cleared away, and their origin and growth no less than their uses are com- ing within everyday knowledge. To- day the commercial and industrial val- ues of our running waters can be ap- praised and controlled about as defi- nitely as those of our lands. In a state of nature the slopes of the land, the texture of the soil, and the vegetable cover are brought into adjustment during ages in such, man- ner that most streams flow fairly clear, and in fairly uniform yolume through- out the year—there is a general equilib- rium or balance extending all the way from the hillsides on which the storm- waters gather to the coast where the flow returns to the sea. When the rain falls on a forest the beating drops are broken into spray which soaks gently into the mulch or trickles down the trunk and roots into the earth; the moisture seldom collects in gully- making rills, but forms a _ ground- water which soaks deeply, to finally re- appear as clear springs or seepage in the banks and beds of the spring branches. . Over prairies the sward in time grows so tough as to resist the beating of the storm, while the grass helps to retain the moisture and reduce run-off, with attendant gullying; yet in a state of nature the slopes of prairie- lands are always gentler and flatter than those of woodlands, in which the surface is better protected from the elements. In both types of surface (and in all intermediate types) the final or optimum condition toward which all the agencies tend is one in which nearly all of the precipitation soaks into the earth to form a ground-water, leaving little run-off on the surface; in which condition springs abound, floods seldom reach great heights, and the streams are seldom dry or even low in summer or between storms. In this condition there is little soil erosion, and comparatively little scouring of beds, building of bars, or shifting of chan- nels in the lower reaches of the rivers. Judging from the best geological data ~ CONSERVATION available, the annual soil-wash from the 400,000 square miles of what may now be called the Appalachian states was less than 75,000,000 tons, perhaps less than 50,000,000 tons annually; while the range from high to low water in the mill streams, and even in such rivers as the Tennessee, Cumberland, Alabama, and Savannah, was not such as to interfere seriously with control for power in the upper reaches or with navigation in the lower reaches. The effect of settlement throughout this region has been, as elsewhere, to cistribute the natural equilibrium or balance, whereby both the soil and its cover and the running waters are con- trolled. It is everyday knowledge that springs have failed in thousands; that spring branches have run dry; that it has become necessary to deepen wells; that brooks once clear and fairly uni- form throughout the year now run muddy when they run at all, and range from destructive torrents after storms to trifling rivulets during droughts; and that the utility of the upper reaches for power and the lower reaches for navigation has been greatly reduced. The reason is now a commonplace of daily knowledge: The leading factor is deforestation of the uplands, where- by the surface is exposed to the ele- ments, and the storm waters gather in torrents, cutting gullies, flooding bot- toms, carrying debris over the low- lands, and choking the channels even of the larger rivers. Next in gravity is thoughtless farming, so conducted as to expose a thin layer of friable soil to storms, whereby the fields are gul- lied and impoverished, and the richest and most soluble portions of the soil are swept away—to accumulate in the lower reaches and either bar navigation or compel expensive dredging to main- tain it. The change from the natural condition cannot be measured without extensive observations and surveys; yet any one familiar with the region and observant of the changes of the past quarter century must estimate that the annual soil-waste is at least doubled and that the range from freshet stage to low water is increased from fifty to ———— ee ee ee PRESERVE THE SOIL over 150 per cent. in different locali- ties, or an average of probably 100 per cent. throughout the entire area. Un- doubtedly even the bordering rivers— the Ohio and the Mississippi—have suffered an increase in range materially affecting both navigation and general industrial development. Nor can any one familiar with the region and ac- quainted with those natural processes whereby soils are formed, vegetal cov- ers produced, and uniformity of streams maintained fail to see that the damage is increasing in a geometric ratio, the loss during each decade averaging twice that of the decade before; nor can he fail to foresee that unless the present tendencies are checked much of the Appalachian upland will be re- duced to barren rock, the soil of the 663 lower hills swept away, and in precisely the same measure the headwater streams reduced to storm torrents, and the lower river channels converted into sand washes, like those of the arid re- gion, or capricious volumes and mud- laden waters, utterly useless for navi- gation and impossible for terminals. Recent river work proves beyond all question that the value of a river for navigation depends no less on_ its sources than on the character of its channel; that the river system is a unit from headwaters to mouth; and that in such rivers as those heading in the Ap- palachian region it will be impossible to maintain navigation in the lower reaches without protection of the mountain slopes and the myraid springs whence the waters flow. PRESERVE THE SOIL Dedicated to Dr. W J McGee By JOHN A, JOYCE sae rolling hills and mountains Without their forest dress Will soon bring to the nation Great hunger and distress, And if we do not listen To the scientific strain The soil of grand Columbia Will be washed away by rain. Brave Nature in her glory Works for animated things And tells the old, old story Of feeding serfs and kings, 3ut man obtuse and greedy Will not listen in his pain To the poor and weak and needy Who must live by sun and rain. We must save the soil and water Or a desert there shall be, For wife and son and daughter In this Land of Liberty ; And the Congress of the nation Must now listen to the brain Of our scientific sages Who would husband soil and rain! BOOKS ON HE movement to study and pre- | serve our forest trees instigated within the past few years has stirred up more than usual interest, not only among those whose business inter- ests are concerned, but among the American people at large. [Forestry to-day is the most important considera- tion in the general plan of conserving our national resources. To care for the vast timber tracts and to reforest the thousands of acres bared by former mismanagement is the proposed work that will bring greater results than any other national effort ever made in our country. And an issue of this sort gives rise to the usual literary danger— a multiplicity of books offering little practical return for the price paid for them. When a book on trees is advertised it usually finds a ready market. And as such publications entail illustrating nec- essarily expensive, the cost per volume is much above that of the average book. And many of these books are very dis- appointing. One recently published, with a very seductive title, generalizes to such a liberal extent that Ginkge and Southern Yellow Pine are intro- duced as representative conifers. In a way, this is true; but put in this man- ner, the truth is misleading. The Ginkgo is a geological curiosity and has a romantic story; but the long-leaf pine of the South means millions of dollars annually. This little book men- tions eight species of pine (two of these being exotic) and there are thirty-nine 664 FORESTRY species of commercial value in the United States. And I did not see a single species of the many Western oaks described in its pages. Clearly a book of this kind means little to the real forest student. What he requires nee a book covering these topics: . A list of our forest trees. 2. Botanical descriptions. 3. The definite locality of trees listed. 4. A statement of their value. And with the last consideration comes the outlook that concerns us as a nation: Investigating sylvical con- ditions. Are our forests sufficiently studied, cared for, and preserved? Can waste tracts be reforested? The very nature of underbrush and shrubs, and even weeds and grasses, often help and suggest, or seriously hinder reforesta- tion. The writer on subjects pertain- ing to forestry must be a broadly edu- cated teacher. He must know that ele- mentary training in any field should be sharply accurate, and very much to the point if successful instruction is sought. And it must be persistently borne in mind that long before the tree becomes timber itis a plant. The tree is cause; the nicety of the lumberman’s calcula- tion, the rise and fall of prices, the Nation’s tremendous utilization of for- est produce, is result. It might therefore be suggested to all who would promote the study of for- estry (and the study should be pro- moted even in our primary schools), to write, to recommend, and to buy books on the subject with care. Sa ae oa x rf fk A BEGINNER IN FORESTRY By ANNE WARNER Paper MEANT to write an article on the | beginnings “of German forestry, but I must defer that until I can get some books, as the only book which goes far back, in my _ present library, is one which tells how Bavaria, under the Agilolfinger, was divided— not by woods—but into cleared districts or plain land. It’s very interesting to read, but doesn’t bear much relation to our subject—unless, indeed, one goes out of his way to wonder if, perhaps, America won't be divided into plains and cleared spaces herself before long. I suspect that the forest is such a men- ace to new society, and such a problem to settlers, that its destruction is sim- ply a rule of economics, which each -nation has to solve summarily in the be- ginning. They all solve it pretty much the same way, too. And then comes the same result. In lieu of a nice story about the When and Where, I am forced to offer this time a riddle which racked our brains and which may be simpler to others, but is still complex to me. Yesterday we were all in the woods, and there we came suddenly upon one of the most wonderful sights which I have ever seen. It burst upon us quite unexpectedly, and stopped us_ short. There we _ stood—‘‘we” being the women, two men, a small girl, a don- key and a poodle—and this is what we saw: An enclosure about 100 by 200 feet. Around it posts five feet high, with a wire running on top. Below the wire a wide-meshed net, pegged to the ground occasionally (not so often as ‘“‘semi-occasionally,” but rather quadri- occasionally, I should say). In a few places the net was carefully tied to the Three wire above. There was something so naive and childlike about the whole treatment of the net—something which led us to hold the poodle from diving under it—something which savored of the wickedness of picking the pockets of a sleeping friend. No one would have willingly desecrated the purpose of the net, and all that troubled us was that it was so hard to guess its purpose from its behavior, that we hesi- tated for fear of doing so. And, after all, the net was frame of the rest of the riddle. Within the guarding net were long rows of stout twigs, each with a bit of twine tied to its top. The bits of twine were about eight inches long, and each had an old rag tied to the other end. The little rags all waved in the breeze. Two of the twigs were crowned with odd bunches of dead leaves tied up in old cloth; two others were crowned with tin cans; in the center of the whole an old umbrella was carefully pegged down. Nothing so weird and mysterious was ever seen before. Some one who had never been in India, said it made him think of an Indian graveyard, and some one who had never known a ghoul said it looked ghoulish to her. We all stood and wondered for a long, long time, and the only opinion hazarded was that it was to catch rabbits. In view of the laxness of the net, this might sound absurd, only that we have learned by experience that the Lichtenberg ideal of a trap is very novel indeed. The mouse traps here are two-storied, with a window upstairs. After the mouse is caught, he leans in the win- dow—literally on his elbows, for I’ve seen one caught—and as soon as the 665 only the 666 CONSERVATION trap is set down, he jumps gaily out and runs home. Such being a mouse- trap, the tastefully looped net looked as much like a rabbit-trap as anything. Susy suggested that the bits of rag might have been dipped in something of which the rabbits liked the odor. So we stood for a long time, contem- plating the curious whole, and then we tore ourselves away and went home to ask questions. The forester, whom we asked, said that it was all a wood nursery—the rags wave birds away, and the net keeps out the rabbits. His statement was final, so now we simply wonder. It is im- possible to disbelieve or doubt, but one may still wonder. I should like a dic- tionary that would elucidate the um- brella—even a glossary as to why peg or why not peg, would help a little. But whatever they put down or tie up in this careful land, still one must give the most unqualified praise to the results. The trees are aflame now, and even the continual rain of gold cannot disturb the calm and beautiful order of the German forest. Every wide and imposing avenue is carpeted with yel- low and brown, and on either side, stretching endlessly, lies the same fair, soft covering. J don’t know when the work is done—we never see or meet a man. The gutters are latticed neatly to keep the leaves from choking the covered ways, the piles of firewood grow steadily greater, the troughs are kept spaded clean, the roads are mended with a skill that puts our coun- tryways of dust and pebbles to eternal shame—and yet one sees no one. They must do it all early, early in the day. Or else it is gnomes. I am so glad that I believe in fairies, dryads, and the whole blessed troupe of woodfolk. It makes me better and happier, more full of reverence for the green Heaven, which is so much nearer than the blue one, and more trusting and hopeful that if we prove worthy the kind little creatures will come our way soon, build us big, wide, hard roads, and open all their treasure-sacks for those two pre- cious factors in society—the poor and the generation to come Germany is so thoughtful for both of these; the vil- lage is getting in its firewood daily now, and over there, beyond the open pasture, are trees that will grow until 1950, while the net over which we looked, laughing, hedged in the trees that will ward away the sun from the weary-footed of 2100. And to think that all this beauty and order is fixed and changeless. That it is not a problem, but an answer. I began with a riddle because, like all seekers for knowledge, I find riddles easier than their reading—but I end with an answer for one of the world’s - greatest questions—a question which Germany has answered. And answered in such a splendor of perfection, for out of the royal generosity of its good, - practical purpose, the German Gov- ernment’s forestry not only pays profit as an investment, but feed health, strength, and happiness into all its peo- ple. And not only in its people, but into the stranger within its gates. When I think that in Napoleon’s day these trees were being guarded for me to walk beneath this year! (There is a moral which belongs right here, but no one likes morals, so I'll leave it out.) SJ CRED Wn SS a ee ip nee ee TREES IN THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS NE cannot realize the richness of the tree flora of the Philippine Islands until he is told that there have already been found over 2,000 kinds in the Philippine Islands. This means more to the average person when it is known that here there are probably three times as many varieties as have been found in the United States. When all is known concerning the tree flora of the Philippines, it is probable that this number will reach 3,000. Of course, it must be stated that all of these are not used commer- cially. It is estimated that 150 of them are on the market at the present time. Many of the 2,000 are too small to ever be of any great importance commer- cially. About one-half the area of the Phil- ippine Islands, or 60,000 square miles, is in public forest. Of this 60,000 square miles, more than one-half is in mountainous regions, and will not yield, at the present time, much wealth to the Philippines. Indirectly they are of very great importance, for upon them will depend the conservation of mois- ture, so necessary to extensive irriga- tion schemes. Less than half of the 60,000 square miles can be classified as forest which will yield commercial va- rieties of timber. A rough estimate will place the yield of this forest close to 40,000,000,000 board feet. If this could be placed on the market to-day, at the price of our cheapest timber, it would bring a total of two and a half billion pesos. Of this two and a half billion pesos of wealth, the Bureau of Forestry is the guardian. It is the ob- ject of this Bureau to have the wealth utilized as rapidly as it can be without danger to the forests. It is believed that about four times the present amount used can be exploited without endangering our forest. This would bring the annual amount of timber put on the market, from 100,000,000 board feet, the present amount, to 400,000,000 board feet. This would leave 300,000,- ooo board feet to be exported from the Philippine Islands, and thus bring to the islands considerable wealth. Included in the 1,800 or more com- paratively unknown woods now repos- ing on herbarium sheets in Manila, and bearing scientific names but no infor- mation of commercial importance, are many which will, in time, and after in- vestigation, prove valuable. The rating of the relative values of this assortment of trees; the distin- guishing between those commercially valuable, and the others; the testing of those which have been selected as com- mercially desirable, to ascertain their strength and fitness; the supplying of merchants and engineers with speci- mens and information and the direct- ing of all concerned how to obtain the maximum good with the minimum waste from our wooded lands—these are a few of the problems which daily confront the Bureau of Forestry of the Philippine Islands. 667 (FELRA RL DIED INCREASE IN 1907 LUMBER CUT IGURES of the lumber cut in complete than ever before. The figures F 1907, compiled by the Bureau of disclose some interesting facts. the Census and the Forest Serv- In 1907, 28,850 mills made returns, ice, showed the largest total ever re- and their production was over forty bil- ported in the United States, exceeding lion feet of lumber. This is believed to Table l. —Production of lumber by states, lumber cut 1907-1906 Per cent. in- States 1907 1906 crease from 1906 M, feet M. feet Washington. ...........--+s6. ey iy Gy dace tH 4 206 05 8 ao 8 Louisiana. ......-2+seeeeecnes Se, OF Se LES BS ioe oir 6.3 PEKAS emits es elas San ct a 252.29 | b910 ty A Res ee a a 28.0 Migalstippl oss 262 v tae awe. cee | 2,094'485 1,840'250 13.8 WV ISCODRIN Te wie a tois aioe ein Ss Spiny 2,003,279 2,331'°305 Str ii Arkansas. ....-.sseeserscccess 1,988 504 1, 839176 6:8 Roa Michigans <.c0). oan ara wee ois 1,827,685 O60 Oe eee a a ea Pennsylvania............-.++ a ee Be 1,620'881 0 q Minnesota ens sas eens wen ses , 660. 72:6 1,794,144 = Tw q Oreranls.. seat kee in anak nee I 1,635 563 1,604,894 Tend ' Worth Oaroling ss c.cie sv a0 <0 << | G22 Set 1 2 OTe 2 7 b Wireining «/aclcncse «stele sts acs 1,412,477 ee ee a 32.8 West Virginisc sss. sc.5-s525 Hs 3 9 be Oo re es Tey 43.0 d Malifamni ate ec aaa. sees cots a £,345,948 1,348'°559 = ao Miahania ates coca eee ,, 2324-962 1,009/783 Sas q Matinee cries ose sah mn eee 1,103,808 1,088 747 Took 2 EC OWNS 5 alate! as: oisrem a's 0\x 5m praia | 912,908 661,299 38.0 * TGTICHAOE oc sials « obnis «ie mero vielniets | 894,968 634,587 21.04 GWenrelhcace sass deen} oca coon 853,697 SS. 6-7 b 26 j NeW MOLE atic ones sex seme 848 894 810.949 4.7 7 Words ee eee ca ewse sae $39,058 S S.Risve-s => 5 New Hampshire...:........- | 754,023 539,259 a ee: South (Garolinas. .-...-<+-- sess 649,058 566.928 14.5 Missounls sce iss vas shite esate 548 7174 507,084 8.2 ONTOS als sas Sanne = Be pelvis, res 529,087 438,775 20.36 THO: eee se ivan hss ieee 513. 08 3 418,944 22. 6 Inidlane So ses cadens ec ew ew'n ey 504,790 447,808 OS i Venmontesc.e-s-e see oh eee 373,660 329.422 13 24 Massachusetts........--.-+--- 364,231 354,483 2 il Montanasesis « aten se ene hee 343,814 S289 727 4.6 Maryland... 50. coer. bessuneee 213,786 219°098 Se IOWA. co -pacs tape eter eae 144/271 163,747 -11.9 TUNIS e202 fonda tose eee fo toe 141,374 - 500 Oklahoma, : soc dseccscuceeest 140,015 49,737 13) eb Gonndetieat ss. 2.25 taxon | 140/011 124,880 12 oa (olorado-cec- tee eee 134,239 L102212 p He Nese New Mexieoot.i:.o2 2.6 s/c eee 113 ,204 LOS Ort Ss 9.8 Arizona: J. 2. o.ooe Misael oP alalete oo ote INC MOD tetaicierete sin tote lea. aislael siete. «7e tata cocina alae silat RRNODIC Sarat terot, eyarateve rede s Salata ie 'N ack wala in bate atal talents I WEEP EL INTIS ETE! clit cid tetcinrs oie cic bi wit ots oicie'o «(cia elie otal eters mini OILERS CHALE ORI TIE enc target esers tel aie ate) nib « wists 4s, e/a orm enin eS } RE PBROUE oreo oy uisice rare ster eiel clove foaidine a’ bie Se ae wlewietate s a.8,6 6 CLINT 3:3 angen iS atin Gh Re EEO Bit SEE Ane eee ess NgeRN Ghee ieee te cena: cio id Rene icicis mere ccumelels cohecards o 2 sleet aed : EXTRA Mevatey shai cia ci cleerafeivii csicidis xcie'g)e , 0 ae WS Sielvis Poeenentoe : : ' | ROWE ial CESUEY «fxn crac sae elec viajbor vies 6 Sic) lb tle Av ae SOUL: PROD coe a an stcko sldivotae x ocak eo 0 Siou ne Miao. RENEE PAIATI cs, ie ete ake awa dae A a we abe Stet webee se DUG OTN vcs reed create cre CPOE LIM cic ohn ww o's acetate ee terniste | EERIE Dore 5's seated dane URES Suk ate aca oor eae em 4 YE OER oe oe a one EN iene wore ae OTR wedin cen Ghat a ——e—————EEE reported last year than the year before, while the increase in production was only a little over seven per cent., it might be thought that the amount ac- able rise of Texas from eighth to third place among the lumber-producing states, are doubtless accounted for pri- marily by the greater accuracy of the tually manufactured must have been greater in the earlier year. This, how- ever, would be a too hasty inference. for it is almost wholly among mills of small individual output that the gain in the number of establishments report- ing has been made. A classification of the returns by states and regions throws additional light on the situation. Individual changes, as, for example, the remark- 1907 figures; but in the majority of cases the advances and declines can be traced to specific influences. Before the year closed the general business depression was severely felt in the lumber industry. It was not, however, the most important cause of a falling off in the production of the year where a falling off occurred. For decline in production took place only in certain regions. The South is the 670 region of greatest activity in lumber production, and yellow pine the most important wood, forming thirty-three per cent. of the entire cut of the coun- try. The cut of yellow pine reported shows an increase of thirteen per cent. over that of 1906. In the early part of the year many of the southern mills cut so heavily that, in spite of the curtailed CONSERVATION this group of states as the most im- portant source of lumber supply. Since southern pine is abundant in all the At- lantic coast states from the Carolinas to Texas, the region as a whole will doubtless maintain its leading position for some years, in spite of the fact that at the present rate the bulk of the tim- ber will be gone in another decade; but Table I.—FProduction of lumber, by kinds, 1907-1906 Species Wellow PARG sonic nin cdlek hem 1 Douglas Fir......... White Pine..... QI. si chee ach bm OO CO ee NDIUCES. cece ats Western Pine. Cy preas = Fe+ ss ri Red Gum Je sedans « i sins KEPRUTE 3 5 Grea ha wa ett Sano es a Gan | PRED oie «craic he teaca!cemeheirceliattil's. wo ee MOP UES ost x oe is.e cidia'e iw Meee ARSEUYNT LC Mare iratiy ors ts ps fa ere Nerd wo pater ert } MUPClOg ccm chic «cv sica eases eae | MY CAMOLE sees oe 6 Swe ole apne eee WV CINE none alas ede eentee weteaotent | eo) & 4 & MH Ero bono DORON WWROIARIDO UWIAA Ss COREA HH ROM OCIOID ODOM WRUIDMUTID WII IOI Oe, Bills reporting os hie faa wisiteme 1907 > SRM AOWOIA WH RH NmOOrIOMWY=) TID RRC DOT ™~ * 28,850 | Per cent. in- lerease from | 1905 1906 my ~ HOO AWW MODAN MO RDOTDOIWOANARAIOWOH® -_ i) 2sOo-IN CI bt et CO bo ee cere er ews | OCLODHMOCINOOCOCIUMNSCABOCHKWNWANOR 10-11-10 | Oe Ao fb WOWONANOA1T OH RPOIWOOH OANA Pe ORC COs DOWOMWM OOP INE ORAIMWANAWA1OWwW-1MO \ | PH EER COD DODO CN NR RONDO MOR —= POD CRM OOH HOOD OFM NOIR OANA OCTIA OURO AOR SWOOP AOR AAO HR OUINW OW WW AIH OHO m-I1m WORN WTIDOHANOVEOHTIOOOUVAWA=) Dies BPO WOKR NOH AMAVWACOCIW “10 OR OID Rms COORD RAR OOOH NI) 1-1-1116 mole) Clim: MOO CNM OTSO COMI WOWDMNOO=1-10 W=-100-1 a i Lal oF | w ~ co ou —) - «1 wo a oe |/ ow to to wo =) te) to Oo wl ov —Decrease output which followed the business dis- turbance later, the total was greater than ever before. But in both the Lake States and the Northwest a smaller cut was reported than for 1906, though the number of mills reporting increased. In the Lake States the falling off evidenced the waning supply of white pine. Michigan, which for many years led all the states in lumber production. and then gave way to Wisconsin, sank in 1907 from fourth to seventh place, while Wisconsin went from third to fifth. Minnesota as late as 1905 held fourth place. Last year it went from seventh to ninth. It was not until the latter nineties that the South displaced in totals of production by individual states the leadership has since 1905 been held by Washington. The figures of production show that during 1907 Washington fell off very decidedly from its huge cut of 1906, while its sister state Oregon, is cred- ited with a slight increase in its total. In the early part of the year Washing- ton suffered from a car shortage, and at the end the combined effects of busi- ness disturbance and higher freight rates had brought the industry almost to paralysis. Oregon kept up its cut because of its larger proportion of coastwise and foreign trade. These two states together produced more lumber INCREASE IN 1907 LUMBER CUT 671 Table IV.—Lumber Cut, by Species, 1907 Species Yellow Pine.... Douglas Fir..... White Pine..... SDRUGE ons cclacive s tie simile esa res ced sahiee mee Western MGIC oe whew ni PRODI RN < tac ware Red Gum... CHEBENM Ge ccs cans wesc Uk Slane ccuw teen cies ERCER WHOM tare ata ced ol atest otece alge. carats Wea SMa cence recess oo eytiaie: a eraa aw. % ae Ait nie ete ae BERG rs wien as ties, v sie sien otaicle/ielars'nisimals aise 3asswood.... CHIE EOT OI ois yn oa ware alas 9,0 a le ie le UPN etrote ioc A eiwisttistere mual= oe aie eslsieis'=\eferaCateinte Ps ier teat aheretotclat aie i chateAe sia, nia siehelc lela eiaie miehasiat 5 Gears aa tie crate cre erate ce diel cets.c stew ayeie core le toieaee ESR he den dens Re «es pleat er od ale ale alae Som TOR GE cee. ata ale cisssinisic ci ure win si orvie/aietebniet © wis VILL Spell OM ie ae A, ea In WR eR Sp are Ne oat tt Peinieet alate saya siohstampes ater ate EAC Mya nta ids ain re ie ie ai oot vo ale ait | Sr) 1(21 (iS RIAA BOL Re oe Sra ee OC SA EEOC) WOR = Ie AIO OS I aa Rene A WHEE aoa chaipine vice! s: ctor sie’ else Ghe's's x sie Sronetouete BU ORM OL a 0.c/steisis ig c.o ia fee a'e be ccud ornate Syaleietaes than any other two states in the Union. It is a striking fact that though lum- ber prices have been steadily going up during the last half-century, the per capita consumption of lumber has also been going up. In 1850, according to the best figures obtainable, the average 4 Billions Board Feet Muar ey fe Oe ee ek ee consumption to each person in the coun- try was 250 feet ; in 1900, 460 feet; and in 1907, 480 feet. This illustrates what has been found true the world over— that with industrial progress the de- mand for wood becomes greater and greater. POREST SCHOOL NOTES YALE FOREST SCHOOL NE of the important features of the Yale Forest School is its summer work in Pennsylvania. The school has a fully equipped plant for field instruction at Milford, Pa., located on the estate of the late Mr. James W. Pinchot who was very much interested in this work and contributed generously to its establishment and support. Attendance at a summer ses- sion at Milford is required of a regu- lar junior class of the Forest School. This term is given at the beginning of the course. The work during this term comprises Field Surveying, Forest Mensuration, Forest Botany. and Sil- vics. The instruction is largely in the field. The Forest School has conducted at Milford also a short course in forestry designed for woods superintendents, prospective forest students, and others who wish to obtain a short general course in the subject. During the past summer there were in attendance at Milford forty-six men taking the regular junior work and sixteen men in the short course. The fall term has opened with a sub- stantial increase over the preceding year in the number of students. There are registered seventy-one students in the regular department and seventeen men from other departments of the Uni- versity taking special work at the For- est School. Yale Summer Camp, Milford, Pa, Yale Summer School of Forestry i SaEEnEEEE EEE Students Taking Tree Analyses 674 The new catalogue of the school shows a number of new courses which very substantially enrich the curricu- lum. The Forest School now affords an opportunity for advanced post- graduate work along special lines. Hitherto the course has been _pre- scribed and there has been little oppor- tunity for specialization. There is now, however, beginning to be a demand at Yale for post-graduate work by grad- CONSERVATION uates of forest schools who wish to specialize in certain branches. A num- ber of advanced courses are now of- fered and there will be a _ distinct development of instruction along this line as rapidly as the circum- stances warrant it. The new courses are chiefly in subjects related to Silvi- culture, Forest Management, Forest Products, Engineering, and Lum- bering. PENNSYLVANIA STATE COLLEGE, DEPARTMENT OF FORESTRY HE Department of Forestry of the Pennsylvania State College has added an assistant in the person of Mr. John A. Ferguson. Mr. Ferguson, who takes up his work on September I, as an assistant in the Department of -orestry, comes originally from Canan- daicua,, Nux Ws" He geceived, iis, pre- paratory training at the Canandaigua Academy, and was graduated from Hamilton College with the class of 1896, receiving a degree of A.B. In 1903 the same institution conferred upon him the degree of A.M. Upon graduation from college, Mr. Ferguson began teaching in the Brook- lyn Polytechnic Institute at Brooklyn, N. Y., and continued this work at Fond du Lac, Wis. For several years he was instructor in Science at Rutgers College Preparatory School, New Brunswick, N. J. In July, 1906, Mr. Ferguson entered the Yale Forest School and was graduated in 1908 with the degree of M.F. While in Yale, Mr. Ferguson’ assisted Professor Tracy, of the Sheffield Scientific School, in Surveying, and later assisted Professor Chapman, of the Yale For- est School, in field work carried on by the senior class of the Forest School in Alabama. During the summer . of 1907, Mr Ferguson was a log scaler with the Pigeon River Lumber Com- pany, of North Carolina. Upon com- pletion of the course in Yale Forest School, he entered the United States Forest Service, and spent the summer season of 1908 upon the Boise National Forest with headquarters at Boise, Idaho. Mr. Ferguson comes to the college. with unusual training, and his connec- tion with the Department of Forestry will mean a great deal in the develop- ment of that work in this college. Prof. Hugh P. Baker, of the Penn- sylvania State College, Department of Forestry, writes: “Since the opening of our school year, we find that we have between fifty-six and sixty men classified in our four-year course in forestry. [hese men are divided as follows: Senior year, four men; Junior year, eight men; Sophomore year, fourteen men; _ Freshman year, thirty men. Our forestry society, which was or- ganized last year, has held two meet- ings, with an attendance of forty to fifty at each meeting.” FOREST SCHOOL NOTES 675 COLORADO SCHOOL OF FORESTRY LTHOUGH forestry in _ this country is comparatively a new science, the progress that has been made is wonderful. The foresters were in the beginning chiefly young men who had been trained according to the principles in vogue in Europe, and the conditions are so different in this country that these principles had to be considerably modified to meet our own needs. Practically all the first work was necessarily of an experimental na- ture. Of course, mistakes were made, yet under the conditions it is gratifying that there were not more. In a country of nearly 4,000,000 square miles, with climatic conditions varying from those of the tropics to those of the arctics. with regions of abundant rainfall and others of prac- tically no rainfall, with bare rocky mountains, broad fertile valleys, and extensive plains, and with forests richer in species than those of any other coun- aa ven es; a a A ¥A, - 3 BOBS. a SPECIMEN OF LONG-FEAF (YELLOW) PINE Showing the Lower Part of the Trunk Damaged by a Forest Fire. The Upper Part, However, Is Making Vigorous Growth. Picture Taken near Ocilla, Georgia HOeg oy} We esa] pul ang BuNo}04g Yip © Gym 'pseyosg Yyoeag payesissy ‘peosprey apuesd ory pue J9AUIq OU} JO DUI] 24} UO ‘opes0jOr ‘uonoun{ pursy Jesu Wey yINsy LSA FHL NI NOILLVOINUI Sen) “ER ee eR THE FOREST HOLOCAUST How the Press of the Country Comments on the Recent Forest Fires— A Symposium on the Destruction of Our Standing Timber ECENT issues of CONSERVATION have had much to say in re- gard to the wholesale destruc- tion of forests and the appalling losses brought by fires through- out the entire country. Following is a symposium, gleaned from the col- umns of the daily press, on this sub- ject. There is little to be added to the expressions herein contained; but, for the information of those of our readers who may have thought that CoNnsERva- TION has been unduly exercised over the matter of losses by forest fires, we have taken the trouble to get together these extracts. They are enlightening, if for no other reason than that they show clearly the ever-widening senti- ment in favor of safeguarding the for- ests; but, besides this, they show un- mistakably that this magazine is not alone in recognizing the danger that threatens our timber supply. FERTILITY OF SOIL BURNED OUT In an article in the Pioneer Press, of St. Paul, Thomas Shaw recently called attention to the vast loss to agriculture caused by the series of forest fires that swept northern Minnesota and urged the need of better protection of the for- ests, as advocated by the American Civic Association. Mr. Shaw wrote: “The real loss is far greater than any estimate shows, based upon the amount of timber consumed and the value of the property of the settler and the houses and improvements of villages and towns. The greatest loss, proba- bly, is one that is never taken into ac- count—the loss of young tress and the loss in humus. 5 “After one of these terrible confla- grations has swept over a timber slash- ing not a living thing of vegetation is left. Nature has to begin again the work for furnishing protection for the naked earth; years must elapse before the traces of the dreary desolation are hidden. The farmer who returns to rebuild his home upon the ashes is with- out material for building or fencing, and soon he is without material for liv- ing, except what he buys. “But the loss of humus is.a_ far greater loss. The vegetable matter so abundant on the surface of the soil in a new country is devoured by the flames. The top soil with all that it contains is turned into ashes. For two or three years good crops may follow because of the abundance ot ashes lying over the soil, but the stimulating effect of these is soon lost. The area thus burned over will not recover what it lost by such a conflagration in a score of years, or in a period much longer.” NEED NATIONAL FIRE DEPARTMEN1 There is a general demand for the establishment of a national fire depart- ment which, in a systematic and effi- cient way, shall keep guard over the forests. With losses aggregating tens of millions of dollars in the amount of lumber destroyed, with scores of per- sons burned to death, with hundreds made homeless and with all the serious damage to the soil, this is a grave ques- tion, but there ought be no hesitancy in getting to work. “What this country needs is a na- tional fire department,” urges the San Francisco Globe. “Recent reports of 687 688 CONSERVATION forest fires throughout the United States, and particularly in the West, where timber is most valuable, have been alarming, almost appalling. “The actual destruction wrought can hardly be computed in figures, and the mental anxiety and physical suffering endured by thousands of persons in towns and villages touched by fire is incalculable by any human measure- ment. California has been one of the worst sufferers. Her famous trees nar- rowly escaped destruction and thou- sands of square miles of valuable tim- ber land were burned. In Washington, Oregon, Nevada, Montana, Dakota, Minnesota—all through the Northwest —vast forest fires have raged. “These things ought not to be. Yet, what is being done to prevent them? Nothing.” “What this government needs, and what the exigencies of the situation de- mand, is a fire department for the entire nation; a body of men trained and equipped to the last degree to fight the fires which are consuming the coun- try’s timber; a department provided with special trains and which can be transported from place to place upon the shortest notice, regardless of time and careless of expense. It would be costly, but look at the untold millions it would save yearly. A forest may be burned to the ground in a day, but it takes a hundred years to grow.” CANADA URGED TO PROTECT FORESTS In urging Sir Wilfrid Laurier, the Canadian Premier, to advocate a policy for the preservation of the Dominion timber lands, the Toronto World de- clared in a recent editorial: “For years the World has advocated the promulgation of a new and compre- hensive forest policy upon advanced scientific lines, securing adequate pro- tection of the growing timber from fires, the harvesting only of mature timber and the protection of the younger growth and the reforestation of the sections already denuded and un- fitted for agricultural use. “Experts all agree that the world is within measurable distance of a timber famine and the conditions in the United States particularly are causing grave anxiety to all public men who have given the question attentive considera- tion. Nor is it alone the result of the denudation of the old forest lands in creating a shortage in the supply which has to be faced. “Denudation of mountain ranges and wooded areas has a very important bearing upon the character of the streams and rivers, and upon the cli- matic and soil conditions. When the ground is forest-covered the water- courses are not liable in the same de- gree to sudden changes in volume. Rivers rise and fall gradually and dis- astrous floods are much less likely to occur. Forests hold the water and help to feed the springs whose existence is so necessary in many parts of the coun- try, and looking to a new and extraor- dinary value now associated with water powers, their maintenance at sufficient volume throughout the year, and from year to year, must become a question of increasing importance and urgency. “The time has arrived for the do- minion and the provinces of Canada possessing valuable forest lands to pro- tect the present and future interests of the people in these assets and their re- sponsible governments can find no bet- ter way of laying posterity under obligation.” PINCHOT’S WARNING Calling attention to the warning sounded by Gifford Pinchot, chief of the United States Forest Service, the Chicago Post said recently: “Forest fires in Wisconsin, Minne- sota, and Michigan are destroying mil- lions of dollars’ worth of standing tim- ber and are menacing a score of villages with destruction. The states individu- ally, by adopting the government’s sys- tem of protective patrols now in service in the Federal forest reserves, can pre- vent the repetition of the disasters of the present year. “Gifford Pinchot, the government's chief forester, said, less than six months THE FOREST HOLOCAUST ago, that at the present rate of con- sumption of timber the end of the American forests as sources of supply of good material would come in twenty years. The warning was based on a study of conditions in every part of the United States. The fires that have been in progress since the present period of drought began have been the most damaging in a quarter of a century. “Tf adequate protective measures are not taken the limit of twenty years’ life set for the woodlands will be cut in half. If prompt action is taken, even in view of the great losses of the year, the forests may be preserved for all time.” WHAT FOREST FIRES SIGNIFY “If the people of Minnesota and neighboring states had taken in earnest all that has been said of late about conserving our natural resources, they would have done something to prevent these calamitous forest fires or to make them less destructive. Probably if an attempt had been made to obtain an appropriation from the Minnesota leg- islature for a sufficient number of men to patrol the forests during the more dangerous part of the year, it would have met with failure—have been called a useless and extravagant ex- penditure. “But a comparatively small outlay would have cut down to insignificant fisures a fire-loss which is in the mil- lions. Wisconsin had one great forest fire more than thirty years ago; if it were to have another, the fault would rest with a state government which failed to adopt preventive measures.” —The Chicago Tribune. PREVENTION OF FOREST FIRES “The prevention of forest fires is really the most strenuous problem that confronts the department of the gov- ernment concerned about increasing the forests of the United States. It will take a great deal of replanting every vear to overcome the ravages which. 689 are worked by these fires. In a night a forest fire may burn up more wood than would supply half a state with lumber. “One who has not traversed the vast pine forests can’t realize what are the dangers that constantly menace such forests, especially in the belts where summer droughts are long protracted and severe. There is always a lot of deadwood and dried grasses in which tiie sparks from locomotives and the fagots from the careless campers find lodgment and start great conflagra- tions. The railroad companies seem- ingly take every precaution. They plough furrows and they burn over strips on which sparks are apt to fall, but all these precautions often go for naught. One way in which the dangers from railroad locomotives might be overcome is by the use of oil for fuel instead of coal. Oil as fuel means that no sparks are scattered over the coun- try. Many railroads now use a very soft coal and sparks and cinders are thrown out in vast quantities. There ought to be some way of preventing such dangers.”—The Republican, Cedar Rapids, Lowa. FOKESTRY AS AN INSURANCE “Forest fires in the Mesaba range, Minnesota, which wiped out the town of Chisholm and destroyed more than $5,000,000 werth of property, were fed largely by the tangle of deadwood and brush which had accumulated in years of forest neglect. The intensity of the average forest fire is due to similar conditions. Improved forestry prevents such timber heaps. It costs money for labor to clear the woods of brush and to remove fallen trees and deadwood, but such work does something more than save all the living powers of the soil for the growing trees. It prevents the accumulation of fuel with which to feed sweeping flames. Is it not worth while? The value of forestry as an insurance against fire loss is capable of mathematical demonstration.”—The Boston Herald. 690 PUNISHMENT FOR CARELESS PERSONS “One of the things that the state should not neglect in the next session of the legislature is the passage of laws for the safeguarding of the forests so that they can be protected from fires. and so that men who ruthlessly and intentionally set fire to such forests can be sufficiently punished. “It appears to be an accepted fact that these fires are the result of care- lessness, or spite, or ignited -by men who hope to make money by fighting them. All of these causes are sufficient to invite attention and severe punish- ment. It is a subject that the state must handle with a strong hand.”— The Republican, Scranton, Pa. FOREST COM- LOSS ONLY UPON MUNITIES NOT “It takes one hundred to four hun- dred years to grow such trees as have made up the great forests of Michigan, which have disappeared in large meas- ure; but they can be destroyed in a day. It is estimated that the great fires which have swept over the remaining forests of portions of the State in the last twenty days have destroyed $40 - 000,000 worth of timber. As we have reached the point where the cost of lumber must be measured by the cost of replacing the forests with new growth. it will be appreciated that this loss does not fall upon Michigan alone.’’—Rock- ford (Ill.) Gazette. LOSSES ARE IRREPARABLE “This is bad news from Maine which tells of great fires in the forests. The meaning will be better understood when it is remembered that the great Maine woods constitute the only reserve of timber of any real consequence in this part of the country. Every inroad upon it is irreparable, so far as the present generation is concerned. The case is bad enough when the ax and saw are wielded recklessly, but at least we have the use of the timber. Fire simply de- CONSERVATION stroys; the great tracts burned over are a total loss.’"—The Providence Bulletin. CANNOT AFFORD FOREST FIRES “Aside from the enormous amount of property destroyed by forest fires, we cannot afford to have such inroads upon the timberlands. We need all the wood- land we have, and more. Some means will have to be devised to stop this fearful and needless waste.’’—The Schenectady (N. Y.) Gazette. LESSON FOR STATESMEN “The need for forestry patrol is be- ing greatly emphasized by the fires that are devastating the timber lands. Those eminent statesmen who voted against the President’s measures probably now realize how little wisdom and how much selfishness there was in_ their course.” —The Omaha Bee. HOW MICHIGAN VIEWS ITS LOSSES “Millions of dollars’ worth of timber has been destroyed in the forest fires and the damage in 1908 represents a great deal more in dollars and cents than did the memorable conflagrations in 1871, because lumber is much dearer now than then. In 1871 practically the only merchantable timber was pine; the era of the hardwoods had not arrived. Now the forest fires inflict heavy pe- cuniary damage when they sweep off acres of maple and oak as well as pine.” —Saginaw (Mich.) News. REPLANTING WILL COST A FORTUNE “Estimates of the losses caused by forest fires in the territory of the north- ern boundary have been placed at $40,- 000,000 by Prof. Filibert Roth, of the Forestry Department of the University of Michigan, who has returned from a visit to the burned regions. He said that more than a million acres of good timber lands have been devastated. It will cost $5 an acre to replant this land.” —Detroit Free Press. NEWS AND NOTES Forest Service Personnel in Six New Field Districts Rr ol Gare names of the 377 foresters, clerks, and stenographers who are to make up the personnel of the United States Forest Service Headquarters of the six districts into which the National Forests have been divided, have just been announced. The district for- esters’ offices, located in Denver, Colo. ; Ogden, Utah; Missoula, Mont.; Al- buquerque, N. Mex.; San Francisco, Cal., and Portland, Oreg., will open on December 1. The new field organization of the Forest Service will greatly facilitate the use of the National Forests by the peo- ple. It will mean that the National Forest business which formerly was transacted in Washington will be han- dled by officers on or near the ground. The establishment of the district head- quarters is the culmination of a plan toward which the Forest Service has been working steadily since it took charge of the National Forests. Each National Forest District will be in charge of a District Forester. The work at district headquarters will be distributed among four offices—Opera- tion, Grazing, Silviculture, and Prod- ucts—each equipped with men of spe- cial training for the work of their office. The Office of Operation will be charged with responsibility for the pro- tection of National Forests, for the building of roads, trails, and other per- manent improvements upon them, for the organization of the force on Na- tional Forests, and with the supervision of all business relating to the special use of National Forest resources. The Office of Silviculture will have super- vision of the free use and sale of timber from National Forests, forest planting upon them, and will conduct forest studies on National Forests as well as in cooperation with private owners in the District. The Office of Grazing will supervise grazing business in the District, except for the actual fixing of allowances, periods, and rates, and will make studies looking to the im- provement of the forage crop on Na- tional Forests. The Office of Products will make both independently and in cooperation with private owners, stud- ies leading to a more profitable use of timber on and off National Forests within the District and to their pre- servative treatment. From the District Foresters down, the personnel of the District offices is made up of men picked for their proved capacity. for their thorough training, and for their experience in the West. Most of them are men who not only have worked in the West after they entered in the Service, but who lived in the West before they took up the Government forest work. Many of them are men who formerly were em- ployed on the National Forests and have been promoted to larger responsi- bilities as a result of their high eff- ciency. The personnel of the District offices, which has just been announced, is as follows: District One Including: Montana, Northeastern Washington, Northern Idaho, Northern Wyoming, and North- western South Dakota. Headquarters: Missoula, Mont. W. B. Greeley, Dis- trict Forester; F. A. Silcox, Assistant District Forester. R. H. Rutledge, Chief, Office of Operation; R. Y. Stuart, Assistant Chief; J. P. Martin, Chief Engineer; E. W. Kramer and T. L. Day, Engi- neers; E. B. Quiggle, Chief, Section of Occupancy; P. J. O’Brien, Claims Clerk; J. E. Keach, Settlement Clerk; C. O. Wilhite, Uses Clerk: H. I. Lov- ing, Fiscal Agent: O. M. Wold, J. A. 691 692 Urbanowicz, Miss Grace M. Curtin, and P. ‘S. Gray, Accounts Clerks; R.L. Campbell, Chief, Section of Mainte- nance; Miss Belle G. Warren, Miss Lydia Jacobi, Miss J. L. Farnsworth, Clerks; Gordon Guptill, H. F. Tripp and Mrs. L. H. Bryan, Draftsmen. C. H. Adams, Chief, Office of Graz- ing; W. S. Perrine, Assistant Chief ; Miss B. Todd, Clerk. W. R. Wheaton, Chief, Office of Products; F. I. Rockwell, Assistant Chief; Miss Eva Slocum, Computing Clerk. A. W. Cooper, Chief, Office of Silvi- culture; D. T. Mason, Assistant Chief; E. I. Terry, Chief, Section of Silvics ; W.-T. Stone, Assistant; E. O. Clifford, Chief, Section of Planting; W. M. Aiken, Law Officer; S. J. Humeston, Assistant Law Officer; J. F. Preston, J. D. Warner, J. A. Fitzwater, G. B. Mac- Donald, K. W. Woodward, W. B. Piper, L. S. Murphy, J. St. J. Benedict, E. D. Fletcher, and P. R. Hicks, For- est Assistants; F. X. Salzman, A. J. Norton, and W. T. Cott, Lumbermen ; C. W. Gleason, R. P. McLaughlin, J. W. Streit, and J. D. Jones, Land Ex- aminers; C. B. Swim, Assistant Land Examiner; H. M. Booth, C. A. Mc- Elroy, and C. J. Sullivan, Expert Miners. The following have been assigned to the stenographic work in this district: Misses F. L. Sinclair, E. M. Linell, Florence Kelly, Bessie C. Shimman, B. M. Gray, H. E. Kearney, Eva Ammen, Mathilde Ammen, Mrs. L. K. Locke, Floy K. Riley, Otto Greenwald, and C. E. Gage. District Two Including: Colorado, Southern, Wyoming, South Dakota, Northwestern Minnesota, Nebraska, Western Kansas, and Southeastern Utah. Headquarters: Denver, Colo: Smith Riley, District Forester; P. G. Redington, Assistant District Forester. Fred W. Morrell, Chief, Office of Operation; C. J. Stahl, Assistant Chief ; R. E. Mesnard, Chief Engineer ; Nile Hughel, Engineer; Fred Lees, ce Section of Occupancy ; C. F. Folloh, Claims Clerk; Mrs. Anna L. Riordan, Settlement Clerk; G. W. Holland, Uses CONSERVATION Clerk; W. R. Fuchs, Fiscal Agent; F. C. Thompson, W. A. McKenzie, Miss Alva von der Linde, and W. C. Stump, Accounts Clerks; J. W. Dilly, Chief, Section of Maintenance; Miss Gertrude L. Kimmel, File Clerk; Mrs. Rosa C. Pennebaker, Assistant File Clerk; Miss Nettie M. Kimmel, Mail Clerk; C. B. Gosorn, C. B. Noyes, I. I. Tayloe, and Mrs. Stella W. Munce, Draftsmen. J. W. Nelson, Chief, Office of Graz- ing; E. N. Kavanaugh, Assistant Chief ; Miss Anna P. Koschwitz, Clerk. C. L. Hill, Chief, Office of Products ; G. R.-Ogier, Assistant Chief; W. L. Stockton, Computing Clerk. A. K. Chittenden, Chief, Office of Silviculture; S. L. Moore, Assistant Chief; C. G. Bates, Chief, Section of Silvics; W. D. Edmonston, Assistant ; L. C. Miller, Chief, Section of Plant- ing; G. S. Arnold, Law Officer; J. M. Cates, Assistant Law Officer; J. Bent- ley; jr., R. W. Allen, G. Py. Bard, ie G. Pierce, H. B. Holroyd, A. L. Heim, T. Lyons, and J. A. Silsbee, Forest As- sistants; W. R. Davey, and H. S. Bush- nell, Land Examiners; G. H. Gustaf- son, H. Gregory, Wm. Darley, and F. W. Blatt, Assistant Land Examiners ; George P. Gregg, W. R. McKinnon, and J. S. Baird, Lumbermen; T. A. Curry and F. Sherwin, Jr., Expert Miners. The following have been assigned to the stenographic work in this district: Misses Ethel M. White, Hilda Rosen- quist, Stella Hooper, P. Womack, Lura M. Holcomb, Cary L. Hendricks, Sue Hayward, May Wise, Ermina_ E. Weaver, Anna Mellan, Eva L. Gay, Lillian E. Wessler, Mabel Berry, Hat- tie Felder, Lena A. Daniels, and Mar- guerite T. Waters. District Three Including: Arizona, Arkansas, New Mexico, and Oklahoma. Headquarters: Albuquergue, N. Mex. ‘A. C. Ringland, District Forester; E. H. Clapp, Assistant District Forester. A. C. Waha, Chief, Office of Opera- tion: R. G. Willson, Assistant Chief: E. H. Jones, Chief Engineer; H. H. Harris, Chief, Section of Occupancy: Oliver C. Phillips, Claims Clerk; Miss K. M. Riley and G. Griffin, Settlement ¢ NEWS AND NOTES Clerks; W. D. Wheeler, Uses Clerk; J. J. Duffy, Fiscal Agent; William Rose, A. Morris, Miss M. L. Hobgood, and Mrs. E. V. Steely, Accounts Clerks; W. B. Bunton, Chief, Section of Maintenance; Miss Mary Latimer, File Clerk; Miss Cornelia Glase, As- sistant File Clerk; Mrs. Ruth Harris, Mail Clerk; E. R. Thompson, Chas. H. Freyer, and Miss Helen B. Smith, Draftsmen. J. K. Campbell, Chief, Office of Graz- _ing; John Kerr, Assistant Chief; Miss Zuleika Felder, Clerk. O. T. Swan, Chief, Office of Prod- ucts; Miss M. A. Bell, Computing Clerk. T. S. Woolsey, Chief, Office of Silvi- culture; A. B. Rechnagel, Assistant Chief; W. R. Mattoon, Chief, Section of Silvics; G. A. Pearson, Assistant ; A. S. Peck, Chief, Section of Planting; H. B. Jamison, Law Officer; I. F. El- dridge, J. H. Allison, R. L. Rogers, S. G. Smith, and D. N. Rodgers, Forest Assistants; D. W. Adams, and A. L. Wynne, Lumbermen; J. V. Hubbard and Lee A. Harris, Land Examiners; Bere Corles, Jr.,° Greene, GR: Kellogg, and Morton K. McGillan, As- sistant Land Exaniners; S. L. Gillen and H. N. Johnson, Expert Miners. The following have been assigned to the stenographic work in this district: Claudius J. Neis, Luther Steward, James T. Markey, and Mrs. B. S. As- quith, Misses Florence Derbyshire, Mary Miller, M. E. Baker, Lilie A. Cheshire, M. A. Shekells. District Four Including: Utah, Southern Idaho, Western Wyoming, Eastern Nevada, and Northwestern Arizona. Headquarters: Ogden, Utah. Clyde Leavitt, District Forester ; Frank- lin W. Reed, Assistant District For- ester. R. P. Imes, Chief, Office of Opera- tion; E. H. Clarke, Assistant Chief; A. T. Mitchelson, Chief Engineer; A. L. Herring, Engineer; Timothy C. Hoyt, Chief, Section of Occupancy; Miss N. Huff, Claims Clerk; Miss M. M. Childs, Settlement Clerk; C. S. Brothers, Uses Clerk: O. R. Craft Fis- cal Agent; M. J. O’Toole. J. W. Cook, 693 H. A. Seip, and Mrs. S. G. Totten, Ac- counts Clerks; R. E. Connor, Chief, Section of Maintenance; Miss Lillian McDevitt, File Clerk; Mrs. C. J. Kemon, Assistant File Clerk; Miss H. R. Patterson, Mail Clerk; A. G. Soren- sen, Miss H. J. Holberg, and Miss A. R. Holberg, Draftsmen. Homer E. Fenn, Chief of Office of Grazing; A. C. McCain, Assistant Chief; Mrs. J. B. Burnham, and Mrs. M. L. Ring, Clerks. A. L. Brower, Chief Officer of Prod- ucts; W. H. Murdock, Computing Clerk. L. L. White, Chief, Office o1 Silvi- culture; O. M. Butler, Assistant Chief; E. R. Hodson, Chief, Section of Sil- vics; F. T. McLean, Assistant; J. M. Fotherolf, Chief, Section of Planting; W. C. Henderson, Law Officer; C. E. Dunstan, D. C. A. Galarneau, C. P. Wilbur, and L. Crowell, Forest Assist- ants; D. W. Seery, and D. M. Lang, Lumbermen; W. W. Blakeslee, and G. C. Thompson, Land Examiners; R. Dieffenbach and William Winter, Assistant Land Examiners; B. L. Wheeler, Expert Miner. The following have been assigned to the stenographic work in this district: V. C. Metcalf, and Misses Anna M. Dow, Judith Fant, H. V. Rittue, Pat- tie Sanderlin, Ruth Helff, Grace Gris- wold, Mary E. Moore, Rozelle Lazenby, and Veronica Tegethoff. District Five Including: California and Southwestern Nevada. JHead- quarters: San Francisco, Cal. F. E. Olmsted, District Forester; Coert Du- bois, Assistant Forester. R. L. Fromme, Chief, Office of Ope- ration; Roy Headley, Assistant Chief; F. C. Wales, Chief Engineer; W. C. Nespital and E. E. Leslie, Engineers ; B. Franklin. Chief, Section of Occu- pancy; W. F. Gardner, Claims Clerk; Miss E. L. MacFate, Settlement Clerk: B. P. Berger, Uses Clerk; J. S. Swan, Fiscal Agent; Miss Celestine Igoe, Miss E. M. Rea, H. J. Weil, and C Wiley, Accounts Clerks; A. L. Dahl, Chief, Section of Maintenance; Mrs. V. M. Bain, File Clerk; Miss Mary McDonald, Assistant File Clerk; Miss 694 Martha Sexton, Mail Clerk; R. E. L. Borgfeldt, J. G. Shumate, Miss E. L. De Valin, and Miss Daisy E. Walker, Draftsmen. J. H. Hatton, Chief, Office of Graz- ing; M. B. Elliott, Assistant Chief; Miss Lula E. Haukness, Clerk. L. E. Hunt, Chief Office of Products ; C. S. Smith, Assistant Chief; Miss Carrie T. Montrose, Computing Clerk. G. M. Homans, Chief, Office of Silviculture; T. D. Woodbury, Assist- ant Chief; T. R. Cooper, Chief, Sec- tion of Silvics; J. H. Foster, Assistant ; G. W. Peavy, Chief, Section of Plant- ing; E. A. Lane, Law Officer; T. M. Talbot, Assistant Law Officer; P. T. Harris, Swift Berry, Louis Margolin, Carl A. Kupfer, V. Wulff, G. R. Ges- sert, and W. D. Dudding, Forest As- sistants; S. M. Cross, John L. Lafon, Jr., and J. C. Elliott, Lumbermen; G. L. Duncan and E. C. Hard, Expert Miners. The following have been assigned to the stenographic work in this district: H. G. Allen, Mrs. Ruth Lyle, and Misses Mary O'Toole, Marjorie Web- ster, Cora Slicer, Claudine McClinton, F. Keen, M. E. Sherman, Marie Smith, Violet Kidwell, L. M. Jarvis, Annie K. Gardner, Minnie B. Aarons, Bertha M. Brown, and Ella M. Hildreth. District Six Including: Washing- ton, Oregon, a small portion of North- ern California and Alaska. Headquar- ters: Portland, Oreg. E.T. Allen, Dis- trict Forester; G. E. Cecil, Assistant District Forester. C. H. Flory, Chief, Office of Opera- tion; C. J. Buck, Assistant Chief; W. E. Herring, Chief Engineer W. H. Ben- ton and E. H, Darling, Engineers; W. F. Staley, Chief, Section of Occupancy ; D. F. McGowan, Claims Clerk; T. M. Moorman, Settlement Clerk; Frank A. Law, Jr., Uses Clerk; A. H. Cousins, Fiscal Agent ; Miss Florence D. Strause. C. C. Brunner, Miss Lucy I. Brader, and Miss Augusta W. Russell, Ac- counts Clerks; Shirley Buck, Chief, Section of Maintenance; Miss E. J. Bernhardt, File Clerk; Mrs. A. P. Mul- ford, Assistant File Clerk; Mrs. L. G. Riddell, Mail Clerk; O. E. Haring R. CONSERVATION H. Robertson, G. Hilton and Miss L. W. Cottrell, Draftsmen; Howard K. O’Brien, Chief, Office of Grazing; T. P. McKenzie, Assistant Chief; Mrs. M. L. Joynt, Clerk. J. B. Knapp, Chief, Office of Prod- ucts; H. B. Oakleaf, Assistant Chief ; Miss Erma F. Bell, Computing Clerk. F. E. Ames, Chief, Office of Silvi- culture; C. S. Judd, Assistant Chief; T. T. Munger, Chief, Section of Sil- vics; J. F. Kummel, Chief, Section of Planting; C. H. Pierce, Law Officer ; G. E. Frowbridge, Assistant Law Offi- cer; N. F. McDuff, Dorr Skeels, Max Rothkugel, P. S. Buhl, O. P. M. Goss, and E. B. Starr, Forest Assistants ; Wm. T. Andrews and J. P. Hughes, Lumbermen; C. L. Farrar and A. L. Thayer, Land Examiners; W. McBride and T. O. Erickson, Assistant Land Examiners; J. G. Giddings and H. S. Riggins, Expert Miners. The following have been assigned to the stenographic work in this district: Misses Pearl Shrader, Anna Madsen. Dora Reese, Agnes McNair, Elizabeth Garth, Beulah Westlake, Louise Hel- mick, K. L. Reed, Clara Gonter, Agnes V. Scannell, Ida Estes, Mrs. M. F. Rule, Florence Wilson, and Mrs. J. R. Anderson. we YE Association Changes Name T THE convention of the Gulf Coast Inland Waterway Associa- tion held last month in Columbus, Ga.. the name of the association was changed to The Mississippi Atlantic Inland Waterway Association. Dun- can W. Fletcher, of Jacksonville, Fla., was elected president. mw Mw American Mining Congress ‘eh DECEMBER 2, 3, 4, and 5 the American Mining Congress will hold its annual meeting, at which will be gathered together the foremost men in all branches of the mining industry. not only in the United States, but . NEWS AND NOTES “Mroughout the world. The meeting ‘nis year will be held in Pittsburg, and among the subjects to be discussed is that of forest preservation, which, the invitation states, is held to be intimately related with mining. The invitations summed up the purport of the Con- gress thus: “The main purpose of the Conven- tion is to bring out the opinions and suggestions of all men interested in mining upon such matters as need con- sideration, in order to arrive at a rem- edy for any improper condition.” The American Mining Congress has ‘already taken some long steps forward in the matter of forest protection, and i is believed that the deliberations of the Congress at this year’s sessions will have an important bearing upon the subject of forest conservation; at least, in so far as it relates to the permanent timber supply for mine uses. WME Illinois Votes for Waterway T THE National Election on No- vember 3 the people of Illinois voted on the proposition to bond the state for $20,000,000 for the purpose of constructing a deep-water channel from Lockport, Ill., to Utica, Ill.. on the Illinois River, This channel, when completed, is to be a part of the ship canal from the Great Lakes to the Gulf, running through the Chicago River, the Drainage Canal, and the Illinois River to the Mississippi. The proposition to bond the state for $20,000,000 was car- ried by a decisive majority, and, so far as the people of the state are concerned. the final word has been said and the canal is authorized. Me ME Forest Receipts in Western Depositories EGINNING December 1, receipts from the six field districts into which the National Forests have been divided will be deposited in Western 695 banks, and the Government has selected the six depositories which are to handle the funds taken in at headquarters of the several new districts. The object of this move, it is announced, is to keep the National Forest receipts in the re- gion in which they originate ; the funds will be deposited to the credit of the Treasurer of the United States, but will be available for circulation in the sec- tions from which they are derived. All moneys received from timber sales, per- mits for stock grazing and for special uses of the various natural resources in the National Forests will be handled in this manner. The depositories chosen, by districts, are: First District, includ- ing Northeastern Washington, North- ern Idaho, Northern Wyoming, and Northwestern South Dakota, the West- ern National Bank, Missoula, Mont. Second District, including Colorado, Southern Wyoming, South Dakota, Northwestern Minnesota, Nebraska, Western Kansas, Southeastern Utah, the Denver National Bank, Denver, Colo. Third District, including Arizona, Arkansas, New Mexico, and Oklahoma. the First National Bank, Albuquerque, N. Mex. Fourth District, including Utah, Southern Idaho, Western Wyoming, Eastern Nevada, and Northwestern Arizona, the First National Bank, Og- den, Utah. Fifth District, including California and Southwestern Nevada, the First National Bank, San Francisco, Cal. Sixth District, including Washing- ton, Oregon, and small part of North- ern California and Alaska, the First National Bank, Portland Oreg. The estimated receipts from National Forests for the present fiscal year will approximate $2,000,000, making the es- timated receipts from the six field dis- tricts from $275,000 to $350,000, and this money, instead of being sent direct to Washington, as in the past, will re- main in the country in which it origi- nates, ready for the demands of local circulation. 696 CONSERVATION P Arboretum for Cornell University HROUGH tthe generosity of an alumnus, Mr. Henry Hicks, of Westbury, L. I., a member of the class of ’92, Cornell University, Ithaca, N. Y., is to have an extensive and compre- hensive arboretum. The site has al- ready been chosen, and the arboretum will be located in what is known as Cascadilla Ravine, near the university grounds. About twenty acres will be devoted to trees, which will be fur- nished by Mr. Hicks, and the collection, it is announced, will embrace specimens of practically the entire forest growth of the temperate zone. Mr. Hicks will include in the collection a large num- ber of trees native to Japan and Man- churia, and the arboretum will, there- fore, be somewhat in the nature of a testing ground for forest specimens that are comparatively little known in this country. It is announced that planting will be started early next spring. ME Resolutions by Carriage Builders’ Association Re following resolution was adopt- ed by The Carriage Builders’ Na- tional Association of the United States at its Thirty-sixth Annual Meeting at Chicago, October 13-15, 1908. “The progressive failure of our tim- ber supply, intensified by recent forest conflagrations, the intimate connection between forests on the one hand, and flood prevention, soil conservation, in- land waterway and water-power devel- opment, with irrigation of arid and drainage and swamp lands on the other, make the question of forest conserva- tion an issue of gravest national import. Success in administration of our na- tional forests contracts in striking man- ner with failure in the administration of most of our private forests. Experi- ence, home and foreign, proves that in- telligent expenditure on forestry is a remunerative investment. The Gov- ernors’ Conference, the unanimity of the press and the rising tide of approv- ing public sentiment bear increasing tes- timony to the popular demand for for- est conservation. The Appalachian- White Mountain Bill, again passed by the United States Senate at its last ses- sion, represents the next step in prac- tical forestry. The Carriage Builders’ National Association of the United States, in its Thirty-sixth Annual Meeting assembled, therefore earnestly urges the House of Representatives of the United States certainly and speedily to enact this measure into law at the coming session of Congress.” ee State Revenue from National Forest Increased N ADDITION to the benefits se- cured by fire protection and by regu- lations which control the use of timber- land and range so as to insure perma- nent supplies for local wants, the states having National Forests now receive, under the new Agricultural Appropria- tion Bill, twenty-five per cent. of the gross proceeds derived from the sale of National Forest resources. This amount, according to law, goes to off- set any losses to the states through withdrawal of forest areas from taxa- tion, and is devoted to public roads and schools. Several years ago complaints were made that the withdrawal of timber- lands for forest purposes reduced the taxable areas of the states in which withdrawals were made. The Forest Service, quick to see the justice of these complaints, recommended at first that ten per cent. and later that twenty- five per cent. of the gross proceeds from the National Forests should be paid to the states. As a result, the states are assured of school and road funds, doubtless more certainly than they otherwise could have been, since the permanence of the Forest re- sources is now secured by conservative management. Had the Forests never been established, their resources would undoubtedly have been exhausted by hasty and improvident methods of ex- ploitation, leaving the land wasted and. unproductive. “@ SD Americen forests 1 ADD American forests PLEASE DO NOT REMOVE SLIPS FROM THIS POCKET UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO LIBRARY eee PEOSPIPsIL#: Fe te ekat he pew + pie POT rere eed s5tidseis hs Beek rome ose pesettgatessee ete paterans ‘Sce~a) 0s oS meets ABs pone reread a . Sa th pose wenes Seer : Be