mmm^ .""'j^ wmrn mm m 'mw mm »*«LA4^A^tLt.A)fttl lit*U4fcfllk< hi If irtl .' L^HUfcintlM U IJfelfil AlAtAlkt A4>Laft«L*k*CHl CONSERVATION OFFICIAL ORGAN OF THE AMERICAN FORESTRY ASSOCIATION VOLUME XV— 1909 THE AMERICAN FORESTRY ASSOCIATION PUBLISHERS WASHINGTON, D. C. LIBRARY NEW YORK BOTANICAL (iAKl>BN. GENERAL CROSS REFERENCES For names of States, sec list of States under ConservaticMi. Forestry Associations, Forestry Schools, Private Irrigation. State Work in P'orestry, Waterways, and Women's Clubs. For list of waterways associations and meetings, see \\ aterways Associations. For names of separate forestry schools, see Forestry Schools. For foreign countries, see Foreign Countries, F'orests and Forestry in. For names of different National Forests, see National Forest. For names of irrigation projects, see Reclamation Service Projects. CONTENTS OF VOLUME XV Page Abandoned Farm, The, 539; Tree Plant- ing on an 184 Adams-Williams, Mrs. — See Williams. Adirondacks, Fire Prevention in 768 Administration for the People — See Law. Ahern, Capt. Geo. P., portrait 140 Aimless Tree Slaughter 286 Alabama's Resources, book 302 Alaska as a Prize 646 American Civic Association. .. .301, 360, 380 AMERICAN FORESTRY ASSOCIA- TION: Annual Meeting 54, 63-90, 152 Resolutions 86 Articles of Incorporation 227 Directors' Report 87 History 430, 766 Membership 105, 158 Officers and Organization.. 125, 158, 709 Treasurer's Report 90 Work for Conservation 766 See also Conservation (magazine) ; Conservation (movement) ; and Forestry Associations. America's Greatness 511 Andaman Marble-wood or Zebra-wood, book 789 Ansel, Gov., S. C, speech 30 Appalachian Agitation. 238, 251, 608, 741, 785 See also Forest Conference in White Mountains. Appalachian Bill 59, 102, no, 175, 176, 230,251, 301,348, 638 Hearing on 102 The Vote on 348 Appalachian Forests 251, 275, 391, 427 Appalachian Resolutions.. 86, 177, 427, 783 Ashe, W. W., art. by 275 Asparagus Under Irrigation 184 Associations — See Conventions. Atlantic Deep Waterways Association — See Waterway Associations. Attitude of the Administration Toward the Reclamation of the Arid Lands of the West 544 Attorneys, Government Employees as... 635 Ayres, Philip W., art. by 608 Back Numbers Wanted 438, 518, 586 Bailey, L. H 627, 705 ii Page Baker, Prof. Hugh P., speech 89 Baker, M. E., article by 286 Ballinger, Hon. Richard A., article by.. 544 Official Actions 580 582, 584, 634, 635, 641, 64s, 649, 714, 780 Ballinger-Pinchot Controversy 577 580-584, 631, 645-652, 705, 712, 769 777, 783 Banyan of Key West, Fla., The Big. . . . 393 Beginner in Forestry, A 610, 752 Bessey, Charles E., article by 533 Big Trees of California... 177, 347, 445, 507 See also National Forest, Cala- veras. Biltmore Forest Fires 296, 369 See also Schcnck, C. A. ; and Forestry Schools. Blanchard, C. J 691, 692 Articles by 142, 317 Portrait 144 Blanchard, Gov. N. C, speech 34 Bleeding Pines not Injurious 184 Boerker, Richard H. Douai, article by.. 114 Bogert, Prof. J. M., speech 14 Bond Issues Proposed 48 49, 51, 57, S02, 513, 514, 516, 639. 642 702, 743 and Front Cover of January. Books on Forestry, List of Recent.. 789, 790 See also Recent Publications; also List of Books Advertised in Each Issue. Boston Islands, Reforesting 644 Brewton, Charles Albert, poem by 708 Brinsmadc, Robert B., article by 408 Broward, Gov. N. B 30, 31 Speech 96 Article by 408 Browne, G. E., article by 203 Burton, Senator 699 Calaveras Big Trees Saved 177 See also National Forests, and Big Trees. California, The Great Trees of. poem... 347 California, Redemption of the Great Valley of 718 California to Raise Eastern Hardwoods. 721 California Promotion Committee — See Conservation, California. CONTENTS OF VOLUME XV LIBRARY NEW YORK BOTANICAL GARDEN. Ill Page Campbell, Governor 76c) Canada — See Conservation in States; State Work in Forestry; and Waterwrays ; State Action. Cannon, Joseph G 51 Speech 60 Carnegie, Andrew, speech 42 Carter, Senator Thos. H 71,3 Cary, Austin 518 Cats and Birds 113 Cattle — See Grazing. Census of Forest Products 716 See also Timber Supply. Chamberlain, Governor, speeches 6, 50 Chapman, Prof. H. H., speech "/Z Article by 472 Chemistry and Conservation 422 Chestnut Trees, Blight on 112, 113, 226 Timber Going to Waste 226 Children to be Interested in Forestry.. 301 Chippewa River, Reservoirs on 678 Chittenden, Col. H. M 775 Article by 489 Chorley, H. F., poem by 605 Citizens, Duties of 106, 108, 231 See also Public vs. Private In- terest. City Forests — See Municipal. Qaims Against United States by Ex-em- ployees 635 Classification of Public Lands 619 Cleveland, Grover, memorial 608 Cleveland, Treadwell.Jr., articles by. 159, 219 Clifford, Prof. W. N., speech 88 Coal Land, Government 307 Coal Mines Loss of Life — See Conserva- tion, Human Resources. Coeur d'Alene Reservation, Opening of the 464 Colorado River, The Conquest of the... 142 Colorado, Wild Flowers and Trees of, book 789 Commercial Congresses — See Conven- tions. Community Must Care for Itself 295 See also Public vs. Private In- terest. Competitive Methods 699 See also Public vs. Private In- teres. Conservation, Factors in : Chemistry and 422 Expenses, Funds, and Profitable- ness 772, 702, 719, 77^ Page Conservation, Factors in — Continued : See also Bond Issues Proposed ; and Profitableness of Improve- ment. President Taft Stands for 299 Resolutions Favoring — See Reso- lutions. Conservation History, A Chapter of 495, 767 Conservation, Kinds of: Daylight 449 Human Resources 379 443. 503, S05, 645, 717. 770 Natural Resources 294 302, 307, 381, 430, 435, 437, 450, 49Q, 502, 505, 507, 548, 685, 687, 719, 722, 723, 766, 782, 788. Conservation in the Various States and Countries : Arkansas 367 California 303, 37o Canada 449 Colorado 704, 720 Hawaii 37i, "12 Indiana 309 Iowa 306. 309, 449. 653 Louisiana 309 Maine 642 Minnesota 510 Missouri 303 North and South America 783 Oklahoma 377 Oregon 308 Rhode Island 309, 367 Wisconsin 642, 643, 653 World at Large 219, 235 List of States and Reports..^ 783 CONSERVATION Magazine....' 105 158, 366, 431, 703 Back Numbers Wanted. . 438, 518,586 Index for 1908 248 See also American Forestry Asso- ciation. Conservation Organizations : Association, National 640, 767 Commission 56, 3^0 Report of 105. 108. 109 Committee 3o8, 692 Conference 2-47, 56, 92-97 Committee on Cooperation 178 Resolutions 9^ Portraits of Speakers and Mem- bers 13, 29, 39. 95, 124 IV CONSERVATION Page Conservation Organizations — Continued : See also Governor's Conferences: Conference, International., at the Hague, Program for.... 219, 235, 310 Conference, North American 159 Congress, Seattle 585, 642, 643, 711 Resolutions 709 League, of America 64a Southern Congress, New Orleans.. 782 Women's Organizations — See Women. Conservation — See also Fire Preven- tion ; Foreign Countries ; Forest Conservation ; Forest Resources ; Governor's Conferences ; Reso- lutions; Water-power; Water Supply; Waterways. Conventions and Associations — See Con- servation; Dry Farming; Forestry Associations ; Hickory Association ; Irrigation ; Mechanical Engineers ; Pomological Society ; Public Domain League; Southern Com- mercial Congress ; Trans-Missis- sippi Congress ; Waterway Asso- ciations; and Women's Clubs. Corpus Christi Meeting — See Water- way Associations. Crumley, Prof. J. J 509 Currier, Hon. Frank D., portrait 260 Damon, A. W., speech 17 D'Anby, Helen Mar. poem 104 Daughters of American Revolution 83 156. 347 Davidson, Lt.-Gov., A. B 769 Davis, Arthur P 715 Daylight. Conservation of 449 Deforestation — See Forest Destruction ; and Foreign Countries. Deneen, Gov. C. S 770, 77::>, Speech 96 Denver Objectors — See Public Domain League. Developing Our Resources — See Indus- trial Methods. Destruction of American Forests (article) 114 Destruction of the Northern Forests, and Its Effect on the Future of the Central States 599 Destruction — See Waste. Dipterocarpaceae in the Philippines 312 "Dismal Science," The, Decadent 223 Distillation of Wood — Sec Wood Dis- tillation. * Page Dole, Gov. Sanford B., speech 372 Drainage of Swamps.. 2^2,, 241, ^77, 453, 718 Drainage, Practical Farm, book 789 Dryden, John, poem Ity 622 Dry Farming 173, 5CX) Congress 447, 644, 701 Duffield, Morse S., article by 686 Duties of Citizens and States — See Citizens ; and States. Eddj', J. Arthur, Secretary — See Puljlic Domain League, National. Editorials 56 169, 230, 291, 358, 498, 572, 631 Edwards, Candian Senator, speech 41 Electric Line Poles 182 Electrical Search Lights to Catch Forest Moths 786 Eliot, Charles W 640 Elliott, C. G., book by 789 Elliott, S. B., speech 152, 153 Ellis, Mrs. R. A., articles by 289, 393 Engineers for Conservation 309 England's Trees, A Little about (article) S87 England — See Foreign Countries. Erixon, Alexandre, articles by 197, 599 Essig, Hermann F., interview 240 Ethics of the Forest 197 Eucahptus Trees and Timber. 439, 441, 789 Picture 656 Evans, President, speech 43 Everglades, Draining the 233,241 Everglades of Florida and Landes of France 453 Exhaustion of Mineral Resources 723 Ex-rangers 623 Fairbanks, Mrs. Charles W 242 Farm Community, The 627 Farm Drainage, Practical, book 789 Farm Forestry — See Private Forestry. Farmers, Cooperation and Ways of Living 120, 243, 627, 701 See also Dry Farming and Irri- gation. Federal vs. Stale Authority 578, 702 Ferns for Stock Food 370 Finney, John H 741 Fires : Destruction by 296 364, 369, 443, 445. 449, 518, 577, 586, 653 Incendiary 175, 296, 653 Preventioin and Control. 63, 68, 69, 74 178, 296, 363, 498, 506, 509. 717. 722, 724, 786, 787, 788. Railroads and 178, 724 CONTENTS OF VOLUME XV Page Fish, Destruction of 437, 499 Fisher, WaUer L., Secretary 640 Floods 178. 291, 501 Damage by 643, 716 Drouths and 155 Due to Mill Dams 183 In Missouri Valley 511 See also Appalachian Agitation, Forest Conservation, and De- struction and Watersheds. Foreign Countries, Forests and Forestry in : Notes on Foreign Forests (article) . 533 China 246, 290, 787 Canada 449 Great Britain 169 174, 239, 287, 505. 507, 790 Germany . . 182, 240. 307, 369, 439, 787 Japan 381, 7^7 Mexico 313 New Zealand 297 North and South America.... 441, 783 Ontario 722 Spain 262 Forest Conference in White Moun- tains 391, 516, 585: 608 Forest Conservation 214 283, 310, 432, 438, 657. 766. 789 On Pacific Coast 118, 716 See also Forest Destruction ; Con- servation in General ; Foreign Countries ; Timber Supply ; Water Powers ; Watersheds ; Waterways. Forest Conservation, What It Means... 283 Forest Destruction 114 245, 262, 263, 286, 292, 432. 442. 599 645. 657, 722, 766. See also Forest Conservation ; Ap- palachian Agitation and Forests ; Fires ; Floods ; Foreign Coun- tries ; and W^atersheds. Forests, Ethics of the 197 Forest Fires — See Fires. Forest, Function of the 671 Forest Giant, The, poem 708 Forest Laboratory in Wisconsin 239 Forest Preservation and Electrical De- velopment of Water Power 214 Forest Resources of the United States.. 248 Forest Service — See Below. Forest Taxation — See Taxation. Forest Trees of the Pacific Slope, book 118 Page Forests, Equalizing Influence of, on Flow of Streams, and Their Value as a Means of Improving Navigation 489, 557 Forests and Reservoirs in Their Rela- tion to Stream Flow, with Par- ticular Reference to Navigable Rivers 489 Forests and Waterways 701 Forests, Report on at Conservation Con- ference 36 Forests, Productiveness of American.. 182 Forests in White Mountains — Sec Appalachian Forests, and Forest Conference. Forests in Foreign Countries — See Foreign Countries. Forest Service : Activities, Methods and Policies... 184 214, 22,2, 239, 305, 311. 313, 314, 2,7 \, 439. 441. 444. 449. 450, 508, 705. 72T, 784. Cooperation with Interior Depart- ment 577, 640 Growth of 27 i' 374 See also National Forests. Forestry, A Beginner in (series).. 610, 752 Forestry and Unemployment 174 Forestry as an Investment — See Farm Forestry ; Forestry, Profitableness of and Private Forestry. Forestry as a Profession 444, 50S See also W^ork on a National Forest. Forestry Associations : Canadian . 506 Connecticut 446, 716 Louisiana 643, 782, 785 New Hampshire Forests, Society for Protection of.. 516, 586, (yo-). 643 Pennsylvania 516 Pocono Protective Fire Associa- tion 68 Royal Scottish Arboricultural So- ciety 790 Vermont 586 Washington State Forest Vnc Pro- tective Association 498 Forestry Congress in Chicago 30: Forestrj' in Semi-arid Belt I73 Forestry Maidens, The, poem 290 Forestry :\Iethods 148. 184 Forestry, Moral Aspect of 444 VIU CONSERVATION Page National Monument, Oregon Caves 647 National Conservation Commission, etc. — See Conservation Organizations. National Public Domain League — See Public Domain League, National. Natural Gas, Utilizing 24" Natural Resources, Public Revenue from 447 Natural Resources — See Conservation; and Waste. Natural Taxation of Timbered Mining Land 40S Nature's Forces, Conquest of 501 Naval Stores Production 31-2,379 Nebraska no Longer Wild 376 Nelson, Senator Knute, speech 25 Newell, F. H 371, 581, 582, 713 Articles by 1.^4. 5-7 Portraits I33- 5^8 New Hampshire Forests, Commercial Importance of 785 Newlands, Senator F. G., speech 31 News and Notes 118 178, 239, 301,' 366, 506, 579, 642 Noble, Hon. John W 716 Noel, Governor, speech 28 North American 'Conservation Con- ference 15^ Northern Forests, Destruction of, and Its Effect on the Future of the Central States 599 Nova Scotia Timber Lands Bought Up. 787 Oak at Edgewood, W. Va., Saved 723 Oak, Song of the, poem 605, 609 Ohio River — See Waterways. Ohio Valley, Investigation of Water Resources of 121 Pacific Slope, Forest Trees of the, book 1 1 8 Pan-American Irrigation Congress Sug- gested 119 Paper Pulp : Consumption in U. S 381 Japan Fights Famine 381 Scrub Pine for 311 Pardee, Gov. Geo. C, article by 548 Speeches 43, 645 Paternalism — See Political Principles. Pathfinder, Dam, The 317 Patterson, Thomas M 704, 705 Peat Bogs of Maine 378 Pennsylvania, Synopsis of Forestry Legislation 516 Penn, Wm., Proclamation by 261 People's Right to Rumiing Water 683 Page Peterson, Mrs. P. S 643, 783 Petroleum, Suggestion for the Conser- vation of 685 Philadelphia Timber Regulations (1686) 261 Philippine Forests 139, 312 Pho,sphate Lands, The Western 686 Pinchot, Gififord 119 582-584, 650-652, 703, 712, 713, 781 Articles by 120, 521 Speeches 508, 710, 711 Roosevelt's Praise of 526 Portrait, 2, and Front Cover Sep- tember. See also Ballinger-Pinchot Con- troversy. Pine : Lodgepole, Early Cuttings in 148 Longleaf in Mexico 313 Scrub, for Paper Pulp 311 Yellow 450 Pocono — See Forestry Associations. Political School, The New 6y6 Political Principles and Policies 223. 437, 578, 696, 702, 769 See also Law, Construction and Administration of; Public Rev- enue from Natural Resources ; Public Right in Land and Re- sources; Public z's. Private In- terest. Roosevelt ; Taft ; Pinchot ; and Ballinger-Pinchot Controver.sy. Pomological Society, American 370 Portraits of Speakers and Members of Conservation Conference 13 29, 39. 95, 124 Pound, Hon. Thad. C, article by 678 Practical Farm Drainage, book 789 Practical Forest Work for Advanced Students of Nebraska Forest School 402 Prairie Dog, War on 244 Private P'orestry 240, 243, 296, 539 Biltmore 788 Increased Need of 248 See also Tree Planting and For- estry, Profitableness of. I'rivate Irrigation : Colorado 302 Idaho, Oregon, Montana, British Columbia 375, 385 Washington 183, 184, 375, 385 See also Irrigation, and Reclama- tion Service. CONTENTS OF VOLUME XV IX Page Profitableness of Tmprovement — See Conservation ; Bond Issues ; For- estry Resources ; Forestry Profit- ableness of; German Methods; Ir- rigation; Private Forestry ; Waste; Waterways, Profitableness of. Projects — See Reclamation Service. Prosperity to be Genuine Must be General 363 Public Activity Plus Private 360 Public Confidence in the Law — See Law. Public Domain League, National... 696, 769 See also Public Right in Land. Public Lands : Classification of the 619, 710 Exposition in Chicago 719 Grabbers Active 646, 6g6, 719, 769 Public Right in — See Below. Report on, at Conservation Con- ference 24 Roman and American History 237 See also Coeur d'Alene Opening; Municipal Forests; National Forests ; Reclamation Service Projects; and State Work in Forestry. Public Revenue from Natural Re- sources 360, 447, 645 See also Municipal Forests. Public Right in Land and Resources... 237 447, 502, 619, 627, 645, 683, 704, 705 719, 769- See also Political Principles; Public Lands. Public vs. Private Interest 237, 292-296, 363, 431-432, 563. 574, 646- 647, 650-651, 699, 712, 770, 777. See also Industrial Methods; Law, Construction and Admin- istration of; Political Principles; Public Lands ; Public Rev- enue ; Public Right in Land. Publications — See Recent Publications. Pulp Wood — See Paper Pulp. Railroads : Engines Made Spark Proof 724 Forestry Work 2<7i Lands of, in National Forests.... 440 Ties 394 Tie Supply 181 Steel Ties 394 Cooperate for Conservation 510 ]\Tust Pay Damages for Fires 178 And Waterways 699, 70D Page Raisins as Food Ramaley, Prof. Francis, book by Rane, ¥. W., article liy Speech Ranger Camps, Stories in Rangers, Ex- Ransdell, Hon. J. E. speech Recent Publications 118, 450, 789, See also Books on Forestry. Reclamation of Land from the Sea Reclamation of the Arid Lands of the West Attitude of the Adminis- tration Toward Reclamation Service 233, 241, 317, 375, 385, 512, 527, 633, 634, 636, 637, 648, 689. 713 780. Reclamation Service Projects: Belle Fourche 310, Benton Deschutes Gunnison 644, Harney Huntley Kittitas Klamath Malheur North Platte 317, Owyhee Payette-Boise 241, Palouse Salt River 241, SunnySide 310, Sun River Truckee Twin Falls LTncompahgre 241, 513, Yuma 143, Pathfinder Dam Reforestation — See Appalachians ; For- eign Countries, Especially Great Britain and China ; Forest Con- ference ; State Work in Forestry ; and Tree Planting. Reservoirs on Chippewa River Resolutions for Conservation and For- estry 86, 309. 4-7- Conservation Conference Irrigation Congress 57-, North American Conservation Con- ference Republican CIuIj Revolving Fund Principle Richards, R. H., speech Rivers and Harbors Bill 370 789 404 84 763 623 76 790 307 544 143 544, -716 5^2 375 375 648 375 512 375 311 443 513 443 513 375 513 713 512 688 184 644 512 317 678 713 96 579 164 7^Z 34 179 CONSERVATION Page Rivers and Harbors Congresses — See Waterways Associations. Rivers, Navigable — See Waterways. Roads for National Forests 239 Roads, Good 642, 701, 78 j Roads and Waterways Convention, Missouri 720 Roosevelt, Theodore : Dynamic Geographer (series of articles)... 483, 550, 612, 646. 689, 754 Articles and Speeches, 2, 4, 158, 161, 170, Front Cover January. Praise of Pinchot 526 Portraits 2, 520 Policies Opposed 495,. 578, 580, 581, 582, 631, 633, 634, 648 Rothrock, Dr. J. T., speeches 153-155 Royal Scottish Arboricultural Society, Transactions of 790 Sabine-Neches Canal 306 Sacramento Valley, The 134 Sanders, Gov. J. Y 782 Schenck, Dr. C. A 508, 784 Scrub Pine for Paper Pulp 31 J Seashore, From, to Sand Hills, poem... 104 Sectional Considerations and Legisla- tion 231, 638 Sheppard, Rep. J. H., Revenue Resolu- tion 447 Shinn, Charles H., articles by 187, 397. 623, 763 Sierras, In the Great Forests of The, poem 202 Slosson, Col. Willis M., and Company of Rangers, picture 189 Smith, George Otis, article by 619 Smith, Herbert A 784 Smith, Gov. Hoke, speech 22 Portrait 256 Smith, Jared G., speech 2>7~ Smith, Jeanie Oliver, articles by... 113, 539 Smokeless Combustion of Coal.... 378, 721 Smoot, Sen. Reed, speech 37 Snow, Charles H., book by 450 Soil Conservation 499, 722 Soil Waste — See Land, and Watersheds. Soo Canal, Volume of Traffic 515 South America, Forest Resources 441 South's Concern in Appalachian Project, and How to Make Its Influence Felt 741 Southern Commercial Congress 784 Spring, Samuel N 643 Squirrels, Robbing Nests of 232 Menacing Forests 724 Page Start, Edwin A., Made Secretary 709 Articles by 251, 348 Speech 156 State Control of Forest Fires 178 State Forests in the Southern Appa- lachian States, Practicability of... 275 State Forest Policy '. 472 State Parks 360, 368 State Work in Conservation — See Con- servation in the Various States. State Work in Forestry 155, 171, 275, 301, 472, 608 Arkansas 444 California 722 Connecticut 442, 446, 643 Hawaii 243 Idaho 69 Illinois 368 Maine.. 302, 505, 507, 642, 717, 722, 786 Massachusetts 404, 644 Michigan 179, 643 Minnesota 498, 509 Missouri 303 New Hampshire.. 506, 509, 517, 609, 643 New Jersey 363, 786 New York 518, 717 Ontario 722 Pennsylvania 261, 516 Philippines I39,' 312 Vermont 446, 506, 787 Virginia 445 Washington 7I7 States, Duties of — See Conservation ; Federal vs. State Authority ; State Work in Forestry ; Citizens, Duty of. Steel Ties — See Railroads, Ties. Stories Told in Ranger Camps 763 Stubbs, Gov. W. R., speech 94 Swain, Prof. Geo. F 77S Articles by 489. 557 Swamp and Overflowed Lands — See Drainage. Swiss Water-power Legislation 779 Taft, President 2 299, 426, 631, 645, 648, 649, 651 Attitude Toward Reclamation 544 Toward Conservation. 426, 512, 544, 709 Letter to Ballingcr 631 Speech 709 Tawney, Congressman 495. 578,773 Taxation of Forests 1S2 281. 298, 408, 440, 469, 608 Taxation, Influence of, on Forest Dis- tribution 469 CONTENTS OF VOLUME XV XI Page Taxation, Natural, of Timbered Mining Lands 408 Taxation of National Forests 180 Taxation of Railroad Lands in National Forests 440 Taxation for Support of Forestry 498 Taxation of Incomes and Inheritances. . . 702 Taxes, Towns Without 360 Teal, Joseph N 712 Speech 34 Telegraph Poles — See Electric Line Poles. Thaw, Alexander Blair, poem by 202 Thom, De Courcy W., letter 113 Ties — See Railroad Ties. Timber Supply of United States 244, 282, 307, 439, 716, 766 See also Forest Service ; Private Forestry; and Profitableness of Improvement. Timber Thieves Punished 445 Trans-Mississippi Congress... 642, 648, 710 Tree as a Landowner 289, 299 Tree Lover, A 289, 299 Tree Planting 169, 182, 184, 243, 247, 308, 366, 373, 438, 505 See also Reforestation ; and Pri- vate Forestry. Troup, R. S., book by 789 Turpentining, Improved Methods 245 United States Forest Service — See Forest Service. United States Reclamation Service — See Reclamation Service. Unemployed Men and Forestry 174 Upper Mississippi River — See Water- ways and Waterway Associations. Van Hise, Dr. Charles R., speeches, ^i, 302 Volcano, Utilizing a 370 Vrooman, Frank Bufifington, articles by. 483, 550, 612, 646, 689, 7S4 Walsh, Thomas F., speech 18 Warner, Anne, articles by 287, 610, 752 Waste : Natural Gas 247 Needless Work 443 Resources 108, 3S1 Timber 766 Water 307 See also Conservation ; Forest De- struction; Soil; and Watersheds. Water Circulation and Its Control (series of articles) 262, 325, 413 Page Water-power : Bills Introduced 708 Development 302 Electrical Development of, and For- est Preservation 214 Investigation, Wisconsin 642 Legislation in Switzerland 779 Monopoly 106, 108, 170, 447, 512, 544, 548, 563, 580, 581, 583, 584, 707, 708 New York 307 Sites 432, 447, 448, 780 Trust.. 432, 447, 575, 634, 650, 651, 652, 708 Water Resources of Ohio Valley, In- vestigation .' 121 Water Resources, Report on, at Con- servation Conference 92 Water, Running, People's Right to 683 Water Storage: Maine 642 Wisconsin 678 See also Conservation. Water Supply : Deep Wells, Conservation of 122 Giant Springs of Montana T,yy On Farms 644 People's Right to Running Water... 683 Protection of 2)73 Water Transportation, How It Saves.. 358 Waterway Associations and Conventions : Atlantic Deep Waterway Association . 720 Corpus Christi Meeting 769, 783 Fort Wayne Convention 720 Interstate Inland Waterways League. 720 Lakes-to-the-Gulf Deep Waterway Association 639, 720, 781 Mississippi-Atlantic Inland Water- way Association 1 18, 720 Missouri Waterways and Roads Con- vention 720 Ohio Valley Improvement Association 720 Rivers and Harbors Congress, Na- tional 48, 784 Rivers and Harbors Congress, Women's National . 98, 156, 242, 347, 642 Upper Mississippi Improvement As- sociation 702, 720 Waterways : Commission, United States 585 Commission for United States and Canada 306 Cost of — See Waterways, Profitable- ness. CONSERVATION Page Rivers and Harbors Congresses — See Waterways Associations. Ri\ers, Navigable — See Waterways. Roads for National Forests 239 Roads, Good 642, 701, 784 Roads and Waterways Convention, Missouri 720 Roosevelt, Theodore : Dynamic Geographer (series of articles) . . . 483, 550, 612, 646, 689, 754 Articles and Speeches, 2, 4, 158, 161, 170, Front Cover January. Praise of Pinchot 526 Portraits 2, 520 Policies Opposed 495, 578, 580, 581, 582, 631, 633, 634, 648 Rothrock, Dr. J. T., speeches I53-I55 Royal Scottish Arboricultural Society, Transactions of 790 Sabine-Neches Canal 306 Sacramento Valley, The 134 Sanders, Gov. T. Y 782 Schenck, Dr. C. A 508, 784 Scrub Pine for Paper Pulp 31 J Seashore, From, to Sand Hills, poem... 104 Sectional Considerations and Legisla- tion 231, 638 Sheppard, Rep. J. H., Revenue Resolu- tion 447 Shinn, Charles H., articles by 187, 397, 623, 763 Sierras, In the Great Forests of The, poem 202 Slosson, Col. Willis M., and Company of Rangers, picture 189 Smith, George Otis, article by 619 Smith, Herbert A 784 Smith, Gov. Hoke, speech 22 Portrait 256 Smith, Jared G., speech ;iy2 Smith, Jeanie Oliver, articles by... 113, 539 Smokeless Combustion of Coal.... 378, 721 Smoot, Sen. Reed, speech 2>7 Snow, Charles H., book by 450 Soil Conservation 499, 722 Soil Waste — See Land, and Watersheds. Soo Canal, Volume of Traffic 515 South America, Forest Resources 441 South's Concern in Appalachian Project, and How to Make Its Influence Felt 741 Southern Commercial Congress 784 Spring, Samuel N 643 Squirrels, Robbing Nests of 232 Menacing Forests 724 Page Start, Edwin A., Made Secretary 709 Articles by 251, 348 Speech 15O State Control of Forest Fires 178 State Forests in the Southern Appa- lachian States, Practicability of... 275 State Forest Policy 472 State Parks 360, 368 State Work in Conservation — See Con- servation in the Various States. State Work in Forestry 155, 171, 275, 30 T, 472, 608 Arkansas 444 California 722 Connecticut 442, 446, 643 Hawaii 243 Idaho 69 Illinois 368 Maine.. 302, 505, 507, 642, 717, 722, 786 Massachusetts 404, 644 Michigan 179, 643 Minnesota 498> 509 Missouri 303 New Hampshire.. 506, 509, 517, 609, 643 New Jersey 363, 7^6 New York 518, 717 Ontario 722 Pennsylvania 261, 516 Philippines 139,' 312 Vermont 446, 506, 787 Virginia 445 Washington 7i7 States, Duties of — See Conservation ; Federal vs. State Authority; State Work in Forestry; Citizens, Duty of. Steel Ties — See Railroads, Ties. Stories Told in Ranger Camps 763 Stubbs, Gov. W. R., speech 94 Swain, Prof. Geo. F 77S Articles by 489, 557 Swamp and Overflowed Lands — See Drainage. Swiss Water-power Legislation 779 Taft, President 2 299, 426, 631, 64s, 648, 649, 651 Attitude Toward Reclamation 544 Toward Conservation. 426, 512. 544, 709 Letter to Ballinger 631 Speech 709 I'awney, Congressman 495, 578, 772 Taxation of Forests 152 281, 298, 408, 440, 469, 608 Taxation, Influence of, on Inirest Dis- tribution 469 CONTENTS OF VOLUME XV XI Page Taxation, Natural, of Timbered Mining Lands 408 Taxation of National Forests 180 Taxation of Railroad Lands in National Forests 440 Taxation for Support of Forestry 498 Taxation of Incomes and Inheritances. . . 702 Taxes, Towns Without 360 Teal, Joseph N 712 Speech 34 Telegraph Poles — See Electric Line Poles. Thaw, Alexander Blair, poem by 202 Thom, De Courcy W., letter 113 Ties — See Railroad Ties. Timber Supply of United States 244, 282, 307, 439, 716, 766 See also Forest Service; Private Forestry; and Profitableness of Improvement. Timber Thieves Punished 445 Trans-Mississippi Congress... 642, 648, 710 Tree as a Landowner.... 289, 299 Tree Lover, A 289, 299 Tree Planting 169, 182, 184, 243, 247, 308, 366, 2,72, 438. 505 See also Reforestation ; and Pri- vate Forestry. Troup, R. S., book by 789 Turpentining, Improved Methods 245 United States Forest Service — See Forest Service. United States Reclamation Service — See Reclamation Service. Unemployed Men and Forestry 174 Upper Mississippi River — See Water- ways and Waterway Associations. Van Hise, Dr. Charles R., speeches. 2)i, 3°^ Volcano, Utilizing a 370 Vrooman, Frank Buffington, articles by. 483, 550, 612, 646, 689, 754 Walsh, Thomas F., speech 18 Warner, Anne, articles by 287, 610, 752 Waste : Natural Gas 247 Needless Work 443 Resources 108, 381 Timber 766 Water 307 See also Conservation ; Forest De- struction; Soil; and Watersheds. Water Circulation and Its Control (series of articles) 262, 325, 413 Page Water-power : Bills Introduced 708 Development 302 Electrical Development of, and For- est Preservation 214 Investigation, Wisconsin 642 Legislation in Switzerland 779 Monopoly 106, 108, 170, 447, 512, 544, 548, 563, 580, 581, 583, 584, 707, 708 New York 307 Sites 432, 447, 448, 780 Trust.. 432, 447, 575, 634, 650, 651, 652, 708 Water Resources of Ohio Valley, In- vestigation .- 121 Water Resources, Report on, at Con- servation Conference 92 Water, Running, People's Right to 683 Water Storage: Maine 642 Wisconsin 678 See also Conservation. Water Supply : Deep Wells, Conservation of 122 Giant Springs of Montana 277 On Farms 644 People's Right to Running Water... 683 Protection of 373 Water Transportation, How It Saves.. 358 Waterway Associations and Conventions : Atlantic Deep Waterway Association . 720 Corpus Christi Meeting 769, 783 Fort Wayne Convention 720 Interstate Inland Waterways League. 720 Lakes-to-the-Gulf Deep Waterway Association 639, 720, 781 Mississippi-Atlantic Inland Water- way Association 118, 720 Missouri Waterways and Roads Con- vention 720 Ohio Valley Improvement Association 720 Rivers and Harbors Congress, Na- tional 48, 784 Rivers and Harbors Congress, Women's National . 98, 156, 242, 347, 642 Upper Mississippi Improvement As- sociation 702, 720 Waterways : Commission, United States 585 Commission for United States and Canada 306 Cost of— See Waterways, Profitable- ness. Xll CONSERVATION Page Waterways- — Continued : Demand for River Transportation.. 358, m, 699, 700 Freight-rate Regulation 699 Kansas City's Fight for Her River 358, 377 Improvement Needed 514, 515, January Front Cover Intluenced by Forests 489, 511 National Defense Involved 779 Profitableness of. . 358, 644, 700, 702, 771 See also Profitableness of Con- servation. Treaty with Great Britain 180, 306 Waterways, Routes : Great Lakes 306 Miami and Erie Canal 119 Mississippi River 2,77, 639, 702, 720 Missouri River 358, :i77 Sabine-Neches Canal 306 Soo Canal 515 Waterways, State Action: Canada 180, 306, 515 Illinois 770 Iowa 306 Missouri 358, 359, 2,77, 720 New York 307 Ohio 1 19 Texas 306, 769, 783 Watersheds, Protection of 511, 657 Weeks, Hon. John W., portrait 257 Wells, Deep, Value and Conservation . . . 122 Weyerhaeuser, Frederick 440 Whipple, Commissioner, speech 44 White, I. C 693 White Mountains — See Appalachian For- ests, and Forest Conference. Whitnall, C. B., letter 112 Wild Flowers and Trees of Colorado, book 789 Page Will, Thos. Elmer, articles by 223, 495. 563, 578, 696 Williams, Harrison, article by 683 Williams, Lydia Adams, articles by 98, 222, 346, 394 Willis, Dr. Bailey, speech 82 Articles by 262, 325, 413 Willow Culture 441 Wilson, Hon. James 125, 178 Speech 64 Portrait... 527, and Front Cover March Wisconsin Water-power Investigation . . . 642 Women, A Million, for Conservation. . . . 346 Women's Clubs : California 507 District of Columbia 346 Georgia 301 Illinois 367, 368 Massachusetts 303 Pennsylvania 156 . General Federation 346, 643, 783 Women's National Rivers and Harbors Congress — See Waterways Associ- ations. Women's National Single-tax League... 713 Women's Work for Conservation. . . 222, 346 See Women's Clubs. Wood Distillation 450, 724 Wood Preservation. 183, 312-314, 439, 441, 449 Wood, Principal Species of. Their Char- acteristic Properties, book 450 Wood Pulp — See Paper Pulp. Woods, The, poem 622 Work on a National Forest (series of articles) 187, 397, 623 World's Most Valuable Irrigated Dis- tricts 203 Yellow Pine — See Pine. Zebra-wood— See Andaman. Formerly FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION JANUARY 1909 Vol. XV, No. 1 c ]^1\;^'"m J,''^''''^" ''^ ^jri^^-V/iC' S^imP™'*''' . "•''^fi -"•'"^.iuiituj.M. '■:v;^.„,.C^ THE PRESIDENT'S PLAN "Our precious policy of procrastination, delay, and fitful and partial action, has borne its fruit. Our waterways are de^ serted, and in return for our vast expendi^' ture we have little or no actual navigation to show. The people are ready for a change, Let us have it, and let us have it at once. If we can pay the cost from cur^ rent revenues, let us do so. If not, then let us issue bonds." PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT Published by THE AMERICAN FORESTRY ASSOCIATION, 1417 G St. N. W.. Waihinglon, D. C. Price, S2.00 per Year, including Annual Membership in the Association CONSERVATION'S ADVERTISERS I B. M. HAWKS -'fr:ntf ndfn TarrytowN: N. Y..C/y^^^^ ^^ " 190: i:'-^^ r\y £2- ««-?-«. i^ ■^^^.^Z^C^ l^^-^^'^.^-t^'^^ /^'<^^i-ea.-«e- The Work Well Done 51) The Appalachian Matter 5ft Speaker Cannon in the Open Wi Conservation Is the official organ of the American Forestry Association. Price. ?2.on per year, Includhig Annual Memberslilp in the Association. Entered as second-cla.'is matter Augu.Ox, at the Po.-^t (irtice at Washington, D. C, under the .\ct "f March 3. 187!l Published Monthly at 1417 G STREET N. W. WASHINGTON, D. C. p^fs—rm^j' ■!■ -w.jcw""!"' HON. GIFFORD PINCHOT, CHIEF FORESTER Secretary of the National Conservation Commission, and Chairman of the Joint Conservation Conference WOODS W AT E R S SOILS ORES LIBRARY NEW YORK BOTANICAL (iARDBN. Vol. XV JANUARY, igog No. I THE JOINT CONSERVATION CONFERENCE Second Gathering of the Governors in Washington — Report of the Commission Is Received — Notable Assembly and Noteworthy Addresses IN CONTINUANCE of the work so ably inaug-urated at the White House, in Washing-ton, last May, the first gathering of the Joint Conservation Conference — being the Governors of the various States, their advisers, mem- bers of State Conservation Commis- sions, representatives of State and Na- tional organizations and others — met in Washington on December 8, 9, and 10. The purpose of the conference was, pri- marily, to receive the report of the commission appointed last June by President Roosevelt ; which commis- sion has been at work since its ap- pointment, preparing an inventory of the Nation's natural resources. The sessions of the conference were held in the Red Room of the New Wil- cr> lard Hotel, though the conference was opened with a monster mass meeting at the Belasco Theater. This opening meeting, which was designed to give the initial impetus to the later sessions, was. in a measure, open to the general public — that is, admission tickets were distributed to those who really wanted them. From the size of the audience, its representative character, and the hearty applause that was vouchsafed every telling point made by the several speakers, it is safe to say that very few of those holding tickets failed to use them. The meeting at the Belasco was pre- sided over by President-to-be William Howard Taft, who was introduced by Chief Forester GifTord Pinchot, acting as temporary chairman. Judge Taft, with few preliminaries, introduced President Roosevelt, the first speaker ; and, following the President. Governor Chamberlain, of Oregon, in a deeply interesting paper, place^l before the members of the conference, and the in- vited guests, the case for conservation of natural resources. Occupying the stage with the chair- man and the principal speakers were members of the President's Cabinet, members of the National Conservation Commission. Governors and their asso- ciates, and others particularly inter- ested in or identified with the work of 4 CONSERVATION conservation. The audience filled every seat in the beautiful theater, even the upper galleries being crowded ; and the interest of those who were in attend- ance was made unmistakably manifest by the appreciative applause that was of such frequent occurrence and vol- ume as to interrupt the speakers. In calling the meeting to order, Mr. Pinchot, as temporary chairman, intro- duced Rev. Edward Everett Hale, the venerable chaplain of the United States Senate, whose invocation was especially appropriate, closing with the Lord's Prayer, audibly joined in by the entire assembly. Mr. Pinchot introduced the permanent chairman, in a brief speech of explanation. MR. PINCHOT'S OPENING SPEECH MR. PRESIDENT, ladies and gentle- men : The meeting of the Governors at the White House last May, out of which this joint conference sprang, con- sidered the natural resources of the country as the foundations of our prosperity. The conservation of these resources is clearly necessary for our welfare, as a nation, now and hereafter. Conservation implies both the development and the protection of resources, the one as much as the other. The idea which under- lies it is in harmony with the true spirit of this Nation. It expresses a deep-seated Na- tional conviction, latent until it came, that we have inherited from our forefathers both an opportunity for ourselves and a duty to those who come after us. Conservation de- mands the use of common prudence and com- mon foresight in dealing with the great ma- terial resources upon which our present and future welfare depends. The essence of conservation is the applica- tion of common sense to the common prob- lems for the common good. Conservation is simply obvious and right. Therefore, of all the greait movements of our recent history, not one has gained so rapidly in public appreciation and support, and not one has promised such results in securing the greatest good to the greatest number for the longest time. This Nation has been given three million square miles of the richest, the most varied, and the pleasantest of all continents. That land belongs to us now, just as it has be- longed to our forefathers, and as it will belong to our descendants. We have the right to use it and we have the power to impair it. The choice is ours. We cannot avoid it and we cannot delay it. That we shall choose well, this meeting is the best earnest and guarantee. The history of a nation is written best of all in the progress and happiness of its people. But it is written also in great move- ments, great occasions and great men. We are gathered here to-day in the furtherance of a great movernent on a great occasion and in the presence of great men. Judge Taft lost no time in present- ing to the audience the first speaker of the meeting, P'resident Theodore Roosevelt. The President was com- pelled at frequent intervals to inter- rupt his remarks while waiting for the applause to subside, his declaration in favor of a bond issue for internal im- provements, if no other course seemed open, apparently meeting with the full- est and heartiest approval of his hearers. ADDRESS OF PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT GOVERNORS, Representatives of the States, and of the great national organi- zation, members of the National Con- servation Commission, and you men and women, my fellow citizens, I welcome you here, our guests, to Washington and to the work you have gathered to do. No service to the Nation in time of peace could be of greater worth than the work which has brought you together. In its essence your task is to make the Nation's future as great as its present. That is what the conservation of our resources means. This movement means that we shall not become great in the present at the ex- pense of the future, but we shall provide that we may show ourselves truly great in the present by providing for the great- ness of our children's children who are to inherit the land after us. It is the greatest National task of to-day, and I thank you for making ready to under- take it. If you do no more than fix the National THE JOINT CONSERVATION CONGRESS 5 attention upon the problem, you will have done well. It augurs well for the future that you are here and it is to the credit of our country that in this matter it should take the lead among the nations of the world. All we are asking, gentlemen, is that the National Government shall proceed as a private business man would, as a matter of course, proceed. He will regularly take ac- count of stock, so that he may know just where he stands. If you find that he does not, that he does not know how his outgo corresponds with his income, you will be afraid to trade with him. The same meas- ures of prudence demanded from him as an individual, the same measures of foresight demanded from him as an individual, are de- manded from us as a nation. Unfortun- ately, nations have been slow to profit by the example of every individual among them who makes a success of his business. The United States is substantially the first na- tion to prepare to take an inventory of its stock in hand, and it has only begun to do so, in any definite way, within the last few months. Last May, you, the Governors of the States 'and Territories, met at the White House to confer with each other and the President, upon the material basis of our National wel- fare. You united in a memorable declaration, which should hang on the wall of every school, and every citizen who is a voter in the United States in the next generation should know about it. Out of the conference at which the declaration was adopted grew the Na- tional Conservation Commission, whose chief duty was, as I have said, to prepare an in- ventory of the natural resources of our country, those resources which are, in the language of the Governors, the foundation of our prosperity. This report is to be used by the President in transmitting to Congress information as to the state of the Union so -far as the natural resources are concerned. The Commission consists of Senators and Representatives, members of the executive de- partments, and public-spirited private citizens familiar with particular resources. It is wholly without funds and it has, therefore, depended altogether on the public spirit of its members and the cooperation of the executive departments at Washington and in the several States, especially the scien- tific and statistical bureaus. I wish to take this opportunity to express on behalf of the people of this country my profound appreciation of the disinterested work — work so valuable that it could not be paid for adequately and which, as a matter of fact, was not paid for at all — performed by the members in private who have given so lavishly of their best time and thought in forwarding this cause. Its work has brought these bureaus in closer and more effective cooperation than ever before, and for this reason its results will rank as by far the most useful state- ment of natural resources ever pre- pared in any country. Each bureau, without relaxing its regular work, has collected and summarized the results of its past work, and has contributed them to the Commission. I desire to make special acknowledgment to the men who have so cheerfully and suc- cessfullj' accepted and carried out this addi- tional task. They have rendered a real serv- ice to the whole Nation at a cost of great personal sacrifice of time and effort to them- selves. And the best of it all was the ad- mirable spirit of cooperation which char- acterized the whole work. I am especially glad to welcome the co- operation of the States, through their con- servation commissions and otherwise. With- out it the great task of perpetuating the Na- tional welfare would succeed with difficulty. If States and Nation work for it together, all in their several fields, and all joining heartily where the field is common, we arc certain of success in advance. No right-minded citizen would stop the proper use of our resources ; but every good American must realize that National im- providence follows the same course and leads to the same end as personal irriprovidence, and that needless waste must stop. The time to deride or neglect the statements of ex- perts and teaching of the facts has gone by. The time to act on what we know has now arrived. Common prudence, common sense, and common business principles are applicable to National affairs, just as they are to private affairs, and the time has come to use them in dealing with the foundations of our prosperity. Now, I do not believe in hysteria or sen- sationalism— in the press or anywhere else. I would not grow hysterical or sensational in describing our condition ; but neither must we allow a false security based on con- ditions long since passed away to blind us, to prevent us from seeing the facts and ap- plying common sense to the situation they disclose. The purpose of the inventory was to give the facts — not to create an alarm, but to take stock of what we have, and so to lead to the necessary action for its pres- ervation and increase. Our natural resources are so related tha: the use of one affects the use of all the others. This is especially true of our water- ways. Every man, woman and child within our borders has an interest in thern, through navigation, power, irrigation or water supply, or through all four. We have neglected our waterways more than any other natural re- sources, and we must put an end to that neglect. The Inland Waterways Commis- sion has told us how. First, let us prepare a comprehensive plan for inland waterways development along the lines pointed out by the Commission. Such a plan must consider every use of the wa- ters ; it must put the interest of all the people in advance of any private interests whatsoever. CONSERVATION Now, gentlemen, remember that the way to make the waterwaj' improvement what it must be made is at hand, and let us refuse to pay heed to anything but the great com- mon interest. If you dissipate improve- ments throughout the country on the ground that each congressional district shall have its share, you would better abandon the project from the beginning. I want you to have a comprehensive plan formulated by a National commission, because I want to see that plan genuinely National in scope, con- ceived in a spirit that will make it genuinely for the use of the whole Union. That plan must consider every use of the waters and the preparation of that plan should begin at once. We need the plan. VVe need to have a comprehensive plan ; but that does not mean that we should not begin the work now. Begin the plan ; but there are certain features of the work which we already know will fit into any right plan that is produced ; for these pieces of work, plans have already been approved. Our precious policy of pro- crastination, delay and fitful and partial ac- tion has borne its fruit. Our waterways are deserted, and in return for our vast expenditures we have little or no actual navi- gation to show. The people arc ready for a change. Let us have it, and let us have i; at once. If we can pay the cost from cur- rent revenues, let us do so. If not, let u? issue bonds. I always favor paying out oi the current revenue anything that we can possibly pay. I would not on any account go into the business of issuing bonds to pay for anything that was not of a permanent and National good. I hope it will not be necessary here ; but this is a great perma nent enterprise for a permanent National good, for the permanent National good of our children, and if it is necessary, then it i- all right to issue bonds so that the enter- prise may go ahead. The work should be begun at once. Of course, there must not be the slightest reck- lessness or waste of money. No work what- ever should be undertaken that has not been thoroughly examined and fully approved by competent experts. Above all, not one cent sliould be expended to satisfy special in- terests, whether of a business or a locality, nr to promote any man's political fortunes. This is too large a matter to be handled in such a way. We must approach it from the point of view of the National interest, under the guidance of the wisest experts in engineering, in transportation, and in all the uses of our streams. Forests and waterways cannot be separated in any successful treatment of either. For ■ est protection and river development must go liand in hand. The three things which should be done without any further delay are, therefore : First, to provide for a comprehensive plan of waterway development. Second, to begin at once on work already planned, that will surely fit into the larger plan. Third, to ]3rovide amply for forest protection against fire, against reckless cutting, against wanton or reckless destruction of all kinds, and to secure the Appalachian and White Moun- tain National Forests without delay. Immediately following the address by the President, Governor Chamber- lain, of Oregon, addressed the meet- ing. While his paper dealt more par- ticidarly with waters and waterways and the difficnlties in the way of estab- lishing a just and equitable modus Vivendi in their control as between the Nation and the States, the address, as a whole, was one of the ablest and most thoughtful contributions of the entire conference. ADDRESS OF GOVERNOR CHAMBERLAIN ON THE third day of October, 1907, the Inland Waterways Commission, at a meeting on board the steamer Col. A. Mackenzie, the President of the United States being present and presiding, it was decided to call a conference on the general subject of the conservation of the natural resources of the Nation. The Commission tlicreupon prepared a formal letter to the President, giving their reasons for such con- ference, and asking him, in case of con- currence in their views, to issue a call for the same. The next day, in a magnificent ad- dress delivered by him before the Deep Waterway Convention at Memphis, the President announced his intention to call the conference; and on the I3tli day of Novem- lier he issued invitations to the Governors of the States and Territories to meet at the White House May 13-15, 1908, the con- ferees to comprise, in addition to the Gov- ernors, three advisors to be selected by each, the Senators and Representatives in the Sixtieth Congress, the members of the In- land Waterways Commission, and represen- tatives of certain national organizations dealing with natural resources. The conference was held at the appointed time and place, and was largely and en- tliusiastically attended. Later, carrying out the purposes of the conference, the Presi- dent appointed a National Conservation Commission, organized in four classes to consider the resources of water, forests. THE JOINT CONSERVATION CONGRESS lands and mines, and invited the Governors to appoint State commissions to consider and report upon the condition of the same resources in the several States and Terri- tories. This meeting has been appointed for a conference of the National and State Com- missions, in order to assist in devising ways and means for future conservation of the natural resources of the country by appro- priate legislation, National and State. The Oregon commission is here to-day repre- sented by the Chairman, Mr. J. N. Teal, with a splendid report on the natural re- sources of our State, and I presume all the other States will be represented and re- ported upon. I have been honored by an invitation to address you on behalf of the Governors, and I have accepted with some reluctance, be- cause I fully understand that the views of the executives of the different States may be so divergent, with respect to the matters to be considered, the topography, climatic conditions and needs of the commonwealths comprising the Union so unlike, that it would be impossible for me to voice their senti- ments on a subject of such vast importance to the present and future welfare of the Nation. We are probably all agreed upon one point. Conservation of the natural resources is necessary to the well-being of our country, the protection of generations yet vmborn and the perpetuation of our institutions; and cooperation of State and Federal authorities is essential if we are to accomplish bene- ficial results. As to the means to be adopted to attain the ends desired we may differ radically. In the outset, therefore, I dis- claim an intention to be the mouthpiece of the executives of the different States in the suggestions I may make as to the steps which I believe are essential to bring about the greatest good for the greatest number. It was undoubtedly timely that the Forestry and Reclamation branches of the Federal Government first sounded a warning as to the wanton destruction of the forests and the resultant consequences — fuel famine, soil erosion, flood waters at certain seasons and at others an insufficient supply for domes- tic, industrial, irrigation and navigation pur- poses. It is questionable, indeed, if this warning, unsupported in other directions, would have been sufficient to arouse the people to vigorous action. But the distin- guished President of the United States, with the energy which has characterized his whole official life, early took up the subject, and on the 14th day of March, 1907, appointed the Inland Waterways Commission, not only to prepare and report upon a comprehensive plan for the improvement and control of the river systems of the United States, but upon the correlated subjects of forests and their conservation, soil erosion, and, gen- erally, upon the control and use of the navi- gable and other waters of the country for navigation and industrial purposes. , The conclusions reached by the Forestry and Reclamation services were sustained and strengthened by the investigations of the In- land Waterways Commission. All were practically agreed that the navigability of our waterways and the maintenance of uni- formity of depth and flow depended upon the tributary supply streams, and these in turn upon the protection of the forests along the watersheds and upper reaches. In other words, that the preservation of the forests", the distribution of water for irrigation, domestic and industrial purposes, its use for the generation of power, light, heat, and the navigability of the rivers, were so correlated and interdependent that the consideration of means for the preservation and protection of one involved consideration of means for the preservation and protection of all. I*"rom the earliest days of the Republic the public lands, agricultural and mineral, arid and semi-arid, the waters on and under the earth, and all the resources of sea and land have been given away with wanton and reckless prodigality, until much that is most valuable and essential to National strength has gone into individual or corporate owner- ship. As a result, magnificent resources, that should have remained under government control for the use and enjoyment of the whole people, have been dissipated and un- economically administered, to the enrich- ment of the few and the impoverishment of the many. The forests of the country, on the mountains of the headwaters of many of the navigable streams, as well as in the valleys, have been denuded until now the date can almost be named when, if present methods be pursued without reforestation, there must inevitably be a lumber famine with all that such a condition entails ; the coal mines are being exhausted, with an ever increasing fuel demand; natural oils and gases are being used extravagantly and wasted wantonly as though the supply were inexhaustible; soil erosion is taking place so rapidly by reason of the destructions of the forests that vast areas of agricultural lands are being washed into the navigable waterways, impairing the navigability of these important avenues of commerce; the increased and increasing demand for iron and steel seriously threatens the exhaustion of the mines ; and until now no step has been taken to call a halt to wasteful ex- travagance or to safeguard to present and future generations the little of these re- sources that remain. I do not underesti- mate the creative and inventive genius of our people, but it is no answer to the charge of wasteful extravagance in the use of our magnificent resources to say that substitutes for them all may be found when- ever the necessity arives. That is not the history of other countries and of other peoples who have ruthlessly squandered the gifts of a beneficent Providence. 8 CONSERVATION A partial inventory was made and an account of stock taken at the last confer- ence, and it would be out of place at this time to indulge in detail, because the Na- tional and State Conservation Commissions are now engaged in making a complete in- ventory of all natural resources. The question, it seems to me, which ought to engage the attention of the present conference is, what policy ought to be adopted for the future with respect to the conservation of the natural resources of the countri\ One of two policies must be adopted in order to succeed — and that policy must be either National, or State. Whatever policy is adopted must be en- tered upon with a vigorous determination, a strong hand and under intelligent direc- tion. And first as to a JSIational policy: As to tlfe authority and jurisdiction of the Federal government over the undis- posed-of portions of the public domain, there can be no question. There the power of Congress is unquestionably supreme with respect to the soil, the mine, the forest and the streams tributary to the navigable waterways and their use, certainly insofar as such use might interfere with naviga- tion. Again, the Federal government, under the interstate clause of the Constitution, has jurisdiction over the navigable waterways of the country. About this, too, there can be no question. In the exercise of jurisdiction over the navigable waterways, how far can Congress or the courts go in the matter of the con- trol of streams whidh, though non-navi- gable, are nevertheless tributary to the sources of supply, and so affect the uni- formity of the flow of, waters in the navi- gable highways? In the case of the United States v. Rio Grande Dam and Irrigation Company, 174 U. S., 690, the court discussed this ques- tion in connection with the appropriation of water for irrigation and other purposes as affecting the navigability of a river, and in the course of the opinion said : "Although this power of changing the common law rules as to streams within its domain undoubtedly belongs to each State, yet two limitations must be recognized ; "First, that in the absence of specific au- thority from Congress, a State cannot, by its legislation, destroy the right of the United States, as the owner of lands border- ing on a stream, to the continued flow of its waters ; so far at least as may be neces- sary for the beneficial uses of the govern- ment property. "Second, that it is limited by the superior powers of the general government to secure the uninterrupted navigability of all naviga- ble streams within the limits of the United States. In other words, the jurisdiction of the general government over interstate commerce and its natural highways vest in that government the right to take all needed measures to preserve the navigability of the navigable water-courses of the country, even against any State action. It is true, there have been frequent decisions recogniz- ing the powers of the State, in the absence of Congressional legislation, to assume con- trol of navigable waters within its limits to the extent of creating dams, booms, bridges and other matters which operate as obstructions to navigability. The power of the State to thus legislate for the in- terests of its own citizens is conceded, and until in some way Congress asserts its su- perior power, and the necessity of preserv- ing the general interests of the people of all the States, it is assumed that State action, although involving temporarily an obstruc- tion to free navigability of a stream, is not subject to challenge." And again in the same case the court said: "It does not follow that the courts would be justified in sustaining any proceeding by the Attorney General to restrain any ap- propriation of the upper waters of a naviga- ble stream. The question is always one of fact, whether such appropriation substan- tially interferes with the navigable capacity within the limits) where navigation is a recognized fact. In the course of the argu- ment this suggestion was made, and it seems to us not unworthy of note, as illustrating this thought. "The Hudson River runs within the limits of the State of New York. It is a navigable stream and a part of the navigable waters of the United States, so far at least as from Albany southward. One of the streams which flows into it and contributes to the volume of its waters is the Croton River, a non-navigable stream. Its waters are taken by the State of New York for domes- tic uses in the City of New York. Un- questionably the State of New York has a right to appropriate its waters, and the United States may not question such ap- propriation, unless thereby the navigability of the Hudson be disturbed. On the other hand, if the State of New York should, even at a place above the limits of naviga- bility, by appropriation for any domestic purposes, diminish the volume of waters which flow into the Hudson, a navigable stream, to such an extent as to destroy its navigability, undoubtedly the jurisdiction of the National government would arise and its power to restrain such appropriation be un- questioned ; and within the purview of this section it would become the right of the Attorney General to institute proceedings to restrain such appropriation." Numerous other cases might be cited to show that Congress has not only jurisdic- tion of the navigable waterways, but over tile tributary streams as well, so as to pre- THE JOINT CONSERVATION CONGRESS vent their use to the detriment of the navi- gability of the rivers they supply, and can even resume control of waters appropriated by a State for domestic purposes, to the destruction of the navigability of a stream. If this power and jurisdiction be recog- nized, may it not be insisted, that it is within the powers of Congress to enact a uniform code, not only to safeguard the waters tribu- tary to the navigable waterways against such diversion or obstruction as may destroy navi- gation, but also to provide for the distribu- tion of such waters for beneficial use in the reclamation of the arid and semi-arid lands of the country? For surely the time will come, if it is not already at hand, when the appropriation and diversion of the waters of many of the non-navigable waters of the country for purposes of irrigation and gen- eration of power for industrial and other purposes, will seriously impair if not destroy the navigability of streams emptying into the Mississippi, the Columbia and other great rivers of the country. My purpose in this discussion is to call attention to the powers which Congress un- questionably has and to others, which in my opinion, it has, as an incident to those ex- pressly granted. If the position assumed is correct. Congress has jurisdiction over many of the most valuable resources of the country, and why may not a law be passed, creating an inter- state Conservation Commission, author- izing it to work in connection with the de- partments of government now having juris- diction over the public lands, the forests, navigation, reclamation and kindred subjects ; making appropriations for the purchase oi deforested lands in the Appalachian Range and elsewhere, with authority to reforest them; empowering it to exercise the right of eminent domain, in such cases as might be necessary; authorizing the adoption of rules for the distribution of the waters of all streams tributary to the navigable water- ways and particularly those which are in- terstate? Such an act would vest in the National government jurisdiction over by far the largest part of the work of resource con- servation and would create a central ad- ministrative system which would result in great and lasting good and be more effec- tive than any other system. But it may be asked. Why may not the States exercise the powers herein suggested as likely to be better performed by the Na- tional government ? To this I answer : First, the States as a rule do not seem disposed to act for the preservation of their natural resources either with respect to the land owned by them or by the exercise of their police power. There are, how- ever, some notable exceptions to this rule. Second ; even in cases where the States have legislated with reference to the sub- ject of the distribution of waters, whether from interstate or intrastate streams, there is such a lack of uniformity in legislation, as well as in judicial interpretation, that it is difficult, if not impossible, to determine tile rights of individual citizens. It is well known how unpopular was the policy of National Forest creation in its in- ception in all the States. The range user and the small settler along the edges of the forests had come to feel that they had a right by prescription to use as they saw fit the unsold portion of the public domain. I myself was of the number to oppose the policy, but that opposition was the result of lack of information as to the correlation of water conservation, soil erosion, flood and drouth, and the uniform distribution of waters for reclamation of the semi-arid regions of the West. The movement, I as- sure you, now meets my hearty approval. The unpopularity of the Forest Reserve is gradually giving way to acquiescence and approval, and all opposition, I am sure, will vanish when the rules for their administra- tion can assume the order and method of a code, and people come to understand bet- ter the objects and purposes underlying it all. Who doubts for a moment that State effort along these lines would have entirely failed, and that but for the persistent, indomitable, and intelligent effort of Gifford Pinchot, who deserves a very warm place in the hearts of his countrymen, even National effort would have to come to naught? But the difficulties that beset State con- trol can be better illustrated by reference to the distribution of waters for irrigation pur poses, particularly where the rights of citi- zens of different States along the upper and lower stretches of interstate navigable waters and their tributaries are involved. To aid in the full enjoyment of these rights, there should be a uniform code gov- erning both the distribution and use of waters, and an administrative system that can reach across State lines and enforce by proper proceedings all rules and regulations. The National Irrigation Congress, held at Boise, Idaho, in September, 1906, realizing the difficulties in the way of regulating the distribution of waters along such streams, appointed a committee of expert irrigationists lo examine into the matter and report to the next Congress. This was done at Sacra- mento, Cal., the next year, and the committee reported amongst other things as follows : "If there is to be any protection of priori- ties across State lines, it should be by a Fed- eral administrative system corresponding in character to that needed for the establish- ing and protection of rights within a State. "While it is true in the administration of water rights upon interstate streams by different States, the right of appeal to the Federal courts exists, that remedy is ex- pensive, slow and unsatisfactory. A de- lO CONSERVATION cision of a court, once rendered, remains fixed and only settles the particular ques- tion involved in the case, while conditions surrounding irrigation on either side of the State line are constantly changing and the use of water for irrigation rapidly growing." While it is true that some of the States have adopted fairly good laws governing the distribution of water for irrigation and other purposes, yet even in these there is a lack of uniformity and a conflict of judicial interpretation. A few instances might serve to show the difficulties of an equitable ad- judication of water rights on interstate streams. Bear River begins in Utah, flows into Wyoming, crosses again into Utah, re- turns to Wyoming, then into Idaho and empties into Great Salt Lake. Lands arc being irrigated from its waters in each of the States through which it flows, and each State has a different law. Lesser Snake River crosses the boundary line between Colorado and Wyoming four times. Adjudications as to the rights of water users in Wyoming are not heeded in Colorado and vice versa, and there is no authoritative administrative system. The Arkansas River is another instance. It rises in the Rocky Mountains, flows for 300 miles in Colorado, crosses into Kansas, traversing it for 310 miles, enters Oklahoma, and empties into the Mississippi on the east- ern boundary of Arkansas. A suit was re- cently instituted by the State of Kansas against the State of Colorado to determine the rights of the citizens of the two States with respect to the waters of this river. It is safe to predict that the final determina- tion in this suit cannot and will not settle finally the rights of all the parties, and some sort of interstate regulation will even- tually be necessary. Other instances might be cited, but these are sufficient to illustrate the difficulty which besets State regulation and control of waters for irrigation and other purposes. There are again other cases where a stream has its source in one State and its waters are used for irrigation and power purposes in another; the latter State has no power or authority, if the necessity should arise, to go into the former and construct storage reservoirs, no matter how valuable they might be. I would not for a moment be understood as claiming that Congress has any power, jurisdiction, or authority, to disturb rights to water which have become vested through National or State laws. On the contrary I insist that such rights shotdd be protected and will be promoted by the course here suggested for National control and ad- ministration. It is in the interest of these rights, as well as for those yet to accrue, that radical and immediate action should be taken. Who could have foreseen, when the Constitution was adopted, or even a quar- ter of a century ago, the change that has taken place in the semi-arid regions through the distribution of water? The beginning has only been made, and the prediction may safely be hazarded, that by the construc- tion of dams and storage reservoirs and the 'enactment of laws for the proper distribution of water for reasonable and beneficial use, hundreds of thousands of acres of land, which to-day are considered worthless, will in the next quarter of a century be reclaimed and will furnish homes for thousands of sturdy men and women. It is to protect the men of the present day and age and their descendants in the enjoyment of their vested rights against the men of the future, and those of the future against the un- reasonable demands of the present, that Federal jurisdiction and legislation is here suggested. With the Federal authorities in control of the undisposed-of portions of the public domain in the several States, includ- ing the forests within the reserves, and the mines and minerals therein situate, the navigable waterways with their tributary streams, both for controlling their use to maintain a uniform flow for the purposes of navigation, and the distribution of waters for irrigation purposes as an incident to the maintenance of the navigability of the rivers, and in control, as well, of deforested areas owned and to be purchased for re- forestation, there is no doubt that a policy of Federal administration can be formulated, that will do more for the preservation and protection of our natural resources than is possible to be done by the States acting separately. But cooperation by the States will still be necessary to accomplish the highest results, and in what I have sug- gested it is with the idea that such a move- ment would have the hearty cooperation of the State authorities. As to the policy of State administration. I have pointed out some of the difficulties in the way of administration on the part of the States, of a portion at least, of our National resources. There is no question but that Federal administration and control would be more efifective, and yet I realize that jealousies between the States them- selves, and fear of Federal encroachment upon the rights of the States, will make it difficult to agree upon a proper course m legislation. The work in hand is so im- portant, not only to us of the present, but to future generations, that we ought to be able to lay aside all jealousies, and endeavor in a spirit of the loftiest patriotism to reason together and formulate, if possible, a policy of administration that is best for all. Before the older States realized the value of their forests, their waterways, their mines and minerals, they had allowed all to slip from their hands and into private owner- ship. The same thing is now going on in the younger States, and soon there will be left nothing to conserve of what we received THE CONFERENCE PROPER II from our forefathers as a magnificent heri- tage. Some course ought to be mapped out now for our future conduct. If a National administrative system does not meet with approval, then let it be State. The conflicting interests of the States, the different conditions which prevail in the humid and semi-arid regions, in soil, in climate, in topography and finally in laws and judicial interpretation, will render the enactment of a uniform code a task of great difficulty. It cannot be done here and now. but the initial steps. may be taken for the appointment of commissioners from the dif- ferent States to confer together and agree if possible upon a code for submission to the different State legislatures. But whether the policy for the conserva- tion of our natural resources be National or State, there should be hearty cooperation on the part of both the National and State governments, for without it, all efforts must fail. To you gentlemen of the East, the North, and the South — to you gentlemen from every section of our country in control of the Federal government, we of the West promise our best efforts in the work of con- serving all the natural resources of all these States for the benefit of all the people. THE CONFERENCE PROPER Sessions at the New Willard Hotel — Report of the National Conser^ vation Commission Section of Minerals ON WEDNESDAY morning, De- cember 8, in the Red Room at the New Willard Hotel, the con- ference proper began with the reading by Governor Blanchard, of Louisiana, of the report of the National Conserva- tion Commission. This report being a State document, prepared for the Presi- dent and to be transmitted by him to Congress, of course cannot be published in full. A condensation, however, cov- ering the work of the four sections and giving the principal points contained in the report, has been prepared, and these four summaries are available. After a brief talk by Senator New- lands, in reference to other matters, .Senator Flint was called upon for the report of the Section of Minerals, of which section Hon. John Dalzell is chairman. He prefaced his remarks with the statement that the most im- pressive fact faced by the Section was the lack of exact knowledge in regard to mineral resources ; and he added that this fact emphasized the impor- tance of continuing the Commission in all its branches until a thorough in- ventory shall have been made of the resources of the country, mineral and others. 12 CONSERVATION Among the startling points brought out in tlie report is that contained in the statement that the gas that is now escaping from gas and oil wells, and the loss of which is altogether pre- ventable, is sufficient to light all the cities in the United States of over loo,- ooo inhabitants. Another is the dem- onstration that the existing and known coal fields of the country contain only sufficient unmined coal to last until the middle of the next century. Of all minerals produced in the United States, one-sixth is wasted, this waste amounting to $1,000,000 a day — $365,- 000,000 annually. This waste of min- eral products is not the only staggering fact developed ; the loss of life, through careless, imperfect mining methods, and through a lack of harmony in the laws of the different States and the National Government, is far greater than is true of any other country in the world, where men are engaged in the same lines of work Senator Flint urgently recommended that the strong- est sort of resolutions be adopted call- ing for the enactment and enforce- ment of laws safeguarding the miners, with the end in view of putting a stop to this awful and wholly needless sac- rifice of human lives. In regard to conditions so far as the country's mining laws are concerned, Senator Flint said : "We have three dififerent schemes for obtaining title to mineral property : viz., the coal land laws, the lode claim laws, and the placer mining laws. Un- der the placer mining laws we know of the great frauds committed in tak- ing up timber lands in the West ; but at the same time it is difficult to frame a law that will permit placer mining and at the same time not permit the placer miner to own the surface of the ground. In other words, in placer mining as it is in the West, it is nec- essary to take the surface or we can- not have a placer mine. * * * Our mining laws should be changed so as to permit the taking out of the various minerals, and at the same time hold the ground itself so that it may after- wards be used for farming." Changes of the laws governing the handling of oil wells and oil lands were recommended ; the position was taken that the use of oil as fuel for locomo- tives and other engines is unnecessary and a needless waste of this mineral resource ; the present condition and future prospects as to coal and iron deposits was gone into ; the importance of the protection of phosphate rock deposits was urged, and several recom- mendations were made. The mineral production of the United States now exceeds $2,000,000,000 in value annually, standing second only to agriculture as a producer of National wealth. The mining industry of the country furnishes our light, heat and power, and supplies sixty-five per cent, of the freight traffic of the country. The annual waste in mining and treat- ing mineral products is more than $300,000,000. The fuels, supplying heat light and power for domestic and industrial pur- poses, are the most fundamentally es- sential resources of the Nation. Use of fuels involves their immediate and complete destruction. The use of large quantities of other materials also in- creases the rate of consumption of the fuels ; for, as the Nation has now passed the stage of early development, the use of fuels is increasing much more rapidly, in proportion to increase of population, than in the past. The avail- able and easily accessible coal supply aggregates approximately 1,463,800,- 000,000 tons. At the present rate of production — and waste — this supply will have approached exhaustion before the middle of the next century. From the beginning of coal mining in America to the close of the year 1907 there have been mined of all kinds of coal 6,865,000,000 tons, and it is carefully estimated that for every ton of coal taken from the mines one-half a ton has been wasted. The rate of production has been stead- ily increasing. The initial step in ex- tending the life of the coal supply must be the lessening of the waste in min- ing, handling, and transportation of the coal. More advanced methods of use Hon, John Dalzell Hon. Joseph M. Dixon Hon. Frank P, Flint Lee S. Overman Philo Hall Dr. I. C. White Copyright, 1908, Underwood & Underwood, N. Y, SECTION OF MINERALS James L. Slayden J, A. Holmes Andrew Carnegie Dr. Chas. R. Van Hise John Mitchell John Hays Hammond 14 CONSERVATION and better means of transforming the fuel into energy are also to be consid- ered. The known supply of high-grade iron ore in the United States is approxi- mately 3,840.068,000 tons. At the pres- ent rapidly increasing rate of consump- tion this supply cannot be expected to last beyond thq middle of the. present century. Should the average of increase be maintained it would require, during, the next three decades, the production of about 6,329,000,000 tons. It is evi- dent, therefore, that the- Nation faces one of two conclusions ;, before the year 1940 the production will have reached a maximum and begun to decline, or large use must be made of inferior, low-grade ores, such as are not now classed as available, or the importa- tion of foreign ores must be largely increased. The known supplies of petroleum, natural gas, and high-grade phosphate rock cannot be expected to last much beyond the middle of the present cen- tury. The waste of natural mineral re- sources\used in building aiid engineer- ing construction is of three kinds : That due to improper and wasteful methods of nljning and preparing for market, that due to excessive use of structural materials, through ignorance of their strength, durability, etc., and that due to destruction by fire on account of the inflammable character of building con- struction, and inadequate building laws and the non-enforcement thereof. The greatest source of waste of struc- tural materials, and the one most easily reduced, is that arising from fires. The substitution of fire-resisting materials for those now used will tend largely to put an end to this waste. The fire loss for 1907, including property destroyed maintenance of fire departments, pay- ment of insurance premiums, protective agencies, additional cost of water sup- plies, etc., reached a total of over $456,- 485,900, about fifty per cent, of the total Value of new building construction in that year. This amount is thirteen times the interest on the total National debt. After a brief discussion, between the Chair and several delegates, as to the manner in which the full text of the re- ports is to be placed before the people of the country, Mr. John Hays Ham- mond, the famous mining engineer, was called on for a statement as to the loss of life in mining operations. Mr. Hammond, however, declined to go into detail on this subject, owing to the fact that he was without statis- tical information. The general discus- sion was opened by Prof. J. M. Bogert, President of the American Chemical Society. ADDRESS OF PROF. J, M. BOGERT I WILL ask the attention of the conference foj about ten minutes to present some details, for all the economic utilization of our resoiirces must finally be worked dut by scientists, and I would like to present, 6h behalf of the chemists, a brief statement as to what assistance you may expect from the cliemist and chemistr}'. It would be strange indeed if the science which deals with the ultimate constituents of our material universe, their combinations and transformations, could not offer any assist- ance in the solution of tlie problem as to how our natural resources may be conserved. It is chemistry that has determined the compo- sition of tliose materials wliich make up tlie earth upon whicli we live, tlie atmosphere which surrounds it, the heavenly bodies be- yond. Chemistry studies the properties of the elements and their various compounds, and ujbon these fundamental data our industries -'rest. . The transformation of the raw material into the finished product consists either in changing its external form, as in wood or metal working, weaving, and the like, or there i-i involved a chemical change, as in metal- lurgy, fermentation, the manufacture of glass, soap, cement, chemicals, etc. Practically all of our manufacturing processes arc, there- fore, primarily either mechanical or chemical. In the production of a metal from its ores, or of indigo from coal tar, it is chemistry that points the way; and the more complex the problem the greater the dependence upon this science. In devising new processes and in the discovery of new and useful products, chemistry is again the pathfinder. The com- THE CONFERENCE PROPER 15 inunity is apt to overlook the extent and diversity of the services rendered by the chemist because of the quiet and unobtrusive way in which the work is carried on ; and yet the statement in the report of the twelfth census of the United States is quite correct wlien it says that : "Probably no science has done so much as chemistry in revealing the hidden possibilities of the wastes and byproducts in manufactures. This science has been the most fruitful agent in the conversion of the refuse of manufac- turing operations into products of industrial value. * * * Chemistry is the intelligence department of industry." The measure of a country's appreciation of the value of chemistry in its material develop- ment, and the extent to which it utilizes this science in its industries generally measure quite accurately the industrial progress and prosperity of that country. In no other coun- try in the world has the value of chemistry been so thoroughly understood and appre- ciated as in Germany. And in no other coun- try of similar size and natural endowment have such remarkable advances in industrial development been recorded ; and this, too, with steadily increasing economy in the utili- zation of the natural resources. That our own Government realizes the importance of chemistry seems evident from the fact that six of our nine Federal Depart- ments already maintain chemical laboratories, where they handle not only their own chemi- cal work, but also that of the Departments of State, Justice and Postoffice, which as yet have no chemical laboratories. Coming, then, to our mineral resources, in the first place, let it be kept clearly in mind that metallurgy is a branch of applied chem- istry, as it is founded upon chemistry and engineering. In general, it may be said that the seriousness of our mineral problem lies in the fact that these are resources that cannot be renewed. It may be urged that as matter is indestructible, metals once won from their ores should not waste, but accumulate. And this no doubt is partly true. It is not so with our fuels, however, for when our carbon is once burned to carbonic acid it is no longer available as fuel, until by the slow process of vegetable life some of it is fixed in plants and gradually reduced through peat to coal again. Six times as much of our carbon is now locked up in mineral carbonates unavailable for fuel as we have in the form of coal. The life of our mineral resources may be prolonged by the discovery of new supplies or satisfactory substitutes, by avoiding waste in mining and extracting ores and the dis- covery of methods which will render low grade or other ores available by a more com- plete utilization of the latent possibilities of the ore, including the recovery of all by- products, and by preventing loss of life and property from fires and explosions. The chemist is helping in many of these lines. It is to him that we must usually turn for the production of satisfactory substitutes. for devising new processes, and for the utili- zation of by-products and wastes. It was the pioneer investigations of Bunsen and DeFaure which pointed the way for the use of furnace gases in preheating and in other directions, such, for example, as the recent commercial manufacture of formic and oxalic acids from the carbon monoxide present in generator gas. In smelting operations the chemist tnust analyze the raw materials — ore, coke, lime- stone, etc. ; the intermediate products— pig iron, if steel is to be made — and the final pro- ducts, including the furnace gases and slag. Without the explosives of the chemist, modern mining, as well as most great engineering works, would be impossible. After the prec- ious inetals have been extracted, it is powder which stands guard over them as it does over all the accumulated wealth and prosperity of this and other nations. On the other hand, a chemist. Sir Humphrey Davy, by his inven- tion of the safety lamp, has done more than anyone else to protect the miners from ex- plosions. It is worth noting that the authori- ties did not appeal to a chemist until all suggested engineering meth'bds had proven powerless to avert the terrible "firing" of the mines. The new sodium dioxide compound, "oxone," may prove of value in mine acci- dents, for it absorbs carbonic acid with lib- eration of oxygen. The oxygen upon which rescuers now depend is also the result of the skill of the chemist. At one time the waste in the oil business was enormous, as only the kerosene _ was saved. Now, with the exception of occasional fires and the relatively small amount sprayed into the air with escaping natural gas, and those regions where the oil is wasted by seepage from earth pits, there is very much less lost, for chemistry has not only shown how a greater yield of kerosene may be ob- tained, but also how the _ by-products — gas, gasoline, naptha, lubricating oils, paraffin, vaseline, coke and so on — may be saved with considerable financial profit. Certain of these distillates are used for the production of high candle power illumination, as in the Pintsch and Blau gas processes. Rapid development in the use of gasoline engines has developed an enormous demand for this petroleum frac- tion. The most promising substitutes for gas- oline appear to be alcohol and the benzole from by-product coke ovens. The former of these, although giving much higher efficiency as a fuel, is still too expensive to compete with gasoline except in special cases. The latter, as our number of by-product coke ovens increases, is likely to play a more prom- inent part in this field. In 1907 over forty million tons of coke, valued at nearly one hundred and twelvemil- lion dollars were produced from about sixty- two million tons of coal. Only five and a half million tons of this, or less than fourteen per cent, was obtained in by-product ovens. About fifty-four and a half million tons of coal were coked in bee-hive ovens. This involved a waste of one hundred and forty-eight billion i6 CONSERVATION cubic feet of gas, worth $22,000,000; four hundred and fifty thousand tons of ammon- ium sulphate, worth a similar amount, and nearly four hundred million gallons of tar, worth $9,000,000. The gases evolved in coke Dvens have high calorific power. Dentin esti- mates that in modern ovens only sixty-five per cent of this is necessary to effect the car- bonization. The remaining thirty-five per cent amounts to above 3,700 cubic feet of gas, equivalent to 420,000 calories per ton of coke produced. As a gas engine of 100 kilowatt power absorbs 3,600 calories per kilowatt, the power wasted in bee-hive coking amounts to over 4,000,000,000 kilowatt, or about 3,000,- 000,000 horse-power. We are, therefore, wast- ing enough power to establish a great manu- facturing center, enough ammonium sulphate to fertilize thousands of acres, enough creosote to preserve our timber, and enough pitch and tar to roof our houses and briquette our slag and waste coal. Lignites have been found to give out not onfy an excellent yield of gas, but also tar, oils, paraffin and other valuable by-products. It has recently been claimed that one ton of dried peat can be made to yield 162 liters of pure alcohol, and about sixty-six pounds of pure ammonium sulphate. In 1907 4,000,000 tons of coal were con- sumed in the production of 34,000,000,000 cubic feet of coal gas for heating and illumi- nation, worth $36,000,000, in addition to over 100,000,000,000 cubic feet of water and oil gas, worth $90,000,000, or $126,000,000 worth all told. The value of coal to the consumer depends upon its heating power, the percentage of water it contains, the amount and character of its ash and of the clinker formed, and how extensively it corrodes the grate bars. For an authoritative answer to these and similar questions, the chemist must be consulted. The composition of furnace and fine gases has been determined by chemical analysis in smelting and other industries, and by the utilization of these gases for preheating and for the generation of power, the amount of coal consumed has been reduced, and in addi- tion valuable by-products recovered. In gas illumination the invention of the Welsbach mantle has greatly increased the amount of light obtainable from a given weight of coal, and has correspondingly reduced the drain upon our coal resources. The conversion of carbon into acetylene through calcium car- bide should also be mentioned. As iron, according to Clarke, composes four and one-half per cent of our lithosphere, the chance of our discovery of other import- ant deposits of iron ore seem far better than in the case of other metals or of coal. Tlic development of iron alloys is a most promis- ing field and among these we may find satis- factory substitutes for other metals now more seriously threatened with exhaustion. The production of ferro-silicon may render avail- able certain siliceous ores hitherto regarded as unworkable. The chief use of iron is in the construction of railroads and building. In building opera- tions concrete is helping, not only as a substi- tute for iron and steel, but also as a protective covering for metallic pillars, girders, and the like. Tiie iron and steel industry rests mainly upon chemistry and is under chemical control at every point. The production of steel by the Bessemer process depends upon the com- bustion of the carbon and silicon of the pig iron, the heat of combustion serving to main- tain the mass molten. By the utilization of what was formerly the waste heat of the blast furnaces to raise steam for the blowing engines and preheat the blast, the amount of coal necessary to produce one ton of pig iron is only one-quarter what is was. The slags are now largely used for the pro- duction of cement and concrete, as fireproof packing for steam pipes, and so forth, as ballast for railroad tracks or macadamizing highways, and for building purposes, as slag brick, slag blocks, etc., while those rich in phosphorus, as from the Thomas-Gilchrist process, are extensively employed in ferti- lizers. In the words of James Douglas, "When all the volatile products of the blast furnaces are deprived of their heat-giving property and their chemical constituents, and when the slags as well as the metal have re- turned their heat to man instead of to the at- mosphere, and the slag itself has been turned into cement or some other useful article, it will be a question as to whether the pig iron is the principal object of manufacture, or one of the by-products." The safety and comfort of travel on our railroads depends in large measure upon the skill of the chemist in testing the character of the materials employed in their construc- tion and operation. It may be only a delay from a hot box, due perhaps to a poor quality of lubricant, or it may be a disaster from the failure- of a signal or headlight at a critical moment, or a breaking of an axle or locomo- tive part, because of steel brittle from im- purities. Chemistry has played a prominent part in copper metallurgy. The matter is now besse- merized, and seventy per cent of our total product is refined electrolytically. The avoid- able waste in mining copper, zinc, lead, silver, and many other metals is estimated as at least thirty per cent. But the value now locked up in the Arizona slags, the Corn- stock slimeSj and the Anaconda tailings, will sooner or later be recovered by chemistry. Chemistry has finally pointed the way by which aluminum may be obtained cheaply and in large amount from its ores. Last year our consumption of aluminum was 8,500 tons, worth $5,000,000, the world's production for 1907 being estimated at 20,000 tons. The com- mercial utilization of aluminum and its alloys is writing a new chapter in our mineral his- tory. To appreciate what this development in aluminum means, it should be recalled that the total supply of it is nearly twice as great THE CONFERENCE PROPER 17 as of iron and about 800 times that of copper. Aluminum is already replacing copper for certain electrical purposes. A large part of the power now generated at Niagara Falls is distributed through aluminum castings, for air ship constructions, and for utensils of various kinds. The use of finely divided aluminum in Goldschmidt's "thermit" process of welding and casting is an important appli- cation of one of the chemical properties of aluminum. A good example of the economy accom- plished by chemical investigation and dis- covery is furnished in the case of ultramarine. Many years ago, when this was _ made by powdering the mineral lapis lazuli, it sold for more than its weight in gold. Now that the chemist has discovered how to make the same material from such cheap substances as kaolin, sodium sulphate and carbonate charcoal, sul- phur and rosin, the price is only a few cents per pound. In the field of the precious metals, chem- istry has contributed, among other things, the cyanide and chlorination processes, through which formerly rejected low grade ores and residues have been compelled to give up their gold. The gold production of the world between 1851 and 1907 was three times that produced between 1493 and 1850. The value Chi our specie, upon which every commercial transaction rests, is determined by the chem- ists, while the green ink used in printing our bank notes, and to which we owe the name of "greenbacks," was invented by a former pres- ident of the American Chemical Society, Dr. T. Sterrey Hunt. The chemist lets nothing escape unsearched. The sweepings from mints and from the shops of workers in precious metals, as well as the water in which the workmen wash their hands, are all made to relinquish the gold or silver they contain. Even waste photographic solutions must dis- gorge their silver before they are released. The invention of electroplating led to the use of plated articles instead of solid ware, and thus reduced somewhat the drain upon certain of our mineral resources. The supply of platinum has been for years so lirnited that the price has ranged high. Chemistry has now put on the market vessels of transparent and opaque quartz, which seem likely to re- place platinum for some chemical purposes. Many other instances might be cited where chemistry has made important contributions to the economic utilization of our mineral re- sources, such as the carbonyl processes of Mond, for example. But there is still much to be done in improving the present wasteful methods of smelting certain of our ores, and we may look for great advances in this direc- tion through the rapidly developing and most promising field of electro-metallurgy. Of the various factors upon which the suc- cess of this conservation movement depends, none, in my estimation, is more important than that of awakening the producer and manu- facturer to a proper realization of the value of science to our industries. Mr. A. W. Damon, Vice-president of the National Board of Fire Under- writers, presented a striking address on fire waste. He suggested that a fifth division, or section, might well have been added to the four into which the Commission was originally divided — a Section of Fire; and he advanced strong arguments for the specific treat- ment of this branch of the subject of conservation. Mr. Damon said that the fire loss in the United States for the past four years was $1,257,716,955, or an annual fire loss of over $251,000,000 — a daily loss of about $689,160! The four-year period mentioned includes the San Francisco and Baltimore fires ; but the annual fire loss for a ten-year period has been $202,793,434, or an average daily loss by fire, for every day of the past ten years, of over half a millon dollars — to be exact, $556,091 ! Prop- erty value destroyed by fire is gone be- yond recovery. Insurance only shifts 3 the distribution of the loss ; an irrecov- erable loss it still remains. That this loss is altogether needless and unnecessary is proven, Mr. Damon said, by the extraordinary difference between fire losses in European coun- tries and the United States. While the per capita loss in our own coun- try for the past five years has been $3.02 per annum, in European coun- tries it has been only 33 cents per year, or little more than one-tenth as much as our own fire loss. It was shown that nearly five times as many fires oc- cur in cities of the United States as is the case in European cities. Three principal causes exist, said Mr. Damon, for this excessive differ- ence. First, the difference in the point of view as to responsibility of Euro- pean peoples and those of the United States ; second, the difference in the construction of buildings, both public and private ; and, third, the difference in the regulations governing hazards i8 CONSERVATION and hazardous materials and condi- tions, and in the enforcement of these regulations. The difference in the ideas of thrift; in the view of responsi- bility to neighbors ; in the perception of the real meaning of fire loss or waste, are the causes of the larger numbers of fires per capita in the United States, and, perhaps, of the larger loss per capita. The organization of which Mr. Damon is vice-president, he said, be- lieves that the present staggering fire waste in this country is a wholly un- necessary National calamity and that to reduce it, it is essential, first, that the public be brought to understand that property destroyed by fire is gone forever and is not replaced by the dis- tribution of insurance, which is merely a tax collected for the purpose; sec- ond, that the States severally adopt and enforce a uniform building code which shall require a high type of safe construction, essentially following the code of the National Board of Fire Underwriters ; third, the adoption by municipalities of rigid ordinances gov- erning the storage and handling of explosives and inflammable materials ; fourth, the establishment by the States of the office of Fire Marshal, such Fire Marshal to have the authority to exam- ine under oath and to make arrests ; fifth, that all cities maintain a paid, well disciplined, adequately equipped and non-political fire department ; and, sixth, that in all cities an adequate wa- ter system, with proper distribution and pressure, be installed and main- tained, larger cities to have separate high-pressure systems. All these mat- ters appear to be within the province of State legislation, rather than Na- tional ; but, said Mr. Damon, the adop- tion by the States, and the subsequent rigid enforcement, of uniform laws on these subjects will go a great way to- ward ending the Nation's horrifying annual fire loss, which is a National disgrace. Following the remarks of Mr. Da- mon, Hon. Thomas F. Walsh, of Wash- ington and Colorado, read an address dealing with conditions affecting min- ing and minerals. ADDRESS OF MR. THOMAS F, WALSH THE object which calls you together — the conserving of our natural resources — is a question which deeply affects our Na- tion's future. It is the part of wisdom, for nations as well as individuals, to pause and look the field over — take stock, so to speak — and try to see whither we are drifting. This is not only wise as regards our natural resources, but is equally so of all other chan- nels through which wealth is created, and even more so in the sphere of ethics. Thanks to a beneficent Providence, no nation has ever made more rapid progress in the crea- tion of weajth, and what is of greater im- portance, in the uplifting and bettering of humanity, than the one to which we owe loving allegiance. In developing and creating our great wealth, it became necessary to call freely upon our natural resources. Prodigal waste went hand in hand with use until their consumption and destruction — for it is a sad fact that we destroy more than we use — became great. Sounding the alarm and sub- mitting the question, to an intelligent and truly representative body like yours, of how to stop waste and conserve these natural resources, was one of the wisest of President Roosevelt's many -wise acts. In reviewing the past we must not forget that conditions have materially changed. Much that we condemn to-day was regarded as lawful and right — of sheer necessity — in years past. As an illustration, take the con- sumption of timber. The West never could have been settled without railroads. When these railroads were projected they were looked upon as hazardous ventures, and proved so for their promoters in many cases. In the early days of railroad building, the Government gave help in many ways, per- mitting the use of timber and ties from the forests in their construction. But the end surely justified the means. The same wise course was followed by the Government in the field of mining. I re- member being in Leadville during the winter of 1878-79. The rush to that great camp had commenced. The population increased almost over night from a few hundreds to many thousands. The winter was unusually severe, and as most of the population lived in tents, the death rate from exposure and pneumonia was something appalling. The rush continued until the population increased to 30,000. Shelter had to be provided for this great army of human beings. The mag- nificent forests that spread for miles in every THE CONFERENCE PROPER 19 direction from the town, even to the moun- tain slopes, had to be sacrificed to house and shelter them. When comfortable homes were established, the sickness and death rate dropped to normal. Here, as with the rail- roads, the end justified the means. Lead- ville has made perrrtanent homes for thou- sands of our citizens and has enriched the country by hundreds of inillions of dollars. It is one of the great productive mining camps of the world to-day. It may be said in passing that if we had had a law in force at that time, similar to the laws of France, requiring the planting of a tree for every one cut down, the restoration of those beau- tiful forests would be almost complete by this time. The same wise and liberal policy was ex- tended by our Government in the building of homesteads,^ villages, and towns on agri- cultural lands, and in the development of coal and iron mines. The rapid growth and development of our country was in a great measure due to the encouragement and as- sistance extended to infant industries by our National Government. We are apt to bewail the great consump- tion of natural resources, forgetting the mag- nificent permanent assets which we have to show for it. Trees have been put to better use in sheltering human life; coal and iron has been used in "changing our land from desert conditions to teeming industrial and educational activities. Nor should we forget the sturdy pioneers of our civilization and the dangers and difficulties that they had to meet and surmount. Now, however, the time has come to call a halt on lavish prodigality in giving away the people's inheritance. The time has come to stop giving away the public domain, and to devise ways and means to husband our resources. To this end there are two courses to be pursued : one is arrestation, the other development. These should go hand in hand, for one helps the other. By arrestation I mean the stopping of the terrible wastes that are going on in the mining and using of mineral fuels, and to some extent in other materials. To preserve public lands for agricultural purposes, for actual settlers, we must stop the awful destruction of forests by fires, and prevent the acquisition of vast tracts by greedy corporations and individuals. The other course, which I believe we should pursue, is that of development. De- velopment is the greatest of all conservers. It creates and brings new wealth into activity. The reclamation of the desert wastes, the drainage of miasmatic swamps, and the utilizing of their stored fertility for the support of human life in comfortable inde- pendence, are among the highest and best forms of conservation. Development creates wealth, and wealth distributed to the widest possible extent and wisely used by its possessor, is of the great- est of blessings to a nation. This development should be carried on by the Government whenever this can judi- ciously be done. Individuals and corpora- tions should receive encouragement and fair treatment from both the Government and people. Although much has been accom- plished in the past, there is much, very much, to be done in the years to come to keep up our established rate of progress, and to meet the pressing needs of our rapidly growing population. Well directed development will put all of our idle powers to work. It will utilize wa- ters that are now going to was'' or district of Alaska. The great object or purpose which we ought to have in view is to conserve these lands for the benefit of the American people. One of our great safety-valves in the past, when we have been in the midst of periods of indus- trial stagnation and paralysis, when we have found a large army of idle men in our indus- trial centers and our large cities, has been the fact that many of those people who failed to get work in those industrial centers in the large cities could wend their way to the fron- tier and take up public land and make little homes of their own. I have figured out that all of the unappro- priated public lands which we now have, which are not in forest or Indian reserva- tions, fit for agricultural purposes would amount to 2,292,000 homesteads of 160 acres each. According to the statistics, we had, at the last census, 6,000,000 farms of 146 acres each. If all this public land that is still in a state of reservation could be conserved and utilized for agricultural purposes, it would furnish homes to 2,292,000 homesteaders. One of the great problems, perhaps the greatest problem, we have on hand today is the utilization of these lands. Fortunately, we have a large body of lands in forest reser- vations. I think that is one of the most fortunate things that has occurred in recent years in respect to our public lands. Some years ago we tried to repeal the tim- ber and stone law, under which so many of our valuable timber lands had been appropri- ated at a cost of not more than $2.50 per acre. While such a bill was passed in one house of Congress, it failed to pass in the other body, and as a consequence, if it had not been for the fact that so many of our lands were seg- regated and put into forest reservations, we would today have been in a far more deplor- able and precarious condition in respect to our timber lands than we really are. When we think of how our public lands have been disposed of in the past, it is ap- palling. We began at the outset by selling, aside from filling certain grants to officers and men of the Revolutionary Army and some of our other wars, from our lands, at public sale or auction, auctioning them off in large bodies, and then those lands that were not bid in at public sale were offered after- wards at private sale, and from that usage we got the term of "offered" and the term of "unoffered" land. Offered land was that which had been offered at public sale, and could be always purchased at a price of about $1.25 an acre. Land that had been offered at public sale and not sold, was later sold at any price bid for it. After we had continued under that policy of selling lands, first at public sale and then offering the lands remaining at private sale, the United States took another step, which was to adopt the preemption law. That, for the time being, was of great value and assist- ance to pioneers, because it enabled them to get a brief period in which to raise the money to pay for their land. Originally they could go and occupy land and file a declaratory statement, and have a year in which to pay for the land. Afterwards that was so modi- fied that they could have two and one-half 26 CONSERVATION years, and on surveyed lands the same period after the plats of the survey were returned to the local land office. In addition to these methods of disposal, we soon got the homestead law, which, in its main provisions, has been one of the great home builders of the country; I mean one of the great instrumentalities that settled up our Western country and, barring some defects in that law, it is one of the best land laws that any country in the world has ever adopted or worked under. The defect of that law was what w^e call the commutation provision. Originally a settler could enter his homestead, and, after living on it six months, could com- mute by paying the Government the price; but, in many cases, instead of the man who made the original entry becoming the perma- nent occupant of the land, the property got mto the hands of speculators. The law was subsequently modified so as to permit commu- tation in fourteen months, and at first the land office interpreted that law to provide that they could commute within eight months after the first six months in which they were required to settle the land. Afterwards the land office abandoned that construction, and today they require fourteen months' actual residence before they can commute. But even under that provision, today the records will show that a large number of these homesteads are taken and commuted, and as soon as commuted and proved up and paid for, they pass into the hands of specu- lators and middlemen who hold them simply for a rise and not for the purpose of utilizing them for agricultural purposes. In addition to that, we have had other laws. They were no doubt designed for a beneficent purpose, but in their practice they worked out unsatisfactorily. We had, years ago, what they called the timber culture law. The ob- ject of that was to promote the growth of timber on the prairies of the country, but experience showed that law was almost a fail- ure. In many of the Western States, where they have these timber claims, a few trees were raised, but today on many of those old timber claims you can scarcely find a tree growing. That law was repealed. After- wards they passed what was known as the timber and stone act, to which I have already referred. That law was no doubt passed for a beneficent purpose, simply for the purpose of permitting the entry of that class of lands that were wholly unsuited for agricultural purposes, and to permit those entries to be made by men who actually wanted the land for their own use. But in recent years that law has been made the vehicle under which the big lumber men have been enabled to secure a lot of land. Then we had some other laws allowing men to relinquish lands in forests and other reservations, and select new lands in other parts of the country. Years ago Congress passed an act relative to what they called the Mount Ranier Reservation. It was within the limits of the North Pacific grants. /\ great deal of the land was of very inferior character, with little or no timber on it. Claimants were allowed, under the law, to relinquish that land and select other lands in lieu thereof, and under that law they selected some of the best timber in those Western States. Under the timber and stone act, the law required in terms that the land should be sold at a minimum price of $2.50 per acre. Until recently, the Land Department has been con- struing that to mean the maximum price, and the timberland owners or other intermediaries who secured these lands have secured the most valuable pine land for $2.50 per acre. The Land Department has now adopted a new ruling, under which they interpret the law to mean that $2.50 is the minimum price, and that the Government can charge a higher price in proportion to the value of the land. If that rule is enforced, it will be a great pro- tection for us, but in order to enforce that rule the Government, through its officials, will have to investigate and examine these lands, classify them and determine, so far as they can, the quantity of timber, in order to fix the price for which these lands should be sold. My own notion as to these timber lands — and this is merely my own individual state- ment— is that all our public lands, whether in the shape of forest reservations or other pub- lic lands valuable chiefly for the timber, ought never to be sold, but that the Government ought to retain possession of them, guard them, and simply sell the mature timber from time to time as the necessity arises. That is the only possible way in which we can con- serve our timber supply. Now with reference to these agricultural lands^I call them agricultural lands, but I mean lands not covered with timber. These lands are commonly in the western portion of our country west of the Mississippi, in the arid or semi-arid regions. Some of them can be farmed by dry farming, some by irrigation, and some of them can be farmed by careful and prudent farming by the ordinary method. I have grown up in two frontier States, first in Wisconsin and then in Minnesota, and I have noticed one thing, and that is the arid belt and frost belt seem to retire in the face of settlement. I can remember twenty-five years ago when the earliest settlers went to Minot, on the Great Northern Railroad, in North Dakota. When the early settlers went there in the first instance they were literally starved out. They all came back into the timber in Minnesota. Within the last fifteen years, settlers have gone in there and have raised crops successfully for the last eight or ten years, and that country is now considered as good for agricultural purposes as any part of the great State of North Dakota. The same thing is true in the matter of frost. I can remember some eighteen or twenty years ago, when our wheat in northern Minnesota and in that territory north of a line through Crookston and Grand Forks, was bitten by the frost before the crop was mature. We THE CONFERENCE PROPER 27 have not had anything of that kind in recent years. Look now at the conditions immedi- ately north of us in Canada. I was up there and visited that country, and to me it appears that both the frost line and the arid lines are driven westward and northward in the face of settlement. I believe a great deal of this country today, that we have considered utterly useless at one time — useless, at all events, without irriga- tion— can be farmed successfully by prudent and careful methods. I noticed as I was passing through that country how those crops which the farmer had out, who had the year before summer fallowed his land, looked much better than other crops. I was told by people in North Dakota that crops raised on summer fallowed land were considered pretty sure crops, while as to the other lands they were not at all sure, on account of drouth and hot winds in the summer. My idea is that, for the welfare of our people and in order to furnish homes for our future population, we ought to save all this great region that has not yet been taken up under the homestead or other laws. That land should all be saved for homesteads for future generations. There are plans pending in Congress to make homesteads larger. There have been plans, and they have succeeded in passing a law some years ago applying to certain local- ities in Nebraska, fixing homesteads at 640 acres. I believe bills are pending in Congress now for 320-acre homesteads. It may be that in one sense a 320- or 640-acre homestead is not too much ; but we must bear in mind the amount of land we still possess, and the num- ber of people who will want land in the future, and I think the wisest and safest pol- icy, if we consider our future interests, is to limit our homesteads in all cases to 160 acres. There is another problem. Of course, where the Government still retains ownership and control of timber lands, the problem can be easily handled by the Federal Government ; but when you come to the matter of protect- ing our timber lands from forest fires and other damage, lands that are in private own- ership and within the several States, you will find it to be a problem that pertains to the States and belongs to the police powers of the States. Our recent fire in Minnesota, last fall, where one of the prosperous towns, in what we call the iron range, was totally destroyed, as well as other fires we have had there, all demonstrate that one of the causes of forest fires, that makes them so dangerous, is the refuse that is left by the lumbermen when they do their logging. We think it is entirely within the police power of the respective States, for the protection of lives and the property of their people, to pass a law requir- ing lumbermen, when they do their logging, to burn up and destroy the refuse and waste matter, just as is now required by the Forest Service of the United States. But we must look to the States for that relief, and all we can do in this convention, my friends, is to give them good, fatherly advice and good sensible suggestions. I think that the two great problems, or the two important questions, so far as our public lands are concerned, are, first of all, to reserve all our agricultural land simply for homes. In the next place we should reserve our tim- ber lands absolutely in the Government, and sell nothing but the matured timber. In the next place — and I agree with that part of the report — it is well to segregate these different rights. The timber lands should not be sold, agricultural lands should only be sold so far as the surface goes, and the mineral rights should be held separately and disposed of separately. I am free to confess, however, that in respect to that question I have some doubt. I can readily see how, in the matter of coal lands — for instance, the lignite coal lands in Dakota — it is quite practicable to give the surface right to one man and the right to the bed of coal beneath to another man, and how the two men could work in harmony and unity; but when it comes to a matter of min- eral claims, such as lode claims and placer claims, then there is some question about working out the problem. As a rule, most of the lode claims are on the mountain tops and mountain sides, and very little of the land covered by those claims is fit for agricultural purposes. The same is true in reference to placer gold mines. They are generally found in the ravines and gulches and beds of rivers — land that as a rule is not of much value for agricultural purposes. So it seems to me there is necessarily no conflict, and in making up this general report l*felt perfectly safe in agreeing to the general proposition, an'»V^' i^ ■•fj::^'^-' ^»^St^^^>^•!■■■f • ' ■'*^^>?^ <'>»ST*v "% ®5? "ffiKim iiP^ FRANK GLOVER HEATON, Editor ^/ CONTENTS FOR FEBRUARY, 1909 FRONTISPIECE THE TWENTY-EIGHTH ANNUAL MEETING— OPENING SESSION 63 Adflress of Hon. James Wilson 64 Address of the Rev. Edward Everett Hale... 66 AFTERNOON SESSION , 68 Paper by Frank H. Lamb 69 Summary of Prof. H. II. Chapman's Speech.. 73 EVENING SESSION 76 Address of Hon. J. B. Ransdell 76 Lecture by Dr. Bailey Willis 82 SECOND DAY'S SESSIONS 83 -Vddress of F. W. Rane Report of Committee on Resolutions. 84 86 Report of Board of Directors Address of Prof. W. N. Clifford. 87 88 TREASURER'S REPORT FOR 1908 90 THE JOINT CONSERVATION CONFERENCE— Condwd^of from January 92 THE WOMAN'S NATIONAL RIVERS AND HARBORS CONGRESS By Lydia Adams-Williams 98 THE APPALACHIAN-WHITE MOUNTAIN HEARING 102 IN THE GIANT FOREST OF THE SIERRAS— Porw— By Alexander Blair Thaw... 104 EDITORIAL— Resignation of Secretary Wilson 105 Our Annual Meeting 105 .\ Peculiar Fact 106 Tlu' Magazine's Owners 106 Our Members Should Help 106 Till' President's Message 107 What Are We Going to Do About It? 107 Keep What We Have 108 Eternal Vigilance 108 Two Striltlng Comments 109 A Nation's Prodigal Waste 109 The Conservation Commission 109 HOPE FOR FORESTRY LEGISLATION no COMMUNICATIONS in THE DESTRUCTION OF AMERICAN FORESTS— By Richard H. Donai Boerker... 114 NEWS AND NOTES— Forest Trees of the Pacific Slope 118 To Connect the Atlantic With the Gulf 118 Pan-American Irrigation Congress Suggested... 119 Miami and Erie Waterways to Become Ship Canal 119 Mr. Pinehot and the Farmers 119 Investigation of Water Resources of the Ohio Valley 121 Deep Well Drilling 122 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 tlie Post Office at Washington, D. C, under the Act of March 3, 1879 Published Monthly at 1417 G STREET N. W. WASHINGTON, D. C. X WOODS ^ ^^ >i n WATERS SOILS A.]srr) ORES LIBRARY NEW YORK BOTANICAL (iAROEN. Vol. XV FEBRUARY, 1909 No. 2 TWENTY^EIGHTH ANNUAL MEETING " Anti'-Forest Fire Congress" of the American Forestry Association Held in Washington, D, C. — New Officers Elected — President Wilson Retires — Reports of Directors, Treasurer, etc, — Plans for Effective Work THE twenty-eighth annual meeting of The American Forestry Asso- ciation was held in Washington, D. C, on January 13 and 14, in the red room at the New Willard Hotel. While, in point of attendance, the 1909 meet- ing may not have equaled former meet- ings, the interest was intense, and the meeting developed into one of the best ever held in the^ history of the Associa- tion, if judged from the viewpoint of work planned and increased scope and effectiveness of organization. The meeting was marked by the re- tirement of the Hon. James Wilson, Secretary of Agriculture, who for ten years past has been the President of ^The American Forestry Association. ^The newly elected President is the j^Hon. Curtis Guild, Jr., former Gov- p_ernor of Massachusetts. A complete ^.list of new officers, directors, etc., will 1 1 ibe found in the usual place in this Ll magazine. The 1909 meeting was styled an "Anti-Forest Fire Congress," and sev- eral able and intensely interesting papers were read on the subject of forest fires and their control. Consid- erable discussion along this line devel- oped in the meeting, and the address of Frank H. Lamb, member of the State Board of Forestry of Washington, to- gether with the conclusions of the com- mittee on forest fires and their control, will probably be pronounced the ablest contributions to present-day thought along these lines that have been offered before any organization, either State, National or private. ■ The opening session was called to order at 10:30 a m., January 13, with Col. William S. Harvey in the chair. Welcoming in a few words the mem- bers present. Chairman Harvey an- nounced the retirement of President Wilson, and paid a high tribute to the efficiency of the man who has done 64 CONSERVATION more to build up the Department of Agriculture than any Secretary who has ever held the portfolio. The chairman spoke feelingly of the long association of President Wilson with The American Forestry Association and voiced the sentiments of every in- dividual member when he said that the determination of President Wilson to sever his official connection with the Association was deeply to be regretted, even if absolutely necessary. The chairman then introduced Mr. Wilson, whose address follows. ADDRESS OF HON, JAMES WILSON Retiring President of The American Forestry Association THERE are one or two thoughts in my mind that I want you people to take up and look over with regard to for- estry. We are using our woods faster than they are growing. It is necessary that we should grow more woods. There are mountain ranges in our country, that are not fit for agriculture, that should be grow- ing wood. There is much land that we can- not spare in the corn and blue grass belt of the West, along the upper Mississippi, and the prairie country. That land is needed to furnish bread and beef for the people. But in every other part of the country there is much land lying idle that might be growing wood. I remember being in the foot-hills of Mount Rainier a couple of years ago. I counted on what might have been an acre, twenty of those great firs, that would each cut 15,000 feet of lumber. Twenty of those firs, and in addition to them a great many cedars and other trees of less value. I looked over what might have been an acre, as I went past, and became satis- fied that if you uprooted and took away every tree, one of those acres would not support a single sheep. You could step all over that acre from one rock to anotfier. However, that is the home of the tree. The roots go deep down to get nutriment for the tree. We have much of that kind all through the mountain ranges of the country. We have been wanting Congress to take hold of the Appalachian and White Mountain ranges, but Congress does not see its way clear to do so and does not do it. The American people can do a great many things without Congress; a very great many things. I think it will be wise to have the States of the Union, as units, take hold of these mountain ranges within their borders, and plan to grow woods upon them. It will be impossible for every cor- poration in the country that uses wood to get hold of these cheap lands. The cheapest lands in America now are those that still grow woods and will not succeed very well in grow- ing grass, because the grass roots do not go away down to the water table to get moisture, while the tree roots do. We have some plants like alfalfa that do go down great distances. They are not at home everywhere in those mountains that will grow wood. The corporations that are going to need wood should get hold of these cheap lands and plant and grow wood — that is what they should do. The farmers .should take their lands under consideration in these countries, in these parts of the United States that are not designed to grow grain, or produce meats, and put such parts of their land into wood as will be most profitable in woods. You do not produce as fast from land growing wood but it comes finally. If it does not come in your life- time it will come in the lifetime of the next generation. You will remember Sir Walter Scott's shrewd observation, telling of the man who when he came to die, called his son to him to hear his last words. It is quite inter- esting to know what his last will and testa- . ment was to Jock, his son. He said, "Jock, never put out your hand farther than you can bring it in again. Jock, do not drink brandy in the morning; it fires the stomach ;" and finally the crowning advice that he gave to the coming generation : "Jock, in planting a tree, remember that it will grow while you are sleeping." Now, every man looks to the future. He looks to the welfare of his family. He wants to leave something behind him. Why not leave growing trees behind him? Let us not sit down and make faces at Congress, because they will not buy these Appalachian and White Mountain ranges. They arc not going to do it this winter — of course, I am merely guessing — and I do not know whether they will ever do it; but that does not prevent the States from taking hold of the matter. It does not prevent associa- tions of men from taking hold and planting trees. It does not prevent the farmer from providing a legacy for the next generation by planting trees on the land that will not grow grasses or grains but will grow trees. The foot-hills of Mount Ranier grow the finest trees I ever saw, growing the most wood on an acre of soil, where you could not graze a single sheep if you took the trees oflf. Let us be practical, each of us in our own locality, and let us get our own people to TWENTY-EIGHTH ANNUAL MEETING 65 do the right thing along these lines. We did plant in Iowa, when we went there lirst, which was over half a century ago. The winds had a magnificent sweep there at that time. It was so bad I have been driven off a haystack many times. I could not stay on the haystack long enough to get sufficient hay for a team of horses half a century ago. We began planting trees, and we planted them along the lines of the road; we planted them along the sub-divi- sion lines of the farms. We planted the lirst thing we could get, which means we went to the bottoms and got cottonwoods. They have been despised, yet they are valuable. We are discovering now how to prepare those soft cottonwood trees so they will last. Then we thought the white wil- low was better and we planted many of those. I have had as much as five miles of white willows on my home farm. Then along came the automobile men, and they went to the legislature and got them to enact a statute compelling us to cut all those hedges down to four feet in height, so they would not hold snow and keep the roads in bad shape for the automobile people, and so we had to begin cutting and slashing those trees that broke winds off of us in Iowa. The next question is how to get tree seeds to grow, particularly out West in the forest ranges. We have 168,000,000 acres now. Last summer I went out West among the trees, as I have been doing for two summers. A question has been _ in our minds, how to get reforestation done. Of course you can plant seeds in a bed and then take them up with a spade and set them where you want them set, and all that; but, if the Department of Agricul- ture had all the army and all the navy, they never could get it done in time. We have probably 5,000,000 acres to plant. We ought to be reforesting a quarter of a mil- lion acres a year — think of that! You can never in the world do that with a spade! Nature's plan should be followed in this sort of work. I recollect the first time I went out West and discussed this proposi- tion with some of the people there. If I were wanting to get a field to grow grass that had no grass on it, I would sow the grass seed on the last snows in the spring, and the seed would sink down in the soil and would be moistened and would germi- nate before the moisture from the spring rains and snows deleteriously affected the roots. That is the way we get pastures quickly. Sow the seeds in the last snows in the spring, and you will get results. "I wish you would try that with regard to refores- tation," I said to them. I was then in the Black Hills, speaking to some of our forest people. They said they would try it. I told them to get their seed in ample quantity in the fall, take an eighty-acre tract in the spring, and sow on the last snows. I was out there again last summer. It was three years since I had been there and made that suggestion, and they had carried it out. 1 drove thirty-five miles to see that eighty- acre tract. It seemed to me that every seed had grown, and that was a mile above the level of the sea. I saw at once that the plan was a success a mile above the level of the sea; but last summer I was at places where they were over two miles above the level of the sea. Will it work there? That is the problem for my people in the Forestry Bureau to solve. Can we do that away up near the timber line, which is generally 10,000 or 11,000 feet above the level of the sea? That is a practical question for our people to solve. They are working on it now in the effort to demonstrate whether or not it is feasible. It is difficult to get seed to plant as much as we should plant. We will have to search the ends of the earth to get tree seeds of al- most any kind that promises to do us any good, and try to get these mountains, that are entirely bare now, in a reforested condi- tion. Let me go back to my original proposi- tion, because that is the one thing I arose to say to you to-day. If it does not please Congress, in its wisdom, to take hold of these mountain ranges, let us take hold of them ourselves, as citizens of States, as members of associations, of corporations, and societies, and as individual farmers. Let us take hold of the problem and push it. The time is coming when trees are going to be as scarce as diamonds — yes, as scarce as diamonds. They are getting scarcer and scarcer every day. We have 40,000,000 acres in the Philippines that the Government is holding for the Filipinos. We may go there some day and get some of that; we may hunt the world over for wood, and all that sort of thing. It will not take us a great while, at the rate we are now going, to reduce the supply of wood all over the world ; but we are not doing our duty. This Association has been doing much, but we must not de- pend too much on Congress to do for us. We must set our heads and set our faces and set our teeth with the determination that we are going to get reforestation in this country, and that we are going to get trees enough growing if we have to do it ourselves, for that is the best way to get things done. 66 CONSERVATION Following Secretary Wilson's ad- dress, and the appointment of com- mittees on by-laws, resolutions and nominations, the Rev. Edward Everett Hale addressed the meeting. Doctor Hale, in his address, emphasized the fact of the fundamental necessity for reforestation, both as a National and State proposition and a private enter- prise also. His address follows. ADDRESS OF THE REV, DR, EDWARD EVERETT HALE 1HAD the honor of speaking in this place one year ago; I believe I said but two things at that time, and I am going to say only those two things now. I Hke to say what I began saying twenty- eight years ago, when, at the junction be- tween here and Baltimore, I met Doctor Loring, who was then Secretary of Agricul- ture. He was coming to Washington from Cincinnati, and said he had been at the most important meeting which would be held in the nineteenth century, which was the meeting at which this society was formed. He understood it then as we understand it now, and as it is our business to make 90,000,000 people of this country under- stand it. When I was a boy in college, we had, among other studies, St. Baptiste's book on political economy, which was a science com- paratively new then. It was called the dis- mal science, and with very good reason, for the political economy of those days was founded on the Devil's philosophy, which is "the Devil take the hindmost and every- body cut throats for himself." We have now gotten well beyond that. In St. Baptiste's book, he says that in America they have introduced the valuable custom that on the marriage of every young man a forest is planted. I do not know how many young men were married in that year, but I venture to say there was not a forest planted by any one of them when St. Baptiste wrote this down. If you or I could get any power to com- pel every young man married in this country, in the United States, in the next year, to plant a forest, that is what we should do. It is not, as Secretary Wilson has so well said, for Congress to do. It is for the American people to do. I was to a certain extent in at the birth of the State of Kansas. I belonged to the New England Emigrant Aid Society, and we used to send peach stones in barrels out to Kansas for the purpose of planting Kansas with peach trees, because peach trees grow faster than anything — faster even than cottonwood. I have only two things to say this morn- ing. I can say them quite within the time which ihe Association may give me. The first is about this business to which Secretary Wilson has alluded — the denuda- tion of our forest lands. I have myself, as I said last year, slept under trees which were ten or twelve feet in diameter, when as a boy I was on the Geological Survey of New Hampshire. Two years ago my friend Mr. Carter took me over the same ground, and there is not a tree there now as big as my cane. That is because the present system of paper making has to pro- vide for the volumes of paper which arc printed every year, and it is cheaper for a pulp maker to give orders to his men to cut down everything than it is to pick out the large trees and leave the small ones. What happens when you cut down every- thing? The rain descends and the floods come, and they take away the whole soil, and you cannot get your seed to grow on the rocks after the soil has all been taken away. Then follows' the water, rushing down in freshets, and the sweeping away of everything in those freshets, which fact my friends in the Carolinas are finding out, as we have found out in New England long ago, and which must necessarily fol- low forest denudation. The President of the United States, in his careful review of the resources of this country, sent an annual message this year, as every President has done since George Washington. In that annual message the President gave a pathetic account of the denudation of China by the rains which have fallen there and the ruin which has been affecting the provinces of China, larger than the largest American State. The President accompanied that message with printed drawings, which I have here, giving every one of Mr. Wilson's agents' pictures of the denudation of that region. The President was wise in putting this before the country. I do not dare to ask the ladies and gentlemen in this room how many of them have read that portion of the President's message. I do not dare to ask how many of them have seen the pictures with which he accompanied it. The press of the country dislikes Presidents' messages always. They take up a great deal of room which might be occupied with forgeries or crimes or other things which are supposed to be more in- teresting to the public. It happens that 1 have not seen any reference in any journal to the fact that the President of the United States considered this business of denuda- tion of such importance. But it is the busi- ness of the people of the United States to understand the significance of this. It is their business, as St. Baptiste said, when- TWENTY-EIGHTH ANNUAL MEETING 67 ever they marry a young man and young woman, to plant a forest. Here is this problem before you and me as to how a quarter of a million acres shall be planted every year — not by the spade, as Secretary Wilson has so well said ; not by the spade, as Scott's hero expected to do, but by encouraging man, woman and child, state, corporation and everybody else, to go into the business of forestry as neces- sary for the welfare of the future. Just at this time, in the National Geo- graphic Magazine, they have been publish- ing some most pathetic letters which ought to be read and known everywhere, which Mr. Hunt, our Consul-General in Asia Minor, has been writing, with regard to Asia Minor. H you went into a tolerably well equipped high school and asked who was the richest man ever known in the world, they would say Croesus. Croesus is considered as the monarch of wealth. We always say Mr. Morgan or Mr. Walsh is a modern Croesus, because Croesus is the image of the wealth of the classical world. This classical world Mr. Hunt describes to you as he journeyed up and down through Asia Minor, where Croesus was one of the sovereigns. It is an abomination of desolation now. Ruin upon ruin exists there, and you will find, in the midst of great amphitheaters, where 40,000 people sat 3,000 years ago, a shepherd with three goats, all the result of the denudation of the forests of Asia Minor, the cutting down of trees there, the abolishing of forests, in ex- actly the same way and with the same greed with which the people of America are cut- ting down their forests to-day. Why do not individuals rush in? I might take any enterprise which means profit and carry it into Wall Street, or carry it among your business men here, and they would be sure to ask, '"how soon will the profit come?" Men of business experience tell me that it is impossible to float any enter- prise where the profit is not to begin within eight years. That old Scotchman, to whom Secretary Wilson referred, found that out. He told his son to plant forests; but the Secretary very wisely did not repeat what he said to his son further, which was : "My father told me this when he was dying, but I have never had time to attend to it from that time to this." That is the condition of the average capitalist. He has not time to attend to enterprises which are to bring their results the other side of eight years. But states are immortal. That is what the word "state" means, something which is established. A state is immortal. The State of New Hampshire is immortal ; the State of Mississippi is immortal in the eyes of the people who live there — and God grant that be true. So that states can in- vest in forests prudently and wisely when an individual cannot invest in forests prudently and wisely. Suppose I were a rich man and bought 2,000 acres of land in New Hamp- shire. I cannot make laws by which a loafer shall not throw a friction match into a pile of leaves ; I cannot send a man to arrest that loafer when it is discovered what he has done. The State of New Hamp- shire can do that. If, therefore, the States of Massachusetts, New Hampshire or Ver- mont can make an investment in forests, they make an investment which they them- selves can take care of and watch. That is one of the reasons why states should in- vest in forests. The other reason is that they will want the money fifty years hence, and the state, being immortal, can provide money for fifty years hence, as my friends around me do not think it is worth while to do with the millions in their bank ac- counts. The state can make an investment in good faith and wisely which the individ- ual cannot do. I brought before this Association a year ago the statistics which show how the European states have profited by that ar- rangement. Bavaria, Prussia and all those European nations which are good for any- thing, owe the credit which they have in the financial market to the fact that their revenues from their forests are as large as they are. I should say, therefore, to any man who has any infliience in state govern- ment, that if he can persuade the state treasurer to invest the sinking funds of that state in forests, he would do a thing wise and prudent, and he would help this great national movement. I will not say anything more, further than to suggest that all this is much more the business of the people of America than it is the business of any Congress or any President or any special department. The people of America did a great thing when they made 6,000 people members of this society. Now, if we all go to work and circulate the documents which are presented to us, such documents as our friend Secre- tary Wilson published this last year on the Appalachian and White Mountain reserva- tions— if we will circulate the constant infor- mation which we are receiving from all parts of the country as to the increasing need of forests, and if we will give that to the people who do not die^for corpo- rations do not die, while every individual does — there is no one of us but can help forward this great enterprise. The Judiciary Committee last year issued a sort of edict warning us that we must not buy land for the purpose of raising trees ; that that was unconstitutional. It turned out, on a moment's inquiry in the Navy Department and in the Interior De- partment that more than 100 years ago this Government began buying land at the South, because it wanted live oak timber, and my friend who was here could tell us what became of some of that land. 68 CONSERVATION The precedent was entirely established and can be shown with documents on file. We do not want to put our trust in princes. We want to put our trust in the Lord God who made this earth and made the land of it; Who has called us His chil- dren and has set us to work in this business of preserving these forests. He did not set any king at that work, nor any queen, but He set all His children everywhere to preserving the means by which He fed his children and gave them water for their thirst. We had here a great meeting of people who wanted to preserve the water channels of America ; a most commendable effort, but it reminds me of Mrs. Glass' direction with regard to cooking a haie. She said, "First catch your hare," which is a very good rule. If you have to cook a hare, to have him ready for dinner, catclj the hare first. I could not help thinking when these gentlemen were conspiring or agreeing with regard to water navigation, that it would be a good thing first to catch the water; and as long as the water is abun- dant, as the Lord God in His omnipotence has pleased to send us rain enough, it would be as well to catch it and preserve it so it may come down in streams which are available, instead of letting it all rush of? the hills in the spring and waste the lands which are below. The two things to be said are, stop de- nudation, plant trees, and make the people who own funds in the future invest them in the forests. The reading of the reports of the Board cf Directors and the Treasurer, followed. These reports, giving in figures and in detail the work of the Association during 1908, will be found in another part of this issue, and every member of the Association should carefully read the information con- tained in them. The report of the Auditing Committee was also read, to- gether with a supplemental report, and the suggestion was made that a perma- nent Auditing Board be provided for in the By-laws of the Association, and that such a board be created. It was explained that the work of auditing the accounts of the organization and those of Conservation has grown to such volume that the few hours at the dis- posal of a specially appointed com- mittee is too short a time in which to perform the work in a proper inanner. On motion, the suggestion was adopted and referred to the Committee on By- laws, and a permanent Board of Audi- tors will be named within a short time. Following the transaction of this routine business, the session was given up to discussion and brief addresses on a number of topics, J. H. Finney, secretary of the Appalachian National Forest Association ; Doctor Rothrock, of Pennsylvania ; George Ward Cook, of New Hampshire ; former Secretary Will, and others taking part, and the session closed at noon. THE AFTERNOON SESSION THE afternoon session opened with an address by T. H. Hodge, of Philadelphia, representing the Pocono Protective Fire Association. The general topic for the afternoon being, "Forest Fires and Their Con- trol," Mr. Hodge's address, detailing the work of this organization, was heard with interest. He said the Po- cono Protective Fire Association was incorporated in November, 1902, its purpose being, as far as possible, to prevent fires on Pocono Mountain, at the headwaters of the Lehigh River. The Lehigh is the principal tributary of the Delaware River, and as a result of the almost complete denudation of the Pocono Mountain some years ago, and the consequent silting up of the channel of the Lehigh, as well as the Delaware below Philadelphia, the United States Government is com- pelled to spend millions of dollars for dredging and deepening these channels. The mountain is now, however, be- coming covered again with timber, and to protect and promote the growth of this new timber cover is the work of the association represented by Mr. Hodge. He stated that the district in which the TWENTY-EIGHTH ANNUAL MEETING 69 association operates covers about 200,- 000 acres, while tlie membership of the organization represents holdings to the amount of about 60,000 acres ; and while, said the speaker, this area is insignificant as compared with the vast expanses in other parts of the country, the members of the association believe that its practice and policy may be fol- lowed advantageously in much larger fields. Mr. Hodge spoke of the prac- tice of berry pickers, who every year burn ofit" the hillsides, to promote the growth of huckleberry bushes, and he told of the carelessness of campers, picnic parties, hunters and others, who pay no attention to the damage that may be caused by carelessly left fires. He spoke, also, of the part played by railroads in spreading forest and brush fires. He then detailed the plan on which the association operates, stat- ing that advantage was taken of the Pennsylvania law which pro- vides that on application of twenty taxpayers, the courts shall appoint deputy constables who have all the authority of fire wardens. Under this plan, he said, the association now has fire wardens in the nine townships in Monroe County in which the associa- tion operates. Notices printed on strong muslin are posted along road- sides and in conspicuous places in the woods, warning against the starting of fires and offering fifty dollars reward for information that will lead to the arrest and conviction of parties guilty of allowing a fire to gain headway. This ofl:"er of a reward was given wide newspaper publicity, and was afterward increased to $100; while the associa- tion has pledged itself to pay with all possible promptness the men called out by fire wardens to fight fires. As a result of the association's activities along these and similar lines, fires are of much less frequent occurrence, aie fai more readily handled and extin- guished, and the general results bear full testimony to the value of the work. The speaker said that so far the total expenses of the association have been $2,151.37, an average of about $358.56 per annum. At the conclusion of Mr. Hodge's address, Mr. Luebkert read an extract from a letter written by Mr. George S. Long, president of the Washington State Forest Fire Protective Associa- tion. The extract follows: • "1 wish to add that to-day there is a gathering in Spokane, Washington, of he representatives of the Forest Fire Associa- tion in Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana, and this gathering contemplates the organization of a Fire Protective League, which will embrace all of the terri- tory west of the Rocky Mountains, and we feel that we are inaugurating one of the largest movements that has yet been entered upon on the Pacific Slope for forest pro- tection, and it is the unanimous sentiment of this gathering that forest conservation and the forest fire protection stands hand in hand equally as the most important prob- lem that concerns the people of the Pacific Slope." Mr. Frank H. Lamb, of the Wash- ington State Board of Forestry, was to have read a paper on "Forest Fire Protection on the Pacific Northwest." Owing to business affairs, Mr. Lamb was unable to be present, but his paper was read by Mr. Luebkert, and the paper is given here complete. PAPER BY FRANK H, LAMB A STATEMENT of the work that has been accomplished in fighting forest I fires in the territory embraced in the states of Washington, Oregon and Idaho, must be of unusual interest in this meeting, in view of the fact that in these three states there is fifty per cent, of the standing timber of the United States. A significant fact is that this work, although still in its in- fancy, is probably as well organized and as liberally supported as similar work in any part of the United States. The forests of Washington and Oregon have been drawn upon for the past twenty or thirty years to a limited extent to supply the timber necessi- ties of less favored regions, yet the lumber industry of the Northwest as an important factor in the lumber industry of the country, is of comparatively recent growth. In the other lumber states of the East and middle Northwest, the work of protecting the forests from fire has been taken up only after the 70 CONSERVATION greater part of the forests have been cut into lumber. In the Pacific Northwest we are taking up the work while the forests^ are still standing. This may be due to the experience the lumbermen of these states have had in the other lumber states, or as a result of the campaign of education which has been carried on during the past few years for the conservation and protection of our natural resources, including timber. If the total timber stand of the United States is taken at fourteen hundred million feet, as given in various estimates, we are justified in assuming that the four states, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Montana, comprise about 700,000,000 feet of this amount, or practically fifty per cent. Added to this is the additional factor of the low estimates prepared in the past, due to the fact that because of very low prices for timber products at the mills, the standing timber of the Northwest has had a com- paratively small value, and therefore esti- mates have included only that material which could be profitably handled at present prices. With increased prices, which must neces- sarily come about as the timber is removed from other sections of the country, cutting can be conducted more closely and our es- timates will naturally be greatly increased. Losses from forest fires in the region cov- ered by this paper have in years pa^t been very heavy. The Indians were accustomed to burn large tracts of forest in order to pro vide more open spaces. In the settlement of the country the farmer and the rancher looked upon the timber on his land largely as a hindrance. It was slashed and burned, and quite often the burning extended to the adjoining timber and vast damage re- sulted. The beginning of logging operations also introduced a great menace to the timber of these States. Most of the logging is done bv steam engines and log transportation is by logging railroads, so that the timber country is full of spark-emitting machines, and, owing to inadequate protection by spark- arresters, each one constitutes an eternal menace during the dry season. The logger also leaves behind him large tracts of cut- over lands, on which probably more than fifty per cent of the actual material of the forest is left on the ground as waste. In various ways fire reaches these slashings, where it finds plenty of material to feed upon, in proper condition for burning, and the result is a conflagration that continu- ously gains headway until finally it reaches the live timber. The fire hazard of standing timber in these states varies greatly, as does also the re- sult of the ordinary forest fire upon the growing forest. Along the coast of Wash- ington and Oregon, is the fog zone, a belt twenty-five miles or so in width, the live timber of which is practically immune from forest fires, except in cases of unusual con- ditions, or when a slashing fire has obtained sufficient headway to dry out the forest ahead of it and render the destruction possible. Fires in this zone are usually confined to cut-over lands, and the great majority of these are burned over almost annually. Ow- ing to the accumulated quantities of mate- rial and its damp condition throughout most of the summer, this debris is not consumed to any great extent by any one fire, but con- stantly recurring fires t^nd to place it in bet- ter condition for burning each season. The result is that on our cut-over lands we find these annually recurring fires, which abso- lutely prohibit any reproduction. Fire in the green timber of this belt gen- erally kills the timber, usually developing into a tree-top fire. In some cases logging operations are able to follow and the re- sult is not a total loss. Extending inland froin the fog belt to the summit of the Cascade Mountains is a region that becomes much drier during the summer. The forests of this belt are confined to the ridges of the Cascade Mountains, or the inte- rior river valleys. It is here that we have the greatest fire risk, and when a fire is once started, it is most difiicult to control. The accumulation of debris is very great, and the standing timber becomes dried out for long periods during the summer, so that any fire losing control, usually gets into the standing timber and, unless checked, does a great amount of damage. East of the Cascade Mountains and in the northern and eastern portions of the state, adjoining the Idaho and British Columbia boundaries, we have a pine forest, which con- stitutes the third class of hazard. The forest is essentially an open pine forest of mixed ages. The accumulation of debris on the ground is much smaller than that west of the Cascades, but fires travel much faster in the more open regions of this section. In a great many cases the standing timber is not entirely killed by being overrun by forest fires. In other cases the damage is a total one, and it has been found that in both Idaho and Washington, the borer, so com- mon throughout the fire-swept regions of the middle Northwest, has commenced to follow the path of the forest fire. And as the prevalence of this worm is increasing each year, it is only a question of time before any timber burned by forest fire will be ren- dered useless within the course of a yeaf or so. The Panhandle district of Idaho and the forest regions of northern and central Mon- tana are very much similar in their nature and in their risk to the forests of eastern Washington just described. In the year 1902 occurred the most de- structive forest fire known in Washington and Oregon since settlement took place, the damage to standing timber in Clarke and Cowlitz Counties, Washington, alone being $2,000,000, and for the states of Oregon and TWENTY-EIGHTH ANNUAL MEETING 71 Washington as a whole has been estimated at $5,000,000. The legislatures of these two states, meeting in 1903, with this experience fresh in mind, took up the matter, and the first Washington forest fire law was passed. This law provided for a complete system of state officials, including a State Fire Warden and deputy wardens in each county. The law provided adequate punitive measures, and for the issuing of permits by deputy wardens to those wishing to burn clearings and slashings during the closed season. Owing to the inability to secure an appro- priation, the duty of State Fire Warden was imposed upon the State Land Commissioner, and the duty of county deputies was im- posed upon the county commissioners of the several counties. There being no funds avail- able and no one particularly to handle the work, but little was accomplished except in tlie creation of sentiment and in the reduc- tion of risk through the permit system. A somewhat similar law was prepared for Oregon, passing the legislature, but was vetoed by Governor Chamberlain, owing to the fact that it called for a small appro- priation. In the session of 1905 a new law was intro- duced in. the Washington legislature, pro- viding for a State Forestry Board of five members. State Fire Warden, for deputies in the several timber counties, for the em- ployment of outside aid in controlling fires, and for the issuing of permits by the county deputies for the burning of slashings. The sum of $7,500 was appropriated to carry on this work for the years 1905 and 1906, be- sides $2,500 for the use of the State Land Office, which was expended under the direc- tion of the Chief Fire Warden. The entire appropriation was consumed the first year. Deputies were maintained in the timber counties during the dangerous season, and good results were accomplished, especially in the creation of sentiment and in the bringing about of a respect for the officers of the law, several arrests and convictions having been made for violation of the law. During the year 1906 the Washington work was carried on by voluntary subscription, amounting to $12,000, by lumbermen and timber-land owners. In the session of 1907, the appropriation for the two years of 1907 and 1908 was $26,000. The expenditures for 1907 were $9,454.28, and for 1908, $13,617.20. The Idaho legislature in the session of 1905 enacted a law which provided in the main for the control of the forest fire work under the supervision of the State Land Board. It provided for violations of the punitive features of the law, but made no specific appropriation for the carrying out of its provisions. In the year 1907 a new law was passed, facilitating the formation of pri- vate protective associations in the principal timber districts of the state, and allowing for the participation of the state in this work upon the basis of the cost for the acreage owned by the state in those dis- tricts. In 1905 the Oregon legislature passed a law providing for a State Board of For- estry, drawn from the different affiliated boards of the state and from timber owners, and providing for the formation of volunteer organizations for the purpose of fighting fire, the expense of which was to be borne by the members of these associations. The sum of $250 was appropriated for the ex- penses of the State Board for the past two years. The State of Montana has, as yet, no special forest fire legislation, either in the way of providing state machinery for the work, or for the facilitating of private asso- ciations in their work. We have in the Pacific Northwest three agencies engaged in forest-fire protection : First, the National Government, through the Forest Service; Second, the different states, through their various forest-fire systems; and, Third, private timber-land owners, through associated work, and also through private initiative. The protection of the National forest and the work of the Forest Service does not come properly under the heading of this paper; and of the state work, in the area under dis- cussion outside of the State of Washington, the results show entirely in the work of the private associations, which will be taken up later. The work of the Washington Forest Fire Service has been encouraging in its results, but its effectiveness has been largely handi- capped by the low salaries provided for in the law. It is impossible to obtain compe- tent county wardens at $3 per day. It has been the policy of the State Board to ex- pend the meager funds at its command largely in the support of the organization ; that is, the employment of the county depu- ties and the State Warden's office. Nature has been very kind to us during the past four years, and we have not been called upon to meet a very dangerous situation. However one fire in Stevens County, in the year 1908, called for the expenditure by the state of nearly $5,000. When it is realized that the appropriation for one year's work was only $13,000, and that the work must be distrib- uted over twenty-two counties, and for an average of nearly 100 days of the season, it will be seen that there is available in each county only about $5 per day, which is cer- tainly a most inadequate amount for the protection of resources of such magnitude. At the beginning of the season of 1908 there was formed the Washington Forest Fire Association, comprising a membership of 130 owners of western Washington timber land, and representing an acreage of approximately two and one-half million acres. The object of this association was to supplement the work of the State in 72 CONSERVATION protecting timber from fire, and the organiza- tion of its forces was largely along the same lines. During the past season the two forces cooperated with entire harmony and with vast advantage in the work. The expend- itures of this association were about $23,000. the larger part of which was expended in salaries and expenses of the regularly em- ployed patrolmen. The beginning of the season indicated a very disastrous one, but copious rains on August 25 saved the situa- tion, and had it not been for that fact, both the Forest Fire Association and the state appropriation would have been wholly inade- quate to have handled the situation, and both would have been compelled to expend more money to handle the situation. Under the Forest Fire Law of 1907 there has been formed in northern Idaho four pri- vate forest protective associations, known as the Clearwater, the Potlatch, the Pend d 'Oreille, and the. Coeur d'Alene. The acreage covered by these and the amounts expended during the past season are shown by the following table : Idaho Protection Associations Pend d'Oreille Clearwater Coeur d'Alene. Potlatch Totals '£ K Ut o£ s U 0- a) O'^ ts a2 0) s 0, 35< 0 M 23 < a 300,839 $8,670.06 9 288,780 7,127.69 13 358,001 26,748.98 12 314,658 9,739.3(; 67 1,262,337 52,280.09 a o Practically noue 4,000,000 ft. 25,000,000 ft. 60,000 ft. 29,060,000 ft. Cost per acre, .0422; value of fire loss, $500,000; loss per acre, .40. Each of these associations maintains a regular corps of officers, a paid chief warden, and sufficient rangers or patrolmen to cover the territory embraced witinn their limits. Two of these associations during the past season were singularly free from forest fires. The Pend d'Oreille and Coeur d'Alene As- sociations had a very disastrous season, and had it not been for the system of patrol- men and the money spent in controlling fires, the season would have witnessed a great loss to the forests of northern Idaho. These four associations have united in the organ ization of the North Idaho Forestry Asso- ciation, by which it is hoped to obtain more uniformity in the work, to encourage the formation of associations for timber areas not covered by those already organized, and to carry through the next legislature needed amendments to the law, the principal one of which is to secure the cooperation of the state on a more direct basis than what has been possible heretofore. Under the Oregon law the State Board of Forestry consists of seven members and provides for the division of the state into forest areas, and for the formation of co- operative patrol systems in these forest areas. No reports are available as to the exact amount of work or the actual expenditures made under these cooperative associations - during the past year. Many of them are of a very informal nature and their member- ship is only made up of two or more of the larger timber owners, one of which, usually the one located closest to the area, conducts the patrol system and handles emergencies as they arise, the cost of which is borne on an acreage basis by the different owners. In the vicinity of Pokegama an association of this sort last year patrolled 200,000 acres of pine forest, which has heretofore been considered practically immune from fire, but which at many times during the past season was in grave danger, and wholesale destruc- tion was only averted by the work of the association. The cost was $2,700, or a little over one cent per acre. Similar cooperative work has been done by the Booth-Kelly Lumber Company, near Eugene, and the results are most satisfac- tory. In the Tillamook Valley and in Coos Bay, some of the larger owners united in this way, besides which there were several other . agreements of which no reports are avail- „ able. The total cost for this work in the ^ past year was probably in the neighborhood ^of $25,000. This, of course, does not include -the expense of logging companies in protect- "^ing their own lands from fires. s In northern California the McCloud River ;fLumber Company partly in cooperation with %he California Board of Forestry, has de- ^veloped a system of patrol and of logging ^that is more detailed, and has accomplished *more in results than probably any other simi- lar associated work in the United States. Every one of the agencies employed in pro- tecting the forests of the Pacific Northwest from fire are preparing plans for the en- largement of their work. The Washington State Board has suggested minor amend- ments to the law, and are asking for an appropriation of $50,000 for the coming two years. This will enable them not only to maintain the state and county organizations, but will leave a considerable sum for emer- gencies and for the employment of outside help for serious fires. The Washington State Forest Fire Associ- ation is increasing its membership and hopes to enroll nearly four million acres for 1909. It is the intention to raise at least $50,000 and to expend this mainly in the enlarge- ment of their patrol system. Any amount needed for emergencies can be utilized and paid by the members in assessments on the acreage basis. Through these two agencies it is contemplated that the western portion of Washington will be patrolled during the dangerous season by at least two hundred men, and western Washington will be given a forest-fire protection probably more exten- sive than that enjoyed by any other timber section in the United States. TWENTY-EIGHTH ANNUAL MEETING 73 On the eastern slope of the Cascades and along the British Columbia and Idaho boun- daries is a vast area of open pine lands, in which it is hoped that private associations will be formed which will accomplish as much for that area as similar associations have for northern Idaho. In northern Idaho it is proposed to or- ganize one or more additional associations. Those already formed, with added experi- ence and larger sums at their command, will be able still further to prevent loss. Lumbermen of Montana, taking a lesson from those of Idaho, are urging their legis- lature to enact a law similar to the Idaho statute, and in case it is done, private asso- ciations will be formed covering various areas in that State. In Oregon the State Board is asking for an appropriation "to provide a State Fire Warden and county deputies. The forma- tion of private associations on a larger scale is contemplated, which, it is hoped, eventually will cover the entire timber area of the state. To accomplish the aims set forth above there are various organizations, each work- ing in their particular sphere; but to embrace and to supplement all of these, there has recently been formed the Pacific Northwest Forest Protection and Conservation Asso- ciation. This association will appeal to the public from the standpoint of the public's interest in the timber lands. All of these States, with the exception of Oregon, are owners of large tracts of state school timber lands, Washington, for instance, having about 700,000 acres of timbered land belonging to the state schools. Idaho and Montana also have a large acreage, the extent of which is difficult to determine. The legislatures of these states will be urged, as a matter of business policy, to appropriate money for the protection of this state property. The state timber lands of Washington to-day are worth $20,000,000, and an appropriation of $25,000 per annum would be little more than one- tenth of one per cent upon this valuation. A campaign of education will also be inaug- urated, by which it is hoped to prove to the people of the states that whereas when one thousand feet of timber is burned the stump- age owner may lose from $l to $2 per thou- sand feet, the citizens of the state will lose in labor and for the necessary supplies for converting the standing tree into timber from $8 to $12. The great fire of 1902 caused a loss to the timber owners of Oregon and Washington of approximately $5,000,000, but it annihilated a resource that would event- ually have returned to the citizens of those states $50,000,000 in business. The association will also devote its atten- tion to the subject of taxation, not in a spirit of opposition to the carrying of just burden in the maintenance of government, but in an endeavor to show that, when timber land is taxed beyond its fair proportion, the tendency is to accelerate its manufacture into hunber, which often entails great waste. It is hoped that in the future some practical scheme can be devised by which cut-over lands may be exempt from taxation as far as growing trees are concerned, and that taxes may be collected whenever any fore.st product is taken from them. In this way it is hoped that the private holding of cut-over lands for future forest crops may be made possible. A further effort will also be made to in- corporate under state control the systematic management of the state timber lands to the extent that, whenever the timber is sold from them, logging may be conducted in such a manner as to promote the reproduction and the land held as producers of a future forest crop. The timber owners of the Pacific North- west realize that their timber holdings con- stitute the last resource of standing timber of the United States. They wish also that the industry may become a permanent one; that when the virgin forests are gone their mills may not be shut down through lack of raw material ; that the experience of other regions with its dismantled plants, its smoke- stacks whose fires have long since gone out, may not be repeated in the Pacific Northwest. To that end it is hope that eventually every acre of cut-over land that is not more valu- able for agriculture or for other purposes may be devoted to the growing of another timber crop. It is especially fortunate for the Pacific Northwest that these ideas are held, not solely by theorists and dreamers, but have the endorsement and financial sup- port of its progressive lumber and timber industry. Prof. H. H. Chapman, of the Yale Forest School, was the next speaker, his address dealing with practical methods for the suppression and con- trol of forest fires, and suggesting a number of points for remedial and pre- ventive legislation. A summary of Professor Chapman's paper follows. SUMMARY OF PROF. H. H. CHAPMAN'S SPEECH THE suppression or control of for- est fires must necessarily precede the execution of any plan or scheme for forest conservation or forest establishment. It is useless to expect any one to plant trees for profit, or undertake conservative forest management, until a reasonable assurance can be given that his investment will not be lost through fire. It is the duty of the state in the interest 74 CONSERVATION of the general public and of future genera- tions to provide the needful laws and to enforce them, and to undertake vigorously whatever lines of action promise to secure the desired result. Protection from fire should be accorded to all woodland without respect to ownership. An efficient fire service can be secured only by the expenditure of money, but the cost of reasonable protection need never be more than a fraction done by uncon- trolled fires. LAWS DEFINING OFFENSES 1. For the protection of woodlands, state laws should declare it a misdemeanor to set fires either on one's own or another's land, either willfully or carelessly, whereby the property of another is injured or destroyed. 2. State laws should provide a closed season covering months in which there is extra danger from fire. During this sea- son it should be unlawful to start fires on one's own land for any purpose except on ploughed ground and at least 200 feet from woodlands, without the written permission or presence of a fire warden. 3. Proper restrictions should prescribe the use of camp fires, their location and extinction, which restrictions should be posted conspicuously. 4. Penalties for violation of such laws should be either fines, imprisonment, or both, in the discretion of the court, but the minimum fine should not be too severe. Large minimum fines often deter a court from imposing any penalties. The important thing is the deterring effect of punishment, not necessarily its severity. All fines col- lected should be disposed of in accordance with existing laws. 5. A definite form of procedure should be provided, conformable to the law and practice in the state concerned. This should specify the courts in which complaints shall be made, how they shall be heard, the form of process to issue, the manner of deliver- ing and recording a judgment. Wherever possible, avoid trial by jury or provide for a change of venue. Provide for appeals and a method of execution. LAWS CONTROLLING RAILROADS 1. The use of coal or wood by railroads is a constant source of danger and is the cause of a large percentage of the forest fires throughout the United States. 2. Railroads should be held responsible for the starting of forest fires to the same degree as individuals. 3. Spark-arresters are an effective means of lessening the damage of forest fires, but no law should be so framed that their use would relieve the railroads of responsibility for setting fires. 4. Railroads should be required to main- tain effective fire lines along their right of way. They should be given power, under proper limitations, to enter upon private lands, in order to construct a firebreak of effective width. 5. In regions where it is not possible to construct safe firebreaks, railroads should be required to patrol all portions of their lines which pass through woodland. Such patrol should be under the direction and control of state and town fire wardens. 6. The state forest service should be given power to enforce the carrying out by rail- roads of any measures for the suppression of forest fires. 7. Penalties for violation of such laws should be sufficiently severe to act as a de- terrent on railroads, and make it cheaper for them to comply with the law than to ignore it. OFFICIAL MACHINERY FOR ENFORCEMENT OF FIRE LAWS 1. The enforcement of forest-fire laws must be in the hands of special officials best known as forest-fire wardens. 2. At the head of every state system of fire wardens should be a state fire warden, who should be appointed by the Forestry Board, if such exists, and be reappointed during efficient service. He should have no other duties than to superintend the work of local fire wardens, should spend most of liis time in the field, and be responsible for the efficiency of the fire-warden service. 3. The state fire warden should have the power of removing from office inefficient local fire wardens. He should approve the appoint- ment of all fire wardens. He should audit the accounts of local fire wardens, especially if the state pays part of these expenses. He should be required to appear personally or by deputy as prosecutor in behalf of the state against any one who violates the forest- fire law. 4. A system of town or township fire wardens should exist, whose duty it is to extend fire protection to all lands regard- less of ownership. 5. These town fire wardens should be appointed, and should be kept in office dur- ing efficient service. It is impossible to se- cure efficient service from fire wardens when the duties of the office are added to those of some other public and elective office, as town supervisor. 6. Town fire wardens should be ap- pointed by the town governing board whose local acquaintance enables them to select the best local warden. Where local govern- ments are not organized or the state has large land holdings, state fire wardens should make these appointments. 7. Town fire wardens should have the power to appoint district fire wardens when needed, these appointments to be confirmed by the state fire warden. TWENTY-EIGHTH ANNUAL MEETING 75 8. Game wardens may be given the duties of fire wardens, but such a system cannot be substituted for a system of town and dis- trict fire wardens properly appointed and looked after. It should be regarded merely as an adjunct. 9. Fire wardens should have the power to summon any able-bodied resident to assist in fighting fires, and to requisition the use of teams and equipment. Failure to respond should incur a penalty. 10. P"ire wardens should have the power of arresting without a warrant any one caught in the act of violating any laws for the protection of the forest. 11. Prevention of fire is cheaper than sup- pression. Fires should not be allowed to start, or, if started, should be extinguished before they gain any headway. FIRE PATROL 1. Town fire wardens, whose duties are confined to extinguishing fires, cannot take the proper measures to prevent them. 2. In sections where the danger is great, a paid fire patrol of men, whose entire time when employed is devoted to patrolling defi- nite areas for the prevention and detection of fire, is the only system which will pre- vent the starting of fires and insure their prompt discovery and suppression. 3. Fire patrol should supplement the sys- tem of town fire wardens, but on account of expense, must be introduced gradually and in localities where it is most needed and will be most effective. 4. Fire patrol can be confined to dan- gerous months, thus limiting the expense. 5. The expense of maintaining fire pa- trols should be divided among the state, the railroads, the town, and land-owners. 6. The state should patrol state lands and bear the full expense of such patrol. 7. Railroads should be required to patrol those portions of their right of way subject to fire danger, and should bear the expense of such patrol. 8. Owners of land should be encouraged by the state to employ fire patrols to protect their own property. This may be done : By encouraging the formation of associa- tions of land-owners for the purpose of employing fire patrols, thus reducing the expense and increasing the efficiency of fire protection ; By appointing such employes of land- owners or associations, as state and local fire wardens, with the usual powers ; By financial aid, as state supervision of the work of such fire patrols, or in paying part of their salary. Such state cooperation is justified by the public benefits secured by fire protection. 9. Fire wardens should be required to enter adjoining towns or counties when nec- essary in fighting fire, and such towns or counties should be required to pay the bills for such outside assistance. DISTRIBUTION 1. The payment of firefighters should be at a rate equal to that received by ordi- nary labor. Fire wardens should receive liberal compensation, since they should be men of greater earning power than ordinary labor. 2. Payment should be by the hour, since the most efficient work can often be done at night. A minimum of five hours' pay should be allowed to those who are officially summoned and leave their occupations to attend a fire. 3. The possibility that compensation will encourage incendiary fires cannot long con- tinue: Where the local fire warden employs only reliable help from those persons interested in the suppression of fires; Where the penalties for setting fires are rigidly enforced ; Where public sentiment is against fires. 4. The expense of local fire protection should be shared by the state and the town- ship or county. If the town bears the entire expense, the poorest towns, where fire pro- tection is most needed, bear an undue bur- den. If the state should bear the whole expense, towns would be indififerent to the size of fire bills, and it would be hard to avoid dishonesty. 5. Payment of fire bills should be prompt, and long delays in the auditing and pay- ment of bills are especially to be avoided. 6. Wherever practicable the state should pay fire claims directly and collect from counties or towns. Professor Chapman stated, at the close of his address, that it was the purpose of the Association, in appoint- ing the committee of which he was a member, to have its conclusions drawn up as a sort of platform to be adopted by the Association, if it saw fit ; and after considerable discussion, partici- pated in by the chairman, by F. W. B'esley, of Maryland, Alfred Gaskill, of New Jersey, Doctor Rothrock, Prof. F. W. Rane, state forester of Massa- chusetts, J- H. Finney, and others, the motion was made and seconded that the platform contained in Professor Chap- man's address be adopted, the motion being carried unanimously, after which the session adjourned until 8 p. m- THE EVENING SESSION THE evening session was taken up almost altogether with an ad- dress by the Hon. J. E. Ransdell, of Louisiana, and an illustrated lecture by Dr. Bailey Willis. Representative Ransdell's address dealt with the neces- sity for the development, to the fullest possible extent, of the inland river sys- tem of the United States, together with the correbted subject of development of freight traffic routes on the great lakes, systcmastic work on the harbor"; of the Atlantic and Gulf coasts ; and the speaker, who is President of the National Rivers and Harbors Congress, gave vivid and enlightening statistics showing the vastly decreased cost of heavy freight traffic when our rivers and waterways are developed to their full carrying capacity. Representative Ransdell's address is here prese'nted in full. ADDRESS OF HON. J. E RANSDELL 1FEEL honored at being invited to ad- dress this great Association, which in my judgment, is engaged in one of the greatest works now confronting the Ameri- can people, to wit, a proper conservation and preservation of onr forests, one of the most valuable of our national assets. I wish I were sufficiently familiar with the subject which especially interests you, to speak to you intelligently on it, but I am sorry to say that in my busy Congressional life, de- voting myself, as I have done, almost ex- clusively to the study of waterways, I have not been able to give that careful consid- eration to the study of forestry which its importance demands of any one who at- tempts to speak to a forestry association. From my youth I have taken much in- terest in this subject. I observed, when a boy, on my father's Louisiana plantation, that as the lands were cleared, the sloughs, bayous, lakes and lowlands rapidly filled up. Places that I used to wade and fish in as a little boy had ceased to be watercourses when I returned to the farm after receiv ing my education, and as I think about that T am impressed by the fact that as the forests are removed and the lands put under cultivation, a very great change comes over the physical face of the surrounding country. I infer from that fact in 'regard to the farms and the surrounding waters that when forests are denuded, even if the lands are not placed in cultivation, there is a very great effect upon the adjacent streams, whether they be the little shnllow lakes and sloughs and bayous of my boy- hood days, or the mighty watercourses on which we have palatial steamers floating. T think there is a very intimate relationship between forests and waters, and feeling that, I am much pleased to receive an invitation 76 to come to-night and speak to you on the subject which I have studied for years, the improvement of our navigable waterways. I wish to say, before taking up the navi- gation end of my discourse, that my own State, Louisiana, is very much interested in your work. Louisiana to-day, I believe, enjoys the unenviable notoriety of being the second lumber producing State in this nation, exceeded only by the State of Washington, if I am correctly informed. I say "unenviable" advisedly, for it is truly a source of sorrow to all patriots to know that that valuable product is being so rapid- ly dissipated. It is only a few years ago that States in the Northwest were pro- ducing more lumber by odds than Louisiana and the Southern States. The scefter has passed from them because of the very rapid manner in which the timber was -consumed there, and I assume that in a few years this scepter, this unenviable scepter, will pass from Louisiana. I hope your society may be enabled to persuade the lawmakers of Louisiana to do something that will prevent the rapid denudation of their forests. 1 wish to say that within a very few months the Governor of my State, acting under a law passed by the last session of the legis- lature in June of the past year, appointed a conservation committee, and the president of it is a prominent lumberman of my dis- trict, Mr. Henry E. Hartner, a man who has been trying to handle his work in an intelligent manner. I drove for several miles with him through the forests last year and noticed that on nearly every acre of the land two or three seed trees had been left and quite a number of small trees. I saw some lands which had been cut over about fifteen years ago and already there was sufficient growth upon them to make TWENTY-EIGHTH ANNUAL MEETING 77 the lumber thereon commercially valuable, two or three thousand feet of commercial timber at least in that time, and trees rapid- ly growing, so that I would say at the end of fifteen or twenty years more the land will be very valuable. The contrast was pain- ful to that a short distance beyond, where you could see a rabbit run for 300 to 400 yards through the woods from the train window; where there was not a vestige of anything left, not a sapling as big as my arm — nothing ! The land was completely denuded of every kind of tree or life of that sort. I would like to see laws passed in Louis- iana, and in all the States where they can be passed, similar to the law in Maine, where I am told men are obliged to leave trees below a certain size. You gentlemen are so much more familiar with that than I am that I will not attempt to refer to it; but I sincerely hope that something of that kind can be done in those States of the Union which still have a large heritage of timber wealth. I would like to see the Congress of the United States pass the laws which you gentlemen are urging so strongly to protect the headwaters of our streams, and I pledge you all the support that I in my hi^mble way, as a Member of Congress, can give you. Just what the connection is between forests and navigable waters, I am not going to try to say. The doctors differ so much upon this subject that it does not seem to me it would be fitting in a layman to at- tempt to pass thereon. But I am convinced that there is a most intimate connection and relationship between the forests at our head- waters and the waters themselves, and feel- ing that I would like to see our Govern- ment, I repeat, do what you gentlemen want them to do in the protection of those forests, and I would like to see every State in the Union pass similiar laws. You are connected with one great branch of the conservation movement and I with another, and I shall now attempt to say something about that with which I am a little familiar, the navigable waterways ' the country. Many of you have heard, doubtless, of the National Rivers and Har- bors Congress, an organization created in the city of Baltimore in 1901, for the pur- pose of arousing a public sentiment through- out this nation in favor of a broad, liberal, comprehensive policy for improving the waterways of the country, to the end that transportation charges may be cheapened, and that there may not be the fierce con- gestion in the movement of freight such as has existed in this country within the past two years. This organization since that time has acquired a great many members in every part of the country and has become, I may say, a living force. At that time waterways were not properly treated. We were treated as orphan children by the 3 American Congress. The other great ap- propriation bills, for instance, such as those for the army, the navy, the pensions, the post office, the executive, legislative and judicial department, and others of that character, were passed every year, were on an annual basis, and carried very large sums. The bills for improving the water- ways were passed every three years and carried small sums. When it was necessary for Congress to economize, no man ever thought of suggesting that we should leave off one or two battleships or pay smaller pensions or diminish our army or pay smaller salaries to the various officers of the Government and members of the legis- lative bodies ; but it was always said, "Oh, leave off the waterways ; they can get along without any improvements ; they do not do much good, anyway." That was the senti- ment ,and our magnificent rivers have been so neglected that we have actually less com- merce on them to-day than we had fifty years ago. Now that is a very unnatural state of affairs. It should never have been allowed to grow up, and the only way it can be accounted for, is the fact that in the rapid growth of our Americanism, in our rapid movement to the far West, in our attempt to grow with speed such as pleases Ameri- cans, we have forgotten these waterways. We thought that movements by river were too slow, that the iron horse was the only thing that culd keep up with the rapidly moving American. We neglected our rivers, and it is only within a few years that we have begun to see the fruits of our neglect. Ought we neglect all of them? No! There is one great system of waterways in this conutry which have been well improved — the great lakes — and bear this in mind, my friends, when I speak of the great lakes; not only are they magnificent watercourses, not only do they bear a great commerce, greater than any system of waters on earth, but they are railroad terminals. They con- nect with and are a part of the magnificent railroad system of this country. It is a fact that many of the lines on the lakes are owned, operated and controlled by the rail- roads and in connection with the railroads. Another fact I wish to call to your at- tention in this connection is that while we have been neglecting the internal rivers, we have not neglected the harbors of the sea- boards. The harbors were also railroad terminals. Proper attention has been paid to most of them. Now they may have been purely an accident, but I wish in passing at any rate to make the point. What has been the result of the splendid improvement of the great lakes? The com- merce of those lakes is accurately kept by the United States Engineer Corps. In 1907, according to the reports of these engineers, there passed through the Sault Ste. Marie Canal, which, as you know, is that 78 CONSERVATION waterway connecting Lakes Superior and Huron, upwards of 58,000,000 tons of com merce, which was carried an average of 828 miles, at a total freight charge of eight-tenths of one mill per ton-mile, equal to $38,000,000. I hope you w .11 bear patiently with me while I use a good many figures, because it is necessary to ui". figures in order to ex- plain this subject, .nd I will try to take the oflficial figures. "Fifty-eight mi.-ion tons" rolls glibly off the tongue, but, my friends, that is three and one-half times as much as the total com- merce passing through the Suez Canal. That is mcie than ten times the commerce that will pass through the Panama Canal for several years after its completion. That is a truly coUossal commerce and a com- merce in which every citizen of this Repub- lic is interested. Without that splendid commerce through the Soo, composed largely of iron ore from the famous Mesaba Range in Minnesota, you would not be able to purchase iron and steel as cheaply as you do now. But for the commerce passing through that Soo, that Soo made navigable by large expenditures of this gov- ernment, the people in the far West would suffer a great deal more from cold than they do now, because the vessels returning from the East to the West, after discharging a cargo of ore, carry a cargo of coal back to the West with them. Every citizen in this country is interested in that improve- ment, and that wonderful commerce is carried at one-tenth of one mill per ton per mile. How now does that compare with the average railroad rate — the average, 1 mean, for all the railroads of the country? According to the Interstate Commerce Commission, the railroad rate charged in 1907 was 7.59 mills per ton per mile, prac- tically nine and one-half times as high as the water charge on the lakes. Now suppose this great commerce of 58,000,000 tons had been carried at the average railroad rate; instead of paying $38,000,000 for it, the charge thereon would have been $364,000,000, or $325,000,000 in excess of what was actu- ally paid. So, my friends, the improvements of the lakes and the development of the water- borne commerce of the lakes resulted in bene- fitting the American people in cheapened rates through that portion of the commerce which passes through the Sault Ste. Marie Canal in the splendid sum of $325,000,000 in one year, an dit is going to continue to in- crease that amount, for the commerce of the Soo has been growing by leaps and bounds for many years. Now bear in mind that the commerce through the Soo is only a portion of that of the great lakes. Official figures show that through the Detroit River, that same year, the commerce was 71,000,000 tons, or 13,000,000 tons in excess of that through the Soo; and there is also a vast commerce on the lakes which does not pass through the Soo or through the Detroit. There is also a considerable commerce on Lake On- tario. I am convinced, after a most care- ful study of the subject, that if the com- merce of the lakes, in which all of us, I repeat, have an interest — that wonderful frain of the west which is brought East on the lakes, that wonderful ore of the West which comes for a thousand miles from Du- to. Conneautluth to Conneaut and Ashtabula, and thence ti35 miles by rail to the factories in and around Pittsburg, practically at the door of the coal field — if that wonderful comerce of the lakes, I say, had to be carried by rail, it would cost the American people nearly $500,000,000 per annum more than they now pay. So it seems that it is a pretty good investment we have made in improving those waterways. How much did we spend on them? About $80,000,000 on the lakes. Ah ! but, you say, that is all right as to the lakes ; nature has done a great deal there, a great deal. Certainly it has. That is a system of waterways that no other country on earth has any to compare with. We ought to be proud of them, and we are proud of them. But is there any other place in the country where we could get like results by improving our waterways ? Yes ! The Mississippi River and its wonderful tribu- taries would also give us relatively as cheap rates if they were as well improved as the lakes. Now, bear in mind this statement ; The lakes carried very little commerce un- til our government had, at an expenditure of about $80,000,000, deepened the harbors and improved the connecting channels through the Detroit River and the Sault Ste. Marie. They have been splendidly im- proved. Vessels drawing twenty-one feet can pass from any harbor on those lakes now to practically every other harbor. How is it on the Mississippi River? How is it on the Mississippi River's tributaries? How is it on the great Ohio, with its head at Pittsburg? Pittsburg, the greatest man- ufacturing city on earth; Pittsburg, which annually generates a commerce equal to the combined commerce of New York, Liver- pool, London, Antwerp and Hong Kong ! That is a big statement, but it is true. The Pittsburg commerce is composed of coal, iron ore and steel, and the products of iron and steel, and you must remember, my friends, that when it comes to a freight- moving proposition, it costs as much prac- tically to move a ton of coal as it does to move a ton of silk or a ton of diamonds. I do not pretend to intimate for one mo- ment that the Pittsburg commerce is as valuable as the commerce of the city of New York or the city of London or any of these other cities, perhaps, that I have named ; but it exists in tons, and when we are discussing the question of transporta- TWENTY-EIGHTH ANNUAL MEETING 79 tion, that great commerce is a very im- portant problem. Now, with Pittsburg at the head of the Ohio River, what is the present condition of the Ohio River? Our government un- dertook to improve it is 1876, thirty-two years ago, so as to give a navigable depth of six feet at all periods of the year, by means of a system of locks and dams. In thirty-two years we have accomplished the magnificent feat of completing one-tenth of that project. Ought we not to be proud of our efforts? One-tenth of the Ohio River has been completed in thirty-two years ! Now, several years ago. Congress practically adopted a plan of deepening the river to nine feet between Pittsburg and Cairo, instead of six feet as originally in tended. The engineers tell us that it will cost $63,000,000 in addition to what has been spent to properly improve this great river by means of a system of locks and dams, fifty-four in niimber, slack-water navigation between the head and the mouth of the river. I would like to submit this mathemat- ical problem to this audience: If it takes the greatest country on earth thirty-two years to complete one-tenth of a project for six feet of navigation on the Ohio River, how long will it take that country to complete nine feet of navigation? I cannot say. I do not believe anybody in this audience can work it out. Certainly not until all of us will long since have been gathered to our fathers, unless the present system is changed. Now, is there a commerce on the river worthy of the expenditure of $63,000,000? Why, according to the reports of the En- gineer Department, the commerce on that river in the year 1906 was over thirteen million tons. We have no official figures to show the cost of carrying coal down the river and down the Mississippi River to New Orleans, but Major William L. Sei- bert, one of the most accomplished mem- bers of the Engineer Corps of the Army, now a member of the Panama Canal Com- mission, made an elaborate study of that subject and said that in 1905, in the then very unsatisfactory condition of the river, when it was navigable for very uncertain periods and only for a few months of the year, coal could be carried from Pittsburg to Louisville at .76 of one mill per ton per mile, and from Louisville to New Or- leans at .67 of one mill per ton per mile. Bear in mind that in 1905 the railroads charged 7.60 mills per ton per mile, so that the average rates on the Ohio River were, respectively, one-eleventh and one- tenth of the railroad rate that year, on this 13,000,000 tons of commerce. Now, if there were 13,000,000 tons with the river in that condition, how much would there have been with the river properly im- proved? I visited the city of Cincinnati three or four months ago and was told that at that time there were only two feet of water on the bar. It is literally the truth that at periods of low water there are points in that river which the boys and girls can wade. Is not that a shame? Is not that a disgrace, to think that a ri ^r like that should have been so neglected, a river which is a perfect bee-hive of i^^dustry, with over 100,000,000 tons of comij, erce every year gen- erated at Pittsburg; wi '" cities like Cincin- nati, Louisville, Evansv.,,^, Cairo, and many others on its banks — a river which passes tlirough the geographical center of this Re- public, the center of population being very near its banks, the center oi, manufacture being very near its banks? And what is true of the Ohio, my friends, is true of all the other rivers. The Tennessee and Cumber- land Rivers have been neglected in like man- ner. The upper Mississippi above St. Louis lias been similarly neglected. Steamboats liave entirely left the Missouri. I had the humiliating experience a few years ago, when a member of the Rivers and Harbors Com- mittee, of hearing it said that there was no such river in this country as the Missouri worthy of being improved. Legislation was undertaken by the American Congress which practically put that river off the map, and for business purposes the men of Kansas City, led by that splendid business man, Mr. Lawrence M. Jones, at very considerable personal sacrifice to themselves, placed a steamboat line on the Missouri River between Kansas City and St. Louis two years ago, in order to do what? To demonstrate to the American Congress that the Missouri River still exists and can do business! I wish to give you one striking illustration down in my own section of a comparison be- tween rates by rail and water. For several years the people who live on Trinity River in Texas have been imploring the American Congress to deepen that little river by means of locks and dams, so as to give them cheap transportation to the city of Dallas, the head of their river. Dallas is one of the fine cities of the southwest. Cotton is the prin- cipal product of that section, and Dallas is the basic point for about one and one-half million bales of cotton every year. It costs to get that cotton to Galveston, the nearest seaport, about $3 per bale. Now, I live on the banks of the Mississippi River about 300 miles from New Orleans, and Dallas is about 300 miles from Galveston. Where I Kve we can get cotton shipped to New Or- leans sometimes at 50 cents per bale, some- tiines at 75 cents per bale ; rarely, if ever, more than $1 per bale ; so that the people of Dallas have to pay three times as much as we in Louisiana who happen to live on the banks of the Mississippi River. Now, these Dallas and Texas people generally said to Congress : ' ' Give us $5,000,000 to improve the Trinity River, and instead of shipping our cotton; our cotton, which goes to the 8o CONSERVATION marts of the world ; our cotton, which an- nually pours into the hands of the Amer- ican people more money than any other ar- ticle of export — hundreds of millions of dollars coming in from the outside world to us every year as the purchase money of our cotton — instead of shipping our cotton by rail and paying exorbitant rates, we will be enabled to ship by water at reasonable rates." All of us, all of you who are before me now, use cotton. It enters into the every- day life of every man, woman, and child in the Republic, and that Texas cotton has to pay $2 a bale to the railroads more than it would have had to pay if Congress had been willing to spend the pitiful sum of $5,000,000 properly to improve that river. See what a splendid investment it would have been. A saving of $2 a bale on 1,500,000 bales, a saving direct and immediate of almost $3,000,000 on one article alone. But is that all ? No, my friends ; it is an axiom of political economy that the products returning into an agricultural section, bought with the crop of the agricultural section, costs fully twice as much as it does to market the agricultural product; so if there was a saving of $3,000,000 on the outgoing cotton there would be a saving of fully $6,000,000 on the returning product — and that expendi- ture of $5,000,000 by Congress on the Trinity River would have saved the people of Texas and, therefore, the people of the whole United Staets, fully $6,000,000. I do not want to bore you too much with details of this kind, but I must give you a few illustrations in order that you may un- derstand the policy of the American Con- gress in this respect and may understand whether it has been necessary for organiza- tions similar to the National River and Har- bors Congress. I want to give you one more illustration closer at home. I do not want to convey the impression that the West and South have been badly treated and the people in the East have been well treated in regard to their waterways. That is not so. In 1873, Congress undertook to improve the Harlem River in the city of New York, within the very shadow of Wall Street, so as to give it a depth of fifteen feet, with a width of 250 feet, the estimated cost being $3,700,000. In the thirty years that have elapsed since that project was begun, just exactly one-half of the appropriation has been made and the work is about one-half completed. Think of that ! On the Harlem River, which the year before last — I have not the figures for 1908 — had a commerce of 10,000,000 tons, valued at $270,000,000, in thirty years, Congress, pursuing the niggard policy which it has always pursued toward our inland waterways, has appropriated only one-half of the money necessary to finish this great work. Can you understand it? I cannot, and I call upon you, my friends, tc aid us in having a proper, comprehensive, businesslike policy adopted toward our waterways. I promise you in return, as on'» member of the waterways crowd, to do all I can to help forestrj% because I believe the forest and water are twin brothers. They must stand or fall together. I wish to say that in this great Republic of ours nearly all questions are political; but, thank God, this waterway question, like the forestry question, is not a political one. The last platforms of both the two great political parties of this country declared in the plainest and strongest language in favor of a busi- nesslike policy toward these waterways. Let me read to you very briefly from those platforms. That of the Republican party, adopted in Chicago, says : ' ' We indorse the movement inaugurated by the administration for the conservation of natural resources. We approve all measures to prevent the waste of timber. We com- mend the work now going on for the recla- mation of arid lands and reaffirm the Repub- lican policy of the free distribution of avail- able areas of the public domain to the land- less settler. No obligation of the future is more insistent and none will result in greater blessings to posterity. In line with this splendid undertaking is the further duty equally imperative to enter upon a system- atic improvement, upon a large and compre- hensive plan, just to all portions of the country, of the waterways, harbors, and great lakes whose natural adaptability to the increasing traffic of the land is one of the greatest gifts of a benign Providence. ' ' And the Democratic platform says : "Water furnishes the cheapest means of transportation, and the National Government, having control of navigable waterways, should improve them to their fullest capacity. We earnestly favor the immediate adoption of a liberal and comprehensive plan for im- proving every watercourse in the Union which is justified by the needs of com- merce, and to secure that end we favor, when practicable, the connection of the Great Lakes with navigable rivers and the Gulf through the Mississippi River, and the navigable rivers with each other, and the rivers, bays and sounds of our coast with each other by artificial canals, with a view to perfecting a system of inland waterways to be navi- gated by vessels of standard draft. We favoi the coordination of the various services of the Government connected with waterways in one service for the purpose of aiding in the completion of such a system of inland waterways ; and we favor the creation of a fund ample for continuous work which shall be conducted under the direction of a com- mission of experts to be authorized by law." In accordance with the platforms of their respective parties, I had the pleasure of wit- nessing at the great Waterways Convention in the city of Chicago Mr. Taft and Mr. Bryan assembled there in a spirit of broth- erly love and the broadest statesmanship, TWENTY-EIGHTH ANNUAL MEETING 8i standing on the same platform in the greatest friendship, advocating in the plainest lan- guage the same great poHcy of waterway im- provements, forgettitng all the rancor of poli- tics for a day, and pledging themselves and the parties which they represented to this broad, liberal, comprehensive policy of im- proving every deserving waterway in the land. I read during the last session of the American Congress no less than three mes- sages of Mr. Roosevelt on this subject — Mr. Roosevelt, who, I wish to say, has been one of the most constructive and broad-minded men who ever occupied the White House. He has grasped this great business question as he grasped that great question of irrigat- ing the arid lands of the West and of con- structing the Panama Canal. He sees how im- portant it is to us as business people. He sees how beneficial it will be to us, and he wants to see the work carried on in a business- like way instead of the desultory, unbusiness- like manner we have pursued in the past, which I have illustrated to you in the cases of the Harlem River, the Ohio River, and the Trinity River, and which I could illus- trate, if I had time, by a hundred other cases. Now, my friends, many of you, 1 know, are interested as shippers of lumber. Lumber is a very bulky, heavy product, a product which requires cheap transportation. I say to you, without fear of successful contradic- tion, that just as the waterways of the Great Lakes and the Ohio River carry freight at one-ninth, one-tenth, and one-eleventh of the average railroad rate, so, if you will develop, as they can be developed, as they should be developed, and as I believe some day they will be developed, the great inter- nal waterways of this nation, you will find freight carried at rates not exceeding one- sixth of the average railroad rate. Now, certainly, that would be beneficial to every man, woman and child in this Union, for all of us are interested in transportation. Trans- portation enters into the daily life of every one of us, and anything that will cheapen the grain that makes our flour, anything that will cheapen the iron and steel that we use; anything that will cheapen the lumber that goes into the house that covers us, will benefit us, and we should take an interest in it. I have heard it said that Germany is one of the most advanced countries on this globe in the preservation of its forests. I believe it is conceded that the Germans are a wise, far-seeing people. Let me say to you that not only does Germany protect its forests, but it protects and develops its waterways. In Germany, according to Mr. O. L. Sparker, it costs, to carry freight on the Elbe, 3.3 mills per ton per mile; on the Oder, 2.5 mills per ton per mile ; on the Rhine, 1.8 mills per ton per mile; the average being about 2.25 mills per ton per mile, as com- pared with our rate of .8 of one mill over the Great Lakes. But here our railroads carry freight at about 7.2 mills, and in Germany in 1905, the time these figures were given for, the Germans' rail rate was 11.7 mills, so that the average water rate there was about one-fifth of the average rail rate. All the waterways of Germany have been as fully developed as possible. Berlin, which, as you know, is an interior city, is connected by canals with every part of the Empire, and such splendid canals run to the sea that to all intents and purposes it is a seaport. Between Antwerp and Paris there are seven distinct water routes. The French, the Hollanders, the Belgians, as well as the Germans, have seen the benefit of water transportation. So thor- oughly have they developed their waterways that it is said you can load a barge in any part of either of those four countries and carry it to every other part without breaking bulk, at water rates about one-fifth of the average railroad rate. Has that driven the railroads out of busi- ness? No! The waterways carry the low- class heavy bulk freight, such as coal, ore, lumber, farm products, iron and steel, and the manufactures thereof; the railroads carry passengers and the higher class products which will stand a higher freight rate. They have all prospered, audit is a well-established fact that along, the banks of the Rhine and the Oder and the Elbe and other rivers in Germany, railroads are paying a better inter- est charge than the roads of the interior are paying. Similar results would happen here. The great New York Central Railroad is one of the best paying roads in this country, in spite of the fact that it parallels the Hud- son River, then the Erie Canal, and then the Great Lakes. Another connected fact is that a few years ago, when the people of the Em- pire State had submitted to them the prob- lem of having voted $101,000,000 to further enlarge and deepen the Erie Canal, the New York Central Railroad, the greatest taxpayer in the State, voted for that bond issue, al- though it has four tracks side by side par- alleling the canal. Why did it do it? It took the ground that the cheap water trans- portation would cause such an influx of pop- ulation and business enterprises of many kinds and manufacturies of every kind to the shores of that canal, that it could well af- ford it. because of its increased passenger and high-class traffic business. That, in my judgment, would be the result of a proper improvement of the general waterways of the country. I wish I had time to go into that more fully, but I know you are getting tired, and there is another speaker to follow me. I wish merely to make this suggestion in clos- ing, that as you are interested in this great conservation movement of improving the forests, so you should be interested, and I believe all of you are interested, in its kin- dred subject, improving the waterways. Let us all pnll together for our joint end. If we 82 CONSERVATION can pull together, we will be irresistible. Bear in mind, my friends, that there is a deficit facing Congress to-day, a deficit of $58,000,000 of last year, a reported deficit of $114,000,000 for the fiscal year ending June 30 next, and an estimated deficit of $143,000,000 for the fol- lowing fiscal year, and that Congress is a little chary about making a liberal appro- priation for forests, for rivers and harbors, or for anything which seems to be able to wait. Now, the friends of the waterways, foreseeing this deficit, foreseeing the trouble in hand, have been asking and are now ask- ing that Congress issue $500,000,000 of bonds in order properly to improve every deserving waterway in the country. We do not want this issue to be emitted at once. We wish it to be authorized in order that the bonds may be sold and about $50,000,000 a year for the next ten years may be expended. I hope you will help us in that. If you do, I believe that you will develop something that will benefit every cititzen of the country and put Congress and the American people on a much higher plane of prosperity than they are to-day. An illustrated lecture by Dr. Bailey Willis followed, the slides used being magnificent ones. Doctor Wills said, in part : "We have behind us in the known recorded history of our race, some 4,000 years of experience since the time when we started from Central Asia and began our migrations west- ward, ever westward, absorbing the people native to the lands as we came, and passing on, ever on, until, passing across the Atlantic, we came toward the last land toward the West which we might occupy. In that land we came face to face with the old prob- lem of how much we shall use of its natural resources. We have inherited from these 4,000 years the practice of abusing them instead of using them ; but with modern science and modern purpose, we are turning our eyes to- ward purposeful use, toward proper conservation, and it is to be hoped that we shall learn the lesson in time to use them wisely and to save them from destruction! One part of our lesson, however, is to look backward, to see what has been done in other lands and what is the result of our action and of various other causes in regard to these impor- tant questions, the forest and the water- ways, which are so intimately linked. I shall ask you to cast your thoughts far, far back. I shall ask you to accept my statement that there has been a time when all of Asia and all of Europe and all of North America were covered with forests. I shall ask you to accept my statement that the forests are older than the mountains which now diver- sify the land ; that there was a time when those lands were plains, when there were no considerable heights on any of the continents, and when the climate was a genial Southern tem- perate climate from far South as far north as Greenland. Under those conditions the forests prevailed over Asia, over Europe and over North America, and some of the species of trees which lived in those ancient forests are living to-day. For instance, the magnolia and the tulip tree, which is one of the gems of our southern forests in North Carolina and Georgia. In consequence of the changes which have come over the earth's surface, mountain ranges have been upraised, climates have been changed, and the great uniform condition which existed in that ancient time has given place to one of great diversification. In the course of these changes the forests have met with certain influences which they could not withstand. A tree must have moisture, or it cannot grow. Where the climate has become too arid, the forests have gone. In other regions, the climates have remained moist or have become even more moist than they were then, and there is a pre- vailing jungle which nothing can des- troy. But between those two extremes there is a wide range of climate, par- ticularly in the temperate zones, where the trees can survive if they meet no other enemies, but where, if to the try- ing conditions of climate there are add- ed the activities of man and the effect of his herds of sheep and cattle graz- ing upon the young trees and the sprouts, then the forests vanish from those regions and they become like the TWENTY-EIGHTH ANNUAL MEETING 83 more arid regions — desert. It is in those areas where the effect of dimate has been supplemented by the effect of man and his herds, that man has trans- formed the face of the earth from a garden to a desert. I shall ask you to go with me across such regions from China, through Asia, through Asia Minor, into Europe, and to look upon the experience which the race has had in that long migration." The lecturer then proceeded to illus- trate the effect of denudation in vari- ous countries of Asia and Europe. The plains and mountains of northern China, where climatic conditions are critical and where the activity of man has been most destructive, were de- scribed, and views were shown giving the barren aspect of hills which have been deforested witliin the last two centuries. Scenes in central Asia, where the deserts have overwhelmed the cities of the most ancient populations, were fol- lowed by others in Asia Minor. Here the scant herbage and wretched peas- ants in the foreground of far-reaching, utterly denuded plateaus and mountains scarcely served to suggest the lands of Assyrian and B'abylonian and Persian civilization. Through these districts, where marched the armies of Xerxes and Alexander the Great, a camel train now finds scarcely enough water. Again the scene was shifted west- ward to Italy and the lecturer describ- ed the Northern Appenines and the bare slopes of Dalmatia, where the Romans obtained the timber for their ships of commerce and war. With characteristic thoroughness they left not a tree upon the hills. In Southern France, in tl^e valley of the Durance, bare slopes and the over- loaded river bore testimony to the same relations of deforestation to excessive erosion. And finally, a view of an utterly de- nuded area in northern China was placed in contrast to the superb forests of the southern Appalachians, and the question was put: "Which shall we pass on as the heritage to future gene- rations?"' THURSDAY MORNING SESSION THE first business of the morning session of Thursday, January 14, was the report of the committee on nominations. The committee's re- port was read and adopted without change, and the chairman was instruct- ed to cast one ballot, for the Associa- tion, for the ticket, which was done. Mrs. Donald McLean, president-gen- eral of The Daughters of the American Revolution, was the first speaker of the session, her address being on the sub- ject of "The Daughters of the Ameri- can Revolution and the Conservation Movement." Mrs. McLean's address was punctuated with sallies of wit that enlivened the session and put those present in the best of humors. In part Mrs. McLean said : "I was in the Adirondack? a year ago, and while there I met a charming young forester, whom I dubbed 'Robin Hood' — as I might dub any of you gentlemen here present 'Robin Hood.' He represented the State of New York, in the preservation of the Adirondack forests. Until that time, outside my own natural, sentimental interest in anything and everything pretaining to my country, I had known very little of the processes of conservation, and I must say that I was extremely im- pressed with two points, namely, the minutia with which everything must be arranged to bring results, and the ab- solutely necessary courage to believe the results from the minutia. We were told all these things, and were supplied with literature upon forestry, and then we were told about a wonderful forest reserve, away up in the woods. I be- came anxious to see it. and at last I was taken up there. I looked, and looked, and looked everywhere. Of 84 CONSERVATION course my eyes were naturally raised, and I could see no signs of any forest I dropped my eyes, and kept on drop- ping them farther and farther, and after while I discovered a thousand or so little trees that I really think were no bigger than very small bushes, which were being nursed and cared for under the tender, brooding care of that for- ester. 'This is my nursery!' He said it with the same air with which a wom- an would say 'These are my jewels.' When I looked at those little slips, and learned that there were 5,000 trees in that enclosure, being cared for and grown to protect the great Adiron- dack forests, it gave me a great respect for the courage that could believe in it. * * '* Representing, as our organi- zation does, over 70,000 members, lo- cated in practically every town in every State of the Union, when we become inspired with the idea of preservation, or creation, or building, or marking, or whatever it may be, we, in our great numbers and our power, of controlling sentiment, bring about results. When the Daughters of the American Revo- lution take in hand the cultivation of the sentiment which you gentlemen are putting into active commission, yoQ will have the best combination of forces to bring about the result that it is possible to achieve. * * * j come to you bearing the greetings of the American women of this country, the American women who, perforce, in be- longing to the Daughters of the Ameri- can Revolution, must have the purest strain of American blood that per- meates the veins of the citizens of this country. We do not presume to place ourselves on a pedestal, but we do be- lieve that the descendants of the earli- est, truest lovers of their country must necessarily be those who love it best now. * * * I beg Qf yQy |.Q allow the women to feel that they have had something worthy to do with your un- dertakings, not necessarily because they are auxiliaries or committees or appendages to your work, but because in their hearts is a real love for that country to the aid of which you can come, as did the knights of old, and bring it to its highest triumph of glori- ous victory." At the conclusion of Mrs. McLean's address, on motion of the chairman, she was unanimously elected an honor- ary member of the Association, the adoption of the motion being greeted with prolonged applause. Following the report of the Com- mittee on By-laws, and the supplemen- tal report of the Auditing Committee, the meeting was addressed by F. W. Rane, State Forester of Massachusetts, his subject being, "Principles in the Acquirement and Management of State Forests." Mr Rane's address follows : ADDRESS OF E W, RANE THE difficulty which your committee has had is in drawing up a policy which can be applied to different States. There is nothing which is so vitally affected by local conditions as a State forest reserve policy. One might almost say that a sepa- rate policy should be drawn up for each State. The State of Massachusetts is at present, and I presume will be for a long time, not only committed, but confined by strongly developed public sentiment to a policy of State reserves wholly for the purpose of en- couraging private forestry. This is distinct- ly not true of those States which have gone farthest in establishing State forest re- serves, though it does characterize New England as a whole. New York's reserves are dictated by a policy of protection of watersheds and en- tirely dominated by a distinctly anti-forestry sentiment favoring the preservation of these reserves as wild parks in their natural state. But the function of the State as a land owner is clearly recognized. Pennsylvania is the most advanced of the Eastern States, and her reserves, while founded on the need of watershed protec- tion, are accepted by the public as true forest reserves for the production of timber and its utilization. The principle here rec- ognized is that large areas of waste land can best be reforested by the State. Michigan's struggle to establish forest re- serves is being waged along exactly similar lines, only here we have the vital question of choice between agriculture and forestry. The lands are sandy and largely too poor to TWENTY-EIGHTH ANNUAL MEETING 85 -farm, but are good fields for unscrupulous exploitation by land sharks. The forestry movement is based on the platform that the State should hold all tax lands and acquire large areas for the production of timber by the State. Wisconsin clearly recognizes the principle that the State may go into the business of timber production. Their 300,000 acres of land, while located largely around stream headquarters, is distinctly for timber pro- duction. William Irvin, whose company gave to the State some thousands of acres of cutover lands, said that in his opinion the State was the agent to reforest lands and grow timber for the future — "the individual never will do it." These instances are cited to emphasize the difference between the point of view of these States and that of New England, where it is recognized that the individual can grow timber and that the State's function should be confined to such measures as will encourage the development of private forestry. The formal report of the committee is as follows : To the American Forestry Association : Your committee, appointed to report on the following subject, "Principles in the Acquirement and Management of State For- ests," begs to present the following report: (i) It is believed that all States should have a well defined policy of acquiring and managing forest lands. This policy will necessarily differ in different States. (2) Forest reserves can be made to serve the State in the following ways : (a) By being of educational value in demonstrating what may be accomplished. (b) By properly utilizing waste or non- agricultural lands in the production of timber. (c) By conserving our waters through the protection of our watersheds and steep slopes. (3) The forest interests and policy of a State where large forest reserves are a possibility, should be safeguarded from politics by being supervised by a non- political board, a majority of whose mem- bers are preferably named in the law as oc- cupying certain positions, such as heads of educational institutions or other particularly well known, stable and public spirited bodies or organizations that take an interest in true forestry work. (4) State forest reserves should be under tlie direct management of a technically trained forester or one with adequate train- ing for successful management. (5) State forests should be protected from fire by instituting a definite forest fire policy. Forest patrols, fire lines, telephone communication, and fire fighting equipment, etc., should be had where possible. Ade- quate fire protection is absolutely essential for success. (6) To secure fire protection a force of State forest rangers should be employed. These rangers should perform or superin- tend all other work connected with the proper administration of State forest reserves such as road and trail building, planting, timber cutting, etc., under proper supervision of the forester in charge. (7) The forestry board should have the authority to employ all necessary assistance for the protection and management of State forest reserves, and also to utilize by sale or otherwise all the natural resources of such reserves including timber in such a manner that the forests thereon may be maintained in a productive condition. The discussion was continued by R. S. Conklin, Commissioner of Forestry of Pennsylvania, who spoke of the gen- erally recognized necessity for the crea- tion of State forests and the difficulty of creating a sentiment that will permit their creation and maintenance. He stated that in 1893 the first legislation was secured in Pennsylvania recogniz- ing the necessity of forestry work ; but that it was seven years after this first act was passed before the State actually secured the first acre of forest reserve land. He detailed the various steps that have been taken, all leading up to the present comprehensive plan, an" urged the necessity for much mo-- work and much more legislation in addition to that already placed •on the statute books of Pennsyl- vania, laying particular stress upon tl' point that the States themselves must very largely work out their own salvp tion, and that the Federal Government can not and should not be looked to altogether, although cooperation of State and Federal Governments is ad- visable. During the course of discus- sion that followed his remarks, Mr Conklin stated that Pennsylvania has received from its forest reserves reve- nue amounting to about $22,000, and that within a few years it was confi- dently expected that a considerable an- nual revenue would be received from these reserves. Doctor Rothrock, Rob- ert C. Lippincott, of Philadelphia, and others took up the discussion, which continued until adjournment. THE AFTERNOON SESSION THE first order of business at the opening of the session of Thurs- day afternoon, January 14, was the report of the Committee on Resolu- tions. The report was taken up section by section, each portion of the resohi tions being fully discussed, and the vote was taken by sections. The reso- lutions in full, as finally adopted, arc given below. REPORT OF COMMITTEE ON RESOLUTIONS 1. Whereas, the position of the American Forestry Association has consi^stently been one opposed to entering into questions po- litical, and, Whereas, the Association has not heretofore expressed by resolution any atti- tude towards the question of tariff on lumber, or wood pulp. Resolved, that it is the sense of this meeting that this policy of non-interference in matters political be approved and con- tinued as the future policy of the Associa- tion. 2. The need for education in forestry in- creases with the opportunities for its practice. But a sharp distinction must be made between the instruction which has for its object the raining of professional forest- ters, that which aims to qualify farmers and other woodland owners to manage their own properties intelligently, and that which is offered for the enlightenment of the general public. Recognizing the fact that various classes of learners are often confused, be it resolved : First, That the American Forestry Asso- ciation advocates the widest dissemination of all facts relative to forests and forestry, but distinctly discountenances the making of reckless, unsupported and doubtful state- ments as harmful to the real interests of the cause. Second, That it endorses and recommends the passage of Senate Bill 7772, Sixty-sixth Congress, second session, providing for in- struction in forestry at the agricultural schools of the various States, zuith the clause that no part of the appropriation shall be used for technical instruction, and not with- tion therefor of a law providing that timber out it. 3. That the American Forestry Associa- tion urges the repeal of the law known as the Timber and Stone Act, and the substitu- tion therefor of a law providing that timber and stone shall be sold at its actual value and the proceeds devoted to the purchase of forest lands whose protection is neces- sary to safeguard navigable rivers. Whereas, the necessity of improving and utilizing, to the utmost extent, the internal waterways of the country has become a R6 measure of both commercial importance and of national safety, therefore : Be it resolved : The American Associa- tion urges the National Congress to author- ize as speedily as possible the accomplish- ment of this work, and if need be, to issue bonds in payment for the same, as recom- mended by President Roosevelt and Presi- dent-elect Taft. Resolved : That copies of this resolution be respectfully transmitted to the Senate and House of Representatives. 4. Whereas, Protection of the watersheds is of vital importance to the future of every State, and. Whereas, the owners of such watersheds are usually financially unable to give ade- quate protection to the non-agricultural portions thereof, therefore: Be it resolved: That the Members of the American Forestry Association urge upon he Legislatures of their respective States, the wisdom and the necessity of their States purchasing such non-agricultural lands and converting them, as speedily as possible, into well-timbered State Forest Reserves. 5. Whereas, no law is equitable or just which obliges the owner, or owners, of forest lands to pay all the taxes upon land fro mwhich he or they receive no more benefit than the State at large, and. Whereas, no law is equitable which im- poses a greater tax upon a crop of growing timber than it does upon a crop of growing corn, or other grain, therefore : Be it resolved, That the American Forest- ry Association recommends that its mem- bers do all in their power to secure within their respective ,States the enactment of such laws as may be constitutional therein as will remove the tax from standing timber, and substitute instead of such tax, an in- come tax when the timber is cut. Resolved: That we welcome the assist- ance of and heartily commend and endorse the organization and work of the Woman's National Rivers and Harbors Congress Its aims, as stated in its construction, being •'The promotion of the meritorious water- ways, rivers, harbors, and canals, the pres- ervation of the forests and the conservation of all the other natural resources." TWENTY-EIGHTH ANNUAL MEETING 87 REPORT OF BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE AMERICAN FORESTRY ASSOCIATION FOR THE YEAR 1908 T HE Board of Directors of the The American Forestry Association here- with submits its report for the year 1908. The customary campaign for new mem- berships was actively conducted the first part of the -year. The following results for the year have been obtained : The membership of the Association, De- cember 31, 1907, was 6,555— composed of three patrons, 237 life members, eighty-nine sustaining members, 6,226 annual members. During the year 1908 there were added a total of 1,086 — nine life members, ten sus- taining members, and 1,067 annual mem- bers ; and during the same period there were lost by death, resignation, etc., five life members, eleven sustaining members, 652 annual members, making a total of 668 lost, or a net gain for the year of 468, mak- ing a total membership of the Association at December 31, 1908, of 6,973 members. In the conduct of this membership cam- paign, in 1908, there were sent out 30,403 folders and 34,903 form letters. Of the declared objects of the Associa- tion, one of the chief is the dififusion of knowledge concerning Forestry and related subjects. To the furtherance of this work the Association has diligently applied it- self. The publication of the magazine, whose purchase was last year reported, has been continued. The scope of the publication has been broadened to include the general field of conservation of all natural resources, notably those with which the forests arc connected, nin harmony with this course the name of the magazine has been changed "Forestry and Irrigation" to "Conservation." Each members receives a copy. The system of press bulletins, instituted in 1907, has been further employed in 1908 with good results. By this meanse some 1,600 newspapers and, through them, an in- derterminate but unquestionably large read- ing clientele, have been reached. The ex- tent to which, as shown by clippings and marked copies returned, such matter has been used, is at once a proof of a rapid rise, in the tide of public interest in foresry and conservation, and a factor in further pro- moting this essential interest. Educational work through public lectures, begun last year, has been continued and greatly developed. In 1907 the Secretary, in addition to certain isolated addresses, made two extensive lecture tours, speaking thirteen times in four Southern States, and twenty-two times in six Western and Mid- dle States. These addresses were ordinarily given under the auspices of boards of trade, chambers of commerce, women's clubs, edu- cational institutions and the like, the audi- ences averaging about 300. In 1908 the Chautauqua field, now so important a medium of popular education in the great Middle West, was entered. Illustrating his subject with lantern slides, the Secretary spoke six times per week in four States — Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa and Missouri— to a total of sixty-four audiences averag- ing at least 1,000 in number. More than 60,000 people were thus reached. A number many times larger was, in addition, reached through the press, in which the lectures were fully and accurately reported. Aside from the Secretary's salary the total ex- pense of this campaign to the Association was $66.92. Opportunity now exists not only to continue this important work before Chautauquas, but to extend it to the Lyceum field. The Secretary has also contributed freely to the periodical press, and conducted a large correspondence. The movement for the preservation of the forests and related interests in the 'Southern Appalachian and White Moun- tains has been pressed with vigor and ag- gressiveness. New England, the South and the West have cooperated as never be- fore. A multitude of associations and in- dividuals have devoted time and effort to create and arouse sentiment, and focus it upon the National Congress. On January 30, the day following the last annual meet- ing, a one-day hearing was had before the C'ommittee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives. There were present some 200 friends of the measure from twenty states. Among these were many of the most influential representatives of busi- ness and professional, associations and citi- zens' organizations, including a number of governors. The delegations were led by Governors Smith, of Georgia, and Floss, of New Hampshire. The evidence presented was practical, comprehensive and conclusive. Chairman Scott declared that every com- mittee man was impressed with the import- ance of the measure. In the House of Representatives the ques- tion of constitutionality of the proposed legislation was raised, with the result that the bill was referred to the Committee on Judiciary of the House. A hearing was had before this Committee on February 27. On April 22, the Committee adopted the following resolutions: "Resolved. That the Committee is of the opinion that the Federal Government has no power to acquire lands within a State, solely for forest reservation; but 88 CONSERVATION under its constitutional power over naviga- tion, the Federal Government may appro pHate for the purchase of lands and forests reserves in the States, provided it is made clearly to appear that such lands and forest reserves have a direct and substantial con- nection with the conservation and improve- ment of the navigability of a river, actually navigable in whole or in part; and any appropriation made therefore is limited to that purpose. "Resolved, That the bills referred to in the resolutions of the House, H. R. 10,456 and H. R. 10,457, are not confined to such last-mentioned purpose and are therefore unconstitutional." To meet the requirements of these reso- lutions the following bills were promptly introduced in the House ; The Pollard Bill, H. R. 21,220; the Weeks Bill H. R. 22,221, and the Lever Bill, H. R. 21,357. None of these was passed. On May 16, the Senate passed the Brandgee Bill, S. 4,825. On May 21, the House passed the Scott Bill. H. R. 21,936, providing for State coopera- tion and the appointment of a Commission to investigate still further, during the re- cess, the conditions existing in the Southern Appalachian and White Mountain regions. Neither of these bills, however, became a law. On December 9, another hearing was had before the Committee on Agriculture of the House. One of the most important features of the work now before the friends of forest conservation in the United States is the aggressive pressing of the Bill 4,825, already passed by the Senate, that it may become a law before the exppiration of the life of the present Congress on March 4, next. In June, the office of the Association was removed from 131 1 G Street N. W., to 1417 G Street N. W., where much larger and more commodious quarters were secured at a slight decrease in rental. Mention might well be made of the splendid work now in progress in the in- creasing number of forest schools and forestry departments in colleges and uni- versities, in the forestry offices in the vari- ous states and, notably, in the great and rapidly growing Forest Service. The wide publicity, however, which, happily, the general work of forestry is now receiving, has already made this progress reasonably familiar; and in the interest of brevity, detailed review is here omitted. It may however, be said that never before in our Iiistory has there been such an earnest senti- ment favoring forestry and conservation, and never before has such effective work been done. Most noteworthy of all is the great conservation movement inaugurated by the White House Conference of last May. Inland navigation, deeper waterways, water- powers, and economical manufacturing therewith, floods, soils, irrigation, drainage, and the public health, as shown in detail by one of our folders, are all fundamentally dependent upon and related to Forestry. This larger field of conservation and utili- zation of all our natural resources plainly places upon our Association duties which should be heartily assumed, and diligently discharged. In closing, it should be said that, in com- parison with the work remaining to be done, the work already accomplished by all the forestry forces combined is slight. Destruc- tion of resources proceeds without abate- ment. Sentiment now developing should be intensified, and focused upon local, state and National governments, that legislation and administration may accomplish the ends without which all our efforts are vain. The American Forestry Association is a leading agency for general propagania in this field. Its efforts are strictly limited by its means. Where it receives hundreds, it should receive thousands of dollars for the prosecution of the great work before it. For this arm of power it looks to its mem- bers. Their dues are practically its only resource. Each member may, however, en- list other members, and by so doing, render to his country a patriotic economic service of great value. Following the adoption of the resolu- tions, the chairman read a telegram from the newly elected President of the Association. The messags follows : "I accept with pleasure the Presi- dency of the Association. I only wish I better deserved such a high compli- ment. Please express my apprecir tion and earnest desire to cooperate in the work." Prof. W. N. Clifford, of the Southern High School, of Philadelphia, then ad- dressed the meeting, his subject being, "Forestry and the Schools." An ab- stract of Professor Clifford's address is given below. ADDRESS OF PROF. W. N. CLIFFORD IT IS my purpose to speak to you upon what can be done in educating the coming generations in the care of our National Forests. It is a true saying that "it is hard to teach an old dog new tricks," and never, up to the present time, has very much been said to the young people of this country about the necessity of preserving our forests. Man is greedy, and ever since America was discovered he has felt free to absorb for his TWENTY-EIGHTH ANNUAL MEETING 89 own interests whatever came into his posses- sion by right and sometimes whatever he could secure, whether legal or illegal. Men have taken possession of our mines and our forests by settlement or purchase and have felt free to remove or destroy them for their own personal benefit. It may be possible to restrain the men of this generation by active and positive legislation; it may be possible to awaken the legislatures of the states and of Congress to the great need of wise laws along these lines in time to save some of our primeval resources. The great hope is that in the case of the forests we may educate our people to replant so that coming generations may see the hill- sides and much of the valley covered with valuable timber. The reason why this mat- ter is not fully presented in our schools is because of the lack of information on the part of our teachers. The teachers cannot teach what they do not know themselves, and many of these teachers belong to a time when but very little was thought of what we call nature study. This matter can be presented in connection with geography, his- tory and botany. An outline covering the important subjects may be placed in the hands of the teachers through the school officers. It is the plan of the Forest Service, through men who are interested in the De- partment of Education, to furnish such an outline and with it the subject-matter, so that teachers can easily become familiar with the material and, at the same time, have it on hand for class work. The writer has been conducting a large personal corre- spondence, and finds teachers are anxious to do this work. He also finds that it is possible with matter already printed by the Forest Service to get much of this informa- tion into the hands of the teachers at an early date. It is easy to theorize; it is much more important to tell what can be done from the Chapter of Experience. The writer is connected with the Southern Manual Training High School, in Philadel- phia, and plans to give some definite instruc tion to a class of boys every week. One of the first things to have in the school room for help is the new Forestry Map, which gives the pupils a definite idea of the loca- tion and vast area of our National Forests. The Forest Service is willing to furnish the Primer of Forestry, written by Gifford Pinchot, National Forester, which will give the teacher and pupils much information that is important. It is the plan with the class in our High School to make excursions so that they will have practice in identify- ing trees by their trunks and winter buds, then later to recognize them by their leaves. An attempt will be made to collect cross sections of medium-sized trees so as to show the bark and the annual growth. At the same time to collect pieces of wood showing the natural veining so that finished lumber can be easily recognized. In order to do the best kind of work in any school, it will be necessary to have a good reference library. Prof. Hugh P. Baker, of the Penn- sylvania State College of Forestry, pre- sented a paper on the subject, "Forest Schools." Dwelling upon the necessity for rigid and comprehensive training in any and every line of work, and the in- creasing tendency toward specializa- tion, Professor Baker laid stress on the importance of giving full care and at- tention to the education and training of Fore<:lers — not, perliap.-, en account of any great financial rewards that may be secun.'d tlirimgh following the pro- fession of forestry, but because of the urgent necessity for trained, practical men, capable of handling in an efficient manner big projects in forestry work. The paper was a thoroughly interesting one, and in a later issue of Conserva- tion it will be published in full. A number of other papers, read during the meeting, and omitted because of lack of space in this issue, will also be incorporated in early issues of this mag- azine. The business of th'j meeting having been transacted, and the program com- pleted, the session adjourned. THE AMERICAN FORESTRY ASSOCIATION Report of Treasurer for Year Ended December 31, 1908 Washington, D. C. January 2?, igog The Board of Directors , The American Forestry Association. Gentlemen : I have the honor to submit herewith my report as Treasurer of your Association for the year ended December 31, 1908, including two exhibits, to wit: STATEMENT OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES As at December 31, 1908 Exhibit "A" REVENUE ACCOUNT As at December 31, 1908 Exhibit " B" I beg leave to call your attention briefly to the following items in the Balance Sheet: Bond Investments — $6,162.80 The Bonds owned by the Association are carried on the books at the purchase price. Dues Outstanding — $1,206 Of this amount some dues have been paid since the closing. It is estimated about one-half of the amount outstanding will be collected. Advance to Conservation — $4,100 This represents the amount advanced to the Magazine Department for working capital, and it is well to call attention here to the fact that this asset is subject to reduction, as the total of $4,100 cannot be realized. The amount to be written off can- not at the present, however, be determined. Furniture and Fixtures — $680.49 The purchase of furniture — desks, typewriters, chairs, etc., during the year amounted to $230.49. As the furniture is all practically new and in good condition, nothing has been written off for depreciation this year. .Advance on Postage — $150.08 This is an expenditure made during 1908, but properly chargeable against the year 1909, being the cost of stamped envelopes for Treasurer's bills, 1909. Bills Payable — $6,000 This item is composed of a demand loan of $5,000, for which the bonds of the Association have been given as collateral; and $1,000 borrowed on the Association's notes unsecured. The $1,000 have been paid since the end of last year. Educational Fund — $2ig This is an amount of money received in response to the appeal for funds to be used in special educational work ; $194 being the balance for the year 1907, and $25 added during the year 1908. Dues Unearned — $724 This amount has been received in payment of dues in advance, of which $25 applies against Sustaining membership 1909, and the balance to Annual membership of 1909, 1910, 191 1 and 1912. Surplus Account — $5,786.02 The Surplus Account on January 1, 1908, was $6,905.76. During the year there was an amount of $135.24 adjusted on account of the 1907 period; and a decrease of $510, caused by the dropping of members for the non-payment of 1907 dues, leaving a balance of -$6,531. The Net Loss for the year of 1908 was $744.98, which, deducted from the balance, brings the Surplus at December 31, 1908, to $5,786.02. Referring to the Revenue Account, herewith, you will find the amounts received from various sources and also the expenditures classified. Respectfully submitted, Otto Luebkert, Treasurer 90 EXHIBIT "A" Balance Sheet as at January i, 1909 ASSETS Cash Life Funds. . . . Current Funds. $81.44 208.18 Bonds — Investments (Purchase Price) I 2 Chicago & Eastern 111. 5's | 2,305.00 'Z Minneapolis & St. Louis 4's : l|982!50 ■-• Japanese Imperials 4%'s j l'875'.30 Dues Outstanding: i Annual 1,056.00 Sustaining 150.00 Sundry Accounts Receivable Deposit Pot. Elec. Power Co. Conser-pation Department Advance to CJcnservation .\s per I>edger Furniture and Fixtures .A.S per Ledger Interest Accrued Postage Paid in Advance. 5.00 64.36 $289. CI' 6,162.80 1,206.00 69.30 4.100.00 680.49 84.72 150.08 12.743.07 LIABILITIES Bills Payable Demand Loan, Union Trust Co.. Personal Notes, 2 @ $5,000.00... Accounts Payable (Contingent) . Educational Fund Dues Unearned Annual Sustaining Surplus Account Balance as per Ledger LESS. NET LOSS, for year as per EXHIBIT "B" $5,000.00 1,000.00 699.00 25.00 6,531.00 744.98 $6,000.0» 14.05 219.00 724.00 5,786.0:' 12,743.07 EXHIBIT "B" Revenue Account for the Year Ended December 31, 1908 DEBITS CREDITS Expenses of Secretary's Office $8,143.68 4,541.61 1,331.50 1,171.77 325.23 81.68 396.59 $15,992.06 1,006.81 445.28 17,444.15 Income from Memberships Annual Dues $13,010.04 2,181.25 900.00 Salaries and Clerk Hire Sustaining Dues Life Memberships Stationerv and Printins: $16.091.S» Rent and Telephone Traveling Expenses Miscellaneous 15.30 5.86 3.68 389.0(1 Miscellaneous Income Sale of Proceedinffa Expenses of Treasurer's Office Salaries and Clerk Hire 504.65 75.30 371.86 55.00 Exchange on Checks Sale of Circulars Balance, carried down 24.8-t 938. 4L' Miscellaneous Interest on Investments •. 17,444.15 Special Publieitv Solicitine' 267.6*; 11 ''fi Balance, brought down 938.42 88.4" Balance, being NET LOSS, carried to Surplus Account, EXHIBIT "A" Interest on Bills Pavable . . 744.0^ 1,023.84 l,023.S-i 91 THE JOINT CONSERVATION CONFERENCE (Concluded from January Number) Section of Waters SUMMARY OF SECTION REPORT THE annual stream flow — by which is meant the volume of water annually passing into the sea — is approximately 70,000,000,000,000 cubic feet, for continental United States. Of this, less than one per cent is restrained and utilized for municipal and community supply and related purposes ; less than two per cent (or about ten per cent of that in the arid and semi-arid regions) is used for irrigation ; about five per cent is currently used for navigation, and less than five per cent is utilized for the production of power. From eighty-five to ninety-five per cent of the total volume of water is wasted in floods. The mainland United States has 282 streams that may be navigated for an ageregate of 26,115 miles, and as much more might be navigated with proper improve- ment. There are also forty-five canals, with an aggregate mileage of 2,189.05 miles. On lake and sound routes there is large traffic, but river navigation is too small for definite record. The cost of water carriage aver- ages about one-fourth the cost of rail car- riage. As our rail freightage reached 217,- 000,000,000 ton-miles during 1906, at an aver- age rate of 0.77 cent, the shipping of one- fifth of our freight by water would have saved to producers and consumers over $250,- 000,000. The theoretical power of the streams of mainland United States is over 230,000,000 horsepower; the amount actually in use is 5,250,000 horsepower. The amount available at a cost comparable to that of steam instal- lation is estimated at 37,000,000 horsepower; this thirty-seven million horsepower exceeds our entire mechanical power now in use, and would operate every mill, drive every spindle, propel every train and boat, and light every 92 city, town and village in the country. The direct yearly damage by floods since 1900 has increased steadily from $45,000,000 to $238,- 000,000; the indirect loss, through deprecia- tion of property, is still greater ; while the largest loss is that arising from the impedi- ment to navigation and terminal transfers. The soil matter annually carried into the lower rivers and harbors during freshets reaches the quantity of 783.000,000 tons. Its removal seriously impairs the productivity of upland farms, while it also increases channel- cutting and bar-building. It is estimated that the annual damage to farms through such erosive action of flood waters is not less than $500,000,000. We should adopt at once a broad plan of waterways improvement ex- tending to all the uses of the waters and the benefits to be derived from their control, in- cluding the clarification of the water and the abatement of floods for the benefit of naviga- tion, the extension of irrigation, the develop- ment and application of power, the preven- tion of soil-wash, the purification of streams for water supply, and the drainage and utili- zation of the waters of swamp and overflow lands. Rough estimates of the cost of such practical improvement place the figure _ at $50,000,000 annually, the conclusion being reached that the work could be done in ten years. If this work were to be done at the cost of the people, the additional tax burden would be GiYz cents per year per capita, or $6.25 in all. Estimates of the total benefits resulting from such improvements place the figures at one billion dollars, or $i2.t;o per capita, annually; that is. twenty times the cost. THE JOINT CONSERVATION CONGRESS 93 IN THE absence of Hon. Theodore Soils, to read the report of that Section. E. Burton, chairman of the Section The Section of Waters was the Inland of Waters, the chair called upon Dr. Waterways Commission, and the report W J McGee, secretary of the Inland Waterways Commission and erosion expert in the United States Bureau of was one of the most interesting of the entire Conference. The address is given below. ADDRESS OF DR, W J McGEE MR. CHAIRMAN, and gentlemen of the Conference, I shall do no more than ask attention to a few primary ideas with respect to our waters. In the first place, I would like to empha- size, and have you all join me in emphasizing the great fundamental fact that our water is a resource. Hitherto it has not been our cus- tom to regard water as a resource of a defi- nitely limited quantity. We have been accus- tomed, after the manner of the ancients, to think of the four elements, of which water is one. We have been accustomed to think of it as free and abundant as the air or the light of the sun, or the amplitude of the earth. The primary idea which we are desirous of im- pressing is this, that there is just so much water and no more. In this connection it is necessary also, as we conceive it, and as I hope you will all agree, to apply the quanti- tative method of dealing with water, the same method which we employ in dealing with coal or iron ore, or any other resource. That, in- deed, is requisite to the forming of a clear idea concerning water as a resource — water of which there is only a certain amount and no more. The application of the quantitative method is absolutely essential. In the report of the National Conservation Commission, which you heard read yesterday, the quantity of water and the sources of the water with which we are blessed were set forth in considerable detail. I shall not trouble to repeat the figures, but merely to render clear the primary idea of water as a resource, and I am referring, of course, to fresh water. Let us have it in our minds that the sole source is the rain which descends from the heavens. That boon, after reaching the earth, is divided, and half of it is re-evap- orated, and a portion of this half may be re- precipitated as rain. We need not follow that half further than to say that after reaching the surface of the globe, it is again evapo- rated. One-third of the entire amount flows down to the sea through the rivers, of which many are navigable. One-third of the total amount — let us have this clear in mind — flows down to the sea. There remains one-sixth, and that is consumed or absorbed. On one- sixth, in the last analysis, depends the habit- ability and productivity of our country, of every acre of our farm land and of every acre of our forest land. Its productivity is dependent on this remaining fraction of water. Nor do we often realize how large a quantity of water is consumed in plant growth and in animal existence. We do not often realize that each average adult man of one hundred and fifty pounds takes into his system in the course of each year no less than one ton of water. We do not realize that on the aver- age each bushel of corn requires in the mak- ing something like fifteen or twenty tons of water. This is an illustration of the funda- mental importance of water to the produc- tivity of our land. Now to return for one moment to the quantity of water which we receive from the heavens. It is rainfall, and an average of thirty inches of rainfall all over the entire length and breadth of the land means a quan- tity equivalent to ten Mississippi Rivers, and that is all we have. Without it, no acre of our land would be habitable. Without it, no industries, of course, could exist, and without that one-sixth of it which is consumed and absorbed in vital processes, the land would be unproductive and stale and not fit to form the home of mankind. The efifective fraction of the water descend- ing from the clouds is not that which flows ofif over the surface during storms ; on the contrary, it is that which seeps into the earth in such fashion as to form ground water. Let us have clearly in mind this idea of ground water as a part of the great resources made up of the total quantity of water. How much ground water have we? Of late, we have been considering the matter with some care, and we estimate that within the first one lum- dred feet of the surface there is an accumula- tion of a body of water, which ought to be permanent, but which is not quite, equivalent to a reservoir sixteen or seventeen feet in depth, spreading over the three million square miles of the surface of our land. That sub- surface reservoir is the value on which we must d-epend for agricultural production, forest maintenance, and for the development and continuation of all our industries. That sub- surface reservoir of ground water, equivalent to a layer of water spreading over all our surface sixteen or seventeen feet in thickness, is the supply upon which we must depend. When you speak of that vast reservoir spreading over our land from the Atlantic to the Pacific and from the lakes on the North to the gulf on the South ; when you think of that as the sole source of supply for agricul- ture and all other activities; when you think of it as the sole source of all our streams, which we are feeding slowly from seepage through the ground in the springs or other- 94 CONSERVATION wise; when you think of this reservoir in its extensive applications, you must realize that it is no less a national and interstate posses- sion than the air itself. It belongs to all of us. It is the common property of the entire Nation, and there are those of us who con- ceive that it must be so administered, and that, proceeding from the navigable streams which we hold should be so improved as to relieve the trafhc congestion of this country, we may deal with every aspect of this quan- tity, this great resource, this resource on which the value of all the rest depends. It is a natural possession. It is the possession of the several States jointly. The States hold an individual interest in this great commodity. The chair then called on Governor Hoggett, of Alaska, for a talk, the Governor responding with a brief ad- dress on the natural resources of that far-away part of Uncle Sam's domain. Governor-elect Stubbs, of Kansas, was next called upon, responding with a talk, the keynote of which was.* "Do something — don't waste further time in talking." He spoke of the necessity — the urgent commercial need — for the de- velopment of an adequate system of waterways and water transportation. He said that the development of a fourteen-foot channel 1,500 or 2,000 miles up the Missouri, and as far up the Mississippi as it could be taken, would result in a reduction of the cost of transporting heavy traffic by fully seventy per cent. "This is the greatest economic prob- lem before the American people to-day. It *is necessary only to apply to it simple, sound business laws," he said. "Do you suppose that if a private or- ganization or corporation was go- ing to build a trans-continental rail- road they would build a mile a year, or five miles a year, for a hundred years? Would they ever get anywhere at that rate ? In the name of Heaven, what does it mean, that the great American Nation, the greatest Nation of the world, should dillydally and play like children with the greatest problem that has ever confronted them in legislative matters ? "I say to you there is no trouble about doing this work. It is not a question of how to do it : it is a question of get- ting the money to do it with. You ask This, Mr. Chairman, is what I wanted to say, merely in the way of getting before you a great subject. I desire to add that Gov- ernor Noel, who is on this platform; Gov- ernor Ansell, Governor Deneen, who will rise shortly afterwards, and Governor Hoggett of Alaska, are among those who have the energy to express the convictions of their respective commonwealths concerning the value of this fundamental resource ; and in addition, I will mention Governor Stubbs of Kansas, for- gotten for the moment only because Kansas is the central State of the Nation, the hub of the entire country. We are hopeful also that the chairman of the connnission, Mr. Burton, will shortly be with us. how shall we do this great work ? I say to you, you can improve the Missis- sippi River throughout its entire nav- igable length, and the Missouri River for 1,500 miles, and all the trib- utaries of these rivers ; you can im- prove your eastern rivers and your western rivers, and you can do it as easily in eight years as you can in eighty years, and get some bene- fit out of the rivers. How will you do it? Issue bonds at two per cent., and then authorize President Taft to go ahead with the work and do it as a great railroad corporation would do it. "What would it cost? Suppose it cost a billion dollars ; that would be the merest bagatelle in comparison with the benefits that would accrue. Sup- pose you invest a billion dollars in the development of this great river sys- tem at two per cent, for fifty years, it would cost $30,000,000 a year to pay ofif the debt. What would this great waterways system pay in the way of return ? The highest authorities say it would yield not less than $300,000,000 a year — ten times the annual cost — and I believe this statement is a conserva- tive one." Mr. Stubbs concluded his remarks with the statement that he fully agreed with Secretary Taft's idea that no bet- ter legacy could be left to the uprising generation that a bond issue for such in- ternal improvements. "Let us," he said, "Leave to our descendants this great project, "at least partially com- pleted If we do that, it will mark this as the greatest epoch in the history of the American people." Hon. Theodore E. Burton Hon, Francis G. Newlands Hon. Jonathan P. Dolliver Thomas R. Shipp Hon. Wm. Warner Hon, G. F. Swain I 'ort of the committee was adopted, and the request was made that delegates present who had prepared papers for reading before the Conference, and who had not been able to present these pa- pers, send them in for incorporation in the final report of the Conference. A paper was read by Edward G. Ache- son, president of the American Electro- chemical Society ; E. E. Wickey, repre- senting the Farmers' National Con- gress, addressed the Conference briefly, and, on motion of Governor Ansell. the Conference, at 5 :3o o'clock, ad- iourned sine die. THE WOMAN'S NATIONAL RIVERS AND HARBORS CONGRESS By LYDIA ADAMS-WILLIAMS, Corresponding Secretary of Woman's National Press Association Vice-president of Woman's National Rivers and Harbors Congress, and Chairman of Waters ways Committee of D. C. Federation of Women's Clubs T HE first biennial meeting of the Woman's Xational Rivers and Harbors Congress was held at the New Willard Hotel, Washington, D C, December 9 10 and 11, 1908. A large attendance, comprising delegates nepresenting over twenty States, the Pacific coast and Hawaii, combined to make the snccess of the congress sur- pass the most sanguine expectations. The membership includes women of Na- tional prominence, writers, lecturers, philanthropists and other well-known club women who have for vears been working not for individual, but for Na- tional welfare — not alone for the pres- ent generation but for posterity. The congress was called to order by the president, Mrs. Hoyle Tomkics, who delivered an able address, in which she said that the greatest authority on waterways in the Ignited States, the Hon. Joseph E. Ransdell, had created a faith in his policy and for that, wom- an is ready to sacrifice her comfort and go to work. ' Through their train- ing in household economics, which lie at the basis of all government, social and political, the women grasped the idea," said Mrs. Tomkies, "and saw in this work for waterways and for- ests the duty of the hour. "It was thus, with earnest purpose and determined efifort, the women organized the W^oman's National Riv- ers and Harbors Congress. We stand for the development of our inland waterways and harbors and for the extension of our forests as one prob- lem." Hon. Joseph E. Ransdell, who has for the third time been elected Presi- 98 dent of the National Rivers and Har- bors Congress, on July 24, wrote Mrs. Tomkies as follows : "I agree with you in the wisdom of linking waterways and forests as one problem. There is the closest con- nection between the two. Ambassador Jusserand said: 'No forests, no riv- ers,' and it is true. * * '■' In my judgment the forestry people will wel- come your assistance as much as the waterways people. Air. Gifl:ord Pin- chot. Chief Forester of the United States, is one of the strongest friends of waterways in the country." The following is an extract from a letter- of Mr. Pinchot to Mrs. Tom- kies : "You are to be congratulated upon your organization of the Woman's Na- tional Rivers and Harbors Congress. I am exceedingly glad you have in- cluded in its platform the preserva- tion of forests. Forest preservation is very closely allied to waterway im- provement ; in fact, the two go hand in hand and are very important parts of the whole movement for the con- -servation of the country's natural re- sources. You have my best wishes for success in the important work you have undertaken." At the meeting in Washington, the constitution of the congress was amended to read as follows : "The objects of this congress shall be the promotion of the improvement of the • meritorious inland waterways and harbors, the preservation of the forests and the conservation of the natural re- sources ; and to secure proper legisla- tion, both National and State, and ade- I WOMAN'S NATIONAL RIVERS AND HARBORS CONGRESS 99 quate appropriation for such pur- poses." Mrs. Tonikies stated that Mrs. Hurd of Bay City, Tex., had contributed $100 toward the objects of the congress. A rising vote of thanks was tendered Mrs. Hurd for her generous donation. The annual dues for membership are for individuals, $1 per annum ; firms, $3 ; for organizations, numicipalities, or corporations, up to 500 members, $3 per annum ; over 500 members, $5. Dues must be sent to the recording secretary, Mrs. A. B. Avery, 254 Stoner avenue, Shreveport, La. A very interesting and well-written paper was read by Mrs. A. F. Knud- sen, of Hawaii, who came 5,000 miles to aid in the work of the woman's congress. Mrs. Knudsen spoke of the importance of Pearl Harbor as a coal- ing and supply station, a half-way point in the vast commerce, which will mark the completion of the Panama canal. She said : "Deep inland water- ways imply trans-oceanic commerce. A deep waterway from the Lakes to the Gulf contemplates an Isthmian canal ; an Isthmian canal contemplates trans- Pacific trade and travel ; and trans-Pacific commerce contemplates a way station ; and hence, as if especially contemplated and placed there by Providence, rests Hawaii, not only the 'Paradise of the Pacific,' but the Gibral- tar of the Pacific as well." Mrs. (ilerard, of South Norwalk. Conn., chairman of the forestry commit- tee of the General Federation of Wom- en's Clubs, told of the splendid laws relating to forestry and State lands in Connecticut, and said forestry enthusi- asm in her State is wide-spread. Mr. Gififord Pinchot addressed the congress and stated that he had had much experience in meeting with wo- men's clubs and addressing them. He said that women are a power in any work which they undertake. "When women organize," said Mr. Pinchot, "they are in earnest ; they have the mat- ter at heart, and they will work for its success." Mr. Pinchot made the point that there should be a campaign of education ; that we should educate the children and through them, the moth- ers ; or, as he further explained, by interesting the children in the schools in the matter of saving what is left of our soils, minerals, waters and for- ests, the mothers, and fathers, too, will take up the work. Mr. Pinchot mod- estly gave all the credit for the con- servation of resources to President Roosevelt. At the conclusion of Mr. Pinchot's remarks, a member rose and read an extract from the President's address before the National Editorial Association, at Jamestown, June 10, 1907, in which he said: "In all four movements my chief advisor, and the man first to suggest to me the courses which have actually proved so bene- ficial, was Mr. Gififord Pinchot, the Chief of the National Forest Service." In line with Mr. Pinchot's remarks, the congress voted to appoint two com- mittees, one on education, of which Mrs. P. S. Peterson, of the Peterson Nursery, Chicago, will be the chair- man ; and a committee on publicity^ of which Mrs. Lydia Adams-Williams was elected chairman. Mr. F. H. Newell, chief of the Re- clamation Service, gave an interest- ing and instructive address before the congress, in which he eulogized the l)art women are taking in National welfare work, and spoke of the need of their taking up the work on a large scale and the good that might be ac- complished through them. Mr. Newell showed the inseparable relation be- tween forests and streams and the reclamation of the arid lands. He traced the forestry movement from its inception, about twenty years ago, at a meeting with a handful of people — "mostly women, who loved trees," said Mr. Newell — to its present great proportions ; from a small bureau of about thirty to now nearly 3,000 work- ers ; from an annual appropriation of $30,000 to now over $3,000,000; from 1892, when the first forest reserve, of about 50,000 acres, was created, to the present, with 155 National forests, embracing over 160,000,000 acres. Mr. Newell told of the great strides made loo CONSERVATION ill the reclamation work and gave much credit to the earnest hard-working men who have made possible this great prog- ress in both movements; "and," said Mr. Newell, "when I say men, of course. I mean women also." The work that women may do to- ward the sanitary purification of streams, and, as a secondarv consid- eration. the beautification, by tree- planting, of the banks of rivers and streams, was spoken of by Mrs. Lovell White, of California. Mrs. White has for many years been inter- ested in philanthropic work and is State chairman of forestry for Cali- fornia. She has the distinction of being the Governor's appointee to the Gov- ernors' conference with the National conservation commission. Mrs. White made an address in which she told the story of the Calaveras Grove of Big Trees of California, the oldest living things on the face of the earth and which are in danger of destruction through private greed. She spoke of the diffi- culties encountered in the efforts to pass the bill for their preservation, now pending before Congress. Mrs. White also spoke of the need of better fire protection for our forests and told of the burning this summer of the "Mother of the Forest," one of the largest and most stately of the Calav- eras trees. Fire menaced the entire grove, and, although heroic efforts were made to save the beautiful tree, the fire at last caught in the topmost branches and slowly ate its way down to the heart of the tree, leaving the "Mother of the Forest" dead, charred and blackened. Governor Freer, of Hawaii, who was in attendance at the joint conser- vati;)n conference, gave much encour- agement to the women who are leading the great work for conservation of all resources. Governor Freer said "The importance of forestry has for many years been clearly recognized in Hawaii. Because of the peculiar con- ditions of climate and topography in these islands, irrigation is a necessity over a large part of the area under cultivation. The necessitv of forest protection is generally recognized in Hawaii. In 1903 the legislature of Hawaii provided for the creation of territorial forest reserves and a Division of Forestry. Since 1904, sixteen for- est reserves have been set apart. The reserves are created as protective for- ests on the water-sheds of streams that are needed for irrigation, power de- velopment or domestic supply. Exten- sive tree planting for construction timber has been going on in Hawaii for the last thirty years. The trees planted are eucalyptus, Australian ironwood, silk oak and the Japanese cedar." Miss Janet Richards, widely known for her current topics talks and lec- tures, ably represented Mrs. William Cunimings Story, vice-president for the State of New York. Mrs. J. F. Allison, of Cincinnati. State vice-president for Ohio, and wife of J. F. Ellison, secretary of the National Rivers and Harbors Congress, was chairman of the revision committee and gave the congress invaluable as- sistance in arranging for the conven- tion. Missouri was very ably represented at the congress by Mrs E. C. Ellis. Massachusett and the forestry inter- ests of that State were represented by Mrs. Emmons Crocker, who is a fluent speaker and a ready parliamentarian. Mrs. Lydia Adams-Williams ad- dressed the congress, and made a plea for the conservation of all natural re- sources. The corresponding secretary, Mrs. Frances Shuttle worth, gave an inter- esting report of the work she had done and proved herself one of the earnes:, competent, and efficient workers. At the joint session of the National Rivers and Harbors Congress and the Woman's National Rivers and Har- bors Congress, Mrs. Hoyle Tomkies. president of the latter, outlined the objects of the Woman's Congress and told of its organization June 29, 1908, and its growth in five months from seven n^embers to a strength of over 1,500. "We endorse the bill of the Na- tional Rivers and Harbors Congress WOMAN'S NATIONAL RIVERS AND HARBORS CONGRESS loi asking for an annual appropriation of $50,000,000 for the improvement of the Nation's waterways," concluded Mrs. Tomkies, "and I say to you, unin- structed, that I believe that if the Woman's National Rivers and Harbors Congress had one-twentieth the ap- propriation for its work that the Na- tional Rivers and Harbors Congress has, we would create such a demand for your bill that our National legis- lators could respond only as the gen- tleman from Colorado responded to solicitations from the women of his State in regard to the Pure Food Bill, when he wired Mrs. Decker, president of the General Federation of Woman's Clubs, 'Call off your women. I'll vote for your bill.' " At the conclusion of Mrs. Tomkies' talk, Mr. Fox, of Arkansas, moved that $500 be appropriated from the treasury of the National Rivers and Harbors Congress to the Woman's National Rivers and Harbors Con- gress to further the work. This motion was enthusiastically and unanimously adopted. The resolutions as presented by Mrs Mary M. North, chairman, em- bodied the interest of the congress in conservation, and expressed apprecia- tion of the courtesies of the press and the people of Washington. Thanks were extended to the various speakers, including Rev. Wallace Radcliffe and Col. John L. Vance, of Columbus, Ohio, president of the Ohio Valley Improvement Association. The following officers were elected to serve for the ensuing two years: President, Mrs. Hoyle Tomkies, 980 Jordan street, Shreveport, La. ; Hon- orary Vice-president Mrs. L. C. Al- len; Vice-president, Mrs. Lydia Adams-Williams, Washington, D. C. ; Recording Secretary. Mrs. A. B. Av- ■ery, 254 Stoner avenue, Shreveport. La. ; Corresponding Secretary,, Mrs. ' Frances Shuttleworth, 621 Cotton street, Shreveport, La. ; Treasurer, Mrs. Susie McKellop. Muskogee, Okla. ; Auditor, Mrs. John Lathrop Mathews, No. 9 Beacon street, care Boston City Club, Boston, Mass. The following were elected State Vice-presidents : Alabama, Mrs. O. C. Wiley, Troy; California, Mrs. Lovell White, San Francisco; Connecticut, Mrs. Edward A. 'Houseman, Danbury ; Delaware, Mrs. Charles N. Jolls ; Florida, Mrs. T. M. Shackleford, Tallahassee ; Hawaii, Mrs A. F. Knudsen, Kekaha ; Illinois, Mrs. La Verne Noyes, 130 Lake Shore Drive, Chicago ; Indiana. Mrs. N. L. Agnew, Valparaiso ; Iowa, Mrs. J. L. Kennedy ; Louisiana. Mrs. W. A. Wilkinson. Coushatta ;• Maryland, Mrs. Mary M. r^{orth. Snow Hill; Massa- chusetts, Mrs. Emmons Crocker, 48 Mechanic Street, Fitchburg; Missouri, Mrs. E. C. Ellis, 2456 Tracy Avenue, Kansas City ; Montana, Mrs. David G. Btown ; Nevada, Mrs. J. K. Logan. Reno, Nevada; North Carolina, Mrs. E. J. Hale ; New York. Mrs. Cummings Story, 307 W. Ninetieth Street, New York Citv ; Oregon. Mrs. Cleveland Rockwell;' Ohio, Mrs. J. F. Elhsori, Cincinnati ; Virginia, Mrs. Henry N. Castle, Norfolk ; Texas. Mrs. Louella S. Vincent ; West Virginia, Mrs. James A. Hughes ; Idaho, Mrs. E. C. Atwood. Hailey. Idaho; District of Columbia. Mrs J. Eakin Gadsby. Washington, D. C. ; Kansas, Mrs. Isabell Worrell Ball. 1519 Thirteenth Street, Washington, D. C. ; Pennsylvania, Mrs. T. M. Rees. 226 N. Negley Avenue. Pittsburg; Vermont. Mrs. Genette Valentine, Bennington ; Tennessee, Mrs. Benton McMillin, 125 Seventh Avenue, N.. Nashville; Oklahoma, Mrs. Lilah D. Lindsay, Tulsa; South Carolina, Mrs. Mollie J. Perry. Box 217, Lancaster. THE APPALACHIAN^ WHITE MOUNTAIN HEARING THE public hearing on Senate bill 4825, which was passed by the Senate toward the close of the last session of Congress, was granted by the House Committee on Agriculture on December 9th, at which time before a C|Uorum of the Committee, Chairman Scott presiding, there appeared in advo- cacy of the measure a large delegation from New England and the South, unit- ing in an earnest and forceful presenta- tion of the merits of the project and the urgency of prompt action thereon. The delegation was headed by Gov- ernor Guild of Massachusetts as the distinguished chairman (the Governor coming to Washington solely for this purpose), and was made up of states- men scientists, engineers, representa- tives of National organizations, com- mercial bodies, etc.. representing the National demand that the establishment of this forest area was essential to the welfare of .the Nation and that further delay was unnecessary and deplorable to the la.st degree. Chairman Scott, who had recently returned from a week's visit to the Southern Applachians called the Com- mittee to order at 10:30 and briefly out- lined the points he desired covered. The principal one being the relation of the forests to "regulation of stream flow of navigable rivers," his state- ment being that the opinion given by the House Judiciary Committee last winter had confined the constitutional bounds of purchase of forest lands by the Government to such areas as could be "clearly shown" to l)c of aid to navi- gation. A number of resolutions from cham- bers of commerce and similar bodies — a i)articularly strong one passed the pre- vious day by the Southern Commercial Congress — voicing some sixty organiza- 102 tions in fifteen States, were then pre- sented. Governor Guild then opening with a lucid, clean-cut and patriotic pre- sentation of the matter, saying that the delay had already menaced the Nation from many standpoints ; that the public health was involved ; that the forests were rapidly disappearing ; that water supply, water power and navigation were seriously afifected in both sections. He urged immediate action by the Committee as a patriotic duty, closing with a beautiful allusion to the fact that the advocates of the measure were ap- pearing under the same flag as that first flown by the Continental troops when Washington took command, the flag first flown by the American Navy was a white flag bearing on its field a pine tree ! The venerable and beloved Edward Everett Hale, chaplain of the Senate, spoke feelingly of the forests of the White Mountains now and their con- tra.st with conditions when as a boy he had helped to survey them, and able and forceful addresses were made by ex-Governor Pardee of California, Hon. D. A. Tompkins, of Charlotte, N. C, president of Appalachian National Eorest Association, Representative Cur- rier, and others. The "Stream Regulation" side was well presented by Dr. C. E. Van Hise of the University of Wisconsin, Prof, (ieorge F. Swain of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Mr. W. S. Lee of the Southern Power Co., and Mr. C. C. Goodrich, and other phases taken up in some detail by earnest and well informed men. the Committee ad- journing at 4 : 30. after agreeing to incorporate the matter presented in the ])revious hearings as a ])art of the day's proceedings. THE APPALACHIAN-WHITE MOUNTAIN HEARING 103 It IS doubtful whether the hearing on December 9th has given them any new insight, or has presented any strictly new phases of a subject that has been so strongly and so forcibly presented many times before, on which a patri- otic committee may base remedial ac- tion, though rarely has the matter been more earnestly presented and the real need and the real sentiment of the peo- ple so clearly shown. The Committee on Agriculture was seemingly much impressed with the tes- timony presented and with the earnest- ness and disinterestedness of the peti- tioners— who were there as Mr. Tomp- kins well said, "not in advocacy of any particular measure or methods, but were there to urge that a start should be made towards doing a thing that was a national duty — that ultimately the Nation had to perform, in justice to itself for its own protection." That meant "if the Brandegee bill was the right one, and the proper plan, it should be reported by the committee — if a bet- ter bill could be framed by the commit- tee, let the committee frame it Action of some kind was imperative along the broadest possible lines that would in time make possible the preservation of all forest areas that may be "consti- tutionally" established either under the commerce clause as atTecting "naviga- tion" or the "general welfare" clause as affecting the Nation's life, whether they be in the Southern Appalachian or New England or in Kansas, under a definite and systematic and progressive National forest policy ! Surely there must be a beginning of National sanity in this re- gard, and this beginning should be made at the most critical point — where the most damage is involved — and this area seems to be the Southern Appa- lachian and White Mountains beyond a question of doubt. The Nation is rapidly grasping the underlying principles of the "Conserva- tion idea," and the sound, common sense that is its foundation ; there is rapidly growing in the mind and conscience of the Nation the belief that conservation of the natural resources is a duty owed to ourselves and to posterity, that the Nation and the State, and the individual cannot evade. As the keystone of the conservation movement lies the forest question and the reason is perfectly obvious to all who give the matter thought so that the demand for immediate action on the Appalachian-White Mountain Eorest Reserve, as the fi^rst thing to be done, voiced so splendidly by President Roose- velt in his Belasco Theater address, and confirmed by the National Conserva- tion Commission in its report, is based on the realization of its fundamental im- portance to, and its intimate connection with, the co-related matters covered in the conservation idea. That forest pres- ervation is one of the largest economic questions faced by the Nation, and that their perpetuation must ultimately be undertaken by the Nation admits of no question. It ought not to be difficult for a com- mittee composed of thoughtful and patriotic men, as is this committee, tO' grasp the real situation and to suggest, not a makeshift, but an effective remedy that can be at once applied. Our own experience with the Na- tional Forests in the West points to the only effective way — a prompt purchase of all the area possible to acquire in both regions, their eft'ective management and use under restriction of the Forest Serv- ice as a start towards a forest policy that will lead the States and individuals into a hearty and effective cooperation with the Federal Government, and ulti- mately make possible their complete preservation. It ought not to be difficult for the Ag- ricultural Committee to see that dollars spent now will mean the saving of hundreds required later for systematic reforestation, such as France is doing as an absolutely necessary step in saving the nation from disaster. It ought not to be difficult for the Agricultural Com- mittee to see the real profitableness of scientific forestry as a National invest- I04 CONSERVATION ment from its financial side alone, to say nothing of the blessings that unques- tionably would come to the whole peo- ple from forest preservation. It ought to be easy for the Com- mittee to see that the Nation is demand- ing this legislation in no uncertain way and that in the long run it will finally get it. We believe that the committee will act. and that we shall soon see our fight for the forests, won ! FROM SEASHORE TO SANDHILLS By HELEN MAR D'ANBY FROM fierce wild wind, that pierces, And howls in wrath and might, To soft, sweet breezes crooning Like voices of the night From gleam of white-sailed commerce O'er blue waves passing by, To glittering pine-tops, tossing, Sun lighted 'gainst the sky For roar of rocky cavern. And moan of surf-worn sea, The soft sweet silence of the fields, With mocking birds aglee. For cradle lined with shell tints. Where infant day is born. All dimpled, from his ocean bed, A radiant fresh made morn. For the wide blue, that stretches ("Like to God's patient love,) To meet the deep on deep of blue, That bends serene above ; The sweet encircling fragrance Of forest, hill, and mead. The tender whisper of the leaf. The drop of nut or seed The half grown kisses of the sun, Through pine tops o'er the hill, Aglint with shadows, where the stream Is playing with the mill ; Ah ! who so bold and blind, to breathe A prayer for purer bliss. In other, far off, mystic worlds. Than may be had in this? For silver sea gull, poising, With breast and wing of snow, The black, majestic buzzard, Alert-eyed, circling low ; Fo-r lessening fisher dory Afar o'er tossing brine. The lakelet boat, with mirrored oars Adripping, and ashine. Who hopes for brighter heaven. Than in this world below. Has never caught its meaning. Has never learned to know The violet from the cowslip. Has never learned to read The lesson of the brookside fern. Or of tlie wavside weed. All nature sings its anthem, A love song, soft and clear, And he who will but listen. Shall surely know and hear; Each pebble has its secret. Each grain of sand its lore, Each pine-engirdled hill slope Has kinship with the shore. EDITORIAL The Magazine's Owners WHO are the owners of this maga- zine? That is a question easily answered — the members of The Amer- ican Forestry Association. They are the ones who, absokitely and without question, own the magazine. Of the whole body of owners, however, only a portion exercise the right that is theirs — the right to make suggestions and the right to see that these suggestions are carried to execution. In the case of any publication it is the same ; the editor, or those in charge of the pro- duction of the publication, can only know the wishes of the owners when those wishes find expression. If a cer- tain portion of the readers of a publica- tion take the trouble to write to the editor, telling of their appreciation and approval, while another portion fails to say anything whatever, either in ap- proval or disapproval, it is fair for the editor to conclude that he is, at least in great measure, producing the sort of publication his readers wish — there is nothing else for him to conclude, as there is no other ground upon which to base conclusions than the expres- sions received from readers in the edi- torial correspondence. ^ ^ ^ Members Should Help IT IS the duty of every member of The American Forestry Association to take an active interest in the affairs of the Association and in the conduct of the magazine. Members should bear in mind the fact that it is not for the fees they pay that they are valuable to the Association and to the conservation movement generally. The membership fees are the very smallest part of the value of a connection with the Associa- tion ; it is the active, helpful coopera- tion of interested members that makes the Association a power, and that en- ables it to do whatever of good it does and has done. No organization can be truly influential or really worthy of continued confidence if its membership is not actively interested in the objects for which it stands — interested to the point of taking an active part in shap- ing its policy, suggesting improvements in its methods, and working earnestly for its success. Will all our members take this to heart, and will they act on the suggestions contained herein ? i^ ^ )fe' The President's Message ' I 'HE special message of President ■*■ Roosevelt, embodying the report of the National Conservation Commis- sion, has been sent to Congress, and the country knows the approximate con- dition of our natural resources — knows the wasteful extravagance, the criminal carelessness, that has characterized our exploitation of timber, mineral, water and land resources. The meat of this message was given in the report of the Joint Conservation Conference, printed in the January issue of Conservation; the report of the Section of Waters, crowded out of our January issue, be- ing published in this number of the magazine. These reports, and the message of the President, based upon them, constitute the gravest indictment that has ever been returned against a civilized people. We have ravaged our forests as a horde of devastating sav- ages never would have done ; we have given away, and have permitted to be stolen, hundreds of thousands of acres of forest lands that have now passed forever beyond the control of the Gov- ernment, away from the public, and lOO CONSERVATION into private ownership. We have wasted, like a royal profligate, the re- sources of mines that a few short years ago were considered inexhaustible, un- til we are now within sight of the end of our coal resources, oair iron re- sources, and other mineral wealth upon which the abiding prosperity of a man- ufacturing nation must primarily rest. We have allowed our waterways to go to ruin : we have neglected the most magnificent river system that ever blessed any nation ; we have given no heed to the wasting water-powers of the land, sufiicient in number and volume to turn every wheel, operate every mill and factory, and drive every train and vessel within the confines of the Nation, with power to spare. We have per- mitted our soils to wash, unchecked, into the rivers and thence into the ocean : and we are now face to face with the consequences of our criminal negli- gence. We are now face to face with the conditions that confront France ; we are face to face with the conditions that have made of the greater part of China a howling waste; we are face to face with the conditions that inevitably confront the nation that does not take heed for the morrow — that morrow that comes sooner or later to the sons of men who waste and ravage and destroy with criminal heedlessness the slowly replaced, or the unreplaceable, re- sources of nature. «? ^ What Are Wc Going to Do About It? AND now, what are we going to do about it? We know now the con- dition of our natural resources. For years men of science have been preach- ing the gospel of conservation, have been shouting from the housetops the story of our awful wastefulness. For years the warning has been given ; given to ears that heeded not, to eyes that saw not, and to men who believed not. "Empty theorizing," people called it. But now it is "a condition, not a theory, that confronts us." It will not do to throw aside the statements and the fig- ures that show to w'hat extent our re- sources have been wiped out. Simple contradiction will not do ; it has done for years, but its day is past, and the enemies of resource conservation will have now to resort to other means. The question is up to the people of this great country; it is for them to say what shall be done. ^ ^ ^ Keep What We Have OUR timberlands are mostly gone, save those that are still owned by the several States and the general gov- ernment, in the National Forests. Our luineral lands — our resources of coal and iron — have passed from public to private ownership, and are beyond con- trol. But we have still a resource the value, which must be kept within the control of the people. Let us keep these, and we will have done well, even if our other resources have been wasted. But there is work to do — work for every thinking, patriotic man and wom- an of America. This one remaining national asset will have slipped out of our grasp if we fail to guard our birth- right. Ask the Forest Service, and the Reclamation Service, and the Depart- ment of the Interior, as to the activities of certain of the great corporations. Ask the heads of these departments what is the gravest problem now confronting them; they will tell you, "The problem of how to keep certain corporations from grasping the water-powers of the country." As recently as last autumn one single power-producing corporation was under indictment, on nearly fifty counts, in the State of California alone, for fraudulent entry of water-power sites. At this present time over 200 cases are being investigated in which wealthy corporations are known to have resorted to fraud in securing water- power sites, the value of which is in- calculable Not only are these corpor- ations active in the West ; the East, as well, is the scene of their resourceful activity. The entire resources of the o ^ ^ o Oi 'U H < a z < z o < o oi a. e o O s Q io8 CONSERVATION National Government are inadequate to checkmake them ; the help of every public-spirited citizen is needed if we are to keep what we have. Eternal Vigilance CORPORATIONS do not die; v_> neither do they neglect any oppor- tunities. The resources of the Govern- ment, kept by designing politicians to the lowest possible figure, are often in- sufficient to uncover and to secure proofs of corporate villainies. There- fore it behooves all who love their country, and who have a real interest in that country's future, to be equally vigilant. "Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty ;" and eternal vigilance is the price of freedom from corporation ownership of our sole remaining natu- ral resource that is of real and abiding value. We must work for reforesta- tion wherever it is needed — and where does the need not exist? — we must work for the conservation, by rational development and exploitation, of our forests and our mines ; we must prevent the terrible waste and loss of produc- tiveness of our farming lands, due to soil erosion ; but we must also, with sleepless and never-ceasing vigilance, guard from the hand of the pillager the waterways and the water-powers of the country. The day will come when our coal will be gone, when the mines will be emptied and when fuel for power- production and for the generation of heat and light will be practically at an end. On that day the people of this country will turn to the water-powers for salvation. If we, the people of to- day, do not take steps, do not do all within the power of mortals, to safe- guard those water-powers we and our children and our children's children will sufTer for our criminal neglect and blind fatuitv. Two Striking Comments BELOW we reprint two editorials,, clipped from recent issues of two metropolitan daily newspapers. The editorials are printed just as they ap- peared, with their original headings ;. they show with what unanimity the really strong newspapers agree on the subject of natural resource conserva- tion. The first is from the Washington Post, the second from the JVashington Herald. ^ ^ iH A Nation's Prodigal Waste IF THE National Conservation Com- mission were to dissolve to-day,. without doing anything more, it would still deserve the gratitude of every thinking man in the United States for drawing up the indictment of the whole people for the crime of waste. The report forwarded to Congress by the President is commanding in its warning to the country. The figures presented are of astounding propor- tions. Evidently, the United States is a Colossus in profligate waste, as it is in other respects. But there is an end to every excess, and no fortufie is so great that a spendthrift cannot squan- der it. With a useless waste of $1,000,000 a day in mineral products, $1,000,000, a day in preventable fires, $2,000,000 a day through the ravages of insects, $1,- 500,000 a day in soil erosion, and other waste and losses running into mil- lions a day through plant disease, forest fires, floods, animal depredations, soil deterioration, etc., etc., it is possible to understand why the United States, the richest land under the sun, with the most enterprising and energetic peo- ple, finds itself facing the exhaustion of many of its resources while still in its youth. It is living upon its cajMtal. "Neither the increase in acreage nor the yield per acre has kept pace with our increase in population," says the Com- mission. This statement, taken in con- FLOOD PREVENTION WORK Sand Bags Used to Protect Weak Spots in Levees Built to Protect Low Farming Lands in the South iiection with the fact that the exhaus- tion of the iron supply may be wit- nessed by children now living, is noth- ing else than a formal notice that the people of this country must learn thrift or suffer the prodigal's fate. Ten acres constitute a farm in some parts of California, keeping a man busy and yielding more profit than i6o acres in the Middle West. Two acres in France are made to yield more than fifty in this country. The forests of Germany are not only made self-renew- ing, but are a source of profit. The soil of England is undergoing a process of refertilization that will make it more productive than virgin American acres. Japan leads off with a thrift in fisheries and forestry that is a lesson to the world. But the United States, in the forefront of civilization in other re- spects, riots through its ])atrimony like a drunkard and a wastrel. The President's message, commenting upon the report of the Conservation Commission is the essence of stateman- ship. It is in the line of state build- ing, of planning for the future. His words are in the nature of a farewell message to the people, and they convey a warning that cannot be ignored. The people as a whole must shorten sail. The carnival of extravagance must come to an end. «? «« «r' The Conservation Commission CONSERVATION of natural re- sources by the conscious and con- certed action of national and State authorities, probably the most brilliant piece of constructive statesmanship in- itiated by the Roosevelt administration, is knocking at the doors of Congress 109 no CONSERVATION for ofificial recognition. The President asks that the Conservation Commission be legahzed, and that a fund be pro- vided for its maintenance and the con- tinuance of its work, hitherto conduct- ed at private expense. The sum needed is $50,000, less than one-tenth the amount added to the national expendi- ture by the private pension bills enacted at the first session of this Congress as a perquisite of membership in either House. Let the thoughtful citizen judge whether the Roosevelt policy of conservation is less worthy of consid- eration and of a moderate tax on the public Treasury than the Congression- al policy of grinding out private pen- sion bills to help out the folks in "my district." The one is a national policy and the other parochial, and the differ- ence between the two illustrates the dia- metrically opposite angles of the Ex- ecutive and the Congressional view- points. In his message of transmittal, Mr. Roosevelt refers to the Conservation Commission's report as "in a peculiar sense representative of the whole Nation and all its parts." If this is true, will it not be singular if Congress, supposed to be similarly representative of the whole Nation and all its parts should be unresponsive to the eloquent appeal of the Chief Executive in behalf of a fun- damental task upon which he believes the Nation should at once enter, and enter with the guidance and assistance of the commission that has formulated in detail the policy of conservation? In no way, as the President says, will the appropriation of so small a sum prove of such benefit to the Nation as by its employment in elaborating means for the development and preservation of our material resources in mine and for- est, in soil and waterways. And no act would be more creditable to this expir- ing Congress than that of giving form and permanence to the policy of nation- al conservation of those material ele- ments which are the foundation of national greatness. HOPE FOR FORESTRY LEGISLATION IT IS with extreme gratification that Conservation is able to present to its readers the hopeful outlook for legislation at this session of Congress on the important forest reserve measure looking toward the establishment of na- tional forests on the watersheds of navigable rivers. The Weeks bill — a substitute for the Brandegee bill passed by the Senate at the la.st session, amended and materially strengthened into what is the best measure yet presented — has been re- ported out of the House Committee on Agriculture by a vote of 11 to 6, and is now on the calendar of the House for debate and action. This bill provides for protection from forest fires ; for the appointment of a strong Forestry Commission ; for the acquisition by purchase of forest areas at the head of navigable streams, where this Commission finds them necessary ; it utilizes the receipts of the Forest Service therefor to the extent of $1,000,000 during the fiscal year begin- ning July I, 1909, and $2,000,000 yearly thereafter for nine years. It is an excellent measure, framed on broad and correct principles, meriting and receiving our strong endorsement. It seems to meet the approval of the Speaker of the House, and in the opinion of its advocates, will, if other important legislation will permit, be considered by the House within the next ten days, and be finally passed and enacted into law at this session. IN A GEORGIA FOREST Flood Conditions, Due to Deforestation at Stream Sources. The Establishment of the Southern Appalachian National Forest Will Largely Prevent These Conditions COMMUNICATIONS The Blight on Chestnut Trees Editor Conservation : The article in the November number of Conservation on "The BHght on Chestnut Trees," by Prof. John Mickle- borough, impels me to ofifer a sugges- tion for those who seek a remedy. I judge from the article that all ef- forts thus far have been toward the destruction of the so-called enemy, the fungi which encircles the branch under the bark, cutting off the circulation and causing the. branch to wither and die. Professor Mickleborough says, "It finds lodgment where the bark is abraded." I have examined the photo- graphs illustrating the article, but am unable to discover any young chestnut trees. It occurs to me that a young tree of vigorous growth might be im- mune, and that the real trouble precedes the fungi referred to. This I know to be the case with the cottony scale on soft maples. Treat them as a gardener does a pot-bound plant in a greenhouse — shift to a larger pot with fresh soil. The plant immediately turns from yel- low to green and the insects disappear. With the tree, dig up well, mulch and cover the surface with shrubbery to maintain its aeration and absorb the rainfall, holding dead leaves, etc., and the tree becomes immune. This scale appears to feed on the return sap which is coagulated and deficient in conse- (luence of insufficient assimilation of the necessary elements. Chestnut trees in Wisconsin, sur- rounded by "civilization," go all to pieces after they attain a large size ; every wind storm tears off a piece, ex- posing decay. The bark is invariably broken, apparently by winter freezing. Were the fungi to take possession and finish the job in short order, it would get the blame. However, I am inclined to think that all troubles which at first 112 sight appear to be caused by some in- sect or vegetable growth, are due to some deterioration from causes unno- ticed, which produce conditions pecu- liarly adapted to the growths of which we complain. They are in the nature of scavengers. The tree outgrows the capacity of its environment to sustain in normal condition ; then nature imme- diately starts pulling it to pieces to construct something in its place. The faster or most rank growing trees usu- ally come to grief first, particularly if they be smooth barked. If Professor Mickelborough finds young chestnut trees in fresh soil escap- ing the trouble he mav be sure that proper cultivation of the tree will cause the fungi to disappear. When people ask me how to keep dandelions out of their lawn, I say "cultivate grass ;" then I prove to them that they pay and pray for grass only, but everything they do to the lawn favors the dandelion. Just as soon as the chestnut tree's character- istics go ungratified, so-called disease will surely set in, one variety after an- other, until the tree finally disappears. I believe energy spent in fighting is waste ; the way to overcome the evil is to cultivate the good. The environ- ment which maintains the desirable will always .starve the undesirable. C. B. WlIITNAr.L. J^' «r' «? More About the Blight Editor Conservation : Reading in your current November number the article on "The Blight on Chestnut Trees," in which is reaffirmed the failure to discover a remedy for that blight, I believe you may be inter- ested in what seems to have been a successful remedial course of treatment of a "blighted" small, scattered chest- COMMUNICATIONS "3. nut grove near Charlottesville. V^a. It was applied about four years ago, just after the excessively rainy spell that summer. The treatment consisted : first, in baring some of the roots of the trees ; second, in spraying the foliage with what I believe was "Bordeaux Mixture;" and, third, ih heavy doses of calomel, deposited in auger holes bored tlirough the bark into the boles for sev- eral inches. Last summer I observed that some of the trees had died ; some were suspi- ciously "stag sappino-," and some were thrifty. If the slap-dash treatment mentioned was helpful it probably was through the mercury used. The treat- ment was resorted to after the Agricul- tural Department of the United States had stated to me their lack of remedial knowledge in the case. DeCourcy W. Thom. Baltimore, Md. «r' Jfe' )^ Cats and Birds Editor Conservation : In an article written for the maga- zine. Conservation, on the subject of birds, their many enemies, and the great importance of their conservation as in- sect destroyers, cats were mentioned as being among their most active enemies. This may be true in some instances, but if not "cats,'" how soon would the rodents multiply and make the life of the birds intolerable by their maraud- ing instincts? One person who loves the birds, who has had bird houses built for them among the trees of the orchard and lawn and who takes pains to scatter crumbs in convenient places, has no fear of losing her pets by the devour- ing instincts of the cat. When the winter months are over and gone, this bird lover immediately makes provision for these feline mem- bers of the household, keeping them in partial durance while the nesting sea- son is in progress. At first it was rather difiicult, for there is no creature less willing to be restrained than the cat, and yet she submits to the inevitable with a good grace if she knows that the restraint is not to be continuous. From the laundry-room of the old- fashioned house, which had several sunny but low windows, the cats, two in number, had been in the habit of leaving their dormitory for the garden in the morning hours by means of one of these windows which was left open for their convenience. One morning, however, they found that the space about the window was covered with wire, and a runway leading from this along the foundation of the house for about ten feet was also covered, but in this space was a carpet of leaves and straw. At first there was the usual be- moaning of their fate and vigorous efiforts made to be released, but the household was deaf to their entreaties until a certain time in the day when they could be watched in their garden gam- bols and scolded if they even looked at a bird with longing eyes. It was but a little while before they grew perfectly contented with the arrangement of the sun-parlor, often lying asleep in one another's arms in their contentment, while the birds built their nests all about the garden and sang in the trees without the slightest molestation. These well-disciplined cats even seemed to seek this sun-parlor after awhile as a place of safety. Here they could sleep unmolested and not with one eye open to watch for dogs or bad boys, and all the birds seemed to know that here was a veritable bird paradise, where no enemy would be allowed to interfere with their enjoyment. Jeanie Oliver Smith. Johnstown, N. Y. THE DESTRUCTION OF AMERICAN FORESTS By RICHARD H, DOUAI BOERKER IN TWENTY-FIVE years the tim- ber of the United States, on Gov- ernment reserves and private holdings, at the present rate of cutting, will be exhausted. It is utterly be- yond the possibility of the Forest Serv- ice to meet the situation and prevent trouble. One hope entertained is the Appalachian Forest." This is the start- ling statement recently made by our Chief Forester, Mr. Gifford Pinchot, and it strikes the key-note of the de- plorable condition of affairs now exist- ing in this country. It is a situation, that, if not met soon, will cause un- heard-of desolation and misery. France some years ago experienced a timber famine, and to-day she is spending $34 an acre to reforest her watersheds. The same neglect is costing Italy $20 an acre. Why can't we profit by the mis- takes of other nations, and meet the situation at once? Unfortunately, the majority of people in our country can- not reconcile themselves to the fact that, if this destruction continues, they will be the ones to suffer. Let us an- alyze the situation more closely. We lay the destruction of our for- ests to two general causes : first, to the irrational policy now in vogue for the conservation and use of our timber sup- j)lies, and, second, to the wasteful lumbering methods which are used througliout the country, and the poor protection given the forests against fires, insects, and animals. Under the irrational policy now in use we find two taxes that may be called the greatest enemies of our for- ests. The one is the tax on standing timber, which compels the holder of timber land to level his woodlands or lose on his investment. This system of 114 taxation taxes the timber as though it were a series of crops, whereas, it is really but one crop. The other tax which is helping to destroy our forests is the export tariff on wood pulp. This tax encourages the American dealer to send his wood for pulp to the European market and there sell it, often at a greater profit than he could in America. Thus we see that, in helping nations who are in a worse predicament than we, we are hastening our own ultimate shortage. While these taxes doubtless cause the greater part of the slaughter, still, the failure to use economic and con- servative methods in dealing with the forests results in the waste of enormous quantities of valuable timber. Let us see what some of these wasteful meth- ods are. When cutting timber, usually every available tree is used, regardless of its age, instead of cutting only the older ones and leaving the young ones to mature. In trimming the branches from the logs, the brush is allowed to remain wherever it happens to be thrown, instead of being piled up and burned, to make room for the young seedlings to grow. A great deal of waste results in cutting the tree too far from the ground. The stumps, when- ever it is convenient, should be as short as possible Often large logs fall in disadvantageous positions, and since it is no loss to the party cutting the tim- ber (he paying so much per thousand feet drawn out) it is left to rot. By far the greatest portion of the wooded area of this country is without protection from fires, insects and animals. In the Government reserves, where such pro- tection is given much attention, we find that only one one-thousandth of THE DESTRUCTION OF AMERICAN FORESTS 115 one per cent, of the reserves were de- vastated by fires last year, causing the small loss of $76,000. Comparing with this the millions of dollars worth of timber consumed annually by fires in private holdings, one gets an idea of what conservative methods mean. It is very evident, then, that as long as we do not apply the principles of for- estry in preserving and using our woodlands, we cannot hope to stave off that inevitable famine which will leave desolation and misery in its wake. The result of this pernicious cutting of our forests is only too apparent. A timber famine is at our very door. Floods, caused by denuding mountain- sides of their forests, are causing enor- mous loss of life and property. Tur- bulent streams carry with them gravel and silt and deposit them in harbor and river channels, seriously menacing navigation. Rivers rise to from fifteen to twenty feet above normal height in the spring, but are only chains of stag- nant pools in summer. This inequal flow seriously affects the factories and mills along these rivers, because such establishments depend upon a regular flow of water. Water used for domes- tic purposes becomes polluted and in- sufficient. Our far-famed mountain regions are being deprived of their glory and grandeur ; soon their beauty and recreative influences will be en- tirely destroyed. Where does this de- struction end? In what part of the country do we not notice its results? Let us now, by taking a familiar ex- emple, get a more definite picture of the situation. Let us consider pres- ent conditions in the East. The con- ditions here doubtless form a more striking picture than those in any other part of the country. It is here that the need for reform is felt the most. Seven-eighths of our population live here, and hence about seven-eighths of the commerce and industry of the coun- try is carried on here. Here, too, are situated the forests which, it is hoped, will some day supply the entire country with certain kinds of wood. Practi- cally all the wood-pulp used for the manufacture of our newspapers is made from the wood of these forests. The East has, also, the only hard-wood forests in the country. Can, then, their commercial value be overestimated? Besides being of great value commer- cially, these forests regulate the stream flow of the largest rivers in the East. The Merrimac, Connecticut, Hudson, Delaware, Potomac, Savannah, and Ohio revers are among the most im- portant that rise in the Appalachian mountains. Hundreds of cotton mills, pulp mills, and factories of various kinds are dependent upon the regular flow of these rivers. The Merrimac alone drives mills worth $100,000,000, employing 80,000 people upon whom another 350,000 are dependent for support. In the Caro- linas and Georgia, over $40,000,000 is invested in cotton mills which must de- pend upon the equable flow of some of these rivers. In these mills over 60,- 000 are employed, upon whom 250,000 are dependent for support. If we could collect similar statistics of all the East- ern states we would see that we people in the East — about 70,000,000 in num- ber— are all dependent more or less di- rectly upon the wood and water of the Appalachian forest region. What hap- pens when we deprive these moun- tains of their forest covering is very evident. Floods in the southern Appa- lachians alone have in a single year destroyed over $20,000,000 worth of property, and have impoverished many thousands of people. Last year Pitts- burg experienced floods which caused enormous losses of life and property. Congress appropriates several million dollars annually for dredging river and harbor channels in the East. Instead of appropriating the millions for pre- serving the forests on the watersheds of our Eastern rivers. Congress spends them in paying for the damage done by their misuse, or, in other words — mill- ions for tribute, but not one cent for defense. This destruction not only robs us of our future wood supply, to say nothing of causing destructive floods and loss of life, but it deprives the mountains of their value as summer re- sorts, where thousands of care-worn ii6 CONSERVATION minds seek recreation annually. In the White Mountains more than 90,000 acres of forest land have been laid bare in the last fifteen years. Is this world-famed mountain region, incom- parable for its magnificent mountain scenery; are these snow-capped peaks of the North which rise so sublimely into the beautiful, clear New Hamp- shire sky ; are these snow-clad hills of the "Granite State" which are an end- less source of pleasure and recreation to thousands every year, are they to be marred completely by the woodman'.s malicious ax? We have analyzed, more or less com- pletely the condition of affairs now prevalent in our country. We have seen what is causing the destruction of our forests and have noted — by way of example- — the more important re- sults of the destruction. Let us now consider a few of the means by which the prominent men of our country hope to solve this serious problem. First of all, the tax on standing timber and the tariff on wood-pulp, the greatest enemies of our forests, must be re- pealed. Money must be appropriated by the Federal and state authorities for the preservation of forests areas. Not only must we learn to make the best permanent use of our standing for- ests, but we must also plant new ones. We can readily see that every means of saving the American forests is de- pendent upon whether or not these de- structive taxes are repealed. Practi- cally everything hinges on this. A be- ginning of reform has already been made The tax on standing timber has been repealed in many states, and it has already succeeded in saving much valuable timber. The Government has already bought up over 160,000,000 acres of forests for prservation. Sev- eral years ago a bill appropriating $5,- 000,000 for preserving the forests of the Appalachian and White Mountains was introduced into Congress. Up to the present time it has not been passed. The representative newspapers and magazines of our country are helping the. cause greatly by bringing before the people indisputable arguments why the forests should be preserved. The leading railroad companies and many important corporations are planting forests for their own use. The United States Forest Service and the Ameri- can Forestry Association are doing everything in their power to make for- estry a household knowledge in the United States, and to convince holders of timber land that conservative lum- bering methods are the best, most eco- nomic and most permanent in their results. Although we are experiencing an era of reformation in the policies which control our timber and timber supplies, yet there is still lacking the public sen- timent and interest which ought to be manifested in an issue of so much im- port. The little that is being done is insignificant as compared to that which remains to be done. Unfortunately, the people do not realize the gravity of the situation. If they did, would they neglect such an important bill as the Appalachian Forest Bill? Or would they spend millions in dredging, channels and not one cent for pre- venting the silting up of those chan- nels? Prominent men have ascribed this inactivity and illogical method of procedure to the lack of initiative among the people and those that repre- sent them. One man says it is due to the "inertia of a great people, to disin- terestedness and to indifference. " These men maintain that, although it is not within the power of the average work- ing man to aid the cause financially or through the press, yet he is capable of voicing his sentiments to his friends and demanding their fulfilment on the ballot. This would help solve this im- portant problem. There may, however, be several difTerent avenues of ap- proach in solving this problem, but whichever one we select, to quote the words of the editor of Forestry and Irrigation, one thing is certain — the United States must adopt, and that speedily, a rational policy for the con- servation and use of her timber sup- plies." It rests, then, with the Ameri- can people to adopt and enforce such a policy. ELECTRIC POWER DEVELOPMENT Power-house and Penstocks on a Western Mountainside. As Our Coal Supply Nears Exhaustion We Must More and More Depend on Waterfor Power, Heat and Light, Let Us Look After Our Remaining Water Powers NEWS AND NOTES Forest Trees of the Pacific Slope THE ap]2earance of "Forest Trees of the Pacific Slope" does not in any way fall short of what was expected. At the present time forest trees are playing an important part in our national conservation, and informa- tion on this subject of a practical na- ture is what the public seeks. There are numbers of tree books before us, but with few exceptions, and these too expensive for the average student, they are too technical or too incomplete. A book to be of real value as a text-book nuist be direct, simple, and comprehen- sive. These elements are very evident in "Forest Trees of the Pacific Slope.'' The plainly worded and accurate de- scriptions, together with the natural- sized illustrations, cannot fail to ac- complish the purpose for which the book was written. Too much attention cannot be directed to a matter so vital as our forests and it is highly gratify- ing that the Forest Service authorizes the distribution of such valuable litera ture. Volume 11 will be devoted to trees of the Rocky Mountain region, and two others will take uo the trees of the East and of the South. It is sup- posed that the shrubs of North America will be dealt with as fully as the trees. Particular interest is felt in the Rocky Mountain volume, as this covers the Southwest territory where so little has been done to acquaint us with the arbo- rescent flora of that important region. Mr. Sudworth's ability to accomplish the arduous task assigned him is un- questioned. Any literature on trees bearing his name inspires enthusiastic interest among students and teachers, and the deference of his fellow-workers in the science of forestry. To Connect the Atlantic with the Gulf THE Mississippi Atlantic Inland Wa- terway Association at its convention at Columbus, Ga., last month, declared itself strongly in favor of connecting the ii8 Gulf of Mexico with the Atlantic Ocean by the construction of a ship canal across the Peninsula of Florida. The estimated cost of such a canal is $50,- 000,000; it would shorten the route from the Atlantic to the Gulf ports by over five hundred miles, and it has been calculated that it would attract a traffic of 60,000,000 tons a year. Such a canal would be of enormous benefit to south- ern and central American commerce, and in a few years, when the Panama Canal has become an actuality, this ben- efit would be immeasurably increased. The proposed Florida canal, however, is only part of a larger project which is thoroughly deserving of support and which only waits the favorable action of Congress. All the way southward from the Bay of Massachusetts the topography of the coast facilitates and invites the creation of a series of wa- terways which will make it possible for sea-going vessels to pass from Boston to New Orleans nearly the whole dis- tance through natural or artificial inland channels. Some of the necessary work has already been accomplished by pri- vate enterprise. Canals which only need to be deepened to serve as links in the chain traverse New Jersey and Delaware, while a private company is engaged in opening a passage across the narrow, sandy strip of land which now compels the making of a long de- tour around Cape Cod. Steps have also been taken toward the enlargement of the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal to the extent demanded by the require- ments of modern commerce, and it may be expected that Congress, whose fail- ure to act in the matter at its last session did it no credit, will not much longer delay to provide the legislation upon which the project waits. It will be the less likely to do so if those who appreciate the immense desirability of the vast improvement in contemplation will resolutely keep up and energetically pro.secute the agita- tion in which they are engaged. That NEWS AND NOTES no is the only way to accomplish the de- sired result. Congress will not act except under the pressure of public opinion, and every section which has a direct interest in the inland water- ways program should make its voice heard and its influence felt in this con- nection. ,. ^^ ^^ % )>1 ^ Pan ''American Irrigation Congress Suggested IN THE course of his address on irrigation in Latin America at the National Irrigation Congress at Al- buquerque, last October, Hon. John Barrett, Director of International Bu- reau of American Republics, urged that Central and South America be included in the future activities of the Congress. Along this line Mr. Barrett said : "I want to make a recommendation which may be worthy of your careful consideration. It is that the National Irrigation Congress meeting here in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in 1908, take steps toward holding two or three years from now, or at some date in 1910 or 191 1, a great International Pan- American Irrigation Congress, to which each one of the twenty Latin American republics will be invited to send delegates and ex- perts. "Such a proposition carefully directed would surely meet with favorable response by our sister nations and would be the means of vastly benefiting, by mutual exchange of views and reports, irrigation undertakings in all America. It would be highly advisa- ble that a committee should be appointed by this convention to consider the carrying out of this plan and to ask the National Con- gress at Washington to make a reasonable appropriation to cover the participation of the United States. "Such appropriation would give a gov- ernment sanction and require the appoint- ment of government delegates, which would insure the actual interest and participation of the other American republics. As a special corollary to this main proposition, I would suggest further, as a step of interna- tional courtesy which would please not only our great and prosperous neighbor, Mexico, but all Latin America, that the national and private irrigation interests of Mexico be particularly invited to cooperate with those of the LInited States in preparing for, and extending invitations to, such a Pan-Ameri- can gathering. "With this idea, moreover, goes the highly tempting possibility of holding this interna- tional congress in Mexico City, the great capital of a nation which is second only to the United States in planning and support- ing the movement for reclamation of arid areas and for the conservation of natural resources. The years 1910 or 191 1 are men- tioned, instead of 1909, because it would be impossible to do the preliminary work nec- essary and secure the acceptance of foreign governments prior to 1910." «r' «i «r' Miami and Erie Waterways to Become Ship Canal THE work of converting the Miami & Erie Canal, running northward from Cincinnati across the State of Ohio, into a ship canal has progressed so far that Charles Nauts, Sttperintend- ent of the Northern Division, states that by next May the first fifty miles of the canal from Cincinnati north will be ready for use by craft of 150 tons ca- pacity. Mr. Nauts states that the new locks in course of preparation are ninety feet in length with a sixteen-foot water- way. It is not proposed to widen the channel materially, but it is being made considerably deeper. It is also an- nounced that the work of enlarging the canal throughout its entire length will be prosecuted vigorously, and, while no definite dates are set, it is believed that within the next five or six years the canal will be in operation from the Lakes to the Ohio River. ^ ii£ iH Mr, Pinchot and the Farmers IN A letter written to Hon. Frank C. Goudy, president of the Sixteenth Annual Irrigation Congress, held at Albuquerque, N. Mex., in September, Hon. Gififord Pinchot, United States Forester, after expressing his regret at being unable to attend the congress, added some expressions of opinion in regard to the American farmer, irriga- tion, or otherwise. Mr. Pinchot has for so long been believed, by certain elements in the West, to know nothing about anything but forestry — and, ac- cording to Field and Farm, Judge D. C. Beaman and others, not much about that — that it will come as a surprise to 120 CONSERVATION read what lie has to say in regard to the farmers of the country. His letter to Judge Goudy follows : Hon. Frank C. Goudy, President, Sixteenth National Irrigation Congress, Albuquerque, N. Mex. My Dear Judge Goudy: As I have al- ready written you, I regret more than I can easily say that I cannot be with you at Al- buquerque this year. For a number of years past I have attended every session of the National Irrigation Congress, and at the more recent ones I have been honored as the bearer of a message from the President; whose interest in irrigation never flags. This fall, under his orders, I am trying to do cer- tain work on the National Conservation, and the Commission on Country Life, and that is why I am unable to come. Ever since I came to have first-hand knowledge of irrigation, I have been im- pressed with the peculiar advantages which surround the irrigation rancher. The high productiveness of irrigated land, resulting in smaller farm units and denser settlement, as well as the efficiency and alertness of the irrigator, have combined to give the irri- gated regions very high rank among the most progressive farming communities of the world. Such rural communities as those of the irrigated west are useful examples for the .consideration of regions in which life is more isolated, has less of the benefits of co- operation, and generally has lacked the stim- ulus which has sent the men whom this con- gress represents so far along on the road to the ideal country life. It is for this reason that _ I venture to send you the following considerations bearing on the work of the Presioent's Commission on Country Life — because you have gone so far on the road he wants others to follow. The object of education in general is to produce in the boy or girl, and so in the man or woman, three results. First, a sound, useful, and usable body; second, a flexible, well-equipped, and well-organized mind ; alert to gain interest and assistance from contact with nature and cooperation with other minds ; and third, a wise and true and valiant spirit, able to gather to itself the higher things that best make life worth while. The use and growth of these three things, body, mind, and spirit, must all be found in any effective system of education. The same three-fold activity is equally necessary in a group of individuals. Take, for example, the merchants of a town, who have established a Chamber of Commerce or Board of Trade. They have three ob- jects: First, sound and profitable business; second, organized cooperation with each other to their mutual advantage, as in set- tling disputes, securing satisfactory rates from railroads, and inducing new industries to settle among them; and third, to make their town more beautiful, more healthful, and generally a better place to live in. Take a labor union as another example, and you will find the same three-fold purpose. A good union admits only good workmen to membership in its sound body; the members get from the union the advantages of organ- ized cooperation in selling their labor to the best advantage; and in addition they enjoy certain social advantages often of overwhelm- ing importance. The practical value of organization and cooperation is obvious, and they are being utilized very widely in nearly every branch of our national life. But what is the case with the farmer? The farmers are the only great body of our people who remain for the most part substantially unorganized. The merchants are organized, the wage-workers are organized, the railroads are organized. The men with whom the farmer competes are organized to get the best results for themselves in their dealings with him. The farmer is engaged, usually without the as- sistance of organization, in competing with these organizations of other groups of citi- zens. Thus the farmer, the man on whose product we all live, contends almost single- handed against his highly organized com- petitors. How have the agricultural schools and col- leges and the departments of agriculture of state and Nation met this situation? Largely by the assertion, in word or in act, that there is only one thing to be done for the farmer. So far as his personal education is concerned they have tried to give him a sound body, a trained mind, and a wise and valiant spirit. But so far as his calling is concerned they have stopped with the body. They have said in effect: We will help the farmer to grow better crops, but we will take no thought of how he can get the best returns for the crops he grows, or of how he can utilize those returns so as to make them yield hirn the best and happiest life. It is not wise to stop the education of a boy or a girl with the body, and to neglect the mind and the spirit. But we have done the equivalent of that in dealing with farm life. We have done more, and have done it rnore effectively, for the farmer along the line of better crops than any other nation. But we have done little, and far less than many other nations, for better business and better living on the farm. Hereafter we shall need not only the work of departments of agriculture in state and nation, such as we have now, but we shall need to have added to their functions such duties as will make them departments of rural business and rural life as well. Our departments of ag- riculture should cover the whole field of the farmers' life. It is not enough to touch only one the three great country problems, even though that is the first in time and in importance. Of course, we all realize that the grow- ing of crops is the great foundation on which NEWS AND NOTES 121 the well-being not only of the farmer but of the whole Nation must depend. First of all we must have food. But after that has been achiever, is there nothing more to be done? It seems to me clear that farmers have as much to gain from good organization as merchants, plumbers, carpenters, or any of the other trades and businesses of the United States. After we have secured better crops, the next logical and inevitable step is to secure bet- ter business organization on the farm so that each farmer shall get from what he grows the best possible return. Consider what has been accomplished in Ireland through agricultural cooperation. The Irish have discovered that it is not good for the farmer to work alone. Since 1894 they have been organizing agricultural societies to give the farmer a chance to sell at the right time and at the right price. The result is impressive. In Ireland there are 354 creameries producing about half the but- ter exported. There are 40,000 farmers in the societies for cooperative selling, which, as we know, in this country, means better prices. There are 261 agricultural credit so- cieties with a membership of 15,000, and a capital of more than $200,000. There are other agricultural societies with 20,000 mem- bers. In a word, in Ireland, which we have been apt to consider as far behind us in all that relates to agriculture, there are 925 ag- ricultural societies with an annual business of $50,000,000. Since 1894 their total business was more than $300,000,000. But after the farmer has begun to make use of his right to combine for his advan- tage in selling his products and buying his supplies, is there nothing else he can do? As well might we say, that after the body and the mind of a boy have been trained, he should be deprived of all those associa- tions with his fellows which make life worth living, and to which every child has an in- born right. Life is something more than a matter of business. No man can make his life what it ought to be by living it merely on a business basis. There are things higher than business. What is the reason for the enormous movement from the farms into the cities? Not simply that the business advantages in the city are better, but that the city has more conveniences, more excite- ment, and more facility for contact with friends and neighbors — in a word, more life. There ought then to be attractiveness in country life such as will make the country boy or girl want to live and work in the country, such that the farmer will understand that there is no more dignified calling than his own, none that makes life better worth living. The social or community life of the country should be put by the farmer, for no one but himself can do it for him, on the same basis as social life in the city, through the country churches and societies, through better roads, country telephones, rural free delivery, parcels post, and whatever else will help. The problem is not merely to get bet- ter crops, not merely to dispose of crops better, but in the last analysis to have hap- pier and richer lives of men and women on the farm. I have ventured to lay this statement be- fore you because irrigators are natural lead- ers in this great movement, and to urge you to add this problem to the others in which the interest and activity of the Na- tional Irrigation Congress have been of such effect and value to the whole Nation. With all good wishes for the success of the Albuquerque meeting, and with renewed regret that I cannot be with you, I am, Very sincerely yours, (Signed) Gifford Pinchot. «? tt' «i Investigations of Water Resources of the Ohio Valley THE United States Geological Sur- vey will continue its investigations of the water resources of the Ohio Val- ley during the fiscal year beginning July I, 1908, and will add several im- portant special researches in this area. The work involved consists princi- pally of the daily measurement of the flow of rivers and their small tribu- taries, in order to get an authorita- tive record of the amount of water that passes otit of the rivers into the main stream during the several seasons of the year. Data of this character must from the basis of all important water- stipply developments, such as improve- ments for the prevention of floods, the development of water power, and the improvement of navigation. The Ohio Valley work has become so important that the area has been included in a special district, which during the coming year will have the exclusive attention of a picked corps of men. Headquarters for the work have been established in the Federal Building, at Newport, Ky., which is close to the geographic center of the area and is in convenient comnumica- tion with all the tributaries of the Ohio. For a long time it has been evident that more minute; studies of stream flow should be made in the tributaries of the Ohio that run ofif the Appa- lachian Mountains. With the funds at the command of the Survey it is not possible to undertake all of this 122 CONSERVATION work at the present time, but a begin- ning has been made by selecting the Kanawha drainage basin for special study, and during the next year, if the ap])ropriations to be made by Congress will permit, the work will be extended to adjacent basins, such as the Monon- gahela. Kentucky, Green, and Cumber- land. The Ohio Valley is commercially the most important of all the interior river countries, and as this valley has been visited by extremely destructive floods, the work of the Survey will be of great value. It is also becoming evi- dent that the enormous amount of water power available in this area has not been generally realized and a part of the Survey's work will be to deter- mine more accurately the extent of this power and the points at which it may be advantageously utilized. &' «t J^ Deep Well'drilling FOR many months a big well-drilling machine had been boring into the dry ground of the Black Hills region of South Dakota alongside the track of the Burlington Railroad at Edgemont. Down went the drill — 500, a thousand, 2,000, 2.500 feet— until the native on- lookers won('ered whether the railroad company had fixed no limit to the bore and was simply "going it blind" in- definitely. The company's intention was very definite, inded. Its officials had been informed by a geologist of the United States Geological Survey that a good supply of water would be found in a certain stratum of rock that lay at a depth of about 3,000 feet. This geologist had made a study of the sur- face outcrops of the rocks of the re- gion, and had based his prediction on that .study. And having faith in the jjrophecy, the company determined to drill to that depth. It was not neces- sary, however, to bore quite to the depth of 3,000 feet, for when the drill had gone down 2,980 feet water gushed out at the rate of 350 gallons a minute and the faith reposed "in the judgment of the geologist was justified. This water supply fills a need which is so urgent that if anything should hap- pen to destroy this well, the railroad company would not hesitate to bore its counterpart. That appeal should be made to the science of geology to state positively the occurrence, location, and charac- ter of various deep-lying formations and from a study of only the surface formations to designate a water-bearing stratum at a depth so great as this well was driven seems incredible to the lay mind ; but such determinations are common. Extensive areas have been thus mapped underground by the Geological Survey, and the maps have been accompanied by descrip- tions of the character and age of the dififerent rock and earth strata so defi- nite that it would seem as if the regions so surveyed must have been sampled with a core drill at frequent intervals. The great Dakota artesian basin, which extends over an enormous area, has been accurately mapped, as have also many other smaller but hardly less imi)ortant basins. Water is the most useful and neces- sary of our mineral resources. Unlike most of the others, it is renewable and can be utilized over and over, again and again, by man so long as the phe- nomena of evaporation and precipita- tion continue ; but this does not mean that the conservation of the resource is not necessary. River supplies can be largely diminished through the de- struction of the sources by forest denudation and otherwise, and arte- sian basins also can be exhausted or seriouslv injured through wasteful misuse. Local statutes that require the capping of wells when not in use should, if necessary, be enacted and strictly enforced to prevent such waste — such statutes as have been enacted in many sections for the pre- vention of waste of natural gas and petroleum. Artesian basins are of especially great value, since many of them are located in regions where the surface water supply is very scant. CONSERl 'A TION'S AD]-ERTISERS Made of wire that is all life and strength — wire that stretches true and tight and yields just enough under impact to give back every jolt and jam it receives. Made of materials selected and tested in all the stages from our own mines, through our own blast furnaces and rolling and wire mills, to the finished product. Our employment of specially adapted metals {•-'- of great importance in fence wire; a wire that must be hard yet not brittle; stiff and springy yet flexible enough for splicing — best and must durabl fence material on earth. To obtain these and in addition apply a quality of .ijfal vanizing that will effectually protect against weather conditions, is a triumph of the wiremaker's art. ThesearecombinedintheAmericanand Ellwood fences — the product of the greatest mines, steel producing plants and wire mills in the woild And with these good facilities and the old and skilled employes back of them, we , , maintain the highest standard of ex- cellence possible for human skill and ingenuity to produce. Dealers everywhere, carry ing styles adapted to every purpose. See them American Steel & Wire Co. Chicago New York Denver San _ V Francisco ^«!^ In writing to advertisers kindly mention Conservation JAMES D. LACEY WOOD SEAL VICTOR THRANE ARE Interested in Southern or Pacific Coast Timber? We furnish detailed reports as to the QUALITY of tlie timber, giving average TOP and BUTT diameters, average lengths and number of trees on each 40-acre subdivision.- We submit reports covering details as to logging conditions, cost and most feasible methods of logging each 40-acre or sectional subdivision of each tract. We also furnish a TOPOGRAPHICAL map of all tracts located in mountainous dis- tricts, showing every elevation of 100 feet throughout the tract with OUR OWN engineer's report showing locations of most feasible routes and grades for logging roads. We can furnish suflcient data regarding ANY tract of timber which we have examined to convince you whether the tract is what you want or not. Personal inspection of any tract we may offer you wiU be found just as represented. We are in a position to offer some exceedingly attractive TIMBER properties in the SOUTH, in BRITISH COLUMBIA, and on the PACIFIC COAST. Also a few going mill operation with ample timber supplies in South Carolina and Mississippi. We furnish detailed reports of amount of STUMZPAGE on each 2 1-2, 5 or 10 acre subdivision of each forty. We employ expert PACIFIC COAST CRUISERS to check all estimates made on West- tern Timber. We offer HIGH CLASS Timber Properties only, which have been placed in our hands for sale. We guarajatee our estimates are reliable. JAMES D. LACEY & CO. (ESTABLISHED SINCE 1880) 801 Hennen Building 828 Chamber of Oommeroe 507 Lumber EzeIuLiiar« 1215 Old Colony New Orleans Portland, Ore. Seattle Chicago GEO. E. HOWARD PRESS, WASHINGTON MARCH Formerly FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION 1909 Vol. XV, No. 3 PubJiahcd by THE AMERICAN FORESTRY ASSOCIATION, 1417 G St, N, W„ Wa.hington, D. C Price, $2,00 per Year, including Annual Membership in the Aasociation CONSERVATION'S ADVERTISERS SAVE YOUR TREES FKOM SPLITTING Impending Dangen We cannot emphasize too strongly the use of proper precautions to prevent splitting and to save the trees from destruction after they have started to split. There is no one thing with which we have to contend, that threatens greater or more immediate damage, than the splitting of crotch trees. Unfortunately, this trouble is not restricted to any one locality; but it exists in a large proportion of the finest trees all over the land, and tens of thousands of the most magnificent specimens every year are rendered shapeless and valueless, from an ornamental standpoint, because no protective measures were taken in time. Our long experience enables us to handle all these cases with complete success. The method which we use consists of the chain and lag-hook system, together with special rein- forcing braces, when the seriousness of the case requires it. This is the most simple, effec- tive, and economical system that has ever been produced. Concerning this method, which was devised by Mr. John Davey. we take the following extract from the article on Tree Surgery, by Dr. G. E. Stone, in Bulletin No. 125, of the Massachusetts Agricultural Experiment Station: "In our estimation * » • the chain metho*! is superior since a rori is likely to break owing to its rigidity when the tree is swayed by the wind; whereas a chain, which is flexible, will stand the strain better. Steel chains are stronger than Iron rods, an d for this reason are better for use in such cases, besides being easier to place than a solid rod, as less attention has to be given to boring the holes." . The Davey Tr.ee Expert Co.. Inc. (Operating Da^vey's School of Pra-ctical Forestry) Main Office. KENT. O.; Ea^stern Office. TARRYTOWN. N. Y. 'The Home of Tree Surgery' Address NesLrest Office In writing to advertisers kindly mention Conservation i\MlS]aiI(£AM lF®m®lTIF^Y ASl®aATIl®W ■■"''™'-''''"i«wyM^WW»aw''''"'"'' CONTENTS FOR MARCH, 1909 COMMISSIONERS TO NORTH AMERICAN CONSERVATION CONFERENCE Frontispiece JAMES WILSON, SECRETARY OF AGRICULTURE— By Thomas Elmer Will.... 125 THE SACRAMENTO VALLEY— By Frederick Haynes Newell 134 THEMANGYANES: A PROBLEM OF FOREST PROTECTION By Melvin L. Merritt 139 THE CONQUEST OF THE COLORADO-By C. J. Blanchard 143 EARLY CUTTINGS IN THE LODGEPOLE PINE TYPE OF THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS— By E. R. Hodson 148 TWENTY-EIGHTH ANNUAL MEETING OF THE AMERICAN FORESTRY ASSOCIATION— Cowc/M^^d Forest Taxation 152 Profit in Forests 154 A Free Hand 155 Flood versus Drought 155 Women as Workers 15C Iloport of Committee on Nominations 156 PUBLISHERS' NOTICE 158 WANTED: BACK NUMBERS 158 THE NORTH AMERICAN CONSERVATION CONFERENCE By Treadwell Cleveland, Jr 159 DECLARATION OF PRINCIPLES 164 EDITORIAL— Plant Tiees 169 The President Attacks the Water-Power Mo- nopoly 170 Why Governments Should Act 171 Funds for Conservation 172 r^orestry and Dry Farming 173 Forestry and Unemployment 174 APPALACHIAN LEGISLATION KILLED i7S THE ATTITUDE OF THE WEST TOWARD THE EASTERN FORESTS 176 CALAVERAS BIG TREES SAVED 177 NEWS AND NOTES— Floods in the Congo 178 The Railroad Must Pay Fire Damages 17S The Joint Committee on Cooperation 178 State Control of Forest Fires 178 Secretary Wilson to Continue in the Cabinet... 17S To Prevent Fraud on the Public Domain 178 To Conserve Historic Data 179 Rivers and Harbors Bill 179 Waste of Michigan Lands 179 For Healthy Fruit Trees 179 Waterways Treaty Between U. S. and Great Britain 180 State and Local Receipts from National Forests 180 Yale Forest School 180 Railroads Seeking Tie Supply 181 Mahogany Among Hardwoods 181 Woodpeckers Destro.y Poles 182 Tree Planting in Kansas 182 Goats Improving Forests 182 American and German Forests 182 Wood Preservation in Louisiana 183 Use cf National Forest Resources 183 Irrigation Scheme In Spokane 183 Dams and Floods 18? Irrigation in Okanogan County ISA The Twin Falls Irrigation Project 184 Bleeding Southern Pines 184 A Farm Raising Timber 184 Asparagus Under Irrigation 184 Forest Protection and Management 184 CoNSEKVATiON 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 Augu.st 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. 123 .2 2 -tJ O rz u CO « Q ^ £ - s c ■" o C C o o no m U c o^ ■ 2 4-1 "KM oC/5 . ri-o y C/) ox: ■♦J >■ .2 >- o n o Q o c a - - . a a. c e O CL o 5 tn -■^ - o C o c*^ i; u r >-cam * u . o « '^ ... . ^ 7; -* •a-2 ..<: 2 57ELL CLEVELAND, Jr, \_This account of the pperi Proce-ediuf^s and the conclusions of the Conference is introductory to an article by Mr. Cleveland on '''The Conservation cf World Resources^" discicssing the coming Hague Conference, ivhich will appear in Con- servation for April.^ ■ THE INVITATION A REALIZATION that in North America the problems of con- servation, like the resources with which they deal, are not con- fined to any one of the three political subdivisions of the continent, and a conviction that these problems could be solved most effectively and economic- ally by Canada, Mexico and the United States in cooperation, led the Presi- dent, in December last, to invite Lord Grey and President Diaz to participate with the United States in a conference at Washington on the conservation of the resources of North America. The invitations were delivered in person by Mr. Gifford Pinchot, the rep- resentative of the President, and were cordially accepted. The President's letter to Lord Grey follows : THE WHITE HOUSE December 24, 1908. My Dear Lord Grey: In May of the present year the governors of the several states and territories of this Union met in the White House to confer with the President and with each other concerning the amount and condition of the natural resources of this country, and to consider the most effective means for con- serving them. This conference included also the members of the Supreme Court, the Cabinet, and members of both houses of Congress, together with representatives of the great associations of citizens concerned with natural resources. The conference was fol- lowed by the appointment of conservation commissions on the part of the Nation and of a majority of the states. A second conference of the National Commission with the governors, the state commissions, and the conservation commit- tees of the great associations has recently been held in this city. It was called to con- sider an inventory of our natural resources prepared by the National Conservation Com- mission. Its most important result will doubtless appear in cooperation on the pan of the Nation, the states, and the great as- sociations of citizens for action upon this great question, upon which the progress of the people of the United States obviously depends. It is evident that natural resources are not limited by the boundary lines which sep- arate nations, and that the need for conserv- ing them upon this continent is as wide as the area upon which they exist. In view, therefore, of these • considerations, and of the close bonds of friendship and mutual aims which exist between Canada and the United States, I take especial pleasure in in- viting you to designate representatives of the government of Canada to meet and con- sult with representatives of the State and other departments of this Government, and the National Conservation Commission, in the city of Washington on February 18, 1909. The purpose of the conference I have the honor to propose is to consider mutual interests involved in the conservation of natural resources, and in this great field de- liberate upon the practicabilitv of preparing a general plan adapted to promote the wel- fare of the nations concerned. I have this day addressed a similar invi- tation to the Republic of Mexico, express- ing my hope that representatives of that government also will be present and parr ticipate in the proposed conference on the conservation of the natural resources of North America. The conclusions of such a conference, while wholly advisory in character, could hardly fail to yield important beneficial re- sults, both in a better knowledge of the natural 'resources of each nation on the 159 i6o CONSERVATION part of othe others, and in suggestions for concurrent action for the protection of mu- tual interests related to conservation. As my representative to convey to yon this letter and invitation, and at your desire to consult with you concerning the proposed conference, I have selected an officer of this Government, chief of the United States For- est Service and chairman of the National Conservation Commission, whom 1 commend to your kind offices. Sincerely yours, (Signed) Theodore Roosevelt. February i8, 19 and 20 were the dates set for the North American Con- ference. The Commissioners were these : United States Gififord Pinchot, U. S. Forester, Chairman of the National Conservation Commission. Hon. Robert L. Bacon, Secretary of State. Hon. James R. Garfield, Secretary of the Interior. Canada Hon. Sydney Fisher, Minister of Ag- riculture. Hon. Clifford Sifton, ex-Miiiister of the Interior. Hon. Henri S. Beland, M. P. Nezv Foundland Hon. E. H. Outerbridge. Mexico Hon. Romulo Escobar, former Sec- retary of Agriculture, and former Com- missioner of Forestry. Hon. Miguel A. de Quevedo, Com- missioner of Forestry and Engineer of the Sanitary Commission. Hon. Carlos Sellerier, Secretary of Agriculture and Inspector of Mines for the Federal Government. Representatives of the press were present only at the presentation of the visiting Commissioners in the East Room of the Wliite House, and at the general session in the State Department immediately following. The subse- quent sessions of the conference were closed. Those who were invited to be pres- ent in the East Room of the White House when the Canadian and Mexican Coinmissioners were presented to the President, in addition to Cabinet ofifi- cers, justices of the Supreine Court, the British ambassdor and the Mexican charge d'affaires, were as follows: National Conservation Commission — Gif- ford Pinchot, chairman ; Thomas R. Shipp, secretary; Theodore E. Burton, Francis G. Newlands, Jonathan P. Dolliver, William Warner, John H. Bankhead, Dr. W J JMc- Gee, Frederick H. Newell, Herbert Knox Smith, Joseph E. Ransdell, Dr. George F. Swain, Brig. Gen. William L. Marshall, Reed Snioot, Albert J. Beveridge, Champ Clark, Charles F. Scott, J. B. White, Prof. Henry S. Graves, William Irvine, Newton C. Blanchard, Charles Lathrop Pack, Prof. Irving Fisher, Gustav H. Schwab, Overton W. Price, Knute Nelson, Francis E. Warren, Swager Sherley, Herbert Parsons, Napoleon B. Broward, James J. Hill, George C. Par- dee, Murdoe Mackenzie^ Dr. T. C. Chamber- lin, Frank C. Goudy, Charles Macdonald, George W. Woodruff, John Dalzell, Joseph M. Dixon, Frank P. Flint, Lee S. Overman, James L. Slayden, Philo Hall, Andrew Car- negie, Dr. Charles R. Van Hise, John Mitchell, John Hays Hammond, Dr. I. C. White, Dr. J. A. Holmes, Dr. O. P. Austin, Fred Dennett, Dr. B. T. Galloway, Dr. L. O. Howard, Dr. A. D. Melvin, Dr. C. Hart Merriam, Prof. Willis L. Moore, Dr. S. N. D. North, Victor H. Olmsted, Dr. George Otis Smith, Dr. A. C. True, Dr. Milton Whitney, Dr. H. W. Wiley, Morris Bien, M. R. Campbell, Charles G. Clark, Francis W. Clements, Frederick V. Coville, William T. Cox, Arthur P. Davis, Dr. D. T. Day, Dr. R. B. Dole, Dr. John A. Fairlie, R. C. Finney, Robert Follensby, Prof. S. Fortier, Prof. Henry C. Frankenfeld, Henry Gannett, L. C. Graton. William L. Hall, G. G. Hang- er, Dr. C. W. Hayes, H. W. Henshaw, A. D. Hopkins, W. B. Hunter, R. S. Kel- logg, M. O. Leighton, Waldemar Lindgren, C. L. Marlatt, Felden O. Martin, W. C. Mendenhall, E. W. Parker, A. F. Potter, Le Grand Powers, B. J. Ramage, Alexander C. Shaw, Hugh M. Smith, William M. Stcu- art, R. G. Valentine, F. B. Van Horn, Thomas L. Watson, Jasper E. Welchel, Philip P. Wells, Dr. Bailey WilHs, H. M. Wilson, Albert F. Woods, N. A. Ziegkr, Dr. W. L. Hornaday, Elbert F. Baldwin, Charles D. Walcott, Dr. H. A. Smith, Will- iam B. Pugh, C. E. Wright, Stephen W. Williams, H. H. Schwartz, Clarence Blancli- ard, C. A. Davis, A. L. Quaintance, W. J. Spillman, A. H. Brooks, C. W. Warburton, H. N. Parker, W. T. Swingle, E. C. Chil- cott, H. B. Sackett, H. F. Weiss, A. C. Veatch, Dr. T. S. Palmer, J. G. Peters, John C. Hoyt, L. F. Hawley, Dr. George M. Kober, S. T. Dana, G. B. Sudworth, Mc- Garvey Chne, C. S. Schofield, Dr. H. S. Bristol, Calvin W. Rice, Willis E. Hall, Wesley Bradfield, Dr. C. F. Langworthy, Dr. Charles J. Lavery. THE NORTH AMERICAN CONSERVATION CONFERENCE i6i THE PRESIDENT S ADDRESS Promptly at ten o'clock the guests were ranged in a semi-circle, and the President entered. In his address of welcome he said : I wish to extend on behalf of the Amer- ican people the heartiest welcome to the representatives of Canada and Mexico who are here present. I am sure I give expres- sion to the feelings of my countrymen when I say that nothing has augured better for the development of this entire continent, on the lines along which it should develop, than this meeting. I appreciate the courtesy which has been shown by the governments of Great Britain and Canada, and of Mex- ico, in sending you gentlemen here as rep- resentatives. The members of our own National Con- servation Commission and the experts who prepared our inventory of national resources are present and are at any time at the serv- ice of you gentlemen, if you desire to hear from them, and any information that they have in their possession is at your disposal. Gentlemen, this conference represents one of the many steps that have been taken of recent years looking toward a harmonious cooperation between the nations of the earth for the common advancement of all. In international relations the great feature of the growth of the last century has been the gradual recognition of the fact that instead of its being normally to the interest of one nation to see another depressed, it is nor- mally to the interest of each nation to see the others elevated. Fundamentally it is the same with na- tions as it is with individuals. You will find that, as a rule, the most prosperous man is the man who lives in a prosperous community; as a rule the man is prosperous who has prosperous people to deal with, who carries on his business with other prosper- ous people, who has prosperous people round about him. You know that of your own ex- perience. You know that a poor locality is just the locality where it is hardest for the ablest type of man to do well. The ablest man will do best where his neighbors also do well. It is just so with us as nations. In commercial relations the trade of one nation is greatest not with the poor and backward nation, but with the rich and pro gressive nation. Study the trade returns, and see where, on the average, the best customers of any nation are found. The best customers, on the average, are the prosperous nations. When one nation strides forward along the path of civilization, as a rule that progress means the uplifting- of nations generally. (I am speaking subject, as one always must, to certain exceptions ; occasionally a nation rises at the expense of another. What I say does not apply to such cases.) The movement that you gentlemen are begmnmg, the national cooperation for the conservation of national and international resources, marks another stage in the ad- vance along these lines. Each nation will be left absolutely free, of course, to exercise its own wisdom in dealing with the things that concern itself, but it will be given the chance to profit by the wisdom of other nations, and I know of no nation or no indi- vidual that cannot profit by the wisdom of others. In addition, the opportunity will be given to all of us to join together in doing the work that can best be done in union, by all or some of us, as compared with doing it each one separately. With nations whose boundaries march along a great extent of land frontier, as with Canada, the United States, and Mexico, there are necessarily large tracts of land in which the welfare of the people depends upon the action not only of that country, but of the neighboring country. This, of course, is especially true where our streams are concerned. You cannot cut down the forests on the headwaters of an international stream without having it hurt both nations. I am anxious to do all that in me lies to help you gentlemen in getting our several peoples to come together with the idea of working in harmony for the com- mon good, instead of working each to get something at the expense of the other. Ulti- niately each of us will profit immeasurably if, instead of striving to advance by tramp- ling down the other, each strives to advance by joining with the other for the common advancement. I welcome you in behalf of our people. I think it is of good augury for the North American continent that you should be here, and I believe that the movement which- you this day initiate is one of the utmost im- portance to this hemisphere, and may become of the utmost importance to the world at large. The Secretary of State then intro- duced the Canadian and Mexican dele- gates to the President. THE GENERAL SESSION The commissioners to the conference, certain members of the Cabinet, several members of the National Conservation Commission and one or two others then began the general session in the Diplo- matic Rooin of the State Department. Mr. Outerbridge, the commissioner from Newfoundland, did not reach Washington in time for this day's ses- sion. 1 62 CONSERVATION IVIr. Gifford Pinchot, Chairman of the United States delegation, opened the session by briefly outlining the his- tory of the conservation movement from the formation of the Inland \\''aterways Commission down to the calling of the North American Confer- ence. He said that the conservation of natural resources had become in the United States almost a religion. The ideal of the movement was national ef- ficiency, and the material basis of that efficiency was, in last resort, the natural resources. He expressed the keen pleasure he felt that the well-beloved neighbors of the United States were represented, to lend their aid to the con- servation movement. Mr. Pinchot then introduced Mr. James Wilson, . Secre- tary of Agriculture. Mr. Wilson alluded to the fact that one of the explorers of the Department of Agriculture had just returned from Siberia, bringing with him specimens of wheat and alfalfa which could with- stand the colder climate of Northern United States. Should these plants prove of benefit to this country, he said, they could not fail to prove of benefit to Canada as well. The case was simi- lar, he explained, with the successful experiments made by the Department in fighting the cotton boll-weevil and the cattle tick in the South, since Mexi- co and our other Southern neighbors might freely share in the advantages thus secured. It was impossible, he said, to make advances in agriculture in one part of North America without making possible similar advances in other parts of the great territory. He was convinced that Canada and Mexico had accomplished results which would be of great value to the United States, and concluded that in all eflforts to in- crease the productiveness of the soil one nation could not work for itself alone, but that each nation must work for all. Senator Smoot, Chairman of the Section of Forests of the National Con- servation Commission, next addressed the conference. He applauded the ob- jects and results of the conservation movement, and expressed regret that it had not been initiated fifty years ago. Last summer he had traveled in Eu- rope, studying the methods of forest conservation practised there. He had visited the famous Sihlwald, the town forest of Ziirich, Switzerland, which yields the town an annual net profit of $12 per acre from its wood, but is yet so carefully managed that it has kept up its productiveness unim- paired for more than 300 years. He confessed a feeling of shame that in his own country an example of equally good forest management was perhaps nowhere to be found. He did not know whether Canada or Mexico had wasted their forests as had the United States, but urged that the experience of the United States w^as a warning against similar waste of resources in other lands. Mr. Pinchot then invited the Chair- man of the Canadian delegation, Mr. Sydney Fisher, Minister of Agriculture, to address the conference. Mr. Fisher spoke, in substance, as follows : Canada had been watching the course of the conservation movement in the United States with the keenest interest and the closest attention, not only on account of her concern for all that concerned America, but because she had, no doubt, many lessons to learn. What was good for our neighbor was good for us, he said, and what was good for us was good for our neigh- bor. The same was true of nations as of individuals, and the President, in emphasizing this point, had struck the key-note of true statesmanship. He hoped to profit greatly from the con- ference, and when the conference ad- journed he anticipated that a great in- ternational movement would have been started, which would include not only all North America, but all the civilized nations of the earth. Mr. Romulo Escobar. Chairman of the Mexican delegation, was next called upon by Mr. Pinchot. In his address Mr. Escobar declared that not only President Diaz, but also the peo- ple of Mexico, were pleased with the THE NORTH AMERICAN CONSERVATION CONFERENCE 163 new idea of conservation and were willing and eager to cooperate with the United States and Canada in the solu- tion of conservation problems. Mr. Clifford Sifton, of the Canadian delegation, followed. He pointed out that, largely as a result of the conser- vation movement in the United States, special permanent committees on the different resources had been appointed in the Canadian Parliament. He hoped for the establishment of a permanent conservation bureau. Canada, he said, was looking to the investigations being made in the United States in hopes that her scientists might profit by their results. In this way the evils which were experienced in one country might be avoided by the others. One fruit of the conservation movement could not fail to be a better economic develop- ment of the resources of North America. Following Mr. Sifton, Mr. Miguel A. de Quevedo, of the Mexican delegation, addressed the conference in French. He said that for some time Mexico had been watching with acute interest the great conservation movement that had been made a live, practical issue by President Roosevelt. He regarded it not only as a great economic question, but as vital to the life of the country. He applauded all that the administra- tion had done along this line and ap- preciated the fact that yet more could be done by National cooperation. Senator Newlands, introduced by Mr. Pinchot as "the Father of the Reclamation Act," thereupon addressed the conference. He laid stress upon the value of the work done by special commissions, and deprecated the criti- cism of them by Congress. He was convinced that Congress would change its attitude toward such commissions and come to realize that they repre- sented merely a necessary specializa- tion of work. Our successes in the in- dustrial world were due, he maintained, to the fact that experts were employed to run industrial enterprises. The com- missions prepared the way for neces- sary legislation by doing the expert work for which Congress had no time. He considered the conservation of nat- ural resources the most important ques- tion of the day, and trusted that the press would lend its support toward forming the vigorous public opinion without which the required laws could not be passed. Mr. Charles L. Pack, of the National Conservation Commission, was the last of the speakers. He recalled the esti- mates made twenty-five or thirty years ago of the timber then remaining in the United States. It was thought at that time, he said, that the forests would last for another two or three hundred years. Now it was well understood that the virgin supplies would be gone in thirty or forty years. He declared that the greatest present obstacle in the way of forestry was cheap stumpage, for as long as stumpage continued to be cheap, the forest would be carelessly used. For this reason he believed in the retention of a tariff on lumber. The conference then adjourned till the afternoon. WORLDWIDE CONSERVATION At the afternoon session a proposal to embrace all nations in the conserva- tion movement by means of an inter- national conference on world resources at The Hague, next September, was broached, in the form of a suggestion from the conference to the President. The following statement upon this sub- ject was subsequently issued by the Secretary of State : There is now assembled in Washington, in response tQ the invitation of the Presi- dent, a conference of representatives of the United States, of Mexico, and of the Do minion of Canada, to meet the representa- tives of the United States of America for the purpose of considering the common in- terests of the three countries in the conser- vation of their natural resources. The cor- diality with which the neighboring govern- ments accepted the invitation is no less an augury of the success of this important movement than is the disposition already shown by the conference to recognize the magnitude of the question before them. While recognizing the imperative necessity for the development and use of the great resources upon which the civilization and prosperity 164 CONSERVATION of nations must depend, they realize the vital need of arresting the inroads improvi- dently or unnecessarily made upon them. They comprehend also that, as to many of their national resources, more than a mere- ly conservative treatment is required; that reparatory agency should be invoked to aid the processes of beneficent nature, and that the means of restoration and increase should be sought whenever practicable. They see that, to the task of devising economical ex- penditures of resources which, once gone, are lost forever, there should be superposed the duty of restoring and maintaining pro- ductiveness wherever impaired or menaced bv wastefulness. In the northern part of the American hemisphere, destruction and waste brought other evils in their train. The removal of forests, for instance, results in the aridity of vast tracts, torrential rain- falls break down and carry away the unpro- tected soil, and regions once abundant in vegetable and animal life become barren. This is a lesson almost as old as the human race. The older countries of Europe, Africa and the Orient, teach a lesson in this regard which has been too little heeded. Anticipating the wide interest which would naturally be aroused in other countries by the present North American Conference, the Presid.ent foresaw the probability that it would be the precursor of a world congress. By an aide-memoire in January last, the principal governments were informally sounded to ascertain whether they would look with favor upon an invitation to send delegates to such a conference. The responses have so far been uniformly fav- orable, and the conference of Washington has suggested to the President that a similar general conference be called by him. The President feels, therefore, that it is timely to initiate the suggested world conference for the conservation of natural resources, by a formal invitation. Such a conference might well consider a general plan for an inventory of the natural resources of the world, and devising a uni- form scheme for the expression of the re- sults of such inventory to the end that there may be a general understanding and appre- ciation of the world's supply of the material elements which underlie the development of civilization and the welfare of the peoples of the earth. It would be appropriate also for the conference to consider the general phases of the correlated problem of checking and, when possible, repairing the injuries caused by the waste and destruction of natural re- sources and utilities, and make recommenda- tions in the interest of their conservation, development, and replenishment. With such a world-inventory, and such re- commendation, the various producing coun- tries of the whole world would be in a better position to cooperate, each for his own good and all for the good of all, toward the safe- guarding and betterment of their common means of support. As was said in the prelimi- nary aide-memoire, "the people of the whole world are interested in the natural resources of the whole world, benefited by their con- servation, and injured by their destruction. The people of every country are interested in the supply of food and of material for the manufacture in every other country, not only because these are interchangeable through processes of trade but because a knowledge of the total supply is necessary to the intelligent treatment of each nation 's share of the supply. Nor is this all. A knowledge of the continuance and stability of perennial and renewable resources is no less important to the world than a knowl- edge of the quantity or the term remaining for the enjoyment of those resources which when consumed are irreplaceable. As to all the great natural sources of national welfare the peoples of to-day hold the earth in trust for the peoples to come after them. Read- ing the lessons of the past aright it would be for such a conference to look beyond the present to the future. The conference continued its closed sessions on Friday and Saturday. The work before it was not, however, dis- posed of by Saturday evening, and ad- ditional sessions were held during Mori- day, February 22, at the residence of the Chairman of the United States dele- gation, 161 5 Rhode Island Avenue, and during Tuesday and part of Wednes- day at the Department of State. The conference then finished its work by signing the following Declaration of Principles, and adjourned sine die. DECLARATION OF PRINCIPLES We recognize the mutual interests of the Nations which occupy the Continent of North America and the dependence of the welfare of each upon its natural resources. We agree that the conser- vation of these resources is indispensa- ble for the continued prosperity of each Nation. We recognize that the protection of mutual interests related to natural resources by concerted action, with- out in any way interfering with the THE NORTH AMERICAN CONSERVATION CONFERENCE 165 authority of each Nation within its own sphere, will result in mutual benefits, and tend to draw still closer the bonds of existing good will, confidence and respect. Natural resources are not con- fined by the boundary lines that sepa- rate Nations. We agree that no Na- tion acting alone can adequately con- serve them, and we recommend the adoption of concurrent measures for conserving the material foundations of the welfare of all the Nations con- cerned, and for ascertaining their loca- tion and extent. We recognize as natural resources all materials available for the use of man as means of life and welfare, in- cluding: those on the surface of the earth, like the soil and the waters ; those below the surface, like the min- erals; and those above the surface, like the forests. We agree that these re- sources should be developed, used and conserved for the future, in the inter- ests of mankind, whose rights and duties to guard and control the natural sources of life and welfare are inherent, perpetual and indefeasible. We agree that those resources which are neces- saries of life should be regarded as pub- lic utilities, that their ownership entails specific duties to the public, and that as far as possible effective measures should be adopted to guard against monopoly. PUBLIC HEALTH Believing that the Conservation movement tends strongly to develop national efficiency in the highest pos- sible degree in our respective countries. we recognize that to accomplish such an object with success, the maintenance and improvement of public health is a first essential. In all steps for the utilization of nat- ural resources considerations of public health should always be kept in view. Facts which cannot be questioned demonstrate that immediate action is necessary to prevent further pollution, mainly by sewage, of the lakes, rivers and streams throughout North America. Such pollution, aside from the enor- mous loss in fertilizing elements en- tailed thereby, is an immediate and con- tinuous danger to public health, to the health of animals, and, when caused by certain chemical agents, to agriculture. Therefore we recommend that prevent- ive legislation be enacted. FORESTS We recognize the forests as indis- pensable to civilization and public wel- fare. They furnish material for con- struction and manufacture, and pro- mote the habitability of the earth. We regard the wise use. effective pro- tection, especially from fire, and prompt renewal of the forests on land best adapted to such use, as a public neces- sity and hence a public duty devolving upon all forest owners alike, whether public, corporate or individual. We consider the creation of many and large forest reservations and their permanent maintenance under Govern- ment control absolutely essential to the ptiblic welfare. We favor the early completion of in- ventories of forest resources, in order to ascertain the available supply and the rate of consumption and repro- duction. We recommend the extension of technical education and practical field instruction in forest conservation, af- forestation and reforestation, so as to provide efficient forest officers whose knowdedge will be available for neces- sary public information on these sub- jects. Believing that excessive taxation on standing timber privately owned is a potent cause "of forest destruction by increasing the cost of maintaining growing forests, we agree in the wis- dom and justice of separating the tax- ation of timber land from the taxation of the timber growing upon it, and ad- justing both in such a manner as to encourage forest conservation and forest growing. We agree that the ownership of forest lands, either at the headwaters of streams or upon areas better suited for forest growth than for other pur- i66 CONSERVATION poses, entails duties to the public, and that such lands should be protected with equal effectiveness, whether under public or private ownership. Forests are necessary to protect the sources of streams, moderate floods and equalize the flow of waters, temper the climate and protect the soil ; and we agree that all forests necessary for these purposes should be amply safe- guarded. We affirm the absolute need of holding for forests, or reforesting, all lands supplying the headwaters of streams, and we therefore favor the control or acquisition of such lands for the public. The private owners of lands unsuited to agriculture, once forested and now impoverished or denuded, should be en- couraged by practical instruction, ad- justment of taxation and in other proper ways, to undertake the reforest- ing thereof. Notwithstanding an increasing pub- lic interest in forestry, the calamitous and far-reaching destruction of forests by fire still continues, and demands im- mediate and decisive action. We be- lieve that systems of fire guardianship and patrol afford the best means of dealing adequately with fires which oc- cur, whether from natural causes, such as lightning, or in other ways ; but we affirm that in addition thereto effective laws are urgently needed to reduce the vast damage from preventable causes. Apart from fire, the principal cause of forest destruction is unwise and im- provident cutting, which, in many cases, has resulted in widespread in- jury to the climate and the streams. It is therefore of the first importance that all lumbering operations should be car- ried on under a system of rigid regu- lation. WATERS We recognize the waters as a primary resource, and we regard their use for domestic and municipal supply, irriga- tion, navigation and power, as inter- related public uses, and properly sub- ject to public control. We therefore favor the complete and concurrent de- velopment of the streams and their sources for every useful purpose to which they may be put. The highest and most necessary use of water is for domestic and municipal purposes. We therefore favor the rec- ognition of this principle in legislation, and, where necessary, the subordina- tion of other uses of water thereto. The superior economy of water transportation over land transportation, as well as its advantages in limiting the consumption of the non-renewable resources, coal and iron, and its effect- iveness in the promotion of commerce, are generaly acknowledged. We there- fore favor the development of inland navigation under general plans adapted to secure the uniform progress of the work and the fullest use of the streams for all purposes. We further express our belief that all waterways so devel- oped should be retained under exclusive ]niblic ownership and control. We regard the monopoly of waters, and especially the monopoly of water power, as peculiarly threatening. No rights to the use of water powers in streams should hereafter be granted in perpetuity. Each grant should be con- ditioned upon prompt development, continued beneficial use and the pay- ment of proper compensation to the public for the rights enjoyed ; and should be for a definite period only. Such period should be no longer than is required for reasonable safety in in- vestment. The public authority should retain the right to readjust at stated periods the compensation to the public and to regulate the rates charged, to the end that undue profit or extortion may be prevented. Where the construction of works to utilize water has been authorized by public authority and such utilization is necessary for the public welfare, pro- vision should be made for the expro- priation of any privately owned land and water rights required for such con- struction. The interest of the public in the in- crease of the productiveness of arid THE NORTH AMERICAN CONSERVATION CONFERENCE 167 lands by irrigation and of wet lands by drainage is manifest. We therefore favor the participation of the public to secure the complete and economical de- velopment and use of all water avail- able for irrigation and of all lands sus- ceptible of profitable drainage, in order to ensure the widest possible benefit. Special projects should be considered and developed in connection with a general plan for the same watershed. In the matter of irrigation public au- thority should control the headwaters and provide for the construction of storage reservoirs and for the equitable distribution and use of the stored water. LANDS We recognize land as a fundamental resource, yielding the materials needed for sustaining population, and forming the basis of social organization. In- crease in the productivity of the soil is a growing need, and the possession of the land by the men who live upon it not only promotes such productivity, but is also the best guarantee of good citizenship. In the interest of the homemaker, we favor regulation of grazing on public land, the disposal of public lands to actual settlers in areas each sufficient to support a family, and the subdivision of excessive holdings of agricultural or grazing land, thereby preventing monopoly. The preservation of the productivity of the soil is dependent upon rotation of crops, fertilization by natural or arti- ficial means, and improved methods in farm management. The quantity and quality of crops are also dependent upon the careful selection of seed. We therefore favor the distribution by Gov- ernment bureaus of scientific and prac- tical information on these points, and we urge upon all farmers careful at- tention thereto. The national importance for grazing of non-irrigable public lands too dry for cultivation, and the public loss oc- casioned by overgrazing, are generally acknowledged. We therefore favor Government control of such lands in order to restore their value, promote settlement and increase the public re- sources. The first requisite for forest or other covering which will conserve the rain- fall and promote regularity of water flow is the retention of the soil upon watersheds. We therefore favor the construction of such artificial works as may efifect this purpose and the en- couragement thereof by remission of taxes, Government cooperation or other suitable means. MINERALS We recognize the mineral resources as forming the chief basis of industrial progress, and regard their use and con- servation as essential to the public wel- fare. The mineral fuels play an indis- pensable part in our modern civiliza- tion. We favor action on the part of each government looking towards re- duction of the enormous waste in the exploitation of such fuels, and we direct attention to the necessity for an inventory thereof. Such fuels should hereafter be disposed of by lease under such restrictions or regulations as will prevent waste and monopolistic or speculative holdings, and supply the public at reasonable prices. We believe that the surface rights and underground mineral rights in lands should be separately dealt with so as to permit the surface of the land to be utilized to the fullest extent, while preserving Government control over the minerals. Regulations should be adopted look- ing to the most econr^mical production of coal and other mineral fuels and the prolongation of the supply to the utmost. We favor also the substitu- tion of water power for steam or other power produced bv the consumption of fuel. Great economy in the use of fuel has resulted in the past from the applica- tion of scientific inventions and the use of improvements in machinery, and further progress can be made in the same direction. We therefore recom- 1 68 CONSERVATION mend that all possible encouragement and assistance be given in the develop- ment and perfecting of means whereby waste in the consumption of fuel can be reduced. The loss of human life through pre- ventable mining accidents in North America is excessive. Much needless suffering and bereavement results therefrom. Accompanying this loss there is great destruction of valuable mineral property and enhancement of the cost of production. The best method of eliminating these known and admit- ted evils lies in the enactment and strict enforcement of regulations which will provide the greatest possible security for mine workers and mines. We there- fore favor the scientific investigation of the whole subject of mine accidents by the governments participating in this conference, the interchange of in- formation and experience and the en- actment and enforcement of the best regulations that can be devised. Mineral fertilizers should not be monopolized by private interests, but should be so controlled by public au- thority as to prevent waste and to pro- mote their production in such quantity and at such price as to make them readily available for use. PROTECTION OF GAME We recognize that game preserva- tion and the protection of bird life are intimately associated with the conserva- tion of natural resources. We there- fore favor game protection under regu- lation, the creation of extensive game preserves and special protection for such birds as are useful to agriculture. CONSERVATION COMMISSIONS The action of the President of the United States in calling this first con- ference to consider the conservation of the natural resources of North America was in the highest degree opportune, and the proceedings which have fol- lowed, and the information mutually communicated by the representatives assembled, have, we believe, been con- ducive to the best interests of the coun- tries participating. To derive the greatest possible benefit from the work which has already been done, and to provide proper and effective machinery for future work, there should be estab- lished in each country a permanent Conservation Commission. When such Conservation Commis- sions have been established, a system of intercommunication should be in- augurated, whereby, at stated intervals, all discoveries, inventions, processes, inventories of natural resources, infor- mation of a new and specially impor- tant character, and seeds, seedlings, new or improved varieties, and other productions which are of value in con- serving or improving any natural re- source shall be transmitted by each Commission to all of the others, to the end that they may be adopted and utilized as widely as possible. WORLD CONSERVATION CONFERENCE The conference of delegates, repre- sentatives of the United States, Mexico, Canada and Newfoundland, having ex- changed views and considered the in- formation supplied from the respective countries, is convinced of the impor- tance of the movement for the conser- vation of natural resources on the con- tinent of North America, and believes that it is of such a nature and of such general importance that it should be- come worldwide in its scope, and there- fore suggests to the President of the United States of America that all Na- tions should be invited to join together in conference on the subject of world resources and their inventory, conserva- tion and wise utilization. GiFFORD PiNCHOT, RoBElRT BaCON, JaMES Rudolph Garfield, Commissioners Rcprr- senting the United States. Sydney Fisher, Clifford Sifton, Henri S. Beland, Commissioners Representing the Dominion of Canada. RoMULO Escobar, Miguel A. de Quevedo, Carlos Sellerier, Commissioners Repre- senting the Republic of Mexico. E. H. Outerbridge, Com}nission:r Repre- senting the Colony of Nezvfoundland. Attest : Robert E. Young, Thomas R. Shipp, Secretaries of the Conference. Washington, D. C, February 23, iQog. EDITORIAL Plant Trees IX HIS address before the Annual ?\Ieeting, Secretary Wilson sounded a trumpet call to "plant trees." He re- ferred to the rapidly waning timber supply, to the fact that "the time is coming when trees are going to be as scarce as diamonds," and urged that re- forestation work be begun at once. The mere fact that Congress seems to be un- willing to take action was not, in his judgment, reason why no one else should. Congress is not the only power or effective agency in the United States. There are states, corporations, associa- tions, societies and individuals. Each of these can do something; all of them together can do much. More than fifty years ago Iowa farmers began the planting of trees. It may be added that, all over the Central West, clumps, groves and wayside rows of trees plant- ed by individuals may be found, the total aggregating a large area. The Secretary wisely emphasized the fact that much of this planting must be done by wholesale. "We have prob- ably 5,000,000 acres to plant. We ought to be reforesting a cjuarter of a million acres a year." This work is far too great to be done with spades in hu- man hands. Tree seeds should be sown like grass seed, broadcast, on the last snows in the spring. An experiment made on an eighty-acre tract, one mile above sea level, some three years ago. succeeded magnificntly. Now let the good work go on ! It must not. of course, be inferred that the failure of Congress, thus far, to do its part affords to that body ex- cuse for like failure in the future. The duty of Congress, in cases of which the Appalachian-White Moun- tain ranges are typical, is paramount. These ranges are inter-state, and con- trol the streamflow of navigable rivers over which the power and, therefore, the responsibility of Congress is un- questioned. Still, the fact remains that, whether Congress works or shirks, others can and should do their own part. That the United Kingdom is serious- ly considering the question of reforesta- tion is shown by the report of the Royal Commission on Afforestation and Coast Erosion. This body maintains that, in less than thirty years, there will be no timber available unless the different countries of the world proceed, at once, with the work of replanting. Further- more, though every country should now begin the work, the renewal will not, by any means, halfway keep pace with the consumption. The soil and climate of Great Britain, the report states, are favorable to the production of high-class commercial timber, and the state could profitably undertake the experiment of planting large areas as an alternative to a timber famine. Says a London dispatch of January 27, to the Washington Post. A sum of about $10,000,000 annually, the Commission believes, would be necessary to finance afforestation, but the money could be raised by loan. If money were expended at this rate for the eighty years which it would take to plant 9,000,000 acres, the value of the property might be expected to be $2,810,375,000 or $534,965,000 in excess of the sum involved in its creation. Besides, "afforestation creates a new in- dustry; it does not compete with private en- terprise. The conversion of comparatively unprofitable lands into forests enhances the productiveness of the adjacent area, and should promote the development of the small holdings movement. More than any other apparent remedy, afforestation will stem the tide of rural depopulation." In addition, it is believed that employment would thus be furnished for 100,000 men. 169 170 CONSERVATION The report continues : ' ' The afforesta- tion of suitable lands in the United King- dom, if undertaken on an adequate scale and in accordance with well-recognized scientific principles, would prove at present prices a sound and remunerative investment. In esti- mating the profits of sylviculture, account must, moreover, be taken of two facts— the increasing consumption of timber per head of population all over the world in spite of the introduction of alternative materials, and, further, the exploitation, waste and destruc- tion by fire of the virgin forests, especially those yielding the more important building timbers. Already a noticeable shortage of timber supply has resulted, as is evidenced by stead- ily rising prices and depreciating qualities in all markets. It seems impossible to escape from the conclusion that this tendency will be continued and accentuated, and that a steady and very considerable rise in prices may be looked for throughout the present century. "The amount of land suitable for affores- tation, but not now under timber, in the United Kingdom may roughly be put at a maximum of 9,000,000 acres. A forest of 9,000,000 acres, in which are represented the various series of age classes, may be expect- ed to yield 9,000,000 loads annually in per- petuity. The importation of foreign timber from temperate cHmates into the United Kingdom in the year 1907 exceeded 8,500,000 loads, or approximately the annual supply which could be expected from the afforesta- tion of the above-mentioned area. Fortunately wood, unlike metals and minerals, can be renewed. The fore- going report, and the growing senti- ment in the United States in favor of reforestation, of which Secretary Wil- son's speech is a splendid example, are encouraging signs of a turning in the tide of forest wastefulness, and of the gradual replacement of what the world has already lost. ^ J^ «« The President Attacks the Waters-power Monopoly r^ ONGRESS recently passed House ^ Bill No. 17,707, authorizing Will- iam H. Standish to construct a dam across James River in Stone County, Missouri, and divert part of its waters through a tunnel for electric power. This bill the President vetoed on Jan- uary 15, saying, "My reasons for not signing the bill are that it gives the grantee a valuable privilege which by its very nature is monopolistic and does not contain the conditions essential to public interest." Another case in point the President found in that of the Desplaines River in Illinois, speaking of which he said: "The great corporations are acting with foresight, singleness of purpose and vigor to control the water powers of the country. They pay no attention to state boundaries and are not interested in the constitutional law affect- ing navigable streams. It is significant that they are opposing the control of water power on the Desplaines River by the State of Illi- nois with equal vigor and like arguments to those with which they oppose the National Government pursuing the policy I advocate. Their attitude is the same with reference to their projects upon the mountain streams of the West, where the jurisdiction of the Fed- eral Government as the owner of the public lands and National Forests is not open to question. * * * The people of the coun- try are threatened by a monopoly far more powerful, because in far closer touch with their domestic and industrial life than anything known to our experience. A single genera- tion will see the exhaustion of our natural resources of oil and gas, and such a rise in the price of coal, as will make the price of electrically transmitted water power a controll- ing factor in transportation, in manufactur- ing and in household lighting and heating. * * * No grant of this kind should be made except as it provides for a fee to secure title to the people and for termination of the grant or privilege at a definite time. I will sign no bill granting a privilege of this char- acter which does not contain the substance of these conditions. I consider myself bound, as far as exercise of my executive power will allow, to do for the people, in prevention of monopoly of their resources, what I believe they would do for themselves, if they were in a position to act." Here, again, the President takes high ground on a vital issue. We have all heard of monopoly of land, oil, coal, gas, street railways, telephones, etc., but water-power monopoly is, doubtless, for many, something new under the sun. Of the menace represented by it the President speaks in terms strong enough to arrest attention. Note the situation. Mechanical power is essential to modern life. It has been produced from oil, gas and, especially, coal. These are fast disappearing. The coming great source of such power is EDITORIAL 171 water used to generate electricity. The experts who serve the great corpora- tions know this. The people at large do not. Now, obviously, is the time, the psychological moment, to find these water powers, buy them cheap or get them without buying, and hold them, using such as it may now be profitable to use, but taking good care that the unused ones are in safe hands. Such investments, wisely managed, will pay from the start ; and, when the fuel fam- ine becomes acute, will be so many diamond mines. )^ 5^ )^ Why Governments Should Act DOCTOR HALE again drove home, at the annual meeting, the fact that there are special and peculiar reasons why governments. State and National, in contradistinction to individuals and corporations, should invest in forest property and maintain it on forestry principles. The first reason is that States, un- like individuals, do not usually die. Ancient nations, it is true, fell, and Poland was divided among her ene- mies ; yet, in any practical view, such facts may be disregarded. The United States, as a nation, and the several states which compose it may, for all ordinary purposes, be conceived of as henceforth co-existent with the ever- lasting hills. L^nlike individuals, there- fore, who demand early returns — say eight years hence, at farthest — the State may properly and profitably make an investment whose return will be many years deferred. The State need be in no hurry for re- turns, inasmuch as it has other re- sources ; furthermore, it knows that when the period necessary to mature its investment has elapsed, be that period long or short, its need for revenues will be as real as to-day. Not only -will its need for revenues be as real ; it will be as great and greater. For life assumes growth, and growth implies increased need, and power of consumption. Populations wax ; public institutions multiply : in- 5 creased wants, in countless ways, fore- seeable and unforeseeable, constantly present themselves to organized society. As Governor Hadley, of Missouri, re- cently said, instead of that government being best which governs least, "It is admitted by all fair-minded men that that government is best which governs most, when that government is justly and fairly administered." Governor Hadley also declared that "The most important question before the people in this country to-day is the cjuestion of taxation. It is the basis of organized society. It is through the revenue derived from taxation that our courts are maintained, our educational institutions are preserved and the care of our unfortunates is made possible." The list of objects of expenditure named by Governor Hadley is modest. Further, judging the future by the past, the expenditures of organized society to-day are meager in comparison with those which will be made a generation hence. And, as the experience of Eu- ropean countries and Japan conclusively proves, a splendid source of public reve- nue may be found in the forests, pub- licly owned and administered on for- estry principles. What policy, then, could be more sane and practical than to begin now to provide for the future ? This is the view in which bond issues in time of peace — if no other means be found^are abundantly justifiable as a present basis for forest conservation. Doctor Hale also pointed out that the State can protect its forest property, while the individual cannot protect his. The State can pass laws forbidding carelessness in the use of fire, as by campers, hunters, smokers, brush-burn- ers, railroad companies and the like, and it can enforce the laws by arrest and punishment. The individual can do none of these things. At the Biltmore estate where, because of the largeness of the property and the scientific and business talent employed in its manage- ment, private ownership is displayed at its best, it is freely conceded that the owner, in endeavoring to protect his forests against fire, labors under a 172 CONSERVATION heavy handicap, from which govern- history and our intelHgence." Such ment, state or National, is exempt. conduct on the part of those in places If the indifference of the public, or its of power and responsibility, we may representatives, to public interests be add, would be comparable to "Nero's urged, the reply must be that no gov- fiddling while Rome burned." ernment will run itself ; that as the An ever present excuse for inaction stream can rise no higher than its in such matters is, however, found in source, popular government cannot per- alleged "scarcity of funds.'' Bricks, manently represent a higher degree of we are always assured, cannot be made intelligence and practical capacity than without straw, and bills cannot be paid does the average of its citizenship ; and without cash. In the existing crisis, it that, therefore, a fundamental concern is especially convenient to point to the in the promotion of the movement for great and growing treasury deficit as a conservation, whether of forests alone, triumphant proof that nothing can, by or of all natural resources, must be the any possibility, be done by the National informing and arousing of the people. Government. As the National Conservation Commis- What is this policy of inaction cost- sion says in its report : "For the preven- ing the American people ? Let us glance tion of waste the most effective means at a few, only, of the facts and figures will be found in the increase and dif- presented by the National Conservation fusion of knowledge, from which is sure Commission in its report now in the to result an aroused public sentiment hands of Congress : demanding prevention. The people In the year 1907 the waste in the have the matter in their own hands, extraction and treatment of mineral They may prevent or limit the de- products was equivalent to more than struction of resources and restrain mis- $300,000,000. use through the enactment and enforce- During the same year the direct and ment of appropriate state and federal indirect losses from fire approximated laws." $450,000,000. Of this loss, four-fifths, The ultimate remedy lies with the or an average of $1,000,000 per day, people, but the immediate duty rests could be prevented, upon those whose eyes are already The loss to farm products due to opened to the situation. They must injurious mammals is estimated at push the educational work that appro- $130,000,000 annually; the loss through priate agencies may be devised, and plant diseases reaches several hundred adequate measures taken ; and, this million dollars, and the loss through in- done, they must exercise that eternal sects is reckoned at $659,000,000. vigilance which is not more truly the Since 1870 forest fires have destroyed price of liberty than it is of good and a yearly average of fifty lives and efficient government. $50,000,000 worth of timber. Not )-7 1908 7-8 "The mean of the monthly percent- age for the metal-engineering, and ship- building group of trades was 12.6 in 1908." The Digest publishes a striking chart of unemployment in Great Britain for 1907 and 1908. This chart shows that conditions in each month of 1908 were far worse than in the corresponding month of 1907. Such facts enable us APPALACHIAN LEGISLATION KILLED -175 to understand not only the old age pen- sion movement in Great Britain, but the studied endeavor to provide em- ployment for the unemployed ; re- forestation on a large scale being one of the plans suggested. That a connection exists in the United States between unemployment and the forest question was shown by Doctor Rothrock at the annual meeting, •when he stated that "Hard times have a good deal to do with the problem of forest fires over the country this year ;" that he knew "one place where there were hundreds of men lying idle, and all they had to do to earn 20 cents an hour was to apply the torch," and that he had "seen mobs voluntarily thrusting themselves upon the fire wardens * * * and while putting out the fire with one hand, they would pick up a fire-brand with the other, and throw it back over their heads. They were working by the hour, and did not want the fire suppressed." This raises the question whether un- employment is not more than a mere individual question, of interest simply to the man out of work. Such a man, while deprived of opportunity to main- tain himself and dependents, is obvious- ly maintained, in one form or another, while he lives at all, by the community. Yet the community is deprived of the service he might render it in return while, in addition, he is tempted to the commission of crime to relieve his in- tolerable lot. When his crime takes the form indicated by Doctor Rothrock — not the mere stealing of food for a destitute family, or of a ride to a field of possible employment — but the whole- sale destruction of valuable property, and of interests probably even more valuable dependent upon that property, and this, that he may earn a paltry wage, the question arises. Is not wide- spread unemployment a problem prop- erly demanding the attention of gov- ernments, local, municipal, state or Na- tional ? To this question, the English people are coming to give a more and more strongly affirmative answer. "The pub- lic safety is the supreme law," and un- employment can reach the point, if it has not already reached it in Europe and America, where it directly concerns the public safety. APPALACHIAN LEGISLATION KILLED AFTER a long and determined effort on the part of the friends of Appalachian forest legislation in the House Commit- tee on Agriculture, a bill popularly known as the Weeks bill, from its principal author, Hon. John W. Weeks of Massachusetts, was fayor- ably reported as an amendment to the bill sent down by the Senate at the close of the last session. The report in favor of the Weeks bill was signed by eleven members of the Committee. Five members, including the chairman of the Committee, Mr. Scott of Kansas, signed a minority report in opposi- tion to the bill, and there were two other individual minority reports. The bill came . up in the House on Monday, March i, under suspension of the rules, and passed, after a spirited debate of two hours, by a vote of 157 to 147. The majority was not large, but it was obtained against the combined opposi- tion of both the Republican and Democratic organizations, and was a distinct victory for Mr. Weeks, and Mr. Currier of New Hamp- shire, Mr. Lever of South Carolina, Mr. Lamb of Virginia, Mr. Cocks of New York, Mr. Cole of Ohio, and of the others who supported them in securing its passage. The bill went into the Senate the same afternoon; but the Senate, through the opposition of Senator Teller of Colorado, Senator Hey- burn of Idaho, and other senators from the Rocky Mountain states, refused to allow it to be sent into conference, insisting upon the right of the Senate to discuss it from the floor. This, in view of the pressure of business and the few hours that remained of the session, prevented the passage of the bill. It is a very great misfortune both for the White Mountains and Southern Ap- palachians that the earnest work of the last few years should have failed when so near achievement, and that it should be in the power of two or three men to nullify the plainly expressed will of the majority of the members in both Houses of Congress and of the great body of the people of the country. THE ATTITUDE OF THE WEST TOWARD THE EASTERN FORESTS IN URGING support for the Appala- chian Forest Bill Hon. Curtis Guild, Jr., until recently governor of Massachusetts, sent the following letter to several of the governors in the Rocky Mountain states, and on the Pacific coast. "It has been my pleasure as governor of ]\Iassachusetts, though this common- wealth is not affected by the National support of irrigation for waste lands in the West, not only to encourage fav- orable National action by voice and pen but to send delegates to National con- ventions called in support of the move- ment. Massachusetts is not to be bene- fited by the deeper waterways move- ment, also to be encouraged by National support, yet I have taken great pleas- ure in sending delegates to the Na- tional conventions in Chicago and Washington to give the encouragement of the commonwealth to this much- needed public improvement. "Massachusetts is not asking for the expenditure of one dollar from the Na- tional treasury for any forest reserve within her own borders. We are main- taining and extending state, metro- politan and municipal forest reserves at our own expense. No one state, however, certainly not the little State of New Hampshire, can bear the com- paratively large expense necessary for the forest reserve in the White Moim- tains which must be maintained if the water supplies of New England are not to be irretrievably endangered. This last year, thanks in no small measure to the cutting that has already taken place, Massachusetts has suffered terribly from drought. Our farmers have lost heavily by the shrinkage of crops. Our mills have been obliged to incur heavy expenses in the substitution of steam 176 for water power. Our paper mills in particular have not even had sufficient water to cleanse the rags used as paper stock. Cattle in the fields have been without a sufficient supply. The shrink- age of water in the great rivers has left deposits of sewage and disease germs, spreading sickness among our people. "When the trees are cut from the up- per slopes of the White Mountains, the thin soil is washed away, leaving the bare granite rock. These forests can never be replaced. We not only need action but we need action now. "If it is constitutional for the National Government to maintain for- est reserves and to furnish water sup- plies as well as waterways for the West, we feel sure you will agree that it must be constitutional for the Na- tional Government to obtain forest re- serves preserving water supplies for the East. I am writing, of course, of the peculiar needs of New England. The Southern Atlantic states we also feel should be given similar consideration. They are able to make the further plea that unless some step is taken by the National Government the hardwood supplies for the cabinet-making and fur- niture industries will at no late date dis- appear. "I feel sure that New England, which has at least always tried to do her duty by the Union, will not appeal to you in vain in behalf of this measure of com- mon justice." It is a pleasure to record that in re- sponse to this letter. Governor George E. Chamberlain, of Oregon, introduced in the Oregon state legislature the fol- lowing resolution wliich was adopted by both branches : CALAVERAS BIG TREES SAVED 177 JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 24 "Whereas, the bill in the United States Congress to acquire forest lands on the Eastern Appalachian Mountains, in the States of New Hampshire and Maine at the North, and in Virginia, West Vir- ginia, North CaroHna, South Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee and Kentucky at the South, has three times passed the United States Senate, was recom- mended in a special message once by President Wm. McKinley and twice by Theodore Roosevelt, has the unquali- fied approval of the President-elect, Wm. H. Taft, and has now been recom- mended to the House of Representa- tives by a vote of ten to four in the Committee on Agriculture, and "Whereas, the governor of Massachu- setts, Curtis Guild, Jr., has asked the governor and people of Oregon to lend their support to the passage of this measure at this session of Congress be- fore it adjourns on March 4th, there- fore be it "Resolved, by the Senate and House of Representatives of the State of Ore- gon, that the passage of this measure by the Federal Government is approved. "Be it further resolved, That the peo- ple of this state and the legislature thereof favor the appropriation of moneys by the Congress of the United States for acquiring title to and refor- esting deforested areas whenever and wherever this policy may be necessary in any of the states of the Union, and the governor is hereby requested to transmit copies of this resolution to members of the Oregon delegation in Congress." It is a cause for greater regret that after the measure passed the House, and had already passed the Senate in nearly similar form. Senator Heyburn, of Idaho, and Senator Teller of Colo- rado objected to its going to conference and thus killed it for the present ses- sion. CALAVERAS BIG TREES SAVED BY SIGNING the bill for the creation of the Calaveras National Forest, Califor- nia, President Roosevelt has saved the most famous grove of trees in the world. The people of California have been working to in- terest the Government in this wonderful grove of Big Trees for more than nine years. The Senate bill passed by the House of Repre- sentatives has just been signed. Every one interested in the great natural wonders re- joices that as a means of saving the Big Trees, the way has been paved for a practical exchange of the timber in the groves for stumpage on other forest land owned by the Government. The land to be acquired under the bill includes about 960 acres in what is known as the North Calaveras Grove in Calaveras County, and 3,040 acres in the South Grove in Toulumne County. The North Grove contains ninety-three Big Trees and in the South Grove there are 1,380 of these giant sequoias. Any tree under eighteen feet in circumference, or six feet through, is not considered in the count of large trees. Be- sides the giant sequoias there are hundreds of sugar pines and yellow pines of astonish- ing proportions, ranging to the height of 275 feet and often attaining a diameter of eight to ten feet. There are also many white firs and incense cedars in the two tracts. A Government study of the land was made by a field party under the direction of Fred G Plummer, United States Forest Service, in 1906. The Calaveras Big Trees are known the world over. The North Grove contains ten trees each having a diameter of twenty-five feet or over, and more than seventy having a diameter of fifteen to twenty-five feet. Most of the trees have been named, some for famous generals of the United States and others for statesmen and various states of the Union. "The Father of the For- ests," now down, is estimated by Hittel to have had a height of 450 feet and a diameter at the ground of more than forty feet when it was standing. "Massachusetts," contains 118,000 board feet of lumber; "Governor Stoneman" contains 108,000 board feet, and the ' ' Mother of the Forest, " burned in the terrible forest fire which licked its way into a part of the grove last summer, contains 105,000 board feet. Each of these trees named grows as much lumber as is grown ordinarily on fifteen or twenty acres of tim- , berland. The bark runs from six inches to two feet in thickness. NEWS AND NOTES Floods on the Congo A dispatch from Brussels, Belgium, under date of February i8, says: Floods in the Lower Congo country have devastated posts, factories and villages. The inhabitants have been ruined and are dying in great numbers. «? )^ «? The Railroad Must Pay Fire Damages The Brooklyn Standard-Union for January 13 said : The Long Island Railroad Company heard to-day that it will have to pay $119,300 for c'amage caused by fires to property abutting the lines of the company. The suit against the railroad was won by Charles M. Stafford, who acted with the consent of the Forestry Commission, after a hard fight to convince the members that the company was violating the forest, fish and game laws of the State of New York. The railroad officials contended that the law did not apply to Long Island, that it was only made for the forests in the Adirondacks and Catskills. The decision of the Court of Appeals says the law applies to every place and every railroad in the State. Ur' Mr' «r' The Joint Committee on Cooperation The Joint Committee on Cooperation, au- thorized by the Joint Conservation Confer- ence which met in Washington, D. C, on December 8, 9 and 10 last, will meet on March 5th. This committee consists of eleven men, three members of the National Conservation Commission and six members of the State Conservation Commissions, with the addition of the chairman of the conference, Mr. Gif- ford Pinchot, and Mr. T. R. Shipp, Secretary. The six members are chairmen of the State Conservation Commissions. This committee will consider suggestions forwarded to it from the various conserva- tion organizations. National, state and pri- vate, and, from these, will formulate a plan of cooperation by which all the organizations named can cooperate harmoniously on specilic, coordinated lines of effort. In this way it is hoped that a large and effective work may be organized. «« )^ &' State Control of Forest Fires In the February issue of Conservation, in connection with the remarks of Prof H. H. Chapman, appears the report on State 178 Control of Forest Fires, submitted to the Annual Meeting of The American Forestry Association on January 13th last. This re- port was prepared by a commission ap- pointed several months before by the Asso- ciation and composed of men of wide expe- rience who devoted a considerable amount of time and thought to the study of the ques- tion before them. Their report was adopted by the Association as its program. The As- sociation further decided to publish a suf- ficient number of copies for distribution among all the state legislatures in the Union. In accordance therewith, twelve copies were sent to the President of the Senate, and to the Speaker of the House of Representatives of every state and territory, these copies being accompanied by a letter stating the purpose of the program. From about twenty states there have come to the office of the Association not only acknowledgment of the pamphlet, but a number of letters containing expressions of interest and approval. In one instance request was made for additional copies with which to supply every member of the assemblv. H- )>■ ^ Secretary Wilson to Continue in Cabinet The Washington Times of January 29 said : The decision of Mr. Taft to retain Secre- tary James Wilson, of Iowa, as head of the Department of Agriculture, gives much sat- isfaction in Washington. Much satisfaction also is expressed in Con- gressional circles. Not only had the mem- ijers of the Iowa delegation written a strong letter to Mr. Taft, but a large number of members of the House and Senate, without being asked to do so, had written urging that Mr. Wilson be reappointed. Secretary Wilson has seen the Department of Agriculture make great strides since he became the head of it. But he has been working in the cause of the advancement of Governmental efforts in behalf of agriculture much longer than he has been head of the department. Back in the days when he was in Congress he urged the establishment of a Department of Agriculture. He was one of the first to insist that the Bureau of Agriculture ought to be converted into a department. )t' «t' Mc' To Prevent Fraud on the Public Domain The Sundry Civil Appropriation Bill, as reported from Committee to the House on February 19, contained a clause granting to the Secretary of the Interior, $1,000,000 for NEWS AND NOTES 179 the detection and prevention of fraud on the public domain. The appropriation last year was a half million, and the year before a quarter million. Secretary Garfield urged that it be increased to a million this year, in order that the great mass of land fraud cases now on hand can be prosecuted to their conclusion. This work is to be done by agents under the direction of the Secre- tary of the Interior. Two and a half million dollars is appro- priated for the construction of a building in Washington to house the General Land Office, the Geological Survey, the Indian Office, and the Reclamation Service. For the continuance of work of rivers and harbors that has already been authorized by law, $19,574,514 is appropriated. This is the second largest item in the bill. V>i ^ iii To Conserve Historic Data The President has recently proposed to Congress the creation of a commission on National Historical Publications. This pro- posal is based on the recommendation made by the Committee on Department methods of which Comptroller Lawrence O. Murray and Mr. Gifford Pinchot are members. The committee shows that important historical materials in the possession of the Govern- ment are inadequately cared for and protect- ed, and recommend the construction of a National archive house, and the storage therein, as promptly as possible, of the ear- lier records and papers of the administrative departments. In preparing their report the committee on department methods appointed an assistant committee which included a large number of the most eminent historians of the LTnited States. Charles Francis Adams, president of the Massachusetts Historical Society, was the head of this assistant com- mittee. Prof. Charles M. Andrews, of Johns Hopkins; Prof. William A. Dunning, of Co lumbia ; Worthington C. Ford, of the Library of Congress ; Prof. Albert Bushnell Hart, of Harvard, and others equally prominent, were on this committee. «? ^ ^ Rivers and Harbors Bill The Washingtoi Times of February 19 contained the following: Chairman Burton, of the Rivers and Har- bors Committee, to-day reported his bill, carrying $9,971,625 for repairs, maintenance, and preservation of public works in the riv- ers and harbors of the United States. The amount to be allotted to any one project, however, is limited to $50,000. The bill also provided for the creation of a national waterways commission to consist of seven members of the House and five members of the Senate. Fifty thousand dol- lars is appropriated for the expenses of the commission. The items carried in the bill are as follows : Maintenance and operation of Government plants, $8,185,750. Engineers, $500,000. National Waterways Commission, $50,000. Surveys, $600,000. Authorization for appropriations to be made hereafter, $635,875. It is expected the bill will pass practi- cally as presented. The bill provides for a survey for the pur- pose of estimating the cost of a continuous intracoastal waterway with a channel twenty- five feet deep from Boston to Long Island Sound, to New York Bay, and thence across New Jersey to the Delaware River or Bay; thence to Chesapeake Bay, then from Nor- folk, Virginia, to the North Carolina sounds, and Beaufort Inlet, North Carolina. From Beaufort, North Carolina, another waterway twelve feet deep is to be sur- veyed, extending through Cape Fear River, North Carolina; Winyah Bay, North Caro- lina; St. John's River, Florida; to Key West, Florida: thence across the State of Florida, and along the Gulf of Mexico. ^ ^ i« Waste of Michigan Lands On January 25 the Washington Times published the following dis- patch : The waste of lands and forests and the accompanying money loss to the state of Michigan are appalling, according to the re- port of the commission of inquiry to-day, au- thorized by the last legislature, to exam- ine the situation and recommend such legis- lation as might seem feasible. For the 949,ooo acres sold in the last six years, the state has received an average of $1.08 an acre. The commission found that in eleven counties 21,455 acres had been sold for $200,000 less than the actual value of the land and timber. At this rate, the State has lost over $9,000,000 in its sales of land dur- ing the last six years. The commission recommends that the state withdraw at once all tax and home- stead lands until the legislature can decide more fully what the proposed project shall be, and thereby put a stop to the waste. J^ i^' 5S For Healthy Fruit Trees The House Committee on Agriculture has favorably reported a bill providing for Gov- ernment inspection of nursery stock at ports of entry to be designated by the Secretary of Agriculture. The bill carries an appro- priation of $100,000; it also authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to establish a quar- antine against the importation or transporta- i8o CONSERVATION tion in interstate commerce of diseased nursery stock or stock infected with inju- rious insects. The Secretary of Agriculture is authorized to extend the provisions of the bill to fruits, vegetable bulbs or other plants whenever he deems it necessary. The bill makes it unlaw- ful for any transportation company to offer at any port of entry nursery stock unless ac- companied by a certificate of inspection by an official expert of the country from which the importation is made. «r' U? 5^ Waterways Treaty between the United States and Great Britain A waterways treaty has recently been signed between Secretary Root, repre- senting the United States, and Ambas- sador Bryce, for Great Britain. The provisions of the treaty are thus sum- marized by the Literary Digest for February 20 : It provides for the settlement of all controversies which arise between the two countries by a joint high commission of six members, three from each country. It set- tles all waterways controversies, such as the question of power at Niagara Falls, the navi- gation of the St. John 's River between Maine and New Brunswick, the use of water for reclamation purposes along the border and near the Milk and the St. Mary rivers, and decides questions of navigation on the Great Lakes. Its settlement of the Niagara Falls problem is regarded as probably the most important feature. This problem has been a cause of friction for a long time, and al- though both countries have repeatedly tried by legislation to decide the matter definitely, a settlement has never been reached. The establishment of the commission will most likely preclude the possibility of further dis- agreements between the two countries in their relations along the border, and the treaty itself is one that has long been hoped for by those who have taken an interest in relations with Canada. To some extent the treaty will supersede the work of the Inter- national Waterways Commission, made up of representatives of the United States and Canada, whose duties include the settlement of the location of that portion of the inter- national boundary between the United States and Canada passing through the Great Lakes system. Considerable indignation is expressed in Canada, the press claiming that that country is being robbed of her rights by a feat of American diplomacy ; while the Canadian Senate protests against the making and legalising, by the Brit- ish Government, of a treaty of vital in- terest to Canada, without, at the same time, consulting the Canadian Parlia- ment. «i )^ 5^ State and Local Receipts from^National Forests During the last fiscal year ending June 30, the United States Forest Service issued to settlers in the neighborhood of national for- ests in Western States over 30,000 "free use" permits, under which the settlers re- ceived free about 264,000 cords of firewood, posts, poles and sawlogs, worth $169,320, or about 64 cents per cord in the forest — a low valuation. Besides this, the different states received for school and road purposes twenty-five per cent, of the income from the national forests, amounting last year to $447,064. The direct return to the States in lieu of taxes on the 147,000,000 acres, the estimated area of unpatented land in the National Forests, amounted then in the last year to $615,384 in cash and "free use" timber. fc' J^ )^ Yale Forest School The senior class of the Yale Forest School, numbering thirty students, will leave New Haven, Connecticut, about March ist for Doucette, Tyler County, Texas, where they will study the lumber operations of the Thompson Bros. Lumber Company, secure final practice in surveying, map making and the estimation of timber, and investigate the possibilities of forest management in the region. It has been the custom of the For- est School for several years to conduct the work of the spring term of the senior year on some large lumber operation. In 1906 the work was carried on at Waterville, New Hampshire, on the lands of the International Paper Company. The spring term of 1907 was spent in southern Missouri on the lands owned by the Missouri Lumber and Mining Company. The class of 1908 was in central Alabama on the holdings of the Kaul Lumber Company. The selection of Texas for the coming season's work is due to an invitation extended by Mr. J. Lewis Thompson, of Houston, Texas, manager of the extensive Thompson lumber interests in Texas and likewise an enthusiastic advo- cate of forestry. Mr. Thompson is a mem- ber of the Forest Conservation Committee of the Yellow Pine Manufacturers' Asso- ciation, and also is greatly interested in the formulation of a proper forest policy for the State of Texas. Arrangements have been made for the construction of camp buildings near the center of one of the large timber tracts of the company, where the students will live during the greater part of their stay in the region. The trip will be made from New York to New Orleans by boat, NEWS AND NOTES i8i and from thence to Doucette by rail. It is probable that one or more cypress operations will be visited while the students are en route to Texas. The class will remain on the holdings of the Thompson Bros. Lumber Company until the middle of June, when camp will be broken and a committee of students will re- turn to New Haven to represent the class at the university commencement. The re- mainder of the class will scatter to various parts of the country for a short vacation. About July I the students will enter the employ of the United States Forest Service, State Forest Commissions and lumber com- panies or engage in private forest work. The instruction in surveying, mapping and timber estimating will be in charge of H. H. Chapman, and the study of the log- ging and manufacturing methods in charge of R. C. Bryant, both members of the facul- ty of the Forest School. In addition to the regular instruction there will be a number of special lectures by prominent lumbermen. Among the latter are Mr. Thompson, who will spend some time in the camp with the students and will give a number of talks on subjects relating to the lumber business, and Mr. George K. Smith, secretary of the Yel- low Pine Manufacturers' Association, who for the past two years has addressed the students on the subject of lumber associa- tions, market conditions, etc. 5^ )^ i^ Railroads Seeking Tie Supply That the humble railroad tie is a most im- portant factor in the material development of the country is a great truth that is little understood by people outside of railroad cir- cles. The puffing engine that speeds at the rate of a mile or more a minute over the country is a slave to the two steel rails that insure a smooth and safe road, and these rails in turn depend on the old-fashioned wooden cross-tie which holds them in place. Yankee invention has not yet found a sub- stitute which has induced the railroads to give up wood, although experts say that the day will surely come when the country's for- ests will no longer be called upon to supply the demand for ties. Up to the present time it seems that no other material has been found which has the resiliency of wood and which at the same time causes less wear and tear on the rails, fastenings, and roadbed. The country's railroads during the last two or three years used 110,000,000 to 150,000,000 of sawed and hewn ties a year. The ideal tie timber is white oak, which combines the qualities of durability, hard- ness, strength, and close grain. On account of its wide use, the supply has been greatly reduced and some of the railroads hav-e been forced to pay almost prohibitive prices for ties, or to substitute other and cheaper woods to replace the white oak ties rapidly disap- pearing from their lines. Over forty per cent, of the ties recently purchased by the railroads of the country are oak, according to latest statistics of United States Forest Service. Stumpage values have been increasing so rapidly during the last few years that many railroads have found it necessary to modify their timber policy, and they yearly apply preservatives to a greater number of ties and to more kinds of wood. Substitute woods naturally vary with different sections of the country, but in most cases they lack the two essential qualities found in white oak, namely, resistance to mechanical wear and to decay. Experience proves that wear can be successfully retarded by the use of tie plates and other mechanical devices, and decay can be postponed by the application of proper preservatives. The new conditions have made it necessary for many railroad companies to meet the problem of preserva- tion by establishing treating plants at central points of distribution along their lines. &' ^ 5^' Mahogany among Hardwoods For refined expression in the manufac- ture and all other forms of interior decora- tion, mahogany is undoubtedly the peer of the hardwoods. A few years ago mahogany was regarded as a very precious wood, and was employed only in the interior of the finest houses and in the manufacture of the most expensive furniture. During the past few years, however, there has been a won- derful development in mahogany importa- tion and use. The total quantity of mahogany imported last year was nearly 42,000,000 board feet. Of this large amount North America supplied 65.6 per cent, and Europe eighteen per cent. Though Europe supplied only a little more than one-fourth as much mahogany as there was imported from North America its average value per thousand feet was more than twice as much, due to finer quality. The remainder of the imports came from Africa, South America, and Asia. Immediately fol- lowing the war with Spain, lumbermen of the United States exploited the largest and most accessible of Cuban mahogany forests. An engineer employed by American authori- ties during the recent intervention in Cuba claims that nearly all of the available supply of mahogany of that island has been ex- hausted and that what now remains in any considerable quantities is far remote from transportation facilities. The number of buyers of mahogany in this country's hardwood market is now exceeded only by those of oak, maple, poplar, bass- wood, ash, birch, chestnut and cypress. The principal reason for the popularity of ma- hogany is that the importers of the logs and the manufacturers of lumber have never ad- 1 82 CONSERVATION vanced its prices, beyond a modest profit, and it is relatively so low that it now makes little difference in price whether an office building or a home is finished in mahogany or quartersawn white oak. Another reason for its popularity is because it improves in tone with age. )>i ))i ^ Woodpeckers Destroy Poles Birds are destroying the telephone and telegraph poles in the South and Southwest, particularly in Texas, Arizona, and CaHfor- nia. In some places fifty per cent, of all the poles along the right of way have been rid- dled by these innocent offenders, which be- long to the woodpecker family. One of the Western Union officials, vvho has recently returned from an inspection through the West, reported having seen twenty-five telephone poles with two or three hundred holes drilled clear through them. Some of the holes were three or four inches in diameter. An officer of the Illinois Central Railroad counted the white cedar telephone poles along the right of way near ^ Covington, Tennessee, which had been affected by wood- peckers, and found that out of 268 poles, no, or forty-one per cent., had been bored. Many methods for preventing this dam- age have been suggested, but probably the most successful is preservation with creosote. A line of creosoted poles, opposite the one near Covington, was examined, and not a single hole was found. When it is consid- ered that creosote will not only prevent the damage caused by the woodpecker, but also protect the pole indefinitely against both in- sects and decay, its great value as a preserv- ative is apparent. >^ «? )^ Tree Planting in Kansas There are now 160,000 acres of planted trees in central Kansas, where at one time it was thought that trees could not be grown. As the area in which agricultural crops can be profitably grown is steadily extending, so the limit of forest planting and tree culture is widening always. The native timber in Kansas is also on the increase ; prairie fires no longer sweep unchecked across the plains, and the strips of forest along the rivers and in the ravines and gullies are becoming broader every year. In some counties cottonwood was the only tree planted for many years. Then boxelder, honey locust, catalpa, osage orange, Russian mulberry, black walnut, and red cedar were tried, and all of them were found suitable over the greater part of the state. Many persons desire a greater variety of trees, for ornament or for profit. A gentle- man living in Albilene, Dickinson County, has planted a large number of trees and shrubs about his home and has proved that many species from the forests of the Eastern states and of the Old World are well adapt- ed to the prairies of central Kansas. Some of the trees with which he has had success are persimmon, magnolia, basswood, june- berry, black cherry, buckeye, dogwood, syca- more, tulip-tree, pin oak, red oak, English oak, European alder, camperdown elm, red- bud, Paulownia, Chinese cork tree, ginkgo, red-leaf maple, and cutleaf weeping birch. These are not so valuable for windbreaks, fence posts, and fuel as the trees ordinarily planted for those purposes, and since they are not so hardy, they require more care; but their ornamental value is very great, and as towns grow older, the demand increases for a variety of trees to replace the short- lived cottonwoods. &' «? &' Goats Improving Forests Three thousand angora goats herded out on the brush-covered foothills of California are going to do some hard work for Uncle Sam during the coming two years beginning this spring. The experiment will be unique both as a stock-raising proposition and as an engineering and tree-culture problem. The little white animals whose long wool is of such great value are going to be put to no less a task than constructing mile after mile of fire line through the bushy chaparral growth in the National Forests, saving much labor by the United States Forest Service engineers and making way for forestation by merchantable trees. Not the least important feature of the experiment, which for the first two years will be confined to the Lassen Forest, is the fact that the task will be per- formed during the regular grazing by the goats which will not even realize they are doing a valuable work. Plans for carrying on the work are out- lined in a cooperative agreement drawn up by the Forest Service and the owner of a band of angora goats grazing on the Las- sen National Forest of California. The scheine is to run fire lines parallel with the contour of the slopes by cutting trails about eighty rods apart. The trails are to serve as guides for the angoras. They will graze in each direction from the trails, killing, it is estimated, a strip of brush about 300 yards wide. The wide lanes cut out and grazed by the goats will serve as ideal fire lines in protecting the forest-covered lands lying beyond and around the chaparral areas and also make a place for reproduction of mer- chantable trees. «r' ^ «r' American and German Forests American forests, according to the experts of the Department of Agriculture, are capa- ble of yielding more wood to the acre, if well handled, than the noted forests of Germany, many of which net their owners from $2.50 NEWS AND NOTES 183 to $6 or more per acre annually. Not only are our native forests richer in valuable tim- ber trees, but our climate and soil conditions are more favorable. The trouble is not that our trees do not grow fast enough, but that our ignorance and carelessness have left our woodlands poorly stocked. The German forester sees to it that his forest is uniform and dense. To grow a full crop of wood, as to grow a full crop of grass or corn, there must be a full stand. Next in importance is the rate of growth of the trees. The species most grown abroad are Norway spruce, Scotch pine, and silver fir for soft woods, and beech and oak for liardwoods. In German forests of the first quality. Norway spruce attains in sixty years an average diameter of 9.4 inches. Mi «? ^ Wood Preservation in Louisiana A cooperative agreement between the For- est Service and the North Louisiana Tele- phone Company for the investigation of eco- nomic methods for the preservation from de- cay of loblolly pine telephone poles has re- cently been carried out with gratifying re- sults. The object of the Government was to demonstrate that a creosote treatment could be applied successfully and at a low cost to loblolly pine poles. Such success was obtained that a company has been incorpor- ated under the name of the Louisiana Creo- soting Company, which will operate commer- cially the plan designed by the Forest Service. The treating plant, which has been in operation since the latter part of October last, is of the "non-pressure," or "open- tank" type. Extensive experiments carried on by the Forest Service in recent years, have shown that the "open-tank" system is admirably adapted to the treatment of cer- tain classes of timber, and especially so as regards loblolly pine. The plant used in the experiment with the North Louisiana Telephone Company is equipped with a horizontal treating cylinder fifty feet long and six feet in diameter. Dur- ing some months, 3,000 poles, 2,500 cross- arms, and 500 ties were treated, an amount sufficient to determine the most economical methods of treating these classes of mate- rial. The Forest Service then withdrew from the cooperation, and the plant is now being successfully operated by the owners. ^ i^ )^' Use of National Forest Resources The actual use of the varied resources of the Government's 168,000,000 acres of Na- tional Forest land is on the increase, accord- ing to the report of the work for the fiscal year 1908. The report says that from an administrative standpoint the most striking fact of the year was the remarkable increase which took place in the volume of business transacted. This growth in business done by the L'uited States Forest Service last year over the previous year is partly brought out in the following statement showing percentages of increase : in the number of timber sales, 236 per cent. ; in the amount of timber cut under sales, 102 per cent. ; in the number of free timber permits, seventy-six per cent. ; in the number of grazing permits, eleven per cent., and in the number of special-use permits, sixty-seven per cent. That the ad- ditions to existing National Forests and new creations caused this increase only to a small extent is shown by the fact that the area in- creased is only eleven per cent. ^ ^ ta Irrigation Scheme in Spokane Seven hundred and fifty dollars is to be expended by the Cook-Clarke Company of Spokane, in establishing an underground and direct pressure irrigation system to water 4,600 acres of land adjoining the north city limits. The land will be devoted to orchards in five and ten acre tracts, with roads around each forty acres. The company will donate two tracts of fifty acres each for park pur- poses. Water for irrigating the land will be pumped from a spring, which has a flow suf- ficient for one section. The same flumes will carry water for domestic use in the beginning, but later separate systems are to be installed. When the spring will not sup- ply enough water there are five other springs on the land which will be used. Later water will be taken from Peone Creek, which is to be dammed, and from Dragoon Creek and the Little Spokane, both of which flow through the River tract, and on which water rights have been secured. A reservoir almost a mile in length, 1,000 feet wide and thirty feet deep is to be built in the channel of Peone Creek. &' ^ &' Dams and Floods Are the mill dams in the Smoky Hill River, Kansas, responsible for the floods of the last five years? The farmers who lost their crops in 1903, 1904 and 1908 claim that the mill-dams are more or less responsible for the damage. This contention the mill- owners deny. To ascertain the facts Capt. Edward H. Schulz, the Government engi- neer at Kansas City, was invited to look over the territory.' He did so and explained the situation to the farmers., stating that the trouble was at least in large part due to bends in the river, and advocated the forma- tion of a drainage district and the straight- ening of the bends. To what extent the floods were caused by the dams he v/as un- able to state without an actual survey. The question seems likely to be carried before the courts. i84 CONSERVATION Irrigation in Okanogan County Eighteen thousand acres of land in Okano- gan County, Washington, will be put under irrigation within the next three years by George T. Crane, of Spokane, and his asso- ciates, including R. W. Hunner and Earl B. Crane. The project involves the expenditure of $1,500,000, through the purchase of a half interest in the two tracts to be brought un- fler the ditch, and the construction of a plant and a canal forty-four miles in length. Mr. Crane announces that the preliminary plans have been worked out, also that arrange- ments have been completed in the East for Financing the project. 5fe' «/ 5^ Twin Falls Irrigation Project Construction work lias been started on two tracts under the Twin Falls irrigation project, which will add 100,000 acres to the veritable empire under the canals of the sys- tem in southern Idaho. Contracts have been awarded by the Government for the survey of the Twin Falls Bruneau tract, the great- est of the projects, and construction on this enterprise will begin early next spring. Within five years, it is predicted by expert irrigationists in Spokane, there will be 1,500,000 acres of land under the canals of the district, all under practically one system. This is a larger area than is under any one system in the valley of the Nile. Since the Carey act was enacted by Con- gress more than 847,000 acres of desert land has been segregated by the State of Idaho for the companies operating under its pro- visions. The segregation of as many more acres of desert land has been applied for by the state and will be reclaimed within the next few years. The total area covered by the seventeen enterprises is approximately 1,700,000 acres. ^ ^ «? Bleeding Southern Pines "Bleeding" pine trees for their resin, to which chiefly longleaf (Pinus palustris) and Cuban pine (Pinus heterophylla) are sub- jected, has generally been regarded as inju- rious to the timber. It has been claimed that both durability and strength of timber are impaired by this process, and in the specifications of many architects and large consumers, such as railway companies, "bled" timber is excluded. Special investigations, involving mechani- cal tests and the physical and chemical analyses of the wood of bled and unbled trees from the same locality, have been car- ried on by the United States Government through the Forest Service. Results prove conclusively (i) that bled timber is as strong as unbled if of the same weight ; (2) that the weight and shrinkage of the heart- wood is not affected by bleeding; (3) that the durability of the heartwood is not affect- ed by bleeding, since the resin comes from sapwood only. Bled timber is as useful for all purposes as unbled. % ^ ^ A Farm Raising Timber In every state of the Union there are many tracts of so-called agricultural land, which, owing to their hilly character, poor soil, or numerous boulders, are not suitable for farming. The owners of such tracts are often at a loss to know what to do with them. Without question, the best use to which land of this kind can be put is to plant it with trees. An Ohio farmer is solving the problem of what to do with the worn-out farm. He owns an old homestead of sixty acres, which he is desirous of keeping in the family. He does not live on the place, however, and farming has been a losing proposition. He has, therefore, decided to plant the entire tract with trees. The owner is wise is plant- ing several kinds of trees instead of confin- ing himself to one species. His forest will be producing six or seven kinds of lumber, chestnuts, and Christmas trees, at the same time. )^ «? )^' Asparagus Under Irrigation William Lee, a professional gardener, who made a fortune in the Yakima Valley in central Washington, has planted the larg- est asparagus field in the Northwest at White Bluffs, Washington, south of Spo- kane. The tract of ten acres required 90,000 plants, representing- an outlay of $450. The land is under irrigation. It is expected to gather a fair crop in two years. The yearly cuttings sell on the Columbia River markets at from 25 to 30 cents a pound. Should the prices go below 20 cents it is proposed to can the product. va ^ )ii Forest Protection and Management Conservative management of timberlands is assured for less than one-fourth of this country's forested areas, the part contained in the National Forests and under the ad- ministration of the United States Forest Service. By cutting only the mature trees and protecting the new growth by keeping out fires, the National Forests will be made to yield indefinitely. It cannot be expected that this small part of the Nation's forests will supply the demand for future genera- tions, and the one hope in sight is that users of wood and lumber manufacturers will in- sure the permanence of their business by ap- plying the principles of forestry in the man- agement of timberlands. CONSERVATION'S ADVERTISERS Made of wire that is all life and strength — -wire that stretches true and tight and yields just enough under impact to give back every jolt and jam it receives. Made of materials selected and tested in all the stages from our own mines, tlirough our own blast furnaces and rolling and wire mills, to the finished product. Our employment of specially adapted metals is of great importance in fence wire; a wire that must be hard yet not brittle; stiff and springy yet flexible enough for splicing — best and most durabh fence material on earth. To obtain these and in addition apply a quality of gal- vanizing that will effectually protect against weather conditions, is a triumph of the wiremaker's art. J^} ThesearecombinedintheAmericanandEllwood ^-'-44'? fences — the product of the greatest mines, steel producing plants and wire mills in the world. And with these good facilities and the old and skilled employes back of them, we maintain the highest standard of ex- cellence possible for bun and ingenuity to produce. Dealers everywhere, ca ing styles adapted to ever purpose. See them. American Steel & Wire Co. Chicago New York Denver San Francisco ti'"- FENCE In writing to advertisers kindly mention Conservation JAMES D. LACEY WOOD BEAIj VICrrOR THRANE ARE Interested in Soutliern or Pacific Coast Timber? We furnish detailed reports as to the QUALITY of the timber, giving average TOP and BUTT diameters, average lengths and number of trees on each 40-acre subdivision.- We submit reports covering details as to logging conditions, cost and most feasible methods of logging each 40-acre or sectional subdivision of each tract. We also furnish a TOPOGBAPHICAIi map of aU tracts located in mountainous dis- tricts, showing every elevation of 100 feet throughout the tract with OUB OWN engineer's report showing locations of most feasible routes and grades for logging roads. We can furnish su£9.cient data regarding AKY tract of timber which we have examined to convince you whether the tract is what you want or not. Personal inspection of any tract we may offer you will be found just as represented. We are in a position to offer some exceedingly attractive TIMBEB properties in the SOUTH, in BRITISH COLUMBIA, and on the PAOIFIO COAST. Also a few going mill operations with ample timber supplies in South CaroUna and Mississippi. We furnish detailed reports of amount of STUMIPAGE on each 2 1-2,- 5- or 10-acre ■ubdivision of each forty. We employ expert PACITIC COA5T CRUISERS to check all estimates made on Weet- tem Timber. We offer HIGH CLASS Timber Properties only, which have been placed in our hands for sale. We guarantee our estimates are reliable. JAMES D. LACEY & GO. (ESTABLISHED SINCE 1880) 828 Chamber of Oemmsroe 607 Lmnbttr Kxehjuig* 1215 Old Colony Pottland, Ore. Seattle Chicago SM H«(inea Buildingr New Orleans GEO. E. HOWARD PRESS, WASHlNGTiiX Vol, XV Formerly FORESTY AND IRRIGATION No. 4 Soils and Minerals Published by THE AMERICAN FORESTRY ASSOCIATlbN, 1417 G St. N, W., Washington, D. C. ^ Price, $2.00 per Year, including Annual Membership in the Association -Ut iQArt I -yL - A COXSERJ'A TION'S AD VER TISERS In the field of Tree Surgery we stand alone. Its origin and development are the results of the life work and study of Mr. John Davey, and the methods which we employ represent the very highest attainment of the science. These methods are unapproached in quality, and their results are permanent Our field representatives are developed in our own training school, at Kent, Ohio, and their skill is absolutely unequalled. Our long experience, and the best- trained corps of assistants in the world, are at your service. The letter below speaks for itself. WILLOW BROOK SUNNYSIDE LANE /Jp /^ ^/Vtn. tvv ,^^x> ^^ ^ IRVINGTON-ON- HUDSON i. //iiMA^^ NEW YORM /-A* H^vork perfect In writing to advertisers kindly mention Conservation "•"•■.^ ' ^tiVw^VS" AMEMIKSAM iromHSTmY ASg®€BATD®li3 :/ CONTENTS FOR APRIL, 1909 THE THREE SISTERS Frontispiece WORK ON A NATIONAL FOREST— No. lo— By Charles Howard Shinn 187 ETHICS OF THE FOREST— By Alexandre Erixon 197 IN THE GIANT FOREST OF THE SIERRAS— Pot'»j—By Alexander Blair Thaw. ... 202 THE WORLD'S MOST VALUABLE IRRIGATED DISTRICTS— By G. E. Browne. . 203 FOREST PRESERVATION AND ELECTRIC DEVELOPMENT OF WATER POWER— By Allen Hollis 21.4 THE CONSERVATION OF WORLD RESOURCES— By Treadwell Cleveland, Jr 218 A WORD FROM MRS. WILLIAiAIS 222 THE "DISMAL SCIENCE" DECADENT— By Thomas Elmer Will 223 CHESTNUT TIMBER GOING TO WASTE— By Robert T. Morris 226 ARTICLES OF INCORPORATION AND BY-LAWS OF THE A. F. A 227 THE FIRST TREE— Po(7;«— By Hazel Alma Banks Pierce 229 EDITORIAL— Defeat of Appalachian Legislation — A National The North American Conservation Conference.. 234 Loss 230 Conservation of the Resources of the Planet . . . 235 Do They Represent the West? 231 Private "Rights" in Public Lands 237 The Forest Service in Congress 232 The Fight Just Begun 238 Public Advantage from Reclamation 233 NEWS AND NOTES— Wisconsin Gets Forest Laboratory 239 Roads for National Forests 239 English Forest and Land Policy 239 A German on International Conservation 240 Kansas Catalpas Pay 240 Draining the Everglades 241 Opening of the Payette-Boise Project 241 Progress on the Uncompahgre Project 241 Lands Restored to the Public Domain 241 Mrs. Fairbanks for Conservation 242 Regulations Applying to Government Irrigated Lands 242 What a Timber Patch Can Do Forest Conservation in Hawaii War on the Prairie Dog Timber Supply of United States Effect of Deforestation Improved Methods of Turpentining Bring Favor able Results China Begins Education in Forestry Children Plant Trees Utilizing Natural Gas Increased Need for Private Forestry.... Condition of Forest Resources 243 243 244 244 24.5 245 246 247 247 24S 24S INDEX FOR CONSERVATION FOR 1908 - 248 Conservation Is the official organ of the American Forestry Association. Price, $2.00 per year, including Annual Membership in the Association. Entered as second-cla.ss 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. 185 .**■ J^^^JM' FORESTS WAT E RS SOILS AND MINERALS IMiMiini'' LIBRARY NEW YORK BOTANICAL UaKOBN. Vol. XV APRIL, 1909 No. 4 WORK ON A NATIONAL FOREST No, 10, Dealing with Frontier Communities By CHARLES HOWARD SHINN, Supervisor, Sierra National Forest IT HAS been many months since I could find time for another of these g-limpses of our problems up here among the rocks of Sierra. New and interesting phases of life present themselves almost every day, and of course, the larger policy questions are always with us. When I look back along the busy months since the first article of this series appeared in print, I begin to un- derstand with more definiteness how intimately all that I have written from this forest is related to actual events here, to our secret undercurrents, to the changing airs of our spiritual atmos- phere, and indeed, to the very warp and woof of our perpetually fascinat- ing struggle with the demons of doubt and chaos as we carry forward the bronze tree symbol of the Service. The intelligent filing clerks, glanc- ing, no matter how swiftly, over cor- respondence from any forest, must in- evitably seize an impression as of the ebb and flow of tides, good or bad, sometimes in grazing matters. sometimes in timber, very often in re- gard to lands or special uses. Of course, the chiefs of divisions in their weekly conferences discuss, among all the routines, these occasional neap- tides of tumultj which whirl and glis- ten like very maelstroms, funneling wild seas clear down to the primeval rocks of human nature ; these young and fire-hearted chiefs can perhaps trace back all such tumults to the smallest of beginnings in local igno- rance and misunderstandings. At other times, how smooth and fair the placid waters of life move on in their appointed channels ; the filing clerks have merely routine work, dull, safe, and pre-eminently proper, com- ing to their methodical hands from that serene forest. Then, of a surety, one may sit down and write little stories as of Robin Hood camp-fires, and indulge in a chapter of "New Worlds for Old" at lunch-time. "Blessed is that nation," wrote a philosopher once, "that has no his- tory ;" and, as T remember, time was 187 i88 CONSERVATION when I accepted and rejoiced in the saying as one that was full of ripe wisdom. But one night my thoughts ran back along the pathways, half dream, half vision, and I saw such a land, wrapped in age-long peace and forever past its struggles. The very power to make history had perished, and, even in my sight, the people fell apart as a loosened fagot of dry branches gathered by an old peasant woman in a Thuringian forest — and that nation ceased to be. "Blessed is the Service," to make our new saying, "that goes on unrestmg, unhasting, adding strength to strength and wis- dom to wisdom, age after age, and making many volames of history all its own. Really then, the very essence of all these primitive studies of mine — of these leaflets from the "B'ook of Be- ginnings"— is that they must move on and on with the actual currents of our lives and our work. They cannot al- ways discourse prettily of ranger-lads, mountain horses, shake-makers, and forest fires. More and more, as the years pass, we are brought up against all those larger problems, social and economic, which are related to good government. Let us be truly glad that it is so, my gentle reader ; that in every forest, in every community, in every honest efifort to create new and better conditions, are the seeds of honest dif- ferences of opinion, and all the mate- rials for a first-class conflagration. Even forest officers, riding forth like Froissart's knights, a-carolling down the woodland ways, or sitting among their blufif companions in their sage- green doublets (new uniform, twenty- two ounces, etc!) underneath Lambert- ian Pines — even these mighty person- ages have had the|r bad quarters of hours, as they toiled to make safe and broad those all-essential trails and roads of thought and sympathy which link us to each other and to the whole outside world, until we, and our neigh- bors near and far, become one in re- gard to many vital things. We cannot use pickaxes, crowbars, and giant powder on these primal roads ; we build them somehow, by every word and act ; we maintain them at a great — and yet a most reasonable — expendi- ture of brain-cell and nerve-force. One must have a way open from heart to heart, here and there, all over a forest, or the most accurate records, the most methodical bookkeeping, the strictest of Use Book obediences will not save the forest-city in its hours of peril, when cloth-yard arrows are singing through the air like a swarm of yellow- jackets. Nearly all of us are dealing with ex- ceedingly attractive frontier communi- ties, representing every conceivable type of American character on its most independent and out-spoken sides. And certain occurrences in recent months "along the fighting line" have set me the age-old human problem once more. I think that one learns at last the utter wisdom of evading every sort of introspection — the whences, wherefores and whithers, the musty theological paradoxes, and the theses of the me- dieval school men. I think that a for- est officer must neither let himself say, "Am I a success?" nor, "Am I a fail- ure?" Both are wastes of energy, and not within his sphere of determination. But I do think that he should very of- ten face the larger human problems : "Am I doing the very best that I can for each and all of the little independ- ent communities scattered here and there through the forest?" "Is the best that I can do, high enough to fill the very high requirements of the chang- ing and growing situation?" One's human trails strike miles of iron-wood brush ; one's human roadways run up against basalt and obsidian ; snow- slides and mountain floods sweep down one's rough-and-ready bridges ; signal- fires from peak to peak sometimes warn one that there is still a spirit of dissent abroad. Then it is high time to size up the general problem once more. Doing this, in all humility, with all patience and self-separation, one comes at last, I am led to believe, to an un- shaken conception of the purely hu- man side of an American forest offi- tu ct; ft- ^ » 4> 1~« 2 " u O U. ^ J5 S c u 190 CONSERVATION cer's work as constituting, on the whole, the alpha and the omega of the task to which we are set. Now and then I tell myself that the very highest value of a first-rate Forest Service in this day and generation is not so much timber, or grazing, or even conserva- tion of water, great as all these are, now and forever. May it not be that we are in a fair way to shape and cre- ate that especial thing which America has hitherto in some degree lacked — the union, harmony and higher civiliza- tion of many and scattered mountain communities? I would not press this thought too far and thus wreck it in some word-desert, but I think it will bear consideration. True, we are not policemen, nor teachers, nor even humanitarians. We are merely forest-workers, forest- makers, imperfectly equipped, brought up against new issues daily and hour- ly, and making all sorts of precedents for those more capable men of the fu- ture, those children spiritually sprung from our very loins, and carrying, for all time to come, the passwords of our earlier camps. Each of us all, in his own rude way, must learn so to deal with the frontier communities within or near to his forest, that they shall be helped and not hindered in the long run, by his labor as the local adminis- trator of the Service. In the long run, too, these communities must come to know beyond peradventure that they are being so helped upward and onward in their progress toward a finer civili- zation. No one can truly accomplish this in a day, nor in a year, and in many places the work of a lifetime will be needed to lay true and square the cornerstones of our Temple of For- estry. Least of all dare we to even think of ourselves as "reformers." Let Paul continue to plant and Apollos to water, and He that giveth the increase will at last bring our broadcast sowing of the seeds of human fellowship through all our frontier communities, from the Mexican borders to the isles of Alaska, into a golden and heavy-headed harvest. Like Lord Cromer, each forest offi- cer— whether an isolated ranger, thrown so often on his own resources, thumbing nightly his dimly-understood U. B., or a well-equipped supervisor, with his still larger responsibilities — is sent to a very Egypt, to a land where the brooding Sphinx looks far out over the yellow desert, serene, eternal, and asks of each wayfarer in those immense wastes the waiting question that was meant for him, and for none other, from the birth-hour of time. Lord Cromer heard, understood, and accept- ed the Burden of Egypt, and of her an- cient peoples. Through days of good repute and of evil repute, through plots and counterplots, through slanders and abuse, and memorable upheavals he toiled on unanswering, unembittered. doing the Work of Egypt. Thus it came to pass, when he was old and worn out, that the foundations were truly laid. Thus is he remembered in world-history, not for the Assouan Dam, not for the cotton-fields and mills, not for the tawny, corporal-trained Egyptian soldiers in the Soudan, not even for his own marvelous financial genius ; but chiefly because he was the slow, patient, persistent organizer of hundreds of struggling, ignorant, sus- picious, and alien little village-commu- nities scattered all over Egypt, into something like a working whole. That was really great ! That was to be one of the mighty line of modern pro- consuls, English or American, who are shaping half-savage colonies into the beginnings of states and nations. One puts in the list Lord Dufferin and Pres- ident-elect Taft ; and I, for one, very gladly put Sir Dietrich Brandis there. I have learned a little of the forest- peoples of India and their village laws, usages and forest rights, and I can dim- ly guess at the vast complexities of the task which Brandis accomplished in dealing so well with those millions of hungry, suffering aliens. Yes ! India's great forester was somehow so en- dowed by the high gods that he faltered no whit through all those wrestling years, until he disentangled and slow- lier knit together, in equitable and 192 CONSERVATION durable manner, the whole fabric of forest-village life. But the genius of our American insti- tutions requires that administrators of public trusts, such as a forest, deal with the local problem according to other methods than the methods of Cromer and Brandis. All of the frontier com- munities form parts of the various counties and states, and are often American clear through. We belong to them, and they belong to us. Cromer and Brandis governed by obedience, in letter and spirit, to Equity ; we, striv- ing no less for Equity, must ever make that Equity plain to plain men. We ap- peal constantly to reason and good will. Sometimes the most supreme tact can- not avoid an issue without sacrificing a principle. In such cases a forest offi- cer must stay with the principle, must sustain the issue at any cost of public criticism, sure that he will be justified in the end, even by many (if not by all) of those who have attacked him. The underlying issues which are raised with more or less distinctness by many persons in frontier communities are exceedingly simple. They have to be understood, separated from irrelevant problems, and made very plain to one's own mind first, in order that they can be cheerfully met from time to time. The rangers are troubled by them, and often fail to think them out, so that excellent ranger material may be lost to the Service if a supervisor fails to discuss these things with entire freedom and justice. The primary frontier issue with the forest is that, away down in the bottom of his heart, many a real, old-fashioned mountaineer does not sympathize at all with the setting apart of National For- ests. He does not see any reason in trying to conserve the natural resources of his region ; he considers, in fact, that there are none too many such re- sources for the present generation, and more particularly not anything more than he wishes to use himself. He says in effect, and when with his own kind he says very often and with emphasis, about this sort of thing : "It is downright wicked for Eastern- ers, an' city folks, an' rich tourists, an' millionaire lumbermen, an' power- plants to get up this here forest scheme to take our rights away from us. This region belongs to us. Our fathers set- tled here in the rocks fifty years ago. There ain't nuthin' to spare for the out- siders. We want to 'take up' any tim- ber land there is ; we want to cut trees when and where we please ; we want to burn brush in summer ; we want to run our cattle any old way we like, with- (Hit paying a grazing fee. We do not want any game laws ; we do not want to go to any officer for permits, nor have regulations of any sort put up over us by men living somewhere else. We have to live here, and all we want is to be let alone." I think that perhaps I have been more fortunate than many supervisors in being able to get at precisely the frame of mind of many mountain peo- ple about the forest idea. I heard much of this kind of thing long before I came into the Service, twelve and fifteen years ago, when President Cleveland first established reserves and parks. I used to go camping in the Sierras and talk with many mountain people about forestry and a forest system for Amer- ica. The underlying question in nearly every mind was a very human one : "How would such a thing afifect me personally?" And the almost universal conclusion was that whatever lessened the freedom of the mountain realm was wholly bad. "Once," said one of them to me re- gretfully, long ago, "I could ride from Tejon Pass, north through the foothills of the Sierras, clear to Shasta, more than 700 miles, and never strike a fence." "Before the forest was established,' said another fine old mountaineer to me, not a year ago, "any of us fellows had all sorts of chances that we don't have now. A lot of things that we al- ways held belonged to us as a right, are taken away." He did not necessarily mean that it was less safe to shoot deer out of sea- son, or track them in the deep snows. He did not necessarily imply that the o J3 194 CONSERVATION chances of putting a fraudulent home- stead claim in splendid pine timber were gone forever. He meant a lot of little things, the taking the lumber from an abandoned cabin, the securing a lit- tle deserted orchard somewhere, the grazing of a small band of goats or sheep. Such men as these must be handled with the utmost skill and pa- tience. Time and good will are the ele- ments of the game. There was once a mountaineer who owned a few head of cattle. He re- fused openly to take out a permit. He kept on friendly terms with the super- visor and all the rangers, and every one liked him, too. But he said that the regulation was nonsense and that he needed the $2 more than the Govern- ment did. It put the supervisor in a hole, for the mountaineer was vastly popular, and yet the offence was fla- grant. Should he be arrested and taken into court for $2? Should his fee be paid by the supervisor, and a receipt sent him with a letter explaining that somebody had to do it, and that in all other respects he was too good a man to be hastily dealt with? Just then the mountaineer's cattle broke down the supervisor's fence one day, and two of them, worth over fifty dollars, ate nitrate out of a sack of gar- den fertilizer under a shed, which killed them incontinently; and they were buried where they fell in the coming orchard by the meadow. The mountaineer said "he couldn't blame nobody." "But," he added, "I expect ye might balance them steers agin that two dollars that ye thinks I owe ye fur a permit." These things may seem trivial, but really they are not, because after awhile more serious issues come up. Neither ten nor a hundred mountaineers will ever break out into open war against a forest on these little items, nor on the general basis of inability to see the local value of a forest system. But after awhile, in one corner or another, a few men, from motives of self-interest, work deftly upon this raw material ; it smokes a while, then it bursts into fiame. A local politician wants an issue that leads men's thoughts from some- thing more dangerous ; a land-claimant has good reason to believe that his pa- pers will be cancelled ; a stock man de- sires to be allowed to run more cattle than the forest officer thinks best for the range, or fair to other neighbors. In a thickly settled and prosperous region, time, experience and intelligent leadership have developed systematic methods of sifting baseless charges and foolish complaints from any genuine grievances which such a community has learned to present with force and dignity, through the proper channels. But the mountaineer, when stirred up, justly or unjustly, too often uses every available weapon, burns all his powder, ■ and acts on the old principle that if one only throws enough mud at his op- ponent, some of it is sure to stick. A supervisor of my acquaintance was once met by a highly excited friend, who said: "I nearly thrashed a couple of men on your account. There were a lot of teamsters down in the village. They were talking about you, and one of them said that you were in the habit of burning the cabins of poor, inof- fensive Indians. Then another said that he heard that you had been ar- rested by a Government detective for stealing over $2,000,000 last year from the income of your forest. And both those men knew that you handled no Government money ; that all the checks came from Washington. Bbth of them had teamed for the Government, and had been promptly paid. And both of them said you were a square man. A little more questioning showed the supervisor that both these stories had been originated by a little group of land claimants, whose so-called "home- steads" were being "brought into court." It was merely a part of the price which one pays as he goes along, for the privilege of making things bet- ter and not worse. The supervisor (and his superiors) had philosophy enough to laugh about it, and the su- pervisor remarked that he fortunately WORK ON A NATIONAL FOREST 195 belonged to the natural order Pachy- dermata. To be a forester in this day and age is to be a man who has a profound capacity for forgetting all unhelpful personal criticism. He must not pick it up, nor listen to talebearers and gos- sips. He must treat all men with equal fairness, and must carry no personal feelings into his daily business. Good literature is the refuge in all hours of storm, and most of all, the great lyrics and epics, the tales of heroes, and the vast dramas of human existence. There was once an astronomer up on Mount Hamilton, at the Lick Observatory, who used to tell me that five years of star-gazing lifted one "above all the flea-bites." Five years of forestry, of association with pines and mountains, ought to do as much as this for a man. But let us not unduly exaggerate the frontier problems, for they lessen every year and our men are not afraid to meet them. Gentleness and justice long, very long, continued will ripen at last into permanent relations with each and every one of the frontier communities. The growing forest will give employ- ment to more people, homes will increase, better schools and more churches will be established, telephones and railroads will bring in new ideas, and increase prosperity. Many an old superstition, many an ancient prejudice will soon melt like late rain-swept snows, and "leave not a wrack behind. " The next generation will be in com- plete touch with the forest idea, and even the old are learning, little by little, that forestry has come to stay, that tim- ber cannot be cut without a permit, that grazing fees must be paid and that the forest officer is sustained, in case of need, by the whole power of a great government. No tactful man will ever try to "rub these things in ;" but neither will be give up this impregnable posi- tion, as did one old-time ranger that I knew of. He was heard to say to a frontiersman, who objected to the trou- ble of asking for a permit for free fire- wood : "If I wasn't a ranger I would feel just as you do. It's kind of a fool regu- lation anyhow." Slowly and often painfully, then, the average frontiersman will learn the in- disputable legal fact that what he has called "his" mountains belong in large part to all the people of America, "for the greatest good of the greatest num- ber," and for whatever can be shown to be the "higher use." In what the fron- tiersman calls "his country," he only owns certain areas to which he has se- cured a title. He never had "rights" in the woods, the waters, the game, the grazing over wild areas of unentered land — the land of the people of the Na- tion. He only had a temporary privi- lege to use these outside lands, because they lay idle and unfenced. The Na- tion so long deemed itself so rich in surplus lands that no one thought of re- ducing these things to a business sys- tem, and of charging a rental for all use of Government land, so as to keep in clear sight the main fact of owner- ship. Men's thoughts are clearing fast on this point. In a National Forest the lands belong to the Government, and to those people who have titles there. I find it slow work to get a frontiers- man to understand or accept all this, and harder yet to have him realize that a "regulation" has any legal value whatever. Sometimes I say to a man : "It's this way : All the people in Cali- fornia own the statehouse at Sacra- mento, because they furnished the money and ordered it built. But the laws of California create a Capitol Commission, appointed by the gover- nor, and empower this commission to appoint a superintendent, who hires the workmen, and makes rules which are posted all over the building. If you go up there and deface the building, or spit on the floor, the first of the officials who sees you will stop it. If you make a row, he will "run you in." If the peo- ple had not given the authority to make such rules and regulations (and to en- force them) pretty soon California would have no Capitol. In just the same way the people established the forest, and gave the chief of the forest power to make rules and regulations which have the force of law. Govern- ment is mainly carried on in all civilized countries by appointive officers. Most 196 CONSERVATION of the business of life is carried on in that way, too. Directors consult, and name a bank cashier, or a mill-boss, or a division superintendent. They can- not possibly leave it to the vote of the depositors, or the mill-hands, or the railroad laborers. There is no other way, so far as we can see at present, than to have the forests of America run from year to year under a business sys- tem, which puts men at the head, holds them responsible, and gives their rules and regulations an authoritative force." I hear some reader saying just here: "This is too simple : no one objects to the system." But I assure you that I have known many persons who had to be talked to in just this way about "rules and regulations." Where condi- tions are primitive, thinking, too, re- mains primitive, and I have found a lot of comparisons very useful. The peo- ple want a battleship, but appointive officers must plan, build, and operate it under "rules and regulations." Whar happens to a man who walks into a Government navy yard, and tries to carry off some lumber ? Very much what happens to a fellow who goes into a Government forest and tries to get what does not belong to him. And everybody knows that all this protec- tion and this enforcement of "rules and regulations" is necessary. I began these notes by saying that we warred continually with the spirits of doubt and chaos. But ever the empire of old Night diminishes ; the light pours through. As in those tremendous cosmogonies of Dante and Milton, Hell, and all that is yet formless or sheer evil, lies below, shaken by great waves, win- nowed by mighty winds, but neverthe- less, already marked out for new worlds by the golden compasses of the Almighty. All that we need to see these things more clearly is to have more life, more vitality, more fighting power, a more absolute and invincible courage of our convictions. Then, though without diplomas, we shall teach the people, and though without batons, we shall lead them to victories of which they do not yet dream. Then we shall not be injured in mind, body or soul by any one's misinterpretations of us, or of our work. That work will move on as the stars of heaven move — a part of Universal Order. Shooting the Rapids of the Grand Canyon of the Gunnison in a Canvas Boat ETHICS OF THE FOREST By ALEXANDRE ERIXON "By day or by night, summer or winter, beneath the trees the heart feels nearer to that depth of life which the far sky means. The rest of spirit, found only in beauty, ideal and pure, comes there because the distance seems within touch of thought." — Jefferies, NATURE, with its spirit of serenity and gentle teachings, is truly per- ceived by only a few in the busy rush of our prosaic time ; and yet, if we will only stop to consider, we shall find that the phase here presented is not the one of least value. "To most of us," says Lubbock, "Nature when sombre, or even gloomy, is soothing and consoling; when bright and beautiful, not only raises the spirit, but inspires and elevates the whole being." No wonder that in ancient times the raiment of the fields and hillsides be- came an object of reverence, and that the forests were held in religious wor- ship. With a roof of leaves, a carpet of moss and flowers, the stillness, and the softened light of the shady arcades, what a realm we have for the fairies of old mythology ! But though our age can see only as visions of the past, there are yet monarchs of the forest that be- come enveloped with their own chap- ters of historic events, which give them an added charm even to the less poetic observer. In our own country these landmarks may yet be few, but if not neglected they will go down into the annals of posterity like "The Soma Cypress of Lombardy, which is 120 feet high and twenty-three in circumference, and is calculated to go back forty years before the birth of Christ. Francis the First is said to have driven his sword into it in despair after the battle of Padua, and Napoleon altered his road over the Simplon so as to spare it." And though their history may not have so many pages as that of this, even the trees under which we played as children will come back with reverent memories if we see them shading the same plot of grass, after many years. But there are also pleasures and benefits which are ours to enjoy to- day ; though often they are so common as to pass unheeded. The comfort of shade in the warmth of summer, be- neath a canopy of leaves is one of the free gifts of the forest. Again, there is the shelter which it yields in a storm. And not least, the fresh fragrance of its purified air, where with each breath we gain a lengthened lease of life, and the mind is revived as well as the body. Lastly, in this class, we may also add that of wealth, following as a gift of the forest, of which Sir John Lubbock gives us an example when speaking of "The region of the Landes, which fifty years ago was one of the poorest and most miserable in France, but has now been made one of the most prosperous, owing to the planting of pines. The increased value is estimated at no less than 1,000,000,000 francs. Where there were fifty years ago only a few thou- sand poor and unhealthy shepherds whose flocks pastured on the scanty herbage, there are now sawmills, char- coal kilns and turpentine works, inter- spersed with thriving villages and fertile agricultural lands." "Speak to the earth and it shall teach thee," says Job. And truly, to those who study Nature, it will also have its lesson. Of this Charles C. Abbott brings fortb a very pretty illustration when speaking of a tree. "Go to it in 197 I A Hardwood Forest, Showing Good Specimens of the Tulip Tree or Yellow Poplar ( Liriodendron Tiilipilcra) Scene along Indian River, Alaska, Showing! Spruce Timber early spring, says he, "and watch the swelHng leaf-buds. This is the tree's busiest time, and yet how quietly it does its work ! No one ever heard of a nervous or fretful tree. * * * I know a beech that yearly bears a half- million of leaves, yet their growth never made sufficient stir to deflect a thistle- down from its course." To this he fur- ther adds, that, "He is a poor student who can spend a day with a tree and go home none the wiser." All this may be perceived by a gen- eral observer if the mind is in tune with Nature; but still its greatest ethical value can be seen only when we open the portals of literature and art. The indebtedness of the latter to Nature is self-evident, if we look into galleries and homes for the beautifying pictorial productions of the day; but of its rela- tion to literature less is commonly known. However, it is a recognized fact that environments lend their modi- fication to human character and work. Of this Ruskin speaks, with due force of expression, in the third volume of Modern Painters : "This gift of taking pleasure in land- scape I assuredly possess in a greater degree than most men ; it having been the ruling passion of my life, and the reason for the choice of its field of labor." 199 200 CONSERVATION All familiar with the works of Ruskin will afifirm that his "field of labor" was one of the most noble of modern times. And we will here only add another quo- tation from his writings about the moral of landscapes. "It was," says he, referring to the inspiration of beau- tiful sceneries, "according to its strength, inconsistent with every evil feeling, with spite, anger, covetousness, discontent, and every other hateful pas- sion; but would associate itself deeply with every just and noble sorrow, joy, or affection." In the same chapter he speaks of the works produced by some of the eminent authors in whom love of nature formed one of the strong traits of character, giving the following words as a sum- mary of the effects which this love pro- duced: "And if we now take final and full view of the matter, we shall find that the love of nature, wherever it has existed, has been a faithful and sacred element of human feeling; * * * it becomes the channel of certain sacred truths, which by no other means can be conveyed." On the other hand, as a matter of contrast, he brings forth some examples of the results attained where this love was lacking; proving there the existence of a pleasure which the writers themselves felt in mere "filth and pain." "They delight in dwelling upon vice, misfortune, or folly, as a subject of amusement." Without seeking further data to verify this line of thought, let us here pass to the inferences deduced : that the effects which environments lend to one's work may be greater than at first believed; and secondly: that purity of environments will lead to purity of thought ; for it is evident that there will be no love of nature if there is around us no nature to love. And as a sum- mary of this analysis we will find that the decline of this love does not only bring devastated fields, but also a degen- eracy of moral sentiment; not only the loss of material wealth, but also the germs of national degeneration. "Beautiful things have an ideal to show us," says Harris. "When we get acquainted with them and, as it were, get their confidence, they tell us their secret." And in the beauty of Nature, the vegetable kingdom, where the trees of the forest rank as the summary of all creative perfection, this secret will be found to be in a happier and nobler trend of thought. With this their an- cient sacredness becomes more rational. And we find, in our own time, not only the apparent advisability of sparing the old landmarks, but the necessity of in- creasing as far as possible these areas which bring their salutary influence to both body and mind. In addition to this rises the still graver need of not only encouraging the growth of a na- ture to love, but also the love of nature ; the study of that which in itself is a source of peace and pleasure. We must arrive at a true conception of beauty, and learn that in a final analysis the value of these verdant areas will there even transcend their economic worth; leading, as it does, not only to the highest development of the most notable talents with which hu- man minds have been endowed, but also to a moral transcendency of the people among which the influence of these talents is brought to bear. And in this way, and this way only, can we leave to the future a country which is not composed of barren hillsides and barren hearts. "All those wdio love Nature she loves in return, and will richly reward, not perhaps with good things, as they are commonly called, but with the best things of this world; not with money and" titles, horses and carriages, but with bright and liappy thoughts, con- tentment and peace of mind." I Natural Reproduction of While Pine, Showing Density of Growth Logs on the Ice, Just before the Spring Freshet IN THE GIANT FOREST OF THE SIERRAS By ALEXANDER BLAIR THAW YE FIRST of living things! Ye that were goodly trees When the great King of Kings, Building his garden wall, Brought down to Babylon, Upon her streams, the tall Cedars of Lebanon. Ye mighty trees ! Ye which are lirst, of all Kings of the wildwood ! Over the earth and seas Here we are come at last, Weary with wanderings, Down at your feet to fall ; Here, by your mountain springs. Silent and all alone, Through the long ages past, High on your granite throne Ye stood in your glory. Mighty ye grew in girth, Brother by brother. Bending your mighty knees Down to the lap of earth, While the great mother Still to your listening ears Whispered her story. Tales of our wandering years, Tales of our childhood. Here on the mother's lap. When earth was young, Your slender rootlets clung. Like tender fingers pressed Close to her maiden breast. Then first the living sap Leaped from her bosom. Now you are mighty trees — Full forty centuries Past, since that morn. When on these stony hills Bloomed your first blossom. 202 Led by your mountain rills, We greet you, great brothers, first born Of our mother, the earth ! Here, in the heart of the hills. Where you dwell And forever have dwelt. The great mother first felt Through her virgin repose The quickening spell Of your birth. And under the snows Of these hills of her breasts. Where they rise — Where they lift their pure crests To the skies — Deep under the ground. Where your strong roots are wound, Her delicate veins With your growth have grown ; And they swell With the coming of life to these hills Where you dwell. With the sweep of the life-giving rains. Which her passion distils From the pure, sunlit heavens above her. Ye guardians who treasure The gracious gift of rain, And still pour forth again. Age after age, and year on year. In bounteous measure, Your everlasting fountains ! O, ye great trees. Who lift your lofty forms. And gather earth's increase, And reign in endless peace Through all the centuries Amidst the passions of her storm! Up to these mountains — Where evermore you stand, Great sentinels O'er all this virgin land. Guarding your sacred wells. We come to drink of these. THE WORLD'S MOST VALUABLE IRRIGATED DISTRICTS By G. E. BROWNE AT THE ])resent time, when the tendency for people to con- gregate in the cities is so great, and when these congeste 1 conditions result in such a loss to health and hap- piness and morals to so many, it seems a pity that the wonderful resources of the irrigated sections of our Great West can not be brought more closely to the attention of the public generally. There is room now for hundreds of thousands of our people in the irrigat- ed districts already developed, and other great projects nearing comple- tion. With the development of irriga- tion during the past few years, and at the cost of millions of dollars, agricul- tural, horticultural and intensified farming have advanced most wonder- fully. This is an age of specializing, and. thanks to our Federal Government, which through the Reclamation Serv- ice, the Forest Service, and the Bu- reau of Soils and Plant Industry, has brought these subjects down to a science, thousands of acres of arid and worthless lands are now occupied by the most prosperous and contented people on the continent. No other pub- lic appropriations our Government has made have resulted in so much good to so many. In this age, when the young man asks, "Wliat business am I to follows?'' what better advice can be given hiu' than to follow scientific agricultuie and horticulture? He can make no mistake by taking up a tract of irri- gated land, which has been proved to be adapted to fruit culture. It is an ideal life — not isolated, as on the prai- ries, farms and ranches, and our edu- cated people are dev^eloping and mak- ing their homes in these new districts, and the social features of this life are more congenial than in the large cities. Many of the leading educators and business men of the country are buy- ing and developing irrigated lands in the better fruit sections. There are excellent school facilities and it is a healthy life, and a life of independ- ence. Fruit raising on irrigated land ap- peals to nearly every one. It is not drudging in the hot sun and dry and dusty soil for small and not sure yields of crops, but concentrated work con- fined to a small area. No one should be misled, however, and think a living can be obtained with little or no work. It requires the best attention and at the right time ; but he who gives hon- est and intelligent attention to his work will be amply repaid in results. Most irrigation companies prefer young men, even though they have had no experience in country life and fruit culture. They generally learn the modern methods more correctly and in less time than the older farmers from the East, wdio are liable to be set in their methods. It is the intelligent and industrious class of people who have made the best districts so famous. At the present time there are many irrigating conjpanies putting land on the market, both in large and small tracts, some demanding high prices for the land and others much lower. The Government is also expending millions of dollars in new undertakings. Irrigatetl lands are divided into two classes, one, which we may designate as fruit land, which, in the raw state, always brings a high price, and the other forage and crop land, which 203 t a o C0 C u j3 WORLD'S MOST VALUABLE IRRIGATED DISTRICTS 205 sells much lower. In this article I am dealing- with the former. However, I want to say here, that the latter class is valuable land, and with proper care will yield large returns, but it has not the attractive features nor as great prospects as the forn-ier. It can never reach the high prices which the fruit lands begin to bring immediately after they are planted to trees. I have shown no partiality in f-elect- ing the best fruit districts, but have taken Wenatchee, Hood River, Yaki- ma and Spokane Valley as examples, for in these districts there are better organizations and better results have been attained. There are other locali- ties which are smaller and probably fully as good, but the above men- tioned districts are undoubtedly the best known throughout the country on account of their age, and because their fruit has gained a world-wide reputa- tion. Fruit growers in these places are using the most advanced and im- proved methods, and land values are the highest in the West. These four great districts have set the example, which the younger terri- tories are bound to follow to achieve success. It has not been easv to gain the reputation that Wenatchee, Hood River, Yakima and Spokane Valley have in the markets of the world. There are many different kinds of fruits raised in these places, but the apple is the leader. The culture of this fruit has reached the highest pos- sible development, and that grown in these sections commands the top-notch prices in the world's marke:. These districts were all started in a small way, and it is now almost impos- sible to buy raw land except in the Spokane Valley, wdiere a few tracts are being put on the market. Success or failure extends from the time the land is broken and trees planted, up to the bearing state, and everything depends on proper care at the ]M-opcr time, especially in pruning, spraying, irrigating and cultivating. Thanks again to the Government interest and advice on these subjects, the growth of the fruit industry has been wonderfully developed, and the increased value of the land has gone beyond the wildest expectations, and is still advancing. People look with amazement at the irrigated land values, and are just as much amazed at the prices obtained for fruit grown on these lands. The present prices and values are certain to keep on climbing as long as the fruit growers in these districts adhere to the high standards set in growing, packing and marketing their products. The most essential requirement in making this arid land valuable is the water. The more complete and better regulated the water system, the more valuable it is to the land and the owner. Above all things the water supply must be adequate at all times. The right kind of trees, true to name and from the best nursery stock, adapt- ed to the soil, climate and general con- ditions, is the next essential to success. Transportation is undoubtedly as im- portant an any one thing, excepting water and nursery stock. Cars must be had at the time needed, and the more railroad competition at hand the more valuable the land is. Soils are also very essential. In the four districts above mentioned, there are entirely dift'erent soils, but each one is especially adapted to growing differ- ent varieties of apples, peaches, pears, cherries, plums, prunes, apricots and grapes, and consequently the above lo- calities have never been forced to com- pete strongly among themselves. Wenatchee grows Spitzenberg apples very successfully and an exceptionally fine quality of peaches, apricots and cherries. Hood River leads with the Yellow Newton and Spitzenberg apples. Yakima is proved to be better adapted to Winesap apples and certain varieties of peaches and pears. Spokane Valley grows to excellent advantage the Jon- athan, Rome Beauty and Wagener ap- ples. The systematic picking, packing and marketing of the fruit leads to increased values for the products of the orchards, and this has caused the organization of C3 3 o s < G > o J3 en 3 PQ s a « J3 H Grazing Sheep, Black Mesa Forest Reserve, Showing Scattering of the Animals, in Spite of Which Ovcr^grazing Has Taken Place Destruction of Agricultural Lands along the Kansas River, Resulting from the Spring Floods of 1903 208 CONSERVATION fruit growers' associations, which are not only a great benefit to people rais- ing fruits, but also to the buyers, as there is no cutting of prices and no poor fruit shipped. Pruning, spraying and caring for the trees, and picking and packing the crops all tend to increased values. The fruit industry nearly equals the lumber industry in capital, and will likely lead in a few years. When one thinks of a five-year-old orchard (which means it is just coming in to bearing) selling for $300 per acre, it seems absurdly high, but by proper attention and cultivation, the land can easily be made to pay ten per cent, net, or better, annually on this valuation. Many sales have been made this past season in these districts, of bearing orchards at from $1,500 to $3,000 per acre. Taking the figures of each district separately and collectively, with an average yield per acre in the average year, we find that a five-year-old orchard, which is just beginning to bear nicely at that age, will pay for itself in four years, if the same were bought for $3,000 per acre. It is nearly impossible to buy an orchard after the trees are over three years old, and this is very plausible, for any owner is generally situated so he can keep his holding until it comes into full bearing, when he is made independent with even a ten-acre tract. Each year sees the price of land planted with trees increase in value, and a conservative price for two- and three-year-old orchards is $700 and $1,000, respectively. Of all the numerous varieties of fruit grown in these four irrigated valleys or districts, there is probably a greater cash return derived from growing peaches, cherries, berries, cantaloupes, tomatoes and other small fruits, but it requires far greater attention and care than does the raising of apples. The first named fruits must necessarily be picked, packed and shipped just before they ripen, and any delay is disastrous to the grower. Not so, however, with apples. These may be picked through a period of several weeks and packed and marketed at any time during the winter, and this fruit I desire to treat of in particular. I have been asked many times "what are the best varieties of apples to raise." My answer is that it depends entirely on the climate, soil and location. The Spitzenberg, Jonathan, Winesap, Rome Beauty and Wagener have the highest market value and are always in demand in the large apple centers. There are many other varieties, which grow and bear equally well, and often bring a high price, but the above named varieties command on the average the highest figures. The Winter Banana, which is a new apple, so to speak, has brought a remarkable price the past two seasons. It is a very delicate fruit, how- ever, and hard to ship. It probably has the best coloring and the most delicate tints of any apple grown, but the flavor is poor. It would not be advisable to plant a large orchard to this variety, as it is simply a fad at the present time. The finest trade demands a melting fruit — a texture that assimilates when eating. It is a difficult matter to decide on the different varieties for planting, but the best advice I know of is to plant a strictly commercial orchard, with, of course, the possible exception of a few varieties for family use. It is proper to add that people are becoming so interested in the fruit in- dustry that the department of agricul- ture in several of the western states, as well as at Washington, are flooded with inquiries relative to location and t<^ the fruit industry in general. I can state very positively that there is no question before the American people to-day that is attracting so much attention as irri- gation, and especially as. applied to fruit culture, and I can venture to say that within two years all the Ijest fruit dis- tricts that are now irrigated will be set out to orchards, and this coming year will see a great rush of the best class of citizens to these valleys to obtain small tracts of this valuable land. The fruit markets of the world are a O w p o CI ■a o p ■a o o a "S c Oi u < 2IO CONSERVATION demanding western fruit. No section of the country can compete with the West for the highest grades. Eastern nurseries have even moved to this sec- tion of the country. Buyers from all sections of the land, and many from London and European points, visit these valleys to make their annual purchases, and it is figured that two-fifths of the apple crop of this year is being shipped alDroad. How great this increase will be in the future can only be estimated from pasr shipments, and the continually increas- ing demand for our fruit in the Euro- pean markets. Many dealers in this country, who ordered from one to twenty cars of apples this season, have recently placed orders for additional cars and find that they have to go with- out or pay increased prices. There is no fruit in the world that excels the western apple, and the great class of American apple users demand the best, regardless of price. From the closest observation, even in view of the fact that there are many orchards coming into bearing, the demand has increased faster than the supply, and market values are naturally bound to increase. It can be stated positively that Ameri- can markets can more than take care of the additional fruit raised each year, and the foreign demand, on the other hand, has been increasing more rapidly in the past three years than the home demand. There has seldom been any business that ofifered such great and sure returns to the investor, and irrigation has been proven to be of great value and no ex- periment. It is not generally known that the laws of the State of Washington pro- hibit the sale or giving away of wormy apples. The object of this is to keep the orchards free from disease and in- crease the yield and price. Agricultural schools and colleges have made careful tests and studies of the soils within their respective states, and a new comer is protected in every possible way, if he takes time to inves- tigate. The danger from pests is now very slight, as the}' are taken in hand at the start and never allowed to spread or obtain a foothold. I do not want to give the impression here that there are no obstacles to overcome, but people who plant orchards, and are observing, and listen to advice from people who have made this subject a careful study, are bound to bring their orchards into a bearing state in excellent condition. One thing very noticeable is, that people with little experience in irriga- tion and fruit culture often try to work out some plan of their own, which they think may be an improvement over methods used, but which proves in the end a detriment as long as they are trying to compete with men of experi- ence and a thorough understanding of fruit culture. New comers should gain their experience from those who have been successful. Every fruit grower is interested in a beginner raising the best fruit and keeping his tract in excellent condition, as it prevents the spread of disease, and makes the land more valu- able. There is as much danger of over irrigation as of too little. I know of one company that employs a "water man," who assists and teaches a new comer in the method of irrigation. It is most peculiar also that quite a large percent- age of these same people seek this ad- vice, but act on their own judgment, and very often injure the growth of their orchards. I am sorry to say that there are a few poorly irrigated districts, due to the fact of location. Some are in frost belts, and others have not the soil or water which is essential. However, there are not many of this class, but a prospective purchaser should look into all condi- tions very thoroughly. I have often heard the statement made that the crops between the trees will pay for the land in two years. There are a few examples of this being done, but only under the most favorable conditions. A ten-acre tract planted with vegetables or small produce be- tween the trees, and well taken care of, can surely pay the interest on the in- vestment and give the owner a good Water Flowing Through the Upper Tier of Sluices, Down^strcani Side (Photo reproduced through courtesy of Bureau of Soils, U. S. Dept. of Agriculture) on WORLD'S MOST VALUABLE IRRIGATED DISTRICTS 213 living the year round. It is unreason- able to expect more. Often times in the desire to reap large returns in crops between the trees, the trees themselves are neglected. I would not advise crop- ing after the third year, unless it were for the purpose of a small family gar- den. Bearing fruit trees require all the nourishment the soil contains. Other valleys may equal, or even sur- pass the districts above mentioned, but I am convinced that Wenatchee, Hood River, Yakima and Spokane Valley will always be in the front ranks, and when we think of the best apples grown, these places will naturally be called to mind, and they will certainly make a (decided claim for the honor of bein^ the districts where the best and highest priced apples are raised. Our National Government has aided very mater iall)' in reclaiming the arid lands of the West, and if our legislators at Washington could see the direct re- sults of the appropriations that have been made in the past few years to the United States Geological Survey, and the Bureau of Soils of the Agricultural Department, they would certainly be very liberal in their appropriations to these departments the coming year and thereafter. -rwK^"*-*-' '^^.'' Surveying in the Grand Canyon FOREST PRESERVATION AND ELECTRIC DEVELOPMENT OP WATER POWER By ALLEN HOLLIS AX EMINENT North Country au- thority has declared that water was fit for but two uses — float- ing logs and turning mill wheels. Without assenting to this implied ex- clusion of the aesthetic notions of drinking and washing, we will now in- terest ourselves in the turning of mill wheels. Our industrial development and eco- nomic welfare depend on heat, power, and light. Without these tangible ex- pressions of energy, modern civiliza- tion were impossible. For centuries before the age of steam, power for mechanical uses was obtained from water ; but heat and light have re- quired fuel until the present era. The steam engine, operated from cheap coal, for a time lessened interest in water power ; but increased cost of steam power, due to high cost of fuel and advanced wages, compels attention again to water power ; and this finds a new field through electrical distribu- tion. Assuming that fuel will ultimately become exhausted (an hypothesis which bids fair to become an early reality), the only recognied substitute is water power. Sun power is still in the clouds — in more senses than one. Mechanical power from water is most conveniently applied through electricity ; while heat and light can be obtained from water power solely through this agency. Our ultimate economic salva- tion seems inevitably to depend on water-generated electric energy. Mr. Pinchot, the modern Moses who leads us back to the wilderness, sketches this picture of conditions now imminent : "Let us suppose a man in a Western town, in a region without coal, rising on a cold morning, a few years hence, 214 when invention and enterprise have brought to pass the things which we can already foresee as coming in the application of electricity. He turns on the electric light made from water power ; his breakfast is cooked on an electric stove heated by the power of the streams ; his morning newspaper is printed on a press moved by elec- tricity from the streams ; he goes to his ofiice in a trolley car moved by elec- tricity from the same source. The desk- upon which he writes his letters, the merchandise which he sells, the crops which he raises, will have been brought to him or will be taken from him in a freight car moved by elec- tricity. His wife will run her sewing machine or her churn, and factories will turn their shafts and wheels by the same power." Water power is the product of two factors, available head and supply of water. Roughly speaking, one cubic foot of water per second, falling ten feet, will produce one horse power ; and in a year, ten hours a day, will do the work of five tons of coal or more, worth in this latitude twenty-five dol- lars. Operating twenty-four hours a day the same water power will equal twelve tons of coal, worth sixty dol- lars. Including labor and other costs, steam power, used ten hours a day, now costs over forty dollars per horse power under best conditions, and far more under usual conditions. As the price of fuel advances, the value of our unit of water power will correspond- ingly increase. Electric energy can best be fur- nished from some general supply. The business is complicated and special- ized, while the product can be used by the most inexperienced and careless. Apparatus for using electricity is well nigh fool proof. FOREST PRESERVATION 21 View Showing tlic Clear Length of a Noble Fir The demands on a central station, however, are most exacting. Service must be furnished every day and everv hour. Factories must have a uniform supply. The demand of every cus- tomer must be met on the instant zuith- out notice. While a factory develop- ing its own water power will adjust its business to bridge over low-water pe- riods, the manufacturer who buys power forgets that such adjustments can be made. These considerations bring us to a maxim in the electric supply busi- ness— the mimimum capacity of the central station must equal the maxi- mum demand of the service. No more regular business can be handled by a water power plant than can be sup- plied in times of lowest water. Un- less auxiliary power is provided, the water wheel capacity is limited to this minimum flow; and the excess water above the minimum flow, amounting perhaps to eight}' to ninety per cent, of the entire flow., is wasted. The discrepancy between maximum and minimum stream flow is extraordi- nary. The Pemigewasset at Plymouth, representing a stream whose water- shed is largely wooded, in a period of ten years showed a maximum flow of over 30,000 cubic feet per second (July, 1897) ; and a minimum of 120 cubic feet per second (September, 1899). There is no artificial storage on this stream. The minimum has fallen to 350 cubic feet per second every year for twenty years. It is obvious then that any means by which the minimum flow can be pre- served or increased is of vast import- ance to the water-driven electric plant If the minimum flow is sufficient to furnish adequate power, the rates to consumers can be fixed at the lowest point. Whenever an auxiliary be- comes necessary, even for use only a few days in the year, charges must be advanced to carry this additional in- vestment. Interest an 1 fixed charges are at least ten per cent, on the invest- ment, an annual charge of $10 to $15 per horsepower. The Sawkill FdUs, near Milford, P TniBER, ETC.— By William Penn 261 WATER CIRCULATION AND ITS CONTROL— liy Bailey Willis 262 PRACTICABILl'lY OF STATE FORESTS IN SOUTHERN APPALACHIAN STATES— By W. W. Ashe 275 WHAT FOREST CONSERVATION MEANS— By R. S. Kellogg, Assistant Forester, Forest Service 283 AIMLESS TREE SLAUGHTER— By M. E. Baker 286 A LITTLE ABOUT ENGLAND'S TREES— By Anne Warner 287 A TREE LOVER— By Mrs. R. A. Ellis 289 FORESTRY MAIDENS— /'or;;;— By Sarah E. Knhn 290 EDITORIAL— The I.es>S()ii Tiiujilit li.v Cliiiia 291 How It Is Done 292 "Develoiiing" Our Resources 2i(4 The Corauiunit.v Must Care for Itself 295 Biltinore Forest Fire 296 XIAVS AND NOTES— Engineers Moot 301 A Forest Congress in Chicago 301 For Appnlacliian Bill Next Session 301 What Children Can Do for a Cause 301 What the American Civic Association Does.... 301 Work on the Coast 3X11 •Maine Commission Reports Log Rules 302 Development in Colorado ,'{02 Alabama's Resources .302 President Van Hise for Conservation 30:'. Counties Committee Meeting 30.". Missouri's Forests 303 Massachusetts Women for Conservation 30.". The Xational Irrigation Congress 304 Irrigation Congress Wanted in the Soutli .304 Cabinet Members Invited 30,-i Forest .Service to Be Represented 30."> Encouragement from Montana's fJovernor 30."i Utah Again in Line .30(; Meeting of Mechanical Engineers 30ii Deep Waterwa.vs Meeting at Toronto 30(i Iowa's Waterwa.vs Commission 30'i .\ Xew Southern Waterwa.v 30ij I'rivate Interests Protecting against Fire 29(j Far-away Forestr.v 297 Forest Ta.xation Again 29S A Tree as a Landowner 299 President Taft for Conservation 299 To Stop Water Waste 307 Farms under Water 307 Tlie Government Retains Title to Coal Lands... 307 Timber Consumption in United States ■'{•17 Tree Planting to Transform the Prairie SOS Progress in Conservation 308 Engineers for Conservation 309 Conservation In Rhode Island 309 World ( onservation 310 Stopping Waste 310 Government Buys Steam Dredge 310 Progress at Belle Fourche 310 The Klamath Project 311 Scrub Pine for Pulp Material 311 \\'o(id Preservation Means Forest Conservation.. 312 An Important Tree Family 312 Naval Stores Production 312 fjovernment Helps Grazing 313 Soutli Dakota Preserves Wood 313 Mexico's Supply of Longleaf Pine 313 Wliy Wood Decays 313 Damage by Bark Beetles in Northwest 314 . Conservation is the official organ of the American Forestry Association. Price, $2.00 per year, including Annual ^ Membership in the A.ssociation. Entered as second-cla.ss 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. 249 Hon, CURTIS GUILD, Jr. President, American Forestry Association -.ia^-l-**^ ,j«iM(r, — -'C-^ Vol. XV MAY, 1909 No. 5 THE FIGHT FOR THE APPALACHIAN FORESTS By EDWIN A. START THE Sixtieth Congress having passed into history without enact- ing- into law any legislation for the maintenance of the great Appalach- ian forests, north and south, the pres- ent seems to be a good time for a re- trospect and outlook in connection with this vital and pressing conservation question. It is now ten years since the project took concrete legislative form. Since January. 1900. when groups of foreseeing men, north and south, first brought before the Fifty-sixth Con- gress the plan of establishing a Na- tional Forest reserve in the southern Appalachian Mountains, every Con- gress, ami nearly every session, has had this subject before it ; and in these years the whole country has l:)een aroused to the need of action. Year by year, cumulative evidence has been ])iled up of the terrible waste of the Nation's resources that has been going on with progressive destructiveness in the forested mountain countries of the East. There has been progress in each Congress, but still a laggard legislature has biennially fallen by the wayside without the attainment of the object. The first bill was introduced on the loth of January, 1901, by Senator Pritchard. of North Carolina. It ]^rovided for an appropriation of $5,000,000 to establish a National Forest reserve in the southern Appa- lachians. Its principal backers were the Appalachian National Park As- sociation, organized in Asheville. N. C, in 1899, and the Appalachian Moun- tain Club, a well-known semi- scientific society in New England ; and it had the approval of the Forestry Bu- reau of the United States Department of Agriculture and of President Mc- Kinlex'. The bill was favorably re- ])orted in the Senate but went no far- ther. Four bills, two in each house, were introduced in the first session of the Fifty-seventh Congress, in 1901 and 1902, together with a report from the Secretary of Agriculture and a strong message by President Roosevelt con- 251 Hon. R. B. Glenn, Former Governor of North Carolina taining a summary of the arguments for the proposed action. One of the Senate bihs, introduced by Senator Bur- ton, was passed in the originating body on the 24th of June and halted there. The matter went over to the second ses- sion, and in the meantime a hberally ilkistrated vohnne, known as Senate Document 84, was issued. This con- tained the messages of Presidents Mc- Kinley and Roosevelt, the reports of the Secretary of Agriculture, various me- morials to Congress, leferences to sev- eral magazine articles, favorable reso- lutions of state legislatures and their acts ceding jurisdiction and permitting 252 the United States to acquire land within their boundaries. In the second ses- sion the Senate bill with one amend- ment was favorably reported to the House, but got no farther. Promptly at the opening of the Fifty- eighth Congress Representative Brown- low, of Tennessee, again introduced in the House a bill for the purchase of southern Appalachian forest reserves, and on the same day (November 11, 1903), Senator Hoar presented to the Senate resolutions of the general court of Massachusetts in favor of the enact- ment of national legislation to protect the forests of the White Mountains of FIGHT FOR APPALACHIAN FORESTS 253 New Hampshire. This broadened the issue. It was charged at the time by ardent advocates of the southern proj- ect that the White Mountain movement was a sentimental one and had no eco- nomic basis. This was an error of mis- information for which the northern men were ])artly responsible. They had not reached the economic stage in their consideration of the subject. These first appeals were a cry for help from those who saw the summer land of promise of tens of thousands of peo- ple being laid waste and who wanted something done about it. Like the southerners who were earliest in that efifort they had in mind a national park, rather than an economic reserve. As a matter of fact the conditions were the same as in the South, except for cer- tain differences of local topography. Both regions are mountain forest dis- tricts, containing very small areas of agricultural land. Both are interstate watersheds of the same Appalachian Mountain "system. The water flow of the southern rivers is less regulated by lake storage, but in one respect the White Mountains were in the worse case. The timber tracts in the north- ern country were controlled by a few large operators who, impelled by indus- trial conditions, were cutting heavily and making big sweeps up the higher slopes, where the soil is only retained in place by the protective forest growth. The New Hampshire hills have never been protected by inaccessibility, and the wholesale cutting of the last few years is the climax of a long-sustained attack. A bill for the southern reserve was again introduced in the Senate by Sena- tor Burton, and the first White Moun- tain bill was ofifered by Senator Gal- linger. Both were reported favorably by the committee on forest reserva- tions. The report on the latter by Sena- tor Burnham, of New Hampshire, was the first official notice of the White Mountain project. Mr. Currier, of New Hampshire, had introduced a White Mountain bill in the House. This was as far as either project traveled ofiicially in that Congress. As the movement went on its import- ance became more manifest. Strong su]j])ort was constantly being gathered to it but it was evidently necessary to conduct a broad campaign to overcome popular ignorance of the questions in- volved and congressional indifiference. The North and South must be brought together, made to understand each other's needs and to realize that they stood on common ground, that the issue was an essentially national one. The American Forest Congress of 1905 pro- moted this larger knowledge and better understanding. That congress, the most important and representative for- estry convention ever held in America, unreservedly endorsed ' the establish- ment of National Forest reserves in the southern Appalachian Mountains and the White Mountains of New Hampshire," and urged the passage of the pending bills for these purposes. In December, 1905, bills for the two reserves were introduced in the House by Mr. Currier and Mr. Brownlow, and in the Senate by Senators Gallinger and Overman. At its annual meeting in January, 1906, the American For- estry Association appointed a commit- tee to prepare a bill uniting the two projects, and to offer it as a substitute for these four measures. This union bill was accepted by all interests. On January 20, 1906, it was laid before the Senate committee on forest reservations and the protection of game, of which Senator Brandegee, of Connecticut, was chairman, and was reported by that committee, in lieu of the Gallinger and Overman bills. This bill called for an initial appropriation of $3,000,000. though its advocates frankly stated that this was but a beginning, and that the completion of the two projects would involve an ultimate expenditure of not less than fifteen millions. They also declared that every year of delay w^ould increase the cost, on account of condi- Hon. John McLane, Former Governor of New Hampshire tions which made the immediate pres- ent a favorable time to act. Since the acceptance of the union bill there has been no North and no South in the advocacy of this legislation. It has been supported with honest, non- partisan and non-sectional cooperation, and has secured as notable and disin- terested popular support as ever backed a bill before Congress. Letters and petitions showing the ])opular interest that had been awakened poured in upon Congress in an ever-increasing tide. Resolutions were passed by bodies rep- resenting various interests. Orie re- markable petition from New England was signed by the governor of every New England state and by men not 254 merely of prominence but of eminence in the world of business and afifairs from each state, the whole representing the united public sentiment of the sec- tion. A similar petition from the South followed. The ablest newspapers and magazines of the whole country took up the cause. The President and the Senate were known to be favorable, but in the House the measure, from the first and in any form, met the deter- mined opposition of the Speaker and the little coterie of House managers who, under the rules, assume a censor- ship of legislation. That the opposition was sincere there can be little doubt, for outside of Congress no opposition has appeared. No interests are arrayed FIGHT FOR APPALACHIAN FORESTS 255 against the project, openly at least, but was made to the Sixtieth Congress by inside the House these few men who the Secretary of Agriculture, hold tremendous political power, seeing New bills were introduced in both only the expenditure and the lack of Senate and House of the Sixtieth Con- any partisan gain to be secured, and not gress, calling for an initial appropria- comprehending the essential economy of tion of $5,000,000. It was plain that the proposed action and its necessity there was a great and growing support for the country's future welfare, have behind these bills. Apathy toward held up legislation by every known them in Congress was gone. Friends parliamentary means. and opponents alike recognized their On the 25th and 26th of April, 1906, importance. This caused a very evi- the union bill had a hearing before the dent stiffening of the opposition. In House committee on agriculture. Thir- appointing his committees Speaker teen states were represented, and Gov- Cannon reconstructed the committee on ernors Glenn, of North Carolina, and agriculture, supplanting Mr. Henry, of McLane, of New Hampshire, headed Connecticut, the ranking member, with the delegations. Among the petitions Mr. Scott, of Kansas. The Speaker's presented was one from New England confidence in Mr. Scott has been justi- milling interests aggregating over fied during the two sessions of the Con- $130,000,000 capital. So effectively gress. Other changes were made un- was the case presented that a hostile friendly to Appalachian forest legisla- committee was converted, and reported tion, and the popular indignation was the bill favorably to the House. voiced so forcibly that the Speaker In January, 1907, the foreign com- filled one vacancy on the committee by merce convention assembled in Wash- appointing John W. Weeks, of Massa- ington, representing the largest busi- chusetts, one of the strongest friends ness interests of the whole country, of the Appalachian forests in the passed a strong resolution endorsing House. It will be seen that this ap- the bill and appointed a committee to pointment was productive of important present it to the Speaker personally, results. A deputation of governors of several The new committee gave a hearing northern and southern states visited the on the bill January 30, 1908. The rep- Speaker on the following day, but to resentatives of the governments, peo- both he expressed the same unalterable pie, and organized bodies of twenty opposition, refusing even to say that he states were present to the number of would 'allow the people's representa- over 250. Governor Smith, of Georgia, tives an opportunity to vote upon the conducted the case for the petitioners, measure. The only accomplishment in and the strength of the presentation the Fifty-ninth Congress was the pass- was unquestioned. It soon became evi- age of an appropriation of $25,000 for dent, however, that the adverse major- a survey of the two regions by the ity on the committee was not to be eas- Department of Agriculture. This came ilv shaken. down from the Senate as a rider to the In February the bill was thrown into agricultural appropriation bill and was the committee on judiciary on the ques- passed on roll call, 138 to 115. Both tion of constitutionality, and it became party organizations, as shown by the necessary to argue that point before words and votes of the leaders, were this politico-judicial tribunal, which evidently against it. The survey, or held the question under advisement as more properly investigation, was con- long as the patience of the people ducted during the summer under the would allow. Finally, on the 22d of direction of William L. Hall, of the April, the committee gravely decided Forest Service, and a valuable report that "the Federal Government has no fHon. Hoke Smith, Governor of^Georgia power to acquire lands within a state, solely for forest reserves ; but under its constitutional power over naviga- tion, the Federal Government may ap- propriate for the purchase of lands and forest reserves in a state, provided it is made clearly to appear that such lands and forest reserves have a direct and substantial connection with the conser- vation and improvement of the naviga- bility of a river, actually navigable in whole or in part ; and any appropriation made therefor is limited to that pur- pose." The committee decided that the pending bills, not being limited to the 256 aforesaid purposes, were unconstitu- tional. This opinion, whatever may be said of its legal value or of its statesman- ship, made it necessary to w'ork along the lines of protection of navigable streams to secure immediate practical results. Fortunately this could be done, as nearly all the needed lands were on the watersheds of such streams, and this protection had always been an im- portant object in view. The Senate bill was modified in its form to meet the judiciary committee's opinion, wa^ passed by the Senate in the closing days Hon. lohn W. Weeks, Representative from Massachusetts of the session, and when it was received in the House was referred to the com- mittee on afjriculture. In the House, three new bills were framed in the com- mittee on agriculture by Weeks, of Massachusetts, Lever, of South Caro- lina, and Pollard, of Nebraska. None of these was acceptable to the commit- tee, which finally reported to the House a bill prepared by a subcommittee un- der the leadership of Chairman Scott. This bill granted permission to any group of states to form an agreement for protecting their forests and streams, and provided for a congressional com- mission to investigate the relation of the forested watersheds of the Appa- lachian rivers and the navigability of such rivers and report to the President with recommendations before January I, 1909. This bill, generally known as the Scott bill, passed the House by a vote of 202 to forty and was referred in the Senate to the committee on com- merce, where it was pigeon-holed. For several reasons, which may all be summed up in the phrase "inapplica- bility to existing conditions," it was in no way acceptable to the friends of practical Appalachian forest legislation. 257 258 CONSERVATION Here the question rested at the opening of the second session of the Sixtietli Congress. The shortness of this ses- sion, the many poHtical conipHcations. the unwiUingness of Congress to enact any general legislation carrying an ap- propriation, were conditions unfavor- able to success, but the Appalachian forest project had gained a momentum which was sure to bring it to the front. Notwithstanding the heavy handicap, of political conditions, the supporters of the Senate bill again appeared before the House committee on agriculture on December 9, 1908. Governor Guild, of Massachusetts, headed the delegation and he was supported by Governor Ansel, of South Carolina, ex-Governor Pardee, of California, Governor Cham- berlain, of Oregon, and President Van Hise, of the University of Wisconsin. These names of representative men from widely separated states show how broad and unselfish is the support of this project. Once again public men and experts from many states testified to the need of the proposed action by the national government, and numer- ous resolutions from boards of trade, merchants' associations, and chambers of commerce were added to the mass that hatl already gone on record. Fol- lowing this hearing Mr. Weeks, of Massachusetts, and Mr. Lever, of South Carolina, with the assistance of Mr. Currier, of New Hampshire, un- dertook to prepare a substitute for the Senate bill that would be acceptable to a majority of the committee and would pass the House. The result of this was the so-called ^^'eeks bill, which was ac- cepted by the committee January 28, by a vote of eleven to seven, and was re- ]:)orted to the House. This bill incorporated from the Scott bill the clauses permitting states to combine for forestry purposes, and ap- propriated $100,000 for the use of the Secretary of Agriculture in assisting any state or group of states in protect- ing from fire the forested watersheds of navigable streams, it being provided tliat each state so assisted should have in its own law a system of fire protec- tion. The bill further appropriated from the income not otherwise appro- priated of present and future National Forests the sum of $1,000,000 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1909, and not exceeding $2,000,000 each year for nine years following, "for use in the examination, survey and accjuirement of lands located on the headwaters of navigable streams or those which aie being or which may be developed for navigable purposes." This money was to be expended by a board consisting of the Secretaries of War, the Interior, and Agriculture, one Senator and one Representative, on recommendation of the Secretary of Agriculture, after ex amination and report by the Geological Survey to ascertain the fitness of said lands for the desired purpose. Other provisions of the bill make it conform to the general administrative practise of the National Forest system. The report accompanying this bill was signed by Kittredge Haskins of Ver- mont, William W. Cocks of New York, Ralph D. Cole of Ohio, Ernest M. Pollard of Nebraska, Clarence C. GiLHAMS of Indiana, James C. Mc- Laughlin of Michigan, John W. Weeks of Massachusetts, John Lamb of Virginia, Asbury F. Lever of South Carolina, Augustus O. Stanley of Kentucky, and J. Thomas Heflin of Alabama. A minority report, which held that the connection of forests on the watersheds with the navigability of streams was not established and that the proposed legislation opened the way to enormous and unjustifiable ex- penditure, was signed by the chairman of the committee, Charles F. ScoT'r of Kansas, and by William Lorimer of Illinois, George W. Cook of Colo- rado, Jack Beall of Texas, and W. W. RucKER of Missouri. Individual minority reports were made by W. C. Hawley of Oregon and Gilbert N. Haugen of Iowa. Hon. Asbury F, Lever, Representative from South Carolina These reports removed the fighting" from the skirmish line in the committee to the House itself, and there a battle royal was to be expected, with the whole powerful machinery of both party organizations opposed to action. It became known, however, as the ses- sion wore on, that the Speaker had finally given his assurance that the bill should receive consideration during the session, and it then became a question of whether the appropriation bills and other privileged legislation would be out of the way in time for full consid- eration. A special rule was reported about a week before the close of the session under which business could be brought up under suspension by a ma- jority instead of a two-thirds vote. This enabled the Weeks bill to be brought in on the first of March and it passed the House by a vote of 157 to 147, ten answering "present," and seventy-two not voting. There was a spirited two hours' debate in which there were many speakers on both sides and Payne of New York and Taw- NEY of Minnesota took the floor 259 Hon. Frank D. Currier, Representative from New Hampshirj against the measure and made clear the bitter and uncompromising opposition of the House managers. On the roll call the Speaker asked that his name be called and was recorded in the nega- tive. The bill was ably managed by Mr. Weeks and Mr. Currier on one side of the House and by Mr. Lamb and Mr. Lever on the other. The bill went immediately to the Senate, where Senator Teller and Senator Heyburn objected to its being sent to conference without consideration on the floor of the the Senate. Finally, on the evening of March 3, when Senator Brandegee called it up on a motion that the Senate 260 concur with the House amendmentb, the Rocky Mountain Senators an- nounced that if any attempt was made to pass the bill they should require full time for debate, and that they would alone occupy all the time that remained of the session, to the exclusion of other business. Against this opposition no move of force or strategy could be of any avail and the friends of the bill were obliged to accept its reference to the committee on forest reservations and the protection of game, which, of course, meant its death, so far as that Congress was concerned. FIGHT FOR APPALACHIAN FORESTS 261 The net result of the vigorous cam- paign for the passage of the bill in the last Congress was therefore an accurate testing of the temper of the two houses toward the proposed legislation, and a definite line-up of the House on a roll call. It was also shown that more de- termined opposition may hereafter be anticipated in the Senate. The strong- est arguments of our opponents have been made. Their efforts to check this movement by argument, by votes, or by parliamentary tactics, have been exerted to the utmost and it has gone forward in spite of them. Two bills. not identical, have passed both the Sen- ate and the House. This in itself is progress. It is to be hoped that in an- other Congress it may be possible to agree upon a measure, which may pass both houses early enough in the session so that it will not be prevented from becoming a law by lack of time. The issue is now clearly before Con- gress and the country. It rests on the vital principleof conservation of natural resources, and will not down. The peo- ple have unmistakably asked for legis- lation on this subject. They will de- mand it of the Sixty-first Congress. Proclamation Concerning Cuting of Timber and Clearing of Lotts in Pliiladelphia and Suburbs, 1686. Wm. Penn, P. Gn By William Penn, Proprietary and Governor Since justice in all things ought to be observed It ought not for yt reason in ye least thing to bee neglected and for yt end I took great care whilst I was in ye Province among ye rest to prevent People cuting Wood and especially Timber off from other mens Lotts, and foreseeing ye scarcity yt would quickly follow, I did appoint a Woodsman who was instructed to graunt such Trees as belonged not to any private Purson, and in such number as ye case deserved and for his pains to receive 6d per tree. And in as much as I am credibly informed yt some of ye People of Philadelphia have been very irregular and injurious herein. I doe hereby desier and strictly order my loving friends and Comrs : William Markham, Thomas Ellis and John Goodson dilligently to inspect this matter and to cause such as shall from time to time be found offenders to be effectually and Impartially Presented according to Law in ye case provided. And because one of ye evil consequences of destroying ye Timber soe irregularly has been the growth of Underwood, which does not only hinder ye Town stock of ye benefit they might else have, and render ye Town more a Wilderness, but if not cleared and prevented may become a common Nuisance, by being a Covert for Vermin and too often for loos and evil persons, I have thought fitt to require my said Commrs and they are hereby ordered to present this to ye Inhabitants of ye Town whose accomadation has been for ye most part ye cause of this inconvenience, and they allsoe are hereby required to take some effectuall cours to clear the ground of such under-woods with all convenient speed. Given at Worminghurst Place in old Engld ye 26th of ye nth Mo 1686. (Pennsylvania Archives, Vol. I, p. 97, Philadelphia, 1852.) WATER CIRCULATION AND ITS CONTROL By BAILEY WILLIS, E.M.C.E,, United States Geological Survey Circulation of Waters THE moisture which falls upon North America in the form of rain and snow comes chiefly from the Pacific Ocean. A smaller propor- tion rising from the Gulf of Mexico and the West Indian seas falls upon the eastern United States. A part of this precipitation returns to the air ; another part flows to the streams ; a third enters the ground. It all sooner or later re- turns to the oceans. In this great gen- eral circulation there are many short cuts and many stop-overs. Rain which falls upon the sea has taken a short cut. Snow which gathers in banks and gla- ciers, water which lingers in lakes, swamps, and especially in the soil and deeper recesses of rocks underground, has stopped over for a longer or shorter time. On the whole, the great body of moisture moves constantly, circulates in various forms through the air, on the earth, and through all parts of the superficial crust of the earth, and in its constant flow is the most vital element afifecting the life of plants and animals. The very air itself is not more neces- sary than the presence of an adequate and fairly regular supply of moisture. These vast movements of moisture transcend our control, but their efifects do not. Mas not man through intelli- gent skill converted the desert into a garden ? And has he not through obsti- nate ignorance turned the garden into a desert? The path of our race from Asia across Europe has led through many such gardens ; it is marked also by such deserts. Says Irving in the charming intro- duction to The Alhambra : Though there are exceptions in some of the maritime provinces, yet for the greater part Spain is a stern, melancholy country, with rugged mountains and long sweeping plains destitute of trees and indescribably silent and lonesome, partaking of the savage and solitary character of Africa. What adds to this silence and loneliness is the absence of singing birds, a natural consequence of the want of groves and hedges. The vulture and the eagle are seen wheeling about the mountain cliffs and soaring over the plains, and groups of shy bustards stalk about the heaths; but the myriads of smaller birds which animate the whole face of other coun- tries are met with in but few provinces in Spain, and in those chiefly among the orchards and gardens which surround the habitations of man. No better description could be writ- ten, not only of Spain but of Asia Minor, where the marbles of Grecian civilization mark the sites of lost cities ; or of Dalmatia, where barren plateaus have replaced the forests from which Rome built her navies ; or of many other parts of sotithern Europe and northern Africa, where man has helped to rob nature of her charm and transformed her gentleness into stern severity. We Americans have left these desert mountains behind in Eurasia ; but we occupy the last land that lies toward the setting sun. ( )ur children and our children's children for countless gener- ations are to enjoy the gardens or be- wail the deserts we create. In the general circulation there is just one point where agencies under iunnan control can directly afifect the cotu'sc of the movement. It is where rain strikes the ground or the vegeta- tion covering the ground. Erom this point three routes are open to the mois- ture. It may evaporate, it may run ofif, or it may sink in. That which evapo- rates is lost to man's immediate use ; 'To appear in the Report of the National Conservation Commission. 262 c 2 O J3 ;:= M — ^ ^ o > X .a fD •o oa a ra M fi c -5, o O it 2 "o nj a: .si pa § •T3 *^ c .2 P Z ^^ u n I ^ §: >■ Di < ^ (« ^ cc; M *- K ^ 1 O j: Q u. -a S c« 2 5 i2 "^ Q ^ -C < 0 « >• S Z >- jj .0 > G H " ,R ■£ U w "^ u. m w UJ 0 '5 h >■ I U S -D S C ^— n > c 2 ra n e 3 IS -■? (J C/5 - c 0 ■- y at .2 c 0 1 i i .M cn u >. J_, tl> <-» SC .- 0 ^ u Q i M 'So C u •aoi ^ ra 3 " 0 OT U, .2 .. V >■ c s 0 "■ o on y to 2? " UJ U z Q uu Z 5 cc Q Z < d w < u >j u Q UJ Oi DQ H f= Q W Q O O < Z o o s '-^ ^ u > •- o t> «^ », ^ *^ o •- . c Of 3 o p Q u 5l WATER CIRCULATIOX AXD ITS COXTROL 265 that wliich runs olT may be useful, but is frec|uently so violent as to be harm- ful : that which sinks in flows slowly to the s|)rinos and streams and becomes available when most needed. X^ow man can send more water back at once to the air and down to the streams, or he can lead a larger pro- portion into the soil to enrich his crops, to feed springs, and to bear his boats during' low river stag'cs, for he can strip the ribbed rocks of soil, as witness Spain, bTance, Italy, Greece and China, or he can clothe the surface with forest or verdure cr thirsty fallow. It is the object of this paper to con- sider the methods and efficiency of man's control, through engineering, agriculture and forests. But before en- tering upon that subject we may take a general view of moisture in circula- tion along the several parts of the route that are commonly known as precipita- tion, ground water, evaporation, and surface flow. PKECIPITATION Air and moisture may be mixed, as in clouds and mists, and some amount of moisture is dissolved in the air, no matter how dry it may seem. These two states of moisture in the air, whether mixed or dissolved, depend chiefly on the temperature. Changes of the barometer change the temperature, and thus pressure has an efl:"ect on the condition. And for any particular tem- perature and pressure the air will hold a certain amount of dissolved moisture and no more.^ Anv effect which changes the tem- perature of the air makes it either more or less thirsty. A familiar instance is the cloud banner which seems nailed to a mountain top, especially to a snow peak, in spite of a strong wind. In that case a warm air current containing dis- solved moisture is cooled by rising along the slope or Ijy contact with the snow, and a part of the moisture becom- ing condensed is seen as a cloud. Blown farther, the water particles are redis- solved in warm air currents and the cloud ends ; but as the conditions and changes are continuous the banner is not blown away. A similar phenomenon may be ob- served over such regions as our great plains, where the column of rising air becoming dilated and cooled forms a rain cloud at great height, yet the fall- ing rain is dissolved in the hot air below l)efore it can reach the ground. X'^o one who has seen the shower vanish into thin air will (juestion the effectiveness of radiation from treeless plains under a summer sun to prevent precipitation. Wdio does not know a drying wind — such an one as blows cold from the Canadian snows and warming up drinks u]) moisture from . every pore of the surface? Or if you have crossed the Cascade Mountains of Oregon or Washington you know how the wet air of the western ranges contrasts with the furnace dryness of the eastern plains. The mountains are wet because they are high, and they are heavily for- ested because they are wet. But there is also a reciprocal action of the forest on the wetness, for the radiation from the dark green expanse is comparatively unif(M-m and ]iromotes frequent and stead v rains. \\'ere the mountains bare thev would, like the bared sierras of Spain, receive occasional but violent downpours and send down excessive and disastrous floods, even more disas- trous than now. On the other hand, the plains are dry because they are low and situated beyond the heights in the path of moisture-bearing currents, and they are without forests because they are dry. But here also there might be, yes. may be, a reciprocal action of vegeta- tion on the dryness. For in so far as we clothe the surface with green crops we lower the temperature of the rising air and favor ])recii)itation on the ver- dure-covered plain. 'Dissolved here means imisibly dispersed in the air. of solution is not in point. The physical or clieniical nature "l- ^ 3 -D M & TT T3 ■> o C 2i 'U ^ Q C 2 >• < •13 3 c UJ hi M "13 J LO CO VO H «" < 3 p O U ^ U f^ V) :^ < 13 c .s o Oi In -J CQ a. 0 U > o 3 W s 3 UJ X U o w o ^ o CO . c "5. u u 1 c < O -G X Oi C CA K „ * tfl UJ H - no c "O X J -D u < 3 _o m "u tfl y ^ «J s VI .fl u^ tJ r^ o H *^ ^ < 13 c 3 w *£ _C ^ Q > jO c 4> u o > < 03 o C o "5. 3 "5 c 3 C 3 o z O E v. E Q- •o V LU w JC Q trt tj O c ro tJ O "fl tJ ^ 3 JZ 3 w o s C o u fl z C C < o TO •2 UJ "5 c 1- O r o 2 z C/5 o J c s "5 CO 2 >■ a C LU "B u C/5 z J3 o a \ 3 < 1- 1^ fO TO TO z \ 3 CM o "u rs s fc« 3 ^ o C 3 u i u e^ TO tfl c TJ U o O >^ p o o\ "^ u 3 a w CX3 5! u n h- C n Z C3 ra JJ CD C H >• U ? UJ Pu h- O trt K o. ,f* UJ c/^ ai r UJ u X r» > r J 7. ri o ra r \ < ? ■V 3 in LU UJ ■*-" 3 o 268 CONSER\'ATION Thus moisture, in pursuing" the great globe-encirchng: routes of the winds, mav be influenced by local conditions to stop or to hasten on. There is a cycle of reactions which begins with rain, is continued by ground water and vegeta- tion, and leads back to rain. The show- ers sink in, the seed germinates, the plant grows in the moist soil, and the cool, moist air above the green surface provokes a shower : or the (l()wn])our dashes off. the bare surface radiates the heat of the brilliant sun, and the shower that might fall passes over. These reactions are not the great ones, but they are effective enough in manv regions to make a garden or a desert, as the experience of our race, viewed in the light of modern knowl- edge, proves. GROUND WATER If anywhere in humid regions a well be sunk deep enough water will com- monly be found. The water fills the soil or the spaces in the rocks. It flows into any opening and is governed by gravity, so that it runs down grade under ground. It is "ground water" and its surface is the "ground-water table." In humid regions the ground-water table corresponds with the surface level of swamps and streams in their imme- diate vicinity, but it rises above them in uplands, following in a measure the alti- tude of the surface, though it does not reach an equal height. From the high- er ])arts the ground water flows down to the lower ; that is, from the uplands imderground to the streams. If it be replenished bv frequent rains it feeds the streams steadily. If not, the sup- ply diminishes at first rapidly and then very slowly. It is the principal source of moderate and low-water flow in riv- ers of the ea.stern United States. In arid regions the ground-water table usually lies at considerable depth or is wanting. Underground water may even be restricted to deep water- bearing strata, which it enters along the outcrop and in which it is under artesian head. In all regions, except excessively drv deserts, the soil above the ground-water table contains some moisture, which envelopes the grain with a thin film only, if the soil be very dry, but which otherwise occupies the minute spaces between the grains. This moisture does not fall or rise in obedience to gravita- tion, it being under control of forces due to surface tension, which exist in tubes of ver^• small bore (capillary tubes) and similar minute spaces. These forces of surface tension, over- powering the efifect of gravitation, draw the moisture upward or sideways or downward in the direction of least moisture and thus tend to establish a balance throughout the mass so far as the ca])illary films are continuous. If there be evaporation from the surface the moisture is drawn upward, and this is the principal efifect due to capillary attraction. In humid regions the ground water and the soil moisture are in contact. From the surface of the ground to the water table the soil is more or less moist, and if evaporation takes place the u]:iward movement may extend down to the water table, and some part of the ground water may be drawn into the ca];)illary circulation. Tn arid regions the ground water and soil moisture are commonly not con- nected, but are separated by a greater or less space in which the capillary films that envelope the soil grains are not in contact and there is consequently no capillary circulation. This is true un- der much of the great plains. Streams are fed only by immediate flood run-off or bv underground waters from remote mountains. lioth ground water and soil moisture are derived from precipitation ; the soil nioisture in any acre being part of the rain or snow that falls on that acre ; and ground water also being often accu- mulated from the surface which it un- derlies, but frequently coming from higher grounds near by or sometimes far away. This fact places in the farm- ers' hands the ])o\vcr to regulate the 1 wy^-'p^. O 5 = < g H ^ Z 2* i^" Q u m n: LU 0 c u. ■? 1 .£ H % S 0- O -v. <^ ^ nj ^ oo c < t: ^ -5 z ° - z Q c 52 -5 D .:^ S5 " Q 3 %t J O 2 .^ O i H .2 H Q O .. no >■ ^^^mm o z < o OS CT\ OS — < § u. — E ^ < > z " 8 i OS u < c I- ■? pu S ex B. o ^ z ^ p: r ^ o J UJ .i 1- " H *© UJ u CO .2 < >■ ^ s O z > < WATER CIRCULATION AND ITS CONTROL 271 most vital thing in making a crop, by seeing to it that rain goes into the soil and not over it or away with it. EVAPORATION When dry air passes over a moist surface it absorbs moisture from the latter. This is the simple process of evaporation, which is, however, subject to intricate relations of temperature, pressure, and humidity. Considering it as a way in which water that we want in the ground escapes into the air, we are interested to limit evaporation. This is possible by keeping the surface cool and the air above it moist, as under trees ; and in sufficiently arid regions it is accomplished by covering the surface with a dry mulch, which cuts ofif the upward rise of moisture. The action of the woods in keeping the air and ground cool and moist is not open to question ; even on the semiarid plains a wind break notably reduces evapora- tion from the fields in its lee ; but it is held by some writers that the trees draw in through their roots and trans- pire through their leaves more mois- ture than would evaporate were the soil beneath them bare. This is true with regard to the soil reached by their roots, particularly on plains. On hill slopes it is also true, but trees so in- crease the amount of water stored in sloping ground, over that which can be stored in the same slope if bare, that they more than make up for what they transpire. In regard to the manner of evapora- tion from soils under arid and humid conditions we may best quote as fol- lows from Buckingham ■}' When a moist soil dries by contact with the air above it the loss of water takes place by evaporation close to the surface, the amount lost by direct evaporation from points several inches below the surface being in general negligible. As the surface soil dries out a moisture gradient is established, and the dry surface soil draws up water from the moister region below by capillary ac- tion. If this capillary flow of water be pre- vented or lessened, as by the use of a mulch, the escape of water is decreased, because the evaporation has, on the whole, to take place from farther below the surface, so that it encounters greater re- sistance and is slower. The flow of water in a soil which is not very wet has to take place through the thin films in which a part of the water is dis- tributed over the soil grains. If the soil becomes very dry it is to l)e expected that these films will become thinner or break, the resistance to capillary flow increasing- very much in either case. Hence it is to be expected that in very dry soils capillary flow will be slow. Suppose a soil could be made so dry that no capillary flow at all would take place in it even when it was in contact with a moist soil. Such a layer of soil would act toward the moist soil below it as a protecting mulch. A soil can probably not be made so dry as to lose its power of capillary conduction of water entirely, but we may get an approxi- mation to this limiting case. Suppose that after a rain the soil surface be exposed to very arid conditions with a high surface temperature and a hot, dry wind. The surface of the soil will lose water much faster than it can be brought up from below by capillary action, and if the arid conditions be kept up a layer of dry soil will be formed on the surface, which may be so dry as to act in the manner sug- gested, i. e., as a protecting mulch. We shall thus have an initial period of very rapid evaporation, followed by a period of slow evaporation, taking place largely from below the surface. If the same soil had been subject to less arid conditions the initial loss would have been less. The capillary flow from below would have been sufficient to prevent the surface soil from becoming dry enough to act as a mulch ; hence, though the initial rate of loss would be smaller, that rate would not fall off so rapidly. It might even happen that in the long run the soil under the arid conditions would actually lose less water than the same soil under humid conditions. From these statements and the care- ful experiments on which they are based it appears that in humid regions exaporation from a bare surface is not readily controlled, whereas in arid re- gions the ])reci()us moisture may be retained by a mulch of sufficiently dry soil. .SURFACE FLOW Surface tluw is the water in swamps, lakes and streams. It is all derived 'Buckingham, Edgar: Studies in the Movement of Soil INIoisture. U. S. Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Soils, Bull. No. 38, pp. 18-19, 1907. '♦■l. '^ M> * ■ • I? ■ i^-i-'^i^i^"^ -i ^ Q O O LU X u o .5 t « 2 a ;i: ■" >■ DO U C ~ Q .S 1 a — u ^ < a. u I H ^ o u O ^ (3 < > o 5 s .- c tf) o c _ 1^ c - o ra CO (A ^ laif?*^-'^— -^ CARAVAN PASSING THROUGH A VALLEY WHERE FORMERLY PROSPEROUS PEASANTS USED TO LIVE, WHEN THE MOUNTAINS WERE STILL FORESTED Locality! Near the Wu.-t'aushan, Shan,-si, China. The Floods Have Carried Destruction All Over the Land, and Its Aspect Is Like a Stony Desert. April 14, 1907 A PEBBLY RIVER BED IN SOUTH MANCHURIA Locality: Near Fong huang sheng, South Manchuria. The formerly big stream has dried up, on account of the climate having become more arid, since the destruction of the forests on the mountainsides. Only some scrub wood is left which will disappear within the next forty or fifty years. June 11 , 1906 274 CONSERVATION from precipitation, but is gathered from the surface in part only ; another part appearing from seepages and springs after a trip underground. The former we wiU call "flood run-off," the latter "seepage run-ofif." Flood run-off is that part of rain or snow fall which remains on or very near the surface, flows directly to swamps, lakes or streams, and imme- diately or in a short time runs away. Following showers, flood run-off raises streams ; following prolonged rains or melting snow it occasions high water, which quickly recedes when the rain or melting ceases ; and following excess- ive rains or melting, flood run-oif produces great floods. Flood run-oif is thus the most tran- sient, irregular, wasteful and danger- ous part of precipitation. It damaged the people in the United States in eight months, January i to August 31, 1908, $237,000,000. In the year 1907 it occasioned the loss of $118,238,000. In the ten years prior to December, 1906, it cost not less than $1,500,000,000 in goods, buildings, bridges, roads, railroads, and real es- tate, washed away. These losses are net losses ; they do not include deterioration of values not actually destroyed, nor do they cover the incalculable, irreparable loss of fer- tile soil from our mountains, grazing lands, and fields. This loss amounts to approximately 1,000,000,000 tons of soil per annum. Nor does the financial loss include the sum of human suffer- ing or the loss to the Nation through lowered efficiency and morale of the citizens who sufifer from floods. Seepage run-ofif stands in direct con- trast to flood run-ofif. It is slow and gradual where the other is quick and spasmodic ; it is regular where the other is irregular ; it continues when the other fails. The uses of surface waters ( crop growing, city water supply, sani- tation, water power, and navigation) depend on reliability and regularity. Hence it is obvious that the works of man should be designed to increase that part of rainfall and snowfall which, sinking into the ground, contributes to seepage run-oft' and to regulate the flow of that considerable part which cannot enter the ground. Rain falling on a well-tilled field or grass or forest largely sinks in. Fall- ing on bare, baked, incrusted ground, it dashes off. Whichever in any place occurs, some farmer or herdsman or lumberman is responsible, for there is now no considerable part of the United States that man does not make or mar. But at the best there will always re- main a notable proportion of precipita- tion that will form flood run-oft", and this we must commit to the care of the engineer as part of the surface flow w hich it is his dutv to control. ( To be continued) PRACTICABILITY OF STATE FORESTS IN THE SOUTHERN APPALACHIAN STATES By W. W, ASHE, State Forester of North Carolina THE political theory of the south- ern states has been that of laissec fairc, of non-interference with the industrial activities of their citizens. While this theory of government yei obtains, there has rapidly developed a belief that the forest situation at the present time in respect to the supply of timber, as well as the influence ex- erted by the forest upon stream-flow, justifies the exercise of a certain amount of public assistance and even, under some conditions, governmental supervi- sion for the benefit of the people of the entire community. When the citi- zen by his limitations and his lack of means is unable to develop or to pro- tect a resource, the use of which in- volves the general public welfare, the state is justified in assisting him. This principle was recognized by nearly every southern state in the aid they rendered in the financing and in building of many of their railroads, the construction of which would un- doubtedly have been delayed many dec- ades but for this assistance. In several of the northeastern states this view of the necessity of the con- trol by the state of certain classes of forest lands has resulted in state own- ership. New York owns more than a million acres, while Pennsylvania has already acquired nearly as much. The financial condition of the southern states is not such as to warrant, at the present time, the acquisition of exten- sive holdings. That these states, how- ever, would seek to acquire land, if they were able to do so, the private ownership of which might seriously jeopardize the rights of others, is amply attested by the fervor with which thev have advocated the establishment of Federal forests in the Appalachian re- gion. Undoubtedly, they will eventu- ally follow the examples of New York and Pennsylvania and secure control of forest lands which protect impor- tant water-sheds; but it is doubtful if they would be financially in a situa- tion to do this until the timber has been exploited and the ownership of the land by private parties found un- profitable to the owner and detrimental to the best interests of the state. In North Carolina, where the condi- tions are fairly typical of those exist- ing in several other states which are situated partly within the southern Appalachians, there are, out of a total forest area of more than 11,000.000 acres, between 3,500,000 and 4,500,000 acres of absolute foi-est land. By ab- solute forest land is meant land which is better suited for forest purposes than for farming uses. Two-thirds of this area is located within the Appalachians, and is situated above an altitude of 2,000 feet ; while one-third, or more than 1,300,000 acres, lies within the Piedmont and coastal plain regions. Between one-eighth and one-seventh of the total area of North Carolina is ab- solute forest land, while more than one-third of the total area of the state is yet nominally forest land. Virginia. Kentucky, Tennessee, and Alabama have about the same proportion of ob- solute forest land as North Carolina, while a smaller proportion exists in South Carolina and Georgia ; that is, if the same basis is used for deciding what is absolute forest land in the dif- ferent states. Several of these states yet own small areas of forested public lands which 275 < c U O > A Fire^trap Leit by Lumbering ■^.'K^^ Waste from Logging s c o u Fire Running from Ihe Open into Green Timber North Sugar Loaf Mountain, New Hampshire. Once Heavily Timbered, but Now Practically Barren as a Result of Clean Cutting and Fire Flood Damages to Railway on Nolichucky River, East Tennessee, May, 1901 were either set aside by the states for some particular purpose, as for the l)enefit of the echicational system of the state, or which have never been sold or patented by the state. These hold- iui^s are, however, usually not well suited for the purpose of permanent forests, in North Carolina they con- sist in part of swamp lands, situated near the coast, and in part of areas of very roui^h or poor land, situated, for the most part, in the mountains. While many of the swamps are large enough to form units of forest man- agement, the soils are generally of good (|uality, and recjuire onl\- thorough drainage to establish them as agricul- 280 tural lands of high value. Moreover, the character of the timber, which is largely black gum, offers, on account of its slow growth, an uninviting field for temporary forest management. The mountain lands which yet belong to the state consist of small and isolated areas, and, as they now exist, could not be profitably managed as commercial for- ests. In North Carolina the state would not be justified in making any exten- sive outlav for the development of either of these classes of holdings. These lands should receive, however, preferential protection from fire. It is evident that the state owns only an insignificant pro])ortion of the abso- PRACTICABILITY OF FORESTS 281 lute forest lands of the commonwealth, and that the protection and develop- ment of its small quota can have no appreciable influence upon the timber supply or the welfare of the people of the state. The state's interest in the forest lands which are owned by its citizens is paramount. The forest lands and the interests directly dependent upon forest products constitute one- sixth of the entire taxable assets of North Carolina. They constitute a very large and important proportion of the wealth of each of the Appalachian states. At the present time the state's policy could scarcely be directed along more profitable lines than seeking to develop the holdings of its citizens. Owners are deterred from developing their own holdings largely on account of the low prices of forest products, making the returns from forest lands seem ex- tremely small compared with those from agricultural lands, while other de- terrent elements are the fire danger and time ; that is, the long period wdiicli must elapse before the youngest trees will be mature and salable. > The price of forest products is yet fixed by the remaining supply of old timber which has grown without cost ; and cut-over and second-growth forest lands will, as a whole, not be profit- able investments until the prices of forest products are fixed by the cost of growing or producing them. It is this condition which makes it neces- sary to give the owner of second- growth forest land some assistance un- til the profits from low-grade and cut- over lands become greater. Assistance should be along these lines : 1. Technical advice in regard to methods of management. V^ery little is yet known from experience respect- ing the best methods of management, and the individual owner is seldom able to pay an engineer to develop a system of management. Even if able and willing to do so, the owner will seldom know where to secure the help he needs. 2. Assistance in protection from 4 fire. The enormous damage caused by fires, especially to second-growth for- ests, is not realized, even by owners, far less by the general public. Sev- eral years of constant agitation will be required to bring people to realize the extent of this loss and to regard young timber as property. 3. Adjustment of taxes so that im- mature timber will not be taxed while mature timber will be taxed only once. For these reasons the state of North Carolina is anxious to acquire more valuable and extensive interests than it could possibly secure through acquir- ing holdings in fee, by expending its entire available funds in developing its forest resources as a whole. The fol- lowing policy is one which seems to be suited to the present conditions in North Carolina, and which has been generally approved by owners of forest lands. A system of fire-protection which will be sufficiently flexible to require establishment only in those townships where conditions require it should be adopted. While fire-protection must eventually become a matter of purely private concern, it is impossible for pri- vate interests to assume it so long as low-grade timber cannot profitably be handled, and so long as the public is indifferent to the loss occasioned by . forest fires. A second measure provides for ad- vice to owners of timber lands in re- gard to methods of management, fire- protection, logging, etc. This feature is already well established, and applica- tions have been received for working plans for 50,000 acres. The scope of this work is entirely advisory, and no obligation is assumed by the owner who receives such assistance. There is a large area of waste and gullied hillside land, totalling more than 200,000 acres, in the middle and west- ern portions of North Carolina. This land is objectionable in its present con- dition because entirely without earning ]:)Ower. Moreover, it has a very in- jurious efifect upon streams; adding, by the great rapidity of the run-off of ftorm water from it, to the height of 282 CONSERVATION floods, and contributing to the streams an enormous burden of silt and sand which is deposited by the floods over the farming land in the alluvial valleys ; this sand likewise fills the reservoirs, and chokes the channels of the navi- gable rivers. It is proposed to interest landowners in replanting this land as a profitable investment. Small seed beds have been established, which will soon be very much enlarged ; from these it is ex- pected to supply seedlings for planting to the owners of such land. It is pro- posed that the state should acquire some reasonable rights in such plantations respecting either the length of time be- fore they can be cut or the method of cutting. Eventually it is hoped to acquire small areas of old forest in different portions of the state for use as demon- stration forests. These need not neces- sarily be purchased, but the right of exclusive use for a definite term of years can be secured. These would be used in much the same manner as the demonstration farms of the South are used at present. They should be se- lected for accessibility rather than for their value as commercial enterprises. Their object would be to develop methods of management and show the results of such methods. Another measure provides for the establishment of registered forests. This permits forest land of a certain grade to be listed in the county in which situated, and in the office of the Secre- tary of State as forest land. It must be non-agricultural land which, in the opinion of the Forest Office, will not be suited for farming purposes for at least thirty years. In consideration of certain privileges in regard to manage- ment, which are given by the state, pay- ing taxes on the timber only as it is cut and granting police power to rangers the owners agree to maintain registered forest lands in forest for a fixed period, managing the forest on lines approved by the State's Forest Office. The in- terest which this measure has created indicates that it would be of much serv- ice in permitting owners to regard hold- ings as permanent investments. In this way the state of North Caro- lina hopes to be able to secure far greater benefits than would be possible if the limited means which are now at its command were used in acquiring holdings in fee or in paying for labor in planting. And the people of the commonwealth must eventually derive greater benefits from such a policy which is directed entirely toward mak- ing all the timberlands in the state pro- ductive, and securing protective plant- ing on the watersheds of all the streams of the state, than would be possible if the state, at the present time, were to expend its entire resource in the pur- chase of holdings which could never be of great importance either as sources of timber supply or as protective forests on account of their comparatively lim- ited extent. The salient features in this policy would also seem to be well suited to the conditions of the other Southern Appalachian states. WHAT FOREST CONSERVATION MEANS By R- S, KELLOGG, Assistant Forester, Forest Service AT ITS meeting in Cleveland two The Conservation Commission esti- years ago the National Associa- mates that the original forests of the tion of Box Manufacturers took United States covered not less than the initiative among all the great wood- 850,000,000 acres, or forty-five per using industries in recognizing the im- cent, of the total land area of the portance of having a timber census of United States, and that they contained the United States. It was clearly seen not less than 5,200,000,000,000 feet of that before the Nation and the states merchantable saw timber according to could take the steps which are neces- present standards of utilization. Clear- sary to an economical utilization and ing for agriculture, cutting, and fire the maintenance of our timber supply, liave reduced this acreage to about we must know what kinds and how 550,000,000, with a stand of perhaps much timber we have and under what 2,500.000,000,000 feet of saw timber, conditions it is growing. A great deal Of this 550,000,000. acres of forest of excellent work was done by the as- land which we now have, some 200,- sociation in putting the necessity for a 000.000 acres are covered with mature timber census before the public, and timber on which annual growth is bal- in calling attention to the condition of anced by loss through death and decay, our forest resources so far as shown Two hundred and fifty million acres are by the facts then at hand. While the partially cut or burned over, but re- association did not succeed in its at- stocking naturally with. sufficient young tempt to have Congress authorize a growth to produce a fair crop of tim- timber census, the work which it did ber, while it is estimated that 100,000.- was of great educational value. Need- 000 acres have been so severely cut and less to say the need for a timber cen- burned over that the natural growth sus still exists, and only upon the com- upon them is of little value. The an- plete knowledge of our forest resources, nual cut of forest products is in round secured by such a census, can adequate numbers about as follows : One hun- and detailed plans for the perpetuation dred million cords of firewood ; 40,000,- of our forest resources be based. In 000,000 feet of lumber; 1,000,000,000 the meantime, we are exceedingly for- posts, poles, and rails; 118,000,000 tunate in having the compilation made hewn ties ; one and one-half billion by the National Conservation Commis- staves; 133,000,000 sets of heading; sion. The report of the Commission 500,000,000 barrel hoops ; 3,000,000 brings out clearly the main facts as to cords of pulpwood ; 165,000,000 cubic what forests we have, how fast they feet of round mine timbers, and one are being used up, how fast they are and one-fourth million cords of wood growing, and what must be done to used for distillation. This is equiva- conserve them. The report of the lent to a total of 23,000,000,000 cubic Commission is a broad platform of feet of wood, or 260 cubic feet per facts and principles upon which we capita. Under present conditions of must proceed to make further plans for mismanagement and neglect the annual forest conservation. growth of our forests is probably less 283 284 CONSER\'ATION than 7,000,000,000 cubic feet. In other words, we are producing less than one- third as much wood annually as we are using. We are like a get-rich-quick concern which pays dividends out of its capital stock. If this continues, some day all of us will be doing our share in holding the sack. Forests are essential for the protec- tion of watersheds, for their amelio- rating influences upon local climate, for recreation grounds for the people, as a habitation for birds and game, and, above all, for a timber supply. De- spite the introduction of many sub- stitutes, we cannot conceive of the prac- ticability of doing without wood. Granting this, it follows that as a Na- tion and as individual citizens we must do our utmost to put our forests upon a permanent producing basis. We must cut no more from them than they pro- duce each year, and we must make their yearly growth equal to our needs. Forest conservation means two things : First, the fullest possible utilization of the present supply of timber, which will make it last longer, and, second, the handling of forest lands in such a way that succeeding crops of timber will be secured. At present only about one-fifth of our standing timber is in public forests. This term is used to cover the National Forests, state forests, the timber on Indian and military reservations. Na- tional parks, etc. These forests are be- ing managed according to the princi- ples of scientific forestry so far as funds available for their administration permit. In the main they are being conserved. While the extent of the public forests will undoubtedly be in- creased in the future, it is not likely that for a very long time to come they will contain even as much as half our timber supply. Four-fifths of our for- ests are now owned by individuals, companies or corporations. The man- ner in which these forests are handled is, therefore, of the utmost importance in forest conservation. So far but lit- tle attempt has been made to conserve them. The timberland owner and the lumber manufacturer are primarily business men. They are working for a profit, and an immediate one, if pos- sible ; at any rate, a profit within com- paratively few years. They will not conserve their forests unless they are convinced that forest conservation will yield a profit. We cannot blame them for this. It is a perfectly natural and necessary attitude from the standpoint of the individual. The National Con- servation Commission recognizes that three main considerations arise in mak- ing plans for the conservation of pri- vately owned forests. The first two of these are matters for state les^islation. The third is an economic one. They are : I. We must stop forest fires. Mil- lions of acres of forest land are burned over every year. In many cases the damage to standing timber is great, but in almost every case, the damage to the soil and to the young-growth timber is far greater. The cutting of successive crops of timber from our forest lands depends absolutely upon the keeping out of forest fires. Forest fires can be prevented, but to prevent them requires constant vigilance during the danger season. Proper state laws, with ample funds for their enforce- ment, and cooperation with timberland owners, will do it. Some splendid ex- amples of this occurred during tiie past season, in which forest fires were un- usually widespread and destructive. Four forest protective associations in northern Idaho, for instance, organized in accordance with the laws of that state, protected a million and a quarter acres of forest land, and kept the dam- age down to a comparatively small amount. They did so at a cost to them- selves of 4 cents per acre. The Wash- ington Forest Fire Association also did excellent work. When in comparison with this it is stated that, during the last fiscal year, the Forest Service had an equivalent of only ij4 cents per acre to spend upon the National For- ests for all kinds of work and admin- istration, including fire fighting, it is seen that the lumbermen cannot be WHAT FOREST CONSERVATION MEANS 285 charged with a lack of interest in fire prevention in the Northwest at the present time whatever may have been their attitude in the past. The lumber- men in the Lake States are now work- ing for legislation which will assist in reducing the damage in that region. The fires there last fall are a lesson which will not be forgotten. An en- lightened public sentiment, coupled with adequate legislation, will solve the forest-fire problem. 2. It is essential that the methods of taxing forest lands be made more equi- table. The recommendation of the Na- tional Conservation Commission is that for purposes of taxation only a small annual tax be levied upon forest land considered apart from the timber, and that no tax at all be paid upon the tim- ber until it is cut. Farm land has a value based upon its ability to produce annual crops. It is right that it should be taxed upon that value. Were tim- berland taxed upon its value, based upon the amount of timber which it produces each year, it would be fair, but when, as is usuallv the case, timberland is taxed each year upon the value of the timber standing on it, which may have required 100 or more years to grow, it is obviously un- just. Timberland brings in no revenue until the timber is cut. By levying a tax then, it comes at a time when the owner is best able to pay it, and there is no danger that he will be forced by unfair taxation to cut his timber when conditions otherwise do not justify it. Since there is no^ possibility of getting a return from cut-over lands for many years, the method of taxing forest land recommended by the Conservation Commission is particularly applicable to them. With practical exemption from taxation, the owner can afford to hold bis cut-over land for another crop of timber when otherwise he could not do so. Forest taxation is entirely a mat- ter for state legislation. The National Conservation Commission and the For- est Service can recommend methods that seem to them best, but the enact- ment of them must be made by the legislatures of the various states. 3. Forest products must bring a price which makes forest conservation profitable if privately owned forests are to be conserved. Cheap lumber re- tards forest conservation. We are now paying what we consider, by compari- son with the past, very high prices for many grades of lumber, but there is no prospect that lumber will ever be much, if any, cheaper. Some grades and kinds must certainly advance. The farmer plants and grows the wheat and corn which he sells. When the price goes below the cost of production, he stops raising them. No lumber manu- facturer has grown the timber which he is cutting, nor has he in general paid a price for it at which it could be prof- itably grown. It is obvious that event- ually the average price of the entire cut of any kind of lumber must be a price at which it can be reproduced. Higher prices for forest products mean a much closer utilization of timber ; the lumber manufacturer will cut much more lum- ber from the same ground and the con- sumer will use it much more econom- ically and carefully. The lumber manu- facturer will reduce the waste in the woods and at the mill just as fast as the price which he can get for his prod- uct will justify him in doing so. He does not leave his top logs and poorer trees in the woods so much because he prefers to as he does because he cannot sell the lumber which they will make. The National Conservation Commis- sion advocates nothing which expe- rience elsewhere has not demonstrated to be practicable. We know that we must continue in the future as we have in the past to rely upon our own for- ests for the great bulk of the wood we use. W^e know that Germany faced this same great problem early in the nineteenth century, and that she solved it in a way that is a model for the rest of the world. We take 260 cubic feet of wood per capita annually from our forests ; Germany uses but thirty-seven. 286 CONSERVATION Our forests are now producing not more than twelve cubic feet of wood per acre per year ; Germany's forests are producing forty-eight cubic feet an- nually. In other words, she has re- duced waste and consumption and in- creased production. We have as rapid growing species and as good forest soil as Germany has. Shall we fail in meet- ing our problem? I do not think so. As admirably stated by the President, the conservation of natural resources means "the application of common sense to common problems for the com- mon good." (Read at annual meeting of National As- sociation of Box Manufacturers, Chatta- nooga, Tenn., February 23, 1909.) AIMLESS TREE SLAUGHTER By M, E, BAKER T HERE was a man who lived in New England, whose name was Legion. Nine-tenths of the time he tilled his land and mended stone fences, like a moral and intelligent be- ing; and the tenth part of the time a madness came upon him — an hereditary madness. He remembered subcon- sciously how his ancestors wrested the soil from the forests, and did battle with the foes that lurked in their depths, and he seized his ax and went forth to take vengeance upon the forest, for the hostile front it showed his eld- ers. But the forest was gone, and the only soil he could find to wrest was beside the town roads, on either hand. This, then, he fell upon with right good will. There were oaks, and these he cut down, waste fully two feet from the ground and scattered their branches about. There were walnuts and birches and beeches, and he felled them all, and hewed them into bits. There was red cedar, with its priceless worth, and its heart of fragrance and this he hacked and haggled and utterly destroyed. Then he looked upon what he had done. and called it very good, and the mad- ness left him. He never returned j:o finish clearing up the roadside. He never covered the bared rocks, or lev- eled the ragged banks. The ground bristled with stubble of trees, and their boughs rotted where they fell. The only times when the man re- visited the roadside were when he cast old stovepipes and broken china, in a heap, a few hundred yards from his dwelling. What shall be done for the madness of this man? He is not to be greatly frighted with droughts or floods, and he has no regard in his heart for the landscape. He does not desire shade trees. Would legislation avail for his cure, or psycho-therapy, or beating with many stripes? If this last were done speedily, there are still birches left by the roadsides wherewith to do it. But if he is not restrained before long, New England will be. here and there among its towns, in like condition with Japan, which has no need to make laws to protect its birds, because the birds are all slaughtered. A LITTLE ABOUT ENGLAND'S TREES By ANNE WARNER Paper Four WE LEFT Germany a month ago and have been railroading, motoring, pony-carting, and walking about some few bits of Eng- land. It's a beautiful country with a rare gift for looking warm on cold days and getting comfort out of fires to which the notion of giving forth heat has never occurred in their wildest dreams. We are always very happy here, even though I cannot see what form of scourge could have brought on the first emigration across the Channel 1 know what brings me, but the same cause could never have operated B. C. (And I doubt if I come again in De- cember.) The prettiest things in England at all times of the year are the trees and the hedgerows. The trees are bare now and their curious old trunks and branches and uncut sprouts are all as picturesque as Rockham's fantastic drawings. If one stops short at the surface of the subject nothing could be more ideal than the tree-life of Eng- land. We passed along Addison's Walk at Oxford and through "Broad Walk" be- hind Christ Church College. Three years ago the walk was magnificent but they have had to take out so many of the fine old trees that the picture is go- ing all to pieces. It's the same tale in Hyde Park. This is the hard side of protection for sentiment alone. Like every other phase of human action that doesn't ring absolutely true, it defeats its own end. The master of landscape gardening must arrange his pictures so that as the centuries turn the pages each page will be a picture in itself. We were in Chepstowe Castle and saw huge trees growing out of ruins wrought by Cromwell. In some places the trees absolutely bound the stone into place while in others they sprung thick masonry apart. In the first of Chepstowe's four courts stands the largest walnut tree in England, its long branches supported by props. At Monmouth we had a pony for eight hours for $2.50 and drove to Rag- lan Castle, the last castle but one to "hold out for the king." The drive coming and going was almost the pret- tiest I ever took, and I saw a bit of "planted wood" — the only bit I've ever seen in England. I must c'onfess that what impressed me most was getting a pony and trap for eight hours for $2.50, but when I had to pay a dollar for a whip that I didn't lose and which didn't have a lash even if I had lost it — I felt less under obligations to the stable. We motored to Dorchester, where the Prince of Wales objects to having the Roman amphitheater excavated be- cause he rents the present surface for a sheep pasture, and I learned nothing new about trees ; but coming home I had it vividly borne in upon me that on the stoniest road imaginable you can't find a stone big enough to keep a motor from rolling backward — not after dark. At Zeals' in Wiltshire, I saw the oak under which Judge Wyndham sat to judge, and to the branches of which he had those he judged hung forthwith. From the foregoing it will easily be seen that I am well fitted to sum up England's position as far as her woods are concerned, and for the benefit of those no wiser than myself, I will try to be fair. England is practically the property of a class who are not forced to concern 287 288 CONSERVATION themselves as to food and lodging. They own the land. They own the trees. Nothing more ideal than their homes and the estates surrounding them can be imagined. There are others in the land — a vast majority — who own nothing. I am not a socialist and I love wide views and beauty as well as any one can, I believe. But I choose the country with the straight line of dark pines or big white birches crowning every hill or protecting every little brook. I choose the land where the land is bring- ing its quota in every way that science can help the sun, the earth, and the water to do so. They say that want and misery and lack of work are as rampant in l^)crlin as in London and 1 do not doubt that it is so. But Berlin and London are not Germany and Eng- land, and I do know that when one travels and watches, there is a far greater proportion of comfort and kind- liness in the former land than in the lat- ter, and that the diflference has its root in very much the same place that the trees have theirs — deep down. I think that I said something like this before. The world is such a wonderfully made puzzle that the same statement may fit in many corners of it. But the fact re- mains that dear and good as beauty is, utility is also dear and good. It's al- most as bad to preserve trees till they tumble over with dry-rot as it is to cut them all at once. I didn't say that it was as bad — I said that it was almost as bad. All of which proves that dearly as I love my English friends, I am think- ing much these days of the thousands who are freezing while the blizzard rages over the great stretches of good English earth kept for hunters and for sheep, and for nothing else. I View of the Mountain Forests at Biltmore after Lumbering A TREE LOVER By MRS, R. A. ELLIS THE painter's brush has paid its liighest tribute to the beauty of the forest, whether in the dehcate fairness of spring leafage, the opulent verdure of summer, the peerless tones of autumn, or the subtler charm of win- ter's bareness. The pen of poet, or of prose-master, has a hundred thousand times been devoted to the same theme of enduring magic. The beauty, the grandeur of the deep forest, the inef- fable grace of a single perfect tree ! Who has not once and again fallen un- der the spell of each ? Yet only one time in the long train of years and the history of states do we find it recorded that this profound love and admiration for the splendid beauty of a tree has impelled a man to throw around it legal protection reaching far beyond his own brief span and cover- ing, he hopes, the many-centuried ex- istence of the lordliest of oaks. There is a little college town in north Georgia, Athens by name, the seat of its university, where, several genera- tions back, lived a man with the heart of a poet, a seer. Would you have ex- pected it in the most eminent jurist of his day? Among the sources of deep- est joy in this man's life, was a beau- tiful tree, growing upon his domain, splendid in size, matchless in symmetry, the earliest always in vernal leafing, the most regal in autumnal glories. The lawyer loved the oak with a love rooted in his childhood, bourgeoning with his youthful joys, waxing more potent, more enduring, as manhood's prime came on, and the golden after- time was foreshadowed. The tree-lover scarcely believed that there would ever come a despoiler so ruthless, an age so barren of the rever- ence due nature, as to hurt, or mar, or wilfully bring destruction upon this perfect handiwork of Him who made trees and loves His creation. Yet hundreds of chances were to be provided against. Carelessness and ignorance, oftener than not, do the work of vandalism. Changes of every kind must be expected and provided for. Municipal alterations, yes, and errors, might be counted on, in this rapidly developing college town on the hill tops. So it chanced that in his declining years Judge Jackson formulated a truly unique plan for the protection of this admirable bit of nature's handicraft. He would make the tree a property- owner, he said, and a landed proprie- tor, indeed, owning eight feet of ground in every direction from its great trunk. A novel transaction, you will agree ; yet its legal soundness has stood the test of a century. Still upon the record books in Athens you may read, written strong and clear, this record of the deed, which nothing has arisen forceful enough to render invalid : "I, W. H. Jackson, of the County of Clarke, of the one part, and the oak tree [here defining exact location] of the County of Clarke, of the other part: Witnesseth, That the said W. H. Jack- son, of and in consideration of the great afifection which he bears said tree, and his great desire to see it protected, has conveyed, and by these presents doth convey unto the said oak tree en- tire possession of itself and of all lands within eight feet of it on all sides." So it stood, so it stands. To this 289 290 COXSERVATION day the tree, with its added century of purpose of the tree-lover. In the very girth, is as flawless as the record, heart of the pretty, classic town, this Naught of man's doing or of higher majestic oak is pointed out as one of ordaining has come to defeat the fine its treasures. FORESTRY MAIDENS By SARAH E, KUHN, Washington THERE were bright maids of high degree, Who worked and toiled for forestry ; Who sat up nights to plan their work, That no small duties might they shirk. To laugh and talk all through the day, As some maids while the time away. Was not the object of their life; For ne'er were heard there sounds of strife. Nor voices loud, nor laughter shrill, But low, sweet tones expressed their will. i I These maidens dressed with greatest care. They wore no costly store-made hair ; No straggling locks or frowsy "rats," ^ Escaped beneath their Paris hats ; ' ] But brown hair, black hair, golden crown, Sedately blent with office gown. Deportment better ne'er was known. Than by these maidens daily shown ; To chief and subchief, high and low, v. A modest deference did they show. t I t i u i If forced to meet a manly form, Within their hearts this raised no storm ; For maids like these gave heart and soul, To save the forests intact, whole ; This single purpose filled the mind. To full exclusion of mankind. They gave no thought to sordid gain, k But worked with ready hand and brain. Content to know their high esteem , Was the one never-failing theme. For Uncle Sam these maidens toiled, I Remaining simple, sweet, unspoiled ; They turned their thoughts to realms above, And never sighed for earthly love; , .! A sure reward before them lies, A brighter home beyond the skies. EDITORIAL The Lesson Taught by China IN THIS issue we are able, fortu- nately, to present, in connection with the opening section of his very strong article, a number of photographs taken by Mr. Bailey Willis, of the Geological Survey, showing effects of deforesta- tion in China. All of these photographs were used by the President in his mes- sage to the Sixtieth Congress at its sec- ond session, and the story told by them would seem to be complete in itself. The effect, however, produced upon the extremely dense population of China naturally arouses inquiry. Mr. Willis passed through one or more famine- stricken districts ; and his account, in conversation with the writer, though couched in the carefully chosen words and uttered with the restraint of a man of science, was harrowing. Still further light is thrown upon the situa- tion by the following letter, sent Mr. Willis on February 12, 1908, by a friend, from the China Inland Mission. In it the writer says : "On reaching Shanghai, news of the great floods and famine occurring in the near Province of Kiang Su was just reaching the outer world. Public funds were opened at once, and money poured in from Eng- land, America, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the ports of China and other lands. * * * I proceeded at once to the affected district for distribution work. In one city on the Grand Canal, half a million refugees were congre- gated with no food and only a mat or two to cover their bodies. In other cities 100,000 and 60,000, 30,000 and 20,000 assembled. Most of their land was under water, the summer crop spoiled, and houses washed down." Here the writer describes the relief measures instituted by himself and says : "In this way we supported about 100,000 mouths until the spring crop came in ; about five months in all. "The city was under water, but by digging a new canal and miles of drains we rescued it. I had 8,000 men on canal work and 3,500 carrying earth into the city, and gangs of police, soldiers, car- penters, bricklayers, stone-masons, bar- rowmen, boatmen, millmen, etc. Allies of road, canals and drains were dug; bridges (twelve) built, 2,000 trees planted, streets paved. In fact, it was a new city when we finished. * * * The official estimate is that 20,000 peo- ple of the district died of starvation. The dead and dying lay everywhere. We could not case all. The sight and stench was often trying. The famished dogs just fed upon the dead bodies. Missionaries to the number of forty visited, worked, and distributed in large districts all around. Three or four be- came sick and two lost their lives in the work." Returning to his starting point, the writer found, as he says, that "riot, rebellion, and bloodshed occurred here and in the cities around, during our absence." About a year ago we were informed of the death by drowning of 2,000 per- sons at Hankow, China, when a sudden freshet swept down on the city and flowed over the great dikes which pro- tect it. The inhabitants were asleep in their homes and had but little chance of escape. Hankow is a city of 800,000 inhabitants, situated at the junction of the Han with the Yang-tse-Kiang, about 450 miles west of Shanghai. These are a few leaves from the ex- perience of one of the oldest nations in the world. We are one of the newest. There is a proverb, rather too severe, perhaps, to quote, regarding the dear- ness of experience, but the necessity that a certain class of people shall learn 291 292 CONSERVATION thereby. The important question for the American people is whether we be- long to that class. Lying before the writer is a speech made, about thirteen months ago, on an important occasion before an important body of men. The author of the speech was one of the two or three men in the United States who seem, at times, to possess more political power than the whole American people outside of themselves. He discussed the conservation of natural resources, including the forests. His speech is punctuated wath "Laughter," "Ap- plause," "Applause and laughter," etc. These expressions were called out by the orator's quips and jibes at "political lumbermen," "demagogic lumbermen" and "men who are friends of the peo- ple," and at those who, in the next- twenty years, would exhaust the forests of the Republic — maybe !" The whole speech is interesting as an anachronism. To those familiar with conservation problems, it suggests, let us say, the reincarnation and rehabilitation of the mummy of Rameses H. After ridicul- ing the idea of the possible destruction of our natural resovirces, he exclaims, amidst the laughter of his auditors, "I am not losing any sleep !" As regards the distinguished orator of that occasion, there appears to be lit- tle ground for loss of sleep. Our coun- try's resources, together with his own private ones, will unrloubtedly last out the span of life still remaining to him. Nevertheless, to American citizens who realize something of the place of Amer- ica in human history, and who maintain some measure of hope and ambition for its future, it will be worth while to look, through Mr. Willis' photographs, at a nation which has actually run the course we are so rapidly running, and to contemplate the result. «^ «? 5>i How It Is Done A SHORT time since a correspond- ■^*- ent sent to Conservation a clip- ping describing the final "clean-up" of the old Wright & Davis contract near Hibbing, ^Nlinn. The writer well says : "This news item gives such a vivid pic- ture of the utter destruction and deso- lation of the ordinary logging methods that it seems to me it ought to be given a place in the columns of your journal. Conservation, as this recital of actual conditions would, it seems to me, carry greater weight with your readers than many columns of preaching on the same subject." The dispatch recites that To-day one of the greatest lumbering con- tracts in the history of Minnesota became history. The event marks the final passing of one of the state's most famous timber tracts, known as the old Wright & Davis con- tract, drawn up more than seventeen years ago between Wright & Davis, of Michigan, and the Pine Tree Lumber Company of Minnesota. This contract covered the right to cut the timber on something like 250 square miles of the finest pine land in the state, lying at the western end of St. Louis County and reaching into Itasca' County. The Weyerhaeusers began logging this land in i8gi. Hibbing was then not even a name, and the western end of the Mesabi range was unknown. There was not a white settler within miles. What is now the Great Northern right of way was built by the first logging camps as a logging road and was afterward sold to the Hill road. The whole country now, except for stumps, bare as a rock, was covered with great white and Norway pine. From the vast forest preserve the Weyer- haeusers have cut nearly a billion feet of lumber, paying out millions of dollars in car- rying on their operations. Not a merchantal:)le log remains standing in the neighborhood. The last of the historic forest, about two train loads, lies cut and stacked along the tracks north of Nashwauk. a little village to the west of here. When these few remnants are shipped out, one of the greatest lumbering tracts in the world will have ceased to exist. The mineral rights were so'd to the Great Northern Railroad and it is from tliem that most of the mines of the Western Mesabi have been developed. The Hull-Rust, the biggest iron mine in the world, is on a part of this land. It has probably yielded more wealth than any similar piece of land in America. This is but a sample of the kind of work that has been in progress in the United States since the beginning of the lumbering era. From the stand- point of the business man who has gone EDITORIAL 293 into lumbering, rather than into mining, railroading, merchandising, stock- speculating, or what-not, there seems absolutely nothing about the situation to occasion comment. "Business is business." Men enter business to make money. One way in which money has been made and in which some will prob- ably still be made is by buying up at a low figure a tract of timberland, clear- ing it, selling the timber, mineral rights, or anything else "thereunto appertain- ing" and then, when the lemon has been well squeezed, discarding it and seeking new worlds to conquer. This is what, in Europe, Asia, Africa and the isles of the sea, as well as in America, men "on the make" have been doing in in- creasing measure since the beginning of our modern industrial era, say 200 years ago. It is also quite in harmony with the methods frequently employed, in a measure at least under the forms of law, by Roman provincial governors, who were assigned choice territory nominally to "administer" but, from their own standpoint if not from that of the public, to exploit and plunder. Had such a governor failed to improve his opportunities to make a fortune out of his office, and left something worth while for his successor in the territory' assigned him, to say nothing of the population presumably dependent for their livings upon the resources of that territory, he would, thereafter have been regarded by his contemporaries with cynical smiles, as a man incapable of appreciating a "good thing." The policy pursued by Warren Hast- ings in India was similar in principle. He saw his chance, improved it, and expected the approval of those who ob- served how well he had taken care, not only of the interests of the company he served, but of himself. But sentiment sometimes changes. Verres, it will be recalled, realized this truth when, after listening to the first of the powerful orations by Cicero on his methods in Sicily, he found it advis- able to flee with his booty. Hastings, likewise, on returning to England dis- covered that public opinion in that country had undergone a "sea change, into something new and strange." Methods which were once winked at or applauded now raised grave ques- tions. Under the eloquence of Burke, Fox, Sheridan and Grey the Hastings administration assumed an aspect wide- ly different from that in which it had hitherto been viewed. Indications are not wanting that a similar change in public opinion regard- ing the conduct of private business is in progress in the United States and throughout the civilized world. It is probable that the Roosevelt administra- tion will stand in history as the land- mark indicating the beginning of this change in the United States. We read- ily remember the time when a "private business" was supposed to be a private concern pure and simple. The idea of operating it with a regard for the pub- lic well-being, or for the interests of posterity, was thought chimerical, senti- mental and unworthy of consideration by practical people. "Money" was the one thing that "talked," and each was supposed to get money, honestly, if he could, but nevertheless, to get it. If, in so doing, he manufactured plugged armor plate, sold goods infected with disease germs, "sweated" women and children in factories, or ravished the resources of a continent, it was the affair of no one save those immediately concerned. Even the individuals in- jured had little ground for complaint, because, if workers, they were "free" to work or desist, and if buyers, to buy the goods or leave them alone ; while, as for the public, its interests were not to be seriously thought of. Are we not conscious, however, of the acceptance to-day by increasing numbers of a different viewpoint? Do we not now speak of "human re- sources" which must be conserved ? Do we not admit that the rights of the public are, after all, paramount to the rights of the mere money-maker ; and do we not agree that future generations have rights which the present is bound to respect? If such be true, is it not probable that the day will come— is, in 294 CONSERVATION fact, almost at hand — when such deeds as the Hibbing "clean-up," or any other form of ruthless exploitation for the benefit of the profitmonger at the ex- pense of the community, present or to come, will be impossible? May the day hasten ! i« i^ 'M " Developing " Our Resources MUCH potency is there in words. They are things to conjure with. In the mouth of the expert in linguistic ledgerdemain, the verbal prestidigitator, they become magic wands, or the philosopher's stone, forsooth, whereby with a torch. Presto, change ! Black be- comes white, evil is transformed into good and vice into virtue. These reflections are suggested by the glibness with which certain states- men speak of "developing" our re- sources. Conservation they are wary of. The earth exists for human use. In its raw, crude state, it is unavailable for such use. To render it available it must be "developed." Conservation, however, in the view of these solons, impedes development — therefore, away with it ! Now development, of course, has its place. A virgin prairie sod may be de- veloped into a fertile field by ploughing, harrowing, etc. A swamp may be de- veloped by the withdrawal of its surplus waters, a desert by the application of adequate water to its surface, and a jungle by clearing. Wild beasts may be developed into useful domestic ani- mals, and wild plants, even the thorny cactus, into agencies for supplying the wants of man. Streams, by dredging, canalization, etc., may be developed into agencies of human service ; and so on through the category. But over against "development" are certain other processes with which the race should now be fairly familiar. When war made slaves in Rome plenty and cheap, it was thought good business to put a slave through at a brisk pace, exhaust his energies, discard him and buy another at the nearest slave-market. The policy of Legree, at a later day, of "wearing out and buying more" will be recalled. In his Constitutional History of the United States Von Hoist tells us that southern overseers were interested chiefly in a single crop ; they, in the pur- suit of their personal gain, therefore, rapidly exhausted the soil, thus necessi- tating the "land hunger" which forced the South into Mexican wars, at- tempted annexations of Cuba. Kansas- Nebraska struggles, and the like, until an issue once local became national. In Rome, for example under Justinian, in Old France and elsewhere, the function of tax collecting was left to "farmers," so-called, whose business was to furnish the state a specified lump sum of cash, and whose privilege it w^as to appro- priate whatever else might "stick to their fingers" in the process — with re- sults well remembered. The similarity between these forms of activity and those whereby, in our own country in recent years, money- grabbers have heaped to themselves millions can be discerned. Like the modern "land-skinner," the old-time slave-slayer or tax-farmer may have laid to himself the sweet unction that he was a "developer of the country." The impartial observer need no more be deceived by the one case than by the other. Development calls out pow- ers hitherto latent in the thing devel- oped, it increases the capacity of that thing for usefulness, it enlarges its life and multiplies its possibilities for good. The other thing, which word- jugglers would make respectable, operates in exactly the opposite way. For power it substitutes impotence and for beauty ugliness ; it turns Edens into deserts, and diminishes the sum total of the world's wealth. To call such work "development" is to do violence to the language ; it is to wrest words from their true significance and use, and prostitute them to con- fusion of thought and the dis-service of man. The evil thing which, by a wordy sleight-of-hand, the statesmen in ques- tion would justify, is no more develop- ment than the burning of Rome or Chicago, the shooting down of 10,000 EDITORIAL 295 men on a battle-field, or the earthquakes of San Francisco or Sicily were devel- opments. Individuals, it is true, may grow rich- by the processes in question, but indi- viduals have likewise grown rich by such calamities as those named. It is high time that statesmen occupied them- selves with other considerations than those pertaining to the enrichment of a few individuals. The statesman, as his name implies, is supposed to be the state's man — the representative of the community, and of the public's interests. As such, it ill becomes him to sacrifice those interests that a few masters, not of the art of development but of that of ■exploitation, may heap to themselves ill-gotten fortunes which mean the im- poverishment of the human race till the end of time. iii ^ ^ The Community Must Care for Itself AND still we hear the lumberman condemned ! Usually from people new to the forestry idea, and beginning for the first time to realize the tre- mendous havoc wrought by wood- users and destroyers, comes the protest against "private greed," "lack of pub- lic spirit" and the "vandalism" of the lumberman. We need to remember that the lum- berman is very much like other people. He is in business, as are others. Busi- ness is conducted for profit. Those who conform to business requirements win ; those who fail to do so, lose. Competition, insofar as it still sur- vives, takes care of that. In his speech at the Annual Meeting of The American Forestry Association, Mr. Elliott of Pennsylvania emphasized this point. "The lumberman," he de- clared, "is no fool." He utilizes what he can sell. "If you buy from him all the wood there is that grows on the trees, the stump and even up to the twigs * * * i^g ^ill clear it all out * * * and if you want to buy the hole the stump stood in, he would sell you that * * * He is willing to sell you everything he can. You can go into some parts of the country where there is a demand for all of the wood, and you will find that they will strip the forests clean ; the lumberman goes in and gets all that he can get out of the saw logs ; the tie man follows him ; the paper pulp luan follows him ; and the acid factory man follows him, and there is nothing left bigger than my arm." Elsewhere, where there is no market for pulp wood, railroad ties or acid factory wood, the lumberman is forced to leave what he cannot sell. But the novice asks. How are public interests then to be cared for? If the lumberman's private interests lead him to desolate the forests and to leave the ground covered with tops and high stumps, or to strip slopes and occasion floods, what shall the public do? Very good. Such questions inevi- tably force themselves to the front. We are not likely to consider them too much. The answer is. The public must not look to the individual for its protection ; instead, it must look to itself. Its power is far superior to that of any individ- ual. Its capacity for self-protection ex- ceeds that of any man or collection of men. If it will not care for its own afifairs, it deserves to sufifer, and will suflfer. We have long been taught that the individual should not expect the community to carry him ; much less should the community expect the indi- vidual to carry it. The individual has his own afifairs to attend to ; if the affairs of the community are not to be ignored, as they too long have been ignored, if they are not to be trodden into the mire, as in countless instances has been their fate, the community must assert itself ; it must study its own case, consider the grounds of its own well- being and then, without hysteria, with- out midue haste, without rancor, but calmly, coolly, resolutely and energet- ically proceed to mind its own business and protect its own interests. In this way, and in this way only will its prob- 296 CONSERVATION lems be solved and the rights of the present generation and of future gen- erations be conserved. «? &' ^ Biltmore Forest Fire ON APRIL 8 and 9 disastrous fires occurred in the forests on the Van- derbilt estate near Ashevile, N. C. The fire destroyed immensely valuable groves of young poplars on a 10,000- acre reforested tract of the Biltmore estate and then swept over 20,000 acres of virgin forest on the Pisgah Reserve, causing enormous damage. It is reported that people living near the preserve fought the fire desperately, both from a kindly desire to aid Mr. Vanderbilt and with the hope of saving their own property, which was endan- gered by showers of sparks. As often, however, as the fire was extinguished in one place, other fires sprang vip at different points. The latter, it is be- lieved, were set by incendiaries who, it is supposed, had become ofifended by some of the forest employees, or be- cause they had been prevented from hunting and fishing on the Vanderbilt preserve. Incendiary forest fires are not un- known. The fires at Biltmore, if ac- tually due to incendiaries, seem to have been attributed to spite. In Conserva- tion for March (page 175) instances were given of other forest fires kindled by incendiaries. These fires, however, were attributed to economic motives. People fired the woods in order to ob- tain work and wages in extinguishing the fires. On a visit to Biltmore, a year ago last fall, the writer was told that such fires were not unknown in that region. Broadly viewed, of course, such methods are expensive. They suggest Charles Lamb's story of the origin of roast pig, according to which a man would burn a house in order to roast a pig. Later, however, less ex- pensive methods of preparing this spe- cies of food were devised. Likewise, it would seem that civilized society could find more economical methods of em- ploying workers than that of leaving them to destroy immense!}- valuable property that they may be paid a pit- tance for saving a remnant of it. How- ever, it is encouraging to observe that rewards are being offered at Biltmore for evidence leading to the conviction of the incendiaries, and that public opinion seems to be ready to deal vigor- ously with them if fovmd. i$l i« Private Interests Protecting against Fire MR. KELLOGG'S statement in his paper, "What Forest Conservation Means," regarding protection work by private agencies is interesting. While appealing for state action, backed by ample funds, he pleads also for coopera- tion with timberland owners, and in- stances what some such owners have done. "Four forest protective associa- tions in northern Idaho, for instance, organized in accordance with the laws of that state, protected a million and a quarter acres of forest land and kept the damage down to a comparatively small amount." Evidently private individuals and agencies can do things in this field. Furthermore, in the instance quoted, they have not hesitated to spend money. The cost to these associations of this protection was four cents per acre. How much this is relatively may be inferred from the accompanying state- ment that the Forest Service had but one and one-half cents per acre to spend upon the National Forests for all kinds of work and administration, in- cluding fire fighting. Such action by private individuals and agencies should be recognized and encouraged. At the same time, we must not err by supposing that it will cover the whole case. The public can- not shirk its responsibility and shoulder the burden of protection against fire ofif upon individuals. It must do its o^^'n work, or expect to see that work remain unperformed. EDITORIAL 297 I Far-'away Forestry IN OUR news columns will be founJ a paragraph on forestry in Hawaii. Other matter at hand indicates the deep interest of the women of that country in forestry and conservation. Far to the southwest of Hawaii, in the latitude of South Africa, is New Zealand, a country which, in some re- spects, is to-day the most remarkable in the world. A century and a half ago its inhabi- tants were living in the Stone Age. Among them to-day are some who vividly remember the taste of human flesh and who, like the Israelites in the desert, yearning for the fleshpots, leeks, and garlic of Egypt, still hanker after "long-pig," as this particular species of meat is jocosely called by them. New Zealand was discovered by Tas- man in 1642, explored by Captain Cook in 1769, first visited by English mission- aries in 1814, annexed to the British Empire in 1840, partially pacified in 1848, and, finally, in 1870; it was given its first constitution in 1852 ; it held its first parliamentary session in 1854; opened its first railway in 1863, and, about that time, entered upon its won- derful career of innovation, progress, and prosperity. In 1890, through a combination of farmers and workingmen, occurred the political overturn whereby the control of the government passed from the conservatives to the progressives. Since . that time has come the movement for the nationalization of land, including state resumption of large estates, the progressive taxation of land values, in- comes and inheritances, the checking of panics through government control and guarantee of bank issues, the national- ization of credit, with government loans to farmers, merchants, and working- men, the advanced governmental stand on the labor question, including the cre- ation of a minister of labor with a seat in the cabinet, the establishment of gov- ernment life and accident insurance and old-age pensions, government owner- ship of patents, made available to the 5 public at reasonable rates, government operation of coal mines, national own- ership of railroads and telegraphs, mu- nicipal ownership of water, gas, elec- tric, and street car plants, equal suf- frage, direct nominations, hearing and questioning of candidates, voting by mail, and, in general, the inauguration of a political system which makes the boss and machine impossible, and gov- ernment by the people not "an irides- cent dream," but a fact. In view of the advanced ground taken by New Zealand on such ques- tions as are above indicated, we are pre- pared for the statement that that coun- try maintains a progressive state forest policy. Says Prof. Frank Parsons in his book, "The Story of New Zealand" (p. 143) : "The splendid forests of New Zealand had for years been subject to a rapid process of destruction by forest fires and commercial vandalism. It became evident that the supply of timber would not last many decades if something were not done to check the wastes and losses. Moreover, the rainfall and river sources of wide districts were be- ing seriously affected ; and in many places on the mountain slopes where the soil was thin the removal of the trees left it at the mercy of the storms, which washed it away, leaving the rocks entirely bare, undoing in a few months the whole results of nature's soil-building carried on through ages of the past. "To stop these evils a forest act was passed in 1885 to provide for the res- ervation of state forests and the con- trol and management of them by the government." The preamble of the act recites that it is "expedient to make provision for setting apart areas of forest land in New Zealand as state forests, and to subject the same to skilled manage- ment and proper control in order thereby to prevent undue waste of tim- ber, and to provide timber for future industrial purposes, and to provide for the proper conservation of climatic con- ditions by the preservation of forest growth in elevated situations." 298 CONSERVATION Professor Parsons continues : "The law authorized the Commis- sioner of State Forests to establish schools of forestry and agriculture, grant licenses to cut timber, and take measures to preserve and improve the forests of the colony. "The government in recent years has shown an ever-increasing interest in the preservation of the forests and the planting of trees. In the financial statement presented to parliament, July, 1902, the acting Premier said : "In pursuance of the decision of the gov- ernment that the remaining areas of forest in the colony should be conserved and dealt with in a systematic manner, the government have under consideration the whole ques- tion of how best to deal with this impor- tant matter. Special attention is being given to the reservation of all forest upon the mountains and higher table-lands to insure the maintenance of rivers and streams, the gradual distribution of rainfall, the protec- tion of the surface of the country from degradation, and the prevention of the de- struction of lands in the valleys or their deterioration by the deposit of detritus, whilst maintaining the climatic equilibrium, protecting the native flora and fauna, and doing all that is possible to preserve the beautiful scenery for which the colony is famed. On a smaller scale, scenic effect is being attended to by the reservation of forest lands in gorges and on river banks and the higher portions of the colony, so as to pre- serve all places of natural beauty which serve to make New Zealand attractive, espe- cially from a tourist point of view. * * * The government also have in contemplation a large expansion of tree-planting opera- tions; and it is fortunate that we possess a large area of land in the central district of the North Island which, though not well adapted for agricultural and pastoral pur- poses, is believed, as the result of trial plantations, to be well suited to the growth of vast forests of specially selected and val- uable trees." A letter in American Industries, pub- lished three years later than the book above quoterl (May i, 1907), says, among other things : "New Zealand is having a period of great prosperity on account of the high prices it is receiving for its principal articles of export. Agriculture and mining are the pursuits which are turning in the money." We may well believe that the conservation of the forests, and the in- terests connected with them, bear their full share in producing and maintain- ing this prosperity ; and it should re- quire no prophetic vision to foresee the advantage which might accrue to the United States or, in fact, to any other nation which, in the midst of the pres- ent forest holocaust, would conserve its stock, and deliberately and systematic- ally set about producing an additional stock for its own future use, and for sale to other peoples when, as Secre- tary Wilson predicts, trees shall have become "as scarce as diamonds." «r' ^ ^ Forest Taxation Again LIKE Banquo's ghost, the question of forest taxation will not down. We know that things can be taxed out of existence ; that many things, as win- dows in Old France, date trees in Egypt, and dogs and saloons with us, have thus been eliminated. We know that forests are being taxed out of ex- istence in this country every day. And we know that the irrational system of taxation which produces this effect must give place to a rational system. May the day of transition hasten ! The National Conservation Commis- sion has taken up the question of forest taxation. It insists that more equi- table methods of taxing forest lands should be introduced. To facilitate the adoption of such methods it dis- tinguishes sharply between the land and the crop growing upon the land. Each of these it would tax ; each it would tax upon its value. The land it would tax annually ; the crop but once. The value of the land it would determine by the value of its annual timber prod- uct. The value of the timber would, of course, be determined by its market price. The time recommended for taxing the timber is the time of harvesting it. This is the one and only time when it brings actual revenue to its owner ; this is the time when the tax can easily be paid. By collecting the tax at this time only the owner is not driven, as EDITORIAL 299 often now, to harvest his crop prema- turely. He waits until it has ripened, cuts it. markets it and out of the pro- ceeds pays his timber tax. What proceeding could be more ra- tional than this? Why persecute the owner with annual taxes into destroy- ing a property which, in the interests of the community, may need to be pre- served? Why, though the forest be one which may be cut without damage to the public interests, should the owner be forced by annual taxation to hurry it upon the market before it has ma- tured ? This method of taxing cut-over lands seems peculiarly appropriate. The an- nual value upon which such lands would be taxed would be slight. The owner would pay no tax at all until the harvest time, many years deferred. The tax burden would thus be light. In consequence he could well afford to hold the cut-over lands for reforesta- tion. What objection can be found to this system of taxation?" Should there be any, Conservation will be glad to see it and give it publicity. «?«•«.' A Tree as a Landowner SPECIAL attention is called to the brief story in this issue entitled "A Tree Lover." Here, indeed, we find a unique, though evidently not new, method of protecting a tree from the menace of man. Great are the "rights of property !" In their name what has not, hitherto, been accom- plished? Here is instanced a case in which the rights of landed proprietor- ship are bestowed upon a tree. By formal title the tree is made the legal owner "of itself and of all lands within • eight feet of it on all sides." And for a hundred years this deed has stood, and so has the tree. In all the dignity of a property owner, with "its feet on the ground," and in it as well, it lifts its head toward heaven and braves not only the elements, but, more dangerous still, man and his municipality. Why have we not here a suggestion? Are there not other trees, great and noble, which might and should be pro- tected in this way? Think of the giant redwoods, the Big Trees of Califor- nia— trees which have survived almost the entire period of recorded human history yet, in many instances, are now subject to the greed, the need, or the caprice of man ! Think of "Charter Oaks," of "Independence Elms" and other historic trees, living or dead ! Why may not the method adopted by Judge Jackson be exactly the method whereby such monuments may be preserved to live out their allotted time, though that be yet centuries long, and render their service to mankind? M i^ )^ &' President Taft for Conservation R. GIFFORD PINCHOT, Chief of the United States Forest Service, has recently issued the following state- ment regarding the administration's at- titude toward National Forests and the work of the Forest Service : Any statement that President Taft is not in sympathy with forestry and the conserva- tion movement is without foundation. On the contrary, I ani authorized by the President to say that he is in entire sympathy with the forest policy and the conservation poHcy as already developed and stands behind them. This statement is wholly unecessary to those acquainted with the real situation. It is made only in answer to the large numbers of questions asked me during my recent trip through the West and since my return. These questions had to do with rumors to the general effect that the administration is out of sympathy with the forest policy and the conservation policy. In order to set these rumors at rest by an authoritative statement of what I already knew to be the fact, I thought it best to lay them before President Taft. Accordingly, it is with his authority that I make the above statement. I am also authorized by the President to deny categorically the story that great areas are to be thrown out of the National Forests by presidential proclamation. The only pos- sible basis for such a rumor that I have been able to discover lies in certain plans adopted by the Forest Service months ago. These plans were in accord with lines of policy long recognized and established. They were approved by Secretary Wilson and they pro- vided for a careful examination and mapping of the boundaries of the National Forests 300 CONSERVATION and of the character of the land, and the timber and other growth, along these bound- aries. Repeated charges, well known to be base- less by those actually acquainted with the situation on the ground, have been made, that the National Forests contain vast areas of agricultural land. Whatever agricultural lands may be found along the boundaries will be restored to entry, for one of the strongest desires of the Forest Service now and in the past is that any agricultural lands which may have been included in National Forests should be open to use for agricultural pur- poses. Indeed, this is already provided for in the Act of June ii, 1906. The Forest Service undertook the mapping of the Na- tional Forest boundaries on its own initiative in the regular line of its work and in pur- suance of general plans laid years ago. I have been greath' interested, but not at all surprised by the persistent circulation of these rumors. President Taft's statement to me, coupled with his authority to make it public, should set them at rest once and for all. The present administration is in the fullest sympathy with forestry and conserva- tion. Friends of these movements should recognize their obligation to the President for his prompt and direct support. That friends of conservation should be deeply interested in the attitude of the President toward the question they have so much at heart was to be expected. The strong stand taken by President Roosevelt, his earnest and frequent utterances and, better still, his aggressive policy, have brought a large and increasing body to the point where they expect, and are disposed to insist, not only that no backward steps shall be taken, but that a vigorous forward policy shall in every way be promoted. President Roosevelt's policy was thor- oughgoing, and it continued to the end of his administration. Notwithstanding the congressional attempt, about a year ago, to check the extension of National For- ests— met, as will be remembered, by a very material enlargement of those for- ests by the President before he signed the bill limiting the executive power — one of the last official acts of President Roosevelt was the signing of procla- mations creating additions to National Forests in Nevada, South Dakota, Cali- fornia, New Mexico and Arizona, ag- gregating 26,761,626 acres, thus bring- ing the total National Forest area up to 194,500,053 acres. On this matter, as on some others. President Taft has been much less out- spoken than his distinguished prede- cessor, and the question arose in many minds as to wdiat might be expected. The abolition of the National Conserva- tion Commission was a severe shock to the friends of conservation, though this act is attributed, not to the President, but to Congress. Still, a strong, earn- est word from the White House was awaited with deep interest. Such a state- ment, in part, was found in the Presi- dent's letter of March 24, reported in our news columns, to Mr. John Hays Hammond, of the Joint Engineering Societies. In this the President says: "I have already pledged the administra- tion to as full support as possible to the policy (of the conservation of the natural resources of the country), and I am glad to renew my expression of sympathy with the movement." The statement issued by Forester Pinchot adds, in point of fullness, to the above ; and when, as is expected, the President makes, in his coming message to Con- gfress, a full and formal declaration, it is believed that all fear of indifference on this subject on the part of the pres- ent administration will be set at rest. c?\,^ NEWS AND NOTES Engineers Meet The spring meeting of The American So- ciety of Mechanical Engineers will be held at the New Willard Hotel in Washington, D. C, on May 5-7, 1909. i^ ts i^ A Forest Congress in Chicago At a recent meeting, the board of direct- ors of The American Forestry Association by resolution agreed to hold a forestry con- gress in Chicago next November. A committee on arrangements and promotion was created consisting of Messrs. C. A. Marsh, of Chi- cago, chairman ; William L. Hall, Washing- ton, D. C, and George V. Markham, of St. Louis. This committee was authorized to increase its number to nine and to appoint such auxiliary committees as may, in its judgment, be deemed desirable. )^ &' «:' For the Appalachian Bill Next Session JVoodlaiid and Roadside points out that it has been demonstrated that "a bill primarily designed to nationalize the Appalachian Mountain forests can be passed in the House of Representatives as well as in the Senate. There is reason to believe that this will be true of the Sixty-first as of the Sixtieth Con- gress. At last there is a strong, well-organized body of active friends of the measure in both houses — men pledged to do their utmost to secure the enactment of a workable law that will meet the needs and demands of the peo- ple of the eastern United States; and House and Senate are on record. This has been made possible by the great public awakening that, beginning in New England and the South, has won friends and supporters throughout the United States. If success is to come ultimately this public sentiment must be strengthened and kept at work. There is no longer, as there was until a year or two ago, apath\' among our friends in Congress. We must hold up their hands if their efforts are to succeed. The opposition will be strong in the present House, as the vote of March I showed it to be in that which has just expired. In the Senate there is a group of Rocky Mountain Senators, hostile to the for- est policy of the Government, inimical to eastern interests, who will do anything in their power to defeat any measure of this kind. This winter they had the advantage of time — or the lack of it. Otherwise the Weeks bill would have become a law. If a measure can be agreed upon by the Senate and House committees and brought forward early enough in the first regular session of the present Congress there is a strong proba- bility that it can be passed. We must make that probability an actuality." 51^ «? «r' What Children Can Do for a Cause Mrs. John Dozier Pou, an active worker for civic improvement in the Georgia Federa- tion of Women's Clubs, is a thorough believer in having the cooperation of the children. 'Tf you desire enthusiasm," insists Mrs. Pou, "go to the children ; if you wish a changed condition of affairs, get the chil- dren's cooperation, and if we are planning for a higher standard of city housekeeping let us educate the children in future citizenship." "If an appreciation of forests and forest preservation is ever to become general, pub- He sentiment must be aroused, and the most comprehensive way of accomplishing the re- sult is to educate the children of the public schools and, through them, their parents." — Louise Klein Miller, Curator of School Gar- dens, Cleveland. ^ ^ fe' What the American Civic Association Does "Few persons realize the vast amount of commendable work that the American Civic Association has accomplished. Its successful campaign against the commercial spoliation of Niagara Falls brought its activity into wider acquaintance, but it has achieved much in a minor way which has gone without loud hurrah or advertisement. "Such an organization should command the good will, if not the practical assistance, of all who have pride in the town where they live." — The Pittsburg Post. ^ «r' &' Work on the Coast Mr. Frank H. Lamb writes: "We have been quite actively at work here on the coast during the past two months try- ing to get some allowances from the legisla- tures. The Oregon legislature has adjourned without securing anything we desire. We 301 302 CONSERVATION have hopes, however, of getting $46,400 from the Washington legislature, besides getting an amendment from the land laws which will allow the state to handle its timberlands on a forestry basis. In Idaho we are able to se- cure certain amendments to the forest fire laws which strengthen the work there, and in Montana, I am advised, it is possible we will be able to secure provisions for fire patrol and also the adoption of forestry prin- ciples to the handling of state timberlands." )^ «? 5&' Maine Commission Reports Log Rules The Maine state legislature in 1907 ap- pointed a commission of three, with the for- est commissioner, an ex ofiicio fourth mem- ber, to investigate the methods of scaling logs and lumber and to report to the next legislature. On this commission William J. Lanigan, of Waterville, Fred A. Gilbert and, Hosea B. Buck, of Bangor, and Edgar E. Ring, forest commissioner, of Orono, were appointed by Governor Cobb. It is a commission of practical business men from wood-using industries. After holding hearings in the different lumbering districts of Maine, the following conclusions were reported in substance : "The method of measuring manufactured lumber seems satisfactory and no change is recomended. "The lack of uniformity in methods of scaling logs leads to great confusion and gen- eral dissatisfaction on the different rivers in Maine. "The log rules in use, especially the New Hampshire and the Maine or Holland rules, give fair results only for short logs, but are unsatisfactory for longer logs. "The board foot is not the proper unit for log measure since it is relevant only in case of lumber manufacture, but entirely irrele- vant in pulp, staves, veneer, and other in- dustries. "The cubic foot should be the unit of measure, and each manufacturer should calculate the product he could manufacture in board feet, pounds of pulp, number of staves and square feet of veneer, and fix the price accordingly. "The contract logger figuring in cubic feet would then be paid according to the weight he handles, whether the logs are large or small. In contracting by the thousand board feet, as is now done, he handles a larger weight of small logs per thousand than of large logs. "The commission recommends the substi- tution of a cubic foot caliper rule as the legal rule for Maine, arguing that besides applying to all industries involved it would aid economical logging and full utilization of material." It is very evident that if log measurement is to be standardized for the entire country the cubic foot caliper rule applied at the middle of the log will be applicable for all states, all industries, all species, whatever their taper, and for long logs as well as short logs. While the volume is not entirely exact by the middle diameter method for very long logs, the error is very small in favor of the buyer. But it gives by far the better result in comparison with end diameter measurement, even when the latter method makes allowance for "rise" or taper. If the Maine legislature adopts the rule recommended, the lumbermen and foresters say the state will be setting a standard rule that may be followed with profit by all the other states. )^ «? )^ Developments in Colorado Says the Financial Age, of New York : "The Empire Water and PoWer Company, which has in contemplation a large power development project near Colorado Springs, Colo., has secured an additional 320 acres of land, adjacent to reservoir sites on the north slopes of Pike's Peak, making its total holdings 1,200 acres. "Fifty thousand acres of semi-arid land in Kiowa and Prowers Counties, Colorado, will be reclaimed by irrigation as a result of a contract recently let by the Chivington Canal Company. The cost will be $200,000. Colo- rado Springs men are largely interested in the company." ^ V>i ^ Alabama's Resources "Announcement is made in Montgomery, Ala., that for the first time in the history of Alabama, a prospectus of the state's re- sources, agricultural, mineral, commercial and otherwise, has been compiled. A book, containing over 600 pages, has been drafted by the state department of agriculture, in which every phase of Alabama life and in- dustry is described. The book is now in the hands of the printers, and will be issued during the coming fortnight to the public. " 'The Handbook of Alabama' it is called. Every county has its history, its develop- ment, and its possessions set forth at length, and every one of the state's numerous sources of wealth and development are de- scribed. "The department of agriculture has been occupied in the compilation of the book for more than a year, the officials and those aiding the attaches of the department work- ing on the volume at odd hours. As it is, it represents a comprehensive description of the state, and the advantages which the state affords. "It is not an advertising bulletin, but a book to instruct Alabamians and others in 1 NEWS AND NOTES 303 I the marvelous possessions and wealth which lie within its boundaries. It contains bits of history, even politics ; in all, it is a book which covers Alabama, and its rise and development since its admission into the Union, with stress laid upon its present pros- perous condition, and its promise for the future." — The Tradesman, Chattanooga. President Van Hise for Conservation In an address on April 7 before the Wis- consin Commandery of the Loyal Legion, President Chas. R. Van Hise, of the Univer- sity of Wisconsin, said : "From the point of view of our descend- ants, this question is more important than any political or social one upon which we are now engaged. It is also now pressing, for our unnecessary losses are already irremediable and the situation is growing steadily worse. "For many years the voice of the scientist has been raised for conservation ; but his voice has been a voice in the wilderness. I believe that the work which ex-President Roosevelt has done for the conservation of natural resources will mark him among the future generations as one of the greatest statesmen of any time." President Van Hise traced the history of the conservation movement from its in- ception in ex-President Roosevelt's first White House conference, May 13, igo8, pointing out that since then thirty-seven state conservation commissions have been appointed and forty-seven, representing the large national organizations, have been formed. "Our most fundamental duty," he declared, ''is to transmit the heritage of our natural resources to our descendants as nearly in- tact as posible. The future of the Nation is safe only when small and large holders alike shall administer their trusts primarily for the benefit of the people now living and for succeeding generations, rather than for them- selves." «r' ^i &' Countiss Committee Meeting (Special for Conservation) California is the first state to take up in systematic manner the subject of conserva- tion of its natural resources, and on May 8, at the eleventh semi-annual meeting of the counties committee of the California Promo- tion Committee, to be held at Del Monte, the theme of the meeting will be "Conserva- tion in California." Papers will be read by such men as F. H. Newell, Director of the LTnited States Reclamation Service ; W J McGee, secretary of the National Conserva- tion Commission ; members of the National Commission and heads of great departments such as Forestry and Mining of California. This meeting will not be content, how- ever, to simply hear and discuss papers. It will act, as that is one of the features of the semi-annual meetings of the committee. The findings of the gathering will be put in concrete form, applicable to legislative action, and the committee will take active interest in furthering such matters as will best serve the state's interest. These meet- ings are attended by representatives of about 200 commercial organizations of all parts of the state, every county having representa- tives, and the sentiment expressed is the crystalized sentiment of the entire state. California's rivers, forests, lands and mines have never been under a systematic con- servation idea, but following the meeting at Del Monte it is expected that a complete outline of work will be formulated which will enable the state officials to work to the great benefit of California's natural re- sources. Much interest centers in the meet- ing owing to the fact that it is directly in line with the ideas formulated at the meet- ing called by President Roosevelt, and at- tended by the governors of nearly all the states. ^ ^ ^ Missouri's Forests Says the St. Louis, Mo., Globe-Democrat: "Nature has bestowed upon the 70,000 square miles of Missouri rich and varied gifts, and they will not diminish if they are handled on the right economic system. On the other hand, they will certainly be de- stroyed if not protected by forethought and wise methods. When forests are slashed off wastefully, something more than timber is wiped out. Floods are increased and the climate itself is affected. A farmer whose soil washes away loses his working basis. Every desert place in the paths of civiliza- tion tells its story of a wanton waste of the forests. The mischief may be quickly done. Only ten years ago the wooded area in Mis- souri was estimated at 41,000 square miles, or sixty per cent. Now the forest area is stated to be 27,000. square miles, or thirty-nine per cent. The lumber production in Missouri during the last decade has averaged at least 600,000,000 feet a year. At this rate com- paratively little would be left in another ten years. Thereafter the state's lumber output would cease to be reckoned in a large way. Yet, properly conserved, it would last for- ever. ^ >^' «? Massachusetts Women for Conservation Woman's share in the solution of the great problems of conservation and forestry was outlined vividly to a representative gather- 304 CONSERVATION ing of women this afternoon at the Twen- tieth Centur_v Club. The meeting was called by the forestry department of the Massa- chusetts State Federation of Women's Clubs and was presided over by Mrs. Mary L. Tucker, who is chairman of that department. The first speaker called upon was Mrs. Emmons Crocker, vice-president of the Woman's National Rivers and Harbors Con- gress, and she spoke especially on the "Con- servation of Waterways." Mrs. Crocker has just returned from Louisiana, which is the home of the waterways movement, and is deeply interested in the development of this movement in Massachusetts. She said that the question of waterways, the conser- vation of water, is inseparable from the question of forestry. One is dependent upon the other and they are completely inter- woven, but in Massachusetts it is all "for- estry," while in the South it is all "water." They go together and must be so recognized, and the problem will not be solved properly before it becomes a national movement. The next speaker was Prof. Frank W. Rane, the state forester. He discussed for- estry management and reforestation in Massachusetts, and outlined the campaign of education which has been followed in recent years to develop public interest in the subject. He showed that each town is now equipped with a forest warden through whom the people may be reached and much work accomplished. There is a very much improved system for fighting forest fires, a subject on which the forestry department will issue a special bulletin shortly. Edwin A. Start, secretary of the Massa- chusetts Forestry Association, discussed "Shade Tree Problems," considering the shade tree as a municipal asset and its recog- nition and valuation under the law in Massa- chusetts. He spoke of the duties of the tree warden and the importance of the office, of the danger to shade trees from lumbering, gas, wires, horses, poor soil, insect pests and disease, all of which the tree warden must combat, and he urged the duty of the citizen to aid in electing a competent man to the office in his town, and then to assist him in enforcing the law. Here, the speaker sug- gested, was an important work for the wom- en's clubs. Mr. Start closed with some re- marks in regard to the larger tasks of for- estry and the relation of the Massachusetts Forestry Association to the great work of conservation. ^ )>i ^ The National Irrigation Congress "Apostles of irrigation, deep waterways, drainage, good roads and conservation of resources and recruits from various parts of this continent, England, Germany, France, Hawaii, the Philippine Islands, the Latin re- publics and China and Japan, representa- tives of foreign nations and colonial gov- ernments, officials of the Federal reclama- tion, forestry and agricultural departments, governors and members of state and terri- torial legislatures, railroad and bank presi- dents, and members of agricultural, horti- cultural, commercial and fraternal organiza- tions will gather in Spokane, August g to 14, where the National Irrigation Congress will have its seventeenth session. " 'To save the forests, store the floods, re- claim the deserts and make homes on the land,' are the four primary objects outlined in the official call, issued by George E. Bar- stow, of Barstow, Tex., president ; B. A. Fowler, of Phoenix, Ariz., secretary of the national organization, and R. Insinger, chairman, and Arthur Hooker, secretary of the local board of control. "The regular program will consist of ad- dresses by officials of the reclamation, for- estry and agricultural departments of the United States, statesmen and scientists, rail- road and financial men, promoters of the Carey act reclamation projects and officials of private irrigation enterprises. The Fed- eral Department of Agriculture has taken charge of a twenty-acre tract of land in the Spokane Valley, where there will be demon- strations of the latest approved methods of supplying the soil with moisture by artifi- cial means by irrigation experts. "The open-air features of the congress will be the parade of the irrigation army of 10,000 and the industrial parade, in which Indians from four of the reservations in the North- west will participate. In the latter it is de- signed to show the progress of the Western country in the last quarter century. One day has been set aside for the governors of states and territories, and there will be a series of banquets, receptions, theater par- ties and excursions to near-by lake and river resorts. "Spokane is selected for the gathering be- cause it is in a section that afifords oppor- tunity to observe the working of irrigation projects. Four thousand accredited dele- gates are expected, many of them from agricultural societies, engineering societies and bodies interested in the conservation of natural resources. — Dattbury N'czvs. «? «r' V^ Irrigation Congress Wanted in the South Delegates from the southern states to the meeting of the National Irrigation Congress in Spokane the second week in August prob- ably will make a concerted eflfort to have the eighteenth session of the organization take place somewhere in the South. Mr. James Cosgrove, of Charleston, S. C, in a letter to Arthur Hooker, secretary of the local board of control of the seventeenth NEWS AND NOTES 305 congress, suggests that the sessions of the irrigation congress following the Spokane meeting be held somewhere in the South, and mentions Charleston as probably the right place. He adds : "I trust we will be able to have President Taft attend the sessions, as I recognize it will be of inestimable benefit to all who at- tend to have him deliver an address." Mr. Hooker expresses the opinion that if the proposition is formally presented to the congress b}' the southern members, the dele- gates will give it every consideration. &' ^I i^ Cabinet Members Invited Formal invitations to be present at the seventeenth session of the National Irriga- tion Congress in Spokane the second week in August have been forwarded by R. In- singer, chairman of the local board of con- trol, to these members of President's Taft's cabinet : P. C. Knox, secretary of state ; Franklin MacVeagh, secretary of the treasury ; Jacob M. Dickinson, secretary of war ; George W. Wickersham, attorney-general ; Frank H. Hitchcock, postmaster-general ; George von L. Meyer, secretary of the navy; Richard A. Ballinger, secretary of the interior ; James Wilson, secretary of agriculture, and Charles Nagle, secretary of commerce and labor. "We are hopeful that President Taft will honor this congress, which Col. Theodore Roosevelt has declared 'is undubtedly one of the most important unofficial bodies in the country,' " said Mr. Insinger. "and we ex- pect to have the President with us one or two days. "Advices to hand from various parts of the country indicate that the attendance of delegates and visitors will be the largest in the history of the organization, and I may tell you that nothing is being left undone by the executive committee of the board of control to make it the most interesting. "The program gives promise of being continent-wide in scope, and action tending to solve some of the problems of irrigation, forestry, drainage, deep waterways and good roads is certain to follow, thus benefitting the whole country." 'M i^ ^ The Forest Service to Be Represented W. B. Greeley, district forester, stationed at Missoula, Mont., writes to J. P. McGold- rick, chairman of the forestry committee of the National Irrigation Congress, that Gifford Pinchot, chief of the Forest Service, who will be representative of the Federal Government at the sessions in Spokane, August 9 to 14, endorses the plan of a special meeting with the lumbermen one day that week to discuss the policies and regulations of the Forest Service in the administration of Government timber affairs, adding: "Mr. Pinchot will, of course, be present at this special meeting. I will arrange also for three members of the Forest Service to give ten or fifteen minute talks on the fol- lowing subjects : " 'The policy of the Forest Service as regards selling timber and fixing stumpage prices.' " 'Marking, slash piling and logging regu- lations in sales of National Forest timber.' " 'Cooperation between the Government and private timberland owners in protec- tion from fire.' "I believe that it would be an excellent plan to let the lumbermen in the district tributary to Spokane know in advance that these subjects will be discussed at a special session in connection with the congress, so that they can arrange to be present. I am also of the opinion it would be a good idea for your committee to invite some of the lumbermen to speak briefly on each of the topics suggested. General discussions could follow the addresses. "I have asked Mr. Pinchot to suggest two speakers for the main congress. One to speak on the relation of forests to flow and water supply and the other on the experience of some of the older European countries on the problem of forest conservation and water supply and its application to conditions in the United States." ^ ^ ^ Encouragement from Montana's Governor Governor Norris, of Montana, has given assurance that a representative delegation will be appointed from that state. He adds : "You may say to the board of control and to the people of Spokane that it is my inten- tion to attend the sessions. I am greatly in- terested in the work of the National Irriga- tion Congress, and will assist in every way I can to make it a success. I have not yet taken up the matter of appointing delegates to represent the state, but I shall do so on my return from the East and endeavor to see the state is well represented." The plans of the board of control for a parade of the industrial and irrigation army, in which it is expected to have at least 10,000 uniformed marchers in line, appeal to the people of Montana, as it will give them op- portunity to bring" their districts before the delegates and visitors, as well as the press representatives expected from fifty or more metropolitan papers and news-gathering as- sociations. BRASS BANDS IN DEMAND Mr. Arthur Hooker, secretary of the local board of control, said : "The offer of the board of control to re- fund the railroad fares to any _ community 3o6 CONSERVATION or district sending a band of twenty or more pieces was also received with favor in num- erous places, and this, I believe, will result in a large number of bands accompanying the delegations from various parts of the coun- try. I was informed at ]\Iissoula that its delegation will travel in a special train, and it is probable that similar arrangements will be made in other parts of Montana." Missoula and the Bitter Root Valley will send a delegation of 150 and a brass band to participate in the parades. •t' i« )ii Utah Again in Line "Utah will be fully represented at the National Irrigation Congress in Spokane, August 9 to 14, notwithstanding the fact that the Grand Army of the Republic will have its national encampment in Salt Lake City at the same time." United States Senator George Sutherland of Utah, chairman of the committee on in- dustrial expositions, conveys this information in a letter written at Washington, D. C, to R. Insinger, chairman of the local board of control, adding: "The various irrigation companies and in- dustrial associations are very much interested in the coming congress and, notwithstanding the counter-attraction at Salt Lake City, you may expect the usual strong and enthusiastic delegation which Utah always sends to the National Irrigation Congress." Meeting of Mechanical Engineers The American Society, of Mechanical Engi- neers will hold its spring meeting in Wash- ington, D. C, May 4-7. Professional ses- sions will be held at which papers on the conveying of materials, gas power engineer- ing, steam turbines, the specific volume of saturated steam, oil well pumping and va- rious other subjects will be discussed. At the reception, which will be held in the New Willard Hotel, an address of welcome will be made by the Hon. B. F. Macfarland, president of the Board of District Commis- sioners, with a response by Mr. Jesse M. Smith, president of the society. Among the numerous other interesting features of the meeting will be an illustrated address by Mr. F. H. Newell, Director of the United States Reclamation Service, on Home-making in the Arid Regions. it' «? >^ Deep Waterways Meeting at Toronto The last meeting of the joint deep water- ways commission of the United States and Canada, at Toronto, this week, resulted in progress on the proposition to raise the levels of the Great Lakes, or of the water that stays in them. The plan is to dam the short rivers that connect the lakes, but how much of such work shall be done has not been de- termined by the commission. In connection with that large undertaking there are many applications for power locations under con- sideration by the commissioners of both countries. Enterprising men are seeking loca- tions in several places between the lakes and on the St. Lawrence River in Canada. The Canadian commissioners are favorable to allowing all the use possible of the water that is allowed to pass through the streams from one lake to another and from the most east- erly one to the St. Lawrence River. The raising of the water level of the great lakes is a matter of much importance to the sec- tions of country in which they lie. It means better facilities for shipping, and eventually must have a good deal to do with the cut- ting of canals out from the lakes for ship- ping through the states of this country and the provinces of the dominion. There is plenty of water there, and no engineer has ever made an estimate of the tremendous possibilities of that water when used to its utmost for power and canal purposes. «i «i &' Iowa's Waterways Commission The state legislature of Iowa has autho- rized the appointment of a commission to in- vestigate the waterways of that state. The commission is expected to concern itself with the conservation interests of Iowa. «r' )^ 5^ A New Southern Waterway Advocates of waterway improvement and shippers throughout the country are mani- festing an interest in the projected improve- ment of the Sabine-Neches Canal and the Sabine and Neches Rivers so as to enable ocean-going and other vessels to ply direct to Orange and Beaumont, which offers sub- stantial evidence of the pluck and progress- iveness of the people. For several years the possibilities of making Orange and Beaumont important inland ports have been considered by some of the foremost and far-sighted citi- zens. As a result of an effort in this direc- tion an appropriation was secured to dig a canal along the west side of Sabine Lake and connecting the mouths of the Sabine and Neches River with the Gulf. This canal is now 100 feet wide and about ten feet deep, permitting only light-draft vessels to pass through, but it has proved sufficient to- suggest great possibilities for the opening of another artery of commerce and the develop- ment of the many and varied resources of NEWS AND NOTES 307 this section. Fresh-water ports are always attractive to ship owners and there is every reason to believe that with the deepening of the canal and the further improvements of the rivers, these ports will do a vast shipping business. Failing to obtain Congressional aid, a bill was passed by the state legislature of Texas conveying the constitutional right to levy spe- cial taxes and issue bonds for such improve- ments. Simultaneously a bill was presented in the National Congress and the necessary Government permit to make such improve- ment has been granted. The proposition will soon be submitted to a vote of the people of Jefferson County and it is expected that the issuance of bonds will be promptly author- ized. It is estimated that $400,000 will be sufficient to deepen the canal to twenty-five feet and to improve the rivers materially. The fruition of these plans will be a decided contribution to the commerce of the country and great good is expected to come to this section. ^ V!i ii£ To Stop Water Waste The gigantic project of conserving the billions of gallons of water that run to waste in the twelve watersheds of New York and transforming it into industrial energy, with a resultant revenue to the state, is the sub- ject to be presented to the legislature, before adjournment, by engineers of the state water supply commission, who have spent two years figuring out a practical plan. Carried into effect at a cost which cannot fall below $30,000,000, the scheme means the wiping out of. villages and the erection on their sites of huge dams and reservoirs ; the ripping up of railroad tracks ; the submersion of country roads and the forming of them into navigable waterways ; the construction of a system of reservoirs on the upper Hud- son that will practically do away with great freshets ; the enlargement of Schroon Lake in the Adirondacks, so as to establish a con- tinuous line of deep-water navigation for thirty miles; the transformation of three hamlets into water fronts, with piers at their doors ; the plying of vessels between villages over what are rocky turnpikes — why it would all sound like a chapter clipped from the prospectus of Mulberry Sellers were it not buttressed by hard, practical engineering facts. It is not likely, even after the two years' survey and exhaustive investigation of the tremendous possibilities presented, that a full working plan can be prepared in less than another year ; but when it is finished it will be put forward as an engineering feat combining beautification of the natural with the utilization of what are spent forces never attempted on such a scale anywhere in the world. It is designed according to the plans of the engineers, not only to turn the com- paratively valueless parts of forest and meadow into spots of sylvan beauty, but to increase the wealth of the state by adding to its industries and creating new avenues of employment. There are in New York 1,824 plants run by water power ; their total horse- power is 830,000. The actual horsepower in use is 618,942, due either to inadequate sup- ply or ignorance of owners of the power value of water as compared with fuel. If the system of reservoirs and dams as projected becomes an actuality, the energy will be increased to 2,000,000 horsepower and with- out any further encroachment on Niagara. — Nezu York World. ^ V^ ^ Farms under Water While the "land water" must be kept from flowing back to the sea unused, and Professor Shaler in "Man and the Earth" suggests that by and by practically all of it will be held back for water power and irrigation service until it has evaporated, yet he thinks that none of it will be kept in shallows, in bogs, and in marshes. It will be held by forested tracts, in artificial reservoirs, and in lakes of restricted area but increased depth. The tillable lands of Holland are ten times great- er than they were before artificial winning of them from the sea began. This is well known ; but most readers are surprised to learn that one-third of Great Britain was bogs and marshes in King Alfred's time, and that all around the North and Baltic seas the work has been only less extensive than in Holland. In America we have done practically nothing of the sort. Two hun- dred thousand squares miles of the earth's surface will yet be won for production by such means as the Dutch have employed by systems of drainage. ^ ^ iii The Government Retains Title to Coal Lands According to a statement given out at the Department of Justice, the United States Government has regained title to 1,120 acres of coal lands lying in Mt. Ranier National Park, worth about $100,000, by a decision of the district court of Montana. The land has been recovered from the Northern Pacific Railway Company, the Rocky Ford Coal Company, and the North- western Improvement Company. )^ )^ «i Timber Consumption in United States The systems of forest management and wood utilization in the United States and Germany offer many interesting compari- 3o8 CONSERVATION sons. The United States takes 260 cubic feet per capita annually from the forests; Germany uses but thirty-seven. In other words, this country is already using seven times as much timber per capita as is Ger- many. American forests are now producing not more than twelve cubic feet per acre; German forests are producing forty-eight cubic feet per acre annually according to the United States Forest Service. Germany has reduced waste and consumption and in- creased production. — IVall Street Journal. )^ ^ ^ Tree Planting to Transform the Prairie In connection with tree planting in the prairie regions of the middle West, the Springfield (111.) Register contained this in- teresting article : "The prairie town without trees is cheer- less and unattractive. Few things add more to the attractiveness of a town than rows of thrifty shade trees planted along the streets. Where trees adapted to local conditions have been planted and where the citizens have cared for them and taken an interest in them, the results have been remarkable. "A public-spirited man in Missouri has been doing commendable work along this line in connection with the Civic Improvement League of his city. In 1901 he planted seeds of various trees. He carefully tended the seedlings and, a few years later, dug them up, labeled them, and turned them over to the school children upon condition that they should be planted and cared for. To each child printed directions were given, headed thus : " 'Ornament your homes — plant trees. They are living monuments ; watch them develop. These began with the new century, and the century, as it advances, marks the record of their age year by year.' "Five or six thousand trees were given away in this manner. Two or three trees were given to each child who asked for them, and almost every child did so. There were many species and naturally some of the trees died] but few of the children lost all that they had planted. Each child who received trees was required to fill out a slip giving his name and address, and the place where the trees were planted. The Missouri town_ is now dotted with these 'century trees' which have become the pride of those who planted them." ^ ^i ^ Progress in Conservation "Practical resu'ts already are reported by the joint committee on conservation, vvhich has taken over the duties of the old National Conservation Commission, which was put out of business by the Tawney amendment cut- ting it off from funds. This committee, which has been organized by the governors of the country and is maintained by private subscription, has well equipped headquarters in the Wyatt Building, and is doing valuable work. President Taft has promised to rec- ommend that Congress make an appropria- tion for carrying on the work; and it looks as if, by the time the money gets around, the committee will have a good deal to show for itself. "Secretary Thomas R. 'Shipp has just sent a letter to the chairmen of state conserva- tion commissions explaining the status of the organization. Conservation work in the branches of the executive departments of the Government along their respective lines, he explains, is in no way hampered by the amendment to the sundry civil act. The joint committee will keep in close touch with this work, and will make it its business to see that information, technical and otherwise, available either from Federal or other agen- cies, which would be of peculiar local value in conservation work, will be sent without delay. The committee also volunteers ad- vice or assistance needed by state or local committees in making investigations or in preparing plans for the practical application of the principles of conservation to definite problems. The committee also will keep the various local commissions informed of what each is doing, thus serving as a conservation clearing house. OREGON STARTING WELL "The joint committee is now busily work- ing upon an outline of a definite plan under which the work will be conducted. One of its first suggestions will be that each of the states pick out its most pressing problem and get busy with that, along either legisla- tive or executive lines. The advantage of uniform progress is emphasized by the unanimity with which the various states ap- pear to be deciding for themselves the most imporant fields for state cooperation. So far they all appear to have hit upon water resources, both with respect to conservation and the urgent need of legislation regulat- ing water-right privileges across state lines. Oregon has made remarkable headway in this direction. Her unofficial committee of fifteen has been followed by the authoriza- tion by the legislature of a permanent com- mission of seven, for which an appropriation of $5,000 has been voted. Acting under these influences, and with a report drawn up by the commission as a basis, Oregon has codi- fied her laws relating to water rights. The beneficial use of the water is made the basis of the right, which is granted for only forty years. State control is reserved, of course. NEWS AND NOTES 30!^ I and the whole situation has been brought under a workable legal system. "Say the Oregon commissioners signifi- cantly in their report : 'We have no hesita- tion in saying that if President Taft will stand for conservation as unflinchingly as President Roosevelt stood for it, and will push it as persistently, the question will be in a fair way to be solved within the next four years.' "Iowa has made a start with legislation establishing a Drainage, Waterways and Conservation Commission, and appropriated $2,500 for it. Rhode Islands reports that she expects to do about the same. Several other state commissions are working on re- ports and inventories of their own. Wiscon- sin, for instance, is taking official stock of her land, water-powers, forests, phosphates and soil resources. Gov. J. O. Davidson writes : 'Our undeveloped water-powers are the most valuable of our natural resources, and are rapidly increasing in value. Capital is fast seeking their control. In a few years they will be utilized and it will be more diflRcult then to secure their control than now.' The governor believes that the power of granting water franchises should be placed in the hands of some state authority, and that the powers of corporations receiving these franchises should be very carefully de- fined. The conditions on which franchises should be granted should be determined, he says, and a small privilege or franchise tax be imposed upon each horsepower, payable annually. This is the plan followed also in Oregon. "In Louisiana, the state commission has brought to the attention of the district at- torney the great waste of natural gas in one section, and an inquiry has been instituted to see if there is not some way by which it can be stopped by law. Some wells are said to have been burning for months, the purpose being to get rid of the gas so that promoters may be able to reach the oil. "Indiana has had her bitter experience with natural gas waste. She now has a model natural gas law, but unfortunately she has lost her natural gas. The city of Anderson, once known as the 'Pittsburg of White River,' has called upon its citizens to con- tribute a so-called factory fund, and is ofifer- ing all kinds of inducements to keep manu- facturing at home. Muncie, Marion and other places, where the natural gas supply has failed, are having the same woeful expe- rience. The model Indiana gas law may yet have its uses, however, for it is the purpose of. the joint committee on conservation to send copies of it wherever legislation for the protection of natural gas supplies is needed." — Boston Transcript (April 12). Engineers for Conservation On the evening of March 24 the four great national engineering societies held a joint meeting in New York City. The object of the meeting was to consider questions in connection with the conservation of natural resources. The attendance numbered some 700. The meeting opened with the reading of the following dispatch from President Taft : "John Hays Hammond : "Please say to Joint Engineering Societies that I am greatly gr.'.tified to know of their cooperation in the movement for the con- servation of the natural resources of the country. The members of these societies with their technical knowledge are not only better advised as to the necessity ior such conservation, but are more competent lO sug- gest the methods by which such conserva- tion can be carried out. I have already pledged the administration to as full support as possible to the policy, and I am glad to renew my expression of sympathy with the movement, and to state my high estimate of the value of the aid which can be rendered by the United Enginering Societies. (Signed) "Wm. H. Taft. "The White House, Washington, March 24." ^ ^ ^ Conservation in Rhode Island The State Conservation Committee of Rhode Island has recently presented its re- port to the governor. The commission main- tains that there is no state in the Union which more than Rhode Island needs to con- serve its resources. It advises new and bet- ter fire laws similar to those in other states, and the rehabilitation of the many abandoned farms within the state's borders. "The state has been indifferent to its nat- ural resources," says the report. "It has allowed them to be wasted to a serious extent, and therefore there is great need of taking account of stock, and finding out what we have in the state, so we can conserve it." Among the recommendations of the com- mittee are the following : Laws for the pro- tection of forests from fires ; preparation of charts showing for what lands are best suited ; what areas are needed for water con- servation ; public ownership of the banks of certain streams ; trees to be placed along highways ; laws regarding waterways ; and the widest possible dissemination of intelli- gence regarding results obtained by the Rhode Island agricultural station in their application to the farmers of the state. This committee consists of Henry A. Barker,, chairman of the Metropolitan Park Commis- sion, J. Herbert Shedd, and Jesse B. Mowry, state forester. 310 CONSERVATION World Conservation In a column article in the Chicago Tribune for April 12, ^Ir. John Callan O'Laughlin ■says : "Important as have been the international conferences for the promotion of arbitration in international disputes and the amelioration of the hardships of war, they will not ap- proximate in the results for the benefit of humanity at large that which is to be held at The Hague in Alay of next year. "All of the great nations have formally accepted the invitation of the President to attend a conference for the conservation of natural resources. "People of every country are interested in the supply of food and of the material for manufacture in every other country, not only because these are interchangeable through the processes of trade but because a knowl- edge of the total supply is necessary to intel- ligent treatment of each nation's share of the supply. It will be the purpose of the con- ference to arrange for the cooperation of the entire world, each for its own good and all for the good of all, toward the safeguard- ing and betterment of their means of sup- port. "Giflford Pinchot, Chief Forester of the Government, has returned to Washington after an extensive tour through the West, where he had an opportunity to explain President Taft's views and to ascertain the public sentiment in connection with the gen- eral conservation movement. "Mr. Pinchot is satisfied that the people are behind the administration in its purpose to prevent the waste and monopolization of natural resources. Machinery to this end has been partially disabled through the action of Congress in directing in the sundry civil arct that no commissions shall be maintained without express authority of law. " Mr. O'Laughlin next explained that the President was compelled to dissolve the Fed- eral Conservation Commission, but that the situation has been temporarily bridged by the organization of a joint committee on conservation. He adds that President Taft Is expected to recommend in his annual mes- sage an appropriation for a Government agency similar to the old Conservation Commission. &' J^ «^ Stopping Waste The Omaha Bee says, editorially: "Until within comparatively recent times the people of the United States have been living and acting under the hallucination that the natural resources of this country were boundless and have drawn upon them with a prodigality born of that idea. Fortu- nately the awakening has come before im- poverishment and we are realizing that the fertility of the soil must be preserved and that slipshod and wasteful methods of farm- ing cannot be depended upon indefinitely to support our population. "The opinion once common that our tim- ber resources were sufficient in perpetuity has given place to a certainty that the forests must be protected and restored else in the near future the country would be without lumber, to say nothing of the damage from denudation of the forest areas. Probably in no one direction has the national habit of waste been so predominant as in the use of timber. In the earlier days of the lum- bering industry only the best was taken and the remainder burned simply to get it out of the wav. Railroads, once among the worst offenders, are taking the lead in reforesta- tion and are also employing scientists to treat artificially varieties of timber previous- ly considered valueless in order to make them serviceable and also to increase the life of ties and other timbers which they use. A recent discovery promises a process which it is maintained will render valuable the hith- erto worthless gumwood of the South and make the short-leaved pine of that section equal to the more valuable species. "The former waste of the coal mines is being utilized, the packing houses and petro- leum refiners have brought to their aid the scientist and there is now little waste prod- uct in these industries. All lines of manu- facturing are aiming at elimination of waste and sooner or later the idea will permeate the American home, which is without doubt the most wasteful of all. This great country of ours can soon become many times richer simply by stopping needless waste." «i «? fe' Government Buys Steam Dredge The Secretary of the Interior has autho- rized the Reclamation Service to execute a contract with the Bucyrus Company of Mil- waukee, Wis., for the purchase of a steam dredge for use in enlarging the main canal of the Sunnyside irrigation project, Washing- ton. The machine will be a three and one- half cubic foot steam-driven elevator dredge with buckets of the continuous type, and the contract amounts to $28,010. ^ «? tt' Progress at Belle Fourche The settlers on the Belle Fourche irriga- tion project, South Dakota, are busy prepar- ing their land for irrigation. The hay lands are already receiving water as the ground is exceedingly dry. It is expected that the new land office at Belle Fourche will be open for NEWS AND NOTES 311 business in a short time. This will greatly simplify land office business for the settlers and eliminate the delays resulting from for- warding their papers to the office at Rapid City. At present there are only ten farm units on the project open for entry. The large ranches are being subdivided and the recent sales show that land values are steadily in- creasing. A great many inquiries from pros- pective settlers are being received and it is probable that about August I additional farm unit plats will be filed and lo.ooo acres of Government land will be opened to settle- ment. Quite a colony of Wisconsin people are congregating on this project, bringing their stock and household goods. The farmers are receiving good prices for feed, oats bringing $2 per 100 pounds and hay from $8 to $16 per ton. The contractors on the works state that although they can procure feed shipped in from other states at a lower rate it does not compare with the grade of the Belle Fourche produce and they find it cheaper in the end to purchase on the ground. &' ^ «? The Klamath Project The reclamation of the North Poe Valley Canal, Klamath irrigation project, Oregon, has been completed. The Keno Canal has been operated continuously for several weeks. The upper four miles of the South Branch Canal are completed, the laterals excavated and the small structures finished so that the system is practically ready for operation. During March the water was removed from the surface of the marshes on the dem- onstration farm and in the drainage trenches around the tract to a depth of from three to four feet below the surface. Careful levels have been taken over the marsh at intervals of 200 feet, in order to study the amount of settling, and wells are being put in to deter- mine the gradient of the water table in the soil. Careful observations are being made in connection with precipitation and evapora- tion. The people of the district have decided to construct a highway from Klamath Falls to Lakeview, Oreg., a distance of no miles, which shall serve as an outlet for supplies into the Lake country. A county dairy as- sociation has also been formed with the in- tention of fostering this industry and build- ing it up from proper foundations. One creamery has already been established and another will soon be opened. The S. P. Railroad has closed the Klamath Strait to navigation by building the railroad trestle across it, connecting the two ends of the embankment. It is expected that the rail- road will reach Klamath Falls by June i. Scrub Pine for Pulp Material The long-neglected and despised scrub or Jersey pine, growing on the abandoned farms and cut-over lands of the East, seems des- tined at last to have reached its rightful place as a material of value, according to the results obtained through recent pulp and paper-making tests at the United States For- est'Service laboratories in Washington. While there is a considerable amount of this wood standing as timber, it has hereto- fore been used only in a very desultory fashion, and then mostly as fuel. About 500,000 acres, or twenty per cent., of the wooded area of Maryland, and about 130,000 acres, or ten per cent., of that of Virginia, is cov- ered with fairly dense stands, while the broad range of the tree extends along the Atlantic seaboard from southern New York to South Carolina, and back over the Ap- palachians to central Indiana, where its largest specimens are found. While a number of mills have used scrub pine for the manufacture of soda pulp and ground wood, no plants have ever operated the sulphite process. Scrub pine might have been used to good advantage long ago, but for the fact that it did not seem to the practical paper-maker even worthy of trial. By only slight changes of the regular cook- ing treatment which is ordinarily accorded pulp wood in the sulphite process, however, it has now yielded a pulp product which has been favorably commented upon by nu- merous members of the paper trade as a substitute for spruce sulphite in the manu- facture of news paper. When a forest of scrub pine is matured, a fully-stocked stand will yield thirty to forty cords per acre, when economically harvested according to the practical forestry methods. At the present time there is practically no general use for the timber, outside of fuel, although a coarse lumber is made of it and it is sometimes used for fencing. An evidence of the low esteem in which this pine is held is the price which the Maryland wood brings when delivered — $5-75 per cord. The wood itself is of a light yellow color, with a white sap-wood. It is light in weight, is brittle, and coarse-grained. While it is fairly durable in contact with the weather, its weak structural properties offset any ad- vantage this might give. Practical paper-makers who have seen this product are almost unanimous in claiming it to be a strong, long-fibered, and hard- wearing pulp, which seems especially desir- able for making bag, news, and wrapping papers. Several even went so far as to say that it would make fine bank or ledger papers when properly handled, and that this wood gave one of the best fibers which has been prepared from pine wood. 312 CONSERVATION Wood Preservation Means Forest Conservation An increase from three and one-half mil- lion gallons of the oil of coal tar, or creo- sote, as it is popularh' known, imported into the city of New York in 1904, to an amount estimated to be almost 25,000,000 gallons last 3'ear, is one of the indications pointing to the progress of the Nation-wide movement for the conservation of forest re- sources. It is creosote which the Government and scores of corporations and private wood users have found to be one of the most sat- isfactory preservatives of railroad ties, mine props, telephone and telegraph poles, fence posts, and for timbers used for other com- mercial purposes. Lengthening the life of timber in use means the lessening of the drain on the country's forests, and what is more important to the average business man, it means the saving of thousands of dollars annually spent for the labor of the frequent renewals made necessary when untreated timber is used. Ten years ago the strongest advocates of the creosoting method of preserving wood could scarcely have hoped for the present advanced state of this industry. Creosoting is becoming the acknowledged standard means of increasing the life of timbers. Formerly the production of creosote, from both coal tar and wood tar, far exceeded any demand for wood-treating purposes. How- ever, the number of wood-preserving plants has grown so rapidly within the last four years that this country is not now able to supply its own demand for coal-tar creosote. A brief study of the importation columns of the trade journals shows the effect of the growth of the wood-preservation industry. In the whole year of 1904 the New York imports amounted to only 3.500,000 gallons. By the end of 1907 the importation had in- creased to 17,500,000 gallons, while for the present year conservative estimates place the imported coal-tar creosote at between twenty-two to twenty-five million gallons. The year has started most auspiciously ; during a five-weeks' period in December and January the importation through New York alone was 15,000 tons, giving a weekly average of 3,000 tons, or 68,000 gallons. It is significant that during this same period the importation of related by-products from coal kept pace with that of creosote. Ammonium carbonate, chloride, sulphate, and "sal am- moniac" entered to the amount of 104, 227, 1,260, and 400 tons, respectively. If these had been all made into the sulphate, the equivalent product would have been 460 tons per week. The estimated ratio of twenty pounds of sulphate to one and one-half gal- lons of the creosote oil would make an equivalent production of 69,000 gallons of creosote. This is not far different from the 68,000 gallons which were reall}' imported. Since these ammonia products and creosote are being imported in this relation, it is plainly evident that the production of creo- sote is not alone deficient, but also coal-tar products in general. The production of creosote in this coun- try will, in all probability, continue to be far less than the consumption. A great help may be eventually afforded by the increasing use of wood-tar creosote, which has not been in nigh favor in the past. It is gratifying to note that within the last few years some of the mpre impor- tant wood distillers have been turning into a profit those oils and tars which were for- merly run to waste. The demand for these products is increasing, and this recovered by-product has been asserted to be not only a revenue for the producer but also a valua- ble preservative for the treatment of struc- tural timber. &'&'«? An Important Tree Family Recent investigations b}' the Bureau of Forestry emphasize the fact that the bulk of the forest wealth of the Philippine Islands is stored in the members of one family, bo- tanically known as Dipterocarpacese, which name has been very aptly shortened to "Dip- terocarp" family. The word means, liter- ally, "two wings," because some of the members of the family have fruit with two wings. It is estimated that this one family contains more than three-fourths of the tim- ber wealth of the islands. It is to the Philip- pines what the pine family is to temperate regions. It holds timber of all grades, from the hard and durable woods like Yacal and ..langachapuy, through a medium grade like Guijo or Apitong, to the softer timbers known commonly as Lauan. Naval Stores Production The production of more than 36,500,000 gallons of turpentine and more than 4,000,000 barrels of rosin, with a valuation of more than 14,000,000 for the turpentine and near- ly $18,000,000 for the rosin, summarizes the output of the Naval Stores industry for 1908, according to the preliminary report of the United States Forest Service just completed. Of the eight Southern states, each produc- ing more than 200,000 gallons of turpentine and 25,000 barrels of resin, Florida leads the list with 17,030,300 gallons of turpentine in 1908 against 15,572,700 gallons in 1907, and 1,932,114 barrels of rosin in 1908 against 1,774.370 barrels in 1907. XEWS AND NOTES 313 Government Helps Grazing Mexico's Supply of Longleaf Pine The beneficial results of regulated grazing were shown in a decided betterment of much of the National Forest range, during the fis- cal year 1908. At the same time investiga- tions in range improvements through reseed- ing, new methods of handling stock, the eradication of poisonous plants, and the de- struction of prairie dogs brought important progress toward still better future use of the forests by stockmen. The development of watering places is an- other means that is being pursued to the same end, while the killing of predatory wild animals by United States Forest Service hunters saved the stockmen losses probably greater than the entire amount paid in graz- ing fees. This amount was over $960,000. Through the enforcement of quarantine regulations and the distribution of blackleg vaccine other losses from disease were pre- vented. «r' J« i^' South Dakota Preserves Wood During the past summer the Forest Service installed an experimental wood-preserving plant at Englewood, S. Dak., in the Black Hills National Forest. The first treatments were made in August, but regular work did not begin until the middle of September. The plant has a twent3'-four-hour capacity of 9,000 feet of timber B. M., and most of the treatments have been carried on in coopera- tion with the Homestake Mining Company. The company now considers that the prac- ticability of the process and of the type of plant have been demonstrated, and has ex- pressed a wish to take over the plant and operate it independently on a commercial basis. Arrangements have accordingly been made to turn over the plant to the Home- stake Company. An expert in wood preservation will be detailed to supervise the operation of the plant for several months, in order to complete the working out of the best details of the process and to assist the cooperating company in training its own em- ployees to continue the work independently. The objects of the Forest Service in estab- lishing treating plants on the National For- ests are two-fold — to investigate the cheapest and most efficient preservatives, processes and types of plants for the treatment of timber on the National Forests, and to encourage a more conservative use of timber. by pre- servative methods. The arrangements which have been made with the Homestake Min- ing Company, it is believed, will insure the most satisfactory attainment of both of these objects. Other companies in the same region are strongly considering the establishment of similar plants for their own purposes. 6 At: aggregate area of 6,000,000 to 7,000,000 acres of longleaf pine, in every way suited to turpentining, briefly indicates the extent of the only partially developed naval stores resources of Mexico. A peculiar and interesting feature of the Mexican turpentine belt is that the turpen- tine producing trees are found only in the mountains at high altitudes, a condition directly reverse to that existing in the United States, where trees at an altitude of 2,000 feet are unproductive so far as turpentine is concerned. Carey B. Townsend, of New Orleans, who has spent some time investigating naval stores conditions in Mexico, has given an interesting account of his observations. Speaking of the characteristics of the Mexi- can tree, he says : "The Mexican turpentine pines present a -dififerent appearance from our trees in the United States. The bark is thicker, nature providing this as a protection against the cool nights of the high altitudes. The need- les, too, are shorter and coarser than those of our southern pines. The appearance of the Mexican pines differs materially in the altitude in which they are found, the trees at 8,000 to 9,000 feet presenting a sharp con- trast to those at 5,000 or 6,000 feet. A close investigation with proper tests convinced me that there is no difference in the yield or quality of the gum. "Turpentine runs freely in Mexico when the temperature is sixty degrees or above. W'hile there is little or no flow at night, the first rays of the morning sun striking the trees start the gum running freely and this only lets up when darkness comes. I have never seen better running pines in my entire observation, which has extended from Cape Fear to the Sabine River. Owing to the cool nights it is proper to estimate the yield of the Mexican pines at twenty-five per cent, less than the best output of our southern pines. "The atmosphere evidently affects the quality of the crude gum, as I noticed that the rosin produced from the old and high faces was of an unusually good quality, grading form "F' to "M," instead of "D" to "G." as in the United States. As to the relative yield of turpentine from a given quantity of crude, it is about the same in Mexico as in the United States." ^ V^ ^ Why Wood Decays Piles driven by the hut dwellers of the Baltic centuries ago are as sound to-day as when first placed. The wooden coffins in whieh the Egyptians buried their dead are 314 CONSERVATION still preserved in perfect condition after thousands of years of service. The longevity of timber under these two extremes of climate and moisture conditions has naturally made people ask, What causes wood decay? The answer is, fungi and bacteria, low forms of plant life which live in the wood and draw their nourishment from it. These organisms are so small that a microscope is required to see them, yet their work results in the destruction of bil- lions of feet of timber each year, and the railroad corporation with its cross-tie bill running up into seven figures and the farmer who spends a hundred or so dollars a year for fence posts are alike drawing upon the knowledge of experts in all parts of the world in efforts to learn the most economical and most satisfactory method of preserving wood against the inroads of decay. In study- ing the means of preventing decay wood- preserving experts have learned many things about the obnoxious fungi which sap the life of timber. The small organisms can grow either in light or in total darkness ; but all of them require requisite amounts of air, food, mois- ture and heat. If one or more of these essential requirements is lacking, they can- not live, and the decay of timber will not take place. Wood constantly submerged in water never rots, simply because there is an insufficient supply of air. This condition accounts for the soundness of the old Baltic piles. On the other hand, if wood can be kept air-dry it will not decay because there will then be too little moisture. The tim- ber used by the Egyptians will last indefi- nitely so long as it is bone-dry. There are a great many cases, however, where it is impossible to keep wood sub- merged in water, or in an absolutely air-dry condition. In fact, a large percentage of the timber which is used is exposed to the weather, and is subjected to decay simply because it contains enough air and enough water for the decomposing organisms to get a foothold. Decay is most serious where the atmosphere is warm and damp, because these conditions are most favorable for its development. In the coal mines of Pennsylvania timber decays in two or three years because the temperature is warm and constant and the air is damp. And in the South, the warm, humid atmosphere often causes the timber rapidly to decompose. Decay may be prevented by two general methods, by treating the wood with antisep- tics, thus poisoning the food supply of the or- ganisms which cause decay, and by treating it with oils which render it waterproof. A combination of these two methods is most commonly used, as when wood is treated with creosote which fills up the pores in the timber and keeps out water and is also a powerful antiseptic. The United States Government considers the investigations of the preservative treat- ment of timber of such importance that the business of one branch of a bureau in the Department of Agriculture — the "Office of Wood Preservation" in the Forest Service at Washington — is given over entirely to the work of experiments in cooperation with railroad companies and individuals in pro- longing the life of railroad ties, mine props, bridge timbers, fence posts and transmission poles. Advice and practical assistance is furnished all who request this advice of the Forester. The lengthening of life of timber means the saving of thousands of dollars annually through doing away with the heavy expense of labor and cost of material for renewals. Damage by Barkbeetles in Northwest It is well known how eiiormous is the damage done by fires to the forests of the Northwest, but there are other enemies of the trees of this region. Insects are also active destroyers of live timber. The Forest Service has lately found that in one locality in Washington a species of h^rkheetlc—Dendrocfoiuis ponderosee. the en- tomologists call it — has been killing spots of thrifty young Douglas fir and doing thou- sands of dollars of damage. These beetles ordinarily breed only in small numbers be- tween the bark and the wood of damaged, dying, dead or recently felled trees, but when suitable breeding places become particularly numerous and favorable, they increase so enormously in numbers that they_ are forced to take up their residence in living trees, which they promptly kill. The fact that these barkbeetles find such favorable breeding places in old logging works is a strong additional reason, the Forest Service concludes, for burning over slashings after logging. .If the beetles he- come excessively abundant only when they have the unconsumed debris from logging to breed in, and if they will kill valuable tim- ber when they do bemme excessively abund- ant, foresters ask why leave this debris to facilitate" propagation? CONSERVATION'S ADVERTISERS FENCE -p ^SSSS^^'^^ «H^' „-^'* To get the most out of a every square farm, f o ot must be either tilled or else made to produce feed for live stock. A fence all around the farm, then cross fences, making more and smaller fields — permitting rotation oi crops and change of pasture — are first essentialsin making possible maximum earnings. Ktire are two g^icat fences — the best square mesh and the best diamond mesh We selected these two styles years ago. after careful study and advice from many cf the most experienced and successful farmers, the correctness of which has been veri- fied by actual results in the field. These fences are the simplest in construction; are made of any sizo or weight of wire desired and perfectly adapted to all uses and conditions. If you want square mesh, buy American; if you like diamond, buy Ellwood. You can safely take the verdict of the millions of farmers who have tested and tried out these two great fences. Dealers everywhere, carrying styles adapted to every purpose. See them. Catalogue for the asking. AMERICAN STEEL & WIRE CO. Chicago Nevr York Denver San Francisco ' ' /'JXr-: \ \ I \ V \ ^m iM In writing to advertisers kindly mention Conservation JAMES D. LACET WOOD BEAL VICTOR THKANE ARE Interested in Southern or Pacitic Coast Timber? We furnish detailed reports aa to the QUALITY of the timber, giving average TOP and BUTT diameters, average lengths and number of trees on each 40-acre subdivision.- We submit reports covering details as to logging conditions, cost and most feasible methods of logging each 10-acre or sectional subdivision of each tract. We also furnish a TOPOGEAFBDLOAL map of all tracts located in mountainous dis- tricts, showing every elevatiuu of 100 feet throughout the tract with OUR OWN engineer's report showing locations of most feasible routes and grades for logging roads. We can furnish sufficient data regarding ATHT tract of timber which we liave examined to convince you whether the tract la what you \vant or not. Personal inspection of any tract we may ofiEer you will be found just as represented. We are in a position to offer some exceedingly attractive TIMBER properties in the SOUTH, in BRITISH COLUMBIA, and on the PACIFIC COAST. Also a few going mill operations with ample timber ■u^'pLies in South Carolina and Mlssiseippi. We furnish detailed reports of amount of STUMFAQE on each 2 1-2- 5- or 10-acre subdivision of each forty. We employ expert PACIFIC COAST CRUISERS to check all estimates made on West- tern Timber. We offer HIGH CLASS Timber Properties only, which have been placed in our hands for sale. We guarantee our estimates are reliable. JAMES D LACEY & GO. (ESTABLISHED SINCE 1880) 60$ Hennen BuUdinc (SS Ohaiirb«r ot Comm*rt'« 607 Lumber Exobaas* 1215 Old Colony New Orleans Portland, Ore. Seattle Chicago 0»O. a. HOWABD PBK8S, WASHINGTON Formerly FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION Na6 imiUmlkftUMi; tgfiE^tS, VVatcrs, oils mm MiiiS^als Published by THE AMERICAN FORESTRY ASSOCIATION, 1417 G St, N. W., Washington, D. C. Price, $2.00 per Year, Including Annual Membership in the Association CONSER VA TION'S AD VER TISERS The Proper Care of Trees Is a Good Investment Jolin Uavey The Father of Tree Surgery CONSERVATION of the forests of our countr,v means more than the mere stoppage of cutting down trees. Without the proper care, trees are liable to die long before they have lived the number of years Nature designed that they should. On every hand we see trees dying because they have not had proper care. Nature is a good mother and takes good care of her children ; but sometimes she is too generous and tries to raise too many. Fruit trees are overloaded with fruit, and trees in the forests grow too thickly for proper development. Judicious thinning is the remedy for both troubles. It took John Davey twenty years to master the science of knowing how to thin the growth of trees in forests or on preserves, and his knowledge is the foundation upon which we have built up our i School of Practical Forestry. How the Davey Method Helps the Trees The careful, judicious and systematic removal of a portion of trees in a forest is of incalculable benefit to the remainder. It gives the good trees a sufficient amount of growing space for their best development, and the forest acquires a healthy, vigorous growth without bemg robbed of any of its natural beauty — in fact, that beauty is enhanced by the greater perfection to which the trees are allowed to grow, the better quality of their foliage, and the naturally magnificent proportions they assume. This development affords trees in marked contrast to the spindly, weak specimen so often seen in the wooded tracts of the country, where a half-dozen trees are fighting for existence in the space one ought to be occupying. Commercially, the proper thinning of trees is practical economy. Often the thinnings themselves not only yield a handsome revenue, but raise the actual production of wood in the tract — sometimes more than 40%. The Davey Method Applied to Getting Trees for Timber The proper growing of timber in this country is a serious problem, and owners of forests are working great harm to coming generations by allowing the reckless slaughter of trees by lumbermen. These hnnbermen generally cut timber in such a way that high stumps, merchantable tops, and damaged timber are left to rot and become a dead loss. One of our specialties is the supervision of lumbering operations. We mark the trees to be cut and make rigid rules and regulations for the cutters. When a forest is thus cut, a few years' growth of the remaining trees completely hides all trace of the cutting and the forest is finer than ever. Expert Kno'wiedge Is Necessary for the Saving of Trees All this requires expert work based upon years of actual experience. We employ the greatest tree experts in the country. Don't allow your trees to sufifer at the hands of incompetents — our service costs no more. We have equipped ourselves to render service of the very highest character to owners of forests under the direct supervision of the leading professional forester of America, and all work on larger forests and private preserves receives his personal attention. We will be glad to get into communication with those to whom our service will benefit m any of the ways above mentioned. Our handsomely illustrated booklet H explains the Davey methods of savings the trees. Write for it. The Davey Tree Expert Company (O Iterating Doxry's Schnol of Practical Forestry) Main Office, Kent, Ohio Eastern Office, Tarry town, N. Y. "The Home of Tree Surgery" (Address Nearest Office ) In writing to advertisers kindly mention Conservation %) ®i? 1PHS ulBRARY >iEW YOP CONTENTS FOR JUNE, 1909 COVER DESIGN— By Charles E. Cartwright. IRRIGATION IN EASTERN WASHINGTON Frontispiece THE PATHFINDER DAM— By C. J. Blanchard 317 WATER CIRCULATION AND ITS CONTROL— By Bailey Willis 325 A MILLION WOMEN FOR CONSERVATION 3.^6 THE GREAT TREES OF CALIFORNIA— Po£';n— By Archibald Hopkins 347 HOW THE HOUSE VOTED— By Edwin A. Start 348 EDITORIAL— How Water Transportation Saves 358 Kansas City's Figlit for Her River 358 .Missouri for Waterways 359 State Parks 3G0 Towns witliout Taxes 3ti0 NEWS AND NOTES— (Jood Words for Conservation 3G7 Setting an Example 3G7 Senator Root Planting Trees 307 Progress in Massaelinsetts 367 Conservation in Rluxle Island 3(j7 Conservation in Arkansas 307 What Illinois Women Want 367 The Ogle County Wliite Pines 368 State Parks Win Public Favor 36S Immense Profits of German Forests 369 Tlie Biltmore Fires 369 Yale Forestry Students in Texas 369 American Pomological Meeting 370 Remember the Raisin ! .... 370 The Counties Committee at Work 370 Utilizing a Volcano 370 Mr. Xewell's Visit to Hawaii 371 Conservation in Hawaii 371 Protecting Water Supplies 373 Good Work by the Pennsylvania Railroad 373 (Jrowtli of the Forest Service 373 Mr. Pineliot at Delta 374 Public Activity Plus Private 361 Prosperity to Be Genuine Must Be General 363 New Jersey Protects Woodlands 363 Waste of Resources Due to Fire 364 Wliat Sliall We Do aliout It ? 365 To Examine National Forest Boundaries Withdrawal of Public Lands Senate Committee to Visit Irrigation Projects... Irrigation in Wasliington The National Irrigation Congress at Spokane... Mr. Pineliot to .Vttend National Irrigation Con- 'SS gress Competition for Next Irrigation Congress Land and Irrigation Exposition Nebraska No Longer "Wild" Investment in Water Transportation To Reclaim Oklalioma Land The Largest Fountain in the United States The Smoke Nuisance Maine's Peat Bogs To Save Miners' Lives Mississippi's Rank in Naval Stores Production... To Create Municipal Forests Saving Storm-felled Trees from Borers Consumption of Pulp Wood in the United States Japan Fights Paper Famine Waste in Iron Menaces Race 374 374 375 375 375 376 376 376 376 377 377 377 378 378 370 379 380 3S0 381 381 381 CJXoNSERVATiON Is the official organ of the American Fore.?try Association. Price, $2.00 per year, including Annual t_-" Membership in the A.ssociation. Entered as second-class matter Augu.st 1, 1908, at the Post-office C^ at Washington. D. C, under the Act of March 3, 1879 Published Monthly at 1417 G STREET, N. W. WASHINGTON, D. C. 3^5 Irrigation in Eastern Washington: a Fiveyycafold Wagencr Apple Tree Bearing Eight Boxes rrW. liiM'fi^ V V. SOILS AND MIMEftMJ gitiimm'' Vol. XV JUNE, igog No. 6 THE PATHFINDER DAM By C. ]. BLANCHARD, Statistician, U, S, Reclamation Service THE completion of the Pathfinder dam, one of the highest structures of its kind in the world, is the event which the people of Wyoming and Nebraska are now celebrating. Resting on a bed of solid granite, and hewn from the vertical walls of the same formation through which the North Platte River has cut its channel, a massive masonry monolith closes the canyon. It rises 215 feet above its foundation, and is 500 feet long on top. But the real significance of the event is that it marks the most important step in the reclamation of large tracts of the Great Plains area in both states, and their transformation to thickly settled farming communities, with numerous populous and prosperous towns and vil- lages. The North Platte River drains an area of 90,000 square miles, carrying the run-ofif of a large mountainous ter- ritory. Fed by the melting snows of spring and early summer its volume swells to large proportions, but in the late summer it shrinks to a small stream, distributed over a wide stretch of shifting sands. Every drop of the low water flow has long been appro- priated, and the conservation of the flood waters of the river was beyond the reach of private capital. It was for the purpose of storing the flood and winter waters and controlling the flow of this irregular river that the great dam just completed was planned. Behind the massive wall of masonry a million acre-feet of water will be stored each year, and the destructive floods of the North Platte River, which annually have caused damages far in excess of the cost of the dam, will never again visit the valley. The name of the structure is most appropriate, in that it makes of the dam a fitting monument to commemorate forever the achievement of the Nation's daring pio- neer and ex])lorer. Capt. John C. Fre- mont, "The Pathfinder."" The North Platte Irrigation Project is one of the largest so far unclertaken by the Government. From the Path- finder dam at a point on the North Platte River about fifty miles southwest from Casper, Wyo., to the farthest lim- 317 u > u. a U a. THE PATHFINDER DAM 319 its of the irrigable land in Nebraska, the distance is fifty miles, and it is esti- mated that 400,000 acres of lantl in Wyoming and Nebraska, or more than donble the total area of land cultivated in the entire state of Rhode Island, will be divided into small farms and irri- gated. The comparison afiforded by the fol- lowing table, showing the dimensions, cost and elTectiveness of the Pathfinder and three large eastern dams, is most interesting : StorafTP Dam Heiifflit Longth Contents Cost capacity in ft. in ft. in cu. yils. acre-feet Patliflniler.. 215 300 00.400 .$1,200,000 1.02.5.000 Waeliusett. 228 971 273.000 2.220.000 102.000 New Croton 297 1.072 83:?. 000 7.0P.1.000 92.000 .-isliokan . . . 220 M.SOO -7,000.000 12.700.000 308,000 ^Masonry. 1.000 feet, and earthwork. 3.800 feet. -900.000 cnhic varils masonry and 7.000.000 of earth. It will be seen that the Pathfinder dam, which cost only $1,200,000, has a storage capacity more than ten times that of the New Croton which cost six times as much. One hundred miles from the storage dam a low diversion dam has been thrown across the river, which turns the waters into the Interstate Canal, to supply lands in Wyoming and Nebras- ka. This canal when completed will be 150 miles long, but at present only ninety-five miles have been excavated. It has a capacity at the headgates of 1.400 second-feet. Hundreds of miles of laterals have been constructed to distribute the water over the lands. One of the most attractive features of the valley is its sunny, invigorating climate. The summers are always comfortable and the winters are rela- tively mild. The general elevation is about 4,000 feet above sea level. The soil is a rich, sandy loam, with a crop- producing capacity that to the farmer of the humid region seems incredible. Oats yielding 120 bushels per acre and weighing forty-five pounds to the bushel have been grown, and the aver- age yield for the valley probably will exceed sixty-five bushels. Three crops of alfalfa are cut during the year, often vielding five tons to the acre, and fifty iaushels of corn per acre is a low yield. The region is particularly adapted to the culture of sugar beets. As high as twenty-eight tons per acre have been ])r()duced with a sugar content of fifteen per cent. Apples, plums, small fruit and berries are grown for home con- sumption. \'egetables bring good prices, and the potatoes especially are of superior quality. Hog and poultry raising and bee cul- ture have proved very profitable. Back of the valley and extending for hun- dreds of miles is the vast public range, upon which graze many thousands of cattle and sheep. There is a heavy de- mand for forage crops for winter feed- ing, and a large part of the irrigable lands wall be profitably devoted to these crops for many years. Under the terms of the Reclamation Act all of the land under this project which belongs to the public domain is open to entry under the homestead law in farms of about eighty acres. Each settler is rec|uired to pay his share of the cost of building the irrigation works. This amounts to $45 per acre, payable in ten annual installments with- out interest. Among all the great irrigation works now under construction by the Govern- ment, none is richer in historical asso- ciations than the North Platte project. It occupies more than 250 miles of the old overland trail which was followed by the California gold seekers and by the Mormons in their migration west- ward. The old highway is distinguish- able in scores of places. With an aver- age width of more than too feet it stretches on, mile after mile, now overgrown and distinguishable from the general surroundings only by the dif- ference in vegetation. Its great width is principally due to the fact that the Mormons traveled in great companies, their wagons often moving in a solid phalanx five or more abreast. Beside the trail at numerous points lonely headstones mark the graves of those who perished on that western journey. To those who have read "The Adven- tures of Captain Bonneville," "Astoria," » t Ol. J3 o e Q G o CO Ol. s C/5 Q 322 CONSERVATION the discoveries of Captain Fremont, histories of Mormon emigration and of the Forty-niners, such fiction as "The Virginian," and the adventures of Blif- falo Bill, this valley will be familiar and full of interesting associations. But the greatest change in all the history of the valley has been brought about by the construction of the great irrigation system, now well on its way to com- pletion. Already the dreary monotony of plain and sky has been broken, and tno'jsands of homes and fields of green dot the landscape. Lands which a few years ago were valued at from $i to $5 per acre are increasing rapidly in value and now sell readily at from $20 to $50. Most of the land for which water is now available is in private ownership, but many of the farmers who have holdings in excess of that for which the Government will furnish a water right must dispose of part of their land at reasonable prices. To subdue the land one has but to turn the sod. The soil is fertile, the water supply practically unlimited, and the climate delightful. All these com- bine to make the life of the new comer a pleasant one. A railroad extends the entire length of the project, and the numerous towns along this line have luore than doubled in population since the initiation of the Government irriga- tion project. The influx of thousands of farmers to the valley has created a deiuand for all classes of labor. Me- chanics are scarce, carpenters in de- mand, and brick masons, plasterers, plumbers, blacksmiths, and in fact all men with trades, will find good openings in these rapidly growing commvuiities. The manufacturer, the banker, and the merchant are also in demand. That these opportunities are not being overlooked is evidenced by the hun- dreds of letters of inquiry which are being received by the statistician of the Reclamation Service at Washington. To meet the demands of the homeseek- ers requiring information the Reclama- tion Service has also established offices at Denver, Colo., and at Chicago, 111. To a farmer who is looking for a good location this section ofifers an excellent opportunity. (J J3 3 Q O J3 en pa c M C c ^ c WATER CIRCULATION AND ITS CONTROL By BAILEY WILLIS, E,M,C.E„ United States Geological Survey (Continued) Outline of Methods of Control ENGINEERING CONTROL OF SURFACE FLOW THE engineer aims to regulate sur- face flow through methods of storage, diversion, or confinement in an established channel. His selection of method is determined by the topo- graphic conditions of the particular lo- cality primarily, and also by the balanc- ing conditions of need and cost. The re- sult is a reservoir, canal, or other struc- ture designed to be permanent, to meet the greatest emergency which may arise, and to supply such water or aflford such relief from water as conditions require. When practicable the investment should return to the people at least a fair in- terest on the cost. These limiting con- ditions are so well understood and en- gineering practise is based upon such a thorough knowledge of fundamental mechanical principles that in any given case the engineer's calculation may be implicitly trusted, provided that the factors of run-off, fluctuation, and sedi- ment, which are fundamental elements of the problem, do not at any future time exceed the maxinumi limits which past experience leads him to assume. This provision implies that the progress of settlement and the exploitation of our natural resources should not unfa- vorably modify the relation of run-off to ground storage and evaporation. Through ignorance, carelessness, and greed, the farmer, herdsman, and lum- berman are constantly violating this provision, as we shall see when we come to the consideration of the specific relation of their activities to the parti- tion and distribution of precipitation. The engineer is now called upon to reg- ulate run-off, the irregularity of which is persistently aggravated by these widespread activities ; he is required to take care of sediment whose volume is constantly increased by vicious meth- ods of agriculture, grazing, and defor- estation, and the Nation collectively spends millions on engineering while the people individually render the ex- penditure useless. The engineer urgently needs the sup- port of an educated, enlightened public opinion which will control individuals. In proportion as every landowner man- ages his property intelligently with re- gard to its perpetual value and the welfare of the commonwealth, the engi- neer's problem will shrink within those limits of reasonable magnitude and cost which it now threatens to exceed. Let us consider some of the examples of the engineer's methods of regulating surface flow by storage, drainage, di- version, and canalization. The construction of reservoirs for the storage of waters is, in compari- son with its possibilities, very slightly developed in the United States. A few examples will illustrate the magnitude and purposes of existing works. The Croton reservoir system cost Greater New York $86,359,562 up to 1898; and estimates on extensions and improvements are $161,000,000. The city can afford it, for the system sup- plies pure water to 4,000,000 persons, among whom, considering one benefit only, the death rate from typhoid fevet was, in 1905, sixteen per 100,000, as against more than 100 per 100,000 in certain cities supplied with polluted river water. On the upper Mississippi a reservoir system has been gradually installeii 325 a. O U c a CO J3 c j3 u Q O c o S Q .,1 !♦ I !•> •' 328 CONSER\'ATION since 1880 to control high and low stages of the river for navigation. Lake levels were raised and low, flat lands were flooded. The topographic condi- tions were favorable and the cost for lands and improvements submerged was low. In sixteen years the Federal Government expended $1,525,000.^ Storage reservoirs for irrigation waters were established in the arid West by private enterprise in the early settlement of the regions, but work on a large scale began after the passage of the reclamation act, in 1902. The Reclamation Service has twenty-eight projects in various stages of progress. They will make available for homes 1,910,000 acres, at a cost of $70,000,000, or $36.65 per acre.' In any particular case the cost per acre-foot of storage capacity depends chiefly on the topographic situation, which determines the magnitude and character of the structures, and on the value of property to be displaced or submerged. In general, it costs less per acre-foot to store a large body of water than a smaller one. The efficiency of a reservoir may be said to be its capacity to retain the water which ought to be stored. If it will hold all the surface flow of its drainage basin, less the amount used and evaporated during any time, its efficiency is 100 per cent. In propor- tion as it fails to do this during floods its efficiency falls below the maximum. A reservoir which will have an effi- ciency of 100 per cent is being built by the Reclamation Service on the Rio Grande above El Paso. It will retain more than the entire annual precipita- tion, approximately three times the surface flow of the drainage basin, au'l when it is completed floods which have been disastrous will be absolutely abol- ished. If other conditions are alike, the ef- ficiency depends on the amount and dis- tribution of the waters from rain and snow melting. These vary according to broad districts. The factor which primarily determines cost, namely, the ■ character of topographic basins which "I mav be dammed, also varies broadly, and according to the distribution of these two factors we may distinguish at least four regions which are unlike in regard to storage possibilities. The arid plains and basins of the West afford conditions of minimum or moderate cost and maximiun efficiency for reservoir storage. The experience of the Reclamation Service has been cited. Another region where reservoirs of moderate cost and adequate efficiency are possible is that of lakes and swamps which lie within the area covered in a recent geologic epoch by the great ice sheet. It includes parts of the Da- kotas, Minnesota. Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana. Michigan, and. in a less de- gree. New York and New England. In this region there are thousands of lakes, each one of which is a natural reser- voir, anrl many more swamps, each one of which is a shallow but practicable reservoir site. The experience with the (iovernment dams on the upper Mississippi gives the best insight into the value of these reservoir conditions. A third district which may be dis- tinguished with reference to the possi- bilities of reservoir storage is found in the jrrairie states — Iowa, Illinois, and ( )hio — and in areas of similar topogra- phy, population, and precipitation. In that part of those states which lies out- side of the old ice limit, streams as a rule run in ravines or narrow valleys, which, however, have moderate fall and ^ would, in many localities, afford prac- ticable conditions for reservoir storage. The cost of farm lands and town site^ which must be submerged is such, how- ever, as to render capacious reservoirs too costly, provided any other means of control be practicable. Here the c|uestion of cost will limit the construc- tion of large reservoirs. The lands are farmed and upon the farmer must rest the responsibility to the Nation for a proper regulation of the water flow. 'Annual Report. Chief of Engineers, U. S. Army, part 2, p. 1439, 1906. 'Blanchard, C. J. : Home-making by the Government. Nat. Geogr. Mag., April, 1908. :f^* t!}*^x '• ''-i2:ilM^rv '..(';.■ t*^ o r« o -O ON — Q. o o ». o — _o z ^ Z o I"! 5 ■« O t> 4> (J 5 2 H e *0 CO u o " I- i.- o ^ o n ►J en > < a ■o o _o iZ unfffix vi ^JatjaJTi^igAK'j >• E c U) C/) O u u Q c \\^\TER CIRCULATION AND ITS CONTROL 331 The topographic character of the re- gion is favorable to the construction of large numbers of small reservoirs to catch the flood run-off from near-by fields, and this item in farm equipment should become as much a matter of public interest and control as the main- tenance of public roads. But the silt from badly tilled fields will render res- ervoirs useless unless the farmer pre- vents erosion. The larger factor in control must be found in improved methods of tillage and crop rotation. A fourth district which presents spe- cial conditions in regard to storage is that of the ^Appalachian Mountain re- gion. Here topographic forms are such as to render reservoir construction both difiicult and expensive. ' The narrow valleys alone offer possible sites. Their steep gradients necessitate high dams for reservoirs of moderate capacity. Where wide bottom lands afford better opportunities important towns are com- monly located. Moreover the efficiency of such reservoirs must be low, because the flood run-oft' is torrential and some considerable part of it nuist be per- mitted to escape. We may not, how- ever, conclude that reservoirs are im- practicable. The Appalachian Mountains have always had and will always have spe- cial relations to national development. Their mountain Avail guarded the col- onies during a century of French and Indian warfare. Eventually occupied by American enterprise, the region be- came through its resources in minerals, lumber, and water power a dominant source of national strength and wealth. It can never support a large agricul- tural population, yet the mountain dwellers will cultivate their fields in its upland valleys so long as the soil re- mains. Its mineral wealth will cer- tainly be exhausted, but its fc^rests and streams, those two intimately related and most valuable factors in the Na- tion's prosperity, need never be im- paired though continually used. These mountains possess a power to do harm which is not less than their power to confer benefit. The floods that ijather from their rills traverse the richest cities, manufacturing districts, and valleys, and exact annually an enormous tribute. The cost in dead loss, in lessened values, and crippled in- dustries will eventually force the Na- tion to protect itself. There are men — engineers, too — who believe they can fetter the full-grown flood, but the com- monwealth which trusts to them alone and neglects the agencies of forestry and agriculture that divert the rain- drops will suffer till it has bought wis- dom dearly. Thus throughout this mountain re- gion the problem of controlling surface waters is not only particularly difficult, but its solution is peculiarly important. The engineer has here a grave and dif- ficult task to perform, and even under the unfavorable local conditions the storage reservoir must take its place as one of the features of the system of reg- ulation. In our general discussion drainage is next. It stands in direct contrast to storage. It promotes quick discharge, increases flood run-off, and dries up swamps that storage would convert into reservoirs. No region from which in- jurious floods gather should be drained, for the drainage system will increase the floods. On the upper Mississippi, for instance, we would not drain the reservoirs produced by artificial dams, nor should we drain swamps that empty into them or into the river below them without dul}' consi'lering to what ex- tent our left hand is undoing the work that our right hand has done. Yet drainage has its place in the na- tional management of surface waters. It is appropriate in lands liable to over- flow and which may safely be permitted to return the waters promptly to the stream as the river falls. It is ]K"rmis- sible in lands whose value when drained exceeds the value of lands that the drainage waters may submerge. Here, as indeed generally, throughout this whole question of conservation the re- sulting value determines whether or no the thing should be done. Diversion canals are designed to take a part or all the water of any system and conduct it from the channel in The Gorge of the Licwille River across Ihe Blue Ridge. On These Steep, Rocky Walls Arc Forests Which Should Be Preserved Forever U T> J-: a * w. "Si c u, .= c 2 S i o - C c O c r e o CO fti •= O -o o <^ s U ^ M CJ C c r cC 3 o « •n o G M-. fO T3 •=: >• n u s o o >■ i: c 3 O U (J Q c 43 >• o 338 CONSERVATION terests grow in value, so grows the necessity for diminishing and prevent- ing floods. Thus canalization bears the same relation to plans for conserving and controlling water circulation that any concentration of civilization bears to it. It increases the burden of re- sponsibility for proper measures of con- trol, whether in detail as applied to raindrops or in gross as applied to flood run-ofif, and the larger the wealth to be protected the greater the justifica- tion for large expenditures on account of protection ; but more than this, for it is not a question of engineering and financial expense alone ; the larger the national interests involved the greater the individual responsibility of every patriotic citizen to his local community and to the commonwealth in general for a proper discharge of his obligation to take care of his share of the Nation's assets. CONTROL OF GROUND .STORAGE AND RUN- OFF THROUGH AGRICULTURE On a reasonable estimate one-half of the domain of the United States must eventually be farmed to maintain the population and prosperity of the coun- try. The essential characteristics of the great farming area, exclusive of irriga- tion districts, is that it shall have soil and sufficient rainfall. Rain falling on soil is partly stored as ground water, but also partly runs off. The stored water is absolutely necessary to the farmer's prosperity, which will increase as he in- creases ground storage ; the other is wasted, and if it causes erosion is de- structive. In considering the relation of the farmer's activities and the methods which he can employ to increase ground storage and decrease erosion we must distinguish between lands that are level or nearly so and lands that have a more or less pronounced slope. Water control on plains. — In regions of great plains or plateaus, where lands are level or nearly so, the methods which may be used by the farmer to increase ground-water storage are the methods of good tillage which at the same time yield the largest crops. They consist in cleep plowing, proper cultiva- tion during the growing season, crop rotation, and the maintenance of an open condition of the soil during the periods of fallow. The object of these methods is to increase the capacity of the soil reservoirs and to open and keep open the channels through which the rain or melting snow has access to them. Run-ofif and erosion are re- stricted in proportion as this aim is secured. To grow large crops takes a large amount of soil moisture. The soil gets it directly from rains or in seasons of drought from the ground water which is supplied by rains that pass down through the soil to the water table. The rain that soaks in is stored for the crop. The rain that runs off is taken from what might be stored, and is not only lost water but, being muddy, is also lost soil. Good tillage reduces these losses by maintaining those conditions of soil and subsoil under which a large pro- portion of a given rainfall will be ab- sorbed. In general, we say that an open soil will absorb most water. The openness of texture of a soil depends upon the sizes of the particles of which it is com- posed and the relative numbers of par- ticles of these several sizes — that is, its mechanical composition. There is for any kind of soil a state at which it is in the loosest and best physical condi- tion—that is to say, a state of arrange- ment of soil particles according to size and spacing in which there may be the largest amount of water gathered about the particles as capillary films and be- tween them in delicate columns. The condition is one which is well known to farmers as that which will yield the best crops. This mechanical condition of the soil is reached by plowing, harrow- ing, and cultivating when the soil is neither tt)o moist nor too dry. The facility with which rain enters a soil depends upon its being in the above-described condition — open, yet u 2 * •J Z (^ C C u c O >• u o > c c ">• to U WATER CIRCI'LATTCIX AND ITS mXTROT. 34 T not too open. The films of water with- in it are then of such size and are so distributed that they support the open texture. When rain falls it enters each little capillary tube between the grains and penetrates rapidly in the many minute channels. Thus the soil, though moist, absorbs more water than if it had been drier to begin with. When soil is very dry and powdery rain does not penetrate far into it. There are several conditions that pro- duce this well-known result. Much water is used in filliu"- the large volume of the small spaces between the soil grains ; the capillary films are still separate at the bottom of the sinking moisture and they sink deeper only as they join, and the air in the soil, being imprisoned by the water that fills the upper layer, offers effective resistance to percolation. The absorbent character of a soil determines the amount which the im- mediate surface will take in, but it does not determine the rate at which water will soak into the lower layers of the soil and subsoil ; if the latter is imper- meable, the pores of the surface soil mav become so filled that no more water can enter, and the rest of the rain runs oft". This happens when a heavy rain falls on a field that has been plowed only three or four inches deep, leaving an unbroken, clayey subsoil. If the field is level, pools of water will stand over it till they dry up. If the field be on a slope, the gathering water runs oft' along and across the shallow furrows and takes more or less soil with it. Where the subsoil is broken to twelve or fourteen inches by deep disk plowing the same heavy rain sinks in completely and is stored for the crops when needed. The soil also stays. Thus on plains the conditions which affect percolation of rain into the soil and subsoil and which are consequently to the advantage of ground-water stor- age are — ■ (a) That the cultivated surface shall be level or but gently sloping ; (b) That the surface soil shall be in that condition which is best described by the gardener's term of "live soil ;" ( c ) That the lower soil and subsoil should afford the largest possible amount of space into which the water froiu the surface may run. Another means which is at the farm- er's disposal is that of crop rotation. Clean cropping year after year exhausts the plant food and humus of the soil, aff'ects unfavorably the mechanical con- dition of the soil, and brings it into a state in which its fertility is greatly re- duced and it is most easily eroded. In order that these effects should be pre- vented it is important to introduce a rotation of crops, including grass or clover, whose deep and thickly matted roots help to open up the texture of the soil and to restore that essential constit- uent, humus. We have thus far considered only how the farmer can produce a condition of the soil and subsoil which will reduce run-off and increase ground storage. It is also important when the water is in the ground to keep it there, except as crops need it. It should not be wasted by useless plants nor by evap- oration. The waste by weeds is obvious. A growing weed takes water which the useful crop might have. The remedy — keeping out weeds — is equally obvious and is limited simply by cost. Evaporation exhausts ground water most eft"ectively wdien there is free cn^- culation from the ground water to the surface. This happens when the films of water about the soil grains are in contact and there is ready movement in them. As the water immediately at the surface is vaporized an additional sup- ply is drawn to the surface through the capillary films from below. Tliis is evaporated in turn and more is drawn up, and so through evaporation and capillary attraction the soil moisture is gradually dissi])ated into the air. That conditicjn of dryness which stops the upward movement of ground water by breaking the continuous water films is not readily established in humid resfions. wdiere the ground water lies not far below the surface and rains are not infrequent. Thus it appears that since in humid regions the farmer can- Orange Grove, Showing Method of Basin Irrigation not effectively restrict evaporation, he must resort throughout the entire year to every method of cultivation, and from year to year to the method of crop rotation, to keep his ground in the best possible condition for the largest storage of ground water, from which will follow also the largest return of any one crop. In the arid region nature comes to the aid of the farmer and gives him a means of stopping the loss of the precious moisture of which under the best conditions he can scarcely con- serve enough. When the farmers of America under- stand how to store and keep water in the ground they will have learned how to grow larger crops. Our average yield of wheat instead of being as it now is fourteen bushels to the acre, will then be nearer the average yield of Great Britain, thirty-two bushels. Water control on slopes. — In regions where steep slopes are cultivated the methods appropriate to level fields find their application also, but they are in- sufficient, for the tendency of the water to run off lessens the time of its contact 342 with the surface, and thus increases the proportion which escapes at the expense of the proportion that is stored. ' In a like degree erosion begins and is main- tained on slopes, the soil is undercut and removed, and the subsoil or rock exposed. Forests would prevent this, but if the steep slope is cleared for cul- tivation it is necessary to substitute a series of steps for the smoothly inclined surface, in order to reduce these effects to a minimum. This introduces a condition which is not yet necessary in America to any great extent, but which is general throughout Europe and Asia, namely, terracing. The object is to catch rain and snow on a level. The level may be the furrows of a plow or of a har- row, provided the slope be so gentle that these suffice to hold back the water and prevent it from running and gully- ing the fields. On steeper slopes the harrow and the plow are inadequate, and the farmer is obliged to introduce low steps or terraces which vary in character from a little bank of sward to walls of stone. The fields above the o c M -O U. < ' . a a° c A Typical Forest Scene in Western Washington WATER CIRCULATION AND ITS CONTROL 345 banks of sward or above the stone wall are carefully leveled and the water which falls upon them is retained. Agriculture is thus extended not only over far-spreading plains and lowlands, Init up the steep banks of river gorges and ravines. The famous vineyards of the Rhine are planted on rock wall ter- races, on steep slopes such as we aban- don to erosion. As our population in- creases and the demand for agricultural land becomes more urgent we, too, will build terraces, and high river banks throughout the hnmid regions will grow special products. Land hunger will eventually force us to it — not soon, however — and in the meantime our steep, cleared lands cannot be left a prey to erosion. They must be recov- ered where gullied and must be pro- tected from gullying by watchful care, such as that which guards Holland from the sea. Our enemy is no less dangerous, not a whit less insidious and persistent. Since terracing is a possi- bility of the future only, we must re- store the forest trees. They have held the soil during ages and on them we can confidently rely. We are wont to think that reforesta- tion is a need of high mountains only, but the need is not thus limited. Tt ex- tends to all steep cleared slopes. Thou- sands of miles of these stretch along our rivers, from Georgia to Maine, from Mississippi to Minnesota. Throughout the humid region they bor- der every river. Along all their length, in all their ramifications that penetrate the richest agricultural districts, they must necessarily be covered by trees. From the plains and gentle slopes ap- propriate to farming there rise in all hill and mountain districts steeper slopes that are not api)ropriate to farm- ing. When farmed thev are quickly erode 1 and destroyed. It may be set down as an obvious economic principle that no land is appropriate to a use which destroys its usefulness. This principle is net affected by the fact that ignorant persons clear and cultivate such land extensively. In the southern Appalachian Mountains it is commonly but five years from virgin forest to abandoned fields. The mountain slopes' are not agricultural lands. Themselves destroyed by erosion, they damage other lands and the water courses below them. When that damage is assessable by law upon the ignorance that causes it, agriculture* will be restricted to ap- propriate fields. f To be concluded ) Salt Fiver Dam Site, Arizona A MILLION WOMEN FOR CONSERVATION IX HER report as chairman of the waterways committee of the District of Columbia Federation of Women's Clubs, at the annual meeting held in Washinoton, D. C. May 5, 1909, Mrs. Lydia Adams-Williams, the writer and lecturer on conservation, and the first woman to take up the work, said in part: "The subject of the conservation of the natural resources of the Nation is the uppermost one before the people of the United States to-day. "The District of Columbia Federa- tion of Women's Clubs has the honor of being- the first woman's organization to adopt resolutions in favor of the con- servation of natural resources ; these resolutions were adopted in November. 1907, following an address by your chairman on 'waste of natural resources and need for conservation.' In this great movement, it is a high honor and one for congratulation that the D. C. Federation of Women's Clubs led all the other women's clubs of the country in the national movement for conserva- tion. The resolutions were published in full in Conservation, the official maga- zine of the American Forestry Associa- tion, in the issue of May, 1908. "The second woman's organization to adopt conservation and to take active interest in the work is the National So- ciety of the Daughters of the American Revolution. Your chairman submitted the resolution on conservation which the D. A. R. adopted, and she especially urged them to take up the work. The resolution was adopted in April, 1908, at the time of the annual convention, by the National Executive Board. The resolution was published in Conserv.\- TiON, in the issue of May, 1908, and it also received wide publicity throughout the United States. 346 "The third woman's organization to adopt conservation is the General Fed- eration of AVomen's Clubs. In June. 1908, your chairman attended the bi- ennial meeting of the General Federa- tion of Women's Clubs, in Boston, as a representative of the D. C. Federa- tion of Women's Clubs, and as one of the speakers on forestry ; also as the representative of the magazine Con- servation. "In May, 1908, before the biennial convention, your chairman wrote Mrs. Decker about forming a conservation committee in the General Federation ; and, while at the convention in Boston, she urged upon Airs. Decker, the out- going president, and upon Mrs. Moore, the incoming president, and upon many of the officers and directors of the General Federation the necessit}' of ap- pointing a conservation committee. Later, after the adjournment of the bi- ennial, she wrote Mrs. Philip N. Moore, the new president, and again urged the formation of a conservation committee ; Mrs. Moore replied, in September. 1908. as follows : 'At our recent board meet- ing in Colorado Springs we made a subcommittee on waterways, which, with our present committee on for- estry, will form our conservation com- mittee.' Later the subcommittee on waterways was changed to a regular committee. "Your chairman also attended the Woman's National Rivers and Harbors Congress, and spoke on conservation, and made a motion, which, after de- bate, was carried, changing the consti- tution to include conservation as one of the objects of the organization. "To summarize briefly, the four lead- ing women's organizations of the United THE GREAT TREES OF CALIFORNIA 347 States, comprising- nearly a million members, and embracing practically all the women's clubs in the country, have taken up conservation in the following order, and that your chairman is the one who urged them to take up the work, who wrote the resolutions, and who addressed them on the subject of conservation : "i. The District of Columbia Fed- eration of Women's Clubs, with sev- enteen affiliated clubs and 5,000 mem- bers, adopted conservation November, 1907. "2. The National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution, with 956 chapters and over 58,000 ac- tive members, represented in every state in the Union and in Mexico, Havana. and Hawaii, adopted conservation in April, 1908. "3. The General Federation of Wom- en's Clubs, with over 5,000 affiliated clubs and a membership of 800,000, with clubs in every state and in China, Eng- land, India, Mexico, South America, and West Australia, added a waterways committee to the forestry committee, 'to form a conservation committee,' in Sep- tember, 1908. "4. The Woman's National Rivers and Harbors Congress, organized in June, 1908, with seven members, which has now grown to a strength of 12,000, adopted conservation of the natural re- sources as a part of the constitution at the biennial meeting at Washington, D. C, in December, 1908." THE GREAT TREES OF CALIFORNIA By ARCHIBALD HOPKINS Deep rooted in the bosom of the earth. Thirsting for light, they thrust their tops on high, To hold communion with the bending sky. Whispering their ancient lineage and birth. And far-off memories of a slender girth. They listen to the swooping eagle's cry ; They murmur gently to the zephyr's sigh Mingling soft breathings with the songster's mirth. Unmoved, they see the centuries come and go ; Thousands of years their towering, titan forms Have stood defiant to the fiercest storms. Like sculptured pillars toward the blue they soar ; The dim, majestic forest aisles below — Nature's vast temple, mystical and hoar. HOW THE HOUSE VOTED An Analysis of the Vote of March 1, 1909, in the House of Representa^' tives on the Weeks Bill By EDWIN A, START, Boston, Mass, ON THE I St of March, 1909, the Weeks bill, so-called, reported by a majority of the Committee on Agriculture, was debated for two hours in the House of Representatives and passed by a vote of 157 to 147. While no mention was made in the bill of the Southern Appalachian or White Mountain forests, the measure being general in its form, it was un- derstood to be framed primarily in the interest of these great national projects, they being conceded to be the most urgently needed enterprises in the way of water protection. Votes for or against this bill were therefore votes for or against the Appalach- ian forests. As this was the only time in which the question had come to an issue on the floor of the House a care- ful study of the vote is worth while and we ask the attention of the press and friends of the measure throughout the country to the data given below. How did your representative vote? THE ROLL CALL The Vote in the House of Representatives on the So-called "Weeks Bill," S, 4825, on March 1, 1909, Was as Follows! YEAS, 157 Acheson Currier Allen Darragh Ashbrook Davidson Bartholdt Davis Bates Dawes Bede Danby Bell, Ga. Denver Bennet, N. Y. Diekema Bennett, Ky. Douglas Brodhead Draper Brownlow Edwards, Ky. Brundidge Ellerbe Burleigh Esch Burnett Estopinal Burton, Del. Favrot Calder Finley Candler Flood Capron Foelker Cassel Fornes Caulfield Foster, Ind. Cockran Foster, Vt. Cocks, N. Y. Foulkrod Cole Fuller Cook, Pa. Gaines, Tenn. Cooper, Pa, Gardner, Mass, Cooper, Tex. Gardner, N. J. Cooper, Wis. Gilhams Coudrey Gill Craig Gillespie Crawford Gillett Glass Langley Godwin Law Goldfogle Lawrence Greene Lee Guernsey Lenahan Flale Lever Hall Longworth Hamilton, Mich. Loud Harding Lovering Harrison McCall Haskins McKinney Heflin McLachlan, Cal. Henry, Conn. McLaughlin, Mich Hepburn McMorran Higgins Madison Hill, Conn. Mann Hinshaw Martin Hitchcock Maynard Hobson Moon, Tenn. Hubbard, W. Va. Morse Hughes, N. J. Mudd Hull, Iowa Nelson Hull, Tenn. Nicholls Humphreys, Miss. O'Connell Johnson, S. C. Padgett Jones, Va. Page Keliher Parsons Kennedy, Ohio Perkins Kimball Peters Kinkaid Pollard Lamb Porter Landis Pou 348 HOW THE HOUSE VOTED 349 Prince Rainey Ransdell, La. Reeder Reynolds Richardson Roberts Robinson Ryan Saunders Slemp Small Sperry Stanley Stephens, Tex. Sturgiss Sulloway Adair Aiken Alexander, Mo. Andrus Barchfeld Barclay Barnhart Bartlett, Ga. Beale, Pa. Beall, Tex. Bingham Bonynge Bowers Boyd Brantley Burgess Butler Campbell Carter Chaney Chapman Clark, Mo. Conner Cook, Colo. Cousins Cox, Ind. Crumpacker Cushman Dalzell Davenport Dawson De Armond Dixon Driscoll Durey Dwight Edwards, Ga. Ellis, Oreg. Englebright Fairchild Fassett Ferris Fitzgerald Fordney Foss Foster, 111. Fowler French Gardner, Mich. Sulzer Swasey Talbot Taylor, Ohio Thomas, N. C. Thomas, Ohio Tirrell Townsend Waldo Washburn Watkins Webb Weeks Wiley Willett Wood NAYS, 147 Garner Garrett Goebel Gordon Graff Gregg Gronna Hackett Hackney Haggott Hamilton, Iowa Hamlin Hammond Hardwick Hardy Haugen Hawley Hay Hayes Helm Henry, Tex. Hill, Miss. Holliday Houston Howard Howell, N. J. Howell, Utah Howland Hubbard, Iowa Huff Humphrey, Wash. Jenkins Johnson, Ky. Jones, Wash. Keifer Kennedy, Iowa Kitchin Knopf Knowland Kiistermann Lindberg Livingston Lloyd Lorimer Loudenslager Lowden McCreary McGavin McGuire McHenry McKinlay, Cal. Macon Madden Malby Miller Mondell Moore, Pa. Moore, Tex. Murdock Murphy Needham Nye Overstreet Parker Payne Pujo Rauch Rucker Russell, Mo. Russell, Tex. Sabath Scott Shackleford Sheppard Sherley Sherwood Sims Slayden Smith, Cal. Smith, Tex. Snapp Southwick Spight Stafford Steenerson Stevens, Minn. Tawney Thistlewood Tou Velle Underwood Volstead Vreeland Wallace Wheeler Wilson, 111. Wilson, Pa. Young The Speaker ANSWERED PRESENT/ lO Booher Griggs Gary McDermott Cravens Olmstead Ellis, Mo. Riordan Goulden Wanger NOT VOTING, 72 Adamson Alexander, N. Y. Ames Ansberry Anthony Bannon Bartlett, Nev. Birdsall Boutell Bradley Broussard Burke Burleson Burton, Ohio Byrd Calderhead Caldwell Carlin Clark, Fla. Clayton Floyd Focht Fulton Gaines, W. Va. Graham Hamill Hughes, W. Va. Jackson James, Addison D. James, Ollie M. Kahn Kipp Knapp Lafean Lamar, Fla. Lamar, Mo. Laning Lassiter Leake Legare Lewis Lindsay McKinley, 111. McLain McMillan Marshall Moon, Pa. Mouser Norris Olcott Patterson Pearre Pratt Pray Randell, Tex. Reid Rhinock Rodenberg Rothermel Sherman Smith, Iowa Smith, Mich. Smith, Mo. Sparkman 350 CONSERVATION Sterling Taylor, Ala. Watson Weems Weisse Williams Wolf Woodyard So the rules were suspended and the bill passed. The Clerk announced the following pairs : For the session : Mr. Sherman with Mr. Riordan. Mr. Boutell with Mr. Griggs. Mr. Wanger with Mr. Adamson. Until further notice : Mr. Addison D. James with Mr. Lamar of Florida. Mr. Woodyard with I\Ir. Taj'lor of Ala bama. Mr. Weems with Mr. Rothermel. Mr. Watson with Mr. Williams. Mr. Sterling with ]\Ir. Rhinock. Mr. Smith of ^Michigan with Mr. Reid. Mr. Rodenberg with Mr. Pratt. Mr. Moon of Pennsylvania with Mr. Lass- iter. Mr. McKinley of Illinois with Mr. Lamar of Missouri. Mr. Smith of Iowa with Mr. Randell of Texas. Mr. Pray with Mr. Patterson. Mr. Pearre with Mr. McDermott. Mr. Olcott with Mr. McLain. Mr. Norris with Mr. Leake. Mr. Lafean with Mr. Kipp. Mr. Knapp with Mr. Hamill. Mr. Kahn with Mr. Cravens. ^Ir. Hughes of West Virginia with Mr. Floyd. Mr. Gaines of West Virginia with IMr. Clark of Florida. Mr. Focht with 'Mv. Carlin. Mr. Calderhead with Mr. Caldwell. Mr. Burke with Mr. Byrd. Mr. Birdsall with Mr. Broussard. Mr. Anthony with Mr. Burleson. Mr. Bannon with Mr. Bartlett of Nevada. Mr. Olmsted with Mr. OUie M. James. Mr. Marshall with Mr. Fulton. Mr. Burton of Ohio with Mr. Clayton. Mr. Alexander of New York with Mr. Sparkman. Mr. Mc:\Ii]lan with Mr. Ansberry. Mr. Ellis of Missouri with Mr. Smith of Missouri. Mr. Cory with Mr. Weisse. Mr. Graham with Mr. Legare. Mr. Jackson with Mr. Wolf. Mr. Ames with Mr. Lindsay. On this vote : Mr. Goulden with Mr. Bradley. The Speaker. The Clerk will call my name. The Clerk called the name of the Speaker, and he voted "No/' as above recorded. The result of the vote was then announced as above recorded. — Cong,. Record. SUMMARY BY STATES AND SECTIONS Vote on Weeks bill. States Sixtieth Congress Yeas Nays Not voting NEW ENGLAND Maine . . 4 New Hampshire. 2 Vermont 2 Massachusetts... 13 .. i Rhode Island. . .. i . . i^ Connecticut 4 .. i* 26 . . 3 M IDDLE New York 17 11 9 New Jersey 3 4 3 Pennsylvania.... 10 12 10' Delaware i Yeas 4 2 I 13 I 4 25 Sixty-first Congress Alignment on Weeks bill New Nays Not recorded members 13 II 7 6 3 4 I 2 6 II 8 7 I 31 27 22 22 26 16 16 'No member from one district. "The Member-at-large, Mr. Lillcy, who would have voted for the bill, was then serving as governor of Connecticut. ^One member not reported HOW THE HOUSE VOTED 351 SUMMARY BY STATES AND SECTIONS — Continued States CENTRAL Vote on Weeks bill, Sixtieth Congress Yeas Nays Not voting Michigan 8 Ohio 10 Indiana 3 Illinois 5 Wisconsin 5 Minnesota 2 Iowa 2 Missouri 3 North Dakota South Dakota. . . 2 Nebraska 4 Kansas 2 Oklahoma 46 ROCKY MOUNTAIN AND COAST Montana Wyoming Colorado Nevada Idaho Utah Washington Oregon California 3 S 9 13 4 7 7 9 I I 4 4 67 I 3 I I 3 2 6 I 6 I 6 2 4 I I 2 I 27 Yeas 7 8 5 5 I I 2 I 3 2 35 Sixtj«»-first Congress Alignment on Weeks bill New Not recorded members Nays 3 5 6 12 2 7 4 7 I 4 3 54 I 2 2 6 I I 5 2 I I I 2 14 I 6 7 3 2 I 5 6 I I 2 37 17 12 SOUTHERN Maryland Virginia West Virginia. . Kentuck/i' Tennessee North Carolina. South Carolina. Georgia Florida Alabama Mississippi .... Louisiana Arkansas Texas 3 7 2 5 6 7 4 2 4 53 3 4 2 I 6 2 3 I 2 II 36 2 3 3 I 2 3 3 I 3 I 3 2 30 3 7 2 4 4 6 4 2 5 2 3 I 2 45 3 4 I I 6 2 2 I 2 II 34 I 2 3 2 2 2 2 I I I 3 2 22 2 2 3 I I I 3 I I I 18 The influence of the party leaders on both sides of the House has always been used against this legislation. Its weakness in certain sections is attribu- table to the strength of the party ma- chine with the representatives from those sections. It is also to be observed that west of the Mississippi there were but nineteen votes for the measure, while fifty-six were cast against it. Is this the return that the men of the West make for the liberal way in which the national treasury and the vast national domain has been used to build up the states of the far West and to insure their future prosperity ? PARTY DIVISION The party alignment on this essen- tially non-partisan measure has no especial significance, but it is of some interest and the facts it shows may be of service. Expressed in percentages .429 of the Republicans and .376 of the 352 CONSERVATION Democrats voted for the bill and .388 of the Republicans and .376 of the Democrats voted against it. Those not voting were almost equally divided as to political affiliations. Therefore on this question the Democratic leaders seem to have held their forces rather better than the Republicans, notwith- standing the number of Democratic states that were directly interested. The following table shows the vote by states as divided on party lines : Yea R. D. Alabama 6 Arkansas 2 California i Colorado Connecticut .... 4 Delaware i Florida Georgia 2 Idaho Illinois 4 I Indiana 3 Iowa 2 Kansas 2 Kentucky 3 2 Louisiana 4 Maine 4 Maryland i 2 Massachusetts.. 10 3 Michigan 8 Minnesota 2 Mississippi 2 Missouri 3 Montana Nebraska 3 i Nay Not voting R. D. R. D. 6 3 I II 5 6 4 3 6 2 2 2 4 I 3 I I 3 9 3 I 2 2 I I 3 3 3 2 I 3 3 Yea R. D. Nevada New Hampshire 2 New Jersey 2 New York' 9 North Carolina. . . North Dakota Ohio 8 Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania 7 Rhode Island.. . i South Carolina. . . South Dakota. . 2 Tennessee 2 Texas Utah Vermont 2 Virginia i Washington. .... . . West Virginia.. 2 Wisconsin 5 Wyoming 4 3 Nay Not voti R. D. R 4 10 I 3 I 2 10 3 I I 2 2 3 4 II D. 3 3 94 62 85 62 40 41 RECORD OF THE STATE DELEGATIONS Members whose names have an asterisk (*) are not members of the Sixty-first Con- gress. The new members who takes their places in the present Congress are given at the end of each state list. The figures preceding the names are the numbers of the Congres- sional districts. Yea Nay Not voting Alabama 2. A. A. Wiley* 3. H. D. Clayton I. G. W. Tavlor 4. W. B. Craig 9. 0. W. Underwood 5. J. T. Heflin 6. R. P. Hobson • 7. J. L. Burnett 8. Wm. Richardson New member. — 2, S. H. Dent, Jr., D. Arkansas 2. S. Brundidge. Jr.* I. R. B. Macon 3 J. C. Floyd 6. J. T. Robinson 7. R. M. Wallace 4- 5- W. B. Cravens C. C. Reid New member. — 2, W. A. Oldfield, D. California 7. J. McLachlan 1. W. F. Englebright 2. D. E. McKinlay 3. J. R Knowland 5. E. A. Hayes 6. J. C. Needham 8. S. C. Smith A- J. Kahn 'One independent from New York voted "Yea." HOW THE HOUSE VOTED 353 Yea Nay Not Voting Colorado At large. G.W.Cook* 1. R. W. Bonynge* 2. W. A. Haggott* New members. — At large, E. T. Taylor, D. ; i, A. W. Rucker, D. ; 2, J. A. Martin, D Connecticut 1. E. S. Henry 2. N. D. Sperry 3. E. W. Higgins 4. E.J. Hill Nezv member.- Dclawarc At large. R. Burton* New member. — At large, W. H. Heald, R Florida At large. G. L. Lilley* (Mr. Lilley was in Con- necticut serving as governor) -At large, J. Q. Tilson, R. New member. Georgia 7. Gordon Lee 9. T. M. Bell -3, D. H. Mays, D. I. C. G. Edwards 5. L. F. Livingston 6. C. L. Bartlett 8. W. M. Howard 10. T. W. Hardwick 11. W. G. Brantley New member. — 3, D. M. Hughes, D. Idaho At large. B. L. French* At large, Thomas R. Hamer, R. 1. S. M. Sparkman 2. F. Clark 3. W. B. Lamar* 2. J. M. Griggs 3. E. B. Lewis* 4. W. C. Adamson New member.- Illinois 2. J. R. Mann 12. C. E. Fuller 14. J. McKinney 15. G. W. Prince 20. H. T. Rainey 4. J. T. McDermott 9. H. S. Boutell 17. J. R. Sterling 19. W. B. McKinley 21. B. F. Caldwell* 22. W. A. Rodenberg I. M. B. Madden 3. W. W. Wilson 5. A. J. S,^bath 6. W. Lorimer 7. Philip Knopf* 8. Charles McGavin* 10. G. E. Foss 11. H. M. Snapp 13. F. O. Ldwden 16. J. V. Graff 18. J. G. Cannon 23. M. D. Foster 24. P. T. Chapman Nezv members. — 7, Fred Lundin, R ; 8, Thomas Gallagher, D. ; 21, J. M. Graham, D. Indiana I. J. H. Foster* . 2. J. C. Chaney* 6. J. E. Watson* 9. C. B. Landis* 3- W. E. Cox 12. C. C. Gilhams* 4- L. Dixon 5. E. S. Holliday* 7. J. Overstreet* 8. J. A. M. Adair 10. E. D. Crumpacker 11. G.W. Ranch 13. H. A. Barnhart Nezv members.— J, J. W. Boene, D. ; 2, W. A. Cullop, D. ; 5, R. W. Moss, D. ; 6, W. O. Barnard, R. ; 7, Charles A. Korbly, D. ; 9, M. A. Morrison, D.; 12, Cyrus Cline, D. Iowa 7. J. A. Hull I. C. A. Kennedy 8. W. P. Hepburn* 2. A. F. Dawson 4. G. N. Haygen 5. R. G. Cousins* 6. D. W. Hamilton* 10. J. P. Conner* 11. E.H.Hubbard Neiu members. — 3, C. E. Pickett, R. ; 5, J. W. Good, R. Jamieson, D. ; 10, F. P. Woods, R. B. P. Birdsall* W. L Smith 6, N. E. Kendall, R. ; 8, W. D. 354 . CONSERVATION Yea Nay Not voting Kansas 6. W. A. Reeder 2. C.F.Scott i. D.R.Anthony 7. E. H. Madison 3- P- R- Campbell 5. W. A. Calderhcad 4. J. M. Miller 8. V. Murdock Kentucky 2. A. O. Stanley 4. B. Johnson i. O. M. James 7. W. P. Kimball* 5- S. Sherley 3. A. D. James* 9. J. B. Bennett 8. H. Helm 6. J. L. Rhinock 10. J. W. Langley 11. D. C. Edwards Nezv members. — 3, R. Y. Thomas, Jr., D. ; 7, J. C. Cantrill, D. Louisiana I. A. Estopinal 7- A. P. Pujo 3. R. F. Broussard 4. J. T. Watkins 5. J. E. Ransdell 6. G. K. Favrot* Nezv member. — 6. R. C. Wickliffe, D. Maine 1. A. L. Allen 2. J. P. Swasey 3. E. C. Burleigh 4. F. E. Guernsey Maryland 2. J. F. C. Talbott I. W. H. Jackson* 4. John Gill, Jr. . 3. H. B. Wolf* 5. S. E. Mudd _ 6. G. A. Pearre Nezv members. — i, J. H. Covington, D. ; 3, John Kronmillcr, R. Massachusetts ^ 1. G. P. Lawrence 5. B. Ames " 2. F. H. Gillett 3. C. G. Washburn 4. C. Q. Tirrell 6. A. P. Gardner 7. E. W. Roberts 8. S. W. McCall 9. J. A. Keliher 10. J. F. O'Connell 11. A. J. Peters 12. J. W. Weeks 13. W. S. Greene 14. W. C. Lovering , Michigan 1. E. Denby 3- W. Gardner 6. S. W. Smith 2. C. E. Townsend 8. J. W. Fordney 4. E. L. Hamilton 12. H. O. Young 5. G. J. Diekema 7. H. McMorran 9. J. C. McLaughlin 10. G. A. Loud 11. A. B. Darragh* Nezv member. — 11, George A. Loud, R. Minnesota 3. C. R. Davis I. J. A. Tawney 8. A. Bede* 2. W. S. Hammond 4. F. C. Stevens 5. F. M. Nye 6. C. A. Lindbergh 7. A. R. Volstead Q. H. Steenerson Nezv member. — 8, Clarence B. Miller, R. Mississippi I. E. S. Candler, Jr. 2. T. Spight 5- A. M. Byrd 3. B. G. Humphreys 4- W. S. Hill* 7- F. A. McLain* 6. E. J. Bowers 8. L S. Williams* Nezv members.— 4,, T. U. Sisson, D. ; 7, W. A. Dickson, D. ; 8, J. W. Collier, D. >: t HOW THE HOUSE VOTED 355 Yea Missouri 10. R. Bartholdt 11. H. S. Caulfield* 12. H. M. Coudrey Nay 1. J. T. Lloyd 2. W. W. Rucker 3. J. W. Alexander 6. D. A. DeArmond 7. C. W. Hamlin 8. D. W. Shackleford g. Champ Clark 14. J. J. Russell* 15. Thomas Hacknev* Nczu members.— 5 W. P. Borland, D. ; 11, P. 'F. Gill, D Crow, R. ; 15, C. H. Morgan, R. ; 16, A. P. Murphy, R. Not voting 4. C. F. Booher 5. E. C. Ellis* 13. M. R. Smith* 16. R. Lamar* 13, P. Elvins, R. ; 14, C. A. Montana Nebraska 1. E. M. Pollard* 2. G. M. Hitchcock 4. E. H. Hinshaw At large. C. N. Pray 3. J. F. Boyd* 5. G. W. Norris 6. M. P. Kinkaid Nezi' members. — i, J. A. Maguire, D. ; 3, J. P. Latta, D. Nevada Nezv Hampshire 1. C. A. Sulloway 2. F. D. Currier At large. G. A. Bartlett Nczu Jersey 2. J. J. Gardner 4. L W.Wood 6. W.D.Hughes I. H. C. Loudenslager 3. B. N. Howell 5. C. N. Fowler 7. R. W. Parker Nezv members.— 8, W. H Wiley, R. ; 9, E. F. Kinkead, D. 8. Le G. Pratt* 9. E. W. Leake* 10. J. A. Hamill Nezv York I. W. W. Cocks 3. O. G. Foelker 4. C. B. Law 5. G. E. Waldo* 6. W. M. Calder 9. H. M. Goldfogle 10. William Sulzer 11. C. V. Fornes 12. W. B. Cockran* 13. H. Parsons 14. William Willett, Jr. 16. F. B. Harrison 17. W. S. Bennet 22. W. H. Draper 32. J. B. Perkins 34. P. A. Porter* 35. W. H. Ryan* Nezv members.— 5, Richard Young, R. ; 12, M. F. Conrv, D. ; 21, Hamilton Fish, R. 27, C. S. Millington, R. ; 34. J. S. Simmons, R. ; 35. D. A. Driscoll, D. 7. J. J. Fitzgerald 19. J. E. Andrews 23. G. N. Southwick 24. G. Fairchild 25. C. Durev 26. G. R. Malbv 29. M. E. Driscoll 30. J. W. D wight 31. S. E. Payne ;iT,. J. S. Fassett ;i7. E. B. Vreeland 2. G. H. Lindsay 8. D. J. Riordan 15. J. Van V. Olcott 18. J. A. Goulden 20. T. W. Bradlev 21. S. McMillan* 27. J. S. Sherman* 28. C. L. Knapp 36. De A. S. Alexander 8. C. Kitchin R. N. Hackett* North Carolina I. J. H. Small 3. C. R. Thomas 4. E. W. Pou 6. H. L. Godwin 7. R. N. Page 9. E. Y. Webb 10. W. T. Crawford* Nezv members.— 5, J. M. Morehead, R. ; 8, C. H. Cowles, R. ; 10, J. G. Grant, R. North Dakota At large. A. J. Gronna Nezv member. — L. B. Hanna^ R. At large. T.F.Marshall* 356 CONSERVATION Not voting 2. H. P. Goebel 4. W. E. Ton Velle 7. J. W. Keifer 9. I. R. Sherwood 20. P. Howland 5. T. T. Ansberry 10. H. T. Bannon* 13. G. E. Moiiser* 14. J. F. Laning* 16. C. L. Weems* 21. T. E. Burton* Yea Nay Ohio I. N. Longworth 3. J. E. Harding* 6. M. R. Denver 8. R. D. Cole 11. A. Douglas 12. E. L. Taylor, Jr. 15. B. G. Dawes* 17. W. A. Ashbrook 18. J. Kennedy 19. W. A. Thomas Nezo members.— 3, J. M. Cox, D. ; 10, A. R. Johnson, R. ; 13, C. C. Anderson, D. ; 14, W. G. Sharp, D. ; 15, James Joyce, R. ; 16, D. A. Hollingsworth, R. Oklahoma I. B. S. McGuire 3. J. S. Davenport* 4. C. D. Carter 5. Scott Ferris A'^^zt' members. — 2, D. T. ]\Iorgan, R. ; 3, C. E. Creager, R. 4 i 2. E. L. Fulton* Oregon Pennsylvania 2. Joel Cook 5. W. W. Foulkrod 9. H. B. Cassel* 10. T. D. Nicholls 1 1. J. T. Lenahan* 19. J. M. Reynolds 23. A. F. Cooper 24. E. F. Acheson* 25. A. L. Bates 26. J. D. Brodhead* Ncz(.' members. — 9, W. 14, C. C. Pratt, R.; 24, J. K. 1. W. C. Hawley 2. W. R. Ellis I. H. H. "Bingham 3. J. H. Moore 6. G. D. McCreary 7. T. S. Butler 15. W. B. Wilson 16. J. G. McHenry 21. C. F. Barclay 22. G. F. Hufif 27. J. G. Beale* 28. W. P. Wheeler 30. J. Dalzell 4. R. O. Moon 8. I. P. Wanger 13. J. H. Rothermel 14. G. W. Kipp* 17. B. K. Focht 18. M. E. Olmstead 20. D. F. Lafean 29. W. H. Graham 31. J. F. Burke I 32. A. J. Barchfeld W. Griest, R. ; 11, H. W. Palmer, R. ; 12, A. B. Garner, Tener, R. ; 26, A M. Palmer, D. ; 27, J. M. Langham, R. R ; Rhode Island 2. A. B. Capron Nezv member. — i, W. P. Sheffield, R. Soutli Carolina 4. J. T. Johnson 3. W. Aiken 5. D. E. Finley 6. J. E. Ellerbe 7. A. F. Lever South Dakota At large. Philo Hall* At large. E. W. Martin New member.- — Charles H. Burke, R. 1. G. S. Legare 2. J. O. Patterson Tennessee 1. W. P. Brownlow 2. N.W.Hale* 3. J. A. Moon 4. Cordell Hull 6. J. W. Gaines* 7. L. P. Padgett New members.— 2, R. W. Austin, R. ; 6, J. W. Byrns, D. 5. W. C. Houston §. T. W. Sims 9. F. J. Garrett 10. G. W. Gordon Texas 2. S. B. Cooper* 12. O. W. Gillespie 13. J. H. Stevens New member. — 2, I. M. Sheppard 3. G. Russell 5. Jack Beall 6. Rufus Hardy 7. A. W. Gregg 8. J. M. Moore 9. G. F. Burgess II. R. L. Henry 14. J. L. Slayden 15. J. N. Garner 16. W. R. Smith Martin Dies, D. 4. C. B. Randell 10. A. S. Burleson HOW THE HOUSE VOTED 357 Utah Yea Nay At large. Joseph Howell Not voting Veruiont 1. D. J. Foster 2. Kittredge Haskins* Nezv member. — 2, Frank Plumley. 7. James Hay Virginia 1. W. A. Jones 2. H. L. Maynard 3. John Lamb 5. E. W. Saunders 6. Carter Glass 9. C. B. Slemp 10. H. D. Flood JVashington At large. W.L.Jones* At large. F. W. Cushman (now 2d dist.) At large. W. E. Humphrey (now ist dist.) Nezsj member. — 3, Miles Poindexter, R. 4. F. Lassiter 8. C. C. Carlin J Vest Virginia 1. W.P.Hubbard 2. G. C. Sturgiss 3. J. H. Gaines 4. H. C. Woodyard 5. J. A. Hughes JVisconsin 1. H. A. Cooper 2. J. M. Nelson 7. J. J. Esch 8. J. H. Davidson 10. E. A. Morse New members.— 3, Arthur W. Kopp, R. ; 11, I. L. Lenroot, R. 3. J. W. Murphy* 5. W. H. Stafford 9. G. Kiistermann II. J. J. Jenkins* 4. W. J. Gary 6. C. H. Weisse U'votning At large. F. W. Mondell Detail View of Completed West Entrdnce of Tunnel Just below Shoshone Dam Site on Canyon Road, Shoshone Project, Wyoming EDITORIAL How Water Transportation Saves A large manufacturer in Pittsburg, Pa., who uses one and one-half million tons of coal annually, recently testified before a Congressional committee that his coal was brought from the mines to his mill, via the Monogahela River route, for 3>^ to 4 cents a ton. When, however, navigation on the river was suspended for any reason the rail- roads charged 44 cents a ton for transport- ing the coal between the mines and the mill, or eleven times as much for the same service. — From the Report of the Deep Waterways Committee of the Chicago Association of Commerce. A ratio of 3^ to z^! Is it a matter for surprise that, with traffic for long periods seriously congested, and Con- gress and the Interstate Commerce Commission endeavoring to regulate railway rates, the demand should be voiced for the rehabilitation of our in- land waterways and their active use for purposes of navigation? 5^ i^ ^ Kansas City's Fight for Her River KANSAS CITY, Mo., is pushing an aggressive campaign for the re- newed use of the Missouri. The city feels that it is suffering from railway discrimination, and that its future is thereby menaced. Says the Neiv Or- leans Picayune: Kansas Cit}' has found its trade placed at great disadvantage because the railroads that once made it a prominent cornmercial center have moved on and are bestowing their fa- vors on other places, leaving Kansas City in the lurch. For instance, an adjustment of railway rates recently gave cities south of Kansas City rates which shut Kansas City out of territory where it formerly sold large quan- tities of goods, and when an explanation was sought it was learned that the rates had been made because of potential or actual water competition from the East, via Galveston. Enjoying no such location, Kansas City was cut off from the benefits which cities south of it were given. An attempt was made to boycott the Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railway, in order to compel it to give Kansas City better rates, but this movement was met by a boycott against Kansas City in the territory affected. The only course which seemed open to Kansas City was to revive river transportation. The New Orleans Times-Democrat says : The Kansas City crusade is one of the most vigorous and best organized projects ever started in this country. That city has appar- ently made up its mind that its commercial and industrial prosperity depends upon re- opening the Missouri River, and using it as a freight route to the Gulf. It is either "the river or — go back," says the Kansas City Star, and it expresses the opinion that Kansas City has reached its zenith unless it can free itself from the railroads and utilize the splendid opporttmities offered it by the Missouri River. It is maintained that the railroads have deliberately attempted to destroy transportation by water. Says the Kan- sas City Star of May 12th : The railroads caused the decline of naviga- tion on the Mississippi. They did it by parallel- ing the riv^r with lines of tracks on each bank and by making the freight rates in com- petition with th» steamboats so low that the boats could not meet the competition and live. Then the railroads bought the steamboat stock under fictitious names, took the boats out of the carrying trade and raised their rates to double the old steamboat rates and more. The methods here described are, of course, not unfamiliar to the student of modern industrial warfare. The state- ments sound like echoes from the stories of meat and oil. The policy is sometimes to undersell your competitor until you have killed him ; in other cases it is to bear the stock of his concern and buy it up at bottom figures, in either case making the consumer, afterwards, pay the cost of the process. With characteristic energy and enter- prise Kansas City is pushing what seems to be a practical project to rem- edy the situation. It is raising a mil- EDITORIAL 359 lion dollars to get a boat-line on the Missouri River, "1,550 miles from blue water." The promoters of the enter- prise plan to guard against the first of the methods whereby Mississippi River transportation was destroyed by secur- ing pledges of patronage from shippers before the boat-line begins operations. To prevent the boat-line from falling into hostile hands a clause in the char- ter of the new company vests the voting power in the board of directors, who, it is said, will be free from railroad in- fluence. Says a promoter of the enterprise : We will build steel-hull boats of light draft that will carry the freight up and down the Missouri River and later into the Gulf of Mexico and through the Panama Canal to the Pacific coast. The Government is now spending an ap- propriation of $600,000 on the ]\Iissouri River between the Mississippi and the Kaw. This money is going into snagboats, lighthouses, and channel improvement. We are going to keep up the campaign for the improvement of the river. The Government, under the con- stitution, has control of the navigable streams of the country, and it is a government's duty to keep those streams in condition for traffic. St. Louis will profit almost as much by the steamboat lines as Kansas City. Missouri for Waterways NOT only the city but the state is pushing the waterways fight. Gov- ernor Hadley has recently issued a state- ment giving figures to show discrimina- tion in the matter of railway rates, and indicating that a certain railroad is en- deavoring to block an investigation by the Interstate Commerce Commission into interstate rates in Missouri. Tele- grams have been sent the Missouri sen- ators asking them to protest against the investigation. Governor Hadley states that he has received several telephone messages advising him that agents along the line of the railway in question went to shippers and requested them to sign prepared telegrams protesting against this investigation. The Missouri legislature is asking Federal aid for the Missouri River. The House of Representatives, by a vote of no to two, has recently adopted a joint and concurrent resolution to this end. The resolution recites : Whereas, the great rivers of Missouri, the natural highways for commerce, if properly cared for by the National Government, would be the means of saving millions of dollars in freight rates to the people of Missouri and adjacent territory; and. Whereas, the appropriations that have been made heretofore by Congress have been so meager that the practical benefits arising from such appropriations are undiscernible ; and. Whereas, the exigencies of the times re- quire the National Government to take charge of this matter; therefore, be it Resolved, That the United States senators and members of Congress from Missouri be urgently requested, one and all, to use their utmost endeavors to secure sufficient appropriations by the Federal Government for the improvement, navigation, and main- tenance of said rivers for the uses and pur- poses of commerce. The House of Representatives fol- lowed up this resolution by appropriat- ing $5,000 for a waterways commission to obtain data regarding navigable rivers, overflowed lands, proposed levees, and such information as will fa- cilitate legislation to assist deep-water projects. Members of the commission are to be appointed by the governor. Regarding this action the Kansas City Star says editorially : The action is in keeping with the progressive and enterprising spirit of the times and is in pursuance of the recommendations of the National Rivers and Harbors Congress. The amazing thing is that members of Congress should need the greatest reinforce- ment that may be brought to bear on them to take action in favor of waterways irn- provement when the merits of the proposi- tion are so manifest and overwhelming. It is said that within a few years the railroads of this country will spend $5,000,000,000 in improvements in order to keep pace with the country, and Mr. James J. Hill declares that even with this expenditure the pace cannot be kept. Yet the Government hesitates to authorize the issuance of 500 millions in bonds, at the rate of fifty millions a year, to improve its inland waterways, when these waterways, with only a small proportion of their capacity in use, already carry nearly one-third of the tonnage and at a cost of about one twenty-third of the cost of rail shipment. 360 CONSERVATION State Parks A]\IONG the many good things pro- moted by the American Civic As- sociation is the estabHshment of state parks. America is famihar with the idea of the national parks, splendid ex- amples being afTorded by the Yellow- stone and Yosemite. We are likewise familiar with city parks, such as the Central, in New York City, Lincoln, Jackson, Garfield and the like in Chi- cago, and the Public Gardens in Bos- ton, but the idea of a state park seems somewhat apart from the thought of our people. True, certain states, as Massachu- setts, New York, California, Pennsyl- vania, and New Jersey, do maintain state parks, yet the large majority of states do not, and in most of them the proposal to establish such parks has probably never been agitated. But why should not the park be as regular a feature of the state as of the city? In many of our states are found magnificent examples of scenic beauty which, through lack of state ownership, suffer from neglect if not from devasta- tion. These should be preserved as a part of the permanent heritage of the people. Again, recreation, contact with nature and familiarity with her beauty contribute materially to the health and well being, physically, mentally, mor- ally and spiritually, of a people. In times of rush and drive, such as those in which most of us are now living, they are almost essential to complete sanity. The remoteness of our great national parks renders them inacces- sible to most. The state parks might well supply the needs of many of these dwellers in country districts and in vil- lages far removed from these recreation grounds, and at the same time out of convenient reach of the city. It is a curious fact that, beginning as did all our states, both north and south, with exaggerated ideas of the place and power of the state as com- pared with the Nation, a surprising number of things that, to the great ad- vantage of their inhabitants, our states might do without stretching their pow- ers, have been left undone. It will be recalled that Secretary Root, some two years since, called attention to this fact. In very many important respects the powers of an American state are almost or quite equal to those of a European state ; and yet, so impressed have we become with the majesty and might of the Nation, that state powers, obvious and fundamental, are, in numerous in- stances, but slightly used if used at all. It is true that, within the last two years, many of our states have mate- rially increased their activities. Exam- ples are found in their treatment of corporations and, notably, in their in- terest, beginning a year ago, in the great conservation movement so aus- piciously opened with the White House Conference. Subsequent events have demonstrated the readiness of several states to act along conservation lines. It is to be hoped that one of the meas- ures to receive earnest and careful at- tention from the states will be the es- tablishment of public parks. &' )^ ^ Towns without Taxes IN OUR news columns appears an item on the "immense profits of Ger- man forests." Numerous towns and cit- ies maintain large holdings, Baden hav- ing 10,576 acres, yielding an annual net profit of $66,080, or approximately $6.25 an acre, Freiburg having 8,085 acres, yielding a net profit of $46,336, or $5.79 an acre, and Heidelburg, 6,860 acres the clear profit on which each year is $12,635. The village of Aufen, with 220 inhabitants, has 163 acres of tim- berlands, the proceeds from which suf- fice for all the expenses of the little community. In the village of Braunlingen. which has 1,601 inhabitants and 4,507 acres of forests, there is an allowance to the citi- zens of firewood and 100,000 board-feet of lumber is given to churches, schools, and other public institutions. From the timber sold, the net income is $21,600, EDITORIAL 361 and Braunlingen not only is free from all communal taxes, but is enabled to establish electric plants, water-works, and other public improvements. In Forestry and Irrigation for September, 1907 (pages 446 and 447) was published a clipping from the Lon- don, England, Bystander, regarding the town of Faleide, Norway, of which it was said : "The town of Faleide, Nor- way, imposes no taxes on its lucky in- habitants. During the last thirty years the authorities of Faleide have sold over $5,000,000 worth of trees ; and, by judicious replanting, have provided for a similar income every thirty years. In consequence of this source of commer- cial wealth, there are no taxes in Fale- ide, and local railways and telephones are free, as well as education — and drinks upon the king's birthday." There is a proverb in the United States that two things are inevitable, namely, "death and taxes." The cases of Braunlingen, Faleide, and the other towns named above, appear to be ex- ceptions. In commenting upon the Faleide situation. Forestry and Irri- gation called attention to sources of municipal income, aside from the tax- payer's pocket, in other towns than those named. Ancient Athens derived a substantial revenue from her silver mines at Laurium. The town of Fair- hope, Ala., owns a wharf, fees for the use of which constitute a valuable source of revenue for the village. The city of Chicago still owns her sixteenth section, set apart for school purposes, from the rentals of which the city de- rives a splendid annual revenue. America is coming to realize that there is money in wood. As this fact, however, is borne in upon her more strongly through the progressive deple- tion of our timber supply and the conse- quent enhancement in price of all wood products, why may not American cities and towns emulate the example of the European towns above mentioned, buy up cheap lands in the neighborhood of their limits, maintain them in forests managed according to forestry princi- ples, and sell the annual product, to the material advantage of their municipal treasuries? i« «i &' Public Activity Plus Private FROM Colorado comes an interest- ing story of private enterprise. A cowboy becomes a great irrigator. Some ten years ago officers of the V. S. Geological Survey were survey- ing the raw prairie in Otero County. A cowboy spent the night with them, be- came interested, stayed with them a few days and told them what he knew of the country. They, in return, showed him one of the best reservoir sites in the country, and told him how water could be had and what territory it might irri- gate. The cowboy took the hint. For ten years he nursed his project, surmounted difficulties without number, organized a company and at last succeeded. To-day the works are finished. The dam of one reservoir contains 303,000 cubic yards, and that of another 155,000. The lat- eral canals are twenty-two miles long. The reservoirs will irrigate 10,000 acres of land. Water is now running into them, and farmers are ploughing all over the district. "But," inquires one, "why private ir- rigation? Have we not a great na- tional irrigation service? Has not Un- cle Sam taken up this work of redeem- ing the desert? Why should he not carry it through to the end? Is not pri- vate irrigation reactionary and individ- ualistic ? Will it not lead to abuses, and result in the long run in more harm than good?" These questions are exactly on a par with questions once, at least, raised by an opposing school of thought. "Why," they asked, "should government take up work of this kind? Is it not thereby transcending its functions ? Is it not in- vading the field of private initiative and narrowing the opportunity for individ- ual freedom? Is it not erecting a bu- reaucracy upon the ruins of a republic, sanctioning 'the great political supersti- 362 CONSERVATION tion' and paving the way for 'the com- ing slavery?' " However wise the men who have pro- pounded these two sets of questions, the questions themselves are by no means profound. The opposing viewpoints from which they proceed are ecjually superficial. No one but the doctrinaire nowadays insists either that the Gov- ernment shall do everything in the field of industry, or that it shall do nothing at all. On the one hand, it is clear, as set forth many years since in the En- cyclopedia Britannica by a distinguished British economist, that "out of the mere conflict of private interests can never come the well ordered commonwealth of labor." Sore experience has taught the civilized world that to leave all indus- try to unregulated private activities is to open a Pandora's box of ills. On the other hand, no country, with the possible exception of Ancient Peru, has ever yet attempted the other extreme of turning all industry over to government; nor, so far as can be judged, is any country likely soon, if ever, to do so. In public afifairs, as in private, com- mon sense exercises an influence which, in the long run, usually proves dominant. We now know that it does not square with sound common sense to leave individuals and corporations to do absolutely as they please in busi- ness. On the other hand, common sense sees no reason for turning all business over to government. In the matter of irrigation, for example, the reason for not doing so is clear, We have an arid area which, not long since, was greater than the entire Ro- man Empire. Our Government is not ready to undertake, alone, the task of reclaiming this vast region. It has not the funds available. There is not the public demand that it shall per- form the entire work. To be econom- ical, its efforts must ordinarily be conducted on a large scale. Yet op- erations on a small scale are likewise necessary. To handle these, individ- uals and companies are often far bet- ter adapted than is a great govern- ment. Again, governments are prov- erbially slow of movement. While they are merely pondering the ques- tion of policy, and wondering whether to strike out on a new line years may elapse during which important inter- ests will suffer. Individuals, how- ever, if interested, can move quickly. Under the joint stock system, to-day so common, or under some form of group cooperation, funds from many sources can promptly be brought to- gether into a single considerable fund, and projects of appropriate magni- tude launched and carried through to success before government will have even made up its mind whether to act or not. In the present stage of industrial de- velopment, and possibly for many years to come, it seems probable that the general good will be best served through the participation in industry of both private individuals and gov- ernment. The two are complement- ary. The one supplies the place which the other leaves vacant. Each can learn from the other and each can, in some respects, stimulate the other to good works. How far the present tendency to- ward public ownership and adminis- tration may be carried, and to what ex- tent it will limit private initiative, it may be difficult to forecast. Through- out the world, an extraordinary drift toward increase in governmental ac- tivities is clearly discernible. Never- theless, to infer that because govern- ments are increasing their activities they will continue to do so until they have absorbed all industry is as logical as to assume that, because one for a time has been walking northwards, he will not stop until he has reached the north pole; or, because an infant is growing, it must necessarily continue to grow until it has exceeded the size of the Brobdingnagians of Gulliver's Travels. As stated, communities and nations, like individuals, learn by ex- perience. Experience has taught the civilized world that government must go into business in certain fields for EDITORIAL 363 certain objects and under certain limi- tations. Experience likewise may be relied upon to teach us how far it should go. Should it go too far, there is always the possibility, under popular control, for it to retrace its steps. •« ♦« kii Prosperity to Be Genuine Must Be General IN OUR news columns are references to the marked increase in invest- ments in water transportation. The ed- itorial from the Wall Street Journal, there quoted, ends with the paragraph : "No threat to our railroad develop- ment as a whole is implied. Such wa- ter facilities in fact have usually brought more new business to the rail- roads than they have taken away." In these few lines is recognized a great principle too little understood. To far too great an extent the old max- im has prevailed that "One man's gain is another's loss." As a matter of fact no proposition could be found more baseless in philosophy. To an increas- ing degree we are coming to see that the same principle is unsound in busi- ness. Reference is made in these col- umns to the old-time fight of railroads against waterways. Happily, this hos- tility is passing. Such representative railway men as President James J. Hill and W. W. Finley do not hesitate to de- clare in public that the railways, instead of opposing the development of our in- ternal waterways, with the accompany- ing increase in transportation facilities, welcome this movement as helpful, not simply to shippers or to the country at large, but to the railways themselves. In a very fundamental sense individ- uals, industries, communities, and na- tions rise or fall together. A genuinely good thing is good not simply for one, but for all. A gain derived at the ex- pense of others is factitious, specious, ephemeral, a will-o'-the-wisp. That this principle applies to nations was emphasized by President Roose- velt in his address to the North Ameri- can Conference on the Conservation of Natural Resources when he said, "The ablest man will do best where his neigh- bors also do well. It is just so with na- tions. In international relations the great feature of the growth of the last century has been the gradual recogni- tion of the fact that instead of it being normally the interest of one nation to see another depressed, it is normally the interest of each nation to see the others elevated." One of the strongest and most strik- ing pieces of work ever done by Mr. Herbert Spencer was the demonstra- tion in his "Principles of Sociology" that society is organic, that its mem- bers are parts of a living whole, and in- terdependent. Let this principle once be recognized and far-reaching conclu- sions will flow therefrom, not the least important of which is that all should welcome a good thing and help to push it aloiig, conscious that, whether we see it or not, the real good which comes to one will be dififused throughout the community, yielding, directly or indi- rectly and sooner or later its blessings to all. )^ 5^ 5^ New Jersey Protects Woodlands BY AN act approved April 12, New Jersey has provided for the protec- tion of the woodlands of the state. The act provides that wherever in the state woodland adjoins the right of way less than no feet from the roadbed of a railroad whose locomotives consume coal or wood, a fire line shall be con- structed. At a distance not less than 100 feet, nor more than 200, from the outer rail on each side the track, and parallel with the track, a ten-foot strip of land shall be entirely cleared of combustible matter. Where the land is swampy, a ditch three feet wide dug to the perma- nent water level may replace the bared strip. From between this strip or ditch and the roadbed all combustible mate- rials must be removed, except that standing trees above three inches in diameter and not less than six feet apart 364 CONSERVATION may be pruned rather than felled. Standing trees must be not less than six feet apart. The Forest Park Reservation Com- mission is made the administrative body, with power to authorize the omis- sion of a fire line or to enforce the construction of such lines, the decision of the commission in all such cases be- ing final. Copies of this act may be obtained from Mr. Alfred Gaskill, Forester, Trenton, N. J., and may well serve as the basis of similar legislation in other states where fires are frequently kindled by sparks or hot cinders from locomotives. The lessons taught by the experiences of recent years, notably of last fall, regarding damages from for- est fires thus kindled should not be for- gotten. If they lead, as they are ap- parently leading in New Jersey, to the enactment and enforcement of appro- priate protective legislation the great loss resulting from these fires may, in part at least, in the future be compen- sated. )^ )^ )^' Waste of Resources Due to Fire AT THE recent joint meeting of four great national engineering societies held in New York City, Mr. Charles Whiting Baker spoke from an engi- neer's standpoint of the meaning of the continuous waste of property due to fire. His paper, as published in Insur- ance Engineering for April, deserves a resume. The fire losses of the United States for 1907 totaled $215,000,000. About half this loss was upon buildings burned or injured; the other half was upon contents. One thousand four hundred persons lost their lives in fires and 5,650 were injured. These fires oc- curred in 165,250 buildings, and the average damage to each building and its contents was $1,667. ^^ addition to these direct losses by fires were indirect losses, as through interruption to busi- ness, maintenance of fire departments, insurance companies, etc. To comprehend the magnitude of this fire loss, Mr. Baker asks us to picture a city street, on lots with an average frontage of sixty-five feet, and with buildings placed closely together. This street would be a thousand miles long, and would reach from New York City to Chicago. At every thousand feet would be found the ruins of a building from which an injured person was rescued ; at every three-quarters of a mile, the blackened wreck of a house in which some one was burned to death. Let this fire begin on January i anrl be driven by a high wind ; eating its way forward at a rate of nearly three miles a day, it would have to burn for a year before consuming the entire double row of buildings. On finishing this street at midnight on December 31, 1907, it would immediately begin upon a second, similar street, burning it throughout the entire year of 1908. Nor is this the showing for an excep- tionally bad year. "The statistics of fire losses gathered for many years by the National Board of Fire Underwrit- ers show that the annual fire loss has been steadily increasing." In the ten years ending with 1887, the annual loss averaged $92,000,000 ; in the ten years ending with 1897, it averaged $132,- 000,000; and, in the following decade, $203,000,000. Let us compare our fire loss with that of European countries. The losses for the people of the United States in 1907 "represented an annual per cap- ita tax of $2.50 on every man, woman and child in the population," or $15 on every head of a family of six per- sons. The per capita fire loss in the principal European countries reads : Italy, 12 cents; France, 30 cents; Aus- tria, 29 cents ; Germany, 49 cents. "It is only in Russia and Norway, where wooden buildings form a considerable portion of the whole, that the fire loss per capita approaches even half of our own per capita rate." A chief cause of this loss Mr. Baker finds in the disposition of our people, including our engineers, to "run on in a rut." Wooden buildings were once EDITORIAL 36i cheapest ; hence we conckide that they are still cheapest ; we, therefore, still build them and permit them to ascend in smoke. Says Mr. Baker: "I do not overstate the case when I say that our American cities and villages are made up almost wholly of fire-trap buildings. We have lagged far behind in our adoption of better and safer methods of building construction. We must, for at least a generation to come, pay the penalty of heavy charges for fire protection, heavy insurance rates, heavy fire losses. And we must continue to bear this heavy tax until we rebuild our cities with fire- resisting structures." Mr. Baker points to new building materials, and says: "It was the cir- cular saw and the railway that created cheap timber throughout the nineteenth centurv, and housed the people of the United States in cheaply built and easily burned wooden buildings. It is the rotary kiln for burning Portland ce- ment, the rock drill, the brick press and a thousand other modern inventions that are to create the incombustible buildings which the twentieth century is to construct." Mr. Baker points out that not only the buildings, but their contents, must be protected, and commends the work accomplished by the factory mutual in- surance companies of New England. These companies, insuring chiefly mills which handle cotton, have reduced the rate of loss to about 5 cents per annum for a hundred dollars insured, "a rate of loss little more than a tenth, proba- bly, of the average fire loss on all classes of buildings in the United States." Mr. Baker next indicates the losses due to forest fires, especially those of September, and October last, and aptly says : "What I most want to make clear to you is that unless and until you create in every forest state of the Union effective laws and effective or- ganizations to prevent forest fires — un- less and until you do that thing — all our talk of conserving the forests is vain. We cannot get away from eco- nomic laws. We cannot expect a man to preserve valuable woodlands uncut when a forest fire may at any time wipe out the property entirely. And the higher the price of lumber goes, the greater the inducement to cut off the trees." In closing, Mr. Baker points out the connection between the losses due to the burning of buildings and their con- tents and the general question of con- servation. He says: 'Tt is just as much of a drain on the forests to burn up the boards and the timber in a house which must be rebuilt as to burn up the trees before they are cut down and sawed. And not only timber but iron, tin, lead, zinc — all the materials used in building construction and a vast amount of merchandise contained in buildings is devoured annually by the flames." Clearly, the prevention of this waste is an end which may properly enlist the interest and effort of every friend of the conservation of natural resources. ^ )^ ^ What Shall We Do about It ? REFERRING to the editorial in Conservation for May entitled : "How It Is Done," a friend of conser- vation, himself a lumberman, writes : An article of this character, in my opin- ion, is calculated to do great damage to for- est conservation. First, it antagonizes and in a measure destroys the better judgment and sympathy that lumber operators have relat- ing to forest conservation. Second, it creates in the minds of people who have not studied the question the opinion that the lumber- men of the country differ only in acts from pirates in that the work that they do is not at present punishable under the law. Of the two results of articles of this kind, if per- sistently published, I think the last result cited, inflaming the public mind against the lumbermen, will be the more harmful for the reason that the public mind will become crystallized to a line of action or laws that will be aimed to punish the lumbermen rather than to conserve the forests. I might inci- dentally remark that the lumbermen now are getting about all of the punishment they can bear. A little farther over in the magazine, on page 295, editorially, is an article entitled "The Community INIust Care for Itself."' This article seems to me to be nearer the 366 CONSERVATION line of thought that the public must be edu- cated to in couservation. It is unfair to ask the individual to take on and carry any scheme of practical conservation as an in- dividual proposition. While it is eminently fair that the individual should contribute his fair share as an individual, the com- munity must also contribute its share. This one thought, it seems to me, if persistently brought to the public mind, will crystallize public thought so that they will be willing to adopt some practical scheme of conserva- tion. I am of the opinion that any national law affecting conservation that would afifect the individual owners of forest areas alike, would find more advocates among the indi- vidual forest owners than would oppose it. The community would, of course, be com- pelled to contribute its share by paying the increased cost of production. Conservation appreciates the com- pliment the writer pays by frankly de- scribing the situation as he sees it. As in the second editorial referred to, this pubHcation has uniformly held and taught that the responsibility for forest destruction rests chiefly not on the in- dividual but on the community, and that a condition which a daily growing number is coming to deplore is trace- able chiefly not to the "greed" of the one, but to the ignorance and indiffer- ence of the many. Conservation recognizes that no one better knows the nature and needs of the woods than does the lumberman, and that many of the more progressive lumbermen are ready and eager to apply to their holdings those well- established principles of forestry which, in the long run, are best — not only for the people as a whole, but also for the woods and for those whose business it is to harvest the woods. This publica- tion is aware, however, that in a large class of cases those who would thus apply these principles are restrained from so doing partly by competitors who are not ready to do likewise and partly by a public which will not re- quire lumbermen in general to improve their methods. It is a hopeful sign that, notwith- standing these embarrassments, there is on record a large number of cases in which lumber concerns have sought advice in the matter of better methods, while a smaller number have actually acted upon this advice. Yet. by the best testimony available there remain, under present policies, but some thirty- three years of life to the timber supply of the United States. In view of this fact and of the consequences which must flow therefrom, Conservation earnestly invites expressions of opinion from lumbermen as to the actual, prac- tical solution. The problem is before us ; what shall we do about it ? NEWS AND NOTES Good Words for Conservation Conservation in Rhode Island Words of appreciation for Conservation are pouring in. Ex-Governor Guild writes from Boston regarding the May number; ■' The last copy of the magazine is the best, I think, ever issued: and I am particularly pleased with the papers of Mr. Bailey Willis and the illustrations." Then, again. State Forester F. W. Rane, of Massachusetts, puts his views in a nut- shell. He says : "May is a great number. Congratulations." ^ ^ ^ Setting an Example Ex-Governor Pennj^packer is about to plant ten acres with forest trees on his farm as an example to surrounding farmers. !^ )^ J^ Senator Root Planting Trees A writer in the Utica Observer furnishes a table of the persons who have planted trees in Oneida County this year, and the number each has planted. The total is 86,000. Of these Hon. Elihu Root, of Clinton, planted 64,000, or nearly three-fourths of all. Of his trees, 31,000 were obtained from the Forest, Fish and Game Commission, and the remainder came from the nurseries of other states and Europe. The following are the three varieties and the number of each which he is actually planting : White pine, 16,400 ; Norway spruce, 15,200; red pine, 5,200; red oak, 6,000; black locust, 5,200; chestnut, 5,000: basswood, 5,200; white ash, 6,000. J^ )^ «? Progress in Massachusetts The office of the Superintendent for Sup- pressing the Gypsy and Brown-tail Moths, by an act of the legislature of Massachu- setts, has been combined with the office of State Forester under the title of the latter. Governor Draper and his council appointed F. W. Rane to the new position on April 14, at a salary of $5,000. The office of State Forester has been moved from the State House to No. 6 Beacon Street, Boston, Mass. The act providing for a survey of the nat- ural resources of the state passed both branches of the general assembly last night. The work is to be done under the direction of the Commissioner of Industrial Statistics, George H. Webb, in cooperation with the Rhode Island State College and the Fed- eral Government. Colonel Webb will appoint as the agent to make the survey Charles W. Brown, assistant professor of geology at Brown University. ^ vi ^ Conservation in Arkansas The Arkansas Conservation Commission, recently appointed by Gov. George W. Don- aghey, held its first formal meeting on April 21, and effected a permanent organization by the election of Governor Donaghey, chair- man, and Sid B. Redding, secretary. Letters were read from the officials of the National Conservation Commission and from the Joint Committee on Conservation, urging the Arkansas body to begin efifective work and requesting that the new state association cooperate with the national organization. Correspondence was presented from nearly every state in the Union, including various governors and state conservation officials, ad- vising of the progress of the movement in different states and offering suggestions con- cerning the work. The governor appointed a special com- mittee to draft a report with suggestions as to the lines on which the commission shall proceed, following which the commission adjourned to meet again in about sixty days. «? ^ i« What Illinois Women Want In renewing its activities, the Illinois Fed- eration of Women has adopted this platform of things to be accomplished : "A concerted fight against billboard adver- tising. "A movement to establish public comfort stations in the cities of Illinois. "An investigation of the treatment and care of dependent and delinquent girls in the state. 367 368 CONSERVATION "A state campaign for a sane Fourth of July. "A movement to seciire a woman physi- cian in every public institution where there are women inmates. "A campaign to secure the pine woods of Ogle County as a state forest reserve. "A campaign for the passage of the East- ern Forest Reserve bill, establishing a re- serve in the Appalachians and White Moun- tains. "An effort to secure women's dormitories at the University of Illinois." ^ 5^ «.' The Ogle County White Pines Illinois clubwomen are pushing a bill which has for its aim the protection of the slim woodland resources of Illinois. This bill calls for the purchase and reservation by the state of the famous "Ogle County white- pine forest," to be under the administration of a proposed forestry board. As a rich prairie and farming community, the state cannot afford to part with the few remnants of natural beauty that remain to her. The pine woods of Ogle County, less than 100 miles from Chicago^ like Starved Rock, belong to her ancient history. In this 500 acres is to be found part of the original forest of white pine which at one time stretched north into the greater forests that grew about the Great Lakes. The trees represent the southern limits of their species and have dignity in the eyes of botanists and students of natural history as the last of a splendid army of evergreens, now strangers and unknown to the present generation who till farms over the areas once covered by large forests. The forest is of that character dear to the botanist and bird lover. At the southern end is a fine growth of young pines, and along the east bank of the creek are the red, white, bur, scarlet and chinquapin oak, white and slippery elm, large-tooth aspen, black walnut, butternut, shagbark, pignut, mockernut hickory, sycamore, hackberry, white and black ash, black and choke cherry, wild plum, basswood, hoptree, black willow, and June berry. A great variety of blooming plants, vines, and shrubs make the woodlands beautiful at all seasons of the year. «r' 5^ &' State Parks Win Public Favor One of the most important projects advo- cated by the American Civic Association is that of state parks — the purchase and con- trol by the states of areas comparatively ex- tensive which would afford recreation grounds for the citizens and, at the same time, conserve the natural resources and nat- ural beauty of scenery possessed by every commonwealth. The State of Wisconsin has begun action along this line, having undertaken an exam- ination and appraisement of its resources with a view to setting aside parks. The handling of this work has been entrusted to a board consisting of Messrs. T. E. Brittingham, E. E. Browne, and W. H. McFetridge, as- sisted by Mr. John Nolen, a landscape artist of national reputation and a member of the executive board of the American Civic Asso- ciation. While Mr. Nolen's report dealt es- pecially with four prospective Wisconsin state parks, its general suggestions are of universal application. First of all, Mr. Nolen expressed the wisdom of prompt action by the states "while the property desired can be purchased at a reasonable figure and at a price which would prove an excellent in- vestment from a purely money viewpoint." As to the object of state parks, he said that they should be selected with a view to con- serve natural resources and natural beauty of scenery. "There are thousands of persons in every section of the country in need and in search of the wild and beautiful places of nature, and in almost every state of the Union there are places fitted to supply their need and reward their search. It would seem like a clear case of demand and supply. Most of these places are not of such a character as to form national parks, nor are they so situated as to serve the needs of a single city. The result is, that they either are being ruthlessly destroyed or are gradually drifting into private possession for purely private uses." Mr. Nolen referred to the several state parks maintained, in a restricted way, by Massachusetts, New York, California, Penn- sylvania, New Jersey, and a few other states, and then, discussing the general require- ments, he said, in substance : "The main purpose of state parks is to refresh and strengthen and renew tired per- sons, to fit them for the common round of daily life. They should be large to accom- modate great numbers, 2,000 or 3,000 to 5,000 acres. They should be accessible, within a reasonable distance, and at a reasonable cost. Air and climate should be salubrious, and the situation should be healthful. The prop- erty acquired should be reasonable in cost ; seldom would a state be justified in paying- more than $100 an acre for land, and $25 has been the average price. They should be 'natural' stretches of land of intrinsic beauty. They should be of uncommon beauty, a dis- tinction among landscapes, an irresistible ap- peal to the nature lover." In justification of the investment of state money in such parks, Mr. Nolen said, re- garding Wisconsin, but of equal force as to other states : "State parks would, in common with the forest reservations — the great economic value of which is now unquestioned — preserve and 1 NEWS AND NOTES 369 protect just so much more of the woodland of the state and the stream flow dependent upon it. They would provide the best method of preserving places of historical and scientific interest. They would secure a ne- cessity of modern life before it is too late. "State parks would give an economic re- turn from tourists and visitors. "State parks are the only means of pre- serving, protecting, and appropriately im- proving places of uncommon and charac- teristic beauty. "Finally, these parks would make, as no other agency can, adequate and permanent provision for wholesome out-door recrea- tion and pleasure. "If it is right for the state of Wisconsin to spend $1,250,000 upon charitable and penal institutions, as it did in 1908, made necessary in part at least by unfavorable physical and social conditions, is it not wise and good to spend something upon preventive measures which would make such institutions less nee- • essary? Who questions nowadays that sim- ple recreation in the open air amid beautiful natural surroundings contributes to physical and moral health, to a saner and happier life? These parks are the only security that the future holds out for persons of small means." «? &' «i Immense Profits of German Forests In view of the general interest in munici- pal or communal forests, as advocated in this country by the American Civic Association, the report obtained by S. B. Elliott, of the Pennsylvania Forestry Reserve Commission, concerning the practical value of such wood- lands in Germany is a remarkable document. This shows the actual profits obtainable from public forests. There are 1,342,944 acres of forests in Baden, which state has a total area of 3,726,665 acres. Of the wooded lands, 577,465 are owned by communities and corporations. In Baden, 1,350 of the 1,564 communities have forests and, in addition, 287 schools, churches, hospitals, and other similar corporations are engaged in practical forestry. From these public forests there are allowed to be cut yearly 261,724,300 board-feet of timber, which has a value of $3,600,000 free of expense of cutting. As an instance of the communal forests, the city of Baden has 10,576 acres, the income from which is $100,-171, as against an outlay of $33,391, .so that the net profit is $66,080, or approximately $6.25 an acre. In Freiburg, the forests cover 8085 acres, representing a total income of $84,166, with an outlav of $37,330, or a profit of $46,836, or $5.79 an acre. In Heidelberg, the forests cover 6860 acres. The income is $39,834 and the outlav $27,199, showing a profit of $12635. Heidel- berg still is acquiring land, and that expense necessarily reduces its net income. In the village of Braunlingen, which h«s 1,601 inhabitants and 4,507 acres of forests, there is an allowance to the citizens of fire- wood and 100,000 board-feet of lumber is given to churches, schools, and other public institutions. From the timber sold, the net income is $21,600, and Braunlingen not only is free from all communal taxes, but is en- abled to establish electric plants, water- works, and other public improvements. Even in the village of An fen, with only 220 inhabitants, there are 163 acres of timber- lands. This gives 2,000 board-feet of fire- wood to each citizen, and the 85,000 board- feet of timber sold nets more than $1,400, which is sufficient for all expenses of the little community. These advantages of public forests could be multiplied to the number of every com- munity having them. According to the latest report, the various German states having pro- ductive communal forests are : Prussia, 6,- 309,109 acres; Bavaria, 2,041,450 acres ; Wuer- temberg, 466,203 acres ; Alsace-Lorraine, 373,417 acres; Baden (domains), 239,896 acres; Hessia (state and domains), 177,923 acres ; Prussian Crown, 165,492 acres ; and Fuerstenberg, 74,493 acres. In Hessia, forests are being planted upon land hitherto devoted to agriculture. i^ ^ Jt' The Biltmore Fires Dr. C. A. Schenck, Director, Biltmore Forest School, writes : "As regards the forest fires at Biltmore, I am glad to say that the newspaper reports have been exaggerated. Only two acres of my plantations were destroyed ; 12,000 acres of primeval forests were run over by fire, and, naturally, the young growth was annihilated. "By many years' protection, the vegetable mold on the ground had accumulated, and a dense stand of young growth had been pro- duced. Both are gone. * * * All our fires were of incendiary origin." «? tt? «? Yale Forestry Students in Texas A Yale party consisting of two professors and twenty-nine senior students is in Texas studying forestry. Says the Somerville (Mass.) Reporter: "The party is in the east Texas yellow- pine district, encamped in the thickest of the timber territory, in the very jungles of pine, and in the last term of their course in the Yale Forestry School, though they are far from New Haven, they are doing full work daily and getting credit for it, and will graduate in June with just as much effect to the diplomas as the B.A.'s and the LL.B.'s and the B.D.'s and the other fellows in cap and gown and marching processions who 370 CONSERVATION finish their course with all the ceremony and display of the commencement occasion." The party came on the invitation of Mr. J. Lewis Thompson, of the Thompson Bros. Lumber Co. Mr. Thompson provided a cabin containing bunks for the entire party. The students, however, preferred tenting outside. The Reporter continues : " 'Better'n New Haven,' is the way one of the foresters described the eating. Probably the fare isn't any better, maybe not as good ; but the exercise in the woods, the open air, and the pine-scented atmosphere and the clear sunshine, and a score of other features, all have influence combined to create won- derful appetitites, and the joy bell at the mess hall never fails to bring unanimous response." ^a v^ 'iii Anierican Pomological Meeting The executive committee of the American Pomological Society, a national organization, has accepted a joint invitation tendered by the Ontario Fruit Growers' Association, the Niagara District Fruit Growers, and the St. Catherines Horticultural Society to meet at the city of St. Catherines, Ontario, Canada, September 14-16, 1909. The secretary of the general executive com- mittee is Mr. P. W. Hodgetts, of Toronto. The secretary reports that an unusually large number of state horticultural societies have appointed delegates to attend the meeting. This will insure a wide representation and a diversity of interest which will present excep- tional opportunity for considering in a satis- factory way legislative questions of interstate significance. A great exhibition of Canadian- grown Lake Ontario fruits will be in prog- ress at the time of the meeting. The fruit region between Niagara and Toronto is the most intensively cultivated region in Canada. Excursions through this famous section will be arranged for the pleas- ure and profit of the visitors. The program may be expected to include the latest and best in the entire field of pomology. )^ )^ J^ Remember the Raisin ! The interest of much of the United States has been centered upon California Raisin Day, April 30, as a result of the determined and systematic campaign being carried on by the raisin growers of the Golden State to con- vince the people of this country that raisins are not only an article of dessert to be used on rare and state occasions such as Thanks- giving and Christma.s, but an every-day, staple article of food. When one pauses to consider that a pound of raisins is equal in food value to nearly a pound and a half of beef, as shown by United States Govern- ment analysis, it is a matter of wonder that raisins have not long ago become a part of the daily food of the people. This fact has been recognized for hundreds of years by the people of European countries, where the consumption of raisins per capita is about five or six times greater than in America. From all indications, the growers will succeed in their endeavor to bring the here- tofore unrecognized raisin into its own as a cheap, popular food for all the people, as no more nutritious and nourishing fruit exists. J^ &' Mr' The Counties Committee at Work A special train containing over 100 dele- gates from various commercial bodies of San Francisco and northern counties left on May 7 for Del Monte, where representatives of all the other counties of the state were wait- ing for the opening of the convention at nine-thirty on the morning of the 8th. The one great topic to be considered was the conservation of the natural resources of California, _ this being the first state-wide movement instituted anywhere in the country for such a purpose. The conservation of the natural resources of Californja was the subject-matter of resolutions, reports and addresses. Delegates from sixty-three af- filiated organizations assembled in the art room of the Hotel Del Monte to plan new steps in the cooperative movement that has proved so far-reaching in the upbuilding of the Golden State. Among the results of the deliberations were unanimous endorsement of the pro- posed $18,000,000 bond issue for the im- provement of the state's highways ; the sign- ing of a petition to the National Govern- ment for the opening of Yosemite Park to automobiles, and the endorsement of sug- gestions for highway tree-planting and the conservation of forest areas. Resolutions were adopted praising the conservation policy of the Federal Govern- ment; endorsing the plan proposed by the Rivers and Harbors Congress for the issu- ance of Government bonds for the improve- ment of navigable rivers ; endorsing the Federal Government's action in reducing the charges upon electric power developed by the use of stored water; thanking Congress and the state legislature for appropriations made in aid of the viticultural industry, and en- dorsing the work of the L^nited States Weather Bureau. «r &' ^ Utilizing a Volcano An American in Hawaii lias discovered a new use for a cheap and common article, and a new way of preparing it. The article is the giant fern, and the method of pre- paring it is to cook it over a volcanic crack. NEWS AND NOTES 3/1 after which it becomes a highly acceptable ■object of diet for hogs. Peter Lee, an American, has a ranch right on the edge of the great crater of Kilauea, .on the Island of Hawaii, some 200 miles from Honolulu. All about the tremendous •cauldron of nature spread dense forests for many miles down the easy slope of the mountain's sides. Very much of this tangle of vegetation is made up of great tree ferns, jnany of which tower fifty feet or more in the air, like great feather dusters. The great trunk or stem of this fern, frequently a foot or more in diameter, is composed of a pulpy, fibrous mass enclosed in a hairy harder covering. Peter Lee discovered that this pulp contains a large amount of starches and sugars, and that by steaming or cooking these are rendered soft, and are greedily eaten by the hogs. In many places about the volcano, some- times several miles from the active central pit, cracks have formed in the hardened lava surface which covers the whole mountain, and from these fissures heat and steam per- petually escape. To construct a gridiron over one of these heat cracks, and to pile upon it the fern-trunks, cut into cord-wood lengths, was the acme of simplicity and ef- fectiveness. In the course of a few days the steam has thoroughly softened and cooked the ferns, and all that remains to do IS to split each stem with an ax, when the swine will devour them voraciously. Dr. E. V. Wilcox, director of the Hawaii Experiment Station, believes that Hawaii's ferns may come to be of considerable eco- nomic importance as a stock food. Fern roots have had some value in this line in some parts of the Northwest, where the growth is comparatively scanty, and if the food value of Hawaiian ferns prove as high, large tracts of forest land are likely to acquire a new value. J^ )^ &' Mr, Newell's Visit to Hawaii In the Fifth Report of the Board of Com- missioners of Agriculture and Forestry of the Territory of Hawaii occurs this para- graph, which, in view of Mr. Newell's long and important connection with the American Forestry Association, should be of especial interest to the readers of Conservation : "The event of greatest importance in con- servation matters in Hawaii during 1908 was unquestionably the visit to the islands in the autumn months of Hon. F. H. Newell, Di- rector of the United States Reclamation Service. Following almost immediately Sec- retary Garfield's return to the mainland, it shows that Hawaii's claims for recognition are not only being heard but responded to from Washington. Already Mr. Newell has been of signal assistance to the territory in getting the plans for a hydrographic survey definitely under way. The coming year will see no small development along that line. All of which leads to making Hawaii a better place to live in and consequently to its de- velopment as a true American community. "At the invitation of the governor, the Superintendent of Forestry accompanied Governor Frear and Mr. Newell on a por- tion of their tour of the other islands, going with the party to Molokai and Kauai. On these trips it was possible to discuss with Mr. Newell a number of forest problems on the ground. Needless to say, many valu- able suggestions was one result of these in- formal conferences." «? !^ «r' Conservation in Hawaii On March i last the Governor of Hawaii and his conferees who attended the Gov- ernors' Conference in Washington last May appeared before the Hawaiian legislature and delivered a series of addresses. From these extracts are taken. Gov. Walter F. Frear said, among other things : "Congress in general believes in helping states and territories that help themselves. It is now helping us in manj' ways. It is beginning to help us in the matter of forests, which is one of our most important natural resources, not merely for the purpose of the timber, but mainly for the purpose of con- serving the water, for purposes of irrigation and power and domestic use. We need to experiment with a view to obtaining new varieties of trees which will be good for timber and which will grow at our high ele- vations, particularly where now scarcely any- thing will grow." Mr. Ralph S. Hosmer, Superintendent of Forestry, and chairman of the Territorial Conservation Commission, says, in part: "Fortunately, on the windward side of the islands there are numerous streams, which, with the artesian water in other places, are sufficient to supply most of the needs for water if the forests and the streams are han- dled in a judicious manner. Because of the steep, short water-sheds, it is essential that there be maintained a cover of vegetation on the catchment basins of the water-sheds. Without such a cover of vegetation, the water quicklj' runs away, not onlj- being lost to human use, but doing considerable damage through the erosion of the upper parts of the valleys and the flooding of val- uable lands below. The Hawaiian forest is admirably adapted to act as a protective cover on the water-sheds. When the water- shed is covered with vegetation the dense tangle of trees, shrubs, vines, ferns, and moss retards the run-ofif, prevents erosion and stores up the rainfall. The water is then gradually given out to feed the springs and streams, which results in a fairly con- stant flow. The native forest is the best possible cover for the water-shed. Conse- quently, in view of the value of water to Z72 CONSERVATION the territor}-, the only wise course is to pro- tect the forest cover on all the streams that are or may be needed for economic use. The preservation of the forest saves the waters. The assurance of a dependable supply makes possible the development of land that could not otherwise be turned to useful account. In Hawaii, lands, waters and forests are interdependent, so that a policy of conserva- tion is essential. "The Hawaiian forest is easily damaged from fire, cattle, and from other causes, and it is essential in order to get the best re- sults that the forests be protected. That the forests may be better protected and more easily handled to the end that the waters they safeguard may be used in economic ways, forest reserves have been created and will continue to be set apart. "There have now been established sixteen forest reserves on the four main islands of the group with a total area of 444,116 acres. Of this sixty-one per cent, is Government land. It is probable that the creation of for- est reserves will go on until eventually about three-fourths of a million acres will be so included, and these forests should be main- tained and kept intact so that the water from their streams may be turned constantly to human account. "At this point I may say that the relation of the forests to the streams is essentially the feature of Hawaiian forestry and that wher- ever there are streams, the forests should be protected. In some of the leeward districts there are forests which may be treated from a commercial standpoint, because in those lo- calities there are no running streams and only a few springs to be conserved. But far and away the most important use of the Hawaiian forest is that it protects the streams. Wherever there is a water which may be turned to account this is the chief value of the forest. * * * "Y\xq Federal Government, through the Forest Service, has this year given the sum of $2,000 for experi- mental work in planting pines, spruces, and firs at high elevations on Mauna Kea and Haleakala. Inclosures are now being made in which experimental lots of these trees will be set out. This is a step that should lead in time to the afforestation of those mountains. "The relation of forests, waters, and lands is of peculiar importance and interest in Hawaii. These three natural resources are interdependent. The essential need at the present time is for the careful study and investigation of the local water problems by trained men — the experts of the United States Geological Survey at Washington — as a preliminarv' step to the extension to Hawaii of the Reclamation Service." Dr. Jared G. Smith said: "The actual amount of water that falls in that Kona forest — and that forest is on the dry side of the island — amounts in the course of a year to 400,000 billion gallons of water, an amount that is absolutelv bevond comprehension. And yet no effort has been made to conserve that water. We have just had a drought affecting the whole dry side of the Island of Hawaii. We had to buy water, but during years past and for all time there has been this enormous quantity of water that could have been, much of it, con- served for the benefit of agriculture, not only in the Kona district, but elsewhere on the island. Not one per cent., I think not one- tenth of one per cent., of the water supplied b}' the rainfall is now preserved for use by the plantations or by the farmers. It is a money proposition; it is a business proposi- tion. * * * "Without the forest to retard the run-off, there follows flood and destruction. We have all of us seen the ocean reddened for miles from the land with the surface soils from our cultivated fields. We have seen fields, the entire surface, swept into the ocean. This loss is not simply a loss to the individual plantation or the individual farmer affected, but it is a loss to the terri- tory— it is taking away from the natural re- sources of the territory some of its capital. Besides the actual conservation of water, in order that we may use it, besides the actual preservation of forest in order that we may use it, and besides, well, besides both these, we must conserve both the forest and the water in order to save our soils. Water is necessary for the growth of plants, it is nec- essary for our domestic stock. If any one of us discovers that he has a hole in his money pocket, he mends it ; it seems to me that the territory has a hole in its money pocket, and the legislature should see that there is a hole there and try to stop it, in order that loss of actual property resources shall no longer con- tinue." Judge Sanford B. Dole said : "It is, I believe, ascertained that the air from forests is cooler than the air from lands devoid of vegetation, and this is one reason why clouds appear above forests and not over surrounding regions that are devoid of vegetation and where the air above them is saturated, is full of moisture; the cooling air is more likely to produce showers than the air from other regions which are bare of vegetation. It may be said, perhaps more correctly, not that forests create showers or produce them, but rather that they allow the showers to come down. * * * "I say that the question of the protection of rainfall is something to be considered in view of the interests of the small land- holders; that if possible the droughts which sometimes occur and drive them away from their homes, which make water an article to be supplied by the quart for drink- ing purposes and sometimes not obtainable even then, should be lessened — that the con- servation of forests there in that region reaching from North to South Kona, iKau and in the Puna district, is something to be considered from the standpoint of the small landowner. The same condition exists in NEWS AND NOTES 373 Kula on Maui. It was a terrible hardship to those people last year to have to leave their homes because they had no water and had to drive their live stock miles away every other day to get water to keep them alive. In Kau the ground was strewn with cattle which had starved to death for want of grass and water." Protecting Water Supplies Says the Cleveland (Ohio) Plain Dealer: "While a few theorists — and increasingly few — still argue against the prevalent no- tion that an intimate relationship exists be- tween forests and stream flow, it is notice- able that those who have the responsibility of conserving water supplies adopt the gen- eral and the sensible view. Those on whom the responsibility rests to supply the cities with an unfailing suppl}^ of water display no doubt that the existence of forests about the sources of streams tends to regulate their flow and insure their stability. "The State Forester of Massachusetts re- cently made a report, discussing in a com- prehens.ve manner the large question of for- est influence on water supply, a subject of live interest to many municipalities in that commonwealth. He proposes a program of reforestation for the protection of the water- shed near Fall River, which is applicable in a general way to other communities in that and other states. "There is evidence here and there of an intention on the part of various states to cooperate with the National Government in the conservation of natural resources. Is it not possible that municipalities will find it to their interests to join in the same move- ment in order to protect their sources of water supply? "The importance of an adequate and reli- able supply of pure water is paramount in every city. Those which must depend on streams or upon artificial or natural reser- voirs will find it increasingly difficult to protect and insure their supplies unless some progressive policy of conservation is fol- lowed." Good Work by the Pennsylvania Railroad The Pennsylvania Railroad is planning to set out this spring more than 1, 000,000 trei'S. This will make a total of 3.430,000 trees which have been planted in the last three years to provide for 'some of the company'5 future requirements in timber and cross-ties. This constitutes the largest forestry plan yet undertaken by any private corporation. Heretofore the company's forestry opera- tions have been confined to a limited area between Philadelphia and Altoona. This year, however, 65.000 trees are being set out on tracts of land near Metuchen and New Brunswick, N. J. In addition, there are to be planted within the next month 207,000 trees near Conewago, Pa., 186,000 in the vicinity of Van Dyke, 334,ooo at Lewistown Junction, 7,000 at Pomeroy, and 205,000 at Denholm. The bare places in the locust-tree planta- tions, which were started some years ago, are being filled in with new seedlings, in order that these may follow as a second growth after the older trees have been re- moved for fence posts and other purposes. Of the trees that are to be set out this spring, 893,000 are red oak, 40,000 Scotch pine, 29,000 locust, 14,000 hardy cata'pa, 14,000 pin oak, 5,000 European larch, 3,000 chestnut, 3,000 yellow poplar, 2,000 black wal- nut, and 1,000 white pine. The policy of encouraging reforestation on the part of the public has been actively pursued this spring. Some 151,000 trees have been furnished, practically at cost, to private corporations and individuals. In addition, 8,000 privet hedge plants have been supplied to private individuals. Privet hedge plants to the number of 7,000 are to be set out to ornament boundary lines along the company's right of way. A special effort has been directed this sea- son to growing ornamental shrubbery for use in parking the lawns around stations and unoccupied spaces along the roadway. To save the time required to grow these from seed, 6,000 plants have been imported from France. They will be placed in beds, at the company's nursery at Morrisville, N. J. Part of them will be ready for transplant- ing next year, and the remainder in 191 1. Indicative of the scope of the forestry plan of the company this year is the fact that at the Morrisville nursery alone, approx- imately 1,250,000 trees have been dug, bun- dled, and shipped to places along the rail- road. The area occupied by these trees has been plowed, fertilized, and is to be re- planted with about 200 bushels of acorns. Half a million coniferous seedlings, which were grown last year, are being set in trans- plant beds to remain for a year before being set out permanently. In addition to the above, there will be planted this spring about 100 pounds of pine and spruce tree seed, which should produce about a million plants. These in time will be transplanted in perma- nent locations. &' «r' &' Growth of the Forest Service In a display paragraph on its front page, The Prairie Farmer of May i, publishes the following : "Gifford Pinchot was made chief of the Division of Forestry during the Spanish- American War. At that time the division was composed of eleven persons, six of whom were clerks and five scientists. Some idci of the growth of the Forest Service, as it had later come to be known, is apparent when it 374 CONSERVATION is understood that over 400 persons are now in the work of the bureau. A dozen years ago almost nothing was known about forestry in this country. During the past few years Mr. Pinchot has attained a world-wide repu- tation on account of his work in developing the Forest Service. Probably no factor has contributed more to the success of this work than Mr. Pinchot's attitude in getting close to the soil, and doubtless no item of his policy has brought greater practical results than his practical assistance for forest owners. Mr. Pinchot's career is an excellent illustration of what a man of independent wealth may ac- complish when he devotes his life along lines for the betterment of the public." 5^' &' )^ Mr, Pinchot at Delta In the course of his recent western trip Mr. Gifford Pinchot visited Delta, Colo. At his meeting the Opera House was packed to the doors. The Delta Independent said: "But very little opposition has ever devel- oped on the western slope to the forestry system, and in Delta and Montrose counties there doesn't seem to be any at all. The stock interests here appear to be a unit in its favor, hence the head of the Service found himself entirely among friends." In the course of his remarks, as reported in the Delta papers, Mr. Pinchot said : "The Service is for the public good instead of private gain and to provide more homes for our people. "The forest policy is both democratic and republican and fights special privilege for public good. "It is probable that our coal measures will be exhausted by the middle of the next cen- tury. Our iron ore will be gone in forty years and our supply of oil and gas in about the same time. "At the inauguration of the Forest Service we found that there was great waste of our resources going on. As an illustration ninety per cent, of our water, which is so much needed in the arid sections, was going to waste. By the middle of the century 150,000,000 of our own people will have to be fed from our own soil and no good citizen will deny that the people should apply the same rules to the government of the nation that one would to his family, and that noth- ing be wasted. "Monopoly is the opposite of conservation. Foresight is necessary to success. Conserva- tion means the ordinary business principles applied to government. "The forest areas are great and evils creep into the Service, but with the cooperation of local people we can succeed in our work. We have endeavored to ascertain where wrongs have been done so that we might remedy them. Complaints have been of two classes : From those who could not get what thev should have, and from those who wanted what thev should not have. To the latter we have no apologies to make. This Service stands for the small man — the home-maker. Prospectors may enter the reserves for le- gitimate work, but we do not intend to allow persons to take up land, under the guise of mining, for some other purpose. "We are pushing out the work of the Service from Washington to the various dis- trict offices, to those on the ground, and we believe that the men in the districts are good men. Before leaving Washington I saw President Taft and he said to tell the people out in Colorado that the administration is back of the Forest Service and is trying to work with the people of the West for their own best good. "If, by mistake, injustice has been done to any man, it will be corrected, so far as I have the power. "The general forest policy has been estab- lished, and it will move along under the new administration as under the old. "I do not believe the change in presidents will have any effect on the forest policy ; I have seen no signs of it. "Of the total amount received from those who received direct benefits from the use of the varied resources of the National Forests of Colorado last year, twenty-five per cent., or $59,761.28, was turned over to the state to be used in the development and maintenance of roads and the public-school system. "The Forest Service exists not only to protect the National Forests. It exists just as much to develop the Nation and the states in which they lie, and it has no stronger de- sire than to promote and foster the develop ment of Colorado and every other western state. No more complete mistake about the National Forests has ever been spread abroad than that they are shut against development and use." Mr. Pinchot was listened to with the ut- most attention, and at the conclusion of his address he was heartily applauded. Other sneakers, including Hon. Frank C. Goudy, John C. Bell, M. D. Vincent, and Judge A. R. King, also spoke. «i i« "fi To Examine National Forest Boundaries The Forest Service plans a thoroughgoing examination of National Forest boundaries rud an inquiry into the character of any in- ferior areas which may appear to be unsuited for National Forest purposes. Special effort will be made to exclude from the National Forests land better suited for agriculture than for forest purposes. «i «? ^ Withdrawal of Public Lands 'i'he Secretary of the Interior has tempo- rarily withdrawn from any form of disposi- tion whatever under the public-land laws the following tracts of land : NEWS AND NOTES 375 Ten thousand two hundred and forty acres lying in Tps. 20 and 21 S., R. 28 E., Willa- mette Principal Meridian, for the Emigrant Creek Reservoir in connection with the Har- ney Project, Oregon. Under the Dechutes Project, Oregon, Will- amette Principal Meridian : Sixteen thou- sand six hundred and forty acres in T. 24 S., R. 6 E.J for Crescent Lake Reservoir; T. 23 S., R. 6 E., all of unsurveyed township, for Odell Lake Reservoir ; 23,040 acres in T. 25 S., Rs. 6 and 7 E., for Big Marsh Reservoir. &' )^ )g Senate Committee to Visit Irrigation Projects United States Senator Thomas H. Carter of Montana, chairman of the Senate Com- mittee on Irrigation and Reclamation of Arid Lands, advises R. Insinger, chairman of the Board of Control of the National Irrigation Congress, that he will attend one or more days at the seventeenth session in Spokane, August 9 to 14, but he does not believe the committee will be able to be present in a body. He adds : "The committee will start on a tour of in- spection of the various reclamation projects of the Government about September i, ac- companied by the Secretary of the Interior and the Director and Chief Engineer of the Reclamation Service." The committee, which is composed of thir- teen Senators, will visit the projects in Kan- sas, Nebraska, North and South Dakota, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, Idaho, Wash- ington, Oregon, Nevada, Utah and California, passing one or more days in every com- munity to familiarize itself with what has been accomplished under the Federal Rec- lamation Act, and to ascertain if any changes are required in the statute to make it more effective. «? ^ 'M Irrigation in Washington More than 100,000 acres of land, exclusive of Government projects, will be added to the irrigated area in eastern and north central Washington this year, and arrangements are also under way to put water on thousands of acres of land in northern Idaho and Ore- gon, western Montana and southeastern British Columbia. As most of these lands will be devoted to apples, peaches, pears, and plums, it is estimated that from 7,000,000 to 10,000,000 trees will be planted during the next fourteen months, giving employment to hundreds of men in various parts of the Inland Empire this spring, next fall and the spring of 1910. Reports are also current in Spokane that the Federal Government will take up the Benton and Kittitas projects, 877,800 acres, in Yakima, Klickitat, and Benton counties, already reported upon by the Reclamation Service, and it is believed that the Palouse projects, 100,000 acres, abandoned by the Reclamation Service because of the lack of funds, will receive attention this year. Other government works in Washington to be taken up include 50.000 acres in the Ellens- burg district, 200,000 acres in the Rattle- snake and Coal Creek districts, and 10,000 acres in the Okanogan country. The Government will in time have re- claimed 1,500,000 acres of wholly or partly waste lands in the state of Washington at an estimated cost of $50,000,000, which is pro- rated among the owners of the land where water is used. The projects in operation and under construction by the Reclamation Service include these works in the Yakima Valley : Sunnyside, 90,000 acres, to cost $1,- 600,000; the Tieton, 30,000 acres, costing $1,500,000, and the Wapato, 120,000 acres, to be completed at a cost of $1,500,000. The National Irrigation Congress at Spokane Prepartions for the National Irrigation Congress, in Spokane, August 9 to 14, are being vigorously pushed. Air. R. Insinger, chairman of the board of control, is the leading promoter. Governors Shallenberger of Nebraska, Campbell of Texas, Spry of LTtah, and Ansell of South Carolina have named delegates, as have also Mayor Critten- den of Kansas City, Mo., and Mayor Fugard of Pueblo. The latter city expects to send a special train or two and capture the Congress for 1910. Senator Jonathan P. Dolliver, of Iowa, chairman of the Committee on Agri- culture and Forestry, who is planning an extended trip throughout the Pacific North- west, announces that he hopes to attend the congress. Senator Dolliver is deeply interested in the problems pertaining to agriculture and forestry, also questions of deep waterways, drainage, good roads, and home-building, all of which questions will be discussed by ex- perts, including statesmen, scientists, rail- road presidents, and financiers. Dr. J. G. Schurman, President of Cornell University, announces the appointment of Prof. Liberty Hyde Baile}-, director of the College of Agriculture at Cornell, as the representative of that institution. Professor Bailey was head of President Roosevelt's farm-life commission and, as such, toured the Inland Empire and Pacific Northwest last fall, acquiring familiarity with western conditions, including irrigation, forestry, waterways, swamps, reclamation and the like. August 13 has been fixed upon as Gov- ernors' Day, when chief executives of the northwestern states and others of the East and South, will be present at the invitation of Gov. Marion E. Hay, of the state of Washington. President Taft and several members of his Cabinet are expected, and 376 COXSERVATIOX accredited delegates from various parts of the world to the number of 4,500 or S,ooo are expected. «r' i^ J^ Mr, Pinchot to Attend National Irrigation Congress :Mr. Gifford Pinchot, Chief of the Forest Service, who will be one of the speakers at the sessions, writes to Mr. Insinger that he will be at the congress from start to finish. Mr. Pinchot also probably will visit a num- ber of places in the Northwest following the sessions in Spokane. It is expected he will be accompanied by several officers of the Service on his western trip. Mr' «? &' Connpetition for Next Irrigation Congress Competitors are multiplying for the next irrigation congress. E. W. Palmer, secretary of the Pueblo Business Men's Association, writes to Mr. Hooker that a strong effort will be made to secure the 1910 congress for his city. Chicago, the great convention city, will also press its claim as a logical center for the next congress. Advices have been received that a special train of boosters will come from that city to Spokane with the endorsement of the Chicago Association of Commerce and officials of railroads. It is also known that the South will make a strong bid for the congress, the most persistent contender being Charleston, S. C. A report is also in circulation that two other cities are planning to invite the Congress to meet in the middle West. }fe' «=' i^ Land and Irrigation Exposition A movement has been started to hold a United Land and Irrigation Exposition at the Coliseum in Chicago beginning Novem- ber 26, coincident with the opening of the International Live Stock Exposition. Rail- road and land interests in Chicago are back of the movement. To the Chicago Tribune, as a disinterested party, has been delegated the financial and executive responsibility for this exposition. The purposes of the United States Land and Irrigation Exposition, as pointed out by Secretary Robert P. Cross, "are to illustrate to prospective settlers methods of cultiva- tion, and to show what can be produced on lands now under irrigation, on lands on which crops may be successfully raised by 'dry farming,' and on lands still undeveloped where rainfall is bounteous." "The United States Land and Irrigation Exposition, as proposed," says the Prairie Fanner, "is deserving of full and hearty support and will doubtless meet with the hearty sympathy of all who are interested in developing and conserving the national re- sources." «r' ^ «i Nebraska No Longer " Wild " A breezy reporter for a Chicago newspaper wrote of "brushing by the wilds of Nebraska," and referred again to "the forlorn wastes" of that state. In an interesting pamphlet, the Tzucnfieth Century Farmer calls him down. Following are a few ex- tracts relative to the alleged "wilds" and "wastes :" " 'The forlorn wastes of Nebraska,' wrote the Record-Herald's correspondent. 'For- lorn wastes' that produced 178,000,000 bushels of corn, 56.000,000 bushels of oats, 43,000,000 bushels of wheat, 8,000,000 bushels of potatoes, 2,000,000 tons of alfalfa, $50,000,000 worth of cattle and $12,000,000 worth of hogs in 1908! 'Forlorn wastes' tliat sell for from $75 to $350 an acre. 'Wilds of Nebraska' — and Nebraska with 7,000 school buildings, $8,000,000 in the per- manent school fund and $27,000,000 worth of school lands pouring more millions into that fund every' decade ! " 'Barren wastes' from which ascends the smoke from manufacturing plants that have a capitalization of $50,000,000, employ 20,000 wage-earners and pay $10,000,000 a year in wages while turning out finished products worth $175,000,000 on the open market! "There is more of pauperism, human suf- fering and abject misery in one ward in the city of Chicago than there is in the whole state of Nebraska. In the 'wilds of Nebras- ka' there are school houses with room enough therein to accommodate every Nebraska child of school age, and on Nebraska's 'barren wastes' is raised enough of wholesome food to give every child a breakfast before he goes to school and put a full dinner pail in his hand when he starts. On these 'barren wastes' we have erected and maintain the fourth largest state university in the Union and two of the largest normal schools in the country. On these 'barren wastes' 897,000 milch cows, worth an average of $31 a head, are converting nutritious Nebraska grasses into $7,000,000 worth of butter and cheese, and the happy wives and daughters of farmers are seeking the nests of the indus- trious Nebraska hen and collecting $18,000,- 000 worth of eggs. " 'While traveling in the wilds of Nebras- ka' and 'gazing over the forlorn wastes of Nebraska' the Record-Herald reporter missed a whole lot. For each man, woman and child in Nebraska there is an average of $159 de- posited in the banks of the state. For each child of school age the state expends $27 a year in educational work and for each en- rolled pupil an average of $30 a year." NEWS AND NOTES 377 Investment in Water Transportation "Within a few months a new thirty-five- foot channel will connect the lower Missis- sippi with the Gulf of Mexico. This is only one of the numerous developments in the way of transportation hy water. Projects arc already under way which mean an invest- ment of hundreds of millions of dollars in the course of probably no more than ten years. Among them is the work on the New York State canal system, involving the ex- penditure of $101,000^000 of public funds. Several millions more will be required fur the canal terminals made necessary by this method of navigation. 'The Business Men's League of St. Louis has already enlisted some millions of dollars in the effort to restore the Missouri am! Mississippi river traffic, with terminals at St. Louis, at Kansas City, and at New Or- leans. Two new coastwise steamship lines will within a month or more be operating between Philadelphia and the Gulf. On the Pacific coast the development of Mexican and American trade relations is adding to the shipping there, including the Hill line connecting the north coast terminals with San Francisco. "The impulse to internal navigation and to coastwise commerce is manifested further in Congressman Ransdell's bill to organize a department of transportation, in the advo- cacy of the issue of $50,000,000 of United States bonds for the improvement of canals and interior streams, and in the survey of the project for a coastal canal extending from Boston harbor to Galveston. "No threat to our railroad development as a whole is implied. Such water facilities, in fact, have usually brought more new business to the railroads than they have taken away." — ■ JVall Street Journal. "Kansas City is raising a million dollars to get a boat line on the Missouri River, 1,500 miles from blue water. New York State is spending $101,000,000 improving the Erie Canal. Canada is spending $100,000,000 making a canal from Lake Huron to the St. Lawrence River, and the state of Illinois is spending $20,000,000 to get deep water from Chicago to the Mississippi. Beaumont, by the way, will very shortly vote $400,000 to get deep water down to the Port Arthur outlet, en- abling her to bring deep-sea ships up to city wharves in the Neches River." — Hottston (Tex.) Chronicle. J^ )^ «r' To Reclaim Oklahoma Land Many thousands of acres of the richest agricultural lands in Oklahoma, now unculti- vated, are to be reclaimed and made perma- nently useful under a law of the first legis- lature that permits counties and communities to cooperate with the Federal Government in the drainage of swamp and overflow lands. Throughout almost the entire course of the Deep Fork and Little River, and for long stretches along the North Canadian and Washita, are large areas of land that are either swamp or subject several times a year to inundation. The soil is as rich as may be found, of great depth, and capable of pro- ducing heavy crops for an indefinite period. The reclamation of these lands will be a source of wealth to their owners. Since January i surveyors and Federal en- gineers have been at work in Johnston County preparing for the drainage of 5,995 acres of land contiguous to Sandy Creek. About eight miles of canals, and a number of levees will be builtj at a cost of $30,000, which will be charged against the land in proportion to the benefits derived. Work on the Washita bottom lands in Marshall and Johnston counties will begin as soon as the Federal Government makes a complete survey of the Washita River from the upper edge of Garvin County to the mouth of the river, giving an estimate of the cost of the drainage of the entire river country. Surveys are under way in Lincoln County to reclaim Deep Fork lands. ^ va i^ The Largest Fountain in the United States Near the Great Falls of the Missouri in north-central Montana are some very large springs that present certain unique geologic features and suggest an interesting problem as to the source of the water. These springs, known locally as Giant Springs, were discov- ered in 1804 by Captain Lewis, of the Lewis and Clark expedition, who described them as the "largest fountain in the United States." These springs, which are on the south side of Missouri River, about three miles below the town of Great Falls, Mont., issue through large joints in a medium to coarse grained sandstone on the bank of the river at the water's edge and in the bed of the river itself. The situation of the springs makes exact measurement of their flow very difficult, but the difference between two measurements of the flow of the Missouri — one above and the other below the springs — has been assumed to be the quantity of water furnished to the river by the springs. Ac- cording to E. T. Nettleton, this amount is approximately 638 cubic feet a second — the equivalent of more than 400,000,000 gallons every twenty-four hours — a veritable under- ground river. The water, which boils up with considerable force, is clear and rela- tively pure, containing no more dissolved salts than the average well-water of the Great Falls region. It has a temperature of about fifty degrees Fahrenheit. No use is made of the water at Giant Springs. The report by Mr. C. A. Fisher, published by the Geological Survey, as Water-supply Paper 221, is distributed free. 378 CONSERVATION The Smoke Nuisance The smoke plague of American cities has been conquered by science according to the statement of Federal experts who have been studying the problem for a number of years. They not only make the assertion that smoke prevention is possible, but stand ready to prove it by actual demonstration to any one sufficiently interested, and are proving it every day at the United States Geological Survey Experiment Station, at Pittsburg, Pa. In that smoky city the plant is being oper- ated absolutely without smoke and the experts are burning a coal considered refuse by the trade, costing, delivered at the station, 88 cents a ton. "■Some may say that this can only be done at an experiment station and not at a com- mercially operated plant," said H. M. Wilson, chief engineer. Technologic Branch, United States Geological Survey; "but the investi- gation conducted by the Government leads to a dififerent belief. Employees of the Sur- vey visited industrial establishments in the larger cities of Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, New York, Ohio, and Pennsylvania and found more than 200 plants being operated without smoke and with a gain in economy, for smoke these days means waste. "The investigation indicates that the clean, comfortable American city with a normal amount of sunshine is not far off. Smokeless cities only await a quickened public con- science to the fact that this nuisance means uncleanliness, poverty, wretchedness, disease, and death. The public has only to realize that smoke in the cities costs in merchandise in stores and warehouses, more than $600,000,000 a year. This loss in money is based on the statement of the Chicago smoke inspector that his city sufifers a loss each year of $50,000,000. More than a third of the peo- ple of this country live in the great and moderate-sized cities." The Geological Survey has been endeavor- ing by experiments for several years to in- crease the efficiency with which the fuels of the country are being used and this led to a study of the smoke problem, for smoke is waste due to imperfect combustion. The statement is now made that in fifty per cent, of the industrial plants of the United States, more than ten per cent, of the coal bill can be saved each year by the smokeless burning of coal and five per cent, in the other plants. This would amount to several million dollars. The experts who had immediate charge of this investigation were D. T. Randall and H. W. Weeks, engineers of the Technologic Branch of the Survey, and they have just made their report which will soon be issued by the Geological Survey as a bulletin. Mr. Randall maintains that it is not necessary to use any one certain patented furnace to obtain smokeless conditions. Many types of furnaces and stokers burn coal without smoke. "Credit is to be given to any one kind of apparatus only in so far as the manufacturers require that it shall be so set under the boilers that the principles of combustion are respected," says Mr. Randall. "Stokers or furnaces must be set so that the combustion is complete before the gases strike the heat- ing surface of the boiler. When partly burned gases at a temperature of, say 2,5ck> degrees Fahrenheit strike the tubes of a boil- er at, say, 350 degrees Fahrenheit, combustion is necessarily hindered and may be entirely arrested. The length of time required for the gases to pass from the coal to the heat- ing surface probably averages considerably less than a second, a fact which shows that the gases and air must be immediately mixed when large volumes of gas are distilled, as at times of hand firing, or the gas must be distilled uniformly, as in a mechanical stoker. "The fireman is so variable a factor that the ultimate solution of the problem depends upon the mechanical stoker — in other words,, the personal element must be eliminated." J^ «« )^ Maine's Peat Bogs The United States Geological Survey, in Bulletin 376, reports the results of an inves- tigation of the peat bogs of Maine. "The field tests and analyses recorded in this report show that Maine posessses im- mense resources of peat of excellent quality for fuel and other purposes. In the southern and eastern parts of the state deposits of good quality are most abundant in Andro- scoggin, Kennebec and Penobscot Counties, and especially in Washington County. In the northern part of the state tests were made only in Aroostook County along the Bangor and Aroostook Railroad. Peat resources as great as or greater than those of southern Maine undoubtedly are to be found in the forested lake districts of the northern part of the state. There utilization is so remote that testing them for the purpose of the re- port was not warranted, but they must be considered in estimating the total peat re- sources of the state. These resources, ex- cept for experimental plants near Lewiston and Portland, are at present undeveloped. The area of peat land actually tested in preparing the report is estimated at twenty- five square miles. The average depth of the peat is about ten feet. It is calculated that the bogs tested are capable of yielding at least 34,000,000 short tons of air-dried ma- chine peat which, at $3 a ton, would repre- sent a value of more than $100,000,000. It is probable that the deposits tested form luily one-tenth to one-fifth of the total peat re- sources of the state." The bulletin 376 may be obtained free from the Director of the U. S. Geological Survc\-, Washington, D. C. NEWS AND NOTES 379 To Save Miners' Lives Four stations for the training of miners in rescue work have been established recently by the big coal companies of the country and several more are in contemplation. This is a direct outcome of the demonstrations in res- cue vifork being made by the United States Geological Survey, Technologic Branch, at its experiment station in Pittsburg, Pa., and at the subrescue station in Urbana, 111. "The fact that these stations have been es- tablished is gratifying to the Geological Sur- vey," said Director George Otis Smith "It shows the operators and mine owners are tak- ing interest in this humane movement, and it is bound to result in a decrease in the num- ber of deaths in the mines. The sole pur- pose of the Government in taking up this work was to demonstrate its usefulness. It is not the intention to make the rescue sta- tion work permanent. "Perhaps the most complete of these pri- vate stations is that of the Frick Coke Com- pany, which employs 30,000 men. The station has been erected at the Leisingring mine, near Connellsville, Pa., in easy reach of all the Frick company's mines. There is a corps of six men being trained in the use of the oxygen helmet, a device that admits artificial breathing for two hours in the most deadly gases known. In order that the men be given practical experience in the use of these hel- mets, a part of the station has been devoted to an air-tight room which is filled with gases that will not support life. The men are being given a daily drill in this gas-filled room and are gaining confidence in the use of the hel- mets. Within a short time, the corps will visit the Government experiment station at Pittsburg, where the members will be given further instructions by the Federal experts. "Whenever a disaster occurs in any of the Frick company's mines, the rescue corps will respond at once and will immediately enter the mine for the purpose of bringing to the surface miners who have been injured or are tmconscious from the efifects of gases. With these helmets, the rescuers can enter any gas- filled mine where it would be sure death for the miner to go. In many disasters the men fortunate enough to be outside of tlie mine when the explosion occurred have had to re- main at the surface for hours, waiting for the ventilation to drive the gases out, knowing all the time that their comrades were dying." Other rescue stations have been established at Fairmont, W. Va., at the Marianna mine in Pennsylvania, where 150 lives were lost last November, and at Zeigler, 111. Mr. J. W. Paul, who has charge of the res- cue work for the Government, left Washing- ton recently for Europe, where he will study rescue work at the European stations. "In the short time we have been operating we have saved the lives of six men," said Mr. Paul, "and if we did nothing more, the results would warrant everything that has been done 6 so far by the United States in trying to re- duce the accident death rate in the mines. But I am satisfied more good will come from our efforts. The four stations just estab- lished will be the means of saving the lives of many miners ; and we all know, many a poor fellow, imprisoned in a mine filled with the dread fire-damp, has lived in agony for hours before he died. I understand that the oper- ators are to establish many more stations." i^ va ^ Mississippi's Rank in Naval Stores Production Mississippi held fourth place among the states figuring in the naval stores industry last year, outranking Louisiana, North Caro- lina, South Carolina, and Texas. The three leading states were Florida, Georgia, and Alabama. The states making the most marked advances in the production of naval stores last year were those using improved methods in turpentining, and it is safe to predict an even better showing in Mississippi when the cup and gutter and the cup and apron systems are used more widely. The production of more than 36,500,000 gallons of turpentine and more than 4,000,000 barrels of rosin, with a valuation of more than $14,000,000 for the turpentine and nearly $18,000,000 for the rosin, summarizes the output of the naval stores industry for all states in 1908, according to the preliminary report of the United States Forest Service just completed. The study was provided for in a special appropriation of $10,000 by Con- gress and the report contains the most com- plete and accurate statistics ever gathered for the naval stores industry in this country and covers the production for both 1907 and 1908, giving comparative figures for the two years. Of the eight southern states, each produc- ing more than 200,000 gallons of turpentine and 25,000 barrels of rosin, Florida leads the list with 17,030,300 gallons of turpentine in 1908 against 15,572,700 gallons in 1907, and 1,932,114 barrels of rosin in 1908, against 1.774.370 barrels in 1907. Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Texas follow in the order named. The comparative report of the production by states is as fol- lows : 1908 1907 Turpentine Rosin Turpentine Rosin pallons barrels gallons barrels Florida.... IT.CTO.SOO 1,932,114 15,572,700 1,774,-370 Georgia . . . 10..347,800 1,203,059 10,119,500 1,173,575 Alabama. . 3:, 7 44, 050 446,909 3,544,300 418,496 Mississippi 2,277,8.'-i0 277,704 2,232,500 255.307 Louisiana.. 1.696.250 195,804 1,134,100 126,340 N. Carolina 732.300 131,907 916,400 168,561 S. Carolina 5.59.800 72,125 586,950 75,057 Texas 200,650 28,601 74,350 7,609 36,589,000 4,288.283 34,180,800 3,999,321 38o CONSERVATION Vi'hilc these figures show an increase of 2,408,200 gallons of turpentine and 288,962 barrels of rosin for 1908 over 1907, there was a marked decrease in the value of the product for 1908 as compared with the pre- ceding year. This was due to the great de- crease in the prevailing prices for turpentine for igo8 and the slight decrease in the pre- vailing prices for rosin during the same year. The value of the product for the two years follows : Turpentine, 1908, $14,112,377.32; 1907, $18,283,309.93; rosin, 1908. $17,783,509.61; 1907, $17,317,059.93; a difference in the value of the combined output of $3,704,482.93 in favor of 1907. The increase in production for 1908 over 1907 was due r.icre to favorable weather and labor conditions than to increased operations. But few operators increased their operations, owing to the disorganized condition of the market at the time operations commenced. Figures upon which the report of produc- tion for the two years is based were secured by a system of correspondence and personal visits to the points of production by agents of the Forest Service. 5^ it' i^ To Create Municipal Forests A forward step of vast significance in the utilization of forest lands adjacent to cities in Pennsylvania has been taken by the passage of a bill entitled ''An act to permit the acqui- sition of forest or other suitable lands by municipalities for the purpose of establishing municipal forests and providing for the ad- ministration, maintenance, protection and de- velopment of such forests." The bill, as presented, is at the suggestion of the American Civic Association, which has made the subject of the preservation of for- ests one of its great activities. Legislation of the character contemplated by the Pennsyl- vania bill is new to the United States, but not new to European countries, Germany in par- ticular. Municipal forests in that countrv have been acquired and developed during a period of many years. They have been more than an addition to park systems — they have been a source of revenue to the municipali- ties maintaining them. The same results would be accomplished by the application of the municipal forest idea in America. The extent to which Germany has recognized the value of its forests is illustrated by the fact that in the single province of Baden, of its 1,564 communities. 1.350 own their own for- ests and in addition 287 corporations, such as schools, churches, and hospitals, possess forest land. From an aggregate of 1,342,944 acres in the state these local corporations are al- lowed to cut yearly 261,724,300 board-feet of timber and wood., with a net value of about $3,600,000. The city of Baden alone owns 10,576 acres, from which it has derived a net income of $66,079.68, or $6.25 per acre, all of which goes to the general fund for the maintenance of the municipality. The Pennsylvania law makes possible simi- lar returns for its townships, boroughs, and cities, the control of the forests thus ac- quired to be directed by the commissioner of forestry of the commonwealth. What Germany can do the United States ought to equal and exceed, notwithstanding the fact that Berlin is proposing at the present time to expend $10,000,000 in the acquirement of forests. Of this law Dr. J. T. Rothrock, Consult- ing Forester for Pennsylvania, says : "I re- gard it as one of the most important forestry measures that we have secured in this state. It cannot fail of good results. We are in- debted to the President of the American Civic Association, more than to any other one man, for its introduction and passage. It involves no expenditure of state funds and there is no reason why it should not lead to like enactments in every other state, and every reason why it should.'' )^ «? )^ Saving Storm-'felied Trees from Borers Experts of the Department of Agricul- ture have been studying the work of insects in storm-felled pine in the South, especially the work of the borer known to lumbermen as the "sawyer." The results should be of immediate interest to owners of timber felled or damaged by recent storms in the Southern States. It has been found that the sawyer begins work in the bark of felled trees very promptly, and that it reduces the value of the timber about one-third within two months, a reduction which represents many millions of dollars annually. This loss may be largely prevented by prompt action on the part of the timber owners. As soon as possible after a de- structive storm an estimate should be made of the amount of felled timber that can be converted into lumber before the sawyers begin to enter the wood. Trees that cannot be worked up with little delay can be pro- tected in either of two ways: (i) The bark may be removed from the trunks, or (2) the logs may be cut without removing the bark and placed in streams or ponds. The saw- yers will do practically no damage to timber from which the bark is removed within a month after their attack begins. In case of logs placed in water, they will continue their work only in the parts which are not com- pletely submerged. To timber felled in winter or early spring the methods recommended should be applied by May t for best results. Timber felled during the summer should be worked up, or have the bark removed, or be placed in water within one month after the sawyers begin to work in the bark. NEWS AND NOTES 381 Consumption of Pulp Wood in the United States The Census Bureau issued on May 15 a preliminary report on the consumption of pulp wood in the United States during the calendar year ending December 31, 1908. In it is found the following table : Waste in Iron Menaces Race A London dispatch to the Neiv York Herald says : "Mr. Allerton S. Cushman, assistant di- rector of the Office of Public Roads in the United States Department of Agriculture, 1908 Kinds of wood Quantity, cords Total 3,346,106 Spruce, domestic 1,487,356 Spruce, imported 672,483 Hemlock 569,173 Poplar, domestic 279,136 Poplar, imported 23,081 Pine 84,189 Cottonwood 45,679 Balsam 45,309 Miscellaneous 139,700 Cost 1907 Quantity, cords Cost $28,040,697 3,962,660 $32,360,276 13,024,104 1,795.278 15,358,027 7,130,457 905,575 8,689,159 3,423,789 576,154 3,270,700 2,235,448 352,142 2,763,889 184,326 19,798 167,039 512,013 78,583 506,517 324,053 66,084 469,422 327,624 43.884 332,984 878,883 125,162 802,539 Japan Fights Paper Famine The Japanese also have looked over the contents of their industrial stores and have decided that something must be done toward conserving their remaining supplies of raw material for paper-making. In Japan, paper is used for almost every- thing from the silver-figured partitions of the Buddhist temple to the rude hut walls of the laborer; from the silklike vestments of the priest down to the rainproof shield of the traveler. In fact, the ingenuity of the Japanese is only matched by the variety of uses to which paper may be adapted. The work of the United States Government toward determining the amount of paper materials used and the source of future sup- ply is being followed by the Japanese, ac- cording to an advice from U. S. Consul John H. Snodgrass, at Kobe. The immi- nence of the danger is apparent from the fact that the Japanese authorities have re- quested the paper-mills department of the Mitsu Bishi Kaisha to take over some 7,500 acres of the bamboo forests of Formosa. It is known that the bamboo tree has been the raw material from which the Japanese have recently made the larger portion of their paper products ; so it is thought that, by in- troducing improved methods of forest cul- tivation and harvesting, this tract of woods will furnish yearly 10,000,000 bamboos adapted for conversion into paper pulp. No matter whether the paper company will establish its mills in Formosa or ship the bamboo to Japan in a partly finished state, the development of this new source of raw material will be of high importance and may overcome the necessity of the island empire looking to foreign countries for the future supply of paper pulp. has been warning the iron and steel people in England against the waste that is going on in the world's natural resources. To the Herald correspondent Mr. Cushman ex- pressed some very strong views on this sub- ject. He said the increasing consumption of the world's supplies, and the constant decay of materials menaced the future of the human race. If the present insane riot of trade continued the time was not so very far distant when the members of the human race would find themselves in a very difficult situation. "If the processes of civilization were I0 be carried on, it seemed quite certain that civilization must learn to conserve more efficiently its stores of iron and steel already manufactured and seek methods to prevent the almost resistless tendency of iron to return to its lethargic union with oxygen. If steel could by any means whatsoever be ennobled and protected from corrosion fu- ture conditions could be viewed with com- placency. "Probably we could not to-day, with all our boasted knowledge, build an iron monu- ment like that at Delhi, which with no pro- tective covering had stood since the dim be- ginning of history without rust or decay. It was his belief that we had started now on the right track, and that a very few years would see very decided improvement, not only in the incorrodibility of material manufactured, but also in methods of pre- serving iron and steel after manufacture. The waste of iron and steel also meant the waste of coal, and the whole problem of conservation of these resources was one oi the most important now facing civilization." Mr. Cushman went to London as a dele- gate to the International Congress of Ap- plied Chemistry, which opened May 22. CONSERVATION'S ADVERTISERS The Profession of Forestry By GIFFORD PIXCHOT A pamphlet containing an address on that subject by Mr. Gifford Pinchot; also an address by JMr. Overton W. Price, on ■'Study in Europe for American Forest Students," and a list of reference publica- tions for students. Price, 25c. AMERICAN FORESTRY ASSOCIATION 1417 G Street N . VV. Washington, D C. The World's Greatest Poultry Paper THE FEATHER Only 50 Cents a Year THE FEATHER'S LIBRARY No. 1. DISEASES OF POULTRY. By D. E. Salmon, D.V.M. B'ully illustrated. Paper, 50 cents; cloth, $1. No. 2. THE FEATHER'S UP-TO-DATE POULTRY HOUSE. Taper, 25 cents. Xo. 3. THE AMERICAN FANCIER'S POULTRY BOOK. Profusely illustrated. By Geo. E. Howard. Paper, 50 ceuts; cloth, $1. No. 4. PLYMOUTH ROCKS. Colored illustrations. By T. F. McGrew. Paper, 50 cents; cloth, $1. No. 5. WYANDOTTES. Colored illustrations. By T. F. McGrew. Paper, 50 cents; cloth, $1. No. 6. POCKET-MONEY POULTRY. By Myra V. Norys. Paper, 50 ceuts; cloth, $1. No. 7. THE EGG QUESTION SOLVED. By T. F. McGrew. Paper, 25 cents; cloth, 50 cents. No. 8. HOW TO GROW CHICKS. By T. F. McGrew. Paper, 25 cents; cloth, 50 cent.s. No. 9. THE HOMING PIGEON. Illustrated. Paper, 25 cents; cloth, 50 cents. No. 10. THE FEATHER'S PRACTICAL PIGEON BOOK. By J. C. Louk. Paper, 50 cents; cloth, $1. No. 11. MONEY IN SQUABS. Profusely illustrated. By J. C. Long and G. H. Brlnton. Paper, 50 cents; cloth, $1. No. 12. THE FEATHER'S PRACTICAL SQUAB BOOK, By W. E. Rice. Paper, 50 cents; clotli, $1. No. 13. PERFECTED POULTRY OF AMERICA. By T. F. McGrew and Geo. E. Howard. Illustrated hy Louis P. Graham. Cloth, $2.50. SPECIAL OFFER Our latest book. THE PERFECTED POULTRY OF AMERICA, and THE FEATHER for one year for the price of the book alone, $2.50. THE HOVVaRO PUBLISH! ^G CO. 714 Twelfth Street Northwest Washington, D. C. TKEES FOR FORESTRY PLANTING Catalpa Speclosa. Black, Locust, European Larch, Sugar or Hard Maple, American Beech, White Birch. Red Oak, American Linden, White Elm, American Sweet Chestnut, Black Walnut; also SEEDS of above varieties. EVERGREENS White Pine, Scotch Pine, Ponderosa Pine, Jack Pine, Austrian Pine, White, Norway, Doug- las, and Red Spruce, $3.00 to $10.00 per 1,000. We also carry a large assortment of EVER- qrEEN Tree Seeds, both native and foreign. Many Millions to Offer We make a specialty of growing EVER- GREENS and DECIDUOUS tree seedlings In Immense Quantities for reforestation purposes. Our list includes all valuable native species, at lowest possible prices. Our new Catalog describes each variety and gives much valuable Information about care and culture. All applicants for Catalog mentioning this Mag- azine will receive free of charge a booklet en- titled "Catalpa Growing for Profit," by D. Hill. D. HILL EVERGREEN SPECIALIST BOX 305 DUNDEE. ILL. Hill's trees have been famous for over half a century. FOREST MENSURATION Graves 8vo, xiv -I- 458 pages, 47 figures. Cloth, $4.00. THE LONGLEAF PINE IN VIRGIN FOREST Schwarz i2mo, X + 13s pages, 23 full-page half- tone illustrations and 3 diagrams. Cloth, $1.25 net. PRINCIPLES OF AMERICAN FORESTRY Green i2mo, xiii 4 334 pages, 73 figures, in- cluding many half-tones. Cloth, $1.50. JOHN WILEY & SONS 43 and 45 East 19th St., New York City lb In writing to advertisers kindly mention Conservation CONSERVATION'S ADVERTISERS ^7 ( r /y-'^^~^, Your dealer can equip your Camera with the Goerz Lens whether it is a Seneca, Century, Ansco, Premo or any Kodak n*? DAGO R KZ. LENSES There is a Goerz Lens for work in which quickness is paramount. There is a Goerz Lens for sharp detail work which has a wide angle. There is a Goerz Lens for long-distance work which brings the object especially near. Enough of each of these three qualities is combined in the Goerz Dagor to make it the best all-around lens for the man who doesn't wish to speciaHzc but who wants one lens capable of the widest range of work. EveiTone who wislies to do really serious and good pliotogrraphic work should insist on having his camera equipped with the Goerz Dagor. Any dealer in cameras or optical goods has, or can get the Uagor. Our free catalogue, sent on request, describes f loevz Lenses, the XL Sector Shutter (quick, smooth, compact and uccuraie).Trieder Buioculars (small in size, yet powerful) and Anschutz Cameras. C. p. GOERZ AMERICAN OPTICAL CO., Office and Factory : 79 East 130th Street, New York Dealers' JJistril.utinz .ApincicB: In I. hieaf,— Ja. ks ii i- ^eiumelmexer; i-an Francisco— Uirsch i- Kaiser; In I anaaa— R. F. ^-i.iilh. Montreal. Trees for Forest Planting White Spruce Seedling's, 3 yr. 3-8 in. $40.00 per 10,000 White Pine— (Seedlings) 4-6 In., $8 per 1,000; 6-12 In., $60 per 1,000; 1-1% ft., $90 per 1.000; 2-S ft.. $1B0 per 1.000-^-5 ft., $70 per 100; 7-8 ft., $300 per 100. Pitch Pino— (Seedlings) 2-4 in., $5 per 1,000—2 ft'., $15 per 100. Scotch Pine— 2-3 In., $5 per 1.000; 2 ft., $15 per 100. White Spruce— (3-yr. seedlings) 3-8 In., $5 per 1,000. Pin Oak— (Seedlings) 2-4 In., $9 per 1,000—4 ft.. $25 per 100. Bed Oak— 4 ft., $18 per 100. BIG SHADE TREES save 15 to 20 years of your time. Grown 15 to 25 feet apart, broad tops, good roots, safely shipped. Over 1,500 to select from, 20 to 30 feet high. _, Price, Price KT ., , Dlam. Ht. Spread. Age. F.O.B. Dlam Ht Snread Aetp FOR Norway Map e.... 3% In. 18 ft. 6 ft. 13 yr. $8.00 Silver Maple 5 l" 2? fi. 10 ft 12 yr $18 ()o' Norway Maple.... 5 in. 22 ft. 10 ft. 18 yr. 20.00 Silver Maple 6 in 26 ft 12 ft ifi vr 9n'nn ^nvr\f"?P^*---- .,?!"• ^V- 12 ft. 22 yr. 35.00 Pin Oak _;::;:; en! 24 tt. If' 16 yr' loM Silver Maple 4% In. 22 ft. 10 ft. 12 yr. 9.00 lo yr. bo.ou feet^nriad o^^ro]ft«^ Jh^^'^"*'^^^^*^ ""^ "P^^' ""^^ ^™t ^''^ "'^^InS «'"'1« t^«« °P to 60 feet high and 35 reet spread of roots, and evergreen trees up to 35 feet high. large''b''alls'Tf'l';«h'=''oVe^r*tboo'r'select f?om"' ""'"'•"='• '" *° '° '''' •"^'^' '''''""' '™™ °"^ °"^^"^ -"•> USUAL SIZES of trees, shrubs, vines, hardy flowers of excellent quality at low rates. Send for Illustrated catalogue showing solutions for many landscape problems. ISAAC HICKS CSl SON Westbury Station Long Island. New York In writing to advertisers kincily mention Conservation JAMES D. LACEY WOOD BEAL VICTOR THRANE ARE Interested in Southern or Pacific Coast Timber? We furnish detailed reports as to the QUALITY of the timber, giving average TOP and BUTT diameters, average lengths and number of trees on each 40-acre subdivision. We submit reports covering details as to logging conditions, cost and most feasible methods of logging each 40-acre or sectional subdivision of each tract. We also furnish a TOPOGRAFHICAIi map of all tracts located in mountainous dis- tricts, showing every elevation of 100 feet throughout the tract with OUR OWN engineer's report showing locations of most feasible routes and grades for logging roads. We can furnish sufficient data regarding ANY tract of timber which we have examined to convince you whether the tract is what you want or not. Personal inspection of any tract we may offer you will be found just as represented. We are in a position to offer some exceedingly attractive TIMBER properties in tha SOUTH, in BRITISH COLUMBIA, and on the PACIFIC COAST. Also a few going mill operations with ample timber supplies in South Carolina and Mississippi. We furnish detailed reports of amount of STUMPAGE on each 2 1-2- 5- or 10-acre subdivision of each forty. ''~^^"^'~~ We employ expert PACIFIC COAST CRUISERS to check all estimates made on West- ern Timber. We offer HIGH CLASS Timber Properties only, which have been placed in our hands for sale. We guarantee our estimates are reliable. JAMES D. LACEY & CO. (ESTABLISHED SINCE 1880) 608 Hennen Buildiag 828 Chamber of Commerce 507 Lumber EzchaLge 1216 Old Colony New Orleans Portland, Ore. Seattle Chicago amo. m. howabd pbuss^ washinoton runucny r^Jivco i iv i /\i^u iiviviort. i HJI^ l"^0. / K) re s ts , VVat c r s , Soils afto^ Minef^is PuWiihed by THE AMERICAN FORESTRY ASSOCIATION, 1417 G St. N. W., Washington, D. C, Price, $2.00 per Year, Including Annual Membership in the Association Copyright, 1909, by The American Forestry Association CONSERVATION'S ADVERTISERS \our Trees ave Life and Deserve to Live ^^^ Trees are almost human, staunch and loyal, but do you appreciate them as you should ? Are you as loyal to them as they are to you ? _ _ When you were a child, doubtless every tree about the old home was as much a thing of person- ality as the horses and dogs you loved — the boys and girls --> you trudged to school with. Perhaps to each tree you gave a name — the sturdy old oak close by the road ; the trusty and faithful elm that towered high above the roof peak of the house ; and the weeping willow in a fence corner close by the driveway. Possibly you were told the legend of mother's mother, who, when but a girl in her teens, returned one day from a ride and threw her whip in the corner — a mere slip of willow she had found that afternoon ; how days passed and the slip took root ; how years passed and it became the weeping willow that you knew. Still other years have passed and the struggles of life have caused you to forget, maybe, the tree friends of your childhood. The old oak was wounded, had not proper care, and died. A mighty storm lacerated the mammoth elm ; it was neglected, and today is a mere wreck of its former self. Only a dying trunk stands to remind you of the legend of the weeping willow. The lives of these trees might have been preserved had you not forgotten to love and care for them as you did of old All the trees are your friends — entities, indeed ; worthy of every token of tenderness and every care you can bestow upon them. They cannot complain to you, and today they may appear healthy, while dying within. John Davey's lifework has been the care of trees, their treatment when sick, their treatment when wounded, their protection from destroying enemies. The Davey methods are sure ones — the result of nearly fifty years' practical experience with trees. No mat- ter what ails your trees, if not too far gone, the Davey experts can save them. The Davey School of Practical Forestry, at Kent, Ohio, is the culmination of John Davey's great efforts for the recognition of the life and needs of trees. Its corps of highly trained experts are at your service — they can restore your trees to a condition that means years of added usefulness and beauty. For the asking, you can have our handsome illustrated Booklet H, telling you all about the Davey methods. 26 Brnadnv/iy, Neiv York, July i^, igoy Mr. John Davey, Tarrytown, New York. My Dear Sir: It gives me pleasure to express the satisfaction I feel over the work done on my trees at Tarrytown. Their need of attention, which you plainly indicated, was a revelation to me, and I feel that your work was thoroughly and efficiently done, and will serve not only to beautify biut perpetuate the lives of the trees. I beg also to certify to the cour- tesy and industrious character of your employees. Very truly yours, John D. Archboi.d THE DAVEY TREE EXPERT CO. Operating Davey's School of Practical Forestry Main Office Eastern Office KENT, OHIO TARRYTOWN, N. Y. The Home of Tree Surgery ' ' Address neai est office In writing to advertisers kindly mention Conservation BW YORK BOTANICAL aKOEN. '"""i; '"'K^^|^^7,M;^(|■^^y^\^™m;y^/^^^^^ CONTENTS FOR JULY, 1909 COVER DESIGN— By Charles E. Cartwright. TYPICAL ORCHARD HOME IN THE INLAND EMPIRE Frovtispiecc IRRIGATION IN THE INLAND EMPIRE 385 A FOREST CONFERENCE IN THE WHITE MOUNTAINS 391 THE BIG BANYAN OF KEY WEST, FLA.— By Mrs. R. A. Ellis 393 A FIELD FOR INVENTIVE GENIUS— By Mrs. L^'dia Adams-Williams 394 WORK ON A NATIONAL FOREST— No. 11, by Charles Howard Shinn 397 PRACTICAL FOREST WORK FOR ADVANCED STUDENTS IN NEBRASKA.. 402 FORESTRY IN MASSACHUSETTS— By F. W. Rane 405 NATURAL TAXATION OF TIMBERED MINING LAND— By Robt. B. Brinsmade.. 408 WATER CIRCULATION AND ITS CONTROL— By Bailey WiKis 413 CHEMISTRY AND CONSERVATION 42-' THE PRESIDENT FOR CONSERVATION 426 ORGANIZATIONS FAVORING APPALACHIAN NATIONAL FORESTS 427 EDITORIAL— Edward Everett Hale Forestry a Germ of the Con.servation Movement. Let Us Hear from the Schools Legislative News Bureau for Consbrv.\tion. . . The Point of View 430 Water-power Grahs in Wiscousin 432 430 The National Irrigation Congress 434 431 President Hill on Conservation 435 431 Destruction of Fish 437 431 Resiionsiliility for Forests 43S BACK NUMBERS WANTED 438 NEWS AND NOTES— Government to Study Eucalyptus Planting 430 Timber Seasoning and Wood Preservation 430 Forest Conservation in Germany and the United States 439 Mr. Weyerhaeuser on Forest Taxation 44n Taxing a Forest Grant 440 Government Encoura.: ing Willow Culture 441 Seasoning Eucalyptus Poles 441 Forest Resources of South America 442 Over-cutting of Connecticut's Forests 442 Fire Waste Through Carelessness 443 Needless Work Is W'aste 443 Two Projects in Eastern Oregon 44! Governors Expected at Irrigation Congress 444 Forestry the Schools 444 Mr. I'in( on Foresti'y in Arkansas 44 1 The Moral Aspect of Forestry 444 Saving the Bis Trees 44.5 A New Pest 44.j Micl i'-an Forest Fires 44" Pursuing Timber Thieves in Michigan 44."p Forest Work in Virginia 44."i Afforestation by Newark 41f> Forestry Work in Vermont 44(1 A Ci air of Silviculture at Yale 44G Annual Meeting of Connecticut Forestry Associ- ation 416 Dry Farming 447 Natural Resources to Produce Revenue 447 Face to Face with a Water-power Trust . . . 447 The Water-power Monopoly 447 Water-power Sites 44S A Conservation Commission for Iowa 440 Favors a Conservation Commission for Canada.. 440 Conservation of Daylight 440 Forest Fires in Maine 440 Bark Affects Penetration of Wood Preservatives 440 Government Studying Yellow I'ine 4.10 Magazines Pushing Conservation 450 Vanishing Forest Giants 450 Wood-waste Distillation 450 RECENT PUBLICATIONS 4.=-0 Conservation is the official organ of the American Forestry Association. Price, $2.00 ppr year, iiichiding Amiu:il Membership in the A.s.sociation. 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. 3«3 IPOWES WATC SOILS AND K^ilf im . I?R1^ Vol. XV JULY, 1 909 No. 7 IRRIGATION IN THE INLAND EMPIRE IRRIGATION by Government proj- ects covering more than 2.000,000 acres of lands in the West, and by private projects covering some ii,- 000,000 ; possibilities under intensive cultivation and the advantages of com- munity life in localities where orchards, fields, and gardens are watered by artifi- cial means, and problems of forestry, deep waterways, reclamation of swamp lands, good roads, conservation of re- sources and home-building, all will be brought prominently to the fore during the seventeenth sessions of the National Irrigation Congress. This meeting will be held in Spokane, August 9 to 14, when between 4,000 and 5,000 accredited del- egates and representative business men of the United States and Canada, Eu- rope, the Latin republics, China, and Japan will meet under the presidency of George Eames Barstow of Texas. The board of control, through its ex- ecutive committee, headed by R. lu- singer, is arranging a comprehensive program, including addresses by states- men, scientists, bankers, and experts in their various lines of endeavor, and dis- cussions by delegates^. In addition. there will be demonstrations by officials of the United States Reclamation Serv- ice of the scientific application of moist- ure. These will take place in the state armory, where the congress meets. There will also be parades of prog- ress, showing the development of the Northwest, and a march in review by the industrial and irrigation army of 10,000 men, representing the various districts in which intensified farming is practised. The thoroughfares and buildings in the city will be decorated and illuminated by myriads of electric lights, and there will be massed exhibits of the resources of the country, the un- furling of the colors of the nations, patriotic airs by massed bands, the sing- ing of the irrigation ode by a large chorus of trained singers and rendi- tions of national and state hymns by school children. Though there are now approximately 200 private irrigation projects in what is called the Inland Empire, embracing 150,000 square miles of territory in eastern Washington, northern Idaho. Avestern Montana, northeastern Oregon, and' southeastern British Columbia, and 385 Lower Falls in scores of private works in other parts of the West, the Ciovernir.erit of the United States early recognized the pos- sibihties of the land in the Northwest, where its operations cover more than 1,000,000 acres. More than that, the economic value of irrigation has become so established there is no longer doubt, if any existed, that the West, once called the Great American Desert, is bound to become the home of the highest agricultural civilization of all America. The largest of the Government's works in the state of Washington is the Sunnyside project, in the Yakima Valley. It covers 99.000 acres, and will cost $2,253,000. The Tieton proj- ect, in the same valley, will reclaim 30,000 acres, at a cost of $1,800,000. and the Wapato, also in the Yakima Valley, will eventually take in 120,000 acres at a cost of $3,600,000. The Okanogan project, in the county of the 386 same name, will water 9,000 acres, at a cost of $585,000. In addition to these, the Government has authorized the Kittitas and Benton projects^ covering several hundred thou- sand, acres in Washington. The Indian and Reclamation Service estimate that $25 or less will cover the cost for water right on the reservation. This is about one-half the cost of watering land under other canals in the Yakima Valley. There are also twenty successfully op- erated private irrigation projects in this valley. Government officials report that event- ually more than $20,000,000 will be ex- pended by the Reclamation Service in the state of Washington in reclaiming 500,000 acres of land now entirely or partly waste. Of this, 50.000 acres will be in the EUenburg district. The Government projects in southern Idaho are the Minidoka, with an area of 160,000 acres, to be completed at ihe Heart of Spokane an estimated cost of $4,000,000, and the Payette-Boise, 200,000 acres, costing $3,000,000 ; while Oregon has the Uma- tilla project, 20,000 acres, costing $1,- 200,000; and the Klamath, part of which extends into California, 165,000 acres, costing $5,950,000. The projects in Montana are the Huntley, 33,000 acres, cost $840,000; the Milk River, including Saint Mary, 30,000 acres, cost $1,200,000, and the Sun River, 16,000 acres, costing $500,000. The Lower Yellowstone project in Montana and North Dakota takes in 66,000 acres, and will cost $2,- 700,000 when completed. Two hundred private projects are in operation in the Inland Empire. Nu- merous irrigation canals have been con- structed in Chelan County, which has the VVenatchee, Chelan, and Entiat val- leys. There are also important works along the Columbia River in eastern Oregon and in the Spokane, Kettle Falls, Bitter Root, and Snake River and Clearwater valleys. One hundred thou- sand acres of land in the Spokane Valley is capable of irrigation. The Spokane River, near-by lakes, and an under- ground stream, flowing through the valley, are used by these plants, one of which raises the water by means of electric pumps from wells, ninety-seven to 140 feet in depth. The extent of operations on irrigated lands in the Northwest will be better understoo-.l when it is known that the value of the apple and other fruit crops in the Inland Empire amounted to $14,- 030,000 in 1908. It will be $60,000,000 m 1912. by which time several million trees, set out in the last two years, will come into bearing, and others planted between 1903 and 1906 will have reached maturity. This is only the beginning of the fruit i,ldu^trv in the Northwest, where mil- 387 Wiicre Dollars Grow on Trees in Irrigated District, Eastern Washington £-^>*^iMM^ Pari of a Stand of YcHow Pine in Southeastern Waslilnglon o Z u •o a ^ FOREST CONFERENCE IN WHITE MOUNTAINS 391 lions of acres of land, now flecked with the dusty green of sagebrush, are await- ing the refreshing moisture to make it blossom like the proverbial rose. Irri- gation does much more for the growing of crops than does rain, as the natural element gives nothing except moisture, while .the waters diverted from the mountain sides bring witli them new fertility. Irrigation is no longer an experiment in the western country ; it is a confirmed success from commercial and financial viewpoints. It has been demonstrated that under irrigation these lands will produce paying crops of anything which grows in the temperate zone. The prod- ucts are noted for their brilliant color- ing, unusual size, and excellent flavor, and they command the markets of the world. Vegetables in almost endless variety and the choicest vine and tree fruits follow each other in rotation and fill out the season. Five to ten acres of land .in the irri- gated districts will provide shelter, food, and raiment for a family and enable its owner to put aside from $500 to $1,000 a year. Scores of hundreds of men and women, many of whom came from the crowded cities, are doing that much or better to-day, and the develop- ment of the country, now yet in its in- fancy, will provide a safety-valve against the impending dangers of con- gestion in the cities of the East. A FOREST CONFERENCE IN THE WHITE MOUNTAINS AUGUST 3, 4, and 5 promise to be interesting days in New Flamp- shire. In connection with the annual meeting of the Society for the J^rotection of New Hampshire Forests, beginning on the evening of August 3, and continuing through the 4th, the di- rectors of the American Forestry Asso- ciation will hold a meeting, and there will be a gathering of the state foresters of the New England and Middle At- lantic states. It has been decided to make the occasion a forest conference, under the auspices of the New Hamp- shire Society. Hon. Frank W. Rollins, formerly governor of New Hampshire, will preside. Mr. James S. Whipple, forest commissioner of New York Strt". will give an address, i'lustrated w'tli lant.^rn photographs, showing what l';!s been (inne in the great Adirondack ;mu1 Catskill reserves, especially in re- foresting them. Mr. Austin F. Hawes, state forester in A^ermont : Mr. F. Wm. Rane, state forester in ]\Iassa- chusetts, and IMr. Edwin A. Start, sec- retary of the Massachusetts Forestry Association, will take part. Full re- ports will be made of the progress of the Appalachian Bill. There will be excursions on August 5 to Mt. Wash- ington, Mt. Echo, overlooking the great burned areas in the Zealand Valley, and to other interesting points. The sessions of the conference will be held at the Mt. Pleasant House, Bretton Woods, N. H., one of the most comfortable and best-appointed hotels in the mountains, and located in the heart of the Presidential Range. A special rate of $3 a day is made to those who come from a distance. An excursion may be arranged up Hale Mountain, named for Rev. Ed- ward Everett Hale, a large mountain near the center of the White Mountains, but little visited because of its compara- tive inaccessibility and the absence of any trail. Prior to the unexpected an- nouncement of his death. Doctor Hale himself, it was hoped, would attend the conference in person. Members of the American Forestry Association who may be sojourning in New England in August will be cor- diallv welcome. c c O C H .3? THE BIG BANYAN OF KEY WEST, FLA, By MRS. R, A, ELLIS NO NATURAL growth in the United States has attracted mure admiring attention from travelers who see it than the big Banyan, or Wild Fig tree, in front of the army post at Key West. This island-town, the sonthernmost under our flag, is quaintly interesting in every way ; and its avenues, lined with gracefully waving cocoa palms, wide-branching tamarinds, tall sapo- dilloes, and Cuban laurels, hold visitors in a continuous state of ecstatic admira- tion as they drive or go by car from end to end of this seventeen-mile-long rock thrown up in the Mexican Gulf. Hut when we turn out by the bar- racks and rest under the shade of this vast spreading Banyan tree, wonderful gift of the Orient to the Occident, si- lence is the first tribute we pay its beauty and charm. Here is the fig-tree of the East. The prophet made us accjuainted with it when he promised. "Thou shalt rest under thine own vine and fig tree." and in this pleasant shade, deep and wide, we begin to. comprehentl the signifi- cance of such a promise, especially to the sun-weary Eastern peoples. The name Banyan, attaching to it because such trees were originallx- used as bazaars or marts by the early Hindu merchants — "banians," in their lan- guage, who traded by caravan from the ports to the interior — came long ago to be used popularly, and now we seldom hear another. Yet it is really the fig- tree, the Ficus Bengalensis. Here is indeed a "forest in a single tree." Slender roots, like feelers, are being continually thrown out from its lateral branches. These speedily find and grasp the soil, and soon are sturdy new trunks, for the stancher support of the ever-expanding crown. In India, the tree has long been planted extensively for shade, and the Key Westers are now trying experi- ments with it for the same purpose. It is easy to see how valuable it will prove amid tropic heats, being of compara- tively rapid growth and frequently cov- ering a space of 300 feet in diameter, and easily attaining a height of eighty feet. The fruit is merely the size of a cherry, and of little value. Nature here shows another of her co- quettish inconsistencies. Why shouldn't she have fastened her huge, dangerous- looking clutters of cocoanuts among these wide, substantial branches, and hung the light bunches of figs, or cherries, up there in the plumy crown of the swaying palm? 393 A FIELD FOR INVENTIVE GENIUS Need of a Substitute for the Wooden Railroad Tie — Description of the Keystone Steel Railroad Tie By MRS, LYDIA ADAMS.WILLIAMS OF THE many forms in which wood is used, railroad ties oc- cupy fourth place in the total yearly expenditure, sawed lumber be- ing first, firewood second, and shingles and laths third. It has been calculated that the amount of wood used each year in ties is equivalent to the prod- uct of 600,000 acres of forest, and that to maintain every tie in the track two trees must be growing. In the construction of new track and for renewals, the steam and street rail- roads used, in 1906, over 100,000,000 cross ties, at an average price of 48 cents per tie, an approximate value of over $48,000,000. The woods used varied, but oak large- ly predominated, forty-four per cent., or nearly one-half of the ties consumed, be- ing made of that wood. Southern pines came second, being utilized for about one-sixth of all the ties laid. Other woods used were, in the order of their consumption, Douglas fir, cedar, chest- nut, cypress, western pine, tamarack, hemlock, redwood, lodgepole pine, white pine, and others. This immense yearly drain upon the forests for railroad tics alone, covering a large variety of the principal woods grown, emphasizes the need of inventive genius to discover some substitute for wood. With nearly 300,000 miles of railroad trackage, and approximately 2,800 ties to the mile, there are over 800,000 ties constantly subject to wear and decay. When it is considered that the service of the longest-lived tie timbers in gen- eral use — white oak, Douglas fir, chest- 394 nut, tamarack, and spruce — is but seven years, while with some, as the black oak, it is but four years ; and when it is further considered that the supply of hardwood is waning and that a timber famine is almost at hand, the fact becomes apparent that there is a vital necessity for inventing some tie to take the place of the wooden tie. Statistics gathered by the Forest Service prove that the timber sup- plies of the country, at the present rate of consumption, will be exhausted in thirty-three years. To the unscientific and untraveled person who gazes with admiration al- most amounting to reverence upon some particularly fine stand of timber which his limited vacation trip brings to his attention, the widely heralded fact that the timber supplies will soon be exhausted seems a fallacy unworthy of belief. What do we mean by saying that a timber famine is at hand ? Scattered throughout the United States there are from 500,000,000 to 700,000,000 acres of land, upon which more or less timber is growing. The Forest Service in its estimate of the timber now standing places the highest figure at 2,000,000,000,000 board feet, while the lowest figure of the standing timber is 1,400,000,000,000 board feet. We are cutting and using timber at the rate of 100,000,000,000 board feet a year, while the annual growth is but a third of the consumption or from thirty to forty billion feet. Subtract forty from 100 and we see that we are using each year 60,000,000,000 more board o ii c J3 >• be iu u J3 .2? 396 CONSERVATION feet than grows each year. Divide 2,000 by si.Nty and we have an indication that the timber will be exhansted in a little over thirty years — to be exact, in thirty-three and one-third years. With a timber famine almost at hand, the wood-using" industries will welcome any practical invention that will tend to lessen the drain upon the forests. Many substitutes are talked of to take the place of wood, but even with them all we still need to exercise the utmost care and economy in the use of our wood resources. An invention which will greatly lessen the drain upon the wood supply is a steel railroad tie patented by Mr. Dawson Hoopes. of Philadelphia, and known as the Keystone steel tie. The tie, which is eight feet long, eight inches wide and five inches thick, has its body formed of two channel- shaped beams of steel, of different cross-sections and one fitting over or embracing" the other to constitute a box- like structure, with bolts for clampin-:^ the rails thereto. The tic is filled with some non-metallic material, as slag or concrete, which, while in the plastic con- dition, may be poured in and allowed to set or harden to give solidity to the tie as a whole. Experiments prove the Keystone steel tie to be eminently satisfactory, and filling in all respects the require- ments of the ordinary oak tie, com- bining, as it does, great strength and stabilitv, and conforming closely to the shape and resiliency of the wooden tie, with the added advantage that its use- fulness covers a period ten times as long as does the best wood tie in use. On account of the shortage of wood pulp, the invention of this tie is wel- comed by the wood-using industries and bv newspapers. It is predicted that the tie will meet with wdde use, espe- ciallv in the Philippines, China and South America, as the fact that it can be shipped in part^. and assembled and fillefl with concrete afterward, makes it rlesirable for transporting a long dis- tance. A Scene in tlic Everglades WORK ON A NATIONAL FOREST No. 11. The Personal Equation By CHARLES HOWARD SHINN, Supervisor, Sierra National Forest IT IS the 1st of May up here in the forest, and all the world is moving on to growth and strength. Every- where new life has risen like a happy flood. Everywhere the rangers arc ready in the same old spirit of unspoiled confidence that they have taught each other, and their supervisor, up here in old Sierra. Sometimes it has been said to me that those forest men who really understand the secret fashioning of the one central principle which I have ever striven ti) set forth in these articles do not in the least need the lesson, while on the other hand those who most painfully need it are not conscious of its lack nor capable of its comprehension. This must be true in some degree of every fact, large or small ; the friends of the fact, since time began, have ut- tered in efi^ect the same criticism. But if one yielded to it, even in thought, it would be a treason like Arnold's. In all men I have ever known there is hidden, though often too deep and si- lent, enough comprehension to follow the blazed trail, when once they find it. It is not given to many of us to blaze a trail so well and so wisely that along that broadened path a railroad shall some day run. Very few men in all the ages that have been can rise to the full certitude of Kipling's Pioneer. Do you remember him ? Kipling's name for him is "The Explorer." The poem is in the Five Nations. That, and the "Chant Pagan," redeem a thousand times over all the vulgar, trivial, and ignorant things which Kipling has writ- ten. Read it again, and rejoice with the pioneer of the pioneers who had set his mark on his land forever, and who said to those who were to build the sites he had chosen. Have I named one single river? Have 1 claimed one single acre? Have I kept one single nugget (barring samples)? No; not L Because my price zi'as paid me ten times over by my Maker. But you wouldn't understand it. You go up and occup}'. Something of this pioneer feeling comes to one every now and then, al- most blinding him with its intensitv of white fire. It itndoubtedly came with immense force and in an especial way to the man whose wdiole leadership of the new forest movement in America was made possible only because of his "explorer's imagination ;" he heard, and still hears, the call of that which "lies hidden behind the ranges." What is it that binds the hearts of men to a great cause such as forestry. and makes it dearer to them with each revolving year ? And what is the one thread that runs through all that I have written or said, these years in the Sierras? It is, I think, the recogni- tion of the infinite preciousness of the "personal equation." I am convinced that we should so deal with all men. and with our fellow-workers, and with those under us and those over us, that the best there is in each one's personal equation (both theirs and ours) shall truly find its fullest development. The heart of it all is so to live that we can put ourselves in the other fel- low's place, see with his eyes, pulse with his heart, think with his brain; sor- row with his errors, and rejoice with his successes, deal with him as a friend and a brother, lift him to new levels 397 Forest of Noble Fir, Hemlock and RedlFir in Oregon WORK ON A NATIONAL FOREST 399 bv putting into his soul a passionate desire for some larger thing. Nor can we ever help another until we learn how to take help from him. I know a splendid ranger, great and joyous, who once said of his super- visor : "He makes me feel as if I was going to be on trial for my life pretty soon, with just a hair of prejudice against me in the mind of the court." It was said at a camp-fire ; it drifted wide, and came to be the final judg- ment of the mountains. Somehow the "personal equation" had been cast out of the balances, you see, and when that falls to the ground there is very little left. I heard of a ranger once, who said to his superior officer, 'T like this new work of mine so much better than what I used to do." "Yes," said the officer, "all of us are delighted w'ith your success." "It was the best thing I ever did, to ask you to change me out of grazing into timber. You know that time you came along under these sugar pines, about midnight, and tumbled into my tent, and we had breakfast by star- light, and we talked of when we were boys, you in Maine and me in Cali- fornia? Then we talked about the work, and I was some worried because people was saying I was doin' things badly (but I never telled you how I felt). Then somehow we began to talk about timber, and it come to me sudden- like that I belonged there." 'T remember all about it, Jim ; and I thought then what a good suggestion you had made." The officer rode away a little later, and as he looked back to the tent, he thought to himself : "How good it is that amongst us we were able to tune that harp without breaking a string ; not one is even frayed. It was worth the trouble." Only the blue-eyed wife of that old officer, who had been a ranger him- self, and an inspector and a supervisor and many things besides, knew how slowly, patiently, for weeks on end, he had dropped into that grazing ranger's mind some seeds of the thought that 3 while it was better fun to work in tim- ber, he had really been a pretty decent grazing man, and gained friends for the Service, and was truly making the transfer himself. "Now, why did you take all that trouble?" she had once asked, a little anxious lest her man should not have enough sleep. "It is the first duty of a subordinate, surely, to do what he is told to do." "That is true," he replied. 'Tt is dead easy to force an issue. But what we must have is the highest possible loyalty of the man to the Service, paid for not in coin of the realm, but in as absolute a loyalty of the Service to the individual. The Service must never destroy, nor in the slightest degree in- jure, even for an hour, the honorable self-respect of the least of its faithful servants. If it often does that, the ax is laid at the root of the tree." "Yes; I know that your personnel reports have cost you more thought than all else put together." "Certainly ; for the divine 'personal equation' is the best thing there is in human nature. Yield to it, use it, guide it, until out of each separate tempera- ment you get the pure flame of that unquestioning loyalty that knows itself honored and understood." "But Jim often did poorly as a graz- ing ranger, and you never told him so." "He did the very best he knew how, for several years, openly and eagerly. He did many things so well that the memory of them will long remain. It is a part of my business to carry every honest ranger over such hard places." "I can hardly understand that." "Because the Service had justly ac- cepted responsibility for him, on the whole, for several years. It was merely a question of getting him where he could do better work for the Service which he loved utterly. Even if it had been worse^ no truly wise official could run the risk of taking away from him all that gave him value — his self- respect." "But how about his temperamental faults and blunders?" "All of us have those. There are o ^ C WORK ON A NATIONAL FOREST 401 times when they may be helped in some degree. For the most part the Service owes to its faithful servants neither praise nor blame, but comprehension." The officer reached up to his desk and took down a journal. He turned slowly back some six months and found an entry. "There," he said to his wife. "That was my entire report on Jim'- case." It read : "I have seen a good deal of Jim Blank lately. He is a fine, big fellow, with ambitions, and I find that he wants to take up timber work. This will especially suit his make-up. and he goes into it from the bottom, at his own request, for he feels that he Is needed there more than in grazing. This case is therefore closed with a good, long credit-mark for Jim, and absolutely nothing official against him." The officer's wife cried out in dis- may: "Dear me! Was tliat all you said ? Why, your notes on that case would have made a book. Nobody will ever know what you did for Jim." "You and I know," said the officer, very soberly, seeing as he spoke a ranger's cabin near a saw-mill ; a ranger's wife and baby ; the ranger him- self, a busy, happy, effective man whose sincere love for the forest had been strengthened by an all-containing lead- ership. "Do 3'OU remember the story," he asked her, "the story about the Promethean fire ? It is said that the Titan who so loved earth stole that fire and brought it across blue spaces in a fennel stalk ! Evidently that was not material fire — it was that spiritual flame, a spark of which in each earth-born man makes him one with the gods themselves. Underneath all the differ- ences of temperament, of education, of surroundings, that to which we must ever speak is that spark which Prome- theus carried in the fennel stalk and set in all hearts forever." He put his arm about his wife's waist and they went off into the garden and gathered roses together. .Vnd I think he told her more than I have written here, for when they came back tears and laughter were mingled in his eyes, and laughter and tears were in hers. But after they sat down he said : "Now, you must remember that this is the way of it : Every single item in a report may be true, and yet the things left out, the unseen facts, the relations of the several parts, the putting to- gether, may all be so wrong that the sum-total becomes absolutely false. You can make a mosaic of precious stones on the very Tomb of the Prophet in sentences that blaspheme the throne of Allah. "Yes," he continued, more to him- self than to her, "we should be able to rejoice in all healthy differences of temperament, in all the divine problems of the personal ecjuation. All good and earnest men know their own short- comings better than we can tell them ; it is enough that we with larger com- prehension cheerfully analyze these shortcomings, and as cheerfully accept what cannot be helped. "There was once one who walked by Gennesaret, and there he found rude fishermeii, and somehow changed them into the mighty apostles of a new re- ligion, without changing their temper a- nients, without stupidly violating any of those higher spiritual laws of a per- fect understanding. Therefore, their souls blossomed like roses set in new soil, under new planets." Again the silence fell between them, as they looked out over mountains and forests. "There is," he said, "a far greater virtue than mere loyalty, so often, and so lightly on our lips. It gathers all virtues together and explains them to themselves. Not yet has it had a name ; no pantheon holds its marble imper- sonation. And still, since men began to be, their secret prayers have gone forth all unconsciously, age after age, for the gift in even small degree of this crown of all virtues. It is that by which the Master dealt with His fishermen : it is that by which we must deal with our rangers. Its name, in those higher places where it rules, is Comprehen- sion; mercy, truth, justice, imagination, and all the divinities are its advisers— but ever it casts the deciding vote." PRACTICAL FOREST WORK FOR AD^ VANCED STUDENTS OF NEBRASKA FOREST SCHOOL WORK in the forestry courses at the University of Nebraska has recently been augmented to a marked degree. Within the past year the advanced students have been mak- ing a field study of forest and lumber- ing conditions in northern Wisconsin under the direction of Professor Phil- lips, Assistant State Forester Moody, various cruisers and the owners of sev- eral wood-using industries in the re- gion. ?\Ir. Moody is thoroughly ac- quainted wath forest work and has lum- bered in Maine and Washington ; he has worked for the United States For- est Service in Maine and Colorado and has been Assistant State Forester of Wisconsin for the past three years. Be- cause of Mr. ^Moody's broad training in both practical and theoretical forestry, his time with the students will be of the highest value. The region about Rhinelander was selected as being the best suited for the work, as that city has the greatest va- riety of high-class wood-using indus- tries of any city of its size in the United States. The locality is rich in hard- woods and conifers, is in the center of a great area devastated by the forest fires of the past season, and is also cen- trally located in the areas held as state forest reserves. It is considered that no better region could l)c selected in tlic entire United States for a detailed study of practically all the great phases of lumbering and forestry, and tliat a month under such favorable conditions is worth at least three times that length of time in a less favorable region. A happy feature of the work has been the enthusiastic attitude of the lumbermen 402 in doing their utmost to supply the stu- dents with full information. The work in the forest was first taken up from the standpoint of forest types, silvical descriptions of the more impor- tant species and the value of the forest for protection. A particularly inter- esting feature was the work being done by the Wisconsin A'alley Improvement Company, which is authorized to con- struct and maintain a system of reser- voirs on the tril)utaries of the Wiscon- sin River for the purpose of producing a uniform flow of water and thereby conserving and improving the water supply throughout its entire length. This company is doing the greatest work of its kind east of the Rocky ^Mountains and heartily cooperates with the state forestry officials in retaining the forest cover about the headwaters of streams. This work conveys an in- teresting object-lesson, since the north- ern states have been suffering from damaging floods in early spring and a decided shortage of water during the summer months. The W^isconsin River is receiving active attention at the pres- ent time because of the large number of important industries depending on its water supply for power. These indus- tries have been confronted by a summer shortage, causing them to limit opera- tions from one to three months at a time. The spring floods of the more important streams of Michigan. Wis- consin and Minnesota alone have caused millions of dollars of damage annually, and such work as is being done by the Wisconsin A^alley Improvement Com- pany marks a wonderful step in flood prevention in this region. Wasteful Lumbering Methods in a Longleafxpine Forest Sluiceways of a Splash^dam (Minnesota) 404 CONSERVATION Special attention was paid to the past methods of kimbering as contrasted with the careful forest exploitation of the present. Comparisons were also made as to the relative waste incurred by the various industries and the need of even more conservative utilization than now exists. Northern \\'isconsin. in conjunction with the other lake states, has suffered from immense tres- pass cases in the past and is having a large number of small cases at present. Various areas were inspected where private, state and national trespass had taken place, and instruction was given as to the general methods of procedure in each case. To gain a working knowl- edge of estimating a stand of timber, the students cruised after an expert and then compared their results with his. The various methods of estimating as used, in ''forestry investigations were performed in' the field and compared with cruising methods. Detailed studies were made of the items of cost and the methods employed in each step of the wood operations at the camps of the Robbins and the Brown Brothers lum- ber companies, while general studies were made at two other camps. At Rhinelander the students were taken through the paper and pulp mill which uses both the mechanical and the chemical method of manufacturing paper and has a reputation of being unsurpassed in rapidity of production by any mill of its size in the country. Mr. F. S. Robbins, of the Robbins Lumber Company, who did all in his power to make the trip a success, took personal charge of the study in his mills and gave an exact statement of the cost of each operation and the fac- tors influencing it. Air. Robbins' saw- mill has a capacity of 130.000 board feet per day and has in connection a planing mill, dry kiln, flooring plant, interior wood-working plant, shingle mill and lath mill. He utilizes every available species of conifers and hard- woods, and all material which is not used for higher class products is used for cord wood. Similar trips were also taken through a high-class veneer factory and a refrigerator factory. Side trips were taken to a large charcoal and wood alcohol plant and a large combined tannery and sawmill. The winter trip was planned as a regular feature of the forestry course, designed to supplement the spring trip which was taken to the Dismal River National Forest where extensive plan- tations of forest trees are made in the sand hills of Nebraska. The students also visit local nurseries and forest plantations. Still better training is planned by requiring each student to spend one full summer vacation in the forest, which is aimed to give a more complete training than could possibly be given in a field course in forestry. To improve the teaching facilities in forestry the space assigned to the for- estry department at the university has been increased more than five-fold and the equipment has been increased ten- fold. Besides the five professors who teach technical forestry subjects sev- eral special lecturers have been se- cured to give courses of five to fifteen lectures each along the lines of forestry in which thev are authorities. Brown Lake Reservoir Site Washington FORESTRY IN MASSACHUSETTS By F, W, RANE, State Forester IT IS with a degree of pleasure that I am able to report that our Massa- chusetts people have been very con- siderate of the recommendations of their state forester (hn'ing the past few years, and that the people generally of the good old Bay State are offering cordial and hearty cooperation toward establishing a definite constructive and practical forest policy. One of the greatest hindrances the writer had to contend with in beginning his work in this state was forest fires. Here, as elsewhere throughout the Union, this demon was running ram- pant. A campaign was begun in the fall of 1906, and during the winter fol- lowing the legislature enacted our pres- ent state and town forest warden system. The jMassachusetts forest warden system is headed by the state forester. Each board of selectmen of the towns is required to appoint a forest warden who. in turn, must be approved by the state forester. Each warden is there- fore responsible to both the state and town. The forest warden has the au- thority to appoint his own deputies and to discharge them. He is clothed with sufficient power to represent the town's forest interests. The state forester re- quests that the selectmen appoint a public-spirited and broad-minded per- son for this office. This law is already in effect, and from one year's expe- rience the results accomplished have exceeded expectations. With a corps of 350 forest wardens (one in each town and city) each with an organized working force of deputies and sympa- thetic, public-spirited backing, the state forester has an army of men thorough- ly enlisted in bettering our Bay State forestry conditions. As a result of this organization more valuable data were received relative to forestry matters during the past year than has been possible heretofore. The enactment of a bill on reforesta- tion whereby the state forester is given a definite appropriation of $10,000 a year for future work along this line alone marks the beginning of a practi- cal demonstration of forest planting throughout the state. Over half a mil- lion of trees were set by private indi- viduals last year, and the prospects are very bright for at least a million and a half being set this spring. It is believed our reforestation law is well adapted to this state. The state forester already has about 1,300 acres on hand for planting. A forest fire protection act was passed last year by our general court, that is bound to accomplish great good. One of the greatest drawlaacks to a stalwart, progressive movement in for- estry is the destruction and wanton waste caused by fire. This act central- izes authority in the state and town with the idea of determined results. A code of regulations as to fires set by railroads has been passed upon to the satisfaction of all parties concerned, and it is believed that when the Massa- chusetts policy has been perfected our present great losses from this cause of forest fires will be minimized. jMassachusetts has recently passed a law exempting from taxation all planta- tions of young forest trees for a period of ten years after the trees have grown two feet on the average in height and stand six by six feet. The state forester, forest wardens, and fish and game deputies are all clothed with the power to arrest with- out a warrant all persons found in the 40s 4o6 CONSERVATION act of setting a fire in violation of the law. Besides the special regulations and enactments above referred to, the office of state forester acts as a clearing- house for our Massachusetts people in assisting in every way possible toward accomplishing results in forestry. Free, expert advice is given anywhere throughout the state, forestry litera- ture is sent out in large cjuantities. The state forester has been in constant de- mand for public lectures, and every- thing looks extremely encouraging and hopeful for good results in the near future. We, here in Massachusetts, are be- ginning to realize that the old Bay State of the future, froiu a forestry stand- point, will be just what we propose to make it ; and it is believed we are awakening to our responsibilities. Lumbering Approaching Forestry. Many Small Trees Lc(t. Saplings Cut to Strew Road Worst Fault A Typical Foiest Scene in Eastern Washington THE NATURAL TAXATION OF TIMBERED MINING LAND By ROBERT B, BRINSMADE, E,M, A COMMON objection to the nat- ural* tax on land values is the al- leged impracticability of estimat- ing such values for purposes of taxa- tion. It is the object of this article to show that this evaluation is not only practicable, but can be achieved without the introduction of any untried meth- ods. The land values with which assessors have to deal, may be divided into five kinds, viz : franchise, farming, townsite, timber and mining. In the case of fran- chise values, which include the rights of way and easements of railroads and other public-utility companies, the fran- chise may be evaluated by capitalizing the average annual surplus income after the cost of operation and repairs and the interest on all construction costs has been subtracted from the gross earn- ings. The more risky the investment, the higher should be placed the rate of interest on which the capitalization of the annual surplus is based. This class of values is now regularly estimated in New York State to comply with the Ford franchise-tax law. The evaluation of farming land is well understood, having been studied for centuries, by assessors and boards of equalization, both in this country and Europe. Though townsite appraise- ment is not so thoroughly systematized, such legislation as the New York law requiring the separate assessment of land values and improvements has done much to perfect methods of evaluation. The system devised by W. A. Somers, of St. Paul, which starts with certain determined sites in each precinct and evaluates the surrounding lots by defi- nite rules, has met many severe tests, and if not yet perfect bids fair soon to become so. When we enter upon the appraise- ment of timber and mining land, how- ever, we find ourselves tossing on a sea of contrary currents. While we can base farm values on the supposition of a perennial average crop and townsite values on a continual annual rent ; we have to consider for timberland, a crop that will take from twenty to loo years to mature and for mining land, a crop of minerals that can only be reaped once. Besides the evaluation we must provide, in the case of timberland, for its harvesting without undue waste, fire risk or ill effects on soil or water courses, and in the case of mining land, that its exploitation shall not only be economical, but harmless to life and to surface structures. Until the inauguration of the forest- reserve policy, the quicker that the tim- berlands of the National and State gov- ernments were reduced to absolute pri- vate ownership, the better were our politicians pleased. In fact, many great fortunes were obtained by the theft of Government timber with the connivance of prominent ol^cials. At this point, a distinction must be made between wood- lands, that must be cleared to prepare for farming in the great valleys of the rain belt, and those forests on steep slopes or scanty soils, whose destruction makes only a desert. It is the last class that should be preserved and which re- ([uires special legislative treatment. The assessment of timberland at its full value as standing timber, places a premium on its speedy denudation and tends to prevent the reforesting of the *See "Natural Taxation," by T. G. Sliearman. 408 NATURAL TAXATION OF TIMBERED MINING LAND 409 land, when the wild growth has once been cleared. On the contrary, the en- tire release of timberland from taxation is class legislation and a denial of com- munal rights in land values. Any efficient system for woodlands must include not only their correct taxa- tion, but a strict control of their har- vesting. A permit to cut timber over any considerable acreage should only be given after the logger's plans have been approved by the State forester, even when the land is privately owned. In this way, scientific methods of cut- ting could be assured and the dangers of soil destruction and forest fires elimi- nated. A royalty system, based on a stump - age charge on the felled trees, has worked well in the public forests of British Columbia and is the method now commonly employed here, by private landowners, in selling their timber to loggers. The same scheme could be applied to the taxation of private wood- land by making it tax-free until cut, when it would pay to the State the same proportion of its gross stumpage value as was assessed on the annual economic rent of farming or townsite land. In order to prevent the holding of large tracts of ripe timber for speculative pur- poses, as is now done in the case of Southern pinelands, another proviso would be necessary. This could be ef- fected by charging an annual stumpage tax against all ripe timber whether cut or not. This tax on a given tract would be the minimum stumpage annually due to the Government, in case of a system- atic cutting of the timber in sections, on some approved plan of permanent forest preservation. This advance stumpage tax could be deducted from the amount to be collected, when the timber was actually reaped. It would thus not mean double taxation or the undue forc- ing of legitimate cutting arrangements; but it would make it too expensive for any one to hold great areas of ripe timber unexploited, for speculative pur- poses. The relative value of different wood- lands is easily estimated, as the trees are in plain view and it is only necessary to note the number and size of the trees of each species and to figure the factors of expense in transfering the timber from the forest to the market. For mining land, the valuation is more complex as the minerals are originally hidden underground and the net value of many types of deposit can not be estimated till the ore has been brought to the surface and worked over into its marketable form. A royalty on output is thus the most practical system of as- sessment, and not only is it the method of taxation now used by the Mexican government for its great mineral indus- try, but it is the time-honored scheme used by private landowners, both here and in Great Britain, as a means of col- lecting revenue from mining land. During the Spanish rule in America, one-fifth of the output of metals (gold and silver mostly) went to the crown as a tax ; and, though the percentage taken has varied, the bullion tax is still a favorite method of collecting mining revenue in free Spanish America. Such a tax on gross output, however, though easy to assess and collect could only conform with natural-tax princi- ples when the cost of bullion produc- tion was the same for all mines, and this is never the case.. Where a mine is both owned and operated by the same company, the sim- plest way, to levy a land-value tax, is to take a percentage of the net profit re- maining, after interest on betterments (as well as operating and maintenance expenses) has been deducted from the gross earnings. This would be an in- come tax, assessed on the unearned in- come only, and thus would dififer from the Montana system, which levies on the whole net income without deducting interest. When the operator only leases the mining ground from the landowner, it is customary to pay a certain royalty per ton on all ore extracted ; the ta.x should in this case be assessed against this royalty (provided it represents the whole economic rent), which is anala- gous to the stumpage payment on tim- berland. 410 CONSERVATION To prevent that speculation which has now locked up much of our iron and coal lands in a few hands, it would be necessary to supplement the tax on roy- alty by provision for a minimum annual royalty charge on each deposit, to be payable whether the mineral had been extracted or not. For known ore re- serves, the royalty should be calculated on the basis by which most leases of the Lake Superior iron mines are now- secured from private landowners. It has not proved difficult to fix the mini- nunn annual royalty ecjuitably after the quantity of ore available has been as- certained by boring. In the case of unexplored mineral ground, the condition of retention by the holder should be the same as is now required for mining claims on national land ; i. e., a certain minimum quantity of development work should be per- formed on each claim annually. But sufficient inspectors should be provided in each mining district to ascertain if such work were actually accomplished. Th.e present custom of the Land Office, to trust to a sworn statement of the claimholder, often enables "bad" men to make fraudulent affidavits each year and thus tie up, for speculation, num- erous claims : This now occurs in any district wdiere log-rolling or intimida- tion can prevent the other inhabitants from denouncing such perjuries. It need hardly be mentioned that the national apex law, which enables the owner of the vein's outcrop to follow a non-vertical vein indefinitely in depth, should be repealed and a law limiting ownership to the surface side lines (as in Mexico, etc.) substituted. Though the lawsuits ensuing from quarrels of mine-owners, due to the ambiguous apex law, has helped to scatter widely the profits of land monopoly, through the conduits of the legal and mining- expert professions ; it will no longer be of advantage to the community with the adoption of natural taxation and the ensuing equitable distribution of wealth. An auxiliary change should be the separation of mineral from surface rights in agricultural land ; and this re- form should apply not only to all the remaining Government land, but also to all tracts in private possession on which mineral has not yet been discovered. This reparation is a feature of the Code Napoleon and applies not only in Mex- ico and other Latin countries under that code, but has had a partial application in such British colonies as Canada, Au- stralasia and South Africa. If such a separation had been in force here, i: would have obviated such absurdities as the enrichment of the Oklahoma Indians from royalties on oil lands, which they never lifted a finger to develop. The reform would not only stimulate pros- pecting east of the Missouri River, but would prevent the failure of many operators, in such districts as the Mis- souri and Wisconsin zinc-lead fields; as the operator would be allowed to re- tain the royalty, now going to the land- owners, unless such royalty represented a true economic rent. The proposed mining fiscal system would entirely free from taxation not only all mines in the development stage, but also all those producers which ac- tually show no net profit above ex- penses and interest on betterments. It would indirectly subsidize the pros- pector to perform the necessary service of opening new ore deposits, and at the same time render available the great revenue from the profitable mines, most of which is now untouched by taxation. State mine inspection is ncux confined to the enforcement of rules for the pro- tection of life; but, except in the coal districts, such inspection is apt to be perfunctory. Inspection should not only be made rigid for all mines, but should be extended to supervise the general working plans as suggested for timber tracts. Operators must be prevented by law, from wasting the Nation's mineral resources, and the only method by which it can be done is the enforcement of scientific economy by state super- vision. The proposed taxation changes would stinuilate rather than hinder legitimate lumbering and mining. They would NATURAL TAXATION OF TIMBERED MINING LAND 411 not only prevent unnecessary deforesta- tion and the hogoring- of ore bodies ; but through their hindrance to land specu- lation would tend to raise competitive wages and to give the small operator a more equal chance with the trust. As shown in my article in the Chicago Pub- lic for April 24, 1908, the general effect of the natural tax would be to increase the incomes of the poor from the present privileges of the rich ; while leaving the middle class unaft'ected in their incomes from privilege, but benefited in their earnings as salaried workers. These ef- fects would be soon produced by the outlined reforms in the lumber and min- ing industries. In the United States, we have the curious spectacle of the most scientific people in wealth production, lagging far behind much younger nations in applying science to wealth distribution. This is due not only to the entrench- ment of vested wrong behind compli- cated legal barriers, but also to the hetereogenity of the population and to the fact that its dominant native element is still too blinded by the extreme in- dividualism of a recent pioneer life to be fully alive to communal interests and rights. Shore Line of Moss Lake 4 In the Pineries near Du Bois, Pa. WATER CIRCULATION AND ITS CONTROL By BAILEY WILLIS, E.M.C.E,, United States Geological Survey ( Coiiiiiidcd) CONTROL OF RITN-OI'I'- lIIROliOIT GRAZING AliOr'l' twenty-five per cent, of tlic area of the United States is so situated with reference to topographic and chmatic conch- tions that it will hest raise hardy grasses and must l)e devoted chiefly to grazing. 1die ]:»rinci])al area is that of the great jdains, extending from north- western Montana around the hase of the Rock Mountains to Texas, l)nt in- cluding also ])orlioiis of the hasin re- gion on the west. Within this area the governing condition is a meager prv- cipitation. The soils ai\' ai)propriate to agrictilture, the mountain ranges above the ])lains are suited to forestry, but both agriculture and forestry re- (|uire more water than the grass that feeds herds, ,-md the\' are accordinglv h'mited in distribution in this region. The herdsman's prosperity dejKMKls ab- solutely upon the grass. Tt is proved beyond dispute that overgrazing injures the grass, jiartially removes the protect- ive cover, and promotes erosion. Ero- sion eventually results in the removal of all herbage, ])ro(lnces l)are, gullied badlands, and makes restocking with grass impossible. The method available to the lienls- man for the linn'tation of run-off and the prevention of erosion is to increase the stand of the natural grass cover, u])on which alone his lu-rds depend. In some small areas he may find it necessary to ado])t the usual nut hods of agriculture to check erosion, estab- lish soil, and re-cover the surface with grasses, but in general that which any intelligent herdsman does to main- tain the range upon which his herds live is that which he must do to pre- vent erosion and to limit run-ofif. Thus intelligent grazing promotes both in- dividual and general welfare. The ])reservation of grass upon the senn'arid ])lains is of vital interest, ])r(;balil)', to the farming states, Minne- sota, Iowa, and Missouri, and even more so to eastern Nebraska and Kan- sas. If it be true, as stated in the o])ening discussion of conditions of pre- cipitation (p. 265), that radiation from the hot ])lains checks rainfall, it would follow, should they be eaten bare and eroded to badlands, that the semiarid climate would extend eastward. The plains themselves would beeonu' more arid, the farming districts adjoining them would be afi'ected by prolonged dnnights. and the climate wotild be unfavorably modified as far east as the western margin of the moist-air cur- rents that flow north from the (iulf. Iowa is interested in the grass that grows in western Nebraska. FOREST CONTROL OF PERCOF^ATION AND RUN-OFF The areas which must be kept for- ested in North America comprise twent\-si.\ ])er cent, of the whole conti- neiU. ( )f the I'nited States niin'tcen per cent. rec|uires forest protection or will grow trees more profitably than any other cro]). The necessity for this amount of forests rests on two im])i'ra- tive economic conditions, (i) the value of forest ])roducts, and (2) the protec- tion forests afford to other essential needs and activities of civilized com- nnmities. It is not proposed here to discuss for- 413 414 CONSERVATION est products, except to point out that their value maintains forests in areas where agriculture nii.qht be pursued if the forest products were not more val- uable than the possible agricultural products. The distribution of forests, considered with reference to their prod- ucts, is wholly one of cash returns. On this basis alone, however, the percent- age area now left us cannot econom- ically be reduced until the increasing population begins to feel a scarcity of grain. The present price of lumber, the search for substitutes, and the com- ing timber famine sufficiently prove this. Forests protect all civilized activities that depend on a regular supply of clear water or that are liable to injury from irregular and excessive flood run- off. They are not the only protecting agency. We have discussed the very great importance of engineering and good tillage in this respect. But wherever they grow forests do protect, and they do grow and protect where no other agent economically can. This truth is challenged, for we in- herit the habit of the ax and the saw. and the efi^ects of our reckless use of these tools are not yet so conspicuous as to be clearly distinguishable in the gross result of natural and artificial activities. The challenge cannot stand. however, against any fair consideration of the relations of forests and water in contrast to those of bare slopes and water. In the opening pages of this paper we considered those phases of water circulation that are known as precipi- tation, ground water, evaporation, and surface flow. Forests affect each one of these, and each will be discussed in turn in the order named, so that we may clearly distinguish the several as- pects of controverted points. Forests in relation to precipitation. — Precipitation consists of rainfall, and in cold climates of snowfall, also, and these two kinds of precipitation are differently affected by forests. Con- cerning forests and rainfall, unquali- fied statements have led to exaggera- tion and contradiction by which the real facts are obscured. When a vast plain like the upper Alississippi \''alley from St. Louis to the Great Lakes is cleared and brought under cultivation, no notable change in the amount of precipitation is likely to follow, for the air currents which sweep over it come from the Pacific and from the warm humid atmosphere of the Gulf. They are loaded with moisture and are driven north toward cooler zones. Rain falls from them inevitably, in spite of any minor effect of radiation from the fields of Illinois or Ohio. Were the wide surface stripped of green and soil and left a region of rock and sand, as central Asia was,'^ then local radia- tion would doubtless increase the irre- gularity and violence of rains, but the air rising from our fields of grain, though not as cool as that above a for- est, is not so heated as to materially affect the powerful rain-bearing cur- rents. Moreover, the general evenness of altitudes and uniformity of radiation from the green covering over a wide area tends toward regularity of condi- tions and gradual rather than violent changes. The ocean of green, whether of trees or grain, ameliorates the clim- ate in like manner, though not in like degree, as does an ocean of water. Hence it is reasonable to expect that the total precipitation and the run-off, as indicated by stream gauges on rivers fed from this region, will not show any decided change as a result of de- forestation. This appears to be the fact, though careful observations of rainfall and run-off have been too re- cently begun and are made at stations too far apart to give satisfactory data for comparisons. Deforestation of a mountain range presents a different case, since in the long run it results in extensive erosion and bare surfaces. Leaving this last 'Pumpelly, Raphael: Relations of Secular Rock Disintegration. Am. Jour. Set., vol. iS, Feb., 1879. WATER CIRCULATION AND ITS CONTROL 415 statement to be discussed under "Ero- sion," we may compare rainfall on wooded mountains with that on barren ranges on the basis of extended human experience. The mountains of south- ern Spain, the Pyrenees, the Basse- Alps of southeastern France, the north- ern Apennines, the Dalmatian and Gre- cian hills, have all been stripped and eroded. The change from green-cov- ered slopes to brown, bare steeps has been accompanies by a change from beneficent rains to destructive down- pours. Statistics of precipitation in earlier times are not available for com- parison with those of the present, but historical evidence is entirely adequate to prove that deforestation of a moun- tain range has modified the conditions of precipitation in such a manner that occasional heavy, destructive rains re- place gentle and more frequent show- ers, at least in the countries mentioned. These countries differ from northern Europe in a measure as the semiarid region west of the looth meridian in North America differs from the Mis- sissippi Valley. To this fact is due in large part the difference of opinion which exists among European writers as to the influence of forests on precipi- tation, springs, and run-off. Those who have observed in northern Europe the effects of deforestation of flat lands un- der humid climates minimize or deny entirely any influence exerted by for- ests ; while those whose experience is with warmer, more arid, and conse- quently more critical conditions in mountainous southern Europe are con- vinced that forests exert an important beneficial influence upon rainfall, ground storage, and surface waters. To cite the latest conclusions we may quote from Cipolletti.- It is generally admitted that regions cov- ered with forests have a lower temperature than the open country, and the reason as- signed for this is the evaporation from the surface of the leaves moistened by the rain, the area of which surface is estimated by Mr. Schleiden at fifty times that of the ground. Another cause is the constant evap- oration during the vegetation season by ex- halation of the same leaves, which Mr. La- fosse estimates at 150 cubic meters per hec- tare and day; and, finally, the large quan- tity of heat lost through the fixation of carbon, which the same Mr. Lafosse, upon the data furnished by Messrs. Lecart and Parisel, estimates, per hectare and day, at so many calories as will melt a block of ice 316 cubic meters. On the other hand, these same quantities of water which the forests continually emit into the atmosphere must help to increase the degree of humidity of the parts which immediately surround them. Thus, while on the one hand the tempera- ture is lowered, the humidity is, on the other hand, increased ; and hence it appears to be quite a logical and natural conclusion that within the forests the point of saturation of the air must be reached more quickly and more frequently than in the open, and con- sequently rain will also fall more frequently and in greater quantities. This theoretical conclusion is borne out by abundant facts and experimental data. Mr. Riedel quotes the island of St. Helena and Lower Egypt. On the former, owing to reforestations effected on a large scale, the rainfall has actually been doubled since the times of Napoleon I ; and in Lower Egypt, where in the eighteenth century rain only fell on from ten to twelve days in the year, the number of rainy days nowadays reaches from thirty to forty, since some 20,000,000 of trees have been planted. On the other hand, on the shores of the Mediter- ranean, in Syria and Palestine, there are numerous regions which were formely in a flourising condition, but have become to- day arid and waste in consequence of the destruction of forests. Mr. Ponti refers to the observations made at the Nancy school of forestry, which were confirmed in Russia by Professor Volsky, and by which it has been found that the rainfall in the interior of the forests was greater than outside of them. He adduces also the facts that in England, although it has not been possible to prove that the de- forestation has caused here any reduction in the amount of rainfall or any appreciable change in the climate generally, it has been found nevertheless that the temperature is lower in forest-covered regions, the differ- ence being as much as three degrees on the hottest days. In regions where a considerable part of the precipitation is in the form of snow the forest catches it in the branches, protects that which falls to the ground from the sun, and retards its melting. These effects bear upon the proportions that evaporate or run "Permanent Intern. Assn. of Navigation Congresses. X Congress, Milan, 1905. Report by Cipolletti, C, on Deforestation, etc. 4 4i6 CONSERVATION off or sink into the ground and will come under those heads. It does not appear that forests influence the amount or distribution of snowfall. Forests ill relation to ground rua- ter. — Inasmuch as ground water and soil moisture are wholly derived from precipitation, any effect that forests may have in regulating rain extends to them. As compared with bare ground which receives all the rain and snow that fall, the ground beneath trees gets only a part, as they catch some propor- tion in their foliage. The percentage caught varies from twenty to forty per cent, of the precipitation measured in adjoining fields, according to the kind of trees, the density of stand, and other factors. Thus, if the conditions for percolation are the same vmder the trees and in the open the earth under the forest receives less than that under the bare surface. An approximation to this assumption is reached on level plains, provided the soil in the open be in an excellent state of tilth. That proportion of the rain and snow which reaches the ground under the trees wets the mulch of mosses, leaves and decaying wood, and such part as is not thus absorbed seeps into the ground below. Only a small part es- capes as run-off, unless the slopes be very steep. The mulch of decaying vegetable matter is extremely absorbent and will hold as much as fifty per cent, of its own volume, or two to three times its weight of water. From extended experiments in Germany with straw, leaves, and humus it appears that the moisture thus caught is evaporated to the air in dry seasons, and it would therefore be uneconomical from the point of view of ground-water storage to increase the surface litter beyond that required to prevent run-off. Un- der some conditions of forest mainte- nance it would probably be economical to keep the surface comparatively clean of litter and in an open state, such that the rain sifting gently through the foliage would be absorbed by the ground in a maximum degree. The subsoil beneath the forest near the surface is moister than that beneath the adjoining fields. This is due chief- ly to the covering of moist surface litter and to the relatively small evaporation at the ground surface. Deeper in the subsoil, at depths below a foot, the for- est soil is often drier than that below the adjoining fields, for the tree roots take a large amount of water which is given off through the foliage. Thus, if we contrast the soil condition under the forest with that under the bare field we shall find the ground beneath the forest moister near the surface and drier below. The continuity of water films in the ground is a condition wdiich promotes percolation, and the relatively moist surface layer thus aids the falling drops in reaching the deeper, drier lay- ers when precipitation occurs. In the open, wdien the surface layer becomes measurably dried out and filled with air, a sudden rain may so occupy the pores of the immediate surface as to seal them against the escape of the un- derlying air, and the latter then pre- vents the percolation of water, and the impervious surface becomes one on which run-off is inevitable. The total effect of trees in preventing some proportion of the rain from reach- ing the ground and in using some part of the moisture contained in the ground in their physiological processes is in- dicated by the depths to which they de- press the level of ground water as com- pared with that in adjacent fields. Ob- servations on this point have been made in Russia, France, and Germany, and the results are in agreement for Euro- pean conditions. They were made on level ground, and the conclusions do not apply where run-off from the sur- face is copious. It is shown that — ^ (a) The water table lies deeper be- low the surface under a forest than out- side of it, if account be taken of the relief; (b) The depression of the water ta- ble is more pronounced under old for- ests than under young plantations ; (c) The depression is more pro- 'Henry, E. : Les Forets de Plaine, Les Eaux et Forets, vol. 42, 1903, p. 161. WATER CIRCULATION AND ITS CONTROL 417 nounced in dry climates than where there is much rain. The amount by which the water ta- ble may be depressed varies from a fraction of a meter to as much as three meters. It is observed in the level steppes of southern Russia, where the rainfall is moderate, that springs are found outside of the forests rather than in them. In citing these results, it is important to insist upon the distinction to be made between level and sloping surfaces. A comparison of the ground- water level beneath the forest with that beneath a flat field in which percolation is at a maximum gives an entirely dif- ferent result from a similar compari- son, in case the surface is so inclined as to permit run-off from the bare ground. According to very careful and accu- rate observations made in Switzerland from 1903 to the present time and still in progress, it is found that the run-off from a wooded watershed is but sixty per cent, of that from a cleared water- shed, all other conditions being the same ; and that the maximum high- water level of the stream from the former is thirty to fifty per cent, lower than that of the stream from the latter. The same observations establish the reciprocal fact that there is a larger and more continuous percolation of water into the ground and steadier flow of springs during drought from the wood- ed watershed than from the cleared watershed.* Forests in relation to evaporation. — At the surface of the soil moisture passes into a state of vapor and is car- ried away by the air ; this is evapora- tion. At the surface of a leaf moisture is given off by the living organism; this is transpiration. Evaporation is a physical phenomenon which increases with the dryness, temperature, and movement of the air; transpiration is a physiological phenomenon which de- pends upon the kind of plant and its response to the conditions to which it is exposed. Evaporation from the soil draws upon the moisture contained in the capillary spaces between the soil grains and extends down to the point where the soil is saturated — that is, to the water table in humid regions, or in arid regions to the point where the sub- soil is so dry that the capillary films are no longer in contact. It continues until the available moisture in the soil is so reduced that the tension of the films about the soil grains becomes great enough to resist the tendency to- ward vaporization at the surface, and evaporation then practically ceases, al- though diffusion into the air spaces of the soil continues even at some depth. Transpiration from the surface of the leaf responds in some measure to sun- light and shadow, to humidity and dry- ness, and to temperature. Among these humidity is the most important. The rate of transpiration is, however, subject to physiological regulation, the mechanism of which is not understood. In certain experiments conducted by the desert laboratory it was found that in plants under examination the water loss due to transpiration was checked at temperatures above seventy-nine de- grees Fahrenheit, whereas the checking action disappeared at lower tempera- tures.^ Thus, some plants possess a means of defense against excessive transpiration during hot weather and drought, whereas the inert soil must go on yielding moisture almost to the last atom. There is a certain amount of evapo- ration from the leaf surface, but it is exceedingly slight. It differs from transpiration in that it takes place through the tissue itself, whereas trans- piration occurs through the stomata. A grape which has no stomata gives a good illustration of the very small amount of evaporation from such sur- faces. Underneath the trees in the forest 'Engler: Der Einfluss des Waldes aiif den Stand der Gewasser. Centralblatt fiir das gosammte Forstwesen, Jan., 1907, pp. 35-40. 'MacDougal, D. T. : Botanical features of North American Deserts. Carnegie Institu- tion, Publication 99, 1908, p. 86. 4i8 CONSERVATION the conditions are much less favorable to evaporation from the soil than in a bare field near by, the humidity being higher and the temperature very much lower. Above the trees also the air is cooler and more humid than it is at the same altitude above bare ground. This last statement rec|uires some ex- planation. Sunlight passing through the air raises its temperature somewhat, but a more important influence is that of the currents of air set up by contact with the surface upon which the sun- light falls. We all know the heat which rises from bare ground, and how com- paratively cool is the sward. Similarly the surface of the ground is hotter than the surface of the foliage of a forest. The efifect of radiation from these two contrasting surfaces is shown by the experience of French aeronauts to ex- tend to a considerable height. Accord- ing to E. Henry:" The cooling efifect observed by aeronauts in passing over forests of a certain extent is indicated by a marked descent of the bal- loon. It is a well-established fact that this effect was experienced by a number of military balloonists above the forest of Or- leans, the balloon being at an altitude of about a thousand meters. It appears to be demonstrated by the balloon ascensions made up to the date of the statement that the influence of forests of similar extent (34,000 hectares, or about twenty square miles) is observable up to an altitude of 1,500 meters. To sum up the preceding considera- tvmi, . The efifect of these complex re- la /ion's has been made the object of in- vestigation, particularly in Germany, through the study of the amount of moisture remaining in the soil under the various kinds of trees, and in the adjacent open. Some reference to these results has already been made ; but the general conclusion is that the effects of transpiration from luxuriant foliage are very materially greater than those of evaporation from the bare level surface. The most striking illustration of this factor is the efifect of eucalyptus trees. which, planted in the Pontine marshes near Rome in 1870 (in the vicinity of the Convent of St. Paul of the Three Fountains), have lowered the level of the ground water several decimeters. In this case the transpiration from the water-loving eucalyptus is more vigor- ous than was the evaporation from the water and vegetation of the swamps. The relation of the forest to run-ofif on level land is not an important factor. As we have already seen, it is possible to keep level' fields in such a condition of tilth that the amount of run-ofif from them is no greater than that from the forest. On slopes the case is dififerent. The efifect of the forest is, first, to diminish the violence with which the rain strikes the ground and compacts it, for the drops are checked by the fo- liage. They fall from branch to branch and reach the ground with greatly diminished momentum and in a finer state. That portion which drops from the leaves comes in larger masses, but still gently. Beneath the forest the rain finds a moist soil whose capillary water is capable of vigorous downward circulation. The soil is also opened by the forest roots, and being protected from the compacting and cementing influences of a free exposure is de- cidedly porous. All these conditions militate against run-ofif and promote absorption. In consequence the run-ofif from forest areas gathers slowly as compared with bare slopes, and the ratio becomes increasingly favorable in regard to forests as slopes become steeper. This fact enters into the consideration of the value of forests in mountain regions as compared with those on plains. Ebermayer,'^ from whose paper many of the data used in this report have been taken, says : In view of the exact investigations which have been cited above, and which extend through thirty years, it is no longer possible to maintain the assumption so generally made, that forests increase the amount of ground water and constitute a storage res- ervoir for the supply of springs, at least not 'Henry, E. : Sur le role de la foret dans la circulation de I'eau a la surface des conti- nents. Comptes rendus du Congress des societes savantes en 1901. 'Ebermayer, Ernst: Einfluss der Walder auf die Bodenfeuchtigkeit, auf das Sicker- wasser, auf das Grundwasser, und auf die Ergiebigkeit der Quellen. 1900. p. 38. WATER CIRCULATION AND ITS CONTROL 419 so far as plains are concerned. The drain- ing effect of the forest is, on the contrary, so great that a much greater supply of water gathers in the depths beneath a treeless plain than beneath dense woods, provided that the underground conditions be the same in both cases. It follows that under these conditions the discharge of springs is not increased, but lessened, by woods. Decided emphasis must, however, be laid upon the fact that these conclusions hold primarily only for the plains, and are not to be ex- tended inconsiderately to uplands and moun- tains. Although the influence of the woods upon soil, moisture, percolation, and ground water under like conditions must be the same in mountains as it is in lowlands, and only moderate differences are likely to ap- pear, nevertheless the forest on the moun- tain differs very decidedly from that on the plain in regard to water control, inasmuch as in mountain regions, in consequence of the surface run-off of rain and snow water from the slopes, a factor is introduced through which wooded mountain slopes re- ceive a much larger amount of water than bare, unwooded watersheds. Forests in relation to erosion. — The emphasis which Ebermayer lays upon the loss through run-off from bare slopes is in no sense exaggerated. The detrimental character of this loss in re- lation to storage of water for all the activities of civilized communities, in- cluding navigation, cannot be exag- gerated. Its effects have already been described in speaking of flood run-off, but we may here recur to the injury which it does, particularly with refer- ence of the erosion of soil. If it were conceivable that we could adjust our activities to the loss of one-half of the available water through flood run-off it would still be inconceivable that we could permit the accompanying loss of the soil. Without soil the earth be- comes a desert and without soil man must cease to exist. This consideration is of prime im- portance everywhere, but it assumes overshadowing importance beyond any other in mountain regions of large rain- fall. The Appalachian Mountains con- stitute such an area of great extent and of very marked character, and they oc- cupy a very critical position in the cen- ter of the richest half of our country. Concerning the effect of uncontrolled run-off from this region we have, un- fortunatelv, abundant evidence, the em- phatic testimony of ruined and aban- doned lands. Summing up the observations of the thoroughly qualified and unbiased ob- server, L. C. Glenn, we are able to show what relation the destruction of the forest bears to run-off in the water- sheds of the southern Appalachians. Forty-six creeks and small rivers, whose watersheds may be described as timbered rather than cleared, are known, according to observation and local repute, in times of flood to rise gradually, to continue high for several days, and to subside slowly. They car- ry but little sediment and they main- tain a good volume of water during dry seasons. Thirty-eight creeks and small rivers in the same watersheds, whose slopes may be described as cleared rather than timbered, are known, according to ob- servation and local repute, in times of flood to rise rapidly to extreme flood height, to carry excessive quantities of mud. sand, and gravel, and to fall quickly. In dry seasons they are very low, and the range from lowest to high- est stages has increased and inflicted much damage in very recent years. Two other classes of conditions may be recognized in Professor Glenn's de- scriptions : The one of valleys still timbered, but which are being damaged by beginning of logging and particular- ly by erosion of logging chutes ; the other, of watersheds that are largely cleared but grassed, and which the grass protects from erosion, though not in the same degree from rapid run-off. Such evidence as this, collected by a qualified and impartial observer with reference to individual watersheds, establishes for the region in question, comprising the mountains of North Carolina, Tennessee, and Georgia, the fact "that forests do exert a beneficial influence on stream flow by storing the waters from rain, preventing their rapid rush to the streams, and paying them out graduallv afterward, thus acting as true reservoirs in equalizing the run- off." These detailed observations sustain the general facts which every mountaineer 420 CONSERVATION knows: That streams which flow from a forested area rise slowly, carry little sediment, and fall slowly in times of flood, and throughout the year are rela- tively far more uniform in their flow; whereas streams which flow from de- forested regions rise quickly, carry heavy bodies of sediment, and sink ear- ly in the season of drought to mim'mum low-water stages. On the basis of superficial observa- tion it is sometimes said that deforesta- tion as it is now proceeding in the Ap- palachian Mountains does not seriou.^- ly affect the streams, because the forest which the lumberman cuts is soon re- placed by an aftergrowth. It is true that the full effect of deforestation fol- lows immediately upon lumbering only in extreme cases, but wherever the for- est and the superficial forest soil are removed a beginning has been made in the process of erosion which will ulti- mately remove all the soil. The after- growth that follows the severe cutting and burning under modern lumber con- ditions is a weakened growth. It never covers the surface as the virgin forest did; it is always traversed by freshly cut gullies, and the level of channel grades is sunk below the surface from a few inches to ten feet or more. The advantage thus given to the eroding power of thousands of rills is not over- come by any natural process. Man alone can so direct and localize a de- fense as to make it effective, and he does it only at great cost. It is true that under favorable conditions the soil will maintain itself till the trees of the aftergrowth become merchantable tim- ber, and that the processes of cutting, burning and partial erosion might un- der the most favorable circumstances be continued till several crops had been cut from the surface and a half a cen- tury or more had passed, but the result would be deferred merely. That result is to be seen in the bare mountains that stretch from Spain to Asia Minor and in those of northern China. The forests have long protected the Appalachian Mountains; they were growing throughout the eastern United States when a great plain stretched un- broken from the Atlantic to the Mis- issippi, and they have continued their growth, though changing in species and in distribution, while the earth's sur- face has been raised to the heights from which the mountains are being carved. During the whole process the forests have conserved and protected the mountain slopes from washing. Let us pause to consider the slow changes of the ages that preceded the advent of man, the destroyer, or pos- sibly the protector. On a vast plain covering the area of the eastern United States and Canada there grew a luxviriant forest. The plain was almost continuous. Within the earth titanic forces gath- ered gradually till their power sufficed to raise the surface slowly and to ele- vate the plain. Rising in a zone that reaches from Canada to Alabama the elevated plain became a plateau from which many rivers flowed to the At- lantic and Pacific. As the slopes steep- ened, the waters, falling swiftly, cut their channels deeply and made can- yons, which widened to valleys. Gen- ial climates favored vegetation, which during the long, slow process of moun- tain growth and valley carving never was removed extensively. Woods pre- vailed and held the soil, always adjust- ing their growth to the very gradual changes of the valley slopes. If per- chance a steep was bared by a sudden landslide it was in time washed clean to the hard rock and became a cliff', or caved and extended till vegetation could take a foothold again. Thus the mountains of to-day were slowly carved from the upraised mass, and ever through the ages the forest trees grew and flourished and died, generation af- ter generation, in the soil their roots held" fast and enriched and deepened. It was their destiny to outlive the mountains, whose inert mass must yield eventually to the unceasing at- tacks of erosion and be worn down again to a gently sloping plain, over which the forest should stretch its living covering. But man has come, he holds the forests' destiny in his hands, and his own is intimately linked with theirs. ■^y^iiiiSfe: ■ 5 «->J 'i ^p;A-iiPi^-:^ „.. :.-^aS^3il6sSSSSS!^^ ^^Krtr^^^^^K^^^i!^ — >-, h? ^ ■ yiffgi^ -<— "•^'""•^•'-^•^ jm£^>i^: -- "si^^^ai^-;'^ -■»v^-,„.j;- .«l.l^=*'' ■V^A^d^'A- •*i*^. u CHEMISTRY AND CONSERVATION THE attitude of American chemists toward the conservation of nat- ural resources is clearly shown by the proceedings of the American Chem- ical Society at its last (Baltimore) meeting. On this occasion the presi- dent of the society, Dr. M. T. Bogert, of Columbia University, delivered, to a large and enthusiastic audience, his presidential address on the subject of conservation. The address was imme- diately followed by the report of the committee appointed to cooperate with the National Conservation Commission. This report is signed by F. W. Clarke, chairman; H. W. Wiley, C. F. Hertig, S. W. Parr, and R. B. Dole, and reads as follows : In May, 1908, a meeting of the gov- ernors of the different states was held at the White House in Washington to consider the conservation of our rapid- ly wasting natural resources. Follow- ing this meeting, a commission was ap- pointed by the President of the United States to investigate the subject, and the principal scientific societies of the United States were invited to cooper- ate with it. The committee of the American Chemical Society, appointed in response to this invitation, now has the honor to submit the following pre- liminary report: On December 8, 9, and 10 the Na- tional Conservation Commission met in Washington in joint conference with the delegates of other organizations and the governors of more than twen- ty states. The commission, in its elab- orate investigations, had, so to speak, taken stock of our natural resources, and its report, therefore, was essen- tially statistical in character. It had estimated the magnitude of each par- ticular resource, and had studied the rate of consumption of such substances as lumber, coal, iron, etc. It discussed the wastage of the land by preventable 422 erosion, and its effects not only upon agriculture but also in reducing the navigability of streams. Questions like these were treated at considerable length, and their general character is all that need be mentioned just here. The data of the Commission were mainly classified under four headings, namely, minerals, forests, lands and waters, and under each one the evils to be remedied were pointed out with all the emphasis and clearness which the statistical method of investigation made possible. The Commission cleared the ground for study into the prevention or limitation of future waste ; and the problem of conserva- tion can now be taken up in a more in- telligent manner than has been possi- ble hitherto. We now know better than ever before what the evils and dangers really are ; the next step is to discover remedies, and then, finally, to apply them. The public attention has been aroused; the people of the coun- try are awakening to the necessity of greater prudence and economy in the use of our resources^ and definite lines of action can now be laid down with a reasonable probability that they will be followed. Fortunately, the reports of the Commission are neither sensa- tional nor unduly pessimistic ; the re- sults of their conferences are present- ed seriously, and in such a manner as to compel consideration ; they are, therefore, all the more likely to pro- duce permanent effects of great benefit to the American people. The utter- ances of the mere alarmist rarely carry conviction; but disclosures like these made by the Conservation Commission cannot be disregarded. Up to the present moment chemistry has had little to do with the investiga- tions of the Commission. Hencefor- ward the chemist must be called upon in many ways, for the waste of re- CHEMISTRY AND CONSERVATIOX 423 sources is often preventable by chemi- cal agencies. Chemistry has already done enough to prove its potency, and its influence is felt in every branch of industry. Adopting the classification of the Commission, we shall find the chemist active under every heading. Under minerals, we must note that metallurgy is essentially a group of chemical processes by which the metals are separated from the ores ; a separa- tion which may be eitlier wasteful or economical. Within recent years, within the memory of members of this society, the available wealth of the world in metals has been enormously increased. By the cyanide process for extracting gold, ores are now profitably worked which were formerly worth- less, and at the same time the demand for mercury has been decreased. The Bessemer process for steel making, now also modified for use in copper smelting, is purely chemical ; and its later modification, the Gilchrist-Thom- as process, applies similar principles to phosphatic ores, which were pre- viously of little value. Furthermore, in the last-named process, phosphatic slag is produced, which is useful as a fertilizer and helps to relieve the drain upon our rapidly wasting supplies of phosphate rock. Chemists are now studying, with much success, the prob- lem of preventing corrosion in iron, a research which will prolong the life of iron structures and thereby reduce the waste of ore. The use of coal slack by briquetting methods is largely based upon diemical investigations : the sal- vage of by-products from coke ovens, such as tar and ammonia, is wholly due to chemical research ; coal is further economized by the study of boiler waters and the consequent prevention of boiler scale. Even inferior coals, lignites, are now converted into what is known as producer gas, and so are transformed into the. best kind of fuel. Petroleum is refined by chemical means, and every fraction of it is saved, either as illuminating oil, as gasoline, as a lubricant^ as vaseline, or as paraffin. These are all notable achievements, but greater are yet to come. Enormous quantities of valua- ble substance* are thrown into the at- mosphere in fumes from smelters, which should, and probably can be, partly saved. Electro-chemistry is rapidly developing a large group of new industries, making such metals as aluminum, magnesium, and calcium available for use, and it is reaching out into other fields of electro-metallurgy in which electric heat, generated by water power, will be used for smelting other metals, thereby reducing the con- sumption of coal. In forestry also, the influence of the chemist is distinctly felt. The sprays used for destroying noxious insects are chemical preparations. The manufac- ture of wood alcohol is a chemical process, which may be either wasteful or economical. Turpentine is now pro- duced waste fully, but the waste can be diminished by careful refining, and furthermore, the chemist can aid in discovering substitutes for it. Substi- tutes for tan bark are also to be sought for by means of chemical investiga- tions. Another distinctively chemical operation is the preparation of wood pulp for paper making, a process which is now wasteful in the highest degree. It is estimated that for every ton of pulp now made by the sulphite process, more than a ton of waste ma- terial is allowed to drain away into our streams. How to make this material useful is a chemical problem^ and so also, in great part, is the investigation of other, now useless, fibers which may replace the more valuable wood. The preservation of wood from decay is still another art in which chemistry is predominant. In preserving the fertility of our land, chemistry has an important part to play. Our knowledge of fertilizers, of the food on which crops can thrive, is entirely chemical so far as accuracy is concerned, and must be applied in accordance with chemical principles. A fertilizer which is useless, and there- fore wasted on one soil, may be need- ed on another. Certain fertilizers, like the Stassfurt salts, Peruvian guano, the Chilean nitrates, and phosphate 424 CONSERVATION rock are limited in quantity, and their future exhaustion must be considered now. What shall replace them in the future ? Already processes have been devised for fixing the nitrogen of the atmosphere and rendering it available for plant food. Saltpeter and other nitrates can be and long have been made from waste materials, such as old mortar and animal refuse. The phos- phatic slags have been mentioned in connection with metallurgical proc- esses. These sources of fertility are important, but greater still is the source found in our municipal sewage. The problem of its salvage has been worked out in some localities, but in the United States the people are only be- ginning to be aroused to its importance. Enormous masses of material, easily available for fertilizing purposes, now drain into our rivers or directly into the sea. Another question, now under in- vestigation, is the possibility of using our common feldspathic rocks in fine powder, to replace the potassium with- drawn by plants from the soil. The relations between the chemical composition of water and the conserva- tion of natural resources are of inti- mate and fundamental importance, and some of them have been mentioned un- der other headings. The rate at which the land surface of the United States is being transported to tide water has recently been estimated by means of chemical analyses of river water coup- led with determinations of stream flow, and the results of the computa- tions will doubtless assist considerably in studying soil erosion and the impov- erishment of agricultural lands. In steam making the chemical quality of the water supply is an appreciable fac- tor in fuel consumption, a subject to which reference has already been made. The scale that forms on the boiler shell and tubes^ when water containing incrustants is used, is a poor conductor of heat andj consequently, causes in- creased expense for fuel. By detailed study of the chemical composition of available boiler waters, it is possible to select a supply having a minimum amount of incrusting, corrosive, and foaming constituents, thereby effecting appreciable economy in fuel. Chemical investigation of methods for purifying water supplies, not only for boilers but for paper manufacture, soap-making, and other great water-consuming in- dustries, will enable manufacturers to make new and greater saving in many raw materials other than fuel. Stream pollution by industrial ref- use and by sewage is a source of enor- mous waste in our natural resources. The subject has been for many years a field of research for industrial, sani- tary, and biological chemists in the United States, and their investigations have resulted in the nnprovement of manufacturing processes, the utiliza- tion of wastes, the purification of sew- age, and the protection of domestic water supplies.. When the presence of deleterious substances in our river and lake waters has caused loss of fish life and the destruction of oyster beds, the chemist and the biologist have detected the harmful ingredients and have sug- gested methods for their removal. River silt, an important source of detri- ment to navigation, is also estimated by the chemist. It has been fully dem- onstrated that the prevention of stream pollution lies not alone through injunc- tions and other legal proscriptions, but also in using waste materials or, when that is not possible, in ren- dering them harmless. The chemist has much to do in protecting and pre- serving the quality of our water sup- ply. Upon that, in very great measure, depends the preservation of our high- est resource, human life. Polluted wa- ters distribute typhoid fever and other dangerous diseases, and so cause losses which should be, and really are, pre- ventable. The foregoing illustrations are enough to show, for present purposes, the intimate connection between chem- istry and the study of conservation. They also bring out the fact that the classification adopted by the National Commission, although admirable for statistical research, is not final, and that it needs to be supplemented by a dif- ferent subdivision of the data. The CHE^IISTRY AND CONSERVATION 425 facts to be investigated often fall un- der more than one heading of the classification, and actually interlock in every conceivable manner. To operate a placer mine^ for example, abundant water is needed, while a deep mine re- quires timber for its shafts and levels. In building and occupying a house one covers land, uses lumber, brick, stone, and iron, introduces water supply, and burns fuel. In shorty every phase of the conservation question affects the interests of everybody. If the investi- gation of our natural resources is to be made effective, it must be applied to individual industries, and in order to do that another scheme of classification would seem to be necessary. Such a scheme we venture to outline, but very briefly. At the outset the problem can be divided into two parts, one relating to sources of energy, the other to material substances. The two are not really separable, but may advantageously be considered separately. In the first place, the energy avail- able for industrial uses may be classi- fied under three heads, as follows : First, inexhaustible energy, such as solar radiation, wind power, tidal power, and, with certain limitations, the power furnished by flowing streams. Second, reproducible or renewable en- ergy, like the power supplied by horses and other domestic animals. Wood, regarded as fuel, also falls under this heading, for forests can be artificially grown. Third, the exhaustible energy represented by mineral fuel, like nat- ural gas, petroleum, and coal, which, once used, is gone forever. Under this classification the practical prob- lems are, to economize the exhaustible energy, to encourage the development of renewable energy, and to discover new methods of using the inexhausti- ble energy. . Exactly the same classification ap- plies to material substances. Some, like sea salt, limestone, and clay are, humanly speaking, inexhaustible. Agricultural and forest products are reproducible, some of them year by year. The metallic ores and such use- ful minerals as phosphate rock are, however, exhaustible, and need to be conserved. With the aid of this very simple classification it becomes possible to analyze a specific industrial problem in such a manner as to make evident its factors of waste or economy. For ex- ample, sea salt is inexhaustible, and may be extracted by solar evaporation, which is a use of inexhaustible energy. Agricultural products are renewable, and their prodution chiefly requires the renewal energy of men and animals. But the smelting of metallic ores, as now conducted, involves the use of ex- haustible material, both as ore and as fuel. In most industries, however, the two sets of considerations are combined. Portland cement, for example, is made from inexhaustible substances, but is burned with exhaustible fuel. The lat- ter factor in the industry, therefore, is the one to be carefully considered, while the first factor is negligible. Taking industry by industry we shall find that this condition of affairs is general, and that each one must be studied by itself with reference to its inexhaustible, reproducible, and ex- haustible elements. In doing this a clear notion can be obtained as to the real needs of a given industry, and our attention can then be concentrated upon those features of it which particu- larly demand economy. We shall be able to locate evils with greater accu- racy ; to diagnose the industrial dis- eases, so to speak, and then to look in- telligently for remedies. Many of the remedies must be sought for along chemical lines of research, which will develop economical processes of manu- facture, utilize materials that are now wasted, or substitute cheap for costly substances. Cheap and costly, how- ever, are words which need qualifica- tion. A substance or a process which is cheap to-day may be in reality waste- ful with a temporary reduction in price at the cost of some permanent econo- my. For our purposes the two words imply a deeper discrimination than is carried by their ordinary use. Tempo- 426 CONSERVATION rary efficiency and cheapness are to be discountenanced, while permanent economy for the benefit, not only of the Nation, but of the whole human race, is to be encouraged. This prin- ciple is sound, but its practical applica- tions will involve many difficulties, and develop many conflicts with special in- terests. Like all ideals it cannot be realized absolutely, but it represents a standard of action toward which we must move, even though the ultimate goal of perfection may never be at- tained. Evils can be mitigated, al- though they may not be entirely re- moved. THE PRESIDENT FOR CONSERVATION President Taft, on April 30, addressed a letter to ]\'Ir. A. W. Shaw, editor of System, which has been made public. It reads : n WHITE HOUSE, WASHINGTON. April 30, 1909. My dear Mr. Shaw: The conservation of National resources is a subject which will properly claim from the present administration earnest attention and appropriate legislation. The necessity for a comprehensive and sys- tematic improvement of our waterways, the preservation of our soil and of our forests, the securing from pHvat* appropriation the power A in navigable streams, the" retention of the xmdisposed of coal lands of the Government from alienation, - all these matters are vitally K ' important to the people of the United States, and to your constit- uency, the business men of the country. without the resources which make labor productive, American enterprise, energy, and skill would not in ^^^ past have been able to make headway against hard conditions. Our children and their children will not be able to make headway if we leave to them an im- poverished country. Our land, our waters, our forests, and our minerals are the sources front which come directly or indirectly the livelihood of all of ua. The conservation of our natural re- Eouroea is a question of fundamental importance to the United States now - to the business man to-day. Very sincerely yours, Mr. A. W. Shaw, Editor, "System," " Chicago; Illinois. ORGANIZATIONS WHICH HAVE PASSED RESOLUTIONS FAVORING THE ESTAB^ LISHMENT OF THE APPALACHIAN NATIONAL FOREST Adirondack Murray Memorial Association. American Civic Association. American Cotton Manufacturers' Associa- tion. American Forestry Association. American Institute of Electrical Engineers. American Mutual Newspaper Association. American Society of Civil Engineers. Appalachian National Forest Association. Asheville, N. C, Board of Trade. Association for the Preservation of the Adirondacks. Board of Trade, Charleston, W. Va. Board of Trade, Columbus, Ga. Board of Trade, Columbus, Ohio. Board of Trade, Elkins, W. Va. Board of Trade, Grand Rapids, Mich. Board of Trade, Greenville, S. C. Board of Trade, La Crosse, Wis. Board of Trade, Nashville, Tenn. Board of Trade, Savannah, Ga. Board of Trade, Winston-Salem, N. C. Board of Trade, Providence, R. L Business Men's Club of Huntsville, Ala. California Promotion Committee (in con- vention at Petaluma). Carriage Builders' National Association. Chamber of Commerce, Atlanta, Ga. Chamber of Commerce, Augusta, Ga. Chamber of Commerce, Belton, S. C. Chamber of Commerce, Boston, Mass. Chamber of Commerce, Charleston, S. C. Chamber of Commerce, Chattanooga, Tenn. Chamber of Commerce, Columbia, S. C. Chamber of Commerce, Cleveland, Ohio. Chamber of Commerce, Los Angeles, Cal. Chamber of Commerce, Newberry, S. C. Chamber of Commerce, Parkersburg, W. Va. Chamber of Commerce, Pittsburg, Pa. Chamber of Commerce, Raleigh, N. C. Chamber of Commerce, Sumter, S. C. Commercial Club, Mobile, Ala. Commercial Club, Montgomery, Ala. Commercial Club, Louisville, Ky. Colorado State Forestry Association. Connecticut General Assembly. Connecticut Lumber Dealers' Association. Convention for the Extension of Foreign Commerce. Counties Committee of California Promo- tion Committee. Engineering Society of the Carolinas. Daughters of the American Revolution, National Society. Eastern States Retail Lumber Dealers' As- sociation. Federation of Women's Clubs, D. C. Federation of Women's Clubs, Grand Rapids, Mich. Federation of Women's Clubs, Toledo, Ohio. Forestry Association and Women's Clubs, Paducah, Ky. Forestry Club, University of Michigan. Gadsden Commercial and Industrial Asso- ciation, Gadsden, Ala. Greater Charlotte Club, Charlotte, N. C. League of Improvement Societies in Rhode Island. Manti National Forest. ^Manufacturers' Club, High Point, N. C. Merchants' Association of New York. Merchants and Manufacturers' Association of Milwaukee. Michigan Agricultural College. National Association of Manufacturers. National Association of Box Manufactur- ers. National Association of State University Presidents. National Association of Cotton Manufac- turers. National Board of Trade. National Hardwood Lumber Association, Atlantic City. National Lumber Manufacturers' Associa- tion. National Slack Cooperage Manufacturers' Association. National Wholesale Lumber Dealers' As- sociation. New Century Club, Detroint. New England Cotton Manufacturers' As- sociation. New York Board of Trade and Trans- portation. North Carolina Legislature. Pennsylvania State College, Faculty of School of Agriculture. Pomona Grange of Oregon. Public Meeting, Alma, Mich. Public Meeting, Detroit, Mich. Public Meeting, Jackson, Mich. Public Meeting, Muskegon, Mich. Public Meeting, Springdale, Conn. Public Meeting, Wausau, Wis. Rhode Island Institute of American Archi- tects. Science Club of University of Wisconsin. Trinity College, Durham, N. C. United States Hay Fever Association. West Virginia State Board of Trade. Women's Club, Bay City, Mich. 427 428 CONSER\ ATION Women's Club, Eau Claire, Wis. Wofiford College Lyceum, Spartanburg, S. C. As a further indication of the extent of interest in Appalachian- White Moun- tain legislation, the following list may be added : List of Delegates to Congressional Hearing for Appalachian-White Mountain National Forest Reserve Before Committee on Agri- culture, House of Representatives, Jan. 30, 1908. APPALACHIAN NATIONAL FOREST ASSOCIATION Ligon Johnson, President. John H. Finney, Secretary and Treasurer. R. Gordon Finney, Assistant Secretary. STATE OF GEORGIA Hon. Hoke Smith, Governor of the State. Maurice W. Thomas, Atlanta. Asa G. Candler, Atlanta. Joel Hurt, Atlanta. Sam D. Jones, Atlanta. Maj. John S. Cohen, Atlanta. W. G. Cooper, Atlanta. Hugh M. Willett, Atlanta. Harvie Jordan, Atlanta. Will H. Shippen, Atlanta. Isaac Haas, Atlanta. R. J. Griffin, Atlanta. F. L. Seeley, Atlanta. Ralph Smith, Atlanta. Oscar Pappenheimer, Atlanta. John S. Corrigan, Atlanta. Forrest Adair, Atlanta. E. F. Morgan, Atlanta. J. J. Spalding, Atlanta. F. H. Hadlev, Atlanta. B. M. Hall, Atlanta. A. H. Colcord, Atlanta. A. M. Whaley, Atlanta. Walter P. Andrew^s, Atlanta. Samuel Dunlap, Atlanta. J. H. McGowan, Augusta. Oswell R. Eeve, Augusta. Bowdrie Phinizy, Augusta. Thos. W. Loveless, Augusta. L T. Hickman. Augusta. W. E. Small, Macon. W. E. McCaw, Macon. T. J. Simmons, Macon. W. A. Little, Columbus. Fred B. Gordon, Columbus. Gunsby Jordan, Columbus. Leo Lowenherz, Columbus. W. C. Bradley, Columbus. J. D. Massey, Columbus. Linton A. Deane, Rome. Barry Wright, Rome. Seaborn Wright, Rome. J. Lindsay Johnson, Rome. W. F. Dorsey, Athens. Frank Shackleford, Athens. Paul Gilreath, Cartersville. Paul Akin, Cartersville. C. P. Goodyear, Brunswick. H. H. Dean, Gainesville. John A. Smith, Gainesville. H. A. Meikleham, Lindale. A. S. J. Stoyall, Elberton. A. M. Kitchins, Cornelia. Luke E. Tate, Tate. Charles Barret, Union City. J. S. Adams, Demorest. Dr. Jeff Davis, Toccoa. Dr. L. G. Hardman, Commerce. Smith D. Pickett, Albany. Claude N. Bennett, Thompson. STATE OF VIRGINIA Rorer A. James, Danville. R. P. Barham, Petersburg. S. S. Nottingham, Norfolk. J. H. Lindse.v, Charlottesville. A. McG. Griggs, Portsmouth. C. E. Thacker, Newport News. M. H. Claytor, Roanoke. John S. Bryan, Richmond. STATE OF WEST VIRGINIA W. B. Matthews, Charleston. Col. C. B. Kefauver, Parkersburg. R. B. Naylor, Wheeling. L. J. Corbly, Huntington. Hugh Shapps, Bluefields. L. C. Lough, Fairmount. Prof. M. S. Hodges, Morgantown. Hon. Harvey W. Harmor, Parkersburg. Hon. Stewart W. Walker, Martinsburg. Howard Sutherland, Elkins. Director James H. Stewart, Morgantown. Prof. Henry S. Green, Morgantown. Hu Maxwell, Washington, D. C. Hon. Geo. C. Sturgiss, Washington, D. C. Hon. W. P. Hubbard, Washington, D. C. Hon. Jos. H. Gaines, Washington, D. C. Hon. Harry Woodyard, Washington, D. C. Hon. James A. Hughes, Washington, D. C. Hon. S. B. Elkins, Washington, D. C. Hon. N. B. Scott, Washington, D. C. Secretary J. B. Garvin, Charlestown. Isaac T. Mann, Bramwell. Amos Bright, Sutton. William D. Ord, LandgrafT. Col. Edward O'Tolle, Gary. Hon. S. W. Willey, Hinton. Hon. H. I. Shott, Bluefield. STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA Prof. A. C. Moore, Columbia. Dr. J. A. B. Scherer, Newberry. W. C. Woods, Darlington. , James F. Neville, Walhalla. E. H. De Camp, Gaffney. Thomas A. Ratlifif, Anderson. H. N. Snyder, Spartansburg. Prof. B. E. Geer, Greenville. Hon. A. C. Kaufman, Charleston. Executive Committee from South Caro- lina, E. J. Watson, Columbia, S. C. STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA J. P. Lucas, Winston-Salem. W. I. Underwood, Greensboro. Benj. Bell, Wilmington. James H. Caine, Asheville. ORGANIZATIONS FAVORING APPALACHIAN FOREST 429 James A. Robinson, Durham. J. J. Fariss, High Point. Geo. B. Crater, Raleigh. E. R. Preston, Charlotte. John T. Patrick, Wadesboro. Wade H. Harris, Charlotte. W. S. Lee, Charlotte. STATE OF KENTUCKY W. H. Mackov, Covington. Robt. A. McDowell, Louisville. Col. J. B. Atkinson, Earlington. A. T. McDonald, Louisville. Frank H. Hartwell. Geo. A. Newman, Louisville. Prof. H. T. Brownell, Louisville. W. E. Burk, Louisville. Professor Marks, Louisville. Webster Gazle}', Louisville. J. M. Johnson, Louisville. Frank H. Miller, Louisville. Lafon Allen, Louisville. STATE OF ALABAMA Hon. J. H. Wallace, Alabama Forestry Commission. Hon. J. A. Wilkinson, Alabama Forestry Commission. STATE OF TENNESSEE L. C. Glenn, Vanderbilt University, Nash- ville. Saml. B. Smith, Chattanooga. NEW ENGLAND STATES Philip W. Ayres, Forester, Society Protec- tion of New Hampshire Forests; Forester Dartmouth College grant. Henry A. Barker, Department Vice- president "Public Reservations," American Civic Association, representing mayor of Providence, Providence Board of Trade, and League of Improvement Societies in Rhode Island. RobertP. Bass, New Hampshire Forestry Commissioner. George Ward Cook, Haverhill, Mass., rep- resenting interests in the Merrimac Valley. F. B. Davis, Lawrence, Mass., lumber manufacturer. Thomas H. Dearborn, Concord, N. H., state entomologist. C. F. De Forest, New Haven, Conn., rep- resenting Connecticut Lumber Association and state of Connecticut. F. C. Dumaine, treasurer Amoskeag Man- ufacturing Compan}', of Boston. Charles L. Elwell, Concord, N. H., recently speaker house of representatives. R. E. Faulkner, Keene, N. H., New Hamp- shire Forestry Commissioner. G. W. Field, Chairman Commission on Fisheries and Game, Boston. Charles M. Floyd, Manchester, N. H., governor of New Hampshire. C. C. Goodrich, Hartford, Conn., manager Hartford and New York Transportation Company. H. S. Graves, New Haven, Conn., Yale Forest School and state delegate. James P. Gray, Boston, hydrographic en- gineer, president Boston ^Manufacturers" In- surance Company. M. J. Hapgood, Peru, Vt., representing the governor and State Forestry Associa- tion. Henry R. Hayes, representing Stone & Webster, electrical engineers, 147 Milk Street, Boston. E. F. Hitchins, Waterville, Me., state en- tomologist. D. Blakeley Hoar, Brookline, Mass. Ap- pointed by governor of Massachusetts. Prof. John G. Jack, forest department, Harvard LTniversity. Harlan P. Kelsey, Salem, Mass., vice- president department of nuisances, Amer- ican Civic Association, president Civic League of Salem, Mass. Lieutenant-governor Lake, Hartford, Conn. A. E. Lang, Cornish, N. H. George B. Leighton, vice-president Amer- ican Civic Association, ]\Ionadnock Farms, New Hampshire. Arthur Low, Fitchburg, Mass., president Park Hill and Lancaster Manufacturing Companies. Appointed by governor of Massachusetts. J. Horace McFarland, Harrisburg, Pa., president American Civic Association. Hon. John McLane, ex-governor of New Hampshire, Milford, N. H. William A. Martin, Holton, Me. George F. Mead, Boston, Boston Fruit and Produce Exchange and Boston Associated Board of Trade. Rev. Daniel Merriman, 12 Bay State Road, Boston. Appointed by governor of Massa- chusetts. F. W. Rane, state forester, State House, Boston, Mass. Appointed by governor of Massachusetts. F. Gardner Richards, Rockport, Mass. Frank W. Rollins, ex-governor of New Hampshire, president Society for Protection of New Hampshire Forests. Harvey N. Shepard, Boston, representing Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Massa- chusetts State Board of Trade, Appalachian Mountain Club. Edwin A. Start, secretary Massachusetts Forestry Association, representing that as- sociation and Commonwealth of Massachu- setts. Dr. M. F. Sullivan, president of the Board of Trade of Lawrence, Mass. Dr. George F. Swain, professor of civil engineering Massachusetts Institute of Tech- nology, member Boston Transit Commission, representing state of Massachusetts. James P. Tolman, Boston, Mass. Ap- pointed by governor of Massachusetts. Justin E. Varney, Lawrence, Mass., cashier Bay State National Bank. C. J. H. Woodbury, Boston, secretary Na- tional Cotton Manufacturers' Association. Appointed by governor of Massachusetts. Charles T. Woods, director Maine xA.gricul- tural Experin'ent Station, Orono, Me. EDITORIAL Edward Everett Hale AGAIN, "a prince and a great man is fallen in Israel." Another na- tional figure — "the Tolstoi of America" — has gone from us. One of the cluster of great New England names, including Wendell Phillips, William Lloyd Garrison, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Webster, Holmes. Lowell, Longfellow, Sumner, Whittier, Free- man Clarke, Phillips Brooks, and Thomas Wentworth Higginson, he was almost "the last leaf upon the tree." While, considering his advanced age of eighty-seven years, the death of Edward Everett Hale should not per- haps have been such, it was, neverthe- less, a surprise to the country. The public press abounds with stories of his life, and commendations of his multiplied services to humanity. Fuller mention may be made in a later issue of Conservation. Here it is in order to say that he was for years an active worker in the cause of forestrv and con- servation — the patriarch of the move- ment. No face was more familiar at the meetings of the American For- estry Association, nor at hearings be- fore congressional committees ; and no words were listened to with more con- sideration than his, as he told of the great pine trees, tall and beautiful in the days when North America was dis- covered— trees under which as a boy he had slept, but which in recent years had been swept away, their places now being supplied with sumac and black- berry bushes. Of such a sight he would say, "It makes a man cry to see it !" At the last two annual meetings of the American Forestry Association Doctor Hale was present and spoke with tre- mendous energy and earnestness for the forestry movement and especially for the Appalachian measure. 430 In the very heart of the White ]\Ioun- tains of New Hampshire, where he loved to summer, a large mountain has, in recent years, been named for him. To many of our readers the following quotation, from the Springfield Repub- lican, will appeal as peculiarly appro- priate and suggestive : "His presence will never be forgotten by any one who had seen and listened to him in the last thirty years at least, as he grew old and the great head with its mane of brown hair, his deeply lined countenance, his slightly stooping shoulders and his large aspect as a per- sonality impressed every one. A man of simpler, sweeter, honester manner will never be seen in pulpit, in as- sembly, or on the street. No one will forget him who has lived in his day." And the following telegram from President Taft to the Hale household is one in which many will be glad to join : "Mrs. Taft and I extend to your our heartfelt sympathy in your great sor- row, and deeply regret the loss which the whole community suffers in the death of such an upholder and stanch advocate of sweetness and light, the lib- eral but truly religious spirit. Christian charity and tolerance, the brotherhood of man, and the fatherhood of God." Jg )^ )« Forestry a Germ of the Conservation Movement THE "Proceedings of the Conference of Governors of the United States" (White House, May 13-15, 1908) has recently appeared. It begins with a statement of the "origin and plan of the Conference." Following are the opening paragraphs : "The idea of conserving the Nation's EDITORIAL 431 resources arose partly from the recent forestry movement, partly from the still more recent waterway movement. "The germ of the idea took form in an address by President Roosevelt be- fore the Society of American Foresters (of which he was and is an associate member), March 26, 1903." Following the above are several quo- tations from important utterances of President Roosevelt. As has already been pointed out in these columns, the conservation move- ment has now taken a wide sweep, and when representatives of the different nations of the world shall meet at The Hague next September, as a result of President Roosevelt's initiative at the North American Conservation Confer- ence held in Washington last February, this effort will have attained a world- scope. To the little band of forestry pioneers who, in 1882, met in Cincinnati and or- ganized the American Forestry Associ- ation, there is cause for profound con- gratulation as they behold the mighty tree now growing from the little seed then and there planted. Then, they were but blazers of a trail through a wilderness, leaders of an apparently for- lorn hope, "hobby-riders," "alarmists," "cranks." Now, they have in their com- pany ofificial representatives from all the leading nations of the world. With another pioneer on a notable occasion they might with propriety exclaim, "What hath God wrought !" ^ ^ ^ Let Us Hear from the Schools A HOPEFUL aspect of the conser- vation movement is the develop- ment of the forestry schools. Of these a considerable number already exists. This number is increasing and the qual- ity of the schools is improving. They are leavening public sentiment and pre- paring young men for various aspects of forest work. Conservation desires to keep in touch with these institutions. It believes that a close connection between the schools and the magazine will be good 5 for both and for the movement. It de- sires news notes from the schools re- garding their work, plans and prospects, and articles from their professors. All these schools are now looking forward toward the beginning of the coming year. Conservation suggests that it might be helpful to them to keep their work before its readers. ^ i^ ^ A Legislative News Bureau for Conservation IT IS the desire of Conservation to publish a record, as full as possible, of all national and state legislation on forestry and conservation matters. The endeavor will be made to treat with par- ticular fullness such measures as may be introduced into the National Con- gress, to publish roll-calls on all impor- tant measures, and place the records of members directly before the country. It is highly desirable, furthermore, that a similar record may be kept of legis- lative procedure in the several states. That this effort may prove effective, it is essential that friends of the conserva- tion movement shall furnish this maga- zine each month with the information necessary. In numerous instances friends reside in state capitals ; in cases, they are themselves members of state legislatures. They are thus in peculiarly favorable positions to aid this publica- tion in making a success of the proposed news bureau. With their aid it can be- come a highly important factor in the promotion of legislation necessary for the conservation of the resources of the states and Nation. Conservation, therefore, calls for volunteers in every state in the Union to supply the neces- sary data. Whether legislatures be or be not now in session, prompt, affirma- tive replies will be greatly appreciated, that records may be begun and this of- fice may know to whom to looV for the necessary information. ^ VH ^ The Point of View THIS office has received an illustrated clipping describing an endless-chaln crosscut saw. The clipping says : "The 432 CONSERVATION endless-chain crosscut saw herewith shown is interesting as an invention for which much is claimed. Driven by a thirty horse-power gasoline engine, the saw travels at a speed of 2,000 feet per minute. It is said that it will fell a tree eight feet in diameter in less than fifteen minutes, and crosscut a log sec- tion in eight minutes. The machine sits on a turntable, and can be swung to cut in all directions and angles without moving the sled upon which it rests." With this clipping comes the inquiry from a correspondent, "Do you use your influence in preventing the patent- ing and adoption and use of any such devil of destruction as would be in- ferred from the enclosed slip?" In Conservation for June was pub- lished an editorial containing a letter from a lumberman. A comparison of that letter with the one above will sug- gest to our readers the different view- points taken on the forest question, all of which, with its varied clientele, must be considered by Conservation. To our last correspondent we an- swer : Conservation, and the organization and movement it represents, do not ob- ject to improved machinery, whether for lumbering or for any other useful purpose. Time was when improved machinery was looked upon as an en- emy, if not of the human race, at least of that section of it represented by the laboring class. Some of these, in Eng- land, for example, organized themselves under the leadership of one Ludd, and went about armed with big sticks smashing looms. This view is now hopelessly out of date. If work is to be done and machinery can be used, let it be used ; and the better the machinery the more cordially it should be wel- comed. That the introduction of improved machinery raises problems in connec- tion with the labor question, none ap- preciate more keenly than the writer. The remedy, however, lies not in smash- ing the machinery, but in solving the labor question. But suppose that, as in the case in hand, the machinery is to be employed for the harvesting of lumber. Is it not true, we are asked, that the forests are already being slaughtered at a frightful rate? The answer is, Unquestionably they are. And shall we, then, encourage the use of machinery which can facilitate that slaughter? To which our answer, unhesitating and unequivocal, must be, Yes. And how, then, does our position on this question consist with our position that forests should be conserved ? Following is our reply : The forests are for use. Of their uses, two are conspicuous: i, For har- vesting ; 2. For protection. The abuse appears when the harvest- ing is unwisely done, as when trees too small to be cut are cut and when trees that should be preserved for protection purposes are harvested. The remedy must be sought not in impairing the processes of harvesting, but in seeing, first, that they are properly performed, and, second, that they are applied only to the trees that should be harvested and not to the trees that should be pre- served. And who shall exercise this super- vision ? Here we repeat our familiar declaration, that the community itself must take a hand in this matter. Indi- viduals may do something, and asso- ciations, commercial or public-spirited, may do more ; but the community, in its organized form as city, state or nation, or all together, must unquestionably as- sert and exert itself if the evil is to be avoided and the good conserved. «i «? J^ Water-'power Grabs in Wisconsin T N LA FOLLETTE'S weekly maga- 1 zine for May 22 is an article under the above heading bv State Senator Winfield R. Gaylord, of Wisconsin. Senator Gaylord notes the existence of the water-power trust against which President Roosevelt warned Congress and the country. He states that the water-powers of Wisconsin have been EDITORIAL 433 conservatively estimated at 600,000 H. P. Each hydro-electric H. P. is estimated to equal about twelve tons of coal per year ; the total, therefore, equaling- 7,200,000 tons of coal per annum. Of this water-power, the commercial value is suggested by such facts and figures as these: The bare location of one power site, with franchise, was sold for $10 per H. P., while another loca- tion is quoted at $9 per H. P. per annum. In the paper and pulp hearing before Congress, on pages 1108 to 11 12, Mr. Safiford, engineer for the International Paper Company, said:' 'Tn New Eng- land, for the last twenty-five years, when power has been taken away from the owner by municipalities or by other companies, a fair price is about $1,000 per H. P. for the amount taken away. The average of thirty or forty sales of H. P. that I know of personally, most of which I have reported on, has been $300 per H. P." This power was con- ceded to be undeveloped. On page 894 of the same hearing, Mr. Cowles testified that the paper mills at the Androscoggin River could sell their power at $40 per H. P. per annum. On page 1030 of the same report, the official statement of the International Paper Company shows that they place a value of $50 per H. P. upon their undeveloped water-powers. Obviously, in the light of such facts and figures, water-power is not a thing like air and sunshine, to be given away. Furthermore, as Senator Gaylord points out, even such estimates of value may be slight in comparison with the value that these water-powers will as- sume in future years when wood and coal have largely failed and popula- tion, with its manifold needs, is vastly increased. In exactly the same way as city lands multiply in value with the multiplication of population, so these water-powers will probably multiply in value under the influences indicated. In the light of these facts, we are not surprised that private companies are reaching out for such water-powers. At the present session of the Wisconsin state legislature nearly thirty bills were introduced asking for franchises for dams, while lobbyists thronged the cor- ridors and committee-rooms pressing for these valuable privileges. An ag- gressive fight resulted, the end of which is not yet. Senators who have opposed giving away the people's water-power prop- erties point out, first, that the private companies do not adequately develop their water-powers, thirteen of the thirty franchises asked for having been covered by previous grants of the leg- islature but not developed ; and second, that private development, as compared with public, is uneconomical. For example, in the case of the High Falls and Johnson Falls combination, the digging of a canal two and one-half miles long would give a combined head of no feet. The company, however, could not secure the riparian rights be- tween these two points ; the heads were, therefore, developed separately, with a waste of ten feet. The state, however, could secure the riparian rights and would avoid this waste. In a paper before the American So- ciety of Civil Engineers, in November, 1908, Mr. H. M. Chittenden, C.E., said : "When a power is planned or a reser- voir built, it should be so planned from the start as to bring out its full possi- bilities. A private company can rarely do this. Generally its scheme does not require this, nor its resources permit ; but a site once occupied by an infe- rior work may be perpetually barred from complete development. * * * Furthermore, the Government is build- ing for all time, while the individual builds only for the immediate and near future. The case is similar to that of the landlord and tenant." Like President Roosevelt, in speak- ing of the Desplaines River case (see Conservation for March, page 170). and like President Taft in his letter to Mr. Shaw (see page 426, of this issue), Senator Gaylord takes his stand against donating these water-powers to cor- porations. His language is: "These 434 CONSERVATION water-powers can be, and ought to be, held by the state, developed by the state, and their energy sold to such pri- vate persons as wish to use it. * * * Whatever is to be done with it, the state and the people of the state should keep control forever of these water-powers, which are the equivalent of so many coal mines, digging their own coal to the amount of over seven millions of tons every year." «? ^ «i The National Irrigation Congress OF THE National Irrigation Con- gress, former President Roosevelt said : "This congress undoubtedly is one of the most important unofficial bodies in the country." This congress meets annually. Its meeting this year will be held at Spo- kane, August 9 to 14, and promises to eclipse all former meetings in attend- ance and interest. The congresses are notable for the number and character of the delegates attending. Last year, for example, there were present the Vice-president of the United States, the governors of several western states, United States Senators, Congressmen, Government officials, state engineers of eight western states, scientific men, in- cluding experts of the United States Department of Agriculture, professors of state institutions, and editors of tech- nical journals. This year the manage- ment expects from 4,500 to 5,000 ac- credited delegates from various parts of the United States, representatives from Canada, Europe, the South Amer- ican republics, China and Japan, and President Taft, with several members of his Cabinet. On Governors' Day, August 13, governors of twenty-five states and territories are expected. Bankers, railroad presidents, scientists, experts on reclamation of arid and swamp lands, deep waterways, forestry, good roads, and home-building will have places on the program. Among the speakers announced are James J. Hill, Gifford Pinchot, F. H. Newell, Dr. Geo. B. Angell, United States Senators Cummins and Jones, John Barrett, Director of the Bureau of American Republics, Governors Will- son of Kentucky and Patterson of Tennessee, and other men of promi- nence. The cooperation and assistance of the United States Department of Agriculture, including the Forest Serv- ice, and the Reclamation Service, are promised. Among the features announced are the following: August 10, afternoon. — Parade of progress, showing the transformation of the Northwest from semi-savagery to civilization. August II, evening. — Illuminated pa- rade of progress, representing various periods in the Northwest from 1805 to 1909. Indians from four reservations and districts in the Pacific and western states will join in this demonstration. August 12, afternoon. — Parade and countermarch of the industrial and ir- rigation army, with 10,000 uniformed men in line. The official emblem of the congress, showing science bidding the desert drink, will be featured on an elaborate float. A regiment from Ottawa, Canada, wearing the British uniform, is also expected. On August 9 the proceed- ings will be enlivened by the singing of the irrigation ode by a large chorus of trained singers, and the singing of state hymns by school children. The avowed object of the congress is the familiar one : To save the forests, store the floods, reclaim the deserts, and make homes on the land. Irrigation is gradually, even rapidly, making a garden-spot of the great American desert. The work, however, is but in its infancy, and congresses such as the one in question are potent factors in its promotion. Reclamation is intimately connected with problems of vital moment to so- ciety. Present economic development is, in large measure, separating the citi- zen from the land. History records nu- merous like instances which, without exception, have brought trouble, some- times peril, to the state. Agrarianism, whether in ancient Rome or in modern EDITORIAL 435 Russia, is portentous. The attempt of the Gracchi to place landless men upon land largely unused brought civil strife. Modern civilization to-day faces con- gestion in great cities, and a problem of unemployment imperatively demand- ing solution. Upon the arid and semi- arid lands of western America, not to mention swamp lands easily susceptible of reclamation^ are opportunities which might readily provide for millions of human beings, relieve economic press- ure, and transmute discontent into sat- isfaction and acute misery into happi- ness. In this viewpoint, the reclama- tion of our western wilderness consti- tutes an appeal of the first order to the citizenship and statesmanship of to-day. Mr. Arthur Hooker, secretary of the board of control, will present a reso- lution memorializing Congress to issue three per cent gold bonds, running lOO years, to the amount of $5,000,000,000. or as much thereof as may be necessary, for the following purposes : One billion dollars for drainage of 100,000 square miles of overflowed and swamp lands. One billion dollars for the irrigation of 40,000,000 acres of arid and semi- arid lands. One billion dollars to construct and improve deep waterways. One billion dollars for good roads and national highways. One billion dollars for forest protec- tion, reforestation, and conservation of the forest resources. To provide the funds for the above- named projects, or any of them, other methods than those of bond issues might be conceived ; furthermore, such an enterprise, because of its very mag- nitude, will impress some as chimerical. Nevertheless, it will be recalled that President-elect Taft, in his Belasco- theater speech, conceded the possible wisdom of bond issues for conservation purposes ; furthermore, properly han- dled, such an enterprise might repre- sent to the Nation not a mountain of debt, but a great and highly profitable investment, not only yielding large pe- cuniary returns, but, for years to come. promoting social and economic peace and tranquillity. }&' «? ^ President Hill on Conservation WISE words were those uttered by Mr. James J. Hill at the opening of the Alaska- Yukon-Pacific Exposi- tion on June i. "The idea of a federa- tion of the world," said he, "comes near its realization in the great expositions that assemble actual evidences of man's progress in self-development and to- ward his development of the earth. This exposition may be regarded as the laying of the last rail, the driving of the last spike, in unity of mind and purpose between the Pacific Coast and the coun- try east of the mountains. It is the witness of a constantly broadening tie which is both the price we pay for civilization and the boon that it confers upon us. * * * As it was the com- monwealths of the Middle West and Northwest that, in their rise, swung the Nation, like a ship swaying with the tide, slowly but surely toward the ideals of freedom and union that have molded us to what we are, so it may well be that the destiny of the United States will be decided in some great crisis hereafter by the men, the wealth, the industry, the ideas to be born gen- erations hence in the wide spaces, un- der the clear skies, amid the bracing airs of our giant child of the North that occupies the place of honor here to- day." Speaking of the influence of the West, Mr.' Hill said: "No less weighty should be its contribution to the forma- tion of national ideals, the shaping of national ambitions, the direction of na- tional policies. Out of the West have come formative impulses that enriched the history of the country. It is the goal of the enterprising and fearless. While others deliberate, it acts. While they count consequences, it looks upou re- sults as already nearing accomplish- ment. If the star of empire in history has moved westward, it followed rather than led those bold spirits by which em- pires are made and upheld. Here, on 436 CONSERVATION the westernmost verge of the continent, where progress must pause for a mo- ment, Hke the early voyagers, before venturing across the broad Pacific to remake that Orient which beheld some of her earliest conquests, may well be exhibited in pronounced and admirable form the qualities that have always marked the American West." Such language reveals in Mr. Hill a genuine son of the Republic — a man who has breathed the air of the prairies and the mountains ; who knows some- thing of the mighty sweep of our na- tional domain and has felt something of the spirit that has made and is yet to make America great. Speaking of the exposition, Mr. Hill continues : "In its execution is the vigor of youth that should ripen into a splendid maturity. In everything is the magnificent self- confidence without which there can be neither great qualities nor great achieve- ments. The Pacific Coast is drawn to a large scale. The mountains, the ocean, the distances ; even the forms of sea and vegetable life are fixed on a gen- erous plan. Such surroundings should be incompatible with hwman pettiness. Man should emulate nature by growing into greatness of interest, purpose, thought and character. It would almost seem as if nowhere else could there be such inspiration from environment for the development of a worthy civic spirit, as well as for great material creations." Passing to the question of natural resources, the speaker continued : "The first and most imperative word, I need hardly say, one which the coun- try has come to hear with much re- spect and not a little fear as to its fu- ture, is 'conservation.' I put it first, not only because it belongs there in the scheme of national politics, but because it particularly needs to be repeated and emphasized among the people of the North Pacific Coa?t. You have been following the footsteps of your ances- tors farther east, who are now bes:in- ning, at great cost of labor and wealth, to repair the consequences of errors that still seem to you natural and proper acts. From California northward to the extreme of Alaska there are to-day probably more unimpaired natural re- sources than in all the rest of the coun- try. Your great forests are falling; but so immense were they that man has not yet compassed their destruction. You have seen what h.appened to New England and to Michigan and to Wis- consin and Minnesota ; what will be the condition of the South in a few more years ? "You still possess the principal sup- ply of timber in the United States. Will you take steps to guard it, to pre- vent waste for the sake of immediate gain to a few individuals, until linnber shall become a luxury and the very poor must huddle in houses of mud or sod, like the peasantry of the Old World? If that argument does not appeal, will you consider the economic effect of the future decline and disappearance of what is now and might remain always one of your greatest industries? Will you realize what this country must be- come when stripped of its forests ; the washing away of the soil, the inevitable changes in climate, the devastations of torrential overflow and disastrous drought, the barren bleakness of vour mountains and the desolation of your valleys when the forests have gone? If you do, your earnest work for forest conservation will begin to-day." As at the White House Conference a year ago. President Hill again called attention strongly to the importance of soil conservation. He said : "It is on record that the best soil in this state produced, when the first set- tlers came, from fortv to sixty bushels of wheat an acre. How many farmers get that now ? The temptation is almost irresistible in a country like this, where the new soil needs but the touch of water to burst into wonderful fertility, to grasp a present profit without thought of the future. But this apparently ex- haustless soil acts like all others when abused. Treat it as those of our older states have been treated, take away all and give nothing back, and it is only a question of time how soon your lands, too, will decline in productivity and re- EDITORIAL 437 cover less readily than those which had less to lose. The procession of Amer- ican farmers that have moved recently into the country just north of our west- ern states should point the moral. They were wasters, or the children of wasters, who had exhausted nature's bounty and were moving on. Take care of your soil before it is too late, and it will take care of you and sustain and increase your prosperity forever. Neglect and waste it, and no earthly power can save you from the consequences." Mr. Hill also called attention to the great salmon industry, capable of such splendid development on the coast, yet, like other industries directly dependent upon natural resources, already men- aced by wasteful consumption. He called attention to the possible wealth of the West in water-power. Speak- ing- of Alaska, he said : "Among its mountains and scattered through yours all the way down to Mexico there is water-power enough undeveloped to perform all the work done west of the Mississippi. Are these resources be- ing guarded for posterity, or are they being so disposed of that their future employment will be conditioned upon the payment of a perpetual tax to their appropriators?" It is a notable fact that the im- pressiveness of a sermon depends pri- marily not upon the text, nor even the matter, but upon the preacher. Others have said such things as Mr. Hill said on this occasion. From them, how- ever, the warnings have too often been regarded as the mouthings of an alarm- ist, or the vain imaginings of a theorist. Not always, especially in America, have the words of the expert, the specialist, the man of science been accorded due weight. Here, rather, it is to the busi- ness man, the captain of industry, the successful man of afifairs, that we have turned for advice and guidance. That Mr. Hill is such a man, no one can question. His utterances, therefore, upon such a question as that of the hus- banding of our resources carry peculiar weight. It is to be hoped that they may be widely quoted, repeated, and re- enforced until they have produced the conviction that influences conduct. i^ ^ ^ Destruction of Fish IN LINE with the warning given by President Hill to the people of the great Northwest regarding the destruc- tion of their salmon, comes a warning from the East regarding a similar de- struction of fish. Says the Nezv York Herald in its issue of June 7 : "Here is the great Delaware River, once prolific in fish and making fertile its banks ; to-day pollution of its waters by the waste of factories makes the sur- viving fish unfit to eat and menaces the health and comfort of those who live near. And the Government, ever pa- ternal, proposes to restock the river with fish from abroad, while it does nothing to stop the pollution. The very repairing of loss is likely to prove a waste. "Cases of much the same character could be found nearer home. In tidal waters, such as encompass this city, the results of pollution are much less se- rious, but the problem will be pressing before many decades." The one discordant note in this edito- rial is that regarding the "paternalism" of the Government. With the evidence already piled mountain-high all about us, and daily climbing higher, that gov- ernmental "do-nothingism" is, through- out the civilized world, now out of date, and that governments in future must, at the least, earn their keep to justify their existence, the talk of "paternal- ism" has a strangely Rip Van Winkle- like ring. Further, as has been already stated in these columns, the term "paternal- ism" has no place in speaking of the government of a republic. In an abso- lute monarchy, in which a Louis XIV can say, "I am the State;" can refer to the people of the nation as "his chil- dren," and treat them as such, the gov- ernment may properly be spoken of as "paternal." Where, however, as in the France of to-day, and in the Ignited States, the people have attained their 438 CONSERVATION majority, dispensed with their "pater" and taken charge of their own affairs, it is as absurd to speak of their joint activities as "paternal" as it would be so to speak of the joint activities of a group of brothers who have gone into partnership. Antiquated terms often die hard. The term in question is no ex- ception. Let all intelligent people, how- ever, recognize that in the United States its day is past, and hasten to lay it finally away to rest. «? «« )g Responsibility for Forests IN AN editorial on June ii, the New York Press endorses a statement from the Engineering News that the "deforestation of this country cannot be adequately checked by the estab- lishment of forest reserves by the Fed- eral Government and the various states." "Public reserves," it declares, "and the Government encouragement of forest cultivation must be supplemented by the efforts of hundreds of thousands of individuals." This declaration is in line with one made by Secretary Wilson at the last annual meeting of the American For- estry Association. As will be recalled, Secretary Wilson on that occasion said : "The American people can do a great many things without Congress ; a very great many things." He then pro- ceeded to urge individuals, associations and corporations to do their utmost to- ward conserving existing forests and establishing new ones. "Let us not," he said, "sit down and make faces at Congress because they will not buy these Appalachian and White Mountain ranges. * * * It does not prevent as- sociations of men from taking hold and planting trees. It does not prevent the farmer from providing a legacy for the next generation by planting trees on the land that will not grow grasses or grains, but will grow trees." Continuing, the editorial writer in the Nczv York Press strikes a different note and says, "It has got to the pass now in this country that a man who plants a tree has a claim to be consid- ered a public benefactor, while the man who wantonly destroys one is a public enemy. "Individual responsibility for the pres- ervation of the forests of the Nation has not been sufficiently impressed upon the public at large. There is needed in this respect not only a 'campaign of ed- ucation,' but a campaign of repression. Those ofreat forest fires which everv year, from Maine to Texas and from Seattle to Florida, sweep away vast quantities of precious timber are gen- erally the result of the actions of the careless, the mischievous, or the crim- inal. Surely, the forests are as worthy of protection as the game of the coun- try, and guardians of the forest as nec- essary officers as game wardens ; surely it is the duty of both state and Federal governments to see to it that adequate penalties are provided for the punish- ment of those who, through careless- ness or wantonness, start forest fires." Self-preservation is the first law of nature ; likewise it is the first law of na- tions ; and national life, like individual life, rests upon an economic base. If governments may not, by adequate pains and penalties, protect the foundations which underlie tlieir very existence and that of the individuals who compose them, we may well inquire, "Why gov- ernment at all?" BACK NUMBERS WANTED The office of Conservation desires a few copies of the issues for May and September, 1899; January, February, and March, 1907, and November, 1908, for v.hich it will pay twenty cents each. Anv having available copies will oblige by advising this office. NEWS AND NOTES Government to Study Eucalyptus Planting Plans are being made to have a special study undertaken by a representative of the United States Forest Service in the near future to determine the feasibility of the cul- ture of the eucalyptus tree in the lower Rio Grande Valley and along the Gulf Coast of Texas. The importance of eucalyptus culture from a commercial standpoint in California has within the past few months aroused general interest throughout the country concerning these rapid-growing trees, and the district office of the Forest Service at Albuquerque receives almost daily inquiries as to the feas- ibility of planting eucalypts in the South- west, particularly in the state of Texas. Eucalypts are native to the coast region of Australia and Tasmania, where at least 150 distinct species are recognized. They were introduced into California about 1850, and first planted near San Francisco for orna- mental purposes. The extremely rapid growth of certain species, their value for fuel, lum- ber, and special products have resulted in the undertaking of extensive investigations concerning the habits of these trees and their commercial uses and possibilities. Fully 100 species have been introduced into the United States. The eucalypts are adapted to a subtropical climate, and the limits within which they may be planted for commercial purposes in this country may be broadly defined as that bounded by the frost-line. They are there- fore adapted for planting in the warmer por- tions of California and in parts of southern Arizona and Texas. There is considerable area, however^ in southern Texas where it is likely that the more hardy of the eucalypts can be successfully planted. ^ )^ ^ Tinnber Seasoning and Wood Preservation In recent years the importance of pre- serving timber from decay by the use of various antiseptics has been generally recog- nized in the United States. The value of properly seasoning timber before such treat- ment is not so generally known, though it is one of the most important features of the treatment. There are three main advantages to be derived from the proper seasoning of timber, namely: The increase in strength of the timber, the greater ease of injection of anti- septics for preserving the timber, and the saving in freight charges due to the de- creased weight. From thorough tests made by the Forest Service on various pieces of timber, it ap- pears that thoroughly air-dry or seasoned timber has about double the strength of the green material. It is well-known to all operators of wood-preserving plants that antiseptics are not only difficult to inject into green wood, but that it is practically im- possible to obtain a uniformly satisfactory treatment of such material at an economic cost, for the purpose of insuring a prolonged life. The last item would at first seem too trif- ling to be worthy of discussion, but from data obtained only recently it appears that western yellow pine lost fifty per cent, of its green weight after three to five months' seasoning. This means a saving of fifty per cent, of the freight charges and a correspond- ing saving in the handling of the timber, and is therefore a far too important point to overlook. Considering these three points, it will be seen that there is not only a material saving in the seasoning of timber, but also a pro- portionate increase in the value of timber as a structural material. The seasoning of timber is never an expensive operation, even when done artificially. In the southern parts of the United States, a satisfactory degree of seasoning could be obtained by exposure of the timber to the air for a period of three to six months. In some of the northern states, however, a somewhat longer period is necessary to secure satisfactory results. «i Jg )^ Forest Conservation in Germany and the United States Germany faced the same great timber sup- ply problem early in the nineteenth century that the United States faces to-day,_ and in solving it developed heavy producing and well-administered forests which are models for the rest of the world. A study of the systems of forest manage- ment and wood utilization in the two coun- tries ofifers many interesting comparisons. The United States takes 260 cubic feet per capita annually from the forests; Germany uses but thirty-seven. In other words, this country is already using seven times as much timber per capita as is Germany. 439 440 CONSERVATION American forests are now producing not more than twelve cubic feet per acre ; Ger- man forests are producing forty-eight cubic feet per acre annually. Germany has re- duced waste and consumption and increased production. The United States has as rapidly growing trees and as good soil as Germany, and for- esters say it is reasonable to think that this country will be just as successful as the Euro- pean country in high per acre production when every owner of timberland gets down to proper conservation and development of his forest property. It is known that the United States must continue in the future, as in the past, to rely upon its own forests for the great bulk of wood which is used. Despite the introduction of many substitutes, it is not possible to conceive the time when it will be practicable to do without wood for many uses. Granting this, foresters say, it follows that as a Nation and as individ- ual citizens everything possible must be done to put the forest land of this country upon a permanent productive basis. The ultimate aim must be to cut no more from forests than they produce each year, and to make their yearly growth equal to the needs of the people. As in Germany, for- est conservation in this country means just two things, first, the fullest possible utiliza- tion of the present supply of timber, which will make it last longer; and second, the handling of forest lands in such a way that succeeding crops of timber will be secured. At present only about one-fifth of our standing timber is in public forests. This term is used to cover the National Forests, state forests, the timber on Indian and mili- tary reservations, and National Parks. These forests are being managed according to the principles of scientific forestry so far as funds available for their administra- tion permit. While the extent of the pub- lic forests will undoubtedly be increased in the future, it is not likely that for a very long time to come they will contain even as much as half of the timber supply. Four- fifths of our forests are now owned by in- dividuals, companies, or corporations. The manner in which these forests are handled is, therefore, of the utmost importance in conservation. If the lumber industry in the United States isto live, it means that large manufacturers will have to protect and develop their forest property. The land must be lumbered with care, fire must be kept out, young growth protected, and every principle of forestry applied to the management of the land so that it will continue permanently productive in- stead of becoming a burned over and barren waste, as has been the case of the forest regions which have passed through periods of excessive destruction as the result of care- less lumbering methods Mr, Weyerhaeuser on Forest Taxation The Norfolk Virginian and Pilot says edi- torially : "It is not difficult to see the force in the argument of Frederick Weyerhaeuser, the western lumber king, that the policy obtain- ing in many of the states of taxing standing timber excessively has contributed and is contributing to forest exhaustion in this coun- try. Such taxation, as Mr. Weyerhaeuser points out, both encourages the conversion of growing timber into lumber and discourages the replanting of denuded areas. This fact has long been recognized in Europe, where, as a general rule, timber is by law exempt from taxation until it has secured its growth and becomes suitable for lumber. It is also beginning to be appreciated here, as is evi- denced by the action of some of the states in placing only a nominal tax on lands de- voted to forest culture. Forest conservation and reforestation mean infinitely mo-re than the preservation of a timber supply. They mean conservation of many other natural re- sources of incalculable value as well. The state's duty is, therefore, not only to encour- age timber growing, but even to compel and supervise it if necessary." t^' )^ i^ Taxing a Forest Grant An attempt to place on the tax rolls lands in the forest reserves subject to the Government grant to the Northern Pacific Railway Company will be made by the Ta.x Commission of the state of Washington this year in all probability. The condition of the railroad grant in the forest reserves was called to the atten- tion of the commission recently by the filing in Snohomish County of deeds from the rail- way company to individuals for four valuable quarter sections of timber land in the Forest Reserve. These deeds contained indefinite descriptions of the land, in that giving the section, township and range, the numbers were "subject to Government survey." The lands have not yet been surveyed. The assessor of that county has been in- structed by the commission to place the four quarter sections on the tax rolls and it is expected a lawsuit will result which will de- termine the taxable character of such timber. The grant to the company was of each alternate section of land for twenty miles on both sides of the right of way. When the forest reserves were designated the railway company was given the option of accepting scrip for lands in its grant and taking up lands elsewhere. It is declared that for sections of little value the company has taken scrip, but has retained the more valuable timber lands. The fact that the tak- NEWS AND NOTES 441 ing of scrip for lands in the forest reserves was made optional is looked upon by the Tax Commission as conclusive that the grant from the Government was absolute. This theory is further strengthened by the deeding of unsurveyed railroad lands within the for- est reserves by the company to individuals. The area of timber land involved, it is said, will be enormous, and if the Tax Com- mission is successful the result will be a big addition to the assessed valuation of prop- erty owned by railway companies in Wash- ington.— Portland Orcgonian. ^ «? »t' Government Encouraging Willow Culture The Government is right in the midst of the harvest of a most unique crop at its experimental farm near Arlington, just across the Potomac from this city, where a corps of laborers in charge of trained forest- ers are preparing for the annual free distri- bution of 100,000 basket willow cuttings. Uncle Sam is encouraging the growing of high-grade willow rods in this country, and in the five years since the establishment of the holts at Arlington approximately a half million select cuttings have been distributed among farmers, with directions for planting and preparing for market. Particular atten- tion is given to selecting the varieties and strains best suited to the soil where the plant- ings will be made. Willow craft is an industry which is con- stantly growing in importance in this coun- try, yet the culture of basket willow in the United States made very little progress until five or six years ago. Even now, practi- cally all of the best grades of basket willow are imported from Europe, chiefly from France. Experiments have shown that the best grades of willow can be grown in this country at a good profit. This year's harvest began early in March. Four approved varieties are being sent out, and only the best and most thrifty rods are selected for distribution. The management of the holts and work of free distribution of cuttings is charged to the United States^ For- est Service. Cuttings for experimental plant- iuT and information on management of the willow holts are furnished those who make the request of the Forester at Washington. The Government recognizes the import- ance of good cuttings, a point more com- monly overlooked than the matter of culti- vation. Only the best and most thrifty rods are selected for each season's distribution. Cuttings of new and untried basket willows were obtained from Europe a year ago and planted in the Service's experimental ground. The Forest Service is receiving a con- stantly increasing number of requests for basket-willow cuttings. These requests come from farmers all over the country, many of them coming through members of Congress. The Service is endeavoring to stimulate the basket-willow industry in this country by distributing cuttings of the most approved varieties of willow and the four varieties tested for the last five years in the experi- mental holt at Arlington, Va., can now be confidently distributed. «? tl' «i Seasoning Eucalyptus Poles The Government has undertaken a study to determine the proper method of season- ing eucalyptus poles, particularly those cut from trees which, owing to a large number of knots, will not make clear lumber. Such poles have shown a tendency to check and warp after being cut, probably due to im- proper methods of seasoning, which has been a great obstacle to their more extensive utilization. Experiments will be carried on by the United States Forest Service to determine the method of seasoning which will prevent this checking and warping. One series will be conducted on the Sutro Estate which is in the fog belt, and another on the Pacific Land Investment Company's holdings at Newark, which is out of the fog belt. Fortv-eight growing trees, thirteen inches in diameter and having a clear length of thirty-four feet, will be selected and marked by an officer of the Forest Service. These two groups will be handled in the same way. twelve trees of each group are to be girdled and allowed to die and season standing, with the bark on. and the other twelve will be felled and laid on skids in the open and sea- soned in this manner. Six of the twelve felled trees of each group will be peeled, and the other six, will be left with the bark on. The skids will be so constructed that the poles will be at least one foot_ from the ground to allow a free circulation of air. The poles will be left on the skids for from six to eight months, and observations taken as to checking, warping, shrinkage, and loss of weight. The same observaMons will be obtained from the standing poles, with the exception of the weight. When a sufficient period of seasonmg has elapsed, determined by the weight of the skidded poles, the standing poles will be cut and their weights found. The condition of these poles will then be compared with the condition of the skidded polos, and a proper method of seasoning outlined which will be available to all interested in the use of eu- calvptus timber. «:' ^ &' Forest Resources of South America The forests of South America are princi- pally tropical, but in the Andes Mountams and the southern end of the continent are found forests of a temperate and sub-arctic 442 COXSERVATIOX character resembling somewhat those of the United States and Canada. The tropical forests are totally different from our north woods. There are no solid stands of single species or even of a few mixed species. Instead, hundreds of kinds of trees grow thoroughly mixed and scat- tered through the whole forest. This is one of several reasons that make logging in tropical forests so expensive and often un- profitable. Rubber hunters have explored nearly the whole tropical forest in search of that neces- sary article of commerce, but aside from that South American forests have only been cut into for a few miles back from the coast and the principal ports and rivers. Even in this area only the species at present most val- uable for commerce have been thus far cut, for example, cedar, mahogany, rosewood, lignum-vitae, fustic, and ironwood. Rail- roads, where they exist, charge such exor- bitant freight rates that they have not much encouraged exploitation of the forests. In addition to this, the sparsity of population and lack of labor have also retarded develop- ment of the forests. Most of the woods growing in these tropi- cal forests are very heavy, hard, and rich in color. Greenheart is so hard that it nicks the axes of the choppers and w'ill last for over 100 years in water. Growth is so luxuriant and rapid that ruins or abandoned farms are promptly cov- ered with a dense young growth of trees and vines that in a few years obscures the marks of civilization. The great forest of the Amazon basin is i,ioo miles long east and west by 750 miles north and south. It cov- ers nearly a million square miles in Brazil. But as it lacks construction timbers it can- not be looked to for relief from the approach- ing scarcity in that kind of wood. This Amazon forest presents the usual features of tropical growths, a tangle of vines weaving the great trees together and ob- scuring the sky, and leaves hanging from the branches like ropes, while underneath is a snarl of shrubs and creeping plants in which are hidden many species of fibrous plants and cacti with their sharp stings and thorns. The tropical American woods are pecu- liarly adapted to withstand the ravages of insects and climate. In Paraguay, timbers of lapacho and quebracho which were used by the Jesuits in constructing their missions, are still well preserved in the ruins. In con- trast to this, our own North American woods, which are so extensively imported for con- struction in South America, rapidly decay and are eaten by insects. Just as in this country, not only in the old days but even to-day on the frontier, so also in South America in Colombia. Chile, and other states, the forests are cut down and burned, to clear land for agriculture. The transportation difficulties in the moun- tainous countries are so great that the cities of the west coast depend wholly upon im- ports, chiefly from the United States, for their lumber. Their own mountain forests, which are reported to be very extensive and val- uable, are inaccessible. In Colombia at least the Australian eu- calyptus has proven a vigorous grower, just as it has done in California. The American consul at Bogota reports that this tree reaches merchantable size in twenty to twenty-five years without cultivation. J^ «< )g Over-'cutting of Connecticut's Forests It has been estimated that the amount of wood annually consumed in the United States at the present time is 23,000,000,000 cubic feet, while the growth of the forest is only 7,000,000,000 feet. In other words, Americans all over the country are using more than three times as much wood as the forests are producing. The figures are based upon a large number of state and local reports collected by the Government and upon actual measurements. The state forester of Connecticut, in a re- cent report, has given figures on growth and use for New Haven County, which give many more valuable details than are gener- ally to be obtained, and well illustrate how the forest is being reduced by over- cutting. In this county a very careful study was made on each township of the amount of forest, the rate of growth, and the amount of timber used. For the year 1907 the tim- ber used was 120,000 cords, in the form of cordwood, lumber, ties, poles, and piles. The annual growth on all types of forest land, including the trees standing on aban- doned fields, for the year, reached a total of 70,000 cords. Thus the amount cut yearly exceeds the growth by 50,000 cords. The amount of standing timber consid- ered as merchantable and available for cut- ting within the next few years was found to be 1,200,000 cords. Each year the annual growth increases the supply on hand by 70,000 cords, while the use decreases it by 120,000. The net reduction is, therefore, 50,000 cords a year. If the cut and the growth remain at the present figures, the supply of merchantable timber will be ex- hausted in about twenty years. At the end of that time there will be a large amount of forest standing in the county, but it will be in tracts under forty years of age, contain- ing wood below the most profitable size for cutting. Cordwood could still be cut, but supplies of the most profitable products, like ties and lumber, would be practically exhausted. Connecticut's case illu=;trates what is meant when the exhaustion of the timber supply is spoken of. It does not mean that NEWS AND NOTES 443 every tree will be cut and that the ground will be bare. It means, on the other hand, that year by year the people of the country are cutting more timber than the forest grows, and that within a comparatively short time the continued loss will have so reduced the forest that it will be difficult and expensive to obtain timber of useful size in sufficient quantity. Mr' i« ^ Fire Waste Through Carelessness Mr. C. M. Goddard, president of the Na- tional Fire Protection Association, says, in the Insurance Nezvs, of Philadelphia : "A cigarette thrown into a bale of cotton, loss $30,000; using a highly inflammable fluid for cleaning by open flame artificial light, loss $150,000; improperly set hot-air furnace, loss two lives and $75,000; sparks from a locomotive near a wood-working plant, loss $750,000; smoking cigarettes while spreading rags, loss $13,000,000. "All of these instances occurred within less than a year and within a circle of 100 miles radius. Fires are carelessly started in the woods, and for weeks this fall our forests were burning at the rate of a million dollars a day. "Our average annual fire loss for the past six years has been $250,000,000, and it is a conservative statement that fifty per cent, of this loss, or $750,000,000 during the six years, was due to easily preventable causes ; that is, carelessness. "We are not only the most careless, but the most reckless nation on earth, we live for the present, rather than for the future. We tolerate conditions, in our goodnatured way, that would not be allowed in Great Britain, Germany, or France. To this char- acteristic of the American people is due the fact that we lead the world in the loss of life and property from carelessness, for it is a regrettable fact that the large majority of our so-called accidents are due to misman- agement or blunders." He states that the National Fire Protec- tion Association is endeavoring to correct this evil by means of an educational campaign and adds : "Why should we allow the manufacture and sale of the parlor-match, which is known to annually destroy millions of property and over 500 lives in this country, when the use of properly made safety-matches would pre- vent this loss ? "Of what use is it to 'conserve our natural resources.' about which so much is being said and done, if we make no effort to con- serve our created resources — that is, our nat- ural resources after we have spent time and labor on them to fit them for our use? "I believe there is no more important prob- lem before this nation to-day than that of reducing our annual fire loss, which is nearly ten times that of other civilized nations. "Fifty per cent, of the fire waste in this country is due to carelessness." 5^ «r' V^ Needless Work Is Waste Says the San Francisco Chronicle: "The conservation movement has not as- sumed a very radical form. In order for it to achieve a real success it will have to ham- mer into the minds of the American people, and, for that matter, the minds of the peo- ple of other countries, that there is much waste which is disguised by the appearance of gain. It is as wasteful to burn coal to carry cotton to be manufactured in coun- tries where the textiles are not used as it is to burn it to no end at all. Manufactures should be conducted as near as possible to the source of the supply of the raw mate- rial and power, and to the people who will consume the finished product." Two Projects In Eastern Oregon Says the Portland (Oreg.) Journal: "Surveyors and engineers have been or- dered into the field to complete surveys and estimates for the Malheur government irri- gation project. A surveying party is being formed at Boise by F. E. Weymouth, super- vising engineer of this reclamation district. Secretary of Interior Ballinger has an- nounced that he wishes the survey hastened sufficient!}' to permit his personal inspec- tion and investigation when he comes West in June, at which time he will visit the proj- ect. He has signified his purpose of complet- ing the work at once. "The protest filed by private interests against the building of the Government proj- ect was heard in Washington, at which time Secretary Ballinger stated it was the policy of the Government not to interfere with pri- vate projects, provided private interests can show they are financially able to complete the work. "He also stated that before the Govern- ment would concede that private parties have an interest in the Malheur project, they must show decisively they can complete it and at a reasonable cost, and that the people want a private project. "It is now possible that two projects may be built, the Owyhee project, covering lands on the Owyhee River and crossing into Idaho territory, to be built by private inter- ests; and the Malheur project, covering the Malheur and Willow River lands surround- ing Weiser, Vale, and Ontario, to be built by the Government. The Reclamation De- partment has not signified its intention of abandoning the Malheur project in defer- ence to private interests, but it may allow private interests to build the neighboring 444 CONSERVATION project, as the two would reclaim a much larger territory than either alone. "The outcome depends largely on the sen- timent of the people, which, on the Owyhee, is for private irrigation, and in other parts of the territory emphatically for the Gov- ernment project, as representing more per- manent work." 5^ ^ «r' Governors Expected at Irrigation Congress It is expected that on Governors' Day, August 13, chief executives will be in at- tendance from Idaho, Oregon, Montaiia, Utah, Nebraska, Wyoming, Colorado, Mis- souri, New York, Kansas, Texas, New Mex- ico, Kentucky, Florida, and other states. Mr. Arthur Hooker, Secretary of Board of Control, is authority for the statement that at least twenty-five governors and most of the Western senators and congressmen will attend the sessions in Spokane the second week in August, when there will also be a number of railroad presidents, financiers, and experts who are interested in reclamation of arid and swamp lands, forestry, deep water- ways, good roads, and home building. He says : "This congress will be of vital interest to every state and territory in the Union, from the fact that the objects to be discussed af- fect them individually or collectively in one way or another. The presence of the gov- ernors and members of Congress in Spokane during the week of August 9 will afford an excellent opportunity for them to discuss many things of mutual interest. The presence of President Taft and members of his Cabi- net at the irrigation congress will also influ- ence a large gathering, and we look forward to entertaining a large number of delegates and visitors." ^ i!i ^ Forestry in the Schools Forestry is attracting wide attention among the schools of this country and Can- ada. * * * The public-school teachers say that they find in it a fascinating study for children, and one which, by furnishing much tangible material on which to work, de- velops the child's observation. Although the public schools of Iowa are in the vanguard of the movement, Connecticut schools are not so far behind, and as a text-book are using several of the public documents issued by the Forest Service, including Bulletin 173 as a primer of Forestry. — Hartford (Conn.) Times. «S J^ «S Mr. Pinchot on Forestry in Arkansas At a reception in Washington of the Ar- kansas Society to the Societies of the Missis- sippi, Missouri and Texas, on June 7, Mr. Pinchot said : "Everywhere we have found that the Southern people appreciate and support the fundamental principles of the Forest Service, which is to put every piece of land to that use in which it will best serve the interests of the people of the country, whether that be a forest use, an agricultural use, or any other. "The problems which these forests pre- sent are in many respects different from those of other National Forests. I do not, however, anticipate any serious difficulty in dealing with these conditions. The impor- tant problems are those connected with homestead and timber and stone entry, with grazing, and with control of fires and the related question of protecting the cattle from ticks. "It has long been the habit of the Arkansas people to set fire to the dry grass and brush in these forests for the purpose of eradi- cating these ticks, and it is not improbable that the effort which the Forest Service has made to prevent these fires altogether was to some extent mistaken. A very careful study of the whole situation is now in prog- ress. The Service has a strong desire to do justice to every man and to adapt its methods of administration, in every point, to local conditions. The support of the gen- eral policy of the Service in Arkansas ap- pears to be thoroughly well established, but certain points of friction still remain. These we shall do our best to remove altogether during the coming summer." ^ V^ ^ The Moral Aspect of Forestry "Men do not go into the forestry pro- fession to make money, to get rich, or to have an easy thing of it," said Gifford Pinchot, chief forester of the Government, during a recent address. "They go into it because they love hardiness, because they love the real things of life, and because they want to identify themselves with a move- ment that benefits not only their own gen- eration, but generations to come. "I have always held that a man cannot be a good forester without being a good citizen. He is working not merely for him- self, or for his employer, or for his own generation, but for people he will never see, to better conditions he will never encounter. The essential fabric of his whole aspiration is foresight. And yet this quality of fore- sight he must temper with deliberation, in order that his results may fit conditions that are more or less elastic. Plans that have been made far in advance to fit a situa- tion that ought, in the nature of things, to exist, sometimes have to be revised because that situation has unexpectedly changed. "The principle of 'best use' enters to an important degree into the profession of for- estry, by which is meant the using of a forest so that each particular factor of which it is NEWS AND NOTES 445 composed is brought to its fullest efficiency, not only for the present, but for the future. When you pass the idea of immediate use, regardless of consequences, and accept the doctrine of foresight, you come to the 'moral' aspect of forestry. That moral feature is the one on which Theodore Roosevelt said his whole administration was based — the as- suring of equality of opportunity. With the forester it means that the man in the streets, the everyday American, shall get an equal share in that particular natural resource of his country." — American Culth'ator. Boston, Mass. &' i^' «r' » Saving the Big Trees Under the above heading, the Lubcc (Me.) Herald says : "One of the commendable acts of Con- gress was the passage of the Calaveras big- tree National Forest bill. The Calaveras grove is one of several in California that contain some of the largest and most re- markable tres in the world. A giant red- wood would be dwarfed among these trees. They should be regarded as a splendid treas- ure "for the entire country, and all of them should be preserved and guarded with the greatest care. "There were some doubts about the right of the Government to make the purchase, but fortunately they were dispelled or had no effect except upon overcautious minds. The result is that everything that can be done will be done to protect the trees. There is no longer any danger that they may be cut down and so'd for lumber; the Forestry Service will see that they are not injured by man and will take every precau- tion to save them from destruction by fire." it' ')i &' A New Pest The Peoria (111.) Star says: "Forty years ago a beetle was imported from South America and made its appear- ance in Baltimore. It attacked the foliage on the elm tree. Little by little, it has become a pest, and it has been slowly making its way westward. It has now appeared in the eastern counties in Indiana. The state en- tomologist of that commonwealth calls the attention of the public to the fact, and says that if the beetle is allowed to continue its work uninterruptedly, it will destroy all the elm trees of the state, and as these are the choicest shade trees we possess, it is highly incumbent upon us to look out for this new enemy. What with the timber thieves destroying the forests, the lumber ring controlling the wood-pulp output, and the bugs eating up our shade trees, our forests are in a bad way." Michigan Forest Fires Press dispatches of May 27 reported forest fires raging in the vicinity of Negaunee, i\Iich.. resulting in the complete destruction of the town of Dalton. A special train took the people of the place to safety. Many fishing parties in the woods were in danger. There had been no rain in the vicinity for weeks. «r' &' «? Pursuing Timber Thieves in Michigan Under Land Commissioner Russell and his men, firms of the upper section of the state who have been robbing state tax lands of timber with impunity are being brought up with a sharp turn and in many counties tres- pass on state lands to steal timber is sud- denly becoming decidedly unpopular. For one thing, the department has made a radical change in the manner of seeking trespassers and prosecuting them for their thievery. Since January this year, when Commissioner Russell assumed direction of the land department, ninety-eight cases of trespass have been investigated, which is a record unequaled for many years, it is said The department has done away with the old plan of engaging as trespass agents local men, who either might be robbing the state themselves or who might be allowing their friends and neighbors to take the timber. He has four general trespass agents out looking after timber thieves, and five ex- aminers who are assisting in the work. ***** The policy of the department is said to be to enforce the statute regarding trespass and comparatively few adjustments are made. From the cases disposed of the state has received $1,790.04, and with other cases pend- ing the amount will run to at least $2,200.84, received since January. From the reports of trespass agents it is shown that 429771 feet of timber. 10.000 posts, 5^085 ties, and several hundred poles and mining props have been taken, which causes one to wonder how much was taken when the trespass agents were not so active. _ A large portion of this stolen timber has been seized, the state mark placed thereon, and is held pending the settlement of the cases. Much of it will revert to the state and will net several thousand dollars in addition to what has been secured. Of the twenty-two criminal cases started fourteen are now pending in circuit court, eight have been convicted, three are await- ing sentence, three have paid fines, and two are serving sentences, not a case having been lost so far.— (7/-fl«rf Rapids (Mich.) Press. 5^ «r' «? Forest Work in Virginia Gov. Claude A. Swanson, of Virginia, ij seeking to promote Forestry in the Old Dominion. In a letter dated June 3 to IMr. 446 CONSERVATION Overton W. Price, associate forester, Gov- ernor Swanson says : "I am deeply interested in encouraging the preservation of the present forests and the growth of new forests within this state. From observation it seems to me that this state, if properly and scientifically treated, would very rapidly reforest itself, much to the advantage of the entire state and to the profit of the owners of the soil. I am desirous of having a scientific examination to ascertain the best means of accomplish- ing this ; the best places where the new- forests should be permitted to grow ; the best means of preserving them and sugges- tions as to general scientific treatment. I believe incalculable good could be done in this state if this subject was taken up in a broad and scientific way." Arrangements have been made for coop- eration between the state and the Forest Service. The governor will incorporate in his message to the general assembly sugges- tions of legislation looking to the end whicli he desires to see accomplished, and will strongly urge that attention be given to the matter by the lawmakers. ♦^ Mr' «? Afforestation by Newark With a view of protecting its water supply and at the same time preserving its forests, the city of Newark is now spending consid- erable money and labor in forestry work at the Newark watershed at Charlottesburg and Oak Ridge. It may be fifty or sixty 3'ears before the city reaps a harvest from this sowing; that is, getting financial returns for the lumber to be derived from the for- ests, but in the meantime the miles of trees will aid in the preservation of the water in the watershed. Since the nursery work was begun the assistant engineer and his force of men have planted 40,000 young trees and thousands more will be planted in the seed next fall. — Pdtersoii Guardian. Jt' «i )^ Forestry Work in Vermont Vermont is vigorously addressing herself to the forest question. At its last session the state legislature abolished the office of for- estry commissioner and chose a board of agriculture and forestry, empowering it to secure a trained man to investigate condi- tions, promote reforestation on a scientific basis, and act as the state fire warden. The board selected as its first state forester Mr. A. F. Hawes. In 1903 Mr. Hawes was graduated from the Yale Forestry School and became state forester of Connecticut. He studied the forestry situation in France and Germany and, after some additional service in Connecticut, accepted the offer made him by Vermont. Mr. Hawes figures that the total annual product of the forests of the Green Moun- tain state is worth $10,000,000, and that the total area of forest and waste lands is 3,719,000 acres, about sixty-four per cent of the total area of the state. Mr. Hawes says also that since 1880 the total lumber cut of the state has reached about 2,000,000,000 feet and that this amount has been drawn largely from the principal or capital, and not from the annual growth of the forests. A campaign of education will be waged throughout the state, partly through public meetings held under the auspices of the board and partly through the bulletins which will be issued from time to time. By inter- esting the teachers in forest problems, it is hoped that they will talk up the subject in their schools, awaken the interest of the pupils therein, and cause them to become thoroughly alive to the forestry probleins of the sate. "One of the most important functions of the office of state forester," says Mr. Hawes, "is that of fire warden. The fire warden in each town is the local warden, and they are all under the direction of the state forester, who, with two assistants, will next summer make a thorough investigation throughout Vermont as to forest fires, causes, amount of damage, and means of protection. "The state forester will cooperate with lumbermen and farmers desiring to improve iheir lands and prevent them from going to waste. * * * The best farmers, who are continually bringing up the productive ca- pacity of their fields, have entirely over- looked the fact that their wood lots are producing only a small portion of the income which they could produce." >« «r' )^ A Chair of Silviculture at Yale The Yale Forest School in particular, and the cause of conservation in general, are to lie congratulated upon the gift of $100,000 by Mrs. Morris K. Jesup for the establishment in that institution of a chair of silviculture, to be known as the Morris K. Jesup Pro- fessorship of Silviculture. Because of the present unfortunate lack of authoritative, scientific information in regard to the reproduction, either natural or arti- ficial, of American forests, of their growth, and of the best time and methods of cutting them, such an endowment as this by Mrs. Jesup will aid materially toward actual con- servation of our wooded areas and the re- foresting of those already laid waste. >^ «r' «? Annual Meeting of Connecticut Forestry Association The annual meeting of the Connecticut ['orestry Association was held in May in West Hartford, with about fifty of the lead- ing forestry men of the state in attendance. At the business meeting preceding the ad- NEWS AND NOTES 447 dresses these officers were elected for the coming year : President— Prof. H. S. Green, director of the Yale Forestry School, New Haven. Vice-presidents— Dr. E. H. Jenkins, of the New Haven Agricultural Experiment Sta- tion; Everett S. Geer, Hartford; Theodore L. Bristol, Ansonia. Recording secretary— F. H. Stadtmueller, Elmwood. Corresponding secretary — Miss Mary Winslow, Weatogue. tt .- j Treasurer— Alfred Spencer, jr., Hartford. Auditor— Appleton R. Hillyer, Hartford. Advisory board— The above officers and Mrs. Jessie B. Gerard, South Norwalk; George D. Seymour, and W. O. Filley, New Haven. ^ ^^ .. , . Publishing committee— Dr. E. H. Jenkins, Prof. H. S. Graves, and Miss Mary Winslow. The constitution of the association was so changed that the annual meetings would be held on the first Saturday in May in place of the Saturday following Arbor Day, as heretofore. The report of the secretary showed a membership of 126, a gain of twenty members during the year. That of the treasurer showed a balance on hand of $132.09. At the morning session an address on "Forestry Legislation and Future Forest Policy in the State" was given by W. O. Filley, of New Haven, acting state forester. George Towne, of Union, also gave an ad- dress on "Fire Protection." At the after- noon session, which followed a basket-picmc lunch. Prof. J. W. Toumey. of the Forestry School, Yale University, gave an address on "Forest Planting." The matters of fire pro- tection and importance of adequate appro- priation by the sate for the maintenance of the state forester, ex-officio fire warden, were emphasized. The feeling was unanimous that the present fire-warden law was fully ade- quate, if given a proper chance, which it has never had, owing to the lack of funds to put it into proper execution. A bill is before the present legislature to increase the appropriation of the state forester so that this matter can be rectified and a better system of forest conservation in this state begun. «g J^ )t' Dry Farming Two ways, thus far, ' of conquering the desert have been devised : First, irriga- tion; second, dry farming. At Billings, Mont., on October 26, 27 and 28, the fourth Dry-farming Congress will be held. Its sec- retary is John T. Burns, Billings,_Mont., and it has issued an interesting bulletin. J^ 5^ )^ Natural Resources to Produce Revenue Representative Sheppard of Texas evi- dently is a believer that the Federal Gov- ernment should resort to some other method of procuring revenue than by that of taxa- 6 tion. To make his ideas effective, if possible, he has introduced in the House a resolutioii for the creation of a commission to investi- gate and report at the earliest practicable moment on the method of utilizing the min- erals, the timber, the water-power, the hot waters, and other resources of the public domain in such a inanner as to make their production of the largest possible value to the Federal Government. The resolution provides that the commission shall consist of the Secretary of Agriculture, the Secretary of the Interior, the Director of the Geo- logical Survey, one Senator, one Representa- tive, and two business men. — North Dakota Farmer. «r' !^ )t' "ace to Face With a Water-power Trust Far-sighted captains of industry, realizing what the next generation will bring forth — reduction in the fuel supply with its comple- ment, an enhancement of cost — and anticipat- ing the advancement that will come in the art of utilizing hydro-electric power, have already seized advantageous points, and even now a small group of "interests" controls a third of the present water-power production; that is, produces power the equivalent of that proportionate part. * * * This, and pre- ceding generations, have realized the signifi- cance of monopoly in those things which are vital factors in the lives of all con- sumers, whether it be heat, light, food prod- ucts, or transportation. Yet all these united must be multiplied to be tantamount in power to the monopolistic Colossus which is yet but a suckling, nurturing itself at the breast of its foster-parent, the public. For heat, light, and transportation, and the power that turns the spindles and grinds the corn, will be the product of transmuted water-power within the lifetime of our children.— Charles Edward Wright, Assistant Attorney to the Secretary of the Interior, in the Annals of the American Academy of Political and So- cial Science. &' ^ >^ The Water-'power Monopoly With more than forty water-power grab bills in Congress and predatory corporations grasping at every available water site in the country without recompense, President Taft is urged by Water-power Expert John L. Mathews, in the June Hampton's, to curb the growing power of what threatens to be a greater trust than Standard Oil. He de- clares, "A new monopoly more terrible than has ever threatened the country, paying noth- ing, demanding all, its members have gone to Congress and borne away perpetual fran- chises to the greatest of our last remaining resources. Only the determined stand of President Roosevelt and Forester Gifford Pinchot has so far come between them and victory." It was the Rainy River Dam bill which President Roosevelt vetoed. Rainy River, a 448 CONSERVATION broad, deep stream, forms the boundary for a considerable distance between Minnesota and Canada. "For making paper, for milling in transit the wheat which passes through, there is not in the world a more favorably situated power. It is available in Canada and in America, on either side of the tarifif wall," says Mr. Mathews. "Congress and the state gave away all public rights in the fall. It happened that the company was restricted in the time al- lowed to build its dam, and when the time expired had made barely a beginning. The corporation owners asked and secured an extension of time from Congress, and this extension President Roosevelt vetoed. The bill was passed over his veto, but not until the company had executed a contract by which its grant expires in ninety-nine years, and in the meantime the Secretary of War may regulate the charges which it can make for power." Of the so-called grab bills in Congress, it is asserted that "two great corporations, the Westinghouse and the General Electric, and other smaller corporations which are said to be subsidiaries of these two great companies, already control more than half of the most valuable water-power in the country — that which falls down from the Appalachians from the Potomac River southward to the Gulf. Many of the applicants for grants were dummies for the corporations, and it was evident that there was a "hurry-up" rush on foot to grab, before the people woke up, the greater part of the yet undeveloped power sites. "Nor was the importance of this to be seen at once, or to be realized until first the Presi- dent and then the people could be made to grasp the tremendous importance of water- power. For generations we had used_ it sparingly, turning with it no machinery which could not be reached from the water-spun turbine by a belt or shaft. Suddenly, in a wonderfully short time, we have entered and advanced far in a new series of inventions by which we are able to develop power at any fall, in the form of electricity, and carry it even hundreds of miles, with but slight loss, to be used for commercial purposes wherever needed. In ten years we will be sending power i,ooo miles, and the most re- mote mountain streams will be contributing to run our railways, to light our cities, to take the smoke from our factories, and even to do the ordinary work about our farms and homes— lighting, heating, plowing, milk- ing, churning, ironing, cooking, and all that coal and animal power do now. "There is in the United States developed and unharnessed in our rivers and brooks more than 50,000,000 horse-power in water capable of being turned into electrical energy and transmitted to homes, farms, and fac- tories. This can perhaps be increased fifty or even 100 per cent by proper conservation. Yet even in the original figure it means the equivalent of 650,000,000 tons of coal every year mined, transported, and consumed; or. as we waste half of our coal in getting it from the ground, it represents the dirninu- tion of 1,000,000,300 tons in our available supply of coal. "We actually mine and ship each year about 500,000,000 tons of coal. So the water- power, the bulk of which we are giving oyer to monopoly, represents more than the equiv- alent of all our coal; represents the only hope for cheap living ; represents a fuel or source of power which, while controlled by the people, can be used for public income and for regulating costs ; but which, when alienated as we are alienating it, will create a trust that will make of the meat trust a pigmy, and that by simply adding pennies to its charges for power will reduce us to a slavery which would make the Standard Oil magnates gasp with envy. Such a state of affairs would surely produce a revolution. Only sane and radical action can avoid such a contingency." — The Wichita (Kans.) Eagle, May 23, 1909. ^ ^ ^ Water-'power Sites Says a writer in the Washington Times of May 31 : "Apparently with a view to meeting the criticisms that have been bestowed on the Interior Department, more especially on Sec- retary Ballinger, by some of the friends of the movement for the conservation of nat- ural resources, a statement has been issued from the United States Geological Survey explaining just what is being done with re- spect to the withdrawals of public lands from entry for the purpose of protecting water- power sites. "Secretary Ballinger not long ago suc- ceeded in drawing a fire of bitter attacks on the charge that he was hostile to con- servation because he threw open to entry over a million acres of land which Secretary Garfield, to protect water-power sites, had withdrawn from entry. "The statement of the Geological Survey sets forth that, in fact, there has been prompt action in protection of public interests. It says that, 'acting upon the specific instruc- tions of the Secretary of the Interior, the United States Geological Survey has begun the investigation of water-power sites on the public lands. Since April 2^, the date of the Secretary's order, the Director of the Survey has recommended eleven temporary withdrawals in aid of proposed legislation affecting the disposal of water-power sites on the public domain.' "The withdrawals in question aggregate 236,365 acres of public lands in Utah, Col- orado, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, and Ore- gon, and have been approved by Secretary Ballinger. It is explained that the present policy is to protect the public by withdraw- ing all public lands containing possible power sites, and at the same time not withdrawing land of no value for power purposes. It is said by the Director of the Geological Survey the withdrawals made and such as will be made before the next regular session of Con- NEWS AND NOTES 449 gress, 'will be ample to protect all the more important water-power sites undisposed of en the public domain, and enable Congress to intelligently legislate for their disposition.' " Va )fe' ^ A Conservation Commission for Iowa On June 7 Gov. B. F. Carroll named the first state drainage and conservation com- mission that Iowa ever had, in accordance with the law passed by the recent legislature setting aside $5,000 for preliminary steps toward making Iowa rivers navigable. By people who are interested in improve- ment of Iowa waterways and the conserva- tion of the state's natural resources, the cre- ation of this board is regarded as the most important act of the legislature. — Des Moines (Iowa) Capital. &' ^ ^ Favors a Conservation Commission for Canada Hon. Clifford Sifton, who represented Can- ada at the International Conference on Re- sources in Washington, is now advocating the appointment of a Canadian commission to carry out the principles promulgated there. He is supported in his campaign by Hon. Sydney Fisher, one of the other Canadian delegates. In his first public address after returning from Washington Mr. Sifton, the other evening, asserted that the preservation of forests called most loudly for action. The creation of a commission, he believed, would give a minister support in carrying out a more aggressive policy. )^ )!i ^ Conservation of Daylight Speaking of "the movement for the con- servation of natural resources through the better utilization of daylight," the Grand Rapids (Mich.) Herald said editorially: "The select committee of parliament which gave the pending British bill a unanimously favorable report, 'its advantages far out- weighing any objections thereto,' cite among other such advantages these : Bunching the leisure, especially of wage-earners, at the end of the work day; bettering the health of all classes, and especially the eyesight ; an enormous aggregate saving in expense for artificial light, and materially reduced con- sumption of liquors by reason of more out- door daylight recreation and less resort to drinking places. It also appears from the report of the parliamentary committee that the principle of the measure has the sup- port of the British chambers of commerce in all the principal cities; of the borough councils ; of all the great railroads ; of the general federation of trades unions; of the postoffice department with reference to the handling of all but the relatively small amount of continental mail ; of the press — in fact, a support that is 'surprisingly unani- mous in all quarters, considering the little favor with which the proposition was re- ceived by the public when the measure was first introduced.' " &' i^ &' Forest Fires in Maine After all conversation, law, and expendi- ture, enormous tracts of forests in northern Maine are being destroyed by fire. The dis- aster involves farmers as well as lumber- men, for thousands of bushels of potatoes have been prematurely roasted to a cinder. On whom does the responsibility rest? Is not the carelessness of lumbermen and of hunters largely responsible for awful waste of forests? Is not the moral factor of Amer- ican industry minimized by high finance and by the tainted conscience which characterizes not only the sugar trust, but many of us outsiders — -rich and poor — concerned only for the present moment? Though we ignore Him, there may yet be a God in Israel. The first firebrand is the real devil. — Lcwiston (Me.) Journal. "ti ^ % Bark Affects Penetration of Wood Preservatives The Government has gone into the study of every phase of wood preservation. One of the features which has been neglected is the effect of patches of inner bark on wood in preventing .proper penetration of preserva- tives. In conducting some tests on the treatment of pine in Louisiana and Alabama, in 1907 and 1908, it was noticed that very little or no creosote entered the wood through even the thinnest layer of adhering bark. In the creosote treatment of timbers, it is rare that the entire stick is penetrated by the preservative. The value of the treatment consists largely in the creation of an exte- rior antiseptic zone around the untreated interior portion. If this outer zone be broken the value of the treatment is to a large ex- tent lost. In the case of piling, the effect of any small portion of untreated wood extending from the outer surface to the interior of the pile is especially injurious, because of the manner in which teredoes work. This parasite enters the wood when small, mak- ing but a tiny hole, perhaps no larger than a pinhead. As teredoes grow, they increase the size of their borings, and, if present in large numbers, they will very quickly so riddle and weaken a pile that it will break off with a very slight strain. Access to the interior of a treated pile might readily be gained through small, untreated portions of the outer surface of the wood, which, be- cause of bark adhering at time of treatment, absorbed no preservative, with the result that all of the interior untreated portion vyould be riddled, leaving only the exterior creosoted shell sound. It is probable that 450 CONSERVATION many of the failures of creosoted piling are due to this cause. With other forms of timber the effect may not be so quickly seen or so disastrous, but in a similar manner decay may extend to the interior through any untreated portions communicating with the exterior. )^ ^ iH Government Studying Yellow Pine A study of conditions in the yellow-pine forests of the Southwest, made during the past season by the United States Forest Service at the recently established Coconino Forest Experiment Station, has brought out very strikingly the difficulty of securing nat- ural reproduction in this type of forest. In northern Arizona, perhaps at least half of the forest is without young growth of any kind, and old cuttings are frequently barren wastes. The most important factors in bringing this about are the climate, fire, methods of cutting, disposal of brush, and grazing; in most cases two or more of these factors work together in preventing repro- duction. While the study has not yet been com- pleted, the preliminary results are of great practical interest and value, and point to the methods of management which must be used in this type of forest. Light cuttings, disposal of the brush by lopping and scat- tering, and the exclusion of sheep until the cut-over areas have a satisfactory young growth, are recommended. HI as as Magazines Pushing Conservation The magazines are giving a good deal of space to the conservation question. The Annals of the American Academy of Polit- ical and Social Science for May and The Chatitauqnan for June are special conserva- tion numbers, and worthy of careful study. Vanishing Forest Giants Says the IVaterbury (Conn.) Republican: "The lumbermen cut down a hemlock tree 455 years old in the Adirondacks near Utica the other day. It measured thirty-three inches in diameter at the butt. So slow is the growth of the few great trees that re- main of the virgin forests of the East that this hemlock was forty years old when Co- lumbus discovered America. Yet it was less than a yard in diameter. You can find in our ruined woodlands stumps of first-growth timber that was five or six feet in diameter when cut. There are old houses in Con- necticut and Massachusetts in which you can see doors, a yard or so wide, that were sawed out of one board. It must have taken at least ten generations to grow such trees. "Such timber is now found only on the Pacific coast. The Seattle Exposition man- agement is boasting of a Forestry building with a colonnade of fir logs five feet in diam- eter. Indeed, the contract for the erection of the building reads that the wooden pillars should not exceed five feet in diameter, so that the contractor should not supply larger logs because they happened to come handier. But the Pacific coast will come sooner or later to our condition." &' )t' «? Wood-'waste Distillation As evidence of the growing interest in the distillation of wood-waste may be noted the establishment of a publication, ''The Wood- waste Distilleries News," which first ap- peared in Cleveland, Ohio, in May. Its editor is Carl von Hartzfelt, M. C. RECENT PUBLICATIONS "The Principal Species of Wood : Their Characteristic Properties." By Charles H. Snow, Dean of the School of Applied Science, New York University. Large 8vo, xvi-|-203 pages, figures in the text; :i7 full-page half-tones. Cloth, $3.50. John Wiley & Sons, New York. The second edition of "Principal Species of Wood," issued last year by Prof. Charles H. Snow, of New York University, will be gladly welcomed by those who are familiar with the first edition, and should prove of interest and value to wood users in general. The new edition keeps the same arrange- nient and discusses the characteristics of the different .species in the same way as the first, but the typographical errors present in the first edition have been corrected and the whole book slightly enlarged. Considerable additional material is contained in the in- troduction, in which the author takes up more fully the structure and uses of wood, the life of trees, and discusses briefly the subject of forestry. The misspelling of "humis" for "humus" is unfortunate, but the material contained in the discussion of this and related topics is trustworthy. The book is intended chiefly for engineers and for those who are interested in the structural properties of timber; but, in spite of its technical character, contains much material of interest to the general reader. It is attractively published and contains a great deal of valuable information regard- ing the different species of American woods which has never liefore been brought to- gether in such available form. S. T. D. CONSERVATION'S ADVERTISERS Your dealer can equip your Camera with the Goerz Lens whether it is a Seneca, Century, Ansco, Premo or any Kodak T*5"7 DAGO R IKZ. LENSES There is a Goerz Lens for work in which quickness is paramount. There is a Goerz Lens for sharp detail work which has a wide angle. There is a Goerz Lens for long-distance work which brings the object especially near. Enough of each of these three qualities is combined in the Goerz Dagor to make it the best all-around lens for the man who doesn't wish to specialize but who wants one lens capable of the widest range of work. Everyone who wislies to do really serious and good photographic work should insist on having his camera equipped with the Goerz Dagor. Any dealer in cameras or optical goods has, or can get, the Dagor. Our free catalogue, sent on request, describes Goerz Lenses, the XL Sector Shutter (quick, smooth, compact and accurate). Trieder Binoculars (small in size, yet powerful) and Anschutz Cameras. C. p. GOERZ AMERICAN OPTICAL CO., Office and Factory : 79 East I30th Street, New York Dealers' Dietributing Agencies: In Chicago — JackBon & fcemmelmever; San FrmDcieco^Hlrsch & Kaieer; In Canada — R. F. Smith, Montreal. The World's Greatest Poultry Paper THE FEATHER Only 50 Cents a Year THE FEATHER'S LIBRARY No. 1. DISEASES OF POXTLTRY. By D. E. Salmon, D.V.M. Fully illustrated. Paper, 50 cents: cloth. $1. No. 2. THE FEATHER'S UP-TO-DATE POULTRY HOUSE. Paper, 25 cents. No. 3. THE AMERICAN FANCIER'S POULTRY BOOK. Profusely illustrated. By Geo. E. Howard. Paper, 50 cents; cloth, $1. No. 4. PLYMOUTH ROCKS. Ck)lored illustrations. By T. F. McGrew. Paper. 50 cents; cloth, $1. No. 5. WYANDOTTES. Colored illustrations. By T. F. McGrew. Paper. 50 cents; cloth, $1. No. 6. POCKET-MONEY POULTRY. By Myra V. Norys. Paper. 50 cents; cloth, $1. No. 7. THE EGG QUESTION SOLVED. By T. F. McGrew. Paper, 25 cents; cloth. 50 cents. No. 8. HOW TO GROW CTHICKS. By T. F. McGrew. Paper, 25 cents; cloth, .50 cents. No. 9. THE HOMING PIGEON. Illustrated. Paper, 25 cents; cloth, 50 cents. No. 10. THE FEATHER'S PRACTICAL PIGEON BOOK. By J. C. Lonp. Paiier, .50 cents; cloth, $1. No. 11. MONEY IN SQUABS. Profusely illustrated. By J. C. Long and G. H. Brinton. Paper, 50 cents; cloth, $1. No. 12. THE FEATHER'S PRACTICAL SQUAB BOOK. By W. E. Rice. Paper, 50 cents: cloth, $1. No. 13. PERFECTED POULTRY OF AMERICA. By T. F. McGrew and Geo. E. Howard. Illustrated by Louis P. Graham. Cloth, $2.50. SPECIAL OFFER Our latest book. THE PERFECTED POULTRY OF AMERICA, and THE FEATHER for one year for the price of the book alone, $2.50. THE HOWARD PUBLISHING CO. 714 Twelfth Street Northwest Washington, D. C. TREES FOR FORESTRY PLANTING Catalpa Speclosa, Black, Locust, European Larch, Sugar or Hard Maple, American Beech, White Birch, Bed Oak, American Linden, White Elm, American Sweet Chestnut, Black Walnut; also SEEDS of above varieties. EVERGREENS White Pine, Scotch Pine, Ponderosa Pine, Jack Pine, Austrian Pine, White, Norway, Doug- las, and Red Spruce, $3.00 to $10.00 per 1,000. We also carry a large assortment of EVER- GREEN Tree Seeds, both native and foreign. Many Millions to Offer We make a specialty of growing EVER- GREENS and DECIDUOUS tree seedlings- in Immense quantities for reforestation purposes. Our list includes all valuable native species, at lowest possible prices. Our new Catalog describes each variety and gives much valuable Information about care and culture. All applicants for Catalog mentioning this Mag- azine will receive free of charge a booklet en- titled "Catalpa Growing for Profit," by D. Hill. D. HILL EVERGREEN SPECIALIST BOX 305 DUNDEE. ILL. Hill's trees have been famous for over half a century. In writing to advertisers kindly mention Conservation JAMES D. LACEY WOOD BEAL VICTOR THEANE ARE Interested in Souttiern or Pacific Coast Timber? We furnish detailed reports as to the QUALITY of the timber, giving average TOP and BUTT diameters, average lengths and number of trees on each 40-acre subdivision. We submit reports covering details as to logging conditions, cost and most feasible methods of logging each 40-acre or sectional subdivision of each tract. We also furnish a TOPOGRAPHICAL map of all tracts located in mountainous dis- tricts, showing every elevation of 100 feet throughout the tract with OUR OWN engineer's report showing locations of most feasible routes and grades for logging roads. We can furnish sufficient data regarding ANY tract of timber which we have examined to convince you whether the tract is what you want or not. Personal inspection of any tract we may offer you will be found just as represented. We are in a position to offer some exceedingly attractive TIMBER properties in tha SOUTH, in BRITISH COLUMBIA, and on the PACIFIC COAST. Also a few going mill operations with ample timber supplies in South Carolina and Mississippi. We furnish detailed reports of amount of STUMPAGE on each 21-2- 5- or 10-acre subdivision of each forty. ^^^^^^^~ We employ expert PACIFIC COAST CRUISERS to check all estimates made on West- ern Timber. We offer HIGH CLASS Timber Properties only, which have been placed in our hands for sale. We guarantee our estimates are reliable. JAMES D. LACEY & CO. (ESTABLISHED SINCE 1880) 608 Hennen Building: 8^8 Chamber of Commerce 507 Lumber Ezcbuge 1216 Old Colony New Orleans Portland, Ore. Seattle Chicago ul»). E. HOWAHI) l-KESil, WAHIIINOTON UiriV^ » J oniicriy rv-»r\toil\l J\iyu u\p.lo/\ I i\-»t^ 1N0> 0 Soils and Minerals Published by THE AMERICAN FORESTRY ^WfBBBnWW, 1417 G St, N. W„ Washington, D. Price, $2.00 per Year, Including Annual Membership in the Association Copyright, 1909, by The American Forestry Association CONSERVATION'S ADVERTISERS Save Vour Xrees! I HE name Davey, inseparably inter- woven with the re- markable science of tree surg-ery, means much or little to you. accord- ing- to the value you place upon your trees. John Davey conceived the idea of tree sur- g;ery, and the methods which have been the salva- tion of tens of thousands of America's finest trees are the direct results of his g^enius. Mr. Davev is bevond per- adventure the world s greatest tree man. The long: experience back of the Davey service is the g-uarantee of result- producmg: knowledge— the kind that cannot be obtained in books. This "know- how" makes the efficiency of the Davey Tree Expert Companv's work altogether beyond comparison. The Davey Training School stands alone in this field. It combines the theoretical and practical in a way that has never been attempted elsewhere In it, the Davey men become experts through the application of instruction based on John Davey s life work in the saving of trees. Expert Service Alone Produces Proper Results in Tree Svirgery If you have to engage a lawyer, you want a successful one; if you must call a physician or surgeon, you want one in whom you can place absolute confidence; if you employ a tree surgeon, you should have the best-not experimenters or men of doubtful reputation in the profession. If you wish to save your trees, you need the services of tree surgeons who can give results. The Davey experts alone can thoroughly satisfy you. We are just now preparing a beautiful new booklet, which will be a veritable delight to the tree lover, fully explaining our work. Its cost is too great to permit promis- _ cuous distribution, but if you have trees and are interested in their preservation, we shall be glad to send you a copy without charge. Address Desk H. THE DAVEY TR.EE EXPER.T CO.. Inc. (Operating Davcy's School of Practical Forestry) Main Office. KENT, OHIO The Home of Tree Surgery" Eastern Office, TARRYTOWN. N. Y. Address NearestlOffice In writing to advertisers kindly mention Conservation CONTENTS FOR AUGUST, 1909 COVER DESIGN— B}' Charles E. Cartwright. MOUTEI OF THE ]\IIAMI RIVER Frontispiece THE EVERGLADES OF FLORIDA AND THE LANDES OF FRANCE— By Dr. John Gifford 45 ^ OPENLNG OF THE COEUR D'ALENE RESERVATION 464 INFLUENCE OF TAXATION ON FOREST DISTRIBUTION— By E. M. Hoover.. 460 STATE FOREST POLICY— By Herman Haupt Chapman 47.3 THEODORE ROOSEVELT, DYNA^IIC GEOGRAPHER— By Frank Bnffington Vrooman 48,5 THE EQUALIZING INFLUENCE OF FORESTS ON THE FLOW OF STREAMS AND THEIR VALUE AS A MEANS OF IMPROVING NAVIGATION— By George F. Swain, LL.D 489 A CHAPTER OF CONSERVATION HISTORY— By Thomas Fhiier Will 495 EDITORIAL— The Mill Tax for Fr>re.«tr.v 498 Legislative Support for Student Lalior 498 Tlie Washington Forest-fire Association 498 The Destruction of Fish 499 Conservation of Soil Re.sonrces 499 Dry-land Farming 500 Tlie Riot of tlie Rivers 501 Building a Nation 502 The Conservation of Unman Resources 5n"i Whore Is Conservation to Stop? 5(14 Governor Fernald's Proposal 505 NEWS AND NOTES— Canadian Forestry Association Meeting To Protect New Hampshire Forests from Fire.. A State Forester England's Progressive Polie.v Women Saving the P.ig Trees Fall River to Acquire Woodlands New Forest Assistants and Their Work Berlin Spends .?10.000.0nn to Buy a Forest.... Heliographs to Be Used on National Forests Biltmore School to Germany Forestry in Antiocli College Forestry Depiirtnient of the T'niversity of New Brunswick Legislation in Minnesota Minnesota Ont of Conservation Plans Railroads for Conservation High Water in tlie Missouri Valley America's Greatness 50ti Conservation of Water Power and Public Land.. 512 50(j Irrigation Desired for Eastern States 5r_' 50(1 Progress in Reclamation Work 5111 507 Five Billions for Development "il-! 507 Five Billions for Irrigation 51 t 507 Bond Issues for River Improvements 51-t 508 The River a.s a Carrier 515 508 Tlie Lesson of the "Soo" 515 508 Mt. Pocono Meeting of Penns.vlvania Forestry .508 As.sociation 51 li 500 Forest Conference in tlie White Mountains 51(: Forestry Legislation in Penns.vlvania 51G 509 Progress in New Hampshire 517 .509 What a State Might Do .51 7 510 America's Awful Fire Losses 51 8 510 The Drath of Colonel Fox 5is 511 Austin Car.v Suceeed.s Colonel Fox 51 S 511 The National Irrigation Congress .MS BACK NUMBERS WANTED 51S Conservation is the official organ of the American Forestry A.s.sociation. Price, $2.00 per year, including Annual Membership in the Association. Entered as .second-cla.ss matter Augu-st 1, 1908, at the Po-st-office at Washington. D. C. under the Act of March 3, 1879 Published Monthly at 1417 G STREET, N. W. WASHINGTON, D. C. 451 ->rarv NEW YORK ' otanical Qako{:n. Vol. XV AUGUST, 1909 No. 8 THE EVERGLADES OF FLORIDA AND THE LANDES OF FRANCE By DR, JOHN GIFFORD Founder of The Forester (Later, Conservation) CD DURING a recent visit to the great work of reclamation now in progress in the Everglades of Florida, I was impressed with its re- semblance in many respects to the great work the French have accomplished in the Landes of France, and with the fact that ex-Governor Broward, after manv trials and tribulations, is succeeding, just as did the French engineers after similar troubles. The drainage of the Everglades is now well under way, and almost every unprejudiced person who visits this work becomes an enthusiastic convert. Just as the French engineers practically added a new province to France, Broward has been instrumental in promoting a work which will con- vert a vast, useless waste into what promises to be the most productive part of Florida, if not the most productive area, of land of equal size in the whole United States of America. This drain- age is being done at the insignificant cost of about $1 per acre ; and when done the land will be ready at once for the plow and for the produc- tion of tender crops, the like of which cannot be produced elsewhere in the United States, and at a time when the rest of the country is 'frost-bound. This is no small area ; it is manv miles in extent, and is capable of yielding, at small outlay, enormous crops of the most delicate tropical products, as well as northern vegetables in mid-winter. A visit to this region, even at this time, at the very beginning of the work, since it is a colossal task, will convince the most skeptical person that this is no idle dream or wild land scheme, but a feasible, practical piece of good busi- ness. After inspecting this work, one naturally w^onders why it was not done long ago. It is not a complex engineer- ing problem ; it is merely a matter of digging, so that the water in this great Everglade basin can flow into the sea. Behind the giant maws of these dredges which, when they work day and night, are literally eating their way through rock, mud and sand at the rate of a mile a month per dredge, there are left broad, navigable canals, which are 453 A Native of the Landes on Stilts comparable only to those of Holland, and which will afford miles of placid water courses, avenues of traffic for the products of the land, and a never-end- ing source of enjoyment to pleasure craft. In the case of the Everglades, the exit of the water to the sea is prevented by a limestone rim. In the case of the Landes it was due to a bank of wind- blown sand, which clogged all outlets to the sea. The resemblance of the two conditions is much closer than is at first apparent, since this very rock rim was once, no doubt, limestone sand blown in by the wind and later hard- ened into rock. I think geologists now 454 generally recognize that this rocky rim is of eolian formation. The main dif- ference between the two propositions is that, in the case of the Landes, it was silicious sand, which did not harden into rock, but remained mobile, shifting back and forth with every caprice of the wind, while, in the case of the Ever- glades rim. it was limestone sand, which soon hardened into solid lime- stone rock. As in sand dunes, the wind laminations show in the rock like leaves in a book, recording forever the charac- ter of its formation. Before further describing the Ever- glades, let me quote from my notes made a few years ago, while visiting the EVERGLADES OF FLORIDA AND LANDES OF FRANCE 455 Landes of France. Not only are the physical conditions similar, but there was the same opposition at the start. As in the case of the Everglades, the work in France was pushed by the personal initiative and persistency of one or two men, and the method of securing the funds for the purpose was very much the same. In the early part of this century (before 1857), the condition of the flat, triangular plain known as the Landes, which is roughly bounded by the Bay of Biscay, the River Adour and the River Garonne, and the Medoc, was, in brief, as follows: There were miles of marshy, almost treeless wastes, covered mainly with a low growth of herbage. It was wet, unhealthy and sparsely inhabited. The few people who lived there depended upon their flocks. The accompanying picture shows a na- tive of the Landes standing upon stilts, watching his sheep. He is dressed in a heavy sheepskin paletot. By standing on stilts, these shepherds can easily see their sheep in the bushes and grass, and can easily follow them through wet and marshy regions. Their spare time is spent in knitting stockings. The con- dition of the Landes is due to the im- mense sand dunes, which arrayed them- selves along the shore of the Bay of Biscay. They moved inland, covered villages and occluded inlets. Bremon- tier tells of a dune which advanced in a violent tempest at the rate of two feet in three hours. The damage done by these moving sands so increased that the government officials studied the work and devised and executed plans ; and now, thanks to de Villers, Cham- brelent and Bremontier, the pioneer workers, the Dunes and Landes are cov- ered with a beautiful growth of the maritime pine. The region is now a famous health resort, combining the beauties and pleasures of the seashore with those of a well-managed pine for- est, which extends almost to the edge of the ocean. There are evidences that originally the Dunes were fixed naturally by forests. These forests were destroyed by van- dals, and all attempts to stop these men- acing mountains of sand failed. In 1778 a talented engineer, Baron Charlevoix de Villers, was sent to Arcachon for the purpose of forming a military post. i M SB m IS ^^H m M^B^B l^^K' i^^B L-* 'ij wV ^v^'^S^Ul^K ^HH j^B'^MtM W^^R Wim S^&A'i ^l^^^l BpM^BB 9v IH^^^Ih^h^^^^^^^^^^^h W^ ^ "'■r^ L^l BflD'^Md^^^Bj ■HVJWP""'-''! M KV' ,iPP*^ 1 i ^^^^^1 w • Forest of Maritime Pine on the Dunes in Gascony, The White Sand in the Foreground Is the Edge of the Fire-line A Typical Everglade Scene Ten Miles South of Lake OkecUubce He saw at once the necessity of fixing the sand, and was, according to Grand- jean, the first to establish the fact that the way to fix the Dunes is by means of plantations of pine. He met with troubles in his work, and was finally sent back to the Island of Santo Do- mingo. In 1784, Bremontier began the work, and it is said that, by using the results of de \'illers' labors, he finally suc- ceeded in fixing the moving sand. The fixation of the Dunes rendered possible the work of AI. Chambrelent, which was the reclamation of the Landes by drainage and plantings. It is a unique example of personal initia- tive. M. Chambrelent, a young engi- neer in the Department of Bridges and Roads, in 1837, was sent to the Gironde to study the drainage of 800,000 hec- tares of land in the districts of Gas- cony and the Landes. His conclusions were not accepted, so he bought some land and put in efifect the measures he advocated. In 1855, the results of his experiments were submitted to an in- ternational jury. The jury was so fa- vorably impressed that it recommended the application of Chambrelent's plans 456 for the entire region, and in 1857 a law was passed recjuiring the Communes to do this work. The Communes paid for it by selling a part of this land, which increased in value after the com- pletion of the work. This region was 100 meters above sea level, flat and sandy. It was underlain with a hard- pan called "alios." In summer it was a bed of burning sanely in winter in a state of constant inundation, while between the two was a period of pestilence. The country was characterized by sterility and insalubrity. A complete system of drain ditches was dusi; and the seeds of pine were sown. In 1865 all works of drainage were complete. By the fixation of the Dunes and the drainage of the Landes r)5o.ooo hectares of land were made productive. Fomerly. if one wished to buy land he mounted a hill and called in a loud voice ; the land over which his voice carried was worth 25 francs. "A man," says Grandjean, "was forced to take some of this sand for a debt. He became a millionaire later by sell- ing it in small parcels." The first sum- mers, the visitors lived in the rosin- gatherers' cabins ; now every luxury is Inoia 1 Family in Canoes on Miami River afforded the 200,000 tourists who come there every year. In the Landes a !nan could buy a farm for a few francs, Imt it required over two acres to sup- port one sheep. In less than a century the population sextupled, while that of a large part of the rest of the country either remained stationary or decreased. The fecundity of the French in places wliere there is plenty of room and opportunity is proverbial, as in Canada ; it is even $0 in the Landes, which, on being- reclaimed, was equivalent to a new province or colony. All along the east coa:-t of Florida there are dunes of snow-white sand covered with scrub pines and palmet- toes. This fine, white, silicious sand, although naturally sterile, is excellent for the growth of pineapples in re- gions where there is sufficient warmth. Mile after mile of this sand along the line of the railroad between the Ever- ghdes and the sea is used in the culti- vation of pineapples, which are fed a balanced ration of fertilizer, just as cows are fed a balanced ration of feed for the production of high-grade milk. This great Everglades basin, extend- ii^g from Lake Okeechobee to Miami and westward to the Gulf of Mexico, contains 3,000,000 acres, more or less. The whole cultivated area of the state of Florida is estimated at only about a n:illion acres. The Everglades are larger than Porto Rico or Jamaica and as big as Rhode Island and Delaware combined. This great area is mainly confined by dunes of sand and ridges of limestone rock. These ridges, like fingers, project into the Everglades and are usually covered with pine. Between these ridges are small glades on the edge of the main or "big glade." The accepted definition of a glade is a nar- row strip of grassy land between for- ests. Glade refers to a grassy area. The big glade is all or "ever" glade. In this way, no doubt, the term Everglade originated. Here and there in the Everglades are islands covered with rich jungle or hammock hardwood growth. On these islands the Semi- noles cleared small areas, where they raise their crops. We visited the Everglades from Fort Lauderdale. It was after a long pe- riod of heavy rains, and the mosquitoes 457 Camp on Caloosahatchee River were bad in the pine woods. We as- cended the New River, a beautiful, winchng stream, generally deep, but very deep in places, one spot having a depth of eighty-five feet. The banks were quite low and sandy and lined with moss-draped cypress, oak, maple, magnolia, cocoa plum, pond apple, etc. After a short ride we reached the be- ginning of the drainage work — one long canal ran northwestward, with the (h'edge Everglade at its head, hard at work ; another due westward, with the dredge Okechobee at its end at work. These canals will run about twenty miles out into the glade and will be met by a canal running north and south from Lake Okechobee to a point about twenty miles west of Miami. The dredge Miami is now at work at the head of the Miami River ; another dredge is at work on the west coast, opening the old Disston Canal into Lake ( )kechobee. As these canals are finished, dams are made to hold back the water to fa- cilitate dredging, showing rather a sur- ])rising amount of fall and how ef- 458 fective these canals will prove in dis- charging the floods of water from this big area. I understand that the Gov- ernment will permit the level of Lake Okechobee to be lowered only four feet, since a Federal appropriation has been made to dredge the Kissimee River, which empties into the northern part of the lake. There were no mosquitoes in the Everglades during our visit, and crops already growing on the land, owned by eager settlers, show what can be done on land only partially drained. Western capitalists mainly have bought this land ; the money from the sales is doing the work, and the fur- ther it progresses the more the land will bring and the more eager people will be to get hold of it. The Board of Internal Liiprovement is wisely hold- ing back much of the land from sale, knowing full well that as time goes on it will increase in value and thus yield ample funds for the continuation of this important work. In many cases the state has sold only the alternate sections. Canal with Dam to Raise Water to Float Dredge An Everglade Canal below the Dam, Showing the Amount of Fall PHOTO BY KAUFMAN Everglades Lands after Drainage A Home in the Everglades after Reclamation A Miami Palm Garden There are agents at work selling this land in every state in the Union. Men of wealth and influence are be- hind this project. If any one doubts its feasibility, he should come to Flor- ida and see with his own eyes. Much praise is due ex-Governor Broward for his work in this line, and in the year^ to come he will shine forth as the governor who really did something to add to the productivity and worth of his state. The man who makes two blades of grass grow where only one grew before is the proverbial public benefactor ; but the man who, by his energy and foresight, inaugurates a movement to render 3,000,000 acres of waste land highly productive deserves endless commendation in this day, when we talk so much about the conservation of nature's resources. Mr. Broward is a masterful promoter ; the keynote of his campaign was drainage ; he worked at it incessantly while in office, and he has been working at it ever since, and has made good. We must not forget that this recla- mation is in a land of perpetual sum- mer in the only part of the mainland of the United States which is truly trop- ical, and wdiere the productive capacity of the land is many times greater than in northern climes ; where not only a greater quantity, but a much greater variety of crops can be produced than elsewhere in this country. This may be far-fetched, but I can picture in my mind's eye long avenues of Eucalyptus, Australian pine, and Royal palms along these canals ; great niasses of Hibiscus, Allamanda, Ole- ander, Bouganvillea, Poinciana, an.l countless other resplendent ornamentals around thousands of neat homes sur- rounded by fields of peppers, tomatoes, eggplants, celery, onions, okra, arrow- root, tobacco, etc. ; also, no doubt, orange and grapefruit groves, as well as choice mangoes, avocados, and other tropical fruits. The canals filled with boats will lead to Miami and Biseayne Bay, the Arcachon and Biscay of Florida. 461 462 COXSER\\\TION The land of the moccasin, alHgator and Seminole will see a great transfor- mation in a very short time — it does not take long in a tropical country, espe- cially on land where there is no forest to clear. It is more than a drainage scheme, since by means of dams and locks the water table may be kept at all times just where it is needed for irrigation purposes. The land is level, fertile, and free from alkali and other inju- rious minerals. The canals serve the triple purpose of drainage, irrigation, and transportation. The soil is usually a black muck, in places several feet in thickness ; under this is usually a layer of marl ; under the marl, sand, and under the sand, limestone rock. There is considerable mineral matter mixed with this muck, and, although it will shrink some, I doubt if the shrinkage will ever prove a serious drawback. By the application of lime, the cultivation of legumes, etc., this soil can be kept at a maximum state of fertility, so that five acres would be ample for the support of an ordinary family. Throughout the Everglades there are large springs, fed, no doubt, by a water- shed far up the state. This water is usually heavily charged with lime, which is deposited on the surface of everything in a iine, flocculent state during the period of overflow. This deposit, added to the muck, no doubt, contributes much to the quality of the soil. There are deposited also the shells of many fresh- water mollusks. In short, with the fertile, easily-worked soil, an bundance of water for irriga- tion, a tropical, healthfuJ climate, canals for transportation purposes, and all within easy access, by both water and land, to our great northern markets, there is a combination of favorable con- ditions which probably cannot be equaled elsewhere in the whole world. And lo ! the poor Seminole; what of him ? At best, he is merely a rene- gade ; and the time will soon come when he will have to put on pants and go to work on the land, join his rela- tives in Oklahoma, or die from the efifects of too much bad whisky. Where the Waters of the Columbia and the Spokane Meet In the Sfokanc hidian Reservation South End o( Cocur d'Alei OPENING OF THE COEUR D'ALENE RESERVATION THE Coeur d'Alene Indian reserva- tion in northern Idaho, 200,000 of whose 400,000 acres of agricul- tural, grazing and timbered lands will be distributed among homesteaders by the Government lottery plan at Coeur d'Alene, beginning on the morning of August 9, is one of the three reserves in the Inland Empire to be opened this year. The other two are the Spokane, in ea:=tern Washington, 6,000 acres of agricultural lands, and the Flathead, in western Montana, with 450,000 acres of agricultural and grazing lands. 464 Those eligible to settle on this land must register at either Kalispell or ^Missoula, Mont. Registration will begin on July 15 and continue until August 5. All applications for registration must be mailed in a plain envelope, three and one-half by six inches, to James W. Witten, superintendent of opening, Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. The passing of the reserve from the hands of the historic tribe of white set- tlers marks an epoch in the annals of the Northwest ; its settlement next April means homes for from 7,000 to Tation of the Same Name 10,000 persons, probably many of them from crowded cities in the East, and the development of the lands will add sev- eral millions of dollars annually to the wealth production of the Inland Empire. The reservation has an interesting history, dating from the early '30s, when French-Canadian employes of the Hudson Bay Company stirred up among the untutored reds a desire for the coming of "Black Robes," as the missionaries were known in those days. Fathers De Smet, Gregory, Mengarini, and Nicholas Point, accompanied by Brothers Specht, Huet, and Claessens. came from St. Louis in 1841 and lived among the Indians. They founded their first mission in the Bitter Root Valley in ^Montana near the site of the present town of Stevensville, where they after- ward erected a church and parish house, ai.'d cultivated the land. Several years later Father Joset joined the band of workers, and the Coeur d'Alene mis- sion was established. Father Joset became superior of the Rocky Mountains mission, which, in 1907, was united with the California mission. It is headed by Rev. Father George de la Motte, of Spokane, whose jurisdiction now embraces the states of California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, the Dakotas and southern Alaska, an area of 900,000 square miles. In the early days some of the In- dians, then in their prime, were looked upon as "medicine men," endowed with supernatural power, and, consequently, of great influence among their fellows. When the priests began their work they condemned that superstition, and the medicine men gradually lost their power and influence. Old and young to-day >n«C ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^V' *^ Ji ■ ' i' "j-y- ^^* » f^- __..iaa^_il^ :^__l^j.^a Harvesting on the Flathead Reservation near Kalispcll, Mont. are devout adherents of the Roman Catholic religion. The men devote themselves to athletic sports and games between the ceremonies, being espe- cially fond of baseball and horse-racing. Indian officers maintain a vigilant po- lice system, and offenders are punished by imprisonment in the jail at De Smet. Drunkenness is not tolerated. The reservation is situated wholly in Kootenai County, Idaho, and contains approximately 625 square miles, or 400,000 acres of land, of which two- thirds is cultivated and capable of high development. The rest is heavily tim- bered with white and yellow pine, cedar, fir, and tamarack, and is subject to entry under the homestead laws at its appraised value. The cost of these lands has not yet been determined. While the principal crops produced are wheat, oats and hay, the soil has proved itself to be admirably adapted to the cultivation of potatoes, sugar beets, and other root crops, also tree and vine fruits. The Indian population of the reserva- tion is 500 Coeur d'Alenes, of whom 465 255 are males. There are also ninety- seven Spokane Indians. A census taken early this year shows the sexes are nearly evenly divided. These people each own 160 acres of land, and have 2,500 head of horses, 1,200 cows, 600 hogs, and 175 sheep. The reserve is traversed by the Chicago, ^lilwaukee and Puget Sound Railroad and the Tekoa-Burke branch of the Oregon Railroad and Navigation Company, the latter carrying all members of the Coeur d'Alenc tribe free of charge between Tekoa, Wash., and Cataldo, Idaho, fifty-seven miles, as the result of a contract made when the Harriman people secured a right-of-way across the reserve in 1889. Pierre Wildshoe, chief of the tribe, and successor of Andrew Scltice, who died in 1902. while not the wealthiest, is one of the most respected and influ- ential men on the reservation. Pierre Moctielma is sub-chief, and John Dav- enport, who was raised by a white mer- chant of the same name at Colfax. W'ash., is head of the Indian police. OPENING COEUR D'ALENE RESERNATION 467 They are respected by all who know them. Louis Mitchata is, probably, the wealthiest of the Coeur d'Alene Indians. He is reputed to be worth at least $15,000, of which $8,000 is in money at interest. He lives in a house which would be no discredit to any farmer in the country, and has a good barn for stock, and convenient outbuildings. A grove of trees surrounding a large fish- pond is a pretty feature of the premises. Lo-lo, who lives near the Government sawmill, a few miles east of the mis- sion, has possessions in live stock and cash to the amount of $10,000. Chief Wildshoe is worth $6,000, and others have from $1,500 to $5,000. The great age reached by a number of these people is a matter of interest. Father Caruana, of l)e Smet mission, says that Charles, who died there a few years ago, was not less than 120 years old. He was totally blind years be- fore his death, and was waited on by his daughter, who died later, deaf and blind, at the age of ninety years. Coo- Na-Cha, a Coeur d'Alene squaw, died recently at the age of ninety-six years, and \'ictoria, of the same tribe, is sup- posed to be in her ninetieth year. Scam- tal-am-to, a Spokane squaw, who lives on the reservation, is ninety-one years old. There are several others past the four-score period. It is announced by James W. Witten, superintendent of the opening, who will arrive at Coeur d'Alene on July 5, that no charge will be made for registration, but at the time of making entry in April, 1910, persons who take lands in the Flathead reservation must pay one- third of the appraised value, and those who apply for cither Coeur d'Alene or Spokane lands must pay one-fifth of the value. The remainder may be paid in five equal annual instalments. N^'- 'X:-s>ift. ■W" Coaveyance of Water for Irrigation in Stave Pipes. Old Flume and New Redwood Slave Pipe Replacing It, Redlands Canal, California View in the Black Hills Forest Reserve, Showing Average Stand of Timber INFLUENCE OF TAXATION ON FOREST DISTRIBUTION By E, M. HOOVER, Boise, Idaho, Delegate from Idaho to the White House Conference, May 13, 14 and 15, 1908 THE importance of the conservation of the forests of private individ- nals and of holdings outside of the National Forests, is greater than that of the conservative management of the National Forests. The reasons are that the private holdings are more accessible for cutting and are in an altitude below the permanent snow line ; they are, therefore, located where the forest cov- ering delays the melting snow and re- tards the runoff of rainfall. The lumberman does not, from any influence of greed, willingly destroy his own property or endanger the welfare of the future. He acquires large tracts of timber land in orcler to be assured of a timber supply that will justify the construction of mills, roads and river improvements and the expenses of log- ging, thus taking only a reasonable business precaution. The lumberman would prefer to make his timber supply permanent. Fie is absolutely prohibited from so doing by the present methods of taxation of timbered lands. The taxes are assessed on both the land and the growing tim- A Southern Pine Forest, Showing Path of a Destructive Fire after Lumbering 470 CONSERVATION ber; and, in many cases which I could cite, on a vahtation exceechng the cost or the present actual value. To avoid disastrous business results, his only al- ternative is to cut the timber off clean, and as fast as he can ; otherwise, the increasing taxes, added to the expense of caring- for the property, the destruc- tion of timber by fire, storms and insect depredations, place an absolute prohi- bition on any system of reforestation or conservative lumbering". To fair-minded men there is a reason, as well as an obvious necessity, for the immediate adoption of measures that will conserve the timber resources of the Nation and render them permanent for the general good ; but the timber- land owner who can reap but one crop in a lifetime should not be called upon to bear a disproportionate share of the resulting burden. In an instance with which I am famil- iar the timbermen in a county, actually owning five per cent of the area of the county, are assessed on forty-nine and one-half per cent, of all the lands on the assessment rolls, and they pay seventy per cent, of the tax revenue from the item of "lands" and thirty-eight per cent, of the entire county revenue from all sources. There is a National Forest in that county comprising about twenty-five per cent, of the area of the county. The timbermen's tax amounted to over 150 times as much per acre as the county received from the National Forest. The Forest Service could not hope to con- tinue its present invaluable work if it were obliged to carry such an item of fixed charges. For the counties and state it would be a far wiser business policy to collect a low, permanent tax rather than a heavy one for a few years only. The reserve of mineral in a mine bears no burden of taxation ; no other growing crop than timber pays any tax until harvested. The remedy for the destruction of forests by individuals is in the proper adjustment of taxes. Timber land should be taxed on the value of the land only ; the growing trees should be on the basis of any other crop, and tax- able as personal property when they are cut ; or. in other words, when the crop is harvested. Under such a sys- tem the timber owner would be obliged and could afford to adopt a scientific and conservative management of the forest, and would be a willing demon- ^■trator of forest preservation and its far-reaching, desirable results. An Example of Wasteful and^Deslructivc Lumbering in the Sierra Nevada a 3 iii STATE FOREST POLICY By HERMAN HAUPT CHAPMAN Assistant Professor of Forestry, Yale University As the virgin timber supplies in the different states near the point of ex- haustion, the question of growing tim- ber to meet the many urgent needs of our industries and arts is brought squarely before the public. The National Government has been able by timely legislation and the courageous action of several of our Presidents to retain title to an immense area of public timber lands lying west of the Mississippi River. But constitutional limitations will probably confine the operations Oj. the Government to public lands, or to tracts situated at the headwaters of navigable waterways. In the Eastern ftates, especially, state governments have duties and responsibilities in for- estry which can never be assumed suc- cessfully by the National Government. The first of these duties is the en- couragemeuL of private forestry. No matter how much land the state may finally acquire, much the larger and more valuable portion of the timber- lands capable of producing the most rapid growth of timber will remain the property of private owners as wood- lots or of large land owners or corpora- tions as cutover lands. Upon these lands, the production of new crops of timber must depend upon private ef- fort. But left to themselves, private own- ers will be slow to undertake forestry on a large scale. The extensive grow- ing of timber can be carried on by in- dividuals only as an investment which must give them a return on their money- Under present conditions the danger of destruction or severe damage to timber by forest fires is so great that such in- vestments are not safe, and the com- 472 paratively long period which the in- vestor has to wait, witli his property exposed all the time to fires, before he can realize any returns will discourage many who otherwise would grow tim- ber. A second, equally serious draw- back is the heavy taxes which in many localities are assessed against standing timber and which threaten to absorb whatever profit might otherwise be made by the owner. It is clearly the duty of state governments to remove these two great obstacles to private forestry by passing and enforcing suit- able laws. Most states have already passed fire laws making it an nfl'ense to set fire to woodlands either purposely or acci- dentally. Such laws have always re- mained a dead letter until the office of fire warden was created for the proper enforcement of the law. The most primitive form of a fire warden system is that which imposes the duties of fire warden for a town upon the town supervisors. Experience has shown that such officials are indifferent to these added duties. The best results have been obtained in states which have created the office of state fire warden and made the local or town wardens appointive. The town board may retain the power of appointing a fire warden, or he may be appointed by the state warden, who should in any case approve the appointments and have the power to remove an inefficient warden. By this plan a warden may be secured who is willing to devote the proper time to his duties and who can be retained in office by reappointment as long as he is willing to serve. With an active and efficient state fire warden Large Poplnr Tree Growing in Mountain Ravine on West Slop; of Great Smoky Mountain, Eostern Tennessee Result of Fire Protection Commenced in 1890, and Seed Felling Made in 1894, Five to Ten Pine Seed Trees Are Left on Each Acre to supervise the work of the town wardens, instruct them in their duties and weed out incompetent wardens a sound basis is laid for fire protection of woodlands. But no force of fire wardens, how- ever good, can prevent fires if neither the owners of forest lands nor the resi- dents of the locality desire protection. If fires are constantly being set, and the wardens' duty is merely to extinguish them, the expense would be prohibitive. Prevention of fire is the cheapest meth- od, and this can be accomplished by education of the public to the damage done by small as well as large fires, by punishment of ofifenders, and, when possible, by providing for patrol during the dry times by the wardens or depu- ties. Large owners can supplement the work of town wardens by using their employees as a fire patrol, and state 474 laws should provide for the appoint- ment of such persons as fire wardens. The progress already made in some states under proper laws is such as to encourage the belief that complete fire protection may, in time, be secured wherever an honest effort is made along the right lines. In the matter of tax reform for the encouragement of private forestry, lit- tle progress has been made. Many laws have been passed providing for some form of bounty, rebate or exemption on plantations of timber trees. Some have been declared unconstitutional, while others have not been taken ad- vantage of. A more general reform is needed. As long as timber is looked upon as real estate it will be overtaxed. Virgin timber which has cost the owner no effort to produce it may with some reason be assessed on the basis of realty, but where woods are grown as Forest Land in Minnesola Devastated by Fire. This View Will Explain to Some Extent the Diminution in the Cut of White Pine a result of definite outlay of time or money, they are in all respects a crop, and represent income on the land. The effect of the present system of taxation is to force the owners of valuable tim- ber to cut it to escape extortionate taxes and to discourage the growing of new crops of timber trees. It is not possible to cut and market timber until it reaches certain sizes, and the longer it is allowed to grow, the more valu- able the product becomes to the com- munity. Standing timber should be released from taxation wherever it can be shown that the property is being managed for the continuous production of wood crops. The best method of accomplish- ing this is to limit the assessed valua- tion of such lands to the value of simi- lar wild or unimproved lands not timbered, and provide that the lands shall be managed under plans approved by the state forestry officials. Should this discrimination in favor of forest lands cause too great a loss of revenue, a tax should be laid on the timber when it is cut rather than to revert to taxa- tion of standing timber. Tax reform for woodlands may be expected soonest in states whose supply of virgin timber is nearest to exhaustion. The forest policy of any state would be incomplete if confined to such gen- eral legislation to encourage private forestry. There is much to be learned in this country regarding methods of handling woods to get the best growth of most valuable timber. Mistakes are costly, for they do not become fully ap- parent for many years. The state should provide against such mistakes and waste effort on the part of its citi- zens, first, by employing a forester with a thorough professional education and considerable experience to give infor- mation to those in need of it ; and sec- ond, by acquiring land as forest re- serves for the purpose of experiment- ing and demonstrating the best meth- ods of forest management. Such a policy is illustrated by the work of the agricultural experiment stations. There is no state so small or with so little waste land that it would not be justi- fied in establishing small forest re- serves for educational purposes. 475 STATE FOREST POLICY 477 But most states cannot stop here, tops of mountains, young timber looks In nearly every large state there are as well as older growth, and it is only bodies of land not suitable for agri- necessary to keep out fire and protect culture which, for many reasons, the the soil by the prevention of too heavy state should own and manage as forest cuttings. Thus the management of reserves. large state holdings as parks is not op- The best use to which land can be posed to their use for the production put is the production of farm crops, of crops of timber. But lands too mountainous or rocky to Where erosion is rapid and its ef- be cultivated will grow valuable crops fects on the flow of streams disastrous, of timber, and if used for this purpose, state ownership of such lands and con- contribute to the resources of the state, trol of cutting is the only means to end Only when every acre of productive the trouble, short of National interven- land is put to its best use, is the highest tion for the same purpose. Laws are prosperity attained. sometimes proposed to prohibit timber But aside from producing crops of owners from cutting trees below a cer- wood for use, the growing of timber tain size. Such legislation would only on mountainous land is desirable for be justified in these mountainous locali- two other purposes. The first of these ties, and under conditions where it is the preservation of the soil on steep could be clearly shown that destruction slopes by preventing erosion, and the of property belonging to others would consequent regulation in the flow of be caused by the removal of such tim- streams and reduction of danger from ber. And such a method of attempted floods. This is one of the most strik- regulation of private property is far ing and most easily demonstrated ef- more drastic and difficult to enforce fects of forests, and in certain moun- than a policy of acquiring such lands tain regions is the chief argument for for the state. Public ownership makes forest preservation. possible any form of management best The second motive for devoting suited to the general good, mountain lands to timber growth is to So great has been the pressure for furnish parks and pleasure grounds for state ownership of such mountainous the public. This last incentive is the areas that in the states of New York simplest and most widely understood and Pennsylvania a total of consider- of the three, and will meet with the ably over 2,000,000 acres has been ac- most ready support. But it has often quired, largely by purchase, for forest been unduly emphasized. A state reserves. forest policy which is unable to har- But some states have a much more monize these three essential objects of difficult problem to decide. There are forest reserves, namely, timber pro- many areas of level land which can duction and use, protection of soil and easily be cultivated but have not been water, and public parks, will remain a successfully farmed. The commonest continual source of dissension in the type is a coarse, deep sand with no sub- state and is economically false. Timber soil found in many pine regions. Much should not be cut indiscriminately of this sandy land in older states has where the other two objects must be been taken up and abandoned several secured. Biit it is an inexcusable waste times. It is in dealing with soils of to prohibit cutting of timber upon large this character that our state policy areas of forest land that they may be needs strengthening. Conditions in used exclusively as parks. The great America are still unsettled, and the majority of persons visiting such forests pressure for land is very strong. The will travel along certain definite routes, doctrine that lands too poor for agri- either streams, trails or roads. The old culture should be used for the pro- timber can be left intact in all such duction of wood crops is not yet ac- places. For landscape efifects from the cepted. for no land which can be plowed San Carlos Dam Site, Gila River, Arizona will be relinquished to forest reserves without a struggle. In every state which has attempted to create forest reserves on sandy land a bitter fight has been waged against the withdrawal of such lands from agriculture. This opposition springs naturally from both the settlers in such districts 473 and the speculators in farm lands. The interests of the settler are promoted by more rapid settlement, since a denser population not only reduces the taxes for roads and other improve- ments, but creates better markets for produce. A suggestion that a portion of any region is unfit for agriculture is End of a Log Slide a blow at the development of the dis- trict. This should be recognized, and extreme statements and radical meas- ures avoided by forestry advocates. But final judgment cannot be formed without considering the other side as represented by the land speculator. In many districts the test of experience has shown the difficulty of profitable farming, and the original settlers have abandoned the attempt. Land specu- lators find in these lands a fruitful source of profit, and induce inexperi- enced or over-confident investors to buy them for homes. There seems to be but one way to meet this situation honestly, and that is by acquiring such lands for state forest reserves. We need these lands for growing timber. In such thickly set- tled countries as Prussia sandy lands are being purchased every year by the Government and planted to pine. We must learn in this country to put land to its best use, and be willing to admit that in some cases this best use is forest production. The ability to distinguish bet\veen agricultural and forest soils. and the power to open the first class to settlers and prevent the improper use of the true forest soils for agriculture can only be developed in a state under a progressive policy of state forest re- serves. There are thus strong reasons for state ownership of forest lands in all instances in addition to the need of producing timber. Should the argu- ment be based solely on the necessity for the state to grow timber, it might be held that a state must not compete with individuals in the production of crops. This is true where individuals can supply the demand for the product and where state competition would in any way hamper private effort. But in the production of timber, experience in this country as well as abroad is rapid- ly proving that the individual or cor- poration is seldom willing to invest the money or make the sacrifices necessary to secure a second crop of timber, while under state control the proper steps may be taken with little difficulty. It is certain that all the timber that can be raised b}- the united efforts of states 479 Every Forcst^lined Breathing Place Is a'Powerful Influence in the Uplifting of Future Citizens and private parties will not supply the demand, hence it is equally certain that the growing of timber by the state will not injure the individual. It will aid such private efforts by improving con- ditions of public sentiment, secviring better fire protection and developing markets for home grown timber. The larger and more valuable sizes of tim- ber needed for special purposes, and the clear lumber which comes only from older trees can only be produced in the future by the state, since no other owner can afiford to wait so long before cutting his crop. A progressive forest policy for a state calls for absolute freedom from political connections, and for direction by men of proper training and know- ledge of forestry. A policy of land ac- quisition may be managed successfully by men without a forester's train- ing, and such public-spirited men have been responsible for nearly all the progress that has been made so far in securing state forest reserves. But as soon as the foundations are laid and 480 the work of management for the pur- pose of timber production begins, it should be in the hands of trained foresters. The experience of some states has in- dicated the best method of securing an efficient and non-political management of forest reserves. A forestry board should have control of the policy of the state and should decide matters deal- ing with state lands and the expendi- ture of money. This board should be composed of men occupying positions of responsibility in the state, in educa- tional or technical lines ; and. when feasible, the commission should be named specifically; as. for instance. President of State University. Director of State Geological Survey. Professor of Forestry in some well-known insti- tution. Five members should make a large enough board. The executive officer of the board should be a state forester appointed h\ the board. P)y this arrangement, the forester is responsible to the board, whose members, in turn, will be able to STATE FOREST POLICY 481 give the proper time to the work, since their other ckities will be confined to meetings, held at stated intervals. Unless forestry work in a state is organized along some such lines, the chances are that sooner or later the organization will prove inadequate, and the work stagnate and fall into disre- pute, or even become the prey of poli- ticians. State forestry is in its infancy and the need is urgent. ^Mistakes are cost- ly and often unnecessary. A clear cut policy, persevered in, will succeed, while radical differences of opinion may mean wasted efifort. An understanding of the true goal of state forestry is needed to direct and unite such efforts. A constant interest on the part of the public in the forestry work of the state is the surest guarantee of ultimate suc- cess. i-i:' ■r-'r- • ^ .-- . :;t^;^a specimen of Arizona Pine in Santa Catalina Mountains! Altitude, 6,000 Feet White Pine Forest in the Region of the Proposed Southern Appalachian Forest Reserve, Showing Reproduction on Cut^ovcr Lands, Graham County, North Carolina THEODORE ROOSEVELT Dynamic Geographer* By FRANK BUFFINGTON VROOMAN, F, R, G, S, INTRODUCTORY NO INTELLIGENT geographer nearly ninety millions of people whom or economist will be satisfied he essayed to give a "square deal," were with mere catalogues or classifi- the great geographical problems to be cations of facts^ that so many trees have solved for generations unborn. Here been planted, so many dams have was unavoidable confusion and waste, been built, so many canals have been Here was possible unlimited power and digged, or that so many cornfields have use. Here was a great people bereft allowed so much bacon to be added to of certain utilities in raw materials and the world's common store of good. It natural resources, some of which were is imperative that we connect a conti- going to natural waste, and some of nental rearrangement with the funda- which, with criminal recklessness, were mental principles underlying the prog- being stripped and appropriated by the ress made. In other words, the eco- land-skinner. In the scientific divisions nomic geography of the LTnited States of the departments of government were cannot be intelligently studied apart thousands of experts and scientific men from the political geography of the collectinginformation more or less valu- United States. able, but haphazard, concerning land In reviewing the Roosevelt adminis- and water and forest supplies, but no- tration, one is startled by the array of where appeared the universal mind to practical results achieved for the com- synthesize and utilize all for one con- mon good, and no less by the impetus structive national purpose, and universality of the movement The first American President who among the people toward the idea of a was practical statesman, ethical philoso- new democracy. There is a chance that pher, and scientific geographer, elected American destiny may be fulfilled on to office at the close of a period (which rational instead of fortuitous lines. Mr. he closed) of arid mediocrity, when few Roosevelt's work has been laid on geo- public men were aware of an issue other graphical foundations, carried on in an than the tariff or graft — this man has ethical spirit, and conservatively within blazed new trails for American destiny, constitutional limits. This is a great work to have achieved — The future historian will date a new to have cut a hemisphere in two and era in American history from him. joined two oceans into one ; to have be- American politics can never again be gun the habilitation of what Mr. Walter the arid waste it was before it was wa- Page would call an "unkempt conti- tered by Mr. Roosevelt's irrigation nent ;" to have laid scientific foundations ditches. Facing problems no less than for quintupling the commercial and eco- continental, he made a political issue of nomic capacity of the million and a half a national economy. Over and above square miles of the fertilest land on the administration of the affairs of earth, lying in the basin of the Missis- *Based on a lecture delivered to the School of Geography, Oxford University, March 8, 1909, and published by Henry Frowde, Oxford University Press, London. 4 , 483 484 CONSERVATION sippi and the Great Lakes ; to have tion gave it also a poHtical character, snatched an area the size of New York I say geographical because these policies State from the sage brush and rattle- w^ere intimately connected with the na- snake, and an area four times as large tional resources of the earth, either in from the land-skinner, and presented their production or transportation ; and them to the American people without ethical because he constantly refused to the eventual cost of a brass farthing; consider them except with reference to to have widened the sphere of the State, the common good. It wall be seen, when changed the definition of the word "pol- his account is made up, that Mr. Roose- itics," laid democracy on ethical founda- velt is one of the few "applied geogra- tions, and made it possible to speak of phers," to use a phrase Doctor Keltic has politics and ethics in the same breath made his own, who has taken geography without an apology. This, I say, was a seriously, scientifically and politically, great work, and but a part of the actual and has put the resources of a great na- achievement during three-quarters of tion behind it to further the interests of the first decade of the new century, due mankind. to the intelligence and initiative and de- He was the first President who dared termination of one man. to attempt the solution of the vital geo- Mr. Roosevelt was able to accomplish graphical problems presented by the this work because he knew it was the territory occupied by the United States kind of thing which would never get in their largest and completest bearings done of itself ; because he applied the by the wisest and most conservative scientific knowledge and political re- political methods. He saw that these sources of the Nation to the task ; be- problems would never solve themselves, cause he had intelligence enough to The gospel of individualism carried no know that progress is rational and not message of salvation. And if any voice fortuitous. Here was one political came crying from the wilderness, it geographer who happened to have the was that the problems of the wilder- political resources of a nation behind ness must be solved by a national pol- him, and what is more to the point, who icy grounded on the certainties of sci- happened to have the intelligence to syn- entific foundations, with no guesswork, thesize those resources and organize no haphazard, no laissez-faire, but by them into a national program and pur- a far-sighted and constructive state- pose. In these acts he expressed a faith craft. in the people more potent than that of There are long periods of American any exponent of individualism from Jef- history in which successive presiden- ferson to Bryan. Here is a pledge of tial administrations have been fruitless, faith in national self-government. Here and in which the country has made no is a scientific outline for constructive advances, except such as It was impos- and ethical democracy on the basis that sible for such a country to keep from the whole people can govern, and does making. Until now, the twentieth cen- govern, itself. He has done more than tury, the man had not appeared capable any other American to bring the public of scientifically and intelligently inves- to self-consciousness, and perhaps to tigating his data, and so able to state self-sufficiency. his problems, and then offering such No man in the Western Hemisphere wise solutions, as he has done, in so ever dealt so deadly a blow to a political masterly a fashion, for those very prob- fetish as when Mr. Roosevelt laid his lems which everybody else before him big stick on the doctrine of laissez- seemed to have overlooked. faire. It is, of course, hardly necessary to It is a very interesting fact that say here that I am keeping in mind almost every great policy Mr. other kinds and sets of problems which Roosevelt has ever advocated has have been bravely met and wisely mas- had both an ethical and a geograph- tered in their day. But this does not ical-economic character. The combina- keep me from saying also that the work THEODORE ROOSEVELT 485 of President Roosevelt, which has made the vast continental domain a more fruitful habitat for a happier people, now and hereafter, has already become one of the most fascinating achieve- ments of modern times. Theodore Roosevelt is a new kind of geographer. There are static geog- raphers and dynamic geographers. Mr. Roosevelt is a dynamic geographer. One studies and describes that geog- raphy which man helps to make ; the other helps to make that geography which other men describe. They are necessary complements in the great scheme of geography, and they bear something like the relation to each other (if I may say it reverently) that the Bible bears to the encyclopedia. The dynamic geographer is the efficient geographer, the constructive geog- rapher, the busy geographer ; the man who gets geographical things done ; the man who studies the land and wa- ter with an ethical purpose in the back of his mind, wdth reference to getting from them, for mankind, the highest possible amount of use. The dynamic geographer is the strenuous geogra- pher, and this one has made himself a practical incarnation of the principle of making two blades of grass growl where one grew before, without letting any grow under his feet. Just now he is to try a new geograph- ical role. He is becoming an explorer in South Africa before he is to become your distinguished guest at this univer- sity, and, I liope, of this school of geog- raphy. It is also said that he is going hon-hunting. So far his special ani- mosity has been the bear. He has hith- erto shown no special grudge against the lion, especially of the British vari- ety. But if he does not make some new and striking contributions to geograph- ical dynamics in Africa before he re- turns this way, those who know him will miss their guess. SITUATION The first decade of the twentieth cen- tury, or, roughly speaking, the admin- istration of President Roosevelt, founH the economic situation in the United States a most extraordinary and inter- esting one. This situation discloses some of the problems which his admin- istration has had to face boldly, and for which it had to offer solutions. Per- haps one of the first things that strikes the observer, if he gets far enough away to take a bird's-eye view, is the chaos both in the economic and political conditions of the entire country ; the anarchy which prevailed among certain people and over certam areas ; the mad and unintelligent scramble to get pos- session of the raw materials and natural resources of the Nation ; the prodigious waste which attended the scramble for these resources, and their concentration and final centralization and congestion in a few pairs of hands ; finally culmi- nating in the stock gamblers' panic of last year, whose evil effects have been felt by every man in the civilized world. This panic was brought on by the stock-gambling regime in the midst of a material prosperity unknown in the history of the world, in a year when the production of American farms was greater than the entire national wealth fifty-eight years before. It occurred at the close of a generation in which the material increase of wealth mea- sured in tons of gold coin more than all Great Britain had laid up for 500 years ; at a time when the United States owned one-fourth of the world's wealth and put out one-third of all the world's manufactured product. A very interesting statement was made a few months before the advent of this panic by James J. Hill, the rail- way promoter. (I might as well say that there is a vast difference between the railway promoter and the railway smasher.) Tvlr. Hill made the statement (1906) after an era of railroad build- ing, which in twenty years had built enough railroad in the United States to reach three times round the globe and leave a branch line from here to Vladivostock, that there was neither money enough nor rails enough in the world to build track enough to carry the traffic offered. The first decade of this century, how- ever, found 100 men controlling the 486 CONSERVATION bulk of all this wealth, and nearly 90,000,000 people controlling the rest. It has been stated that one per cent of the population actually owns or controls ninety per cent of all this wealth, and the 100 men known, for want of a bet- ter name (or worse), as Wall Street, who control the larger part of these vast assets, constitute from one eight- thousandth to one nine-thousandth part of one per cent of the population of the United States. This is why they are able to produce a world panic, felt to the uttermost reaches of civiliza- tion, in the midst of an unparalleled and unexampled prosperity. This first decade, also, among this coterie of dollar-getters, found one man (and we are by no means certain that he was the richest man in the country) whose annual income is greater than the combined wealth, in total capital, of every millionaire in the United States before the Civil War. This is the economic paradox pre- sented by the first decade of the twen- tieth century. A few people began to ask some questions as to why there was no money in circulation during this unexampled prosperity ; why in the midst of it it was possible for a stock gamblers' panic to be perpetrated ; why nobody for months could borrow money on any security whatever to conduct legitimate business ; and why men could not draw their own money out of the banks in larger sums than £10 at a time. The New York financiers chose am inconvenient time for the panic. In forcing this panic the stock-gamblers made their first fatal blunder. They got the American people to wondering whether, after all, their prosperity were not a good deal like that of the fly de- scribed by Josh Billings, which had ac- quired a half-barrel of molasses. A few of the more disinterested and far- sighted saw in this stock-gamblers' regime an immediate and overshadow- ing menace to the very existence of the American Republic. This menace is financialism. It is not commercialism, not even the materialism which consti- tutes, unfortunately, the basis of the American idea of life. It is an insolent and irresponsible gambling and wreck- ing game, beside which the Louisiana lottery was a Sunday-school — a game run by creatures whose only distinction, and apparently whose only aim lies in the heaping up of what others need, and they cannot use — a game destitute of soul or spirit, unless it were the spirit of Demylus at the Greek banquet, who, wishing all the fish for himself, spat in the dish. When, by a series of revelations in the business worlds or, more accurately speaking, in the financial world, it be- came evident, through these revelations appearing in instalments, with appall- ing punctuality, that these vast and grewsome hoards had been heaped up by methods which could not compare favorably with those of the late Cap- tain Kidd (inasmuch as he was willing to take some chances, and invested him- self with certain shreds of romance) the American people began to sit up and rub their eyes. It began to be apparent to them that American insti- tutions were being developed rapidly, and almost solely, for the benefit of the financial classes. Those without the financial instinct, how^ever able in other walks or realms of life, suddenly found themselves in danger of slavery or ex- tinction. One eight-thousandth of one per cent now ruled this blessed democ- racy. Life on the financial or acquisi- tive plane, under individualism, means that the strong win and the weak per- ish. This, being interpreted, means that the financial strong win and the financial weak perish, and the inevita- ble issue is a financial despotism. Free competition had broken its backbone carrying its own fat, and had crawled into the sarcophagus of billionaireism to die and rot. That which De Tocque- ville had feared had come to pass in America — democracy had issued in des- potism. The dream of the Jefiferso- nians and the eighteenth-century revo- lutionists had not been fulfilled. The laisscz-foirc millenium had not ar- rived. We found we had been devel- oping the wrong kind of democracy — the democracy of individualism. For THEODORE ROOSEVELT 487 individualism means unlimited and un- controlled competition and the apotheo- sis of the selfish instinct. It makes no allowances for the principle of handi- cap. Uncontrolled competition means the fattening of the big upon the little. It is the law of the fish-pond, the dog- kennel and the wolf's den. Free com- petition in its larger sense issues in the supremacy of the strong and the cun- ning. The supremacy of the strong issues in the aggrandizement of the strong at the expense of the weak, until there is no more competition or possi- bility of competition. If a dozen wolves are put in a fold with a hundred sheep, on the principle of free competition, there is only one question involved, and that is ho7i' long before the wolves are to acquire all the mutton. Mr. Roosevelt decided that the time had come to put a stop to the stock- gamblers' regime. He knew that if he did not do it, the American people would do it in another way. If it were to be done conservatively, it must be done at once. It was for this reason that he stepped out into the arena to do battle, with the spirit of the old gladiators upon him. Indeed, he is not at his worst in this role, this man of peace ! He demanded a "square deal" for the people. He demanded the or- ganization, conservation and use of the national resources. He demanded con- stitutional solidarity in place of the whimsical rule of state rights and Jais- sc::-fairc. He demanded a sovereign for the areas of anarchy between the states, a scourge for the cave-dwellers of lawless wealth and impecunious envy alike, prison bars for the unlawful exploiters of unrequited toil and unpro- tected property. Nemesis for the inso- lent throttlers of competition, gyves for the pirates on the high seas of finance. Mr. Roosevelt holds that political responsibilities are immanent : that po- litical relations, as they are objectively expressed in a rational state, are the fulfillment of certain capacities in man, without which he would not be man at all, and that such capacities are ethical. To him politics reveal a body of duties as well as rights, which themselves im- ply a common life and a common good. Every measure he has ever proposed, and lost or won, has had its distinctive ethical value. Every "law he has en- forced and every act he has carried through Congress, every measure which through his initiative and support has been written on the statute books of state and Nation, without a single ex- ception, has been in restriction of the field of anarchy in the interest of law and order and equity, and toward the enlargement of the ethical sphere of the State — toward the centralization and rationalization and moralization of its power. ETHICAL SPIRIT Mr. Roosevelt's contribution is not only that he has given the Nation a new rational and scientific idea, but he has awakened a new ethical spirit. The Hon. William Rodenburg said in Con- gress, last April: "If Theodore Roose- velt had accomplished nothing more than the awakening of the public con- science to a realization of the dangers of corporate encroachment, he would still lead all the men of his day and gen- eration in the great work of practical and permanent reform." The Ameri- can people are no worse than others, and I will not say that they are very much superior, but for some reason or other, until recently, the word "poli- tics" in America always carried with it a reproach. For three-quarters of a century, since the Jacksonian Democ- racy crystallized into practise, the slo- gan was, "To the victor belong the spoils." The very mention of Amer- ican politics had been but a signal, from sheer force of habit, for one hand to fly to one's pocket and the other to one's olfactories, in instinctive self- defense. In the proper sense, we may hardly be said to have had a politics at all. We had a kind of political scrap- book ; we had policies ; we had a polit- ical economy (imported and anti- quated) ; but we have had no political ])hilosophy. Consequently we have had no political ethics. We have developed in many respects political morals, but for a long time we hid these under a bushel, 488 CONSERVATION and could have gotten them under a peck. But no one has yet formulated the theory of our institutions, nor had they, before the beginning of this cen- tury, worked out a theory or practise of political ethics. But a revolution has been accomplished by the incompar- able work of the United States Civil Service Commission, of which Theo- dore Roosevelt was one of the earliest and most effective commissioners. This is what Mr. Roosevelt has laid foundations for doing. His ethical con- tributions are much more far-reaching and important than his restrictions on unlawful financial power. He has worked out a new constructive ethical idea on scientific foundations. He has realized that idea, not only in stemming the tide of individualism rampant, but he has shown the path which will avoid the evils of socialism. He has been the first man in position of peculiar power or influence since Hamilton to see clearly and draw distinctly the natural line of cleavage which separates the two great principles in natural antagonism in America. He has precipitated the political issue of the twentieth century, not merely in the United States, but the world issue of the tiventieth century, that between the democracy of individ- ualism, which threatens the very exist- ence of democracy upon the earth, and {To he the democracy of nationalism, which offers the only rational and ethical al- ternative for socialism or individualism. "The chief aim of De Tocqueville," says Professor Flint, "was to demon- strate that democracy was in imminent peril of issuing in despotism." Farther on, he says : "There is nowhere visible on earth to-day any power capable of resisting or crushing democracy. If there be none such, it does not follow that it will not be arrested in its prog- ress, but it follows that it will only be arrested by itself." The distinguishing characteristic of Mr. Roosevelt's statesmanship is that, if he has marked the outlines for the future of the only kind of democracy in which politics and ethics can ever coincide, he has saved democracy from itself. Therefore, I say distinctly, knowing that the judgment of history will back me up, and that the magazines and pub- lishing houses owned in Wall Street will not, that Theodore Roosevelt is one of the few universal political geniuses of the world, and that a new era in world politics and a new day for ra- tional, ethical and constructive democ- racy dawned upon the world the day Theodore Roosevelt was sworn in as President of the United States. continued) ■^ Bairs Head Reservoir, Colorado Riyer, California and Arizona The Equalizing Influence of Forests on the Flow of Streams and Their Value as a Means of Improving Navigation* By GEORGE F, SWAIN, LL,D„ Professor of Civil Engineering in the Massachusetts Institute of Technology IT IS the opinion of probably the great majority of engineers con- versant with the subject, that for- ests act as equahzers of the flow of streams by diminishing, in general, the frequency and violence of freshets, and increasing the low-water flow, and by preventing the erosion of the soil and the consequent silting up of water- courses. Based on these premises, it is believed to be of much importance to the inter- ests of navigation, as well as to other interests, that the United States Gov- ernment should establish forest re- serves in the Southern Appalachian and White Mountains, the object of such reserves being: First, to aid in the protection of cer- tain given watersheds. Second, to enable the Government to give an object-lesson to private owners in the vicinity as to what may be ac- complished by proper forest manage- ment, and to cooperate directly with such private owners in encouraging them to use the best methods. Third, to aid in preventing forest fires and the consequent deterioration of the soil and destruction of timber on both Government and private lands. Fourth, to aid in and encourage re- foresting, and, by this means, and by proper management, to augment and prolong the timber supply. In September, 1908, a paper, the title of which has been quoted below, was published in the Proceedings of the American Society of Civil Engineers, by Col. H. M. Chittenden, of the Corps of Engineers, U. S. A., in which argu- ments were advanced which in a meas- ure seem to controvert the generally accepted opinions. The present paper is a brief rejoinder to that article, pre- pared with special reference to its bear- ing upon the Appalachian and White Mountain forest-reserve bill. The paper of Colonel Chittenden is exceedingly well written and upon first reading might seem to contain strong arguments against the regulative ac- tion of forests. Upon analyzing its statements, however, it will be per- ceived that Colonel Chittenden prac- tically acknowledges most of the claims made for forests, that the paper con- tains many contradictory assertions and illogical deductions, and that his argu- ments are largely conjectural and un- accompanied by proof. The paper states that the commonly accepted opinion is that forests have a beneficial influence on stream flow : "(i) By storing the waters from rain and melting snow in the bed of humus that develops under forest cover, * * * preventing their rapid rush to the streams and paying them out gradually *Being mainly a rejoinder to the paper of Col. H. M. Chittenden, U. S. A., entitled "Forests and Reservoirs in Their Relation to Stream Flow, With Particular Reference to Navigable Rivers," presented before the American Society of Civil Engineers. Prepared at the request of His Excellency Curtis Guild, Jr., Governor of the State of Massachusetts. 489 490 CONSERVATION' afterward, thus acting as true reservoirs in equalizing the run-off. "(2) By retarding the snow-melting in the spring and prolonging the run- off from that source. "(3) ^y increasing precipitation. "(4) By preventing erosion of the soil on steep slopes and thereby pro- tecting water-courses, canals, reservoirs and similar works from accumulations of silt." . This will probably be admitted to be a fair statement of what the believers in the benefits of forests consider to be true, except that some do not consider that there is yet sufficient demonstration that they increasie the rainfall, and also except that the water is not stored sim- ply in the bed of humus, but also in the ground beneath. With reference to the first of these points, the author states that it is "strictly true of average conditions." He says: "It is true, therefore, as popularly understood, that, in periods of ordinary rainfall, with sufficient in- tervals for the forest bed to dry out somewhat, forests do exert a regulative effect upon run-off. They modify freshets and torrents and prolong the run-off after storms have passed, and therefore realize in more or less per- fection the commonly accepted theory." He believes, however, that this benefi- cial effect is not exerted under extreme conditions,, i. c, great floods and ex- cessive low waters, and he states that these extreme conditions "determine the character and cost of river control." Even if it be admitted that the pres- ence of forests does not affect "extreme conditions," this is no argument against the value of forests, for it is certainly not true that only extreme conditions affect the navigability of streams or "determine the character and cost of river control." Extreme conditions de- termine certain elements, such, for in- .'.tance, as the height of levees. Colonel Chittenden certainly cannot mean to state that ordinary, every-day floods do not carve away banks and cause shoal- ing of channels, rendering dredging necessary for navigation. A few high but not extreme floods mav do much more damage than one extreme flood, and may necessitate more expenditure for dredging and other purposes. Ex- treme conditions are in the nature of freaks. They occur only at intervals of many years. It would seem to be more nearly correct to state that the interests of navigation are governed more by the usual conditions, and that it is pos- sible for extreme conditions at rare intervals to interrupt traffic for a short time without causing much loss. It may as well be argued that it is not wise to attempt improvements on railroads be- cause an earthquake or a tornado or an extreme flood in a river may destroy a portion of the track and interrupt traffic for a while. It matters little in the navigability of a stream if at inter- vals of twenty, thirty, or fifty years an extreme drought occurs for a few days or weeks, making the depth of the channel insufficient for the largest vessels. If it be true, therefore, that extreme conditions do not govern the question. Colonel Chittenden has admitted all that the advocates of forests desire. Let us consider, however, the argu- ments with reference to such extreme conditions : The argument with reference to ex- treme floods appears to be that floods are always the result of combinations from various tributaries, the highest flood from one stream coming at the same time as the highest flood from other streams, occurring after periods of long-continued and widespread pre- cipitation. In such cases the forest bed becomes completely saturated, the stor- age capacity exhausted, and when this point is reached "the forest has no more power to restrain floods than the open country itself." It is, of course, evident that the rain- fall may be so great and long continued that the forest bed becomes saturated and that the water flows over the sur- face, but it does not seem correct to say that in this case the forest has no more power to restrain floods than the open country tiself. The discharge will be hindered in the forest by the physical conditions, and because the soil will not EQUALIZING INFLUENCE OF FORESTS 491 be washed away and the water will not be gathered into torrents flowing down through eroded channels. More- over, it seems a strange argument to maintain that because the retentive power of the forest is not unlimited it is not therefore useful. Even if it be admitted, however, that under a torren- tial rainfall the water flows away from the forest w.ithout hindrance, it is under just such a condition that the forest is most valuable in preventing erosion, for the water is distributed over the forest floor and does not carry with it the earth beneath. With reference to this point, however. Colonel Chittenden maintains that there is no more erosion from cut-over lands than from for- ested lands. There are certain reasons for believing that he is not correct. In the first place, the forest cover is al- ways more or less disturbed or injured by the cutting, and after cutting is done it is more exposed to the sun and becomes dryer in summer and more liable to take fire. It is believed to be a fact that fire very freqtiently follows the lumberman and originates on cut- over land. This still further destroys the forest cover, and heavy rain falling on deforested ground is not broken in its fall by the leaves and branches of the trees. In many places, of course, a new growth springs up after the forest is cut, if it is not prevented by fire, and this new growth will in the course of time become a new forest, and the old conditions will be restored, but in the meantime there is a deterioration of the soil covering, and a greater lia- bility to erosion, as well as a smaller power of retention, and consequently more rapid discharge of the rain waters. In some parts of the White Mountains. tracts once cut clean and burned over do not grow up again. Colonel Chittenden suggests that un- der extreme flood conditions such as have been referred to, the presence of a forest may actually produce a worse condition than if the country were cleared, and asserts positively, but with- out proof, "that the forest does promote tributary combinations * * * and that it may therefore aggravate flood condi- tions." He continues "that forests never diminish great floods, and they prob- ably do increase them somewhat." As this statement is not proved, it can only be regarded as Colonel Chittenden's personal opinion. There is certainly no more reason for believing that forests promote the combination of floods from diflFerent tributaries than that they have the opposite efifect. It may be ad- mitted, however, that it is possible to conceive of circumstances in which, un- der extreme conditions, the presence of a particular forest may increase a par- ticular flood at a [particular point. It is equally possible to imagine many more conditions under which the reverse would be true, and it is clear that if the forest has a restraining influence on the discharge of water from the surface, increasing the amount of percolation into the ground, to reach the surface later at lower levels by springs and seepage, it must in the vast majority of cases reduce the frequency and violence of floods. It is true, as stated by Colonel Chit- tenden, that the records of high water in most streams do not show that the waters now rise under extreme condi- tions higher than extreme floods which have occurred in the past. The highest recorded flood on the Connecticut River occurred in 1854, long before the pres- ent rapid rate of cutting on its upper headwaters had begun. Similar facts are no doubt true of other streams. Exceptional conditions are always likely to occur, but, as mentioned above, it is not exceptional conditions which should govern in this question. To represent them as doing so is like arguing against the benefit of food for the reason that a man's food may choke him, or against the benefits of the sun's heat, for the reason that people occasionally get sun- struck. Colonel Chittenden illustrates the ac- tion of a forest by considering an in- clined plane surface "practically imper- vious to water" with a layer of sand covering some small portion of it, and to which a spray of water is applied. This comparison, however, is not a correct one, for the forest cover does 492 CONSERVATION not rest upon an impervious surface. The forest and its cover prevent the earth beneath from being baked by the sun and compacted by the rain. It is kept in a porous condition ready to ab- sorb water which filters down to it through the forest cover. Any conclu- sion, therefore, drawn from Colonel Chittenden's simile nmst be inaccurate. The author's summary of this part of the discussion is perhaps contained in the following sentence: "That the for- est does promote tributary combina- tions, there would seem to be no ques- tion, and that it may therefore aggra- vate flood conditions necessarily follows. It is not contended that this increase is ever very great, but it is contended that forests never diminish great floods and that they probably do increase them somewhat." It would seem to be much nearer the truth to say that forests generally di- minish floods, although it is conceivable that a forest may slightly increase a given flood at some points. The author further states that "the forests are virtually automatic reser- voirs, not subject to intelligent control, and act just as the system of reservoirs once proposed by the French govern- ment for the control of the floods of the River Rhone would have acted if built. These reservoirs were to have open outlets, not capable of being closed, which were intended to restrain only a portion of the flow. A careful study of their operation in certain re- corded floods showed that they would actually have produced conditions more dangerous than would have occurred without them." The last sentence of this quotations is rather conjectural and its meaning is not quite clear, but it will be surpris- ing to most people to be told that a res- ervoir not subject to intelligent control does not regulate, and they will hardly accept the statement. Of course, a lake is a more efficient regulator than a for- est, because, if its level is rising, the discharge from its lower end is always less than the flow into its upper end, while in case of the forest, when its storage is exceeded, its level cannot rise. and it can simply hinder the discharge of later rain-water by physically ob- structing its flow^ The general aspect of this part of the subject seems, after all, quite simple. The forest floor absorbs a large amount of water, prevents it from flowing ofif rapidly, and allows it to gradually per- colate into the porous ground beneath. If the land were clear of vegetation, or if it were cultivated, and especially if the slopes were steep, the erosion would be greater, and might sooner or later leave no soil upon the rocks to serve as a reservoir in future storms. The author's argument, therefore, leaves un- assailed the beneficial efifects of forests in regulating flow. The fact must be emphasized that those who believe in the beneficial effect of forests upon flow do not urge the preservation of the forests on lands needed for agriculture. The beneficial efifects of the forests on flat lands in modifying the violence of freshets and increasing the low-water flow is much less clear than in the case of forests in steep mountain regions. It is the pres- ervation of these last — forests upon land not suited to agriculture — that is believed to be especially important from every point of view. The statement of Colonel Chittenden that the flood of 1908 in the Western States would have been much greater if the region had been forested, is a mere statement of his own opinion, entirely without proof, and undoubtedly inca- pable of proof; and, further, if the gauge records given by him show that it is impossible to find evidence in them to support the current theory of forest influence, it may also be stated that there is nothing in them to support his own contention. The question will, of course, have occurred to the reader of these re- marks : Why it is not possible by long- continued observations of the height of floods on our rivers to settle this ques- tion absolutely ? With reference to this some explanation is necessary. The flow of a stream is the resultant of a number of elements, chief among which are rainfall, its distribution throughout EQUALIZING INFLUENCE OF FORESTS 493 the year and over the area considered, the slope of the ground, the area of forest, cultivated land, etc. ; the num- ber of lakes and reservoirs, the tem- perature, and other elements. The chief of all of these is undoubtedly the rainfall and its distribution. A great fall of rain, long continued, will prob- ably cause a great flood whether there are forests or not, although, as before explained, there is abundant evidence for the contention that the action of the forest is to diminish the flood. Meteorological phenomena are admit- tedly variable and uncertain, and, of course, they are entirely incapable of control. The rainfall varies from year to year in long cycles, the extent of the variation being such that in the United States it has generally proved impos- sible to determine with certainty whether the rainfall over a given terri- tory which has remained in essentially the same physical condition is increas- ing or not. The rainfall at a given place may vary from thirty inches in one year to fifty or sixty inches in the following year, and its distribution is subject to similar variations. These variable ele- ments, therefore, may mask the influ- ence of forests or of reservoirs, but the important point is that these two arc the only elements subject to man's con- trol, it is admittedly physically pos- sible, by reforesting and by the con- struction of storage reservoirs, to make the flow of a given stream practically uniform throughout the year, although to do so would in most cases involve a prohibitive cost ; and, moreover, it would be physically impossible to regu- late a reservoir and allow the water to flow out of it in such a way as to pro- duce this effect, because the future can- not be foreseen. Observations of gauge readings on rivers, therefore, are in- conclusive in themselves. Fortunately, however, we are not without valuable evidence on this point. Mr. M. O. Leighton, Chief Hydrographer of the United States Geological Survey, has, during the past summer, made an elab- orate study of the floods of the Tennes- see River, in which he has endeavored to eliminate the effect of the rainfall and its distribution by comparing the number of days of flood with the num- ber of individual rainstorms of suffi- cient magnitude to produce floods. The record shows that during the last half of the period studied the number of days of flood was actually less than in the earlier part of the period, notwith- standing the deforestation which has recently taken place. The rainfall, how- ever, has also been less in the latter period, and the results of Mr. Leigh- ton's study are that the diminution of the rainfall has been much more than sufficient to account for the diminu- tion of the floods, so that the actual result is that the floods have been in- creasing, the percentage of increase be- ing 18.75 ^'^ ^^^^ ^^-^^ seventeen years, as compared with the seventeen years pre- vious. This study is the best contri- bution to the subject which has come to the writer's knowledge, and it seems conclusive. The experience in France also furnishes valuable evidence in this matter. In 1857, M. F. Valles, a French government engineer, published a work in which, and in some subsequent pa- pers, he gave almost the identical argu- ments advanced by Colonel Chittenden, maintaining that forests diminished the rainfall, increased the floods, and dimin- ished the supply of grain by withdraw- ing lands from cultivation. He also maintained that floods were beneficial, by bringing silt from the mountain sides to the plains. His work, how- ever, seems to have been entirely with- out influence, for immediately after its publication the French government en- tered upon a policy of forest protection and reforestation, particularly in the mountain regions, which has been con- tinued up to the present time. Up to January i, 1900, the state had acquired over 400,000 acres, or 629 square miles, for the purpose of controlling torrents. Of this area, 440 square miles are in the Alps, 145 square miles in the central plateau and the Cevennes, and forty- 494 CONSERVATION four square miles in the Pyrenees. The expenditure has been as follows : For acquisition of land . . For work of reforesting., For work of regulating. . Miscellaneous $5,200,000 4,000,000 2,600,000 1 ,600,000 Total 13,400,000 And there is still to be expended under the plan contemplated about $23,000,000 more. Referring to this work, one of the most recent writers on the subject (G. Huffel, Economic Foresticrc, 1904) states: "The role of the forest as a regulator of the flow of streams may be considered as evident, and it is to- day universally admitted." Under the able direction of Prosper Demontzey, chief of the service of reforestation in France from" 1882 until retired in 1893, and of his predecessors, much has been accomplished, and some formerly very destructive torrents have been reduced to inoffensive streams, by reforestation and regulation, as above shown. Per- haps it will now be argued that the good results that have followed have been due entirely to the regulation, and not to the reforestation, but that is not the view of the French engineers. At first, there was great oposition to the French governmental policy, on the part of the inhabitants of the mountain districts, and in 1864 there were riots in some places. This opposition, how- ever, has entirely subsided, the inhabi- tants now cooperate heartily with the government, even petitioning to have it extend its work, and in some cases even giving portions of their lands on the mountain sides without compensation. {To be concluded) Diamond Drill on Barge in Shoshone River at Dam Site, Shoihonc Project, Wyoming A CHAPTER OF CONSERVATION HISTORY By THOMAS ELMER WILL THERE are subjects upon which it is necessary to "write with a quiet pen ;"' one of these is the brief his- tory of the conservation movement in the United States. The facts in this his- tory should be before the readers of Conservation ; in stating- them the writer prefers to confine himself, where possible, to records and official utter- ances. Amon^ the resolutions adopted by the White House Conference is the fol- lowing : We agree that further action is advisable to ascertain the present condition of our nat- ural resources and to promote the conserva- tion of the same; and to that end we recom- mend the appointment by each state of a commission on the conservation of natural resources, to cooperate with each other and with any similar commission of the Federal Government. — Proceedings of the Conference of Gox'crnors, page 194. On June 8, 1908. the National Con- servation Commission was created by President Roosevelt. On December 8, 9, and 10. there met in Washington the Joint Conservation Conference composed of the g-overnors of the various states, their advisers, members of the National Conservation Commission, representatives of state ^nd national organization, and others. Among the resolutions adopted by the Conference was the following: We also especially urge on the Congress of the United States the high desirability of maintaining a national commission on the conservation of the resources of the coun- try, empowered to cooperate with state com- missions to the end that every sovereign commonwealth and every section of the country may attain the high degree of pros- perity and the sureness of perpetuity natu- rally arising in the abundant resources and the vigor, intelligence, and patriotism of our people. — Conservation, February, 1909, page 97. In his special message of January 22, 1909, to Congress, transmitting the report of the National Conservation Commission, President Roosevelt c[uotes the above resolution and says : In this recommendation I most heartily concur, and I urge that an appropriation of at least $50,000 be made to cover the expenses of the National Conservation Commission for necessary rent; assistance, and traveling expenses. This is a very small sum. I know of no other way in which the appropriation of so small a sum would result in so large a benefit to the whole Nation. No action was taken by Congress to- ward placing the National Conservation Commission on a permanent basis, nor was a dollar of money appropriated for its work. Instead, however, there was attached to the Sundry Civil Bill, which became a law on March 4, 1909, the fol- lowing amendment : Section 9 — That hereafter no part of the public moneys, or any appropriation hereto- fore or hereafter made by Congress, shall be used for the payment of compensation or expense of any commission, council, board or other similar body, or any members thereof, or for expenses in connection with any work or the results of any work or ac- tion of any commission, council, board or other similar body, unless the creation of the same shall be or shall have been authorized by law; nor shall there be employed by detail, hereafter or heretofore made, or otherwise personal services from any Executive De- partment or other Government establishment in connection with any such commission, council, board or other similar body. This amendment is known as the "Tawney amendment." Of it the Joint Committee on Conservation says: This amendment prohibts the National Conservation Commission from going on 495 4^6 CONSERVATION with this work under the Government, al- though the commission itself continues in ex- istence.— Bulletin No. 4, National Conserva- tion Cominission, page i. In discussing the work of President Roosevelt in promoting the conserva- tion movement, Charles Richard Van Hise, President of the University of Wisconsin and member of the National Conservation Commission, says : In amazing contrast with these great, statesmanlike acts of the President is the position of Congress. The House embodied a section in the Sundry Civil Bill, which pro- hibits the scientific corps of any of the de- partments at Washington from doing work for any commission, council or other similar body appointed by the President. Since, not- withstanding the strong favorable recom- mendation of President Roosevelt, Congress made no appropriation for the Conservation Commission, this clause of the Sundry Civil Bill, coupled with the refusal to furnish funds for the Commission, makes without avail, so far as lay in the power of Congress, the con- servation movement. * * * Under the system in vogue in Congress, by which it is difficult to fix responsibility, with the exception of one man, we cannot cer- tainly designate the individuals who are most guilty of halting the conservation movement. This exception is Mr. Tawney, of Minne- sota, who introduced the objectionable sec- tion, and advocated its adoption. We should hold him responsible to the people for doing all possible to render ineffective the conser- vation movement. All good citizens who know the facts should spread the truth abroad as widely as possible in order that he may receive the profound public con- demnation which is his just due. — World's Work, June, 1909, pages 11718-9. This is the economic paradox pre- sion prepared its report, a three-volume work, certainly one of the first in im- portance of all documents ever pub- lished by the Government of the United States. Naturally, the demand for this report was great. Of the work of the House of Representatives in meeting this demand. President Van Hise says : In this connection, there should also be mentioned the Committee on Printing of the House, consisting of Mr. Charles B. Landis of Indiana, chairman; Mr. James Breck Perkins of New York, and Mr. David E. Finley of South Carolina. This committee refused to repor-t favorably to the House a resolution passed by the Senate providing for printing 25,000 copies of the report of the Conservation Commission, the President's message concerning the same, the summaries of the secretaries of the four sections, and the proceedings of the joint conservation conference held in December, and thus pre- vented the people from gaining information which the Conservation Commission had al- ready obtained. These men should be held re- sponsible to the public for doing all that lay in their power to block the conservation movement, of such vital importance to the Nation. — World's Work, June, 1909, page 11719. The Joint Committee on Conservation in the bulletin above quoted says : The publication of the report for general distribution has not been authorized by Con- gress. A limited edition is to be printed as a Senate document. — Bulletin No. 4, page 2. The report has at last appeared as a Senate document. The number of copies for distribution to the 90,000,000 people of the United States is 2,400 ! The facts in the above history seem to be clear and conspicuous. The Pres- ident created the Commission, Congress having failed to do so. Congress fur- thermore failed to appropriate any sum whatever for the maintenance of the work of the Commision. The House did nothing toward making available the results of the labors of the Commission, embodied in its notable report. The Senate published the report, but in an edition so small as to be hopelessly in- adequate for public needs. Further, by means of the "Tawney resolution," Con- gress did what it could to make the prosecution of the conservation move- ment impossible in the United States. Of this action, taken at the very end of his term. President Roosevelt said : The chief object of this provision, how- ever, is to prevent the Executive repeating what it has done within the last year m connection with the Conservation Commis- sion and the Country Life Commission. It is for the people of this country to decide whether or not they believe in the work done by the Conservation Commission and by the Country Life Commission. If the people of this country do not believe in the conservation of our natural resources; if they do not believe in developing our water- ways and protecting our forests ; if they do not believe in the betterment of life on the farm, and in upholding the interests of the farmers; if they arc willing to go on in the old course of squandering the effects of our children's children ; then they will uphold the action of those in Congress who are re- sponsible for this provision. If they be- lieve in improving our waterways, in pre- A CHAPTER OF CONSERVATION HISTORY 497 venting the waste of soil, in preserving the forests, in thrifty use of the mineral re- sources of the country for the Nation as a whole rather than merely for private monopolies ; in working for the betterment of the condition of the men and women who live on the farms, then they will unstintedly condemn the action of every man who is in any way responsible for inserting this pro- vision, and will support those members of the legislative branch who opposed its adop- tion. * * * The Republican platform last year said: "We endorse the movement inaugurated by the administration for the conservation of natural resources * * * the obligation of the future is more insistent and none will result in greater blessings to posterity." The Democratic platform said : "We repeat the demand for internal development and for the conservation of our natural resources, the enforcement of which Mr. Roosevelt has * * * sought." My successor, the President-elect, in a letter to the Senate Committee on Appropri- ations, asked for the continuance and sup- port of the Conservation Commission. This Conservation Commission was appointed at the request of the governors of over forty states, and almost all of these states have since appointed commissions to cooperate with the National Commission. Nearly all the great national organizations concerned with natural resources have been heartily cooperating with the Commission. With all these facts before it, the Con- gress has refused to pass a law to continue and provide for the Commission; and it now passes a law with the purpose of prevent- ing the Executive from continuing the Com- mission at all. * * * But I call the attention of those who are responsible for putting in this provision to a fundamental fact which is often ignored in discussing and comparing the action of the Executive and the action of the legislative branches of the Government : Neither one is responsible to the other. Each must act as its wisdom dictates. But each is responsi- ble to the people as a whole. It is for the people to decide whether they are repre- sented aright by any given servant; and one element in enabling them to reach a deci- sion must be that public servant's record in such a case as this. The reader may stipply his own com- ments. Tempe, Ariz., Showing How Irrigation Transforms the Desert EDITORIAL The Mill Tax for Forestry THE legislature of Minnesota at its last session passed a bill submitting to the people an amendment to the con- stitution providing that one-fifteenth of a mill upon the assessed valuation of property in the state should be applied to the support of forestry. It is greatly to be hoped that such legislation will become common. The "mill tax" has become widely used for the support of educational institutions, and has much to commend it. It is a fixed source of income practically independent of leg- islative caprice, and constantly increas- ing with the increased valuation of the state and the increased needs of growing educational institutions. Similar legis- lation would provide a practically per- manent support for a state forestry policy. 5^ «r' «i' Legislative Support for Student Labor THE legislature of Minnesota also voted $5,000 per year for student labor on the forest reserves. This ap- propriation is peculiarly grateful to those responsible for the Forest School, inasmuch as material difficulty has been encountered in finding opportunity for students to obtain practical knowledge of forestry work. The provision of wages for student workers by the state has much to commend it. Many capable students have not the means with which to pay their way through college. They are willing to earn their way if oppor- tunity can be afiforded. In an agricul- tural college, upon an experiment sta- tion, or in the forest connected with a forest school, there should be large op- portunity for student labor, educative in itself and providing at the same time maintenance for needy and industrious students. Among the first state legis- latures to provide for s-tudent labor was 498 that of Kansas, which, in 1899, voted $10,000 for 1900, and $10,000 for 1901, applicable, in part, to student wages. Other legislatures might well follow the example of those of Kansas and Min- nesota. 5^ J^' «« The Washington Forest Fire Association THAT portion of Washington State lying west of the Cascade Moun- tains leads the world as a lumber manu- facturing area. Nowhere else can be found such forests in close proximity to accessible ocean harbors and trans- continental railways. Yet the fire peril follows hards upon the trail of the lumber industry. Espe- cially is this true of lumbering in the area in question. During the summer months there is practically no rain, and the forests frequently become like a vast tinder-box. More timber has been de- stroyed in Washington by fire than has been manufactured into lumber. In 1902 a single fire destroyed more timber in twenty-four hours in Clarke and Cow- litz counties than was that year manu- factured into lumber in that state. "On September 10, 1902, there was destroyed a forest which, if spared, would have ultimately yielded good profits to the owners and $25,000,000 besides to labor and for supplies in western Washing- ton." Last year was notably the fire year for the United States, yet western Washington suffered far less than usual from fires. The explanation is to be found in the existence of the Washington Forest Fire Association, composed of corpora- tions, firms and individuals owning tim- berlands. This association began by dividing up the state into seven districts, and effect- ing a working organization. Patrolmen were appointed, and each was made EDITORIAL 499 forest-ranger-at-large and furnished with a badge of authority empowing him to arrest without warrant parties violating the fire laws, and to stop all dangerous burnings of slashings. Each patrolman was furnished with a work- ing equipment, was required to report weekly to his chief, and was sent from time to time letters of instruction from his chief. The patrolmen first posted some 9,000 notices. Under the super- vision of patrolmen, many slashings and logging works were burned without damage to green timber. Spark arresters were placed on many locomotives and donkey engines. Close cooperation was maintained between the association and the state fire wardens proper and repre- sentatives of the Forest Service. Eleven hundred two fires occurred in the season (July and August), but only 102 of these were large, requir- ing extra help and expense. The total number of acres burned over was 18,773. consisting chiefly of slashings and old logging works. Seven hundred forty acres of green timber were burned over, about one-half of which was damaged. Between 600 and 650 extra men were employed in fighting the fires. The association's work was done at its own expense. To increase its effi- ciency, it desires a liberal state appro- priation for forest fire protection. "The state owns outright timberlands easily worth $20,000,000;" its annual appro- priations heretofore, however, have barely sufficed to pay the salaries and expenses of maintaining a fire-warden in each county. If it would lock its sta- ble door before all its horses are stolen, it should so increase its own fire-prevent- ing and fire-fighting facilities, in connec- tion with those provided by individuals, as to reduce the fire danger on its forests to a level with that existing in well-man- aged cities. i« «? ^ The Destruction of Fish IN A news note in this issue will be found an editorial from the JVash- ingtoii Post on "Vanishing Food Fish." The point to note is the rapidity with 5 which our fish supply is being destroyed. This work is being done in part by dynamiting, in part by the pollution of streams with city refuse, in part by the pouring out of fish upon irrigated fields to perish, and even more largely by the destruction of the forests which protect the streams in which the fish might oth- erwise flourish. And here, again, as in countless other cases, the need must be met by public activity, state or national. Every day's experience emphasizes the necessity for governmental administra- tive activity. As Herbert Spencer and other philosophic anarchists have fore- seen, government as an agent of repres- sion may, with the progress of civiliza- tion, enlightenment, and self-control, progressively wane, but government as an administrative agent working in the interest of the whole people must indefi- nitely wax if the needs of the nation and the race are to be met. &' l« «r' Conservation of Soil Resources THE United States Department of Agriculture has prepared a farmers' bulletin (No. 342), discussing, among other things, the conservation of soil resources, which it characterizes as "one of the elemental problems of modern scientific agriculture."' The bulletin notes that agricultural operations in the United States have taken little heed of "the soil inheritance of future genera- tions." Forests have been destroyed, flood waters from torrential rains and melting snows have swept away the soil, leaving bare rocks behind or soil robbed of plant food. Poor cultivation has rivaled deforestation as a soil destroyer. Not only has the soil suffered from ero- sion by rain, but from drifting by winds, "so that at the present time the problem of conserving what is left of the natural resources of the soil is of great eco- nomic significance." The agricultural experiment stations have given attention to soil building, and also to scientific conservation of the nat- ural resources of the soil. The bulletin considers methods of preventing soil washing, such as em- 500 CONSERVATION banking, tile drainage, deep culture, sub- soiling, sodding, and planting to crops. The reclamation of washed soils is con- sidered. Terracing is highly commended for hillside farming. Methods are also discussed for the prevention of the drifting of soil under the influence of winds. Among the methods advised are frequent rotation in long, narrow lands, increasing the water-holding power of the soil, leaving the ground uneven after seeding, the preservation of wooded belts in north and south strips, and the planting of windbreaks. Says the bulletin : Considered in its general aspects, the work which the agricuUural experiment stations have done along the lines of preventing the washing and drifting of soils is of great economic significance. Means for preventing the further waste of the natural resources of the soil have been discovered. If these nrinciples are put into practise, large tracts of land now useless can be brought under cultivation, and if these lands are worked in accordance with methods of restoring and maintaining soil fertility, which the stations and this department have discovered and published, the extent of the wealth-producing power thus conserved to the farmers of the United States will be enormous. ^ ^ «r' Dry-'land Farming TWO practicable methods for re- claiming semi-arid lands have been found ; the first is irrigation, the second is dry-land farming. Dry farming has been defined as "farm operations under limited rainfall in districts where irrigation water can- not be obtained or where the supply of irrigation water is inadequate to meet the requirements of the acreage." Under irrigation the water is stored in reservoirs and turned upon the land when needed ; under dry farming the water is stored in the soil itself. Dry farming demands the establish- ment of a natural reservoir in the soil by the conservation of the limited rain- fall or other form of moisture through methods by which waste and evapora- tion are prevented. A dry farmer is a man who, in a re- gion of rainfall under twenty-five inches annually, cultivates the land that has, in the past, been deemed worthless, and conserves the moisture so that it is suffi- cient for his crop. The dry farmer recognizes that land commonly regarded worthless for agri- culture, frequently receives sufficient rainfall per year to meet the needs of farm life, much of which rainwater, however, is permitted to disappear through evaporation. The dry farmer devises plans, some of which were ex- plained in Conservation for March (page 173), whereby this evaporation may be reduced to the minimum. In addition, drought-resisting plants are sought the dry world over, and intro- duced. The success of dry farming means the bringing into use of millions of acres of now almost worthless land in the semi-arid West, not to mention similar lands in other places. In fact, the Dry Farming Congress announces that there are 200,000,000 acres of arable lands awaiting development by the dry-farm- ing method. Though dry farming is in its infancy, the results already reported are most encouraging. Land once sold for taxes is even now producing every variety of cereal, vegetable and fruit. From a drug on the market, at 50 cents an acre, to active market value, at $25 an acre, is by no means an unusual advance. Among these results, may be mentioned the following: One farmer exhibited at the Dry Farming Congress a sample of rye raised without irrigation. It stands three feet six inches high and is fully headed out, although plucked before it had matured. The same farmer has forty acres of dry-farm wheat which, he says, promises to yield a banner har- •/est. Another farmer claims to have raised a wheat crop last year, all on dry land, yielding him $35,000. He now lies 3.836 acres, and a comfortable for- tune drawing interest. Another farmer raised fifty-one melons on one square rod of dry land. Still another dry-land farmer quoted has 1,320 acres, repre- senting the investment of part of his profits from dry-farm wheat and oats. In addition he is reported to have nearly $100,000 in cash and other possessions. EDITORIAL 501 Three dry-farming congresses have already been held., and the fourth will be held at Billings, Mont., October 26-28 next. Much interest is manifested in the meeting. The Chicago and Northwestern Railroad will gather sam- ples of farm products in western Ne- braska and Wyoming, and, with several dry-farming experts, will run a special train, advertised in advance to make a trip, and give instruction at points along the line. Chambers of commerce are actively encouraging preparations for the congress, and interest is being developed by means of street meetings. Hundreds of Montana settlers, as well as established farmers, are joining the congress in order to avail themselves of the practical instruction in dry-lanil agricultural methods. The congress has a membership of more than 4,000, and expects its membership to exceed 10,000 before the Billings meeting. Mr. L. Baeta-Neves, an eminent civil -and mining engineer, and chief engineer of the technical department of public works and industries in Brazil, has been appointed foreign vice-president and conesponding secretary of the con- gresc. His letter in response indicatc^ the deep interest of Brazil in dry farm- ing, which country is taking steps to reclaim its own and lands. One of the triumphs of dry farming is durum wheat. This wheat has been tested by the United States Department of Agncu'ture, and found superior even to the celebrated Minnesota spring wheat. The wheat growers of the dry- farming regions have announced a "durum bread day," on which the whole country is asked to join in eating durum bread. Dry-farming experts now believe th.al the results of their experiments prove that farming in its broadest sense is decidedly in its infancy, and that dry- farming methods are among the most important factors in its development. i^ ^ ^ The Riot of the Rivers AGAIN appear the familiar reports of floods, with their terrible damage. Once they were regarded as the inevitable visitations of an inscrutable Providence. To-day the world knows better. The plague is not inevitable. Modern med- ical science, hygiene, the destruction of insects disseminating germs, and the like, are banishing plagues and render- ing pestilences wholly needless. Men shivered with cold until fire was discov- ered. They blistered with heat till they learned how to avail themselves of ice in summer. They trudged on foot till they devised means of transportation now culminating in the airship. They went naked until they invented cloth- ing. They cowered before the lightning until they conquered it and made of it a willing servant. There must be refuge ! Men Perished in winter winds till one smote fire From flint-stones coldly hiding what they held, The red spark treasured from the kindling sun ; They gorged on flesh like wolves, till one sowed corn. Which grew a weed, yet makes the life of man ; They mowed and babbled till some tongue struck speech, And patient fingers framed the lettered sound. What good gift have my brothers, but it came From search and strife and loving sacrifice? — Edivin Arnold Man no more needs to surrender to the flood than to the other forces and agencies named. Like them, he may transform it from a bane into a bless- ing ; from a merciless master into a sup- ple slave. What he needs to do is to hold back the surplus water and release it in his time of need. By means of two agencies he may hold back this surplus — the one is the forest, the other is the reservoir. Does he want facts regarding the for- est? Then let him apply to the United States Forest Service. Would he know of the reservoir? Let him ask the United States Geological Survey. The world is not in ignorance on these matters. It simply remains for the statesman to apply the knowledge al- ready possessed by men of science and engineers. When will he do it? 502 CONSERVATION Building a Nation In our news columns appears the pro- posal of Mr. Arthur Hooker, secretary of the board of control of the National Irrigation Congress, to memorialize Congress to borrow $5,000,000,000 for drainage, irrigation, deep waterways, good roads and forests. The press swarms with comments on this proposal, few apparently hostile. It must be admitted that the proposal looks big; yet we must become accus- tomed to big things. Some years ago we had our first "billion-dollar Congress." An econom- ical member exclaimed against the un- heard of extravagance. Another mem- ber, however, in replying, reminded the first that ours is "a billion dollar coun- try." Oceans cannot be crossed with row- boats nor stellar places penetrated with spectacles. Great ends demand appro- priate means. The American people face the task of Nation building — the greatest task which ever confronted a people. Al- ready we are looking forward to the time, not far hence, when our population will number 150 and 200 millions, and it has been demonstrated that our re- sources are going at a rate which, un- less checked, would in a few generations embarrass even such a population as we have now. We cannot awake too soon to the sit- uation. The work suggested by Mr. Hooker must be done if our people would avoid hardship, even calamity. Now, who is to do it ? Obviously, individuals cannot, and corporations and trusts will not. At the best, all these agencies can but help. Tasks of such magnitude, if per- formed at all, must be performed by government — municipal, state and espe- cially national. Further, they cannot be performed without money. And whence shall come the money? A moment's reflection must convince any thoughtful mind that no Congress will vote an adequate sum out of current revenue ; neither are the American peo- ple prepared for the establishment of any system of taxation which would raise the funds in time. There is but one other way in which the money can be obtained ; namely, by borrowing. Many of our people have developed a constitutional dread of debt; they look upon bonds as marks of bondage. The burnt child cannot be blamed for fearing the fire. Still, the American bonded debt has largely ceased to be a burden. The interest on our national debt, $1.09 per capita in 1882, had shrunken in 1908 to 24 cents per capita. Nevertheless, if it were proposed to borrow any considerable sum on the same basis as our war loans, we might still rightly hesitate. But Mr. Hooker's proposal is quite different. "Congress,"' he says, "will not be asked to appropri- ate a penny. The returns from the im- provements would pay off the bonds."" The Government would simply act as a banker, as it does now for the various irrigation projects. The proceeds from sale of reclaimed lands alone, he esti- mates, would justify the expenditure of $2,500,000,000. From facts at hand proving conclu- sively the profitableness of drainage, reclamation, deep waterways, good roads and forestry, it should be evident that the payment even of $5,000,000,000 for a utility so vast and on a hundred years' time, would be a trivial invest- d ment for the American people to make. There is one question, however, that should be carefully considered. How are the American people, as a people, to ^ obtain the chief benefit from a series of enterprises so gigantic? Selling the lands after they have been reclaimed will undoubtedly repay the entire cost, including interest. Even so, the people as a people may receive but a small percentage of the actual value created through their initiative and based upon their credit. If they would receive a larger percentage, they may reflect upon the lesson taught by the sixteenth section of land in the heart oj Chicago, which belongs, not to private EDITORIAL 503 i individuals or to corporations, but to the school board of that city. So long as the people as a people re- tain these lands, every stroke of labor bestowed, every dollar of capital in- vested, every unit of increase in the population upon these lands adds to their value, and consequently to the wealth of the American people as such ; but when once the people have parted with the lands the value goes to others. i^ «? «i The Conservation of Human Resources OF ALL our resources the most im- portant are our people. Rome is said to have fallen because of "a failure in the crop of men." Whatever fate might befall our material resources, such a crop failure would inevitably end our own career as certainly as it ended that of the World Empire. We place a cash value upon the horse, the ox, the swine. At an earlier day we placed it upon the black slave. How many, however, recognize in the citizen a national asset, and realize that prema- ture death or impaired vitality of men and women is a loss to the Nation in precisely as real and valid a sense as is the loss from the burning of buildings or the swallowing up of territory by an earthquake ? A clearer view was had by the Na- tional Conservation Commission. In its report of December 7 may be found a section entitled, "National Efficiency." The report recognizes that the length of human life may be materially extended and the death rate materially dimin- ished. Our annual mortality from tu- berculosis is placed at 150,000. '"Stop- ping three- fourths of the loss of life from this cause and from typhoid and other prevalent and preventable dis- eases, would increase our average length of life over fifteen years." More than half the illness in the United States the Commission holds to be preventable. Following this, they sav : "If we count the value of each life lost at only $1,700, and reckon the average earning lost by illness as $700 per year for grown men, we find that the eco- nomic gain from mitigation of prevent- able disease in the United States would exceed $1,500,000,000 a year." In closing, the Commission wisely suggests the concentration of the sev- eral governmental agencies now exer- cising health functions into "a greater health service worthy of the Nation ;" in other words, into a bureau of public health. Our common failure to appreciate the public significance of health, longev- ity and physical vigor on the part of our people is but another of the dead sea fruits of the rampant individualism which, until yesterday, characterized us as a people. If an individual died, we might sympathize with his family, but we experienced no sense of public loss. If thousands of our population rotted in slums, we saw in this fact merely a dis- gusting condition, which we attributed primarily to the shiftlessness and un- thrift of the slum dwellers; possibly we tossed a coin in the name of charity and dismissed the matter from our minds. li tens of thousands of children toiled in factories when they should have been nnproving minds, morals and physiques in school, we thought of the condition primarily as a business necessity unfor- tunate only for those immediately in- volved, if even for them. One of the few redeeming features of the calamity known as war is that it compels a nation and its leaders to take a social rather than a purely individual view of human life. A great war is largely a test of resources ; among these, human beings rank foremost in impor- tance. In numbers, vitality, energy and ^pirit, they are vital factors of military success. The nation which, with a mili- tary future before it, permits whole sec- tions of its population to waste away through disease, poverty and dispiriting conditions, ranks in folly with the nation which deliberately throws its powder and ball into the sea. Rut a point which all have not yet grasped is that international competition need not be exclusively military; that there are battles of bourses, struggles for markets, and contests for supremacy or leadership in a thousand dififerent 504 CONSERVATION ways ; and that, in every such contest, the people themselves, in the long run, constitute a significant, if not the deter- mining factor. For example, it is gen- erally understood that Germany's sys- tem of popular education has weighed mightily in her favor in her long compe- tition with France. Again, the long- continued and fatuous persecution by French monarchs of the Huguenots, culminating in 1685 in the revocation, by Louis XIV, of the Edict of Nantes, in consequence of which France lost more than a million of her most intelli- gent, enterprising and industrious citi- zens, is recognized as a chief cause of national weakness long enduring. In the light of such historical evi- dence, Avhich might be multiplied at will, it should seem superfluous to argue that the conservation of human resources is a national duty of the first magnitude. Nevertheless, from the standpoint of the laissc:: fairc statesman, no such duty exists. Unemployment, unskill, pov- erty, misery, disease, are matters of in- dividual concern with which lawmakers wrestling with the mighty problems of tariff and currency have little concern. Fortunate it is that President Roose- velt, shortly before retiring from office, established here, as in so many other regards, a new precedent. On January 25-6 last there assembled in Washing- ton, on the invitation of the President, a conference on the care of dependent children. In this the President took the most lively interest, following its ad- journment with a special message to Congress declaring that "the interests of the Nation are involved in the welfare of this army of children no less than in our great material afifairs," urging the establishment of a Federal children's bureau, "which shall investigate and re- port upon all matters pertaining to the Vvclfare of children and child life, and shall especially investigate the questions of infant mortality, the birth rate, physi- cal degeneracy, orphanage, juvenile de- linquency and juvenile courts, desertion and illegitimacy, dangerous occupations, accidents, and diseases of children of the working classes, employment, legis- lafion afifecting children in the several states and territories, and such other facts as have a bearing upon the health, efficiency, character and training of chil- dren," pointing to the fact that "the Slate has always jealously guarded the iiitcrests of children whose parents have been able to leave them property by requiring the appointment of a guardian," and pointing out that "the interests of the child who is not only an orphan, but penniless, ought to be no less sacred than those of the more for- tunate orphan who inherits property." In the same spirit is the more recent utterance of Prof. Graham Taylor : "The child is coming to be as much of a civic problem as it ever has been a family problem. Upon the normality of its children the strength and perpe- tuity of the state depend, as surely as the dependency and delinquency of its children undermine the prowess and menace the life of the state. The educa- tion and discipline, the labor and recrea- tion of the child figure larger all the while in our legislation and taxes, our thinking and literature." For all of such utterances we may be p.rofoundly grateful as evidences of a growing recognition of the importance, i-om the priblic standpoint, of the life, health, well being and normal develop- ment of the citizen, and of the propriety and necessity of legislation and admin- istration, municipal, state and national, to promote the highest well-being of every man, woman and child in the Republic. !^' 5^ i^ Where Is Conservation to Stop 'T' HE conservation idea grows by what "■^ it feeds upon. We began in this country by conserving forests, then we took up irrigation, waterways and the like until the moveujcnt was launched a year ago for conserving all natura; resources. Attention thus far seems to have been given chiefly to material, subhuman resources. Yet at the White House Conference Mr. MacFarland urged the conservation of beauty, quoting Mayor McClellan that. "It is the country beau- I ( EDITORIAL 505 tiful that retains the love of its citi- zens," and William Morris, who urged humanitarian efforts, "until the contrast is less disgraceful between the fields where the beasts live and the streets where men live." Such suggestions lead directly to the thought of conserving human resources, including physical health. The Nezv Haven (Conn.) Journal-Courier says editorially : It is now generally recognized that bodily health is quite as much to be enumerated among the resouces of the human race as are the forests, the mines, or the streams. * * * But, like many good institutions, the resources movement has kept on developing. Its latest department of activity is in the realm of safety. It is not difficult to see that bodily safety is quite as important as bodily health. Both diseases which can be pre- vented and dangers which can be averted have in the past made great inroads among the numbers of our skilled workmen and our most useful citizens. Mention is made of the efforts of Ger- many to make industrial conditions of life in factories safer. The Director of the Imperial German Bureau of Statis- tics is quoted as saying: One million marks, in wage-earning effi- ciency annually, we save Germany through our museums of safety, sanatoria, and other forms of social insurance. The Journal-Courier continues: Much more will certainly be heard in th.^ immediate future as to possible meauo of safeguarding the lives and limbs of Amer- ican workmen in their shops and factories. It is a great problem which concerns ihe employers, who are held strictly to account in these days under the employers' liability laws, quite as much as it does the employees. At the White House Conference, Mr. John Mitchell, speaking of the wasteful production and consumption of coal, said: Our extravagant wastefulness in the use of our fuel supply, both in production and consumption, is equaled only by our crim- inal disregard of the personal safety and the lives of the men who toil in the mines. For every 190,000 tons of coal produced, a mine worker is killed and several are seri- ously injured; for each 1,000 men employed 3.40 are killed annually. Last year nearly 2,500 men were killed and more than 6,000 were seriously injured in the mining industry of our country. No other country in the vv'orld shows so large a percentage of fatali- ties. Indeed, in those foreign countries in which mining is most hazardous, the propor- tion of men killed to the number employed is from fifty per cent to seventy-five per cent less than in our country. It is a sad com- mentary on our vaunted civilization that niore men are killed or crippled in mining in the United States than in any other nation on earth. As a matter of fact, there seems to be no logical stopping place for the con- servation movement short of the conser- vation of all those materials, forces, agencies and conditions which make for the highest, completest well-being of every human soul, and of the race itself. «r' ^ &' Governor Fernald's Proposal Gov. Bert. M. Fernald, of Maine, in his inaugural address, said : Under state direction, the time is at hand when we must replant forests carelessly de- stroyed. The state can produce pine and spruce trees for a very small sum per thou- sand. A state water-supply commission nat- urally would cooperate with the forest and game commission to establish nurseries of forest trees. This is an up-to-date proposal. Fol- lowing it, Collier's Weekly presents a plan to afforest over 800,000 acres of abandoned, forestless land in New Hampshire, meeting the expense by a long-term bond issue. It is estimated that the investment would prove profit- able financially thirty or fortv years hence, in addition to which the timber resources of the state would be greatly increased, and waste land utilized. With these two proposals may be placed that of Great Britain's budget ap- propriating $1,000,000 to reforest waste lands in England, Scotland and Ireland. These are examples of the types of gov- ernment which the present age demands — a government which, instead of merely playing policeman, strips off its coat, rolls up its sleeves, and aggress- ively attacks the problem of making state or nation more habitable, and life better worth the living for every citizen, present and to come. NEWS AND NOTES Canadian Forestry Association Meeting The executive committee of the Canadian Forestry Association extends a cordial invi- tation to the officers and members of the American Forestry Associa- tion to attend and take part in a special meeting of this association to be held at Regina, Sask, Canada, on September 3 and 4 next. The British Association meets in Winnipeg just prior to this, so that cheap railway rates will prevail. Those attending the Seattle Exhibition may return east through Canada, in which event they will be able to stop off for a day at Regina with- out added cost. For further information they may write to James Lawler, Esq., Secretary, II Queen's Park, Toronto, Ont. «r' $^ 5^ To Protect New Hampshire Forests from Fires State Forester and State Fire Warden E. C. Hirst has sent the following circular letter to the selectmen of the state calling attention to the law for the preservation ^nd protec- tion of forests, and asking their coop- eration in the selection of fire wardens. "In the act of the New Hampshire legis- lature of May I, 1909, entitled. An Act to Improve the State System of Forest Pro- tection,' it is provided that the selectmen of all towns and the mayors of all cities, and other citizens, shall recommend to the state forester the names of such persons as may in their estimation be fit to fill the offices of forest fire wardens in the respect- ive towns and cities. The state forester may then choose from the names recom- mended one competent person in any town or city, or group of towns, at which time the term of office of forest fire warden pre- viously appointed for that town or city, or for any group of towns shall cease, and the new appointee shall serve, the state for- ester having the power at any time to remove the forest fire warden from office. "The duties of the forest fire warden under the new law are as follows : He shall, when directed by the state forester, patrol the woods, warning campers, hunters, etc., about extinguishing fires. He shall post fire notices along roads, streams, camp sites and other public places. He shall extin- guish all brush and forest fires occurring in his town, and may call such assistance as is necessary. He shall have the power of arrest without warrant, and will be 506 required to make a report at regular inter vals to the state forester. "The expenses incurred in fire fighting, etc., are to be shared between the town or city and the state. The fire wardens' bill will be audited by the selectmen or mayor, paid by the town or city, after which the state reimburses the town or city for one- half the amount. The remuneration is to be fixed by the forestry commission and the state forester, and I shall be pleased to have you quote me the wages paid for ordinary labor in your community; also what, in your judgment, would be a fair amount per day to pay the local fire warden for his work and for fire fighters. "In complance with this law, will you kindly name several persons whom you think well qualified and willing to assume the duties of forest fire warden in your town. — Manchester (N. H.) Mirror. ^ &' &' A State Forester Vermont has set an example which most the other states in the Union would do well to follow. After some years devoted to a discussion of the problem in connection with the ravages of the lumber companies and pulp mills, after seeing her streams diminish to mere rivulets or disappear alto- gether, the Green Mountain state has engaged a trained forester to devote his attention to the forest areas and to the task of arousing the farmers to the necessity or advantage of the conservation of natural resources. The man engaged for this pur- pose is a graduate of the Yale Forestry School, and he has had experience in the Government service as state forester of Connecticut. One of his doctrines is that instead of selling the growth of his wood or timber lot just once, the farmer ought to be able to market a lumber crop once in every thirty years, if he takes care that it is prop- erly planted and protected. There has been a state nursery in which young trees are grown, and whose products are offered to prospective purchasers at cost. About 100,000 young trees, principally white pine, have already been sold out of this nursery for planting by farmers and lumbermen. If an official like this state forester can do something toward restoring the streams to their former volume, or even maintain them as at present, he will earn his salary and more. — Biddeford (Me.) Journal. NEWS AND NOTES 507 England's Progressive Policy That policies known in America as Roose- -veltian are finding favor in England is evi- dent by the recent speech by the chancellor of the exchequer, Mr. Lloyd George. In addressing the Commons on his budget pro- posals, he said in part : '"A state can and ought to take a larger and wider view of its investments than indi- viduals. The resettlement of deserted and impoverished parts of its own territories might not bring to its coffers a direct return which would reimburse it fully for its expenditure, but the indirect enrichment of its resources would more than compensate for any apparent or immediate loss. Any man who has crossed and recrossed Eng- land from north to south and from east to west, must have been perplexed at finding there was so much waste and wilderness possible in such a crowded little island. 'This brings me straight," Mr. Lloyd George continued, "to the question of affor- estation. There is a very general agree- ment that some steps should be taken in the direction, and I will not say of afforesta- tion, but of re-afforestation of the waste land of this country. Here, again, we are far behind every civilized country in the world. In Germany, for instance, out of a total area of 133,000,000 acres, 34,000,000, or nearly twenty-five per cent, are wooded. In France, out of 130,000,000 acres, seven- teen per cent are wooded. In the United Kingdom, out of 7,000,000 acres, only 3,000,- 000, or four per cent, are under wood. The number of people directly employed in forest work in this country is only 16,000, and yet the climate and soil of this country are just as well adapted for the growth of market- able trees as those of the estates of Ger- many. "Recently we have been favored with a striking report of a royal commission, which outlines a very comprehensive and far- reaching scheme for planting the wastes of this country. The systematic operation which the commissioner recommends is a gigantic one, and before the government can be committed to it in all its details it will require very careful consideration by a body of experts skilled in forestry. I am informed that there is a good deal of pre- liminary work which ought to be under- taken before the government can safely begin planting on the large scale indicated in that report. "I win tell _ the house what we propose to do : There is a certain amount of money, not verv_ much, .=pcnt in this country in "a spasmodic kind of way, on what I may call the work of national development — in" light railways, in harbors, in indirect but very meager assistance to agriculture. I propose to gather all these grants together into one national development grant, and to put in this year an additional sum of £200,000 for these purposes. Legislation will have to be introduced, and I will then explain the objects in greater detail, but the grant will be used in the promotion of schemes which have for their purpose the development of the resources of the country. "It will include such objects as the insti- tution of schools of forestry, the purchase and preparation of land for afforestation, the setting up of a number of experimental forests upon a large scale, expenditure upon scientific research in the interests of agri- culture, experimental farms, the improve- ment of stock, the equipment of agencies for disseminating agricultural instruction, the encouragement and the promotion of coop- eration, the improvement of rural transport so as to make markets more accessible, the facilitation of all well-considered schemes for attracting labor back to the land by small holdings or reclamations of wastes. Every acre of land brought into a higher state of cultivation means more labor of a healthy and productive character; it means more abundant, cheaper and better food for the people." }^' J^' U? Women Saving the Big Trees There is joy in the heart of the western tourist this summer, as well as in the hearts of Californians, because the famous Big Trees are to be saved from the wanton hand of the destroyer. For years the destruction of the Big Trees has been going on. In 1906 the lumber cut of the Big Trees amounted to 8,500,000 feet. The oldest living things in the world were destroyed for cheap lumber. And while the trees were being cut — for a period of years — a band of California women, headed by Mrs. Lovcll White, was making a valiant fight to interest the Government in their salvation. After repeatedly failing to pass the House, a bill was introduced and favorably voted upon at the last session. By the bill, which was signed by President Roosevelt, the Cala- ^■eras National Forest is created, and the Big Trees saved for all time. The 500 and more California women are justly proud of their victory, and Mrs. White, radiant that the loved trees will be protected, has won their salvation bv one of the most unique campaigns of lobbying in the history of the country. — Ex. &' i« ^' Fall River to Acquire Woodlands State Forester Rane, of Massachusetts, is a stanch advocate of the plan advocated by the American Civic Association for the es- tablishment of municipal forests. Throu.gh proper forcstation of drainage basins and 'ources of water supply, it is urged bv State Forester Rane, citizens not only will be edu- cated in the advantages of forestry, but a source of municipal income will be devel- oped. Forester Rane recently drafted a plan for Fall River which eventually will mean 3,000 acres of woodland. 5o8 COXSERX'ATIUX New Forest Assistants and Their Work Forty-seven young graduates of nine American forest schools have just received appointments as forest assistants in the United States Forest Service. These men have secured their appointments as a result of passing the' regular civil service examina- tion. Forest assistants are men who have com- pleted their preliminary training for the pro- fession of forestry, as the graduates of law or medicine have completed theirs, and are ready to enter upon practical work. There is a growing interest in the pro- fession of forestry now, and many j'oung men are asking how to get into it, and what it promises. Gifford Pinchot, United States Forester, in an address to the graduating class in forestry at Harvard University this year, said : "The Government and the country need more men trained in the knowledge of for- estry, and it offers opportunity to make a man's life loom large and to count for much among the many phases of human endeavor. To be a good forester a man should com- bine something of the naturalist with a good deal of the business man. To know how to use the forest he must be able to study it. He must have, therefore, the power of ob- servation, a fondness for nature, and the ability to penetrate her secrets. He must be resourceful, able to stand by himself, will- ing to undergo the privations of rough life, and capable of commanding the respect of rough men, who quickly recognize virility and genuineness of character, but will not tolerate pretense or the assumption of supe- riority. A forester should be sound in mind and body, and should make the fullest col- lege preparation for the service. This serv- ice means a free, vigorous life in the open air, and a clear^ straight, fine, wholesome, manly condition of life." i« 5^ Jt' Heliographs to Be Used on National Forests Experiments will be made during the sum- mer with the standard heliographs which are now used in the War Department, for signal- ing on the National Forests. One of these experiments will be on the Kaniksu National Forest, in Idaho, and the other on the Stanis- laus Forest in California. It is intended to discover whether these instruments will be of use on National For- ests to report fires or transmit other messages in areas where there is no quick method of communication. Easy and quick communication to all parts of a forest must be had if fire is to be kept down. For the administration and protection of the 148 National Forests in nineteen states and territories and Alaska, the Government spent $2,526,098.02, or about one and one- half cents an acre for the calendar year 1903. Of this amount $592,169.19 was spent for permanent improvements, including the con- struction of 3,400 miles of trails, 100 miles of wagon roads, 3,200 miles of telephone lines, and forty miles of fire lines. J^ fe' J^' Berlin Spends $10,000,0C0 to Buy a Forest Taking the lead of all cities, American and European, Berlin is spending vast amounts of money in the municipalization of its out- skirts, the latest proposal being to acquire for $10,000,000 a great forest in the so-called Spree district. This is to be developed as a park and municipal water-works. Lying near the city was a sandy tract of little or no use. It was utilized for the disposal of sewage and actually transformed into a healthful and productive spot. i^ ^ ^ The Biltmore. School to Germany The report that the Biltmore Forestry School will be discontinued with the retire- ment of Dr. C. A. Schenck from the for- estry department of the Biltmore estate is practically confirmed by the news that Doctor Schenck will establish the headquarters of his new school in German3^ * * * The plans of Doctor Schenck for his school are international in their scope. * * * Doctor Schenck proposes to continue his forestry school, but instead of having a single fi.xed location, his students will have the range of the world's forests. It is his inten- tion to locate the principal headquarters of the school in Germany, near the Black Forest, which is one of the most healthful and attractive parts of the empire. The school will be located there for six months of each year, and for the rest of the year will do practical work in the forests of Maine, Wisconsin and eastern Tennessee. Doctor Schenck has been superintendent of the School of Forestry for a period of about fifteen years, and the school has become noted through his work^ as students have come from all parts of the country and sev- eral foreign countries as well, for courses in practical instruction in the splendid Bilt- more forests. * * * About twenty-five of his students have signified their intention of continuing the work under his direction, so he conceived the idea of a course of practical study and research in forestry work in the Black For- est, with which he is thoroughly familiar. The Biltmore school closes on the ist of November, when Doctor Schenck's relations with the Biltmore estate terminate. About the 15th of the month Doctor Schenck will leave for Germany with his students. The scheme has found great favor with the students, who see in it not only a chance NEWS AND NOTES 509 to learn forestry on a broader scale than they can do even in such a field as Biltmore estate ofifers, but also an opportunity for interesting travel while they are studying. It is understood that Doctor Schenck will retain the name of the Biltmore School of Forestry for his new school. — Ashcville (N. C.) Citizen. &' Jt' «r' Forestry in Antioch College Prof. J. J. Crumley, of Antioch Col- lege, Yellow Springs, Ohio, will give his time entirely to forestry in the future, largely with the Ohio State Experiment Station. He reports the growing interest in forestry in his part of the country as very manifest, a half dozen now thinking of the subject where but one did five years ago. Good work is being done among teachers, who prove good listeners, thinkers and workers. Professor Crumley lectured to several hun- dred teachers at Wooster, Ohio, in July. &' «.' &' Forestry Department of University of New Brunswick Last fall witnessed the establishment of a department of forestry in the University of New Brunswick, at Fredericton. The course covers four years, the first two paralleling closely the engineering course, with the addition of work in Botany, Forest Botany, and Histology. In the junior year courses are given in Dendrology, Silvicul- ture, and Forest Mensuration, besides Econ- omics, Road Construction, English, etc., and Zoology. In the fall term there is field work in Surveying, Forest Mensuration, and Silvi- culture. A tract of six square miles near the university serves for practical work, while plenty of room on the college farm is afforded for nursery and seed-bed work in the spring. In the senior year, courses in Lumbering, Technology, etc., will be given. The location of the university on the St. John River affords admirable facilities for study- ing mills and various lumbering operations, driving, rafting, etc. The city of Fredericton offers a gold medal for the best essay or treatise on "Lumbering and Milling Opera- tions on the St. John River System." Hon. Chas. E. Oak, manager of the Mira- michi Lumber Company, offers to take four seniors this year into his lumber camps from December to March, paying them wages while there, in order that they may learn the woods end of the business, and the forestry department will give them this prac- tical work even at the sacrifice of theoretical instruction. Four seniors and probably eight or ten juniors will take the work this year. The prospects for building up a forestry department in the university are good, and the interest in forest preservation through- out the province is encouraging. The stu- dents have organized a forestry club, and are very enthusiastic over their work. Nova Scotia will make a forest survey of crown lands, and New Brunswick will carry out the provisions of the public domain act, which provides for a survey of their 10,000 square miles of crown lands. ^ ^ ^ Utilizing Zurich's Experience There are in New Hampshire 800,000 acres of land once cultivated, but now abandoned to brush, and the state forestry commission is trying to devise some means to get con- trol of these wastes. If this can be done, the land will be planted in trees, the ex- pense of "taking up" and forestation to be met by a long-term bond issue. It is argued that the investment would prove very profit- able thirty or forty years hence. In sup- port of the proposition the example of Zurich, Switzerland, is cited. The people of Zurich some years back, finding themselves without the timber necessary for building and other purposes, took over certain aban- doned and denuded lands and planted them with trees. The former barrens are now among the most valuable assets of the city, yielding as they do a net profit of $15 per acre a year. The Springfield (Mass.) Repub- lican, in discussing the New Hampshire movement, says New Hampshire is not the only state that should consider the question involved. And so say we. The question of making denuded forest areas and barrens vield a revenue is a practical one in Vir- ginia to which it is to be hoped the next general assembly will give earnest attention. ■ — Richmond (Va.) Leader. Ur' }t' Ur' Legislation in Minnesota Prof. Samuel B. Green has written Con- servation as follows : Our legislature passed a new forest-fire law, which is very much superior to our old law. It requires, among other things, the burning of slashings, gives us a patrol sys- tem in dry seasons, and requires county attorneys to prosecute violators of the law, making it a misdemeanor not to do so ; it increases the appropriation from $11,000 to $19,000 per year. It passed a bill submit- ting to the people an amendment to the con- stitution whereby one-fifteenth of a mill tax should be used for the support of forestry. This would, under present valuations, bring in about $80,000 per year; but, as the valua- tion is increasing all the time, it will not be long before it will be doubled. A perma- nent appropriation of this kind would be z great thing for forestrA% as it would permit of our planning ahead for a long series of years. It established a new reserve of 2,700 acres for the University of Minnesota, about two miles from Cloquet, which is one of the most important lumber milling centers of this section. By cooperation with the United 510 CONSERVATION States Government and the lumber companies this land can be obtained for about $10,000. It also appropriated $2,500 per year to care for the same. It provided an appropriation of $4,000 per year for the support of the for- est school, $S,ooo per year for student labor on the forest reserves, and $1,500 per year for creosoting wood and similar experi- ments. For Itasca Park, which is the large reserve connected with the forest school of the University of Minnesota, it appropri- ated $10,000 for a new road, and $14,500 for maintenance and repairs, making the total appropriation for the support of the School of Forestry and the reserves con- nected with it $55,500. It also passed a bill authorizing the Forestry Board to accept a donation of 3,200 acres of land from the Pine Tree Lumber Co., together with all the hardwoods, and all the pine, spruce, cedar and balsam under eight inches in diameter, in consideration for which all their timber over eight inches in diameter shall be free from taxes for a period not exceed- ing ten years. An amendment to the consti- tution was also passed, and as a result will be submitted to the people, exempting tim- ber lands from taxation. ^ ^ iii Minnesota Out of Conservation Plans None will find fault with Governor John- son for his refusal to appoint a conservation commission for Minnesota at the present time. The legislature failed to make pro- vision for any such commission, and, while there are men who would serve gladly with- out personal compensation, the preliminary work would entail a considerable expense, for which no appropriation is available. The situation is most unfortunate. Prac- tically all of the states of the Nation have joined in the general conservation movement, admittedly one of the most important that has been advanced in this country. Each state is making a study and survey of its timber, mineral and coal lands, considering its waterways and water-power possibilities, and preparing to cooperate with the Federal Government in the work of conserving and developing these resources for the benefit of the people of the individual states and of the whole Nation. When the time comes for active work on the part of the Federal Gov- ernment in placing its conservation program into effect, the states that have done most in the preliminary work will be the largest sharers in the distribution of Federal funds in aid of the general movement. Minnesota need not expect the Federal Government to do anything for the state until the state does something for itself. The question of con- servation of state resources will be one of the live issues for consideration by the next legislature.— 5"/. Paul (Minn.) Dispatch. Railroads for Conservation A plan by which the railroads are to take part in the conservation movement is an- nounced as the outgrowth of conferences and correspondence between representatives of the carriers and the joint committee on con- servation. Preliminary negotiations on the part of the railroads have been conducted by representatives of the American Railway Engineering and Maintenance of Way Asso- ciation. Attention was also given to the sub- ject of conservation at the recent meeting of the American Railway Master Mechanics' Association, at Atlantic City, N. J. The great quantities of timber, iron and coal used by the transportation lines are the bond of interest between them and the conservationists. The plan as outlined provides for a sys- tematic arrangement by which the committee on conservation is to give the railroads sug- gestions as to the most practical method of putting conservation policies into effect. The railway men agree to carry out these sug- gestions. The conservation authorities have submitted a plan, which is now in the hands of A. S. Baldwin, chief engineer of the Illi- nois Central Railroad, who in a letter to the conservation committee says : "On account of the wide areas traversed by the railroads and the great consumption by them of timber and fuel, with their enormous use of iron and steel products, it is believed that the most effectual assistance of the American Railway Engineering and Mainte- nance of Way Association can be in directing the attention of railroad officials to the ex- cessive wastefulness in the present methods of production of timber and fuel, and the great importance of introducing economies in their use and consumption ; also to the im- portance of economizing in the use of iron and steel products and the possibilities of preservation by protective coatings and other- wise." With this end in view, the railroad con- servation committee has asked for specific suggestions as to the best methods that should be used by railroads in the prevention and control of forest fires. The conserva- tion committee has presented an outline for this work, and with it a statement showing the enormous loss of lumber through forest fires every year. — Norzunch (Conn.) Record The railroads also ask information regard- ing possible economies through use of treated ties, the desirability of by-product ovens in coal territory, the species of trees railroads might profitably plant, the gain through sub- stitution of sawed for hewed ties, and the prolongation of life of steel and iron in bridges. The railroads will also investigate and report to the joint committee on the pos- sibilit}' of substituting other materials for ties and timber. NEWS AND NOTES ,11 High Water in the Missouri Valley For ten days and more following July 4, res- idents in the Missouri River vallej^ experi- enced floods. The following are comparative river stages and high-water records : THE RIVER STAGES Feet Missouri River, 8 a. m., July 13 27.0 Kaw. River, 9 a. m., July 13 23.9 PAST HIGH WATER RECORDS AT KANSAS CITY Missouri Kaw Feet Feet In 1903, May 31 and June i.. 35.0 37.6 In 1904, July 8 27.5 27.S In 1908, June 15 29.5 29.5 The floods are attributed to snow melting in the mountains, followed by rains. Following are dispatches published by the Kansas City Star of July 14: One thousand persons were driven from their homes, and many thousands of dollars' damage done Saturday morning by a flood in Perry Creek, a small stream which sepa- rates the east and west sides of Sioux City, Iowa. A cloudburst north of Sioux City is believed to have been the cause. Five years ago Ottawa, Kans., had its greatest flood, and confidently set the mark high above any possibility of future flood conditions. At noon last Thursday the town gazed upon a flood more than a foot beyond the previous record. The Marais des Cygnes River stood at thirty-seven feet at the Main Street gauge. Of the bridge itself, only the upper framework was visible. Communication between North and South Ottawa was cut off by a channel half a mile wide, through which sweeps a millrace which even a skilled boatman could scarcely cross. Estimates on the number of homeless fami- lies were necessarily guesswork. Sections never before reached by floods were tenant- less now, swept by wastes of muddy water. Schoolhouses and churches were filled with refugees. A swift current four feet in depth sweeps through the Santa Fe Union Station. The Missouri Pacific Station is in the center of a sea. Railroad traffic is abandoned, and only extensive repairs to tracks and yards can reestablish it. Freight and baggage have been removed to high ground. Thirty persons, including guests, were in the upper floors of the Marsh Hotel, through which a deep current flowed. Food supplies reached them by boat service. Osawatomie, the scene of John Brown's exploits, was almost an island. Rescued by boats across more than a mile wide expanse of swift flood waters of the Marais des Cygnes River, 300 passengers on the Santa _Fe train No. 5, westbound from Kansas City, experienced late Wednesday afternoon all the thrills of a rescue from a wreck at sea. Water was running three feet deep in the center of ATarion, Kans., Tuesday afternoon. due to a four-inch rain above the town on the Cottonwood River. At Pattonsburg, Mo., Big Creek and Grand River came together. Heavy rains caused the two streams to become lakes without banks or channel. Tuesday night, July 6, the water rose so rapidly that almost before the people were aware water was coming through the doors of their homes. Few per- sons thought of the possibility of a flood and few made preparations in the way of food supplies. Wednesday morning found Pattonsburg surrounded by three miles of water, which rose steadily until it reached the second floors of stores and dwellings, driving many people to the roofs. Rain added to the suf- ferings of the people exposed. Three hun- dred men, women and children found shel- ter on the second floor and in the attic of the school building. At its height the water was from five to eight feet deep in the streets of Pattonsburg. George Palmer, a harness maker, who had set out on foot to visit neighboring towns, was drowned. His body has been recovered. Several hundred persons rendered home- less and property loss estimated at three- fourths of a million dollars are the result of a flood which swept through the heart of Springfield late Wednesdav night, July 7. The Missouri River Valley was a vast lake, and the loss to crops was great. The Chicago and Alton, the Missouri, Kan- sas and Texas, and the river route of the Missouri Pacific to Jefferson City were en- tirely out of commission. The Chicago and Alton and Katy tracks were under fourteen incbcs to five feet of water in the valley to Jefferson City. At Rich Hill, Mo., the river Marais de Cygnes was five miles wide. The Grand River at Chillicothe, Mo., was more than twelve miles wide on July 8. Trenton, Mo., on July 7, was on an island and entirely cut off from all railroad or other communication. Early Wednesday morning there came down Grand River and tributaries the greatest flood in the history of that stream, covering all the lowlands and doing property damage estimated at half a million dollars. A water-spout sent the rise down the stream like a tidal wave, and few of those in lowlands were able to escape. Men were busy with boats all day, rescuing ref- ugees from treetops. No lives were lost. ^ «? U? America's Greatness Ambassador Jusserand, of France, said re- cently: "The farther west I travel the more as- tonishment I have over the greatness of the United States. If the people of France had such rivers as are in the West they would dam them all and allow none of the water to go to waste. Irrigation is a great thing, especially for the western part of America." 512 CONSERVATION With this may be coupled M. Jusserand's famous declaration, '"It is an absolute prin- ciple : No forests,, no waterways * * * If the Mississippi is the 'Father of Waters,' the forest is the father of the Mississippi." &' &' ^ Conservation of Water-'power and Public Lard It will be recalled that Taft recently called down Secretary of the Interior Ballinger for revoking orders of Roosevelt withdrawing lands from speculative land-grabbers. There is no doubt that a water-power trust in the West is working hard to get possession of the water-power of the upper Missouri River. Taft will protect the consumer rather than the man who consumes the country's resources. It is understood that Pinchot, with the assistance of other experts, has drawn up a plan for a general control of water-power including the proper royalty companies shall pay the Nation for use of water-power. In Europe governments have invoked the Roosevelt safeguards. Taft will stand for the consumer. — Lewiston (Me.) Journal. an iis ^ Irrigation Desired for Eastern States On June 23 the American Seed Growers' Association met at Niagara Falls,_ N. _Y. The special committee appointed to inquire into the irrigation situation presented a report recommending irrigation in the Eastern States. So successful has the scheme proven in the West that the seed men are desirous of testing it extensively along the Atlantic coast. Burnett Landreth, of Bristol, Pa., advanced a novel idea in his paper on ''Irrigation of Old Eastern Farms." He pointed out that the Government had spent some $14,000,000 for developing irrigation systems in Califor- nia, Nevada and Arizona, changing their former arid wastes to flowering gardens. It was high time, Mr. Landreth thought, that some attention was given to the farms of the Eastern States. In times of drought, he said, the eastern farmer suffered to such an extent as to make his fruitful years hardly balance the loss of dry years. A system of irrigation reservoirs from Maine to Florida would insure the farmers against loss from droughts. As a beginning, he suggested that the Government appropriate $70,000, with which to buy a farm of about 100 acres near Washington, in charge of the Department of Agriculture, as an "irrigation kindergarten." The expense of establishing such a system along the Atlantic coast, he said, would be great, but it would pay tenfold on the invest- ment. In the West the water for the irriga- tion ditches is had from the mountains, grav- ity being the power. In the East it would be necessary to establish pumping plants at great cost. But only some such plan would make farming in the East profitable to-day. — New York Commercial. ^ ^ &' Progress in Reclamation Work The big dam on the Belle Fourche irri- gation project, South Dakota, contains ap- ^ proximately 1,000,000 cubic yards of mate- rial. When completed this dam will be one J of the largest earth embankments in the " world, and will contain about 1,700,000 cubic yards of material. The project presents a most imposing scene. Eleven trains of ten cars each loaded with dirt are constantly in view. As the earth is dumped on top of the embankment it is sprinkled and rolled with heavy rollers. . ■ The dam is now seventy feet high and 6,200 jj feet long. A great change has taken place in the valley since the initiation of Govern- ment work. From a region given over al- most wholly to stock raising, with individual holdings as high as 1,000 acres, the valley is being transformed to a thickly-settled com- munity. New settlers, principally from the Mississippi Valley, are coming in steadily. This is one of the best opportunities in the Northwest to secure a farm at a reasonable price. Land can be bought at from $15 to $35 per acre. A new creamery has just been opened, and all lines of business in the town of Belle Fourche are increasing in volume. The progress of settlement on the Sun River and Huntley projects, Montana, is most satisfactory. Many of the new entry- men have been induced to go to these sec- tions by former neighbors who settled there. Thousands of shade and fruit trees have been set out at the demonstration farms, and the good example is being followed by the farmers, who are planting sufficient numbers to insure plenty of shade. The schools throughout the Huntley proj- ect are well attended. Consequent upon the heavy settlement around Simms on the Sun River project, a large number of_ children of school age have come to that vicinity, and active steps are being taken toward the es- tablishment of a school at that point. A two- room building will soon be erected, and ar- rangements will also be made for a school at Fort Shaw. The grading of the streets is ndding much to the general appearance of the towns. Stores and other business houses are being erected. At Huntley a skimming plant, which is to be operated in connection with the Billings creamery, is ready for op- eration. One hundred eighty men were em- nloyed during May at Laguna Dam, Yuma irrigation project, California-Arizona, Sixty of these men were at work on the Arizona side of the river excavating for the canal nnd protecting the bank below the mouth of the sluiceway. The walls and bottom of the canal heading were also concreted. On the California side the crew was engaged in canal excavation with the steam shovel, the NEWS AND NOTES 513 product being used to blanket the reserva- tion levee and to protect the banks below the sluiceway. The dam has since been com- pleted. In July a flood of 150,000 second-feet passed over it. Both the dam and the levees which for miles protect the bottom lands held their own. This fact confirms the judg- ment of the officials that the Colorado River could be controlled and the bottom lands protected from floods, and irrigated. The Laguna dam is patterned after weirs which have been successfully operated on erratic rivers of the Old World for half a century, and the levees are of the type which experience on the Mississippi River during the past sixty years has proved to be the best. During June the contractors laid 14,000 cubic yards of masonry on the Roosevelt dam, Salt River irrigation project, Arizona. The masonry was all laid on the south side of the gap through which the water is still flowing from the reservoir. The south end of this part of the dam is at an elevation of 169 feet. Near the gap the elevation is 135 feet. The water in the reservoir is no feet deep. The Government cement mill was operated twenty-five days, burning 11,500 barrels and grinding 12,000 barrels of ce- ment. The south canal is completed and work is being pushed on the eastern canal. Work is progressing favorably in concreting the sluicing tunnel. The Gunnison Tunnel, Uncompahgre Val- ley irrigation project, Colorado, was ad- vanced 510 feet during June, and but sixty feet then remained to be excavated between headings. There was a great scarcity of labor and the heavy ground in the tunnel required timbering in both headings. The daily flow of water remained practically con- stant, amounting to 1,126,000 gallons in the east portal and 3,400,000 gallons at west portal. Sixty-five feet of concrete lining were placed in the tunnel and the concrete portal at the west end was built and 200 feet of concrete lining placed in the portal cut. The flow of water in both the Uncompahgre and Gunnison rivers during the month at- tained the greatest volume of which record has been made. The tunnel has since been cut through ; the workmen met and shook hands. A contract has been entered into by the project engineer of the North Platte proj- ect, Nebraska-Wyoming, on behalf of the Government and the Platte Valley Tele- phone Company for telephone service in con- nection with the North Platte project for a period of six years, from July t, igog, to July I, 1915, in continuation of an existing contract which expired July i, igog. Twenty- five telephones are provided for in the con- tract, besides two exchanges and other services. The Secretary of the Interior has ap- proved a contract entered into by F. E. Weymouth on behalf of the United States with the Nampa-Meridian Irrigation District and the Payette-Boise Water Users' Associa- tion, which provides for the use by the Gov- ernment of the canals and laterals of the Nampa-Meridian Irrigation District in the reclamation of certain lands belonging to the Payette-Boise project, Idaho, and for the adjustment of expenses of operation and maintenance of the canals and laterals be- tween the respective parties. The United States is given the right to enlarge or extend the existing canals or lat- erals of the Nampa-Meridian Irrigation Dis- trict, the title to all enlargements or exten- sions to vest in the United States. The lands involved consist of about 50,000 acres lying within the boundaries of the above-named irrigation district and below their canal. &' ^ «r' Five Billions for Development Mr. Arthur Hooker, secretary of the board of control of the National Irrigation Con- gress, will present a resolution for the ap- proval by that organization at its seventeenth session in Spokane, August g to 14, memori- alizing Congress to issue three per cent gold bonds running 100 years, to the amount of $5,000,000,000, or as much thereof as may be necessary, for the following specific purposes: One billion dollars for drainage of over- flowed and swamp lands, thus reclaiming an area equal to 100,000 square miles. One biflion dollars for the reclamation by irrigation of 40,000,000 acres of arid and semi-arid lands., now partly or wholly waste. One billion dollars to construct and im- prove deep waterways, to develop thousands of miles of territory now without adequate transportation facilities. One billion dollars for good roads and na- tional highways, for the lack of which the loss to the farm area of the United States is approximately $500,000,000 annually. One billion dollars for forest protection, reforestation and conservation of the forest resources, thus assuring timber and lumber supplies for centuries to come. Says Mr. Hooker, in explaining the plan : "Congress will not be asked to appropriate a penny. The returns from the improvements would pay off the bonds. The Government would simply act as a banker, as it does now for the various irrigation projects. The bond issue would provide ample funds as required to carry out the work in the several divi- sions, at the same time giving the best pos- sible collateral to those investing in these securities. Government figures bear out the statement that there is enough good land overflowed in Minnesota, Wisconsin. Kansas, Nebraska, Louisiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi and Maine to make an area as large as the state of Missouri, or more than 44,000,000 acres, while in the eastern, cen- tral and western states there is more than as much more, or about 100,000,000 acres in all. At a conservative estimate of $25 an acre, the sale of this reclaimed land would justify the expenditure of $2,500,000,000, or 514 CONSERVATIOX 150 per cent more than is required to drain it. This land would support from 2,000,000 to 3,000,000 population. Approximately 40,- 000,000 acres of lands in western and south- western states are adapted to irrigation, which, if reclaimed at an average cost of $25 an acre, would be worth not less than $200 an acre, or a total of $8,000,000,000, and pro- vide homes for more than 8,000,000 persons. The economic value of irrigation cannot be measured in dollars and cents, but crops of from $500 to $1,000 an acre are not rare in the irrigated districts. There are already 14,000,000 acres under irrigation, and the Reclamation Service estimates it will have re- claimed 2.000,000 acres, at a cost not exceed- ing $70,000,000, before the close of 191 1. The construction and improvement of the deep waterways required to provide better and cheaper transportation facilities is, I believe, a 100 per cent investment, from the fact that two-thirds of the bulky freight could be shipped by water routes, at a cost to the ship- per of not more than one-sixth the present rail rates. The importance of this becomes apparent when it is remembered that the food question is becoming a world problem. It is estimated that the average annual loss from poor roads is yd cents an acre, while the average _ increase resulting from improving all public roads is $9. "The value of our forests was never bet- ter appreciated than to-day. Within the arid and semi-arid portions of the Western States nearly 124,000,000 acres are covered with woodland, of value for fuel, fence posts and other purposes essential to the success of the farmer. _ There also 97.000,000 acres cov- ered with heavy forests having commercial value for timber and logs. Reforestation and conservation of these vast resources are necessary to provide future generations with timber and lumber supplies." % sa «i Five Billions for Irrigation Somebody is shocked because the advocates of irrigation by the National Government suggest spending five billions within a few years, putting water on dry, desert land. One brilliant paragraph writer says : "Only five billions ! The national irrigators are too shv. Make it a hundred !" Yes, make it a hundred billions, by all means, if that amount is required for irriga- tion, and if the country in the centuries ahead can spare it — which it can. No money can be spent more wisely than the money spent to supply water, fertility and crops to soil dry and useless without the water. Five billions seems like a good deal of money, but it isn't very much if it is well spent. The nation that can talk gliblv about piling up battle-ships, instruments of death, at ten millions apiece; the nation that can give that fortune of a thousand millions to an individual; the nation that can spend millions for whisky that ruins the brain and the body — can well afford to spend billions on irrigation, which is the improvement of the earth. The greatest source of wealth that we know is water. The water is drawn up from the salt ocean, scattered over the land by the clouds. The rain pours into the Great Lakes. And this water, worth many times five bil- lions, rushes out into the ocean, where it is lost, taking with it through the mouth of the Mississippi and other great rivers the valuable soil worth many millions more. Before the waters of our lakes and rivers run back to the ocean human ingenuity should take all that is needed to scatter over the dry fields. Even the fields that we call fertile need more water, and ought to have it. Farmers impoverish themselves paying thirty and forty dollars a ton for fertilizer. But the fertilizer without the water is use- less, and with irrigation the water would not cost half a cent a ton. When the Government spends its millions and billions on irrigation it will be doing the real work of the human race on this earth. Our work here is to develop the earth, make it into a beautiful park, fertile, every inch irrigated and cultivated — a park in which hu- man beings may live together in peace and plenty, in harmony and friendship. This work is going to be done, and the advocates of irrigation help it along. The day will come when not a dollar will be spent for a rifle, a bullet, a battle-ship or a lawyer. Emulation will replace competition every- where. Contests between men will be con- tests of the mind, each struggling, not to help himself, but to help the whole of humanity by adding to the wealth and knowledge of the race. This rich country, with its great lakes, its enormous fortunes., its vast tracts of land that need irrigat'on. and that will repay irri- gation with ten dollars for one, ought to lead in the task of beautifying this earth. The people of France, after the war with Germany, were condemned to pay a fine of five thousand millions of francs to Prussia. The sum was raised by the French people, not only once, but fourteen times over. France, a small nation, at the end of a dis astrous war, was ready with fourteen billions of dollars to pay a war debt. Would it be such a horrible thing for this country to raise five billions of dollars to pay p^rt of man's debt to this earth that supports us? — Boston American. «? &' J« Bond Issues for River Improvements "One of the most vital questions of the hour, and in some particulars the most vital, eliminating tariff revision from consideration, is the Question, 'How will Congress meet the demands for improving and maintaining the waterways of the United States?' " This statement was made bv Representa- tive Richard Bartholdt, of Missouri. Con- tinuing, Mr. Bartholdt said: NEWS .\ND NOTES 51, "I have seen the movement for a water- way bond issue grow from a tiny thing to an ahnost national demand." It has been and is the practise of Congress to first provide for all the legitimate needs of the Govern- ment, and then, if anything is left, to set it aside for waterways, public buildings and so forth. If all the revenues are needed for the regular expenses of the national household, it is the doubtful privilege of the friends of internal improvements to hold the bag. I venture to say that if the Government is to enter upon" a policy of favoring systematic internal improvements, a regular annual budget should be provided for that purpose, the same as for the army and navy and all other departments. "An issue of two or three per cent bonds to the amount of $500,000,000, to be distrib- uted over a period of, say, ten years, will suffice to complete all great waterway pro- jects whose improvement has received the official recommendation of the United States engineer corps, and will forever solve the problem of the permanent improvement of our great waterways. ■'I am well aware of the existing preju- dice in some sections against an issue of bonds in time of peace, but that prejudice does not exist in the district which I have the honor to represent. This prejudice would be justified if the Government proposed to mortgage the future in order to meet its running expenses. But in the contemplated waterway-bond issue an extraordinary ex- penditure would be made, with a return for every dollar, and with all the guaranties of a permanent investment for the lasting benefit of the present as well as future generations.'' «i «? 5^' The River as a Carrier John Callan O'Laughlin gives an interest- ing summary of the report of the board of engineers appointed to investigate the matter of a fourteen-foot channel between the Lakes and the Gulf. This report, be it remembered, finds that the plan is feasible, but recommends against it. The report stated, as we remember, that $150,000,000 would be required to put four- teen feet from New Orleans to Chicago, and $5,000,000 a year would be needed to main- tain it. In these days of rapid development the commission felt that these figures would show the plan to be futile. It we were to get fourteen feet from Chi- cago to New Orleans it would be equal to all the freight a si.x-track railway could haul. And a six-track railway between Chicago and New Orleans would cost .probably, $400,000,000. The $5,000,000 for upkeep is a bagatelle. The Illinois Central spends more than that amount for the upkeep of its lines from Cairo to New Orleans. In order to secure the benefits of cheap transportation by water, more is necessary than merely a channel. The railroads of this country, like the railroads of Germany, 6 France, and England, will eventually come to that condition where certain heavy mate- rial cannot be hauled by them at a profit. In these countries coal, rock, lime, salt, wood, cement, and brick are hauled by barges through canals or on rivers. Heavy structural iron is hauled on the rivers for the reason that cars in England are not made for the transportation of this heavy material. There is established in these countries, as it were, a community of interest I)ctween railroads and river transporting companies. Switch-yards are established on every water- front. The unloading of boats is done by electrical machinery, and the transferring to cars is done in the same way. There is a public warehouse at every water-front in these countries, and goods are carried by machinery into these warehouses and are distributed. The timp will come in this country when the conditions will force traffic into the water, and this is the main reason why the continued work of the improvement of the rivers should be pushed. — Memphis Commer- cial-Appeal. &' ^ «? The Lesson of the " Soo " That the loss in a single year from the discontinuance of the operation of the canals at Sault Ste. IMarie, Michigan and Ontario, would amount to between $300,000,000 and $400,000,000 in added freights alone, is a fact developed since the recent temporary loss of control of the waters of the Canadian canal at that point. The engineers of the War Department furnish the figures which make it possible to reckon this loss and, incident- ally, to throw a strong light on the value to the country of such aids to commerce as these canals. St. Mary's River connects lakes Superior and Huron and around its falls are built the canals. That on the Canadian side has one lock, while the American canal has two locks, side by side. A vessel jammed its way through the Canadian lock on June 9 and the torrents followed it and became uncontrollable. For two weeks the engineers of two nations were puzzled as to the manner of shutting off that flow ; but the feat was finally accomplished. But before this had been done the ques- tion was raised as to what would be the result if the onrush could not be stopped and a similar accident happened on the Amer • ican side. The answer as to freiglit advances was given in exact figures by Government engineers wlio for years have kept tab on the freight that passes through these canals, but the damage to business generally is be- yond computation. The freight accustomed to these water-rates would have had to go by rail and would have cost, on the basis of the figures for 1907, $364,000,000, whereas bv water the cost would be but $38,000,000. These actual figures comp'Ied by the Govern- ment engineers show that freight hauled by 5i6 CONSERVATION rail that year cost nine and one-half times as much as that handled by boat on the Lakes. The prosperity of all that region trib- utary to the Lakes has been developed be- cause of these rates and depends upon them for its continuance. There is before Congress the proposal to adopt a policy for the improvement of all the waterways of the country that offers un- questioned possibilities, and a consequent car- rying of the favorable freight rates of the Great Lakes to many sections of the coun- try. A joint commission has been appointed by Congress and instructed to report how this may be done. The report will be sub- mitted to the next Congress and action on the part of that body is expected to follow. The question that most worries the legis- lative body is the matter of financing so monstrous an undertaking. In an attempt to solve this riddle the advocates of waterways have come to the conclusion that there is but one answer — the issuance of bonds. They cite the fact that the Panama Canal is being actually built upon this basis and that all private enterprise, such as railroad building, is always accomplished in this way. In fact, there is no other way of accomplishing so great a task, and further, the benefit is chiefly to posterity, and posterity should help pay for it. These men are enthusiasts, and hold that if the cheap rates offered by water trans- portation are ever to be extended to the people the work should be done now. Among the people none are found who are not will- ing to accept these low rates.. ^ ^ iH Mount Pocono Meeting of the Pennsylvania Forestry Association The summer meeting of the Pennsylvania Forestry Association was held as advertised at the Pocono Manor, near Mt. Pocono, Monroe Co., Pa., July 7-9. Among the features was an address by Dr. J. T. Roth- rock on "Desolate Pennsylvania." ^ ^ «r' Forest Conference in the White Mountains A forest conference will be held in the White Mountains under the auspices of the Society for the Protection of New Hamp- shire Forests, at Mt. Pleasant House, Bretton Woods, N. H., Tuesday evening, August 3, and Wednesday, August 4. The following bodies will meet in connec- tion with the conference : The directors of the American Forestry Association, the state foresters of the Northeastern States, and the Ne"' Hampshire State Forestry Commis- sion. Tht Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests will hold its eighth an- nual meeting at this time. Following is the program : First Session, Tuesday Evening, August 3 Hon. Frank W. Rollins, Presiding 8:15. Sonate Pathetique, No. 8. . .Beethoven Miss Selma L. Stahl. 8 :30. "Forest Conditions in the Adirondack and Catskill Reserves, with Special Ref- erence to Reforestation" (illustrated by lantern photographs), Mr. James S. Whipple, State Forest Commissioner, New York. Second Session, Wednesday Morning 9 130. The eighth annual meeting of the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests. Report of the for- ester; report of the treasurer; election of officers. "The Forestry Work of the Women's Clubs," Mrs. Joseph Stenifeld, Forestry Chairman State Federation. 10:30. Conference with the Directors of the American Forestry Association, opened by a discussion of "The Timber and Stone Act, and the Appalachian Bill," Mr. George H. Maxwell, of Chicago, Executive Chairman of the National Ir- rigation Association. (Of Mr. Max- well's work in connection with the irri- gation bill, Mr. Joseph Cannon said : "We had to get out of the way of the steam engine.") 11:40. "The Grover Cleveland Memorial Road in Tamworth, N. H.," Dr. John H. Finley, President of the University of the City of New York. (President Cleveland established the first National Forests.) Third Session, Wednesday Afternoon 2:30. Conference with the State Foresters, opened by a discussion of the New For- estry Law in New Hampshire, by Mr. Robert P. Bass, President of the State Forestry Commission. Other topics : "Forest Fire Patrol and the Mountain-top Observatories in Maine;" "The Proper Scope of a State Forest Service," the Forest Commis- sioner of Maine, Mr. Edgar E. Ring: the State Forester of Vermont, Mr. Austin F. Hawes ; the Secretary of the Massachusetts Forestry Association, Mr. Edwin A. Start, and others, will take part. Fourth Session, Wednesday Evening "Forest Conditions in the White Mountains," illustrated by lantern photographs; Mr. Philip W. Ayres. «? &' J^ Forestry Legislation in Pennsylvania Forest Leaves for June contains a two- page resume of Pennsylvania's new forestry legislation. H. R., 13, authorizes the department of forestry to grow young trees and distribute them to those who will plant and care for them. NEWS AND NOTES 51; H. R., 147, is designed to create a system of fire wardens, these to suppress and pre- vent forest fires on woodlots and wild lands ; $50,000 appropriated. H. R., 159, provides that, within certain limitations, all forest reserves shall be sub- ject to an annual charge of 2 cents per acre for school purposes. H. R., 175, is designed to protect trees growing by roadsides and within road limits, and provides penalties for injuring or de- stroying trees. H. R., 253, permits the acquisition of for- est or other suitable lands by municipalities for the purpose of establishing municipal forests. H. R., 542, appropriates $374,500 for the department of forestry. H. R., 553, appropriates $20,000 for salaries of instructors, stationery, maintenance, etc., and $1,000 to equip laboratory. H. R., 557, sets aside $100,000 for the pur- chase of lands for forest reserves, and $100,000 for a similar purpose for the fiscal year beginning June i, 1909. and an equal amount for the fiscal year following. The following measures were defeated: H. R., 226, to regulate the management of timberlands in Pennsylvania for the pur- pose of preventing floods and droughts, con- serving water supply, and securing favorable conditions of water-flow. H. R., 228, for purchase and distribution of tree seeds. H. R., 244, to protect privately-owned woodlands from fire, theft, and other damage. H. R., 257, providing for the protection of the state forest reserves. H. R., 286, transferring to the department of forestry the control and management of all public highways not improved state high- ways bordering on or lying within state for- est reserves. H. R., 383, designed to establish auxiliary forest reserves, and punish violations. H. R., 386, to provide for taxation of auxiliary forest reserves. H. R., 469, to increase privileges of for- estry reservation commission in leasing rights of way, lands for water-power plants, em- ploying forest rangers, etc. H. K., 813, appropriating $3,500 for the purchase of herbarium and library belonging to Dr. Joseph T. Rothrock. H. R., 826, appropriating $15,000 to estab- lish recreation camps in forest reserves. ^ )^ ^ Progress in New Hampshire Mr. Philip W. Ayres, forester for the So- ciety for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests, writes : "We have just passed a new law which brings us into the line of the progressive states in having a state forester who works in connection with the state forestry com- mission of three unpaid members. We have revised our forest-fire laws so that they are excellent, as nearly complete as those in the other progressive states. Our new state for- estry commission is made up as follows : Robert P. Bass, Peterborough, president; J. H. Tolles, Nashua, treasurer; W. Robin- son Brown, Berlin, secretary. The commis- sion has appointed a new state forester, E. G. Hirst, a graduate of the Yale Forest School. He previously completed his course at the Ohio State University. "You will be interested that the plans for the Conference at Bretton Woods are making good progress." ^ ^ ^ What a State Might Do The latest statistics in the report of the New Hampshire Forestry Commission state that over 800,000 acres of land, once cleared, have since 1880 been abandoned to grow up in brush, says Collier's. If New Hampshire had been the municipaHty of Zurich, Switz- erland, this would have been taken under some formof thedoctrine of eminent domain, planted with trees, and in the later generation have become an asset for its people. The people of Zurich once found themselves without the timber needed for its maintenance, for the building of its homes, and took this wise step. To-day, when the expense of operation is paid, the property yields to the government of the city something over $15 an acre. What would be the opinion of the genera- tion of New Hampshire citizens thirty years from now of the work of their forebears if they should find themselves possessed of several hundred thousand acres of white pine, planted and managed by a competent state forester, properly accountable to the people, in place of nearly 1,000,000 acres now shorn of forest and abandoned by the plow? It is within the constitutional power of the leg-slative branch of the state govern- ment of New Hampshire to seize this land, plant it with trees— with white pine for the advancing generation, and with spruce for the remoter descendants. An issue of bonds, to pay the expenditure necessary for the condemnation, reforesta- tion and guardianship of the growing for- ests, and redeemable at stated intervals by the sale of the lands back to to the people, under definite restrictions to insure the preservation of the forests, would probably reimburse the state for its work. It could then be provided that only a certain portion of the growth should be cut in any year, that the trees of small girth should be spared, and that all the danger of fire caused by allowing the waste to remain within the forest should be prevented by compelling the timber harvesters to remove and burn it. Doctor Hale, during the recent winter, in one of his addresses, oflfered the suggestion that towns become the owners of forests just bevond the village limits, as has been done in Zurich. This would act as a sup- plementary reforestation to that of the state— which would obviously apply only to =^i8 CONSERVATION the larger areas. It might be wiser to begin the work by degrees, testing its success gradually. But three things are certain — the state of New Hampshire has the power to do this service for the next century ; it will return the forests to all but the moun- tain tops ; the desolated lands will become an asset, while now they are unproductive. — Pueblo (Colo.) Chieftain. ^ i!^ «? America's Awful Fire Losses Fire is one of the wasteful extravagances of the American people. We have been extravagantly wasteful in the past in building without much regard to the destruction by fire, and in this respect we have nearly bankrupted insurance compa- nies and expended in rebuilding nearly as much as originally invested. Indeed, in some years we burn up more than we actually build. This was notoriously the case in the year of the great San Francisco fire and in the .first half of the panic year of 1908. In a normal_ year, such as 1907, we lost through fire buildings valued at $215,000,000. Some years we run as high as half a billion dollars in fire losses, and again we get along with a loss of only $300,000,000. We have grown so used to fire losses in this country that little attention is paid to one that causes a loss of half a million dol- lars. Such a fire gets no more than a few lines in the national press unless there are harrowing accounts of lives jeopardized. Even the newspapers are not roused from their apathy regarding fires unless there is something spectacular about them, and it takes a catastrophe that wipes out half a city to induce them to give big scarehead lines. In New York City we sufifer an annual fire loss of between $6,000,000 and $8,000,000, but only a few of these attract any special attention. It is estimated that it costs the city over $50,000,000 a year to protect itself from fires, including the private and public protection and equipment and maintenance of the fire department. — George Ethelbert \\'alsh in Moody's Magazine. ti0 t>' »•' vc ys yz The Death of Colonel Fox • All friends of forestry will learn with sin- cere regret of the unexpected dea;h of Col. William Freeman Fox, of New York State, In its Field Program for July, the United States Forest Service publishes the following: "With profound regret, announcement is made of the death, on June t6, of Col. William Freeman Fox, a collaborator of the Forest Service, and, until June i, 1909, super- intendent of state forests. New York Forest, Fish and Game Commission. Colonel Fox was born on January 11, 1840, at Ballston Spa, N. Y., and served with great credit through the civil war. Later he traveled extensively in Europe, studying forest condi- tions and the different systems of forest management, and in 1886 entered the service of the state of New York. To Colonel Fox's aggressiveness and foresight is due in large measure the present forest policy of the state. As a collaborator of the Forest Service, he rendered important aid to the Government. Colonel Fox was an associate member of the Society of American Foresters and the author of a number of books on the forests of New York." The Society of American Foresters, Wash- ington, D. C, has passed resolutions express- ing its appreciation of the work of Colonel Fox, of his genial disposition, and of the assistance which he has always been glad to extend to young foresters. ^ «? ^ Austin Gary Succeeds Colonel Fox Austin Cary, assistant professor of for- estry in Harvard University, succeeds Colonel Fox as superintendent of state forests. New York Forest, Fish and Game Commission. Professor Carey was for six years forester for the Berlin Mills. He is author of ''Six Years of Practical Forestry in a Spruce Tract in ]\Iaine," published as a Forest Service bulle- tin, and also of "A Manual for Northern Woodsmen." published by Harvard Univer- sitv, 1909. «? «? &' The National Irrigation Congress Continent-wide interest has been aroused in the seventeenth session of the National Irrigation Congress, which will meet in Spokane, August 9 to 14. Speakers of na- tional reputation will discuss problems of rec- lamation of arid and swamp lands, deep waterways, forestry, conservation of the Nation's resources, good roads, and home- building. Railroad presidents, financiers, sci- entists, statesmen. Government officials, en- gineers, and practical men in other lines of industrial activity have accepted places on the program, and, with from 4,500 to 5,000 delegates, including farmers, orchardists, and truck gardeners: representatives of all parts of the country, and visitors from the East, West, North, and South, there is every indi- cation that the gathering will be the best attended and most important in the historj'' of the organization. BACK NUMBERS WANTED The office of Conservation desires a few copies of the issue for November, 1908. for which it will pay twenty cents each. Any having available copies will oblige by advising this office. CONSERVATION'S ADVERTISERS > Your dealer can equip your Camera with the Goerz Lens whether it is a Seneca, Century, Ansco, Premo or any Kodak DAGOR LENSES J There is a Goerz Lens for work in which quickness is paramount. ^^ There is a Goerz Lens for sharp detail work which has a wide angle. There is a Goerz Lens for long-distance work which brings the object especially near. Enough of each of these three qualities is combined in the Goerz Dagor to make it the best all-around lens for the man who doesn't wish to specialize but who wants one lens capable of the widest range of work. Everyone w]io wishes to do really serious and good photogrraphic work should insist on having his camera equipped witli the Goerz Dagor. Any dealer in cameras or optical goods has, or can get, the Dagor. Our free catalogue, sent on request, describes Goerz Lenses, the XL Sector Shutter (quick, smooth, compact and uccuralej.Trieder Binoculars (small in size, yet powerful) and Auschutz Cameras. C. p. GOERZ AMERICAN OPTICAL CO., Office and Factory : 79 East 130th Street, New York Dealers' Distributing Agencies: In Chicago — Jacksun & fcemmelmever; tanFraDciaco — Hirsch & Kaiser; In Canada — R. F. Smith, MontreaL The World's Greatest Poultry Paper THE FEATHER Only 50 Cents a Year THE FEATHER'S LIBRARY No. L DISEASES OF POULTRY. B.y D. E. Salmon, D.V.M. Fully illustrated. Paper. 50 cents: cloth, $1. No. 2. THE FEATHER'S UP-TO-DATE POULTRY HOUSE. Paper, 25 cents. No. li. THE AMERICAN FANCIER'S POULTRY BOOK. Profusel.y illu.strated. By Geo. E. Howard. Paper, 50 cents: cloth, $1. No. 4. PLYMOUTH ROCKS. (Colored illustrations. By T. F. McGrew. Paper, 50 cents; cloth, $1. No. 5. WYANDOTTES. Colored illustrations. By T. F. McGrew. Paper. .50 cents: cloth, $1. No. 6. POCKET-MONEY POULTRY. By Myra V. Norvs. Paper, 50 cents; cloth, $1. No. T. THE EGG QUESTION SOLVED. By T. F. McGrew. Paper, 25 cents; cloth. 50 cents. No. 8. HOW TO GROW CHICKS. By T. F. McGrew. Paper, 25 cents; cloth, 50 cents. No. 9. THE HOMING PIGEON. Illustrated. Paper, 25 cents; cloth, 50 cents. No. 10. THE FEATHER'S PRACTICAL PIGEON BOOK. Bv J. C. Lonj:. Paper, .50 cents; cloth. .$1. No. 11. MONEY IN SQUABS. Profusely Illustrated. By J. C. Long and G. H. Brinton. Paper, 50 cents; cloth. $1. No. 12. THE FEATHER'S PRACTICAL SQUAB BOOK. By W. E. Rice. Paper. 50 cents; cloth, $1. No. 1.3. PERFECTED POULTRY OF AMERICA. By T. F. McGrew and Geo. E. Howard. Illustrated by Louis P. Graham. Cloth. .$2.50. SPECIAL OFFER Our latest book. THE PERFECTED POULTRY OF AMERICA, and THE FEATHER for one year for the price of the bonk alone, $2.50. THE HOWARD PUBLISHING CO. 714 Twelfth Street Nortliwest Wasliington, D. C. TREES FOR FORESTRY PLANTING Catalpa Speclosa, Black, Locust, European Larch, Sugar or Hard Maple, American Beech, White Birch, Red Oak, American Linden, White Elm, Anaerican Sweet Chestnut, Black Walnut; also SEEDS of above varieties. EVERGREENS White Pine, Scotch Pine, Ponderosa Pine, Jack Pine, Austrian Pine, White, Norway, Doug- las, and Red Spruce, $3.00 to $10.00 per 1,000. We also carry a large assortment of EVER- GREEN Tree Seeds, both native and foreign. Many Millions to Offer We make a specialty of growing EVER- GREENS and DECIDUOUS tree seedlings In Immense quantities for reforestation purposes. Our list Includes all valualjle native species, at lowest possible prices. Our new Catalog describes each variety and gives much valuable information about care and culture. All applicants for Catalog mentioning this Mag- azine will receive free of charge a booklet en- titled "Catalpa Growing for Profit," by D. Hill. D. HILL EVERGREEN SPECIALIST BOX 305 DUNDEE. ILL. Hill's trees have been famous for over half a century. In writing to advertisers kindly mention Conservation JAMES D. LACEY WOOD BEAL VICTOR THRANE ARE Interested in Southern or Pacitic Coast Timber? We furnish detailed reports as to the QUALITY of the timber, giving average TOP and BUTT diameters, average lengths and number of trees on each 40-acre subdivision. We submit reports covering details as to logging conditions, cost and most feasible methods of logging each 40-acre or sectional subdivision of each tract. We also furnish a TOPOGRAPHICAL map of all tracts located in mountainous dis- tricts, showing every elevation of 100 feet throughout the tract with OUR OWN engineer's report showing locations of most feasible routes and grades for logging roads. We can furnish sufficient data regarding ANY tract of timber which we have examined to convince you whether the tract is what you want or not. Personal inspection of any tract we may offer you will be found just as represented. We are in a position to offer some exceedingly attractive TIMBER properties in tha SOUTH, in BRITISH COLUMBIA, and on the PACIFIC COAST. Also a few going mill operations with ample timber supplies in South Carolina and Mississippi. We furnish detailed reports of amount of STUMPAGE on each 2 1-2- 5- or 10-acre subdivision of each forty. ""^"^"""""^ We employ expert PACIFIC COAST CRUISERS to check all estimates made on West- ern Timber. We offer HIGH CLASS Timber Properties only, which have been placed in our hands for sale. We guarantee our estimates are reliable. JAMES D. LACEY & GO. (ESTABLISHED SINCE 1880) 608 Hennen Building 828 Chamber of Commerce 507 Lumber Excbange 1216 Old Colony New Orleans Portland, Ore. Seattle Chicago OBO. X. HOWASD PBBSS, WABniNOTON ol.XV Formerly FORESTRY AND IRRIGATIOfJ Np,.^ lUiiCfr I lilMi fa and ^(O&s an inBi-ais Publithed by THE AMERICAN FORESTRY ASSOQATION, 1417 G St, N. W., Washington, D, C, Price, $2.00 per Year, Including Annual Membership in the Association Coovriehti 1909. by The American Forestry Association CONSERrATIOK'S ADJ-ERTISERS Save the Lives of Your Trees They Are Too Precious to Sacrifice If you are fortunate enough to have trees about your place, no doubt you have come to love theni as living things. Tender memories of those who planted or have cared for them probably cluster around many if not all of your tree friends. Trees are no longer common or cheap, and you could not replace the fine old ones at any reasonable outlay —even if you could, the substitutes would not be the same to you; they would lack the associations that made the old ones so precious. Davey men and Davey methods can save your trees if there is anything at all left to work on. Many of the achievements of the Davey corps of tree surgeons are little less than marvelous — healthy, heartv trees, that a few years ago were only shells, are living monuments to the etifi- ciency of the Davey treatment, when properly applied. John Davey the Father of Tree Surgery Has Given the World a New Profession .TOHN D.WKV The Father of Tree Siirger.v Wonderlul in its results, useful beyond calculation, and of the most Interesting character, .lohn Davey first conceived tlie idea of tree surgery, and the methods which saved tens of thou.sands of America's finest trees are the direct results of Ills genius. If .vou wish to save ,vour trees, you need the services of tree surtjeons who can give results. The Davey exi>ert alone cm thoroughly s^atlsfy you. We are just no sv preparing: a beautiful new booklet, which will be a veritable delight to tlie tree lovor, fully explainingour work. Its cost is too great to permt promiscuou'; distribution, but If you liave trees and are Interested In their preservation, we shall lie glad to mail .vou a cop.v without charge. Send us your name and aHdre.ss today, for promr)t attention addressing Desk K!. THE DAVEY TREE EXPERT CO.. Inc. (Operating Davey's School of Practical Forestry) Eastern Office: TARRYTOWN, N. Y. AifJrfss Niarcsl Office Main Office: KENT, OHH The Home of Tree Surgery In writing to advertisers kindly mention Conservation .^MEMIISil^M ir®mmSTnFiY ASS®aATB®Kl LIBRARY CONTENTS FOR SEPTEMBER, 1909 oaruen. COVER DESIGN— By Charles E. Cartwright. THEODORE ROOSEVELT Frontispiece HOME BUILDING FOR THE NATION— By Gifford Pinchot 521 PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT'S ACKNOWLEDGMENTS TO MR. GIFFORD PINCHOT 526 THE NATIONAL IRRIGATION SITUATION— By Frederick Haynes Newell 527 NOTES ON SOME FOREIGN FORESTS— By Chas. E. Bessey 533 THE ABANDONED FARM— By J. Oliver Smith 539 ATTITUDE OF THE ADMINISTRATION TOWARD THE RECLAMATION OF THE ARID LANDS OF THE WEST— By Richard A. Ballinger 544 ADMINISTRATION FOR THE PEOPLE— By George C Pardee. 548 THEODORE ROOSEVELT: DYNAMIC GEOGRAPHER (Continued)— By Frank Buffington Vrooman 550 THE EQUALIZING INFLUENCE OF FORESTS ON THE FLOW OF STREAMS AND THEIR VALUE AS A MEANS OF IMPROVING NAVIGATION (Con- cluded)— By Geo. F. Swain, LL.D 557 THE INTERESTS VERSUS THE PEOPLE— By Thomas Elmer Will 563 EDITORIAL— Resolutions by the National Irrigation Congress.. 572 Bond Issue Advocated 572 Indorsement of the Forest and Reclamation Services 572 Ten Million Dollars Annuall.v for Irrigation 572 Government Drainage 57:; NEWS AND NOTES— Resolutions 57ft Roosevelt Policies Concerned 580 Roosevelt Policies at Stalje 5Sn A National Issue Shaping 581 The Lawyer and the Man of Science 581 Director Newell and His Enemies 581 No Explanation 582 To Can Pinchot 582 Pinchot vs. Ballinger 5S2 Pinchot and Newell Commended 5S2 Pinchotism and the Power Trust 583 The Water-power Trust 58.'^ Regulation of Timber Cutting 573 Still Other Resolutions 574 What Is the "Poor Man's Proposition 7" 574 The Water-power Trust 57.i Sacrificing the Indian Forests 577 The Case of Congressman Tawney 57n Mr. Pinchot's Fight 583 Too Serious to Be Ignored 584 Pinchot's Object Right 584 Congress Should Investigate 584 Tlie Law and the Spirit ,"i8-' Waterways Commission in Berlin 5S5 Conservation Congress in Seattle 58.") The Forest Conference 5S."> A Field Meeting of the Vermont Forestry Asso- sociation 586 Disastrous Fire in Maine Forest 58ti BACK NUMBERS WANTED 586 Conservation is the official organ of the American Forestry Association. Price, S2.00 per year. Including Annual Membership In the Association. Entered as second-class matter August 1, 1908, at the Post-offlce at Washington. D. C. under the Act of March 3, 1879 Published Monthly at 1417 G STREET, N. W. WASHINGTON, D. C. 7f CONSERVATION'S ADVERTISERS The American Forestry Association President— CURTIS GUILD. Jr. Former Governor of Massachusetts The American Forestry Association was organized in 1882, and incorporated in January, 1897, It now has over 7,000 members, residents of every State in the Union, Canada, and foreign coun- tries. From its organization it has been the tireless friend of the forests. The object of the Association is to promote the preservation, by wise use. and the extension of the forests of the United States ; its means are agitation and education ; it seeks to encourage the appH- cation of forestry by private owners to forest holdings, large or small ; and it favors, especially, the establishment and multiplication of National and State forests, to be administered in the highest in- terests of all. The Association seeks as members all who sympathize with its object and methods, and who believe that our natural resources con- stitute a common heritage, to be used without abusing and adminis- tered for the common good. Seeking to conserve our supplies of wood and water, the Association appeals especially to wood- producers and users, including owners of wood lands, lumbermen, foresters, railroad men, and engineers ; and to those dependent upon equable stream flow, as manufacturers, irrigators, employers of water power, and those engaged in internal commerce. The Association meets annually in Washington. It publishes, monthly, Conservation, the magazine of authority in its special field. The list of contributors to this publication includes practi- cally all persons prominent in forest work in the United States, making it alone worth the cost of Annual Membership in the Association. The dues, covering a subscription to Conservation, are as fol- lows : Annual — For Annual Members, $2 ; for Sustaining Mem- bers, $25 ; Total, with exemption from all other payments — for Life Members, $100; for Patrons, $1,000. Of the above amount, $1 is set aside each year to pay the subscription of each member to Conservation. Otto Luebkert, Secretary, The American Forestry Association. Membership in the Association coincides >vith the calendar year 8f The American Forestry Association OFFICERS FOR. 1909 PRESIDENT CURTIS GUILD. Jr., Massachusetts VICE-PKESIDENTS-AT-LARGE N. J. BACHELDER, New Hampshire GEORGE T. OLIVER, Pennsylvania ANDREW CARNEGIE. New York GEORGE C. PARDEE, California CHARLES W. ELIOT, Massachusetts GEORGE FOSTER PEABODY New York B. E. FERNOW, Ontario, Canada J. E. RANSDELL. Louisiana ' W. W. FINLEY, Washington, D. C. J. T. ROTHROCK. Pennsylvania DAVID R. FRANCIS, Missouri ALBERT SHAW. New York RUTHERFORD P. HAYES, North Carolina CHARLES P. TAFT, Ohio .TAMES J. HILL. Minnesota CHARLES R. VAN HISE, Wisconsin S. WEIR MITCHELL, Pennsylvania ANDREW D. WHITE, New York SECRETARY AND TREASURER, OTTO LUEBKERT, Washington, D. C. DIRECTORS PHILIP W. AYRES, New Hampshire GEORGE H. MAXWELL. Illinois JOSHUA L. BAILEY, Pennsylvania CHARLES F. NESBIT, District of Columbia JAMES H. CUTLER, Massachusetts HENRY A. PRESSEY, District of Columbia HENRY S. GRAVES, Connecticut HENRY RIESENBERG. Indiana CURTIS GUILD, JR., Massachusetts CUNO H. RUDOLPH, District of Columbia WILLIAM S. HARVEY, Pennsylvania EDWIN A. START, Massachusetts GEO. D. MARKHAM, Missouri JAMES S. WHIPPLE, New York GEORGE P. WHITTLESEY, District of Columbia Advisory Board. Representing Affiliated Organizations YELLOW PINE MANUTACTURERS* ASSOCIATION PHILIP S. GARDINER, Laurel, Miss. N. W. McLEOD, St. Louis, Mo. H. H- WHELESS, Shreveport, La. NATIONAL WHOLESALE LUMBER DEALERS' ASSOCIATION GEORGE F. CRAIG, Philadelphia, Pa. ROBT. C. LIPPINCOTT, Philadelphia, Pa. LEWIS DILL, Baltimore, Md. NORTHERN PINE MANUFACTURERS' ASSOCIATION C. A. SMITH, Minneapolis, Minn. WILLIAM IRVINE, Chippewa Falls, Wis. F. E. WEYERHAEUSER, St. Paul, Minn. MASSACHUSETTS FORESTRY ASSOCIATION JAMES S. RUSSELL, Boston, Mass. GEORGE E. STONE, Amherst, Mass EDWIN A. START, Boston, Mass. LUMBERMEN'S EXCHANGE WILLIAM L. RICE, Philadelphia, Pa. FREDERICK S. UNDERBILL, Philadelphia. Pa. SAMUEL B. VROOMAN, Philadelphia, Pa. TIGHT BARREL STAVE MANUFACTURERS' ASSOCIATION GEORGE M. HAMPTON, Fordyce, Ark. W. K. KNOX. New York City A. L. HAYES, Nashville, Tenn. NATIONAL SLACK COOPERAGE MANUFACTURERS' ASSOCIATION J. T. WYLIE, Saginaw, Mich. JAMES INNES, Chatham, Ontario C. H. KEYS, New York City NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF BOX MANUFACTURERS B. W. PORTER, Greenfield, Mass. S. B. ANDERSON. Memphis, Tenn. ROBT. A. JOHNSON, Minneapolis, Minn. CARRIAGE BUILDERS' NATIONAL ASSOCIATION H. C. McLEAR, Wilmington, Del. D. T. WILSON, New York C. D. FIRESTONE, Columbus, Ohio BOSTON PAPER TRADE ASSOCIATION N. M. JONES, Lincoln, Maine JOHN F. A. HUSSEY, Boston, Mass. ARTHUR L. HOBSON. Boston, Mass. Applicattion for Membership To OTTO LUEBKERT " ' Secretary American Forestry Association 1417 G Street N. W., Washington, D. C. Dear Sir: I hereby signify my desire to become a member of the American Forestry Asso ciation. Two Dollars ($2.00) for annual dues are enclosed herewith. Very truly yours, Name P. O. Address 9f Theodore Roosevelt, Author o{ the Conservation Policy Vol. XV SEPTEMBER, 1909 No. 9 HOME^BUILDING FOR THE NATION By GIFFORD PINCHOT, United States Forester, and Chairman National Conservation Commission* THE most valuable citizen of this or any other country is the man who owns the land from which he makes his living. No other man has such a stake in the country. No other man lends such steadiness and stability to our national life. There- fore, no other question concerns us more intimately than the question of homes. Permanent homes for our- selves, our children, anfl our Nation — this is the central problem. The policy of national irrigation is of value to the Tnited States in very many ways, but the greatest of all is this, that national irrigation multiplies the men who own the land from which they make their living. The old saying. "Who ever heard of a man shouldering his gun to fight for his boarding-house?" reflects this great truth, that no man is so ready to defend his country, not only with arms, but with his vote, and his contribution to ])ublic opinion, as the man with a permanent stake in it — as the man who owns the land from which he makes his living. Our country began as a nation of farmers. During the periods that gave it its character, when our independ- ence was won and when our Union was preserved, we were preeminently a nation of farmers. A\'e cannot, and wc ought not, to continue exclusively, or even chiefly, an agricultural country, because one man can raise food enough for man^■. Rut the farmer who owns his land is still the backbone of this Nation ; and one of the things wc want most is more of him. The man on the farm is valuable to the Nation, like any other citizen, just in proportion to his intelligence, char- acter, ability, and patriotism ; but, un- like the other citizens, also in propor- tion to his attachment to the soil. That is the principal spring of his steadi- ness, his sanit}', his simplicity and di- rectness, and man\- of his other desir- ^Delivered before the Nationril Trri.q-ation Congress at Si)okanc, Wash., on August 10, 1909. 521 Undeveloped Water-power in Stevens County, Washington able qualities. He is the first of home- makers. The nation that will lead the world will be a nation of homes. Tlie object of the great conservation movement is just this, to make our country a per- manent and prosperous home for our- selves and for our children, and for our children's children, and it is a task 522 that is worth the best thought and ef- fort of any and all of us. To achieve this or any other great result, straight thinking and strong ac- tion are necessary, and the straight thinking comes first. To make this country what we need to have it, we must think clearly and directly about our problems, and. above all, we must HOAIE-BUILDIXG FOR THE NATION 523 understand what the real problems are. The g-reat things are few and simple, but they are too often hidden by false issues, and conventional, unreal think- ing. The easiest way to hide a real issue always has been, and always will be, to replace it with a false one. The first thing we need in this coun- try, as President Roosevelt so well set forth in that great message which toM what he had been trying to do for the American people, is equality of oppor- tunity for every citizen. No man should have less, and no man ought to ask for any more. Equality of oppor- tunity is the real object of our laws and institutions. Our institutions and our laws are not valuable in them- selves. They are valuable only because they secure equality of opportunity for happiness and welfare for our citizens. An institution or a law is a means, not an end — a means to be used for the public good ; to be modified for the pub- lic good, and to be interpreted for the public good. One of the great reasons why President Roosevelt's administra- tion was of such enormous value to the plain American was that he understood what St. Paul meant when he said : "The letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life." To follow blindly the letter of the law% or the form of an institution, without intelligent regard teth for its spirit and for the public welfare, is very nearly as dangerous as to disregard the law altogether. What we need is the use of the law for the public good, anil the construction of it for the public welfare. It goes without saying that the law is supreme and must be obeyed. Our civilization rests on obedience to law. But the law is not absolute. It re- quires to be construed. Rigid con- struction of the law works, and must work, in the vast majority of cases, for the benefit of the men who can hire the best lawyers and who have the sources of influence in lawmaking at their command. Strict construction necessarily favors the great interests as against the people, and in the long run cannot do otherwise. Wise execution of the law must consider what the law ought to accomplish for the general good. The great oppressive trusts ex- ist because of subservient lawmakers and adroit legal constructions. Here is the central stronghold of the money power in the everlasting conflict of the few to grab, and the many to keep or win the rights they were born with. Legal technicalities seldom ht^lp the people. The people, not the law, should have the benefit of every doubt. Equality of opportunity, a square deal for every man, the protection of the citizen against the great concen- trations of capital, the intelligent use of laws and institutions for the public good, and the conservation of our nat- ural resources, not for the trusts, but for the people ; these are real issues and real problems. Upon such things as these the perpetuity of this country as a nation of homes really depends. We are coming to see that the simple things are the things to work for. More than that, we are coming to see that the plain American citizen is the man to work for. The imagination is stag- gered by the magnitude of the prize for which we work. If w.e succee;!. there will exist upon this continent a sane, strong people, living through the centuries in a land subdued and con- trolled for the service of the people, its rightful masters ; owned by the many and not by the few. If we fail, the great interests, increasing their control of our natural resources, will thereby control the country more and more, and the rights of the people will fade into the privileges of concentrated wealth. There could be no better illustration of the eager, rapid, unwearied absorp- tion by capital of the rights which be- long to all the people than the water- power trust, not yet formed, but in rapid process of formation. This state- ment is true, but not unchallenged. We are met at every turn by the indignant denial of the water-power interests. They tell us that there is no community of interest among them, and yet they appear year after year at these con- gresses by their paid attorneys, asking for your influence to help them remove the few remaining obstacles to their perpetual and complete absorption of the remaining water-powers. They tell 3 u o oa a. cu < ao HOME-BUILDING FOR THE NATION 5-\S us it has no significance that the Gen- eral Electric interests are acquiring great groups of water-powers in va- rious parts of the United States, an-1 dominating the power market in the re- gion of each group. And whoever dominates power, dominates all indus- tr\-. Have vou ever seen a few drops of oil scattered on the water spreading until they formed a continuous film, which put an end at once to all agita- tion on the surface ? 1die time for us to agitate this question is now, hefore the separate circles of centralized con- trol spread into the uniform, unhroken. nation-wide covering of a single gi- gantic trust. There will be little chance for mere agitation after that. No man at all familiar with the situation can doubt that the time for efifective protest is verv short. If we do not use it to protect ourselves now, we may be very sure that the trust will give hereafter small consideration to the welfare of the average citizen when in confiict with its own. The man who really counts is the plain American -citizen. This is the man for whom the Roosevelt policies were created, and his welfare is the end to which the Roosevelt policies lead. As a nation, we are fortunate at this time in this fact above all others, that the great man who gave his name to these policies has for his successor an- other great President whose adminis- tration is most solemnly pledged to the support of them. I stand for the Roosevelt policies be- cause they set the common good of all of us above the private gain of some of us ; because they recognize the live- lihood of the small man as more im- portant to the Nation than the profit of the big man : because they oppose all useless waste at present at the cost of robbing the future; because they de- mand the complete, sane, and orderly development of all our natural re- sources, not forgetting our rivers ; be- cause they insist upon equality of op- portunity and denounce monopoly and special privileges ; because, discarding false issues, they deal directly with the vital questions that really make a dif- ference with the welfare of us all — and most of all, because in them the plain American always and everywhere holds the first place. And I propose to stand for them while I have the strength to stand for anything. President Roosevelt's Acknowledgments to Mr. Gifford Pinchot "We have been doing every^ "All these various uses of thing in our power to prevent our natural resources are so fraud upon the public land. . , . closely connected that they So much for what we are should be coordinated, and trying to do in utilizing our should be treated as part of public lands for the public; in one coherent plan and not securing the use of the water, in haphazard and piecemeal the forage, the coal, and the fashion, It is largely because timber for the public, In all of this that I appointed the four movements my chief Waterways Commission last adviser, and the man first to year, , , . The reason this suggest to me the courses meeting takes place is because which have actually proved we had that Waterways so beneficial, was Mr. Gifford Commission last year, , . , Pinchot, the Chief of the Na^' Especial credit is due to the tional Forest Service. Mr, initiative, the energy, the de^' Pinchot also suggested to me votion to duty, and the far^- a movement supplementary sightedness of Gifford Pin/* to all of these movements; chot (Great Applause), to one which will itself lead the whom we owe so much of way in the general move^' the progress we have already ment which he represents made in handling this mat'' and with which he is actively ter of the coordination and identified, for the conserva'' conservation of natural re^* tion of all our natural rC'' sources, If it had not been sources. This was the ap^' for him, this Convention pointment of the Inland neither would nor could Waterways Commission," — have been called," — President Address of President RoosC'' Roosevelt in his opening ad'' velt before the National Edi'' dress to the Conference of torial Association at JameS'' the Governors of the United town, Va,, June 10, 1907, at States, White House, May 13, 2 p. m. 1908. 526 Jdmes Wilson, Secretary of Agriculture THE NATIONAL IRRIGATION SITUATION By FREDERICK HAYNES NEWELL, Director of the United States Reclamation Service* THE present situation in national irrigation is that homes are being provided for thousands of self- supporting citizens at no cost to the taxpayer. Seven years have elapsed since the passage of the Reclamation Act. Under its operation irrigation works have been built in thirteen western states and two territories by which waters are conserved and dis- tributed and nearly 700,000 acres al- ready brought under irrigation, with returns to the fund amounting already to over $1,000,000. The success ob- tained may be said to justify the hopes of the most enthusiastic of the early advocates of the Reclamation Act. The law signed by President Roose- velt on June 17, 1902, known as the Reclamation Act, is, perhaps, the most prominent of the statutes dealing di- rectly with the conservation of natural resources and with the utilization of these in creating opportunities for a a large body of citizens to own land in small quantities sufficient for the sup- *Delivered before the National Irrigation Congress at Spokane. A\'ash., on August 9, 1909. 527 Frederick Haynes Newell Director U. S, Rcclaniallon Service THE NATIONAL IRRIGATION SITUATION 529 port of a family. To quote a well-worn phrase, its object is to put "the land- less man on the manless land," and to enal^le his family to prosper by the use of waters which otherwise flow to waste or are destructive of human life and property. The land which otherwise is valueless becomes highly productive through the intelligent application of the water thus conserved, and through the labor of the man who otherwise might be unable to employ his energies for the best good of his famil}- and of the commonwealth. The Nation is concerned in this work, not only because of the resulting in- ternal development, but also because of the improvement in citizenship and in stability of American institutions. The nomadic herdsman, the restless miner and the wandering laborer add little to the strength or safety of the com- munity, but let one of these men be- come attached to the soil ; let him own a small farm which is sufficiently produc- tive to furnish his famih- with needed subsistence and comforts, and he be- comes a citizen who can be depended upon, in season and out of season, to preserve those institutions which we most highly prize. This result of adding to the pro- ductive area of the country and the building up of the highest type of citi- zenship is brought by the expenditure of a fund not created by direct taxa- tion nor taken from the pockets of other farmers. The fund is derived from the proceeds of the disposal of public lands acquired a century or les^ ago and which have been considered al- most valueless. These funds are ex- pended in the construction of reservoirs and canals, the water from which is not given away, but is sold at a rate suffi- cient to repay the cost and to maintain the fund undiminished. '■' * * While the (Government has utilized this fund in making homes in localities where otherwise this would not have been done, private capital has also made great advances, and possibly at present five or ten times as large an investment in the aggregate is being made by cor- porations in building irrigation works as is being invested by the Government. Much of this investment, however, has been made possible, or at least has been stimulated by the Government work. The fact that the National Gov- ernment has deemed it wise to take up the matter has been one of the strongest arguments appealing to capitalists to do likewise. There is no competition as between national and private funds, but rather an attempt at all times on the part of the Government to stinuilate legitimate enterprise through obtaining facts upon which investments might be safely made, and to avoid taking up such work as could be handled successfully by others. Looking back, it now seems probable that if the Government had not begun work in each of the western states, many of the enterprises now suc- cessful under private auspices would not have been taken up : but, on the other hand, some of the enterprises on which the Government is now engaged, if left dormant for several years, would have been entered upon by private capital. The reclamation fund has been larger than was expected, upward of $52,- 000,000 being available to December. UJ09, this being twice as much as was foreseen. There have been laid out sys- tems which involve the ultimate rec- lamation of several million acres. Large works, whose magnitude is such that they have been passed over by private and corporate enterprise, have been built. In all, it may be stated that in round nuiubers there were ready for irrigation at the beginning of the irri- gation season of the present year over 5,000 farms, with an aggregate acreage of 700,000 acres. Storage of flood waters had been created and in actual use to the extern of 1,000,000 acre-feet. Canals and ditches were ready for use of an aggre- gate length of more than 3,000 miles. Fifty-eight tunnels had been built of a length of 85,000 feet. Many thou- sands of smaller structures, such as headgates, flumes, bridges, and turn- outs, were completed : a thousand miles of telephone in operation, and yardages of earth moved comparable to that han- dled in the same time at Panama. Minidoka Dam, Nearly Closing the Snake River, Idaho Field of Irrigated Lettuce, Sanford. Flo. THE NATIONAL IRRIGATION SITUATION 5.y Alore than all this showing' n{ material progress are the excellent resnlts accom- plished in carrying ont the purpose of the act^ namely, the making of oppor- tunities for homes. The wise provi- sion of the law restricting acreage has hecn enforced, and there is a well marked heneficial result in the suhdi- vision of large areas of irrigable land and the placing of this in the hands of men competent to successfully culti- vate the soil and make permanent homes. The speculative element has been largely absent. The works now in hand will require all of the reclamation fund for several years. Each large work is completed to a point where it has made possible hundreds of homes, and where returns are coming to the fund, but it has nu- merous ramifications or divisions, each of which requires considerable more money for completion. There is no lack of work when these are finished. The opportunities for further conservation of the waste waters are almost unlim- ited. * * * The main intent of the Reclamation Act in bringing about beneficial results to the multitude frequently puts the in- dividual to annoyance and expense. The requirements of residence on the land, or in the neighborhood is freelv criticized as involving unnecessarv hardship, and yet this is one of the re- quirements which the majority of Con- gress considered as being an essential condition for the advancement of Fed- eral funds. The slowness of the work is also crit- icised and it has come to be a ma'.ter of general remark that the Government is always slow. This, like many tru- isms, is a statement which does not stand close analysis. There are few corporations wdiich have accomplished with the funds available as much as has been carried on by the Reclamation Service. * * * The people are impa- tient for all the improvements to be carried on at once, forgetting that rev- enues are not sufficient. * * * The successful handling of the rec- lamation fund probably rcfjuires as much, if not more, skill and patience than in any industrial enterprise. On the one hand are the settlers clamoring for immediate results ; on the other hand are engineering problems ant! complications of vested rights to water and difficult rights of way, with defec- tive land titles, all of which must be patiently worked out under very exact- ing regulations. The Federal employee is regarded by all as a proper target; when joined with this is the fact that the man in control of the ditch is, as a matter of course, regarded by every one as re- sponsible for every evil in the com- munity, you have a combination which requires almost unlimited skill, tact, and self-control. The Reclamation Act is not a perfect document, but, like most acts of Con- gress, is the result of compromise of many conflicting ideas. It is purposely broad and leaves as many details as possible to executive discretion. Wher- ever it may be defective these defects can only be remedied in one way, namely, by Congress, and not by any official. It is worse than useless, there- fore, to attempt to remedy these de- fects, if they exist, through criticism of the methods adopted by the ofiiciais in direct charge. .\ny needed im- provements should be brought to tho attention of the law-making body and particularly to the Committees on Irri gation of the Senate and House, each of which is seeking for suggestions and intelligent advice from practical men. Douglas Spruce Near Astoria, Orcg., Didmcter Thirteen Feet, Estimated Height Three Hundred Feet NOTES ON SOME FOREIGN FORESTS By CHARLES E. BESSEY Professor of Botany in University of Nebraska 1HA\"E never traveled strictly as a forester, any more than I have as a botanist only, or as a simple sight- seer or a mere "globe-trotter." When I travel I like to be on the lookout for everything that comes along, whether it be botanical, zoological, geological, agri- cultural, anthropological, economical, or comical. Yes; I enjoy the latter, and must confess to keeping my eyes con- stantly on the lookout for the comicali- ties of travel, and 1 am sm'e that nnich of my continued enjoxment of travel is due to this relaxation. So I manage to see a good deal of my surroundings when I take a run through a new coun- try, and it is in this way that I have picked up some things about the forests of the Old World. Many years ago I made the acquaint- ance of an English chemist, who much later invited me to visit his country place in the edge of Epping Forest, a few miles northeastward from London. Of course, I went and had the pleasure of driving out into the famous old for- est. Originally, this was a tract of about 60,000 acres of a notable forest growth, covering an area from eight to ten miles in length (north and south) and from less than a mile in width to near two miles. Here were formerly some gigantic trees, one oak (0. robitr) having a diameter of nearly nine feet. But, alas. Englishmen were formerly as careless of their forests as Americans have been, and this great, public tract was despoiled of many of its finest trees, and even the land was stolen, until pub- lic sentiment demanded that the rem- nant at last should be saved. Yet it was not until 1871 that these ravages were stopped by an act of parliament, which has saved for posterity a tithe of the great tract, no longer a stately forest, but an open glade with here and there a tree, or a group of trees, and more rarely a denser forest mass. And yet I enjoyed my visit to this old for- est, for although mostly despoiled of its trees, and with its area reduced through the rapacity of unauthorized land- seekers, it is still a witness to the fact that the people will not allow unlimited destruction of the public domain. It took the English public a long time to wake up to the fact that this great for- est was being destroyed, just as it has taken a long time for the American pub- lic to realize that their forests were being ruthlessly destroyed. West of London, at Kew, is another old forest worthy of a long journey to see. A long time ago the kings and lords used to delight to rest, or hunt, or carouse in the forests at Kew and near-by Richmond, ^^'ith the fear of the royal displeasure before them, de- spoilers were kept from destroying the trees or stealing the ground, and so one may find here in the edge of the great city dense forests that seem never to have sufifered from vandal axmen. It seemed strange, indeed, to be able to stroll, as I did, out among the old trees until I reached a solitude as absolute as that one finds in the Selkirk forests of the great Northwest. I sat under an enormous beech, and coulcl scarcely realize that I was so near the greatest city in the world, with its century-old buildings, its treeless streets, anrl its noisy, restless throngs of tired, anxious people. A part, now, of the Royal Bot- anical Gardens at Kew, this forest may well stand as long as the world endures. Here oak trees, now a century or two old, may live on until old age claims them. Here young trees, now mere whips, may grow to be giants, and in their turn they, too, will pass into the decline of old age and drop their limbs 533 534 CONSERVATION and !^o clown to death. And yet the Kew forest will live on to show the denizen of the great city what trees, and shade, and cooling rest are. I shall not soon forget the pleasant hours I passed in the old Kew forest. As one runs through rural England he sees many hodies of forests ; in fact, one is impressed with the ahundance of trees in the ordinary English landscape. It shows that at bottom John Bull loves the forest, and loves trees — for in the fields and along fence rows everywhere one sees trees. Maybe his love of hunt- ing had something to do with it, but even this reason for preserving the ]^atches of forests is far better than that greed which sees nothino- but so much money-bringing lumber in every tree and every acre of forest. Let us honor the Englishman for his love of trees, and let us learn from him that a beautiful landscape dotted with trees has a value for our lives that cannot be estimated in terms of money — that the rest and shade of a piece of wood- land are of more value than rubies, and that all the gold of Ophir cannot buy them. ( )n the Continent one is impressed with a feeling that centuries ago the people cleared away the forests, and laid waste the whole land. As a rule, the only natural forests are those on the steep hills and mountains where man could not luake cultivated fields. Here the feeling that prevailed was like that which still dominates in America, namely, that a forest-covered tract has only two possible uses : ( i ) to be cut for its wood, as fuel or lumber ; and (2) to be turned into fields to be plowed. And too often where the ax- man did not care to cut the trees for his use, the plowman demanded the re- moval of the trees in order that he luight have fields to plow. So, as the centuries went on, the country was mostly cleared of trees, and then came the awakening. And to-day one sees artificial forests that have become a necessity because of the reckless lack of forethought of the people many years The Pulp-wood Industry. Cutting Spruce in the Adirondacks Scene on Menominee River at Marinette, Wis. Formerly for a Number of Years 700,000,009 Feet of Pine Was Driven Down This Stream Each Spring 53^^ CONSERX'ATIOX ago. Europe is paying now for her wastefulness centuries ago, just as we are soon to begin to pay for our similar wastefulness. Much as we may admire the Germans for the many artificial forests which they have planted, we must not over- look the fact that this is a very expen- sive way of securing forests. It is far easier and less costly in money and labor to keep a forest than to make one. Fortunate it is. indeed, that when we have lost our forests we can make new ones ; but let us not delude ourselves with the thought that it is, after all, quite as easy as to bother with the preservation of tlie natural forests. As one looks at the planted forests of Ger- many the thought comes forcibly that man is, after all, a puny creature. Com- pare the little patches of artificial for- ests, composed of "sapling" trees, with the endless stretches of forests of gi- gantic trees that once covered the re- gion from the prairies to the Atlantic Ocean. In my boyhood I was fortu- nate enough to live where there were yet large tracts of untouched forests of oak, beech, maple, ash, elm, hickory, walnut, and chestnut, and I have wan- dered for hours among the giants that had held their ground for centuries. And later, I lived for a time in the pine woods of Michigan, where one might walk for days without leaving the prim- eval forest. Do you wonder that I ad- vocate the conservation of forests rather than the planting of forests? Not that I would discourage planting ; do that by all means ; but where nature has al- ready established a forest, let us keep it — let us preserve it. Let us stop the reckless destruction of trees by the ax- man ; let us say to the plowman that the public good forbids him to kill the forest merelv that he may plow the ground for his crops. Let us not do as was done in western Europe — kill the natural forests, and then be com- pelled to depend upon planted ones alone. Between Halle, in south Germany, and- Berlin, there are numberless little blocks of planted forests. And indeed they looked very pretty, and are very interesting to study, with their care- fully planned successions of plantings, looking like so many green steps on thi' landscape. And yet I could not help thinking of the big sawmills I have seen in the Michigan woods, and later on Puget Sound, and I wondered how many days these little forests w'ould last before one of them. And when I have heard about the great mills that make paper pulp I have wondered again how many hours it would take one of them to grind up these pretty patches of planted trees. Between Berlin and Moscow the arti- ficial forests are mainly planted upon the sandy areas that stretch across the country, here and there, and as one goes farther eastward these finally merge into natural timber belts that have been conserved, and somewhat improved by additional plantings, and these, in turn, are followed by unmodified natural for- ests. But none of these forests impresses one as of great value as compared with the original forests of eastern North America, since the trees are small, and of species that have low value as timber producers. Southward from Moscow to the Caucasus ]\Tountains are the great, treeless steppes, exactly like the region of the prairies and plains be- tween the Mississippi River and the Rocky Mountains. Here is a black soil which is covered with grassy vegeta- tion, but upon which trees will grow if planted. Here and there one finds thrifty trees or groves, planted by the landholders, showing that the condi- tions there and here are alike. Farther south lie the Caucasus Moun- tains, with a sparse forest growth on the north slopes. I was told that these mountains were once forest-covered on their northerly sides, and I can well believe the statement, for here and there are forest areas that appear to be the remnants of a former general forest growth. Here, however, the destruc- tion of the forests was the voluntary act of an invading army seeking to dislodge the fierce tribesmen. The re- sult, alas, is that the great mountains are now bare of trees, and the rivers u ■3 c o a. have become dangerous and destruc- tive mountain torrents. On the south- erly slopes the forests still persist, and give one some idea of what they prob- ably were once throughout this moun- tain region. I have scarcely seen their equal anywhere, and here they stand as they have stood for ages, and the streams that come from them are living streams which flow peacefully and harmlessly in their channels, in sharp contrast to those on the northerly slope. If any one is in doubt as to the efifect of the removal of the forests upon stream-flow, he has but to contrast the two sides of the Caucasus Mountains. On the treeless side, the rivers are uncontrollable torrents that rush down suddenly, rend and tear the valleys, and carry sand and gravel out upon the level farm lands below the mountain sides ; on the other, the streams flow steadily, and the little fields in the lower valleys are not molested. On the one hand, the forests retain and restrain the waters ; on the other, the deforested, naked mountain sides allow the waters to run off at once with destructive rapidity. 537 THE ABANDONED FARM By J. OLIVER SMITH A FEW years ago the so-called abandoned farm was in reality forsaken, left to the mercy of the elements ; and though mother na- ture tried to cover up the slow deca)' by luxuriant growths of vine antl creeper, by banks of wild roses and the persistent bloom of daisy, larkspur, and caraway, which some loving hand had planted near the doorway, still the tangle of bush and brier told its own story of neglect and also of longing. At the present time the longing and loneliness which even nature might be supposed to feel For the touch of a vanished hand And the sound of a voice that is still, have been in some measure relieved by the extent to which these places have been taken by summer residents, and the tenderness of home given back to the locality by the bestowal of more care than that given by their original owners and occupants. What new de- light the summer resident feels over every changing panoramic view, in sun- shine or in storm, beautiful beyond de- scription, and soul-satisfying after the limitations of the city. Several years ago it was the good fortune of a little family who had been living in one of our smaller cities to find such a home for the summer in a section of the western Adirondacks. The father being a professional man with but little leisure for summer out- ings, and belonging to that school of "reservists" who think that home is the best place for the family — and with reason — that there is altogether too much hotel life for the good of the ris- ing generation, seldom in his busy prac- tise found an opportunity for a vaca- tion and seldom admitted the necessity for it as a nerve tonic, a rest cure, or an inspiration. The family had without much rebellion accepted his opinions. lUit as the daughters grew toward wom- anhood and the mother noted a delicacy of coloring in the cheek of one of them, and a growing languor in her appear- ance, some plan was in process of evo- lution to give them the tonic of the woods and fields without the nerve- exhausting distraction of crowds nor the wearing efifect of coming in close contact with different personalities. Just at this time the mother heard, through a friend, of a place in one of our northern counties which was for sale at a low figure. She wrote to the friend and found that there was such a place. He gave a glowing account of it in its natural scenery, not far from the junction of two rivers and only a few miles from some of the famous Adirondack lakes. "The house itself," he said, "was merely an unfinished farm house, and might disappoint a purchaser who had not seen the small houses in that section of country ; but there was a fine old barn, weather- beaten outside, but with beams and rafters that might last a century. There were sixteen acres of farm and wood- land, and a clear title could be given. But there was an "if" in the way. It had other prospective purchasers, and would be held only one day more ! xA.s it happened, the father was, for the time being, on the other side of the continent, having been sent as a dele- gate to an important convention held in a city near the Pacific coast. It was an important step to take without con- sultation ; and the mother, dreading the responsibility of it, might have lost the opportunity, had it not been that one 539 o a. >• of the little womanly daughters took matters into her own hands and decided the question. She reminded the mother that out of their own pocket money, which they had saved, they could pay the first instal- ment on the little place and with a slight advance from the mother's purse might pay the whole if they were satisfied on seeing it. "As sister is the one who needs the 540 change most," said the little promoter, "you and she start ofif this very after- noon on a prospecting tour, and I'll stay and keep house ; and if you get it, tele- graph me, and I'll break the news to papa just as soon as he gets home." It was with eager anticipation that the two travelers set out on their jour- ney, and to the mother's delight she saw the flush of pleasure and interest steal into her daughter's face as they A Woodlot Consisting of White Oak, Popuhis Troiiiiloidcs, and P. Grandidciita Situated in Vernon County, Wisconsin Grcv; of Aspen in the Blacif Mcsi Forest Reserve A Hut in the Woods went into the unknown. Ijv car and stage they journeyed until late after- noon, when at length, from the rose- embowered steps of the little chateau, they had the pleasure of seeing one of the finest sunsets they had ever beheld, and the aroma of that divine, balsam- laden air seemed the elixir of life. Although the first sight of the little house was disappointing, they soon saw the possibilities of the place, and finding that there was a spring of ice-cold water under the hill, soft and clear as crystal, and that there were also many kinds of trees on the place, with a border of real forest in the background, and also that it was not too far from other human habitations, the purchase was made be- fore the end of the following day. The telegram was sent to the sister at home, and, later, a letter, to come as soon as she could get the father's 542 consent, and to ship from the real home all the surplus odds and ends which might be spared. The result was, after a few days, a letter of commendation from the ab- sent father, praise for their decision of character, reimbursement for their out- lay, a quick conversion on his part to the vacation idea, and a promise of a visit to their little chateau on his return. Busy hands and loving hearts now- planned the adornment of the little summer home, to be in readiness for the father's coming. The unplastered walls were soon covered with cream- colored unbleached muslin, bought by the piece at the nearest country store. This was tacked on with care, while the great beams overhead were left bare in the colonial style of our great grand- mothers. Branches of balsam hemlock and garlands of running pine graced A Perennial Southern Slope of Mt, Mitchell Fed by Water Stored in the Forest ^covered Slope Above these white, upholstered walls, and be- fore the father appeared on the scene a very habitable little home had arisen like magic from out of its bower of June roses with their mass of bloom and brightness. Hammocks were swung under the tall maple, and a rustic seat placed under the "climbing trees" — a name given by a little child of the circle to the grove of aspen trees a few rods away from the house. The sequel has proved the wisdom of the purchase, for both health and hap- piness have been the order of the hour in every summer day spent in that quiet retreat. The cost of living has been slight : plenty of fresh eggs, spring chickens, and milk have been available from the neighboring farmers ; no ser- vants were required, for the living was simplicity itself. After the first year the nearer fields were placed under cultivation, the soil enriched by phosphates, and the family soon had the deep, satisfying pleasure of watching the growing grains and vegetables. It was found that the soil, which is a sandy loam with a substratum of clay, yielded plentifully, and that in the autumn the home cellar in the city was regularly stocked with these rich returns, and that when the stay in the country could be late enough, the deli- ciously toothsome delicacy of sweet corn and other succulent vegetables, such as no citv hotel could boast, were there in great abundance. 54i Attitude of the Administration Toward the Recla/' mation of the Arid Lands of the West' By Hon, RICHARD A, BALLINGER, Secretary of the Interior I BELIEVE nothing has done so much to stimulate and bring about the development of the West and its settlement as the policy of the Govern- ment in connection with free home- steads for landless settlers and the en- couragement of exploration in the min- eral regions. It is true the great land grants were productive of railroad con- struction, linking the Atlantic with the Pacific, and the construction of these railroads was an almost indispensable element in the progress of settlement west of the Mississippi River. Since the adoption of the homestead and min- eral laws, the public lands have been considered less of a direct national as- set than as a means for the advance- ment of our people and the encourage- ment of agricultural, industrial, and commercial growth. Up to the last decade it was not fully apparent that the vast resources of the Government in the public domain were rapidly disappearing, and that for set- tlement nothing but arid and semi-arid lands would be left ; that the forests and streams and coal deposits were be- ginning to be the prey of speculators and the Government's title therein di- vested by fraud and criminal devices. The necessity for the conservation of public utilities had not ripened into a conviction that the Government owed any responsibility either to the present or to future generations. In reference to the forests, particu- larly, tremendous loss existed, not only from fires, but from the wasteful methods of logging and of manufactur- ing. Under pioneer conditions waste- fulness on account of the necessity for existence may have its excuses. The pioneer could not eat the timber, and what may now appear to have been reckless prodigality may have been, at the time, abject necessity; nevertheless, waste is always to be deplored, and true conservation of all our natural re- sources means the elimination of waste so far as possible, and the production of the greatest utility for the greatest number. The protection of the great water-sheds of the mountain ranges from being denuded of their forests so that the streams may flow through their courses and carry water to the arid lands of the plains is of vital necessity in the reclamation of these lands. The Nation is, therefore, to be con- gratulated that, even if not seasonably undertaken, we have now entered upon a period of rational protection and of saving of its resources in the public domain. You may be assured, my fel- low citizens, that all the energies of the Government will be put forward to make effective the means necessary to accomplish this result. Appreciating the necessity of further development in encouraging the settle- ment of the West upon lands which without irrigation were uninhabitable and fit only for grazing (and that to a very limited extent), Congress in 1902 adopted the method of appropriating the receipts from the sale and disposal of public lands in certain states and ter- ritories to the construction of irrigation works for the reclamation of arid and semi-arid lands. The wisdom of this measure could hardly have been fully recognized by those who were respon- sible for its enactment. It not onlv *Delivered before National Irrigation Congress at Spokane, Wash., on August 11, 1909. 544 ATTITUDE OF THE ADMINISTRATION 545 committed the Government to the great work of irrigating the arid lands, but it furnished an example and stimulant to private capital and enterprise to en- ter upon this development wherever capital could be secured. While the Government has invested over $50,000,000 in irrigation works, many times that amount has been in- vested since the passage of the Reclama- tion Act by private enterprise, and it is safe to say that a large portion of these private investments have resulted from governmental example and encourage- ment ; and let me say here that it has not been and is not the policy of the National Government in the administra- tion of this act to hinder or interfere with the investment of private capital in the construction of irrigation works, but rather to lend it encouragement. This is particularly true in reference to irrigation under the Carey act in the various states. I am not a believer in the Government entering into compe- tition with legitimate private enter- prise. Its functions under the Reclama- tion Act are not of this character, and , I am sure that when private enterprise has done what it can there will still be thousands upon thousands of acres of public lands reclaimable only by Gov- ernment aid. The western states should, therefore, be very jealous of the per- petuity of the reclamation fund and of its constant increase. The purpose of the Reclamation Act is to undertake the irrigation of arid and semi-arid lands where a consider- able portion thereof belongs to the pub- lic domain, and by the installation of the storage and diversion of available waters to irrigate the largest possible area within a given territory at the least cost to the entrymen and land- owners for construction, maintenance, and operation, always keeping in view the matter of the settlement of these lands and rendering them capable of supporting the greatest number of fam- ilies. While it is a reclamation act, it is also a settlement act, and the pub- lic lands which are proposed to be irri- gated by means of the contemplated works have been rendered subject to entry only under the homestead laws in small tracts capable of supporting a family. It is is declared by the act that only the cost of construction and maintenance shall be repaid to the Gov- ernment. No consideration of profit or direct advantage to the Government is intended, and in this the statute does not trench upon the rights of private enterprise, particularly so long as the reclamation of public land is the main object of the Government. The law is a beneficent one ; it is another evidence of the broad and liberal policy which has ever actuated our National Gov- ernment in the disposition of its public lands. It differs, however, from the simple homestead law in that it holds out inducements only to men of suffi- cient industry and capacity to carry the added burdens of construction, main- tenance, and operation, which is the cost of the lands. While it is possible that persons of limited means may suc- cessfully enter and acquire irrigated lands, it will generally be found that it is not a poor man's proposition, un- less coupled with intelligent industry in agriculture. The whole scheme of the act is based upon the appropriation of the proceeds of the sales of public lands in certain states and territories for the construc- tion of irrigation works for the rec- lamation of arid and semi-arid lands therein. No further appropriation by the Government is intended, or can be inferred from the act, and the responsi- bility for the disbursement of the funds and the construction of the works is placed upon the Secretary of the Inte- rior. It must be recognized that the Government is acting in the nature of a trustee for the people in the dis- bursement of this fund ; that it must construct the works for the settlers and turn them over at cost, and has no right to recklessly or improvidently waste the fund ; that cost means the cost which is incurred in the exercise of common business prudence, and this is likewise true of the expense of main- tenance and operation. It is also the declared purpose of this law that the Secretary of the Interior in carrying out its provisions shall pro- ceed in conformity with the laws of the 546 CONSERVATION states and territories wherein the irri- gation works are situated and is bound by these laws in respect to the appro- priation and use of the waters therein. The Government, as I have said, has invested $50,000,000 in reclamation works, and bv such investment has suc- ceeded in irrigating over a milhon acres of arid lands ; and it may be like- wise stated with fairness that more than $50,000,000 have been added to the value of these lands. With the addi- tions which are contemplated in the completion of irrigation works now un- der construction and those contem- plated, the increase of values will more than proportionately continue., and the consummation of the revolving fund brought about bv the return of the cost of construction of present works will enable the Government in the course of years, where feasible projects exist, to increase beyond calculation the wealth of the irrigable regions and the con- tinual expansion of opportunities for settlement and for homes ; the end to be reached only when irrigable lands cease to be available. Lands that may be considered under present methods non- irrigable, in the development of me- chanical and electrical capacity for rais- ing water onto higher levels may be economically irrigable in years to come, so that no one can to-day define the limits of possibility, as they are not the limits of conceivability. This fact has been well illustrated in the history of the public domain, as it has not been many years since the arid and semi-arid lands of the West were considered worthless and denominated "desert lands." Thousands of acres of these lands, considered non-irrigable, and valuable only for grazing, are now being entered and utilized for dry farming as authorized by the act of Congress known as the "enlarged homestead act." Any one who has visited one or more of the reclamation projects now in op- eration and sees, on the one hand, the desert covered with sage brush and bar- renness, and, on the other, the water Mowing over the fertile soil, producing heavy crops of grain, or orchards in fruit, appreciates to the fullest extent the benefits of irrigation. The people of the West, therefore, who are familiar with these wonderful results in irrigation, are highly appreci- ative of the importance of the Recla- mation Service, but the great difficulty which that service encounters is in fin- ishing the projects now undertaken as against the clamor for a diversion of the funds to new fields. In this respect the service has suffered in not carrying to completion a less number of projects than it is now engaged in constructing. I cannot conceive of anything which will contribute more to the permanent wealth and prosperity of the reclama- tion states and territories than the con- tinued construction on the broadest possible scale of irrigation works. The danger, which the Government is undertaking to overcome, is the es- tablishment of small irrigation project^ in localities where by such establish- ment the larger opportunities are de- stroyed, thus preventing enormous areas of lands from ever acquiring the use of water. It is quite true that many small projects capable of being financed by men of limited means can be carved out of larger possibilities, but to en- courage them means the loss of the large possibilities. For lack of funds the Government is at present often re- quired to surrender possibilities in water appropriation which means an enormous loss in future development of irrigation w^orks. and I fear this is not fully appreciated. It is for this reason that at times private enterprises are disposed to contend that the Govern- ment is obstructing their interests, while from the larger view their in- terests are obstructing greater possibili- ties for larger areas of irrigable land. I may mention here what has frequentlv occurred to me as a source of advan- tage both to the states and the Federal Government, and that is the securing from the various states of uniform leg- islation in the matter of the appropria- tion of water and its beneficial use, and also legislation looking to the control and conservation of all available water- power. This Congress could accomplish no greater work beyond the stimulation of interest in the development of irrigation than to secure uniform water regula- ATTITIDI': OF THE ADMIXISTRATlOX 547 tions in the states and also uniform leg- islation affecting interstate waters. Ours is a nation of busy people, a nation of great resources and possibili- ties, and most favorably situated for trade and commerce. Its wealth is greater than that of any single country, even of France and Germany combined, and this wealth is increasing at a fabu- lous rate. Much of it has been accumu- lated by the destruction, by the sacri- fice and waste of nature's gifts, and it is a fortuitous circumstance that the country has been brought to understand the importance of utilizing and saving our natural wealth and making it pos- sible for the Nation to continue to prosper, and for the generations that are to come to have some share in that prosperity, especially since no element of the Nation's wealth is greater than that contained in the soil. For this reason, if for no other, the work of reclamation of the arid and semi-arid lands of the West is worthy of first importance in the development of the Nation's resources. Every acre of ir- rigable land will be needed in the Na- tion's economy. In a century, we have passed from a purely agricultural country to an in- dustrial and commercial country, but we have not outgrown the necessity for agriculture. We have, of necessity, maintained agriculture and have added to our national activities industrial and commercial progress to a wonderful degree. The wealth of the Nation em- braces every product of labor which contributes to the needs of man. The dormant wealth in national resources means only resources available to create wealth by intelligent eff'ort, and I trust our people will never be called upon to look with fear upon the couplet of (Goldsmith : 111 fares tiie land, to hastening ills a prey. Where wealth accumulates, and men decay. d!)^l^«^ A Typical Headgate on the North Platte. There are 9 Gates, as Shown by Uprights ADMINISTRATION FOR THE PEOPLE By Former Governor GEORGE C, PARDEE, of California 1COME here to-day with the thought of an appeal to Caesar, as it were — an appeal to the members and dele- gates of this Congress — as to whether they are satisfied entirely with the way that things have been carried on in the government of the country. I do not make this appeal as one who is opposed to the Government of this country. I make this appeal to people wdio are vitally interested in the present and the future of this country — the people who have children and whose children's chil- dren will have an interest in the ad- vancement and the prosperity and the varied perpetuity of the country. I am one of those rather, perhaps, old- fashioned people who believe that there is something outside of the cold fea- tures and words of the law. I am one of those people who believe, with Roosevelt, that the time to do things is now, and let us talk about them afterward. I believe, with him, that to withdraw, for instance, from entry those lands which take with them power sites and to hold them for the benefit of the people is the thing for the government of this country to do'. And, therefore, I thoroughly agree with the actions and the work of the predecessor of the present Secretary of the Interior. You will remember, per- haps, that Mr. Secretary Garfield, per- haps at the instigation of our very good friend, Mr. Gifford Pinchot, certainly with the advice and consent of the then President of the United States, Col. Theodore Roosevelt, did withdraw from public entry certain parcels of the pub- lic lands aggregating about 1,000,000 acres, in each of which parcels of pub- lic land there was a power site. Much to the surprise of the people who were interested in those thing-s in this country, almost immediately after his induction into office as Secretary of the Interior, Mr. Ballinger, the present Secretary of the Interior, put back into public entry these various parcels of land which embraced a water-power site ; and within eight days, or within a very few days after the order had been made, most, if not all, of these power-site plants had been grabbed. By whom ? By the people who will use them for the future benefit of the people of the United States? They talk to us and we have been talked to from this platform of the great advantages of "individualism." Countless graves have been filled ; countless children orphaned, and count- less widows made by individualism since the history of the world began. Caesar was an individualist. Napoleon was an individualist, and the people who have done great things in this country for the benefit of the people of the country have been individualists ; but is the time not ripe when indi- vidual rapacity shall be checked and kept in order and regulated so it will not further oppress the people and take away from future generations, the peo- ple of this country, the things that ought to be of right the property of all the people of the country? Now, I am informed that the Secre- tary put back into public entry these various parcels of the public land, each embracing a power site, and which had been withdrawn from entry by his pred- ecessor, Mr. Garfield. I am informed that he did this because there was no specific law by which the Secretary of the Interior could do these things ; but Garfield did them. The then President *Delivered c.v tempore before the National Irrigation Congress at Spokane, Wash., on August II, 1909. 548 ADMIXTSTRATTOX FOR THE PROPLE 549 o{ the United States patted (larfield on the back for having done that, and the present President of the United States, unfortunately after the damage had been done, ordered the Secretary of the Interior, Mr. Ballinger, to withdraw again from pubHc entry those lands wliich were left and had not been grabbed because they did not contain power sites ; and let me say that Mr. Taft, before he became President of the United States, had a reputation among the common, every-day, ordi- nary people of the country as being quite a lawyer. At any rate, the Secretary of the In- terior first restores land to public entry because there is no specific law, I am informed, authorizing him to keep them from public entry, and then, at the or- der of the President of the United States, he again withdraws those lands from public entry. But law^ or no law. specific or unspecific. is it not about time that the plain, ordinary, every-day. God-fearing, law-abiding, patriotic peo- ple of this country should receive some little attention in the disposal of these things? And is it not time that if, by any possibility, there can be any doubt, that doubt should be resolved once in a while to the benefit of the people of the country ? Ladies and gentleman, the future prosperity and very perpetuity of this country depend upon keeping a due proportion between the rural and the urban population. England found, to her cost, when she fought the Boer war. that because London and the great cities had swallowed up those country people of hers which had made her armies invincible, she had not the men to whip the Boers, and that harl it not been for her colonial troops, England would never have whipped the Boers. The reason for that w-as that England's country population had been decreasing while her urban population had been mcreasmg. To every large city in this country there is a stream of young men and young women marching from the coun- try. The time was when there was land enough for every man who wanted a quarter-section to go and take it and raise upon it a family of American boys and American girls. Where can it be be done now, except in the arid West and Southwest ? And this land is avail- able and can only be so used when water is put upon it ; and it is, in my humble judgment, the patriotic duty of every citizen in office or out of it to see to it that everything possible is done so that this irrigation, this conservation, this preservation of the public lands for the people, may be so conducted that it may be as cheaply, as quickly as pos- sible put into the hands of the people who are hungry for it. The Flathead reservation, the Nez Perce reservation, the departure of so many of our farmers for Alberta, show that there are people still hungry for public lands. I am sorry that the Secretary of the Interior is not present here at this time. I am sorry he has not heard what I have to say; but, of course, his public duties require his presence elsewhere. One ruling of the Secretary was that those people who are unable to pay cash for their land under a reclamation proj- ect could receive from the Reclamation Service scrip. That ruling was made by Secretary Garfield. Secretary Ballin- ger has reversed that upon a statement of fact believed to be incorrect and upon an opinion rendered upon that incorrect statement of facts by the At- torney General of the United States. The result is that those people who arc unable to produce the cash, who have a horse or two and a spade or a harrow or a shovel and want to go upon that land and put in their work instead of the money, and receive in lieu thereof scrip which will be received as pav for the land, are now unable to do it. Singular, is it not, why everything that is done is to the detriment of the man who, by his brawn and his sinew and sweat of his brow, wants to go upon the land and earn him a living, and raise a family of American boys and girls to bear the future burdens of the country? And yet these things are done — done, perhaps, because the strict construction of the law might say that these things should be done. But Roosevelt never hesitated under those circumstances ; his motto was, "Go, do it, and talk about it afterward." THEODORE ROOSEVELT Dynamic Geographer By FRANK BUFFINGTON VROOMAN, F, R, G, S, (Contiuucd) (The length of Mr. Vrooman's paper requires that it be condensed. Following the August section, the author next discusses the career of Theodore Roosevelt, his work in the Navy, especially in bringing "the efficiency of the American gunner from that of about the lowest to a place as high as that of any in the world," and his part in the Spanish war. Tn speaking of Mr. Roosevelt's administration, the author says: "The administration of Mr. Roosevelt is as noteworthy for what he has tried to do as for what he has done. One can say of those policies and measures in which he has been thwarted by members of his own party that they are not lost. They have lodged in the moral consciousness of ihe American people, and must be reckoned with hereafter." Mention is made of his settlement of the coal strike, his promotion of meat inspection and pure-food laws "to keep the American people from being poisoned at so much profit per head," and his part in making of the War Department not a mere fighting machine, ijut an effective agency for constructive work. Under the head of "The Big Stick," Mr. Vrooman says: "It became evident to the President that it was only a question of a short time when the people must settle once for all the question as to whether the people or the corporations should rule the Nation. * * * Yit also set to work the vast national scientific machinery to build up what rampant individualism had torn down. * * * The Department of Commerce and Labor was created within two years after Mr. Roosevelt became President. Its work was inaugurated 'to do for labor everything that the law- permits the department to do, and to give the manufacturer all the knowledge the department can secure.' " The President is quoted as saying, "There is grave danger in our free institutions in the corrupting influence exercised by great wealth suddenly concen- trated in the hands of a few. We should in some manner try to remedy this danger in spite of the sullen opposition of those very few powerful men, and with the full purpose to protect them in all their rights at the very time we require them to deal rightfully with others." The Interstate Commerce Commission and the Hepburn act are discussed. The writer closes the section by saying: "The old saying which passed muster so long, that the law is a web which catches the little flies but which the big flies break through, has begun to have a certain remoteness, for the principle has been not only asserted but enforced that ])ig and rich corporations are not better than the law. The billionaire anarchist has felt the big stick." Editor.) co.xsi'.KNA rioN The fact that stich ;i World's Congre.ss should be called to meet at The Hague. TiWi last days of his administration instead of Washing-ton or London or I)resented the last public policy some other great ca])ital, shows at once and one of the largest ideas which some of the ideas in the President's President Roosevelt has ever offered to mind, beyond the mere principle of the world. The Canadian and ]\Iexican utilizing the resources of the earth, or Commissicjners of the North American for making and comparing inventories Conservation Congress, in session at the of the natural wealth of the world. The State Department with the American man who is responsible for calling the representatives and the President, gave second Peace Tribunal at The Hague, their approval to the President's plan and who was awarded the iS.ooo Nobel and re(|uested him to take the initiative Peace Prize, and who immediately de- in calling an International Congress of voted the money to the further interests Conservation to be held at The Hague, of peace in the establishment of better 550 THEODORE ROOSEVELT 551 relations, and the peaceful settlement of disputes between labor and capital, no doubt saw very clearly when he chose The Hague for a meeting-place all the possibilities which were involved in such a Conservation Congress, especially when surrounded by the peaceful tradi- tions of The Hague. It is proposed to make this Conference conserve the interests of peace between nations, as well as to conserve the natural resources of those nations. This World's Con- gress would, therefore, be a Conserva- tion Congress in more senses than one. It would conserve and develop all the unwonted possibilities involved in na- tions getting together, and through their representatives conferring with each other as to what they have in common ; as to what one nation has and the other nation has not ; as to making it possible for the people of the one continent, one zone, or one race to benefit by the sur- pluses of another continent, or another zone, or another race. It would hasten the removal of the unnecessary barriers which might prevent an easy exchange, at the same time protecting the interests of these nations, by getting their repre- sentatives around a common council board, and making of them a new type of Knights of the Round Table. Under a new cosmopolitan chivalry, perhaps, they might look for the things they have in common instead of those they have at difference ; look toward cooperating with each other in the vast interests of the world's common good, instead of an- tagonizing each other upon the plane of individualism and selfish instinct. It offers a field of work so brilliant and fascinating in the conception on a uni- versal scale, and the realization and launching of President Roosevelt's overruling and constructive conserva- tion idea, that one cannot but feel that here, after all, is the central idea and aim of this world's statesman, a fitting climax for his Presidential administra- tion and a fit beginning for such new developments of his career as the world mav still have in store for him. The Canadian and Mexican delegates of the North American Conservation Congress, while they were enthusiastic in their expressions of approval of the proposed conference at The Hague, made it known clearly that in no sense was this International Congress to take the place of the North American Com- mission. It was their purpose to work together and to see what the three coun- tries occupying the North American Continent could do for themselves. * * *i This remarkable program was adopted by the representatives of the three na- tions of the North American Continent. It is reported in the dispatches that the Dominion Government intends to adopt, practically in their entirety, the recommendations arrived at by this In- ternational Conference at Washington with regard to the proper and adequate conservation of the natural resources of Canada and the United States. New standing committees have been ap- pointed by the house of commons, with instructions to take mider their espe- cial charge all questions relating to fisheries, forests, mines, and waterways, and are now preparing to take up all the important questions broached at the Washington Congress with a view to the adoption of a united general pol- icy, to prevent any further waste or extravagance in dealing with the rich natural heritage of the people. The famous White House Conference of Governors was called by the Presi- dent last May, not only to formulate into a better organized system the con- servation policies, but to state their principles and to secure the cooperation of the governors of the different states and territories in enlarging the field of work. After discussing principles for three days, which discussion included papers by both scientific and economic experts, they drew up and adopted a "Declaration of Principles. * * *- One of the striking results of the White House Conference of Governors is that, since its meeting last May. thirty-six different states have ap- 'Here follows a discussion of the "Declaration of Principles" found in Conservation for March, 1909, at page 164. ^See Conservation for June, 1908, pages 343-4- 4 552 CONSERVATION pointed conservation committees. In a private way, fifty of the organizations representing the great industries of the country have also appointed their own committees to foster scientific work in the way of investigation and applica- tion of improved economic principles to tkeir interests, and these movements, which have been crystallized within ten months, are only an indication of an enormous popular educational and prop- agandist movement which is being car- ried on throughout the entire country. THE SCOPE The American hemisphere covers an area of about 14,950,000 square miles, of which about 8,000,000 square miles belong to North America. That Eurasia was probably never known to the ab- origines of North America, in any real sense, does not seem so strange as that civilizations could have arisen and flour- ished and fallen and decayed before the discovery by the European races of this fecund hemisphere, capable of such vast economic power and utility. A glance at the world map will show the larger portion of this hemisphere in its equatorial and sub-tropical regions encroached on by the sea, and the greater portion of its areas not only lying in the temperate zone, but mostly free from such vast deserts as in Asia and Africa destroy economic utility and furnish insuperable obstacles to com- munication. Again, both the northern and southern continents have been fur- nished means of sea communication in its rivers, incomparably superior to those of either Europe, Asia, or Africa. The Mississippi-Missouri River, for ex- ample, furnishes one continuous navi- gable waterway for forty-three hun- dred miles, with a system of navigable waterways of about 16,000 miles, ca- pable, under proper treatment, of car- rying ocean-going steamships. The St. Lawrence River and the Great Lakes oflFer a continuous water- way, with short canals, of twenty-two hundred miles, and has a drainage basin of 600,000 square miles. One can float in a canoe without meeting a rapid or cataract on the Amazon, 2,000 miles from the foot of the Andes to the At- lantic Ocean^ and then hoist the sail and sail back again, for practically all the winds blow up-stream. The Mississippi has more navigable water than all the streams which drain Europe, and the Amazon discharges more water than the eight rivers of Asia — the Yenesi, Indus, Ganges, Ob, Lena, Hwangho, and the Yang-tse of China. Productive power depends upon heat and moisture, and these are present, roughly speaking, in the whole West- ern Hemisphere, except in a narrow margin of British North America of arid or mountainous waste and frozen land. The Mississippi basin, of 1,280,000 square miles, may be made the site of a material civilization so rich as the world has never dreamed of before— a basin economically the most important in the world, and capable easily of sup- porting one-half the present population of the globe. For the Mississippi basin is economically probably twice or three times as productive (if not more than that) as all the rest of the United States. An interesting sidelight on this subject might be found in referring to the first volume of the Encyclopedia Britannica of the edition of 1875. It states that while the American world is half the size of the old, it contains equally as much useful soil, and more productive power than Europe, Asia, and Africa combined, and is capable of sustaining a population of 600,000,000 — more than twice the present population of the globe. This was written, however, be- fore the resources of west and northwest Canada, and certain parts of Africa, were ever even considered. There are about 3,000,000 square miles of land surface in the United States proper, a little over one-fifth of which is under cultivation, about a quarter being covered with forests or stumps, and some smaller proportion covered with woods, undergrowth, and other bushland. With the exception of a small amount of mineral lands and, of course, waste lands, the rest is graz- ing land. While there are sections. THEODORE ROOSEVELT 553 principally in the South, where the land and its running water. He doubt- farmers have been paying no attention less said to himself : "Why not take the to the matters of fertilization or rota- trouble to get ready for their highest tion of crops, it has actually been dem- use the incomparable waterways of the onstrated that the soil of the United North American Continent, into the States, as a whole, is gaining in fer- very heart of which it is possible to tility. The outside limit of lands ca- extend the coast-line and ocean ship- pable of cultivation in the United States ping? How much better that certain is twice the present area under cultiva- billions of tons of fresh water, instead tion. There is nothing to limit the pop- of destroying farms, should make ulation of the United States to twice, or farms; instead of carrying away soil even ten times, its present number, and should deposit soil ; instead of blocking as the farm crops are increasing much navigation should extend navigation ; more slowly than population, and as instead of destroying life should sup- there is an immediate limitation to the port life !" acreage available, and practically no This was his secret, limit to the possible population, and in- asmuch as all the best lands are taken, the waterway idea and those now available are more or less uncertain in their value, the increase in The Roosevelt waterways idea in- the yield per acre becomes a problem volves a project no less imposing than which the Nation must solve, and that the fundamental rearrangement of the at once. Over and above the lands pos- New World. sible for home-making, there are other The cutting of the Isthmian Canal is areas containing mineral, water, and ^ geographical event of the first mag- timber supply, which the Nation must nitude and of first importance; while hold in its own possession and maintain the more useful, if less attractive, in efficient condition owing to the inti- scheme for the artificialization, the con- mate relations they sustain to the other trol and use of the Mississippi River lands of the United States. But all and its tributaries, and the coordination these lands, old and new, made and un- of all the problems related thereto, pre- made, are capable, under the new sents a scheme in scientific government science of agriculture, and under the ^s brilliant as anything of the kind ever new idea of national conservation, of before presented to the human mind, being increased in their productive ca- The conception involves a project for pacity manyfold. the artificialization, the control and use When Mr. Roosevelt looked out over ^nder one great engineering scheme, of the broad domain of the United States, not only the whole Mississippi River he also looked ahead to the needs of the system, with its 16,000 miles of navi- future population of the United States, gable deep waterways and countless un- If the founders of the country built for navigable tributaries; but, connected the future, and for those generations ^^ith the problems of this continental then unborn, one of which is ourselves, artery called the Mississippi River, is and thereby earned our everlasting that of its own canalization and the gratitude, why should not present-day canalization of one of its own tribu- statemanship lay scientific foundations taries, namely, the Illinois River, and for making a greater people in the fu- the deepening of the Chicago Drainage ture with a happier lot in life? Sev- Canal through to Lake Michigan, eral things were obvious to his intensely There are a few geological points of practical mind. That they had not oc- some interest in connection with the curred to any former President or any past and future of this scheme. Probably former Congress, or, we may say, to before the waters of the upper Missis- any former American statesman, was sippi River found their way into Hud- no deterrent to his audacious dream, son's Bay, the waters of the Great He saw the vast possibilities in the Lakes, when the great glacier lay across 554 CONSERVATION their present outlet, ran across to the It will add 8 shillings per thousand feet headwaters of the Illinois, across the to the values of the vast forests of the country where Chicago now stands, and Pacific coast from California, Oregon, down the Mississippi to the Gulf of and Washington, to British Columbia Mexico. Through this very old channel and Alaska, adding, perhaps, a hundred of ancient overflow lies the Chicago million pounds to the present value of Drainage Canal, and here will be built those timber areas alone— twice the cost the deeper and larger waterway which of the canal. Not only will the corn- will connect the Lakes and Gulf. It is merce between Occident and Orient pass interesting to note, also, the fact that through it ; the Andean countries will the land supporting the eastern outlet be opened, with the Mississippi and the is rising nearly six inches per hundred Hudson, and the Orinoco and Amazon miles per hundred years, thus throwing will make a new Mediterranean of the the waters back gradually to the lower Caribbean Sea. part of Lake Michigan ; and it is more In a message to Congress, December than likely that in two or three thousand 3, 1907, the President recommended the years the geologic process of the ages development of the deep waterway and will come appropriately to the support of the great river system as national of the Roosevelt plan. water highways, and urged that this de- It is idle to say that the Isthmian velopment should be considered as a Canal would have been done sooner or Government undertaking. He called later. The Western Hemisphere had for a deep waterway from the Great been discovered and had been developed Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico, and for for 400 years, and we seemed no nearer deep-water highways leading from it to to it than when Gomara, in 1 551, urged the East and West. "Such a water- Philip II to cut it through. Since that way," he said, "would practically mean time much effort and much treasure the extension of our coast-line into the and many lives and many words have very heart of our country." He also been wasted, and the world was tired urged the development of those nat- of waiting. The work waited for the ural inland waterways connected largely man who would wait no longer. Mr. by canal, which lie just back of the Roosevelt seized the opportunity which whole eastern and southern coast. To passed his way, and posterity would this end he appointed an Inland Water- have forgiven him had he made the ways Commission, which went imme- opportunity, and he set to work. He diately to work to make the most ex- made terms at once righteous and fair haustive investigation and report, while with France for what had been done, much subsidiary work was being done He organized a preparatory sanitary by the bureaus of different departments, work of unparalleled efificiency, which The unqualified good nature and com- made out of a plague-hole a healthy placency of the American people of the place. He transplanted schools, churches, Mississippi basin, which constitutes one- Christian associations for men and half of the states in the Union, holding women, appointed a commission with half its population, began to be dis- assistants who have been models of turbed a few years ago because the civic virtue and administrative effi- product of farm and factory was increas- ciency, and got the work going which ing so much faster than transportation will have ships moving through from facilities that it became impossible to the Atlantic to the Pacific in a few carry the increased product of their in- hours, now, in less than six years from dustry to market. The transportation to-day. The Panama Canal will save problem, both in its economic and po- 10,000 miles for every ship plying be- litical phases, has been growing more tween New York and San Francisco, acute year by year, until President As an example of its economic value, Roosevelt's active campaign began in it will save £2,000 for every 2,000-ton the interests of the people. Even the barque plying between these two points, railroad managers themselves com- THEODORE ROOSEVELT 555 plained of their lack of equipment to do the country's business, as is shown by the single remark before quoted from James J. Hill, that there was not money enough in the world to lay the track to take the traffic the country ofifered. It is no wonder that the farmers of the wheat belt and those dependent upon them complained if their wheat was rot- ting in the bins for want of cars to carry it to market ; if the maize of the corn belt was rotting in the cribs, or being burned for fuel in the stoves of the farm houses ; and that the cotton of the cotton belt was heaped away unsold, because the railroads, taking advantage of the situation, charged all the stuff was worth to haul it. No wonder they complained when there was a fuel fam- ine over a dozen western states, and farmers were burning their furniture and farm products, and some of them were freezing to death, because there were no cars to haul them coal ; and if, at the same time, the railroads were being centralized through blind pools and other inventions of new and devious methods of modern finance to put more railroads into fewer hands, with more irresponsible power of watering stock and inflating tariffs to pay dividends on them. No wonder that there was a movement in the whole Mississippi basin, in which, through "river and harbor congresses," "trans-Mississippi congresses," "Lakes to Gulf associa- tions," "deep waterways conventions," etc.. this population of forty millions made their protest, and said to the Gov- ernment at Washington : "We must have transportation, and we must have a rate which will let us live. If you don't want to undertake the job we will do it ourselves, only we must have transportation and living tariffs." Out of the tremendous activity and discus- sion on the platform and in the press which attended this movement and fol- lowed it arose the growing revolt against the prodigious waste of the laissec-faire policy. And out of this dis- cussion, too, could be marked the prog- ress of the increasing determination to organize the national assets and con- serve and utilize the natural resources. especially those so obviously available as the navigable deep waterways of the Mississippi basin, whose channels na- ture has digged so conveniently in their ramifications for the uses of this great area. As the public education on this sub- ject grew out of the matter of transpor- tation and the intolerable situation which it presented, so, again, one of the most important results of the whole movement will be a question of trans- portation. For the perfection of this scheme, which includes as one of its subsidiary measures the main idea of national and international waterways, is the Panama Canal. The perfecting of the Panama Canal and the Lake Michi- gan Canal, the canalization of the Illinois River, the perfecting of the channel of the Mississippi itself, and the deepening and otherwise perfecting of the channels of its larger tributaries, will finish the backkbone of the great conservation scheme. So that, as far as transporta- tion is concerned, steamers from Hono- lulu and Yokohama can load their freight at Duluth and Fort William, To- ronto or Buffalo, and freight may be carried direct from the wharves of Minneapolis or Chicago, Pittsburg or Omaha, to Bombay, Liverpool, or Hong-Kong. Back of this great transportation idea are also the problems toward the head- waters of the rivers where the products for transportation are grown or made. For example, it is very interesting to study the relation of the mere conser- vation of waters to the building of dams or reservoirs among the thousand sources of headwaters, which shall, of themselves, serve a score of uses. For instance, one of the most obvious things to any one who will take trouble to think about it, is the dynamic value of water. And if every pennyworth of coal saved is a pennyworth digged, it will readily be seen what a saving of the coal-beds will follow the scientific use and development of the wasting water power of the country. Whenever a rain- storm, for example, has left a million tons of surplus water over a given area and over and above that which soaks i56 CONSERVATION into the soil zt, say, an altitude of 2,000 feet, it is plain that this body of water will expend as much energy in getting back to the sea as the sun has expended in lifting it to this height, or as the mechanical devices of men might ex- pend in lifting a million tons 2,000 feet high. But the energy of the sun has al- ready lifted this water, and there it lies of so much potential dynamic value. The question is : How shall we utilize the particular energy which the sun has stored in this particular way, so that we may relieve the too wasteful use of that other particular form of energy which the sun has stored in coal? Mr. Roosevelt's solution is simple and laconic : Drive zvheels. This is good nation housekeeping; it is, therefore, good politics. Herein, I think, lies the greatness of Mr. Roosevelt — that he has all the qual- ifications of a great politician. Of course, when I am speaking of a great politician to an Oxford audience, it will be taken for granted it is in the Aris- totelian and not the American sense. The first qualification is creative imag- ination. This bridges the gap between science and philosophy. Add to this, ethical insight, sanity of judgment, and a daring which knows no bounds save those of righteousness and the common good, and you have the ideal politician, if he also happens to be a scientific geographer. ( To be continued) A Forested \^atershed on the Island of Maui The Equalizing Influence of Forests on the Flow of Streams and Their Value as a Means of Improving Navigation By GEORGE F, SWAIN, LL,D„ Late Professor of Civil Engineering in the Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Now Professor of Civil Engineering in the Graduate School of Applied Science of Harvard University (Concluded) ^ WHEN it comes to the question of extreme droughts, Colonel Chittenden takes a curiously contradictory position to the one which he takes in considering the matter of floods. Regarding the latter, it will be remembered, he considers that the forests may cause a combina- tion of the highest floods arising simultaneously from different tribu- taries ; with reference to droughts, however, he assumes just the reverse, namely, that the extreme low water on different tributaries will not occur simultaneously. It seems clear that the extreme combination is as likely to oc- cur in one case as in the other. He admits "that, as a general rule, springs and little streams dry up more completely than when forests covered the country," but he argues that, since each spring is small, their drying up will have little effect upon the main stream, the flow of which will be kept up, if the region is deforested, by the rapid dis- charge, over the surface, of the water from summer showers, which will oc- cur, first on one tributary and then on another, in such a way as to furnish to the main stream always a low-water flow greater than if the springs could all be kept up. If his argument be carried to the very common case where no rain falls upon a given drainage basin for weeks, or for a much longer time than it takes for a drop of water to flow from the extreme source to the mouth, it would seem to lead to the con- clusion that there would be no flow at all in the stream. In other words, the author would have the mills at Law- rence and Lowell depend for their sum- mer flow, not upon keeping up the "springs and little streams" so far as possible by increasing through the ef- fect of forests the percolation into the ground, but would have these mills trust to luck that the summer showers would be so distributed over the differ- ent tributary basins that when one was low others might be high, and he main- tains that in this way the low water would be greater than if all the little springs were kept up. This would, of course, require most intelligent plan- ning on the part of Jupiter Pluvius, for it would not do to have these summer showers, which are supposed to flow rapidly from the surface, inaccurately timed or distributed over the basin. It does not seem necessary to pursue this suggestion further. Even a large drainage area, say 10,000 square miles, may well have its main stream possess a length from ex- tremest source to mouth, measured on the stream of considerably less than 300 miles. If the average velocity of the stream is one mile per hour, which is low, it would take less than two weeks for a drop of water to pass from the extremest source to the mouth. Now, even in districts which have a summer rainfall, it frequently happens that even an area as large as that mentioned is without rain in part of it for months 557 558 CONSERVATION at a time, under which condition, if the writer understands Colonel Chitten- den's theory and his admission, even such a large stream would practically- dry up. It would seem to be much more reasonable to depend upon some means of keeping up the springs and small streams rather than upon the equal dis- tribution of surface waters of the sum- mer showers from deforested areas. Moreover, it is not evident why, even in a small stream, a uniform flow is any less desirable than an intermittent flow. Of course, as is well known, the larger the stream, the greater the low- water flow per square mile, other things being equal, for the very reason that the low-water flow on all tributaries will not occur at the same time, no doubt partly owing to local rains. A precisely similar remark applies to the flood discharge, which is less per square mile on large watersheds than on small ones, because the maximum discharge from different tributaries will not occur at the same time. Colonel Chittenden, therefore, seems here inconsistent. In discussing floods, he considers an ex- treme condition in which the floods from various tributaries arrive simultaneously at a given point and from this he ar- gues that forests increase the violence of floods. In the case of extreme droughts, however, he considers the case — not where the low-water flow from various tributaries arrive simul- taneously at a given point — but. on the contrary, where comparatively high water from one arrives at the same time as the low water from another. With reference to the effect of for- ests upon snow melting. Colonel Chit- tenden states that "it can be demon- strated that the effect of forests upon the run-off from snow is inevitably to increase its intensity." He argues that the snow does not drift at all in the forests, but that great drifts form on open ground ; that the snow begins to melt over open ground earlier than in the forests, and that the drifts on open ground serve as reser- voirs to feed the streams, lasting much longer than the snow in the forests ; that the snow melting in the forests does not sink into the ground, but into the snow itself, which becomes satu- rated, until a warm rain carries off the whole mass of snow in a freshet. He says, referring to the snow in the for- est: "The water from the first melting from the snow blanket does not sink into the ground, but into the snow it- self. Snow is like a sponge; a panful will shrink to one-fourth of its volume or less before any free water appears." This argument contains a number of errors and inconsistencies. In the first place, the snow does drift in the forest, although not to the same extent as in the open. Colonel Chittenden admits that the snow blanket lasts longer in the forests than in the open, except for the drifts. It is the present writer's expe- rience, however, that the snow in the forests lasts considerably longer than even the drifts in the open, although this may not be true in the case of very high altitudes. The snow in the drifts on or near the summit of Mount Blanc, of course, lasts longer than the snow in the forests below, because the top is in a region of perpetual snow. Obvi- ously, this is not the condition to be considered in the present instance. But Colonel Chittenden ignores the fact that under the snow the ground in the forest is warmer than the ground in the open, and that the snow blanket melts at the bottom rather than at the top. Fre- quently the ground in the forest does not freeze at all and, therefore, it is in a better condition to absorb the melted snow than the ground in the open. But even if the snow blanket in the woods absorbs, as he thinks, the water from its own melting under the sun's rays, preventing it from perco- lating into the ground, why do not the large drifts in the open, which he says form the main reservoirs of the streams, also absorb their own water and pre- vent it from running off? The fallacy of Colonel Chittenden's arguments in this respect is obvious. It is, of course, true that if a warm rain comes upon the snow blanket in the woods, carrying it off in a short time, the resulting flood may be greater than if the forest had not been there to re- tain the snow ; but it is equally clear that in the latter case the earlier spring EQUALIZING INFLUENCE OF FORESTS 559 floods zi'ould have been increased. If a given amount of snow has to be car- ried off into the streams, it is obvious that the flow of the streams will be more regular if the period of melting is ex- tended, and this is the effect of the forests. A further instance of illogical rea- soning is found in Colonel Chittenden's reference to the great floods which oc- curred in the state of Washington. He says : "The great flood of 1906 in this section was a perfect demonstration not only of the vast intensifying effects of forests upon floods due to snow melt- ing, but of the utter helplessness of the forest bed, when saturated with long rains, to restrain floods. It will be clear, however, upon reflection, that this flood is no demonstration of any "in- tensifying effect." It simply demon- strates that there may be heavy floods from forested areas. If those forests were cut down, that same flood might, and probably would, have been much more violent. Colonel Chittenden here apparently forgets the difficulties in studying this problem which arise from the fact that the effect of the forests cannot be separated from the other ele- ments entering into the problem. Similarly inconclusive is the state- ment about the flood of the American River compared with Puta Creek in California. Watersheds differ not alone as regards forests, but in other respects. The facts stated simply seem to show that in this case the forests did not reg- ulate its flow to an extent sufficient to counterbalance other factors. For in- stance, if the writer is correctly in- formed, the slopes of the Sierras are steeper than those of the coast range. Again, the shape of the drainage area is a matter of considerable importance with reference to the maximum rise of water at a given point. The writer has not had the opportu- nity to study to any extent the condi- tions in the Rocky Mountains, but he observes that Prof. L. G. Carpenter, of the Colorado State Ao-ricultural College, than whom there is no more competent authority, in his paper on "Forests and Snow." comes to the conclusion that: (a) * * * the greater the amount of forest cover the less violent the daily fluc- tuation, the more uniform the flow through- out the day and throughout the season, and the later the stream maintains its flow. (b) The loss of the forest cover means more violent fluctuation during the day, greater difficulty in regulating the head- gates and keeping a uniform flow in ditches, and hence an additional difficulty in the eco- nomic distribution of water. Also the water runs ofif sooner, hence the streams drop earlier in the summer ; and, on account of the lessening of the springs, the smaller is the winter flow. (c) The preservation of the forest is an absolute necessity for the interest of irri- gated agriculture. Colonel Chittenden, however, after devoting so much space to considering the effects of forests upon extremes of flow, does not on the whole take his own arguments seriously, for, later on, he says : "In the records of precipitation, wherever they exist, will be found a full and complete explanation of every one of the floods that have seemed un- usually freqtient and severe in recent years." After citing the conditions, he goes on to say : "Similar conditions prevail in every great flood and the tnie explanation is found in them, and not at all in the presence or absence of for- ests on the zvatersheds." Reference has already been made to the fact that the amount and distribu- tion of rainfall are the most important factors affecting the flow of streatns. yet it is quite unreasonable to conclude that on that account the forests have no effect at all. These quotations are cited, however, to show the apparent contradictions in Colonel Chittenden's arguments. It would take too long to analyze in detail the remainder of Colonel Chitten- den's paper and to criticize his many statements. If his views, however. have weight, attention should be called to one statement which he makes with reference to erosion. He states (page 055 et seq.) that the sediment carried into the Gulf of Mexico by the Missis- sippi "all comes from the uplands far and near, but particularly from the more remote and hilly regions. This load is in the nature of through traffic. The local freight picked up from a cav- 56o CONSERVATION ing bank is mainly discharged at the next station. It follows, therefore, that if the banks of the stream were revetted from the Gulf to Pittsburg, the falls of St. Anthony and the mouth of the Yellowstone, the quantity of sediment passing into the Gulf would not be diminished a particle." As the quantity of sediment carried into the Gulf each year is exceedingly large, Colonel Chittenden admits the great erosion from the mountain slopes. We do not agree with him, however, in the statement quoted. A river picks up sediment where the velocity of the water and the size of the grains of sediment admits and a reduction of ve- locity causes the deposition of sediment, beginning with the heaviest particles. The river cuts away a bank here and deposits a bar there, and much of its load is, as Colonel Chittenden states, in the nature of local freight. The impor- tant point, however, is that all this freight is moving down stream, and it would seem scarcely reasonable to sup- pose that under this continual move- ment down stream the only silt to find its way into the Gulf is that which comes from the extreme sources. In contradiction to the above state- ments. Colonel Chittenden says : "It is incontestably true that whatever re- straining effect forests have upon run- off is greater vipon the lowlands than upon steep mountain sides." This is a good illustration of the character of statement with which this paper abounds — positive statements given en- tirely without proof and in contradic- tion to all experience and to the best authorities. It would seem to be rea- sonably clear that since on steep slopes there is more tendency for the water to run off than on moderate slopes and flat land, whatever restraining effect the forest exerts would be greater on steep slopes than elsewhere. Seeing that if the land were absolutely level there would be no tendency at all for the water to run off, so that it would all either percolate or be absorbed, or evaporate, and seeing that flat lands upon which forests will grow are generally suitable and must sooner or later be used for cultivation, and seeing, also, that Colo- nel Chittenden has asserted that newly plowed land has probably a retentive capacity greater than the forest ground, the difficulty of reconciling some of these statements will be seen. In the recent work of Huffel, Econ- omie Forestiere, for example, a detailed discussion of many of these points will be found, and the fallacy of Colonel Chittenden's last remark above quoted is there abundantly shown. Colonel Chittenden refers to some foreign publications, particularly to the reports of the Tenth International Nav- igation CongresS;, held at Milan in 1905. With reference to these, he says : "While all the writers heartily favored forest cidture, the opinion was prac- tically unanimous that forests exert no appreciable influence on the extremes of flow in rivers." The important part of this quotation is the first clause, and not the last. It is true, and it is a very sig- nificant fact, that all the zvriters urged the preservation of the forests on the mountain sides, or precisely what is con- templated by the White Mountain- Southern Appalachian bill. As foreign testimony may be of value in this con- nection, as showing the dependence of the interests of navigation upon the preservation of the forests, it may be worth while to give extracts from some of these reports.* Mr. Lafosse, the French delegate, says : If the destruction of forests is to be de- plored, it is most of all on the mountain that the cutting away of timber is to he feared. It is not alone the supply of the springs and the discharge of the streams tvhich are in danger. It is the very existence of the rivers themselves. The stream which can be utilized disappears to give place to the devastating torrent. The soil swept bare of its forests, ex- hausted by the abuses of grazing, loses quickly its vegetable stratum. Washed peri- odically, and carried away l)y melting snow and summer storms, it is soon disaggre- ' gated. The waters run toward the low points, rolling before them gravel and boul- ders, and even tearing out loose sections of rock. A thousand rivulets cut out beds, the torrent is formed. Scours begin, the banks *The translations were made abroad, and the quotations are given just as printed. EQUALIZING INFLUENCE OF FORESTS 561 are broken down, and a mass of mud, stones, and rocks invades the valley, destroying everything as it passes. Mr. Wolfshiitz, a delegate from Austria, while admitting that excessive floods are not appreciably checked by forests, writes as follows : For economical reasons reafforestations will have to be confined to the steeper mountain slopes which are of little use for other cultivation. Here the forest will have a beneficial influence by making the soil firmer and more compact and by preventing erosion and washing down, and thus any excessive alteration and the formation of detritus which would shoal and silt up the water-courses. Such forests further retard the melting of the snows in spring and lessen the violence of spring high water. It is thus advisable in the interests of naviga- tion to spare and to attend to the forest. There is no simpler, cheaper, nor more ef- fective means for securing the mountain slopes and for keeping the pebble shoals down. In this respect, forests have incon- testably had a beneficial influence upon the floods of the large rivers. Beyond this, how- ever, no further measurable influence upon the high waters of rivers can be credited to them. As regards the occurrence of high floods in the large rivers, the forests cannot have any noteworthy influence. As regards the in- crease in the ground-water level and in the replenishment of springs the forests have, in the plains, no more influence than the open ground, and it is only in the mountains that this action can be rated at any higher figure. In the mountains, hozvever, the main ofUce of the zvoods imll be to prevent the denuda- tion and erosion of the surface, the formation of dctri'us, and the silting up of the river- beds zvith mud, sand, and pebbles. Mr. Riedel, of Vienna, is very em- phatic as to the benefits of forests. He shows the terrible results which have been brought about by their destruction in various parts of Europe, and, with reference to Germany, states that * ^= * In Germany, also, reasonable bounds were not everywhere kept to, and the effects of the progressing deforestation made them- selves apparent, on the one hand, in scarcity of timber, and on the other in the impover- ishment of perennial springs and the alarm- ing lozuering of the mean zvater-lcvel of German rivers, and not less so in a gradual increase in the dryness of the ground, caused by the fall of the level of the underground waters. The unquestioned circumstance, that a large number of rivers now carry down more loose material than formerly, is a conse- quence of the extensive denudation and care- less clearing of the plantations. The slopes of the hills lose a large part of their fruitful soil, and in many cases earth-slides, and even extensive subsidences of whole slopes take place, while considerable areas of ground in the valleys are smothered up and rendered useless. The loose material which the tributary brooks carry into the main streams ceases to be carried onward as the declivity be- comes less steep, and in consequence fills up their beds. The streams are then obliged to seek out new courses, by which the most fruitful ground is devastated and the whole bed of the valley is gradually transformed into a barren layer of loose stones. This drawback affects not only the mountain dwellers, but, in so far as the waters are not able to deposit their loose suspended material in large basins on the way, the population of the lower-lying fertile and well-tilled valleys also. Here the damages further include the circumstance that, by rea- son of the often elevated position of the river-bed, overflow-waters are very difficult to get rid of. Proofs of the foregoing, and especially of the last-mentioned circumstance, are af- forded by a large number of river valleys. This condition of things is of importance in the cases of those river or stream channels which, by the formation of weirs, are to be made serviceable for purposes of inland nav- igation. Thus on the canalized Oder, be- tween Cosel and Breslau, properties which, though at a distance from the channel, lie at a lower level than the latter, are swamped to the most damaging extent. The foregoing is not intended to convey the idea that previous to deforestation, earth slides, damages to river banks, and in- undations did not take place, but it is intended to show that since the decrease of the for- ests all these disadvantages have increased to a serious and disquieting degree. Mr. Lauda, of Vienna, compares two similar watersheds of about the same area in Austria, one being much more heavily wooded than the other. He thinks the forests may not exert mttch influence in high floods, but concludes as follows : If, now, the final judgment on the sub- ject of the influence of forests on the regi- men of streams be unfavorable to the forest to this extent, that there are denied to it certain of the properties attributed to it gen- erally, it does not follow from this that it is necessary to oppose the rewooding of arid surfaces, the replanting of the basins of streams or the maintenance of plantations of trees. The general utility of^ the forest is so zvell settled, the extraordinary apprecia- tion in zvhich it is held, as a means of pro- tecting the soil against landslides, is so Hrrnly established, its great advantageousness, espe- cially for the spring district, in holding back 562 CONSERVATION earth thrusts and reducing the amount of sediment carried by rivers so important, that these reasons alone justify fully the greatest possible promotion of forest culture. Mr. Ponti, of Italy, seems to have no doubt that forests on steep slopes are useful in the interests of He says : navigation. In Sicily, the consequence of cutting away the forests on a vast scale in the province of Messina has been also to raise sensibly the bed of the streams, and many of these beds are now above the adjoining fields. Mr. Keller, of Austria, thinks that forests afifect the regimen and discharge of rivers only to a slight extent, except in mountainous regions, regarding which he says : However, there is no doubt that in many cases deforestation has contributed to the erosion of the mountains and to the deposit of the soil at their foot, as also to an unfa- vorable change in the conditions of flow and drainage of the waters. This remark applies equally to the regions of high mountain ranges as to the Mediterranean basin. There, also, the formation of a cohesive soil takes too long to make good the loss caused by a sudden shower. Mr. Lokhtine, of Prussia, does not discuss particularly the effect of moun- tain forests, but among his conclusions is the following: (i) Forests form a beneficent factor, act- ing favorably on the general abundance of water in a country, and particularly on the supply of streams and rivers. That is why the destruction of forests should be consid- ered as hurtful and dangerous. These extracts show that foreign au- thorities are unanimous as to the bene- fits of forests on the mountains upon the flow of streams and the interests of navigation. It will not be attempted to discuss Colonel Chittenden's remarks with ref- erence to reservoirs, as these are not here under consideration. Finally, it must be remembered that the acquirement by the Government of forest reserves in the Appalachian and White Mountains will be of benefit to the navigation of the streams not sim- ply in proportion to the area of these reserves. By acquiring a foothold, the Forest Service will be able to demon- strate to owners of adjoining tracts the benefits of wise forest management, and will be able to cooperate with them on the ground in using similar methods in their own forests. The Government, also, for the same reason will be able to restrict forest fires, not only on the Government reserves, but on private lands. The effect of the Government reserves, therefore, will be much larger than in proportion to their area, and by wise management and by cooperation with private owners, not only will ero- sion of the ground be prevented and the flow of the streams favorably affected, but the timber supply will be conserved. THE INTERESTS VERSUS THE PEOPLE By THOMAS ELMER WILL I. AN ORGANIZED FIGHT THE issue is joined and the war is on. For years, the readers of this magazine have been famihar with the fight on the National Forest policy. At regular intervals certain United States Senators have made the welkin ring with their onslaughts upon "Baron" Pinchot and his "Western empire." Again and again sentiment and evi- dence sufficient to pass a dozen ordinary bills have been concentrated upon Con- gress to secure the enactment of the Appalachian bill, only to see it fail in one house or the other. But the fight is not confined to the forest policy. In Conservation for August, the present writer pointed out the hostility to the conservation policy in general. Congress, though urged by the Presi- dent, will not establish a national con- servation commission. The President appoints such a commission and asks for it a paltry appropriation of $50,000, but receives no response. Instead, Congressman James A. Taw- ney, of Minnesota, appears with his amendment to the Sundry Civil bill, rushes it like lightning through both houses, and behold, the Conservation Commission, with numerous other simi- lar and valuable bodies, is outlawed. All of which proves again that Con- gress can enact legislation when it so desires, but that it is discriminating as to the character of legislation. Next, the Conservation Commission comes forward with its epoch-making report, but the House Committee on Printing, Charles B. Landis, of Indiana, chairman, refuses to report favorably the Senate resolution providing for printing it. Finally, the Senate prints a paltry 2,400 copies, chiefly for members of the two houses, and a con- gressional mailing list, and the report is thereby virtually suppressed. What does it all mean? As Mr. Pinchot so well said at Spo- kane, "The easiest way to hide a real issue always has been, and always will be, to replace it with a false one." But the real issue in this case shall not be hidden. Let the facts testify. For years, the hostility to the forest policy centered in Denver. It was there that the Public Lands Convention of June 18-20, 1907, was held. In Denver a year later came another out- burst of hostility to governmental "great feudal estates," "paternalism," "bureaucracy" and landlordism." In Denver there now exists "The National Public Domain League," with constitution and by-laws, member- ship fee, office, press bureau and the other paraphernalia of present-day prop- aganda. The literature of this body is suffi- ciently abundant to make plain its view- point. That there may be no mistake about this, typical extracts are here given. On one occasion Mr. Pinchot seems to have used the following very proper language : "These reserves will be the remnant of the vast empire that lay beyond the Mississippi which can still be handed down as a national heritage after all the rest of the public lands worth hav- ing have become private property." To the National Public Domain League this expression operates as a red rag flaunted in the face of an angry bull. The sentence is quoted over and 563 564 CONSERVATION over again as a complete betrayal of by the League, there is a great gulf the sinister motives of the Federal "feu- jfixed. They are polar opposites. They dal baron," and as carrying with it its no more agree than do plus and minus, own refutation and the final and utter or fire and water. Mr. Pinchot pro- condemnation of its author. poses that "these reserves" shall be Again, the Forester is reported to "handed down as a national heritage." have said: The Public Domain League propose "In my judgment it is a perfectly fair that "every resource pertaining to the and right thing for any man who comes public domain * * * shall pass * * * and takes property belonging to all the into the ownership of the individual." people, which because he has it, some- The advocates of forest reserves be- body else cannot have, that he should Heve that "the public domain and all make a return of some kind to the peo- its resources," in so far as it may be pie. The time of free land, free timber, deemed wise to set these aside in the free everything, has gone by." form of National Forests, "belong to This declaration also, repeatedly quo- all of the people," collectively. The ted, fires the blood and rouses the ire of League, instead, "adheres to the * * * the Public Domain League. principle * * * that the public domain What the National Public Domain and all of its resources belong to all of League wants is shown by such declara- ^.j^g people to come, take and use" in- tions as follow: dividually. The conservationists be- lt is declared to be "the duty of every jj^^g j^ maintaining a public property citizen to urge the fullest possible liber- -^^ certain selected portions, at least, of ality on the part of the Government m ^^^ ^^^y^^ domain. The Public Domain passing the lands and their resources League believes in turning the whole into the hands of bona Me citizens." ^f ^j^jg i^jj^ domain into private prop- "Exactly the same principle is in- ^^. ^^ quickly as may be. The con- volved relative to ^wr_y na/Mm/ r^.yo«rc^ servationists believe in limited col- pertaimng to the public domain, m that jg^^tj^jsm ; the League, in unlimited in- they shall pass, in an equitable manner, diyidualism into the ownership of the individual, in ^j^^ irrepressible conflict between the order^ that that tremendous resource, ^^^ j^it of the conservationists and ever incident to the West, viz., oppor- ^^^^ ^^ ^^^^ p^^j-^ Domain League is tunity, may continue as an incentive to ^^^^^^^^ ^^^^^ ^^^ proposal, above bring into our citizenship the best peo- ^j^^^ "our prosperitv" shall "be pie of the land, and our prosperity be ^ ^ j. ^ ^u 1 *.u £,',11 .„.o„ ^f ^ 1 ^ J .lu 1. ^t- r 11 r accelerated through the full sway ot accelerated through the full sway 01 . , , ^ • ^- ^ ^ our national characteristic, viz., 'w- ^"^ "^^lonal characteristic, namely, in- dividualism/ " In his Outlook editorial of March 20 diz'i dualism.' " "The League is opposed to the prin- . , /- n t-i 1 -o i*. ciple that the public domain and all its ^^^^ (P^ge 619 Theodore Roosevelt resources 'belong to all the people,' in PO^ts out that absolute individualism the sense that those words were used would not be compatible with civih- by President Buchanan in i860, in his nation at all * * ^ That every step to- message vetoing the Homestead Bill ; ward civilization is marked by a check but the League adheres to the national o" individualism." He continues. The principle immediately thereafter 'estab- ages that have passed have fettered the lished, in adopting that Homestead law individualism which found expression —that the public domain and all its in physical violence, and we are now resources belong to all of the people to endeavoring to put shackles on that come, take and use." kind of individualism which finds ex- The meaning of such expressions as pression in craft and greed." these is unmistakable. Between the In seeking to ensure "the full sway position taken by Mr. Pinchot in the of our national characteristic, namely, language first quoted, and that taken "individualism," the Public Domain THE INTERESTS VS. THE PEOPLE 565 League is harking back to a past as dead as that of chattel slavery. If the writers of the League but knew the alphabet of history, if only they were in faintest touch with the great movements of the modern age, led by far-off New Zealand but repre- sented in every progressive country of the world, notably in England, France and Germany, and more feebly, yet cer- tainly, expressed by the great awaken- ing in Russia, Turkey and Persia, they would know that the race has outgrown imrestricted individualism as certainly as, in the fullness of time, it outgrew feudalism. Governor Pardee, at Spokane, well said : "Countless graves have been filled, countless children orphaned and count- less widows made by individualism since the history of the world began. Caesar was an individualist. Napoleon was an individualist * * * But is the time not ripe when individual rapacity shall be checked and kept in order and regulated so it will not further oppress the people and take away from future generations * * * the things that ought to be of right the property of all the people of the country?" Yet the program wdiereby "every natural resource pertaining to the pub- lic domain * * * shall pass ^ * * into the ownership of the individual" is ex- actly what unrestricted "individualism" implies and demands. In its individualistic frenzy, why does not the League go the limit, and em- brace the doctrines of Herbert Spencer and the other anarchists, "philosophi- cal" or what not? Spencer was an individualist and, being such, he dared to be, for the most part, logical. He demanded not only that government should cease interfer- ing with the operations of individuals so long as they maintained his "equal rights" principle — specious, but un- workable under his scheme — but that the schools, post-offices and even the mints should be turned over to indi- viduals for their private operation. Yet despite his prodigious intellect, Spencer, as a political teacher, was re- cognized in his own country, years be- fore his death, as "a voice crying in the wilderness." Mr. .Roosevelt, on the other hand, has all history behind his declaration that "every step toward civilization is marked by a check on in- dividualism." But does the National Public Domain League represent anybody? Let it speak for itself. In its Bulletin No. 2, it says : "All but one of the Colorado con- gressional delegation, the chairman of the public lands committee of Congress, three Colorado state senators, and many of our most prominent near-by citizens," are members. The solitary exception is that of Sen- ator Guggenheim. From all the other members of the Colorado delegation in Congress the League publishes strongly commendatory correspondence. Congressman John A. Martin writes a letter so full and carefully prepared that the League has published it as a special bulletin. Senator Hughes wires : "I wish to say that I heartily endorse the objects of the National Public Domain League." Congressman Taylor writes: "I am in hearty accord with the League and with your object, and shall be more than pleased to aid in every way pos- sible toward carrying out its pur- poses." Congressman Rucker writes: "You can safely trust me with doing all in my power to push the results outlined by your declaration of purposes." Congressman Mondell, of Wyoming, telegraphs: 'T am in hearty sympathy with the aims and purposes of the League as set forth in the Articles of Association." And there are others. 11. WHY THE SPOKANE CONTROVERSY? As to the inwardness of the Spokane controversy, let no one be deceived. Personal feeling may exist, but the real issue is not personal. "Graft" there may be, but the question strikes deeper than graft. Differences may, and do exist, in interpretations of law ; but as an issue, law is not in this case primary. 566 CONSERVATION The real issue is the age-long issue of "mine" and "thine." It is this ancient question in its most modern aspect : that, namely, of the interests against the people. ■ The public domain belongs to the people. The interests want it and are resolved to have it. In this domain are lands, forests, mineral deposits and water-powers of priceless worth. By accident, in an age of rampant yet discredited "individualism," a president came into power who cared for the in- terests of the common people. For once, furthermore, in our nation- al history, the country had a president who knew the great West. Again, a case too rare among admin- istrators and rulers, this president list- ened to a wise counsellor. He recognized that, with a popula- tion such as ours is and is to become, the people would need, and need soon, every foot of this public domain and every dollar's worth of the value repre- sented thereby. He was brought to see, however, that, by fair means and foul, and with rapid- ity inconceivable, this vast estate was passing into the hands of the few. He realized that the time had come to act, and he acted. He launched the "Roosevelt policies," including the vast enlargement of the National Forest area, the passage of the Reclamation law, the appointment of the Inland Waterways Commission, fol- lowed by the National Conservation Commission, the calling of the White House Conference of Governors, and of the North American Conservation Conference, at which meeting was pro- mulgated the never-to-be-forgotten call for the World's Conservation Congress at The Hague. Men say, "But these things everybody believes in." Hold, not so fast. Plenty of people are willing that natural resources shall be conserved provided this process does not interfere with their own private interests. But can conservation be carried far with- out clashing with the private interests of somebody? Look, for example, at coal. Till yes- terday coal lands, according to their dis- tance from a railroad, sold at ?io or $20 per acre. Now the Geological Survey is placing upon them a value approxi- mating their market value. These values range up to $100, $300, even $500 per acre. A single unbroken coal vein eighty- four feet in thickness, the lands over which, until Secretary Garfield's time, were held at $20 per acre, now repre- sents millions to the Government. A single township which, under the old practise, would have sold at less than half a million dollars, is now held at $8,000,000. Here we have the modern revised ver- sion of "the ratio of 16 to i." Will the business man, intent on bargains in coal lands, approve this kind of con- servation ? In like manner, immensely valuable forest lands in Government possession have been frittered away. The National Forest policy checks this process. How many timber-land speculators may be expected to approve such conservation? But national irrigation, it may be argued, will interfere with no man's private gains. Be careful. Here again we may jump at conclusions. In his address of welcome at the Spokane meeting. Mayor Nelson S. Pratt said : "And yet, I am not unmindful of the fact that an effort to enlist the aid of the General Government to the extent that the reclamation proposition shall be undertaken by the United States gov- ernment generally, will be met by the most strenuous opposition from some of our money centers, by men who in the past have been able, as it appears, to wield a powerful influence in national legislation." On August 14 The Wall Street Journal said editorially: "There are vast areas of public land whose value the Government has not had time to determine. * * * Many of these tracts are known to private inter- ests to contain enormously valuable de- posits of minerals. Other areas will af- ford splendid opportunity for irrigation THE INTERESTS VS. THE PEOPLE 567 enterprises, as to which the Government has a poHcy of its own and counter to which private interests occasionally run." Speaking of the attack on Director Newell, the Spokcsman-Reviezv of Spokane for August 10, said : "These attacks are directed chiefly by large and powerful interests that have failed in their efforts to manipulate Mr. Newell and persuade him to sacrifice the public welfare wherever it came in conflict with their desires." Consider again the matter of water- powers. Note the statements made by Mr. Pinchot at Spokane, and the re- marks by Mr. John L. Mathews, a spe- cialist in this field ; both found in this issue of Conservation. Read the following utterance by Mr. Mathews, deemed of sufficient import- ance to be quoted in the Wall Street Journal of July 31 : Every group of capitalists in the United States is interested in water-power. The Standard Oil and the Amalgamated Copper people are grabbing powers in the Northwest. The Duke-Ryan tobacco trust is interested in southern powers. The Moffat group, with A'lyron Herrick, is busy in Colorado. Harriman, through Pacific-coast power com- panies and through alliance with Oakleigh Thorne and Marsden Perry, makes his in- fluence felt and contributes to the good un- derstanding. The harvester trust, the Wid- ener group — all these and others are getting their share of our water-powers. What are you going to do about it? Of course, if you are one of the capitalists represented in any of the present water- power corporations, you are going to promptly and enthusiastically condemn "'muck-raking magazines." and give instructions to your press agents, your newspapers, and your lawyers to discredit these statements in every possible manner. But if you are one of the other 99,999 out of every 100.000 of the popu- lation— if vou are just a plain business man, or professional man, or workingman, or farrner — what are you going to do? You can sit idly by, and can be sure that the grab- bers are busv every minute. Or you can demand intelligent, honest action from your members of the state legislature and your member of Congress and vour United States Senator.— John L. Mathews in Hampton's Magazine. With interests like these antagonized shall we wonder that the heads of men like Pinchot and Newell are demanded as a sacrifice? 5 That the interests were in evidence at Spokane is also clear from the dis- patches. Former Senator George Turner se- verely criticized Governor Pardee's speech ; in addition, he bitterly fought the indorsement of Messrs. Pinchot and Newell. The Spokane Chronicle for August 12 quotes him as saying: 'T am under a retainer from the Washington Water- power Company, and have been so for a number of years." The same paper also declared that "Judge Turner is counsel for the Yuma Land and Irrigation Company, which is engaged in litigation with the United States Government." The Spokesman-Review, of Spokane, for August 30, says : "Judge Turner is attorney for this company (The Irrigation Land and Improvement Company) in a suit that not only seeks to stop one of the na- tional irrigation projects, but attacks the constitutionality of the whole re- clamation work." The Denver Times, of August 14, speaks of "former Senator Turner and Attorney Frank H. Post, both of whom are attorneys of record for the Wash- ington Water-power Company, a branch of the General Electric Co." The Washington Times, of August 14, tells of the work of "Former Sen- ator Turner and Attorney Frank H. Post, both of whom were attorneys of record for the Washington Water-pow- er Co., a branch of the General Electric Co.," and adds: "At former Congresses the attorneys for the Water-power Co. and private irrigation concerns have al- ways been aligned against the then Sec- retary of the Interior. James A. Gar- field. Both Turner and Post have fought the policies of Pinchot and the Reclamation Service and both were op- ponents of Secretary Garfield." HI. THE BALLINGER-PINCHOT CASL And now for the P)allinger-Pinchot case. What are the facts? Not all of these, unfortunately, are verifiable. On some of the most im- portant "deponent." the Interior De- partment, "saith not." 568 CONSERVATION The resources, nevertheless, of the Capitol, the Departments", where avail- able, and the press, including a clipping bureau, have been exploited. Following is the story: In recent years there has been form- ing a water-power trust. When com- plete, it will dominate the power market, and with it all industry. Beside it. Standard Oil will be petty. The seat of power for the trust is water-power sites. In Forestry and Irrigation for April, 1908, the present writer editorially exposed numerous at- tempts on the part of the power inter- ests to secure Congressional legislation. In the closing days of his adminis- tration. President Roosevelt learned of wholesale seizures of water-powers by the trust. It had been supposed that Secretary Garfield would continue in charge of the Interior Department; on February 15 he learned that he must go on March 4. "Not knowing who the new secretary would be, President Roosevelt and Sec- retary Garfield decided to lock all doors so that the new administration would find everything snug." At midnight, preceding March 4, President Roosevelt withdrew from en- try, and hence from the reach of the land grabbers, 186,000,000 acres of land containing power sites. Three- quarters of this was in Montana, the remainder in Wyoming. Secretary Garfield was followed by Richard Achilles Ballinger, of Seattle. Following the Binger Hermann-Mitchell scandals, Ballinger had come to the Land Office, where, for a year, begin- ning February, 1907, he was Commis- sioner. Friction, however, existed and he resigned. Hardly had Secretary Ballinger as- sumed office before he began throwing open to entry lands which his predeces- sor had withdrawn for the protection of the public's interests. How much? Application to the De- partment of the Interior for figures has brought no response. A table published on May 8 shows land totaling 5,012,- 729 acres to have been thus released in twenty-one states and territories. Press reports at hand indicate the throwing open to entry of more than a half-million additional acres in July. The reason given by Secretary Bal- linger for these acts was the lack of specific law for the withdrawal of the land originally. Presently the country began to be heard from. Not only so, but Mr. Gif- ford Pinchot, Forester, went direct to President Taft and voiced an indignant protest. President Taft promptly instructed the re-withdrawal of the lands in ques- tion. But a fraction, however, of the lands thrown open were re-withdrawn. Furthermore, it is charged, lands in Montana, ordered to be withdrawn, were not withdrawn for nearly two months ; during which time representa- tives of the power trust grabbed im- mensely valuable water-power sites. The protest of Mr. Pinchot, however, bore fruit of still a different character. A bit of side history must here be in- troduced. The Indian reservations are in con- trol of the Indian Office of the Interior Department. On the Indian reserva- tions are valuable forests. The Indian Office, however, does not maintain a scientific, technical forest force. It is and has been, therefore, incompetent to handle forests. Realizing this, the Secretaries of Agriculture and the Interior on January 22, 1908, agreed upon a plan of co- operation between their departments. Under this plan, the Indian forests were administered by the Forest Service of the Agricultural Department, the In- dian Office paying the bills. Mr. Pinchot's letter of July 2t^ last, to Secretary Wilson, shows that this plan bore admirable fruit, a fact which the Interior Office concedes. When Mr. Ballinger became Secre- tary, the question of continuing this co- operation was repeatedly discussed with him. He agreed that the cooperation should continue. However, when ordered by the Presi- dent to re-withdraw the lands as above mentioned, he changed his mind on this point. Press dispatches from the West quo- THE INTERESTS VS. THE PEOPLE 569 ted him as saying that "a subordinate Senate Committee on Irrigation and of the Agricultural Department should Reclamation of Arid Lands. not run the Interior Department." Secretary Ballinger, however, for- On July 17 and 20 his representative, bade its use as not specifically provided the Acting Secretary of the Interior, for by law. through letters to the Secretary of His hostility to this plan was, per- Agriculture, terminated the coopera- haps, reflected in his remarks at Spo- tion on the ground that it was "in con- kane where he said : travention of law and of well settled "The whole scheme of the act is principles." based upon the appropriation of the Meanwhile, trouble was brewing in proceeds of the sale of public lands in the Reclamation Service. The Secre- certain states and territories for the con- tary of the Interior was reported to be struction of irrigation works for the re- hostile toward the Director, Mr. Fred- clamation of arid and semi-arid lands erick Haynes Newell. therein. No further appropriation by The Secretary started on a tour of the Government is intended, or can be the reclamation projects. A press story inferred from the act." from Oregon announced that "scores Naturally the enlargement of the and perhaps hundreds of bitter com- field of the Reclamation Service, as by plaints would be poured into his ear," this cooperative plan, pointed toward and it was predicted that there would be competition with "enterprises which "a great shake-up in reclamation circles" private capital is ready to finance." The after Mr. Ballinger had completed his Secretary, in his Spokane speech, de- inspection, clared that it was "not the policy of the The source of these complaints was National Government * * * to hinder or conceded in the following language : interfere with the investment of private "These reports are circulated, as a rule, capital in the construction of irrigation by representatives of companies whose works," and declared himself to be "not private projects conflict with those of a believer in the Government entering the Government." into competition with private enter- In the same story it was declared that prise." "the projects should be confined to Gov- At the Spokane meeting, these ques- ernment lands and kept clear of enter- tions came to a focus. Mr. Newell prises which private capital is ready spoke on the 9th, Mr. Pinchot on the to finance." loth, and Secretary Ballinger on the Again, Director Newell was criticized nth. The latter was immediately fol- for going outside the law in promoting lowed by Former Governor Pardee. All his work. these speeches are reported in this is- For the convenience of settlers of sue of Conservation. limited means, and to enlarge at the Mr. Newell's speech was mollifying, same time the scope of the reclamation He showed what the Reclamation Serv- work by the Government, a cooperative ice is doing, gave credit to the work plan had been agreed upon. of private capital, suggested the im- By this, the settler might pay in part mensity of the task undertaken by the for his water rights by his work ; the Service, hinted that it was under fire. Service at the same time could avail and pointed out how "offenses must itself of his labor without paying there- needs come." for in cash. Each party to the contract Mr. Pinchot emphasized the impor- was benefited, and the plan proved ex- tance of the home in the Nation, and ceedingly popular. the need of saving and extending it. He Furthermore, before its adoption this voiced the need for maintaining equality plan had been carefully considered by of opportunity among citizens ; showed the Secretary of the Interior, the Direc- how this equality is menaced, among tor of the Reclamation Service, and the other things, by the water-power trust ; 570 CONSERVATION how President Roosevelt had sought. As the Secretary left the room, Form- by grasping the spirit of our funda- er Governor Pardee was introduced, mental law, to protect the plain Ameri- Laying his manuscript on the table, he can citizen, but how, through a Phari- launched into the ex tempore address saical emphasis upon the letter of the published in this issue, law, it is possible wholly to miss its It is needless to say that the Pardee spirit. Finally he made clear that speech was a bomb shell. The excite- "this strict construction necessarily fav- ment, high before, here rose to a white ors the great interests as against the heat. people, and in the long run cannot do Former Senator Turner denounced otherwise." the speech, and interpreted its closing He declared that "the great, oppress- statement to mean that "public officials" ive trusts exist because of subservient should "act first and then investigate law-makers and adroit legal construe- the law afterwards." tions. Here is the central stronghold The governor, however, w^ould not of the money power in the everlasting have it so, and closed by rejoicing that conflict of the few to grab, and the he was "neither a lawyer nor the son many to keep or win the rights they of a lawyer." were born with. Legal technicalities The preceding day had brought the seldom help the people. The people, not reports of the alleged Montana land the law, should have the benefit of every scandal, doubt." The story came from Helena and It is here that Mr. Pinchot "threw gave added point to the tale, already down the gauntlet ;" for it is exactly outlined, of the withdrawals of lands this strict construction that has char- by Garfield and their reopening by Bal- acterized Mr. Ballinger's administra- linger, tion. It told of a vanishing coal supply, Strict construction gave him his of electricity generated by water-power ground for restoring to entry the lands as the coming successor of coal, and of Secretary Garfield had withdrawn. the billions of wealth, potential and soon Strict construction enabled him to to be actual, represented by water- declare cooperation between the Indian power. Office and the Forest Service on Indian It told of Montana's water-power forest lands unlawful. sites as strategic in the plans of the Strict construction, again, was kill- power trust, ing the cooperative work on the rec- Finally it told how Secretary Gar- lamation projects. field and President Roosevelt sought to Excitement rose high while Mr. Pin- save these lands, how Secretary Bal- chot spoke, and the applause as he end- linger threw them open to entry, how ed was loud and long. President Taft warned him to re-with- On the following day, Secretarv draw them, but how, during his delay Ballinger came, read his paper, and, ^f weeks in so doing, the trust seized without waiting for questions or discus- ^^^ power sites, sion, hastened from the room. ^^'^ Spokane Press demanded edi- His apparent disposition to limit torially of the Secretary that he meet strictly the work of the Reclamation ^^^^^ charges. How he met them we Service, his dread of Government com- ^""^Zf ^,^^"- , ^ • ^.. petition with private enterprise, his \^'^'T .^' Interior Office will yet belief that irrigation farming is not l" V f. k'; ^he facts have u u , '^ . . ,, been applied for, but, thus far, without generally a poor man's proposition," success. and especially his restoration of lands The office has said: "The public has to entry, raised questions which many all the information we care to give out were eager to ask. at present." THE INTERESTS \^S. THE PEOPLE 571 IV. THE ALASKA COAL LANDS Finally, as to the Alaska coal lands. In Alaska is the Chugach National Forest. On its eastern edge is a coal field containing, it is said, the finest grade of steam coal. The field is valued at something less than a bil- lion dollars. Over half of this field is in the Na- tional Forest ; President Roosevelt hav- ing, on his last day in ofiice, so extend- ed the boundaries of the forest reserve as to take in between 1,000 and 2,000 acres of this coal tract. Now comes Mr. L. R. Glavis, chief of the Field Division of the Land Office, with a story buttressed by affidavits. This story is placed directly in the hands of President Taft. In it are charges which, if sustained, mean a gov- ernmental earthquake. One Clarence Cunningham, an Idaho prospector, discovered this field, bought out other prospectors who had filed claims on it, and, with thirty-two associates, himself filed claims to 5,280 acres under the coal land laws. These entries, it is claimed, were made by "dummies" picked up from docks and among unemployed miners. Cunningham attempted to have his claims approved by the Department of the Interior ; Secretary Garfield, how- ever, refused ; but Cunningham did not abandon hope. Ballinger was, at this time, Commis- sioner of the General Land Office, and gave the Cunningham case his personal attention. On resigning, he immediately became attorney for Cunningham. In this capacity, he filed a brief in the Interior Department urging Secretary Garfield to issue patents for the Cunningham lands. On becoming secretary, Ballinger turned the handling of the Cunningham claims over to his assistant secretary, Mr. Pierce. The Glavis story tends to show that the Interior Office, by an important ruling, sought to ensure the granting of the Cunningham claims, and by numer- ous telegrams to Glavis, to hasten pro- ceedings. Mr. Glavis believed the case to in- volve conspiracy, and wanted time ; his superiors, instead, it appears, wanted "expedition." Then follows the account of Mr. Glavis's appeals direct: The first of these was to the Attorney General, who reversed the above ruling and decided that charges of conspiracy might lie in the Cunningham case. The second was to the Forest Service, informing that office that the Cunning- ham claims, more than half in the Chugach National Forest, were about to proceed to hearing, and requesting the cooperation of that office in obtain- ing a postponement until the Govern- ment could complete its case. This, it is held, is the first official intimation re- ceived by the Forest Service that hear- ings in the Alaska coal case had been ordered. And finally comes Mr. Glavis' ap- peal, in person and with papers, to the President himself. The whole account is sensational to a degree. It seems clear either that the Interior Office is shamelessly maligned, or that it requires the immediate per- sonal attention of the President and. perhaps, of a grand jury. The latest word, as we go to press, is that the President has called upon the Department of the Interior for a com- plete statement of the Cunningham case. EDITORIAL Resolutions by the National Irrigation Congress N OUR news columns will be found 1 the principal resolutions adopted by the National Irrigation Congress. Atten- tion is herewith called to some of them : BOND ISSUE ADVOCATED The Irrigation Congress adopted the following resolution regarding a bond issue for conservation work : Resolved, That the National Irrigation Congress co-operate with the several sections interested to bring about broad, comprehen- sive, yet conservative legislation whereby drainage, deep waterways, and forest con- servation together with the pressing needs of irrigation may be provided during the com- ing session of Congress by bond issue; such bonds to be issued in small denominations, bearing a low rate of interest, in order that they may find their way into the hands of the people. While the specific amount called for by the Hooker resolution was omitted, its principle is recognized. Conservation, neglected, means na- tional ruin ; properly conducted, it costs nothing and yields a splendid net return. The principle, therefore, upon which the Hooker resolution rests is that it is needless to impoverish ourselves now that he may be wealthy in the future, when we may, in fact, pay the cost of great conservation and reclamation proj- ects out of the profits of the enterprises. It should be noted that the bonds sailed for are of small denomination, thus putting them within reach of the every- day citizen. That people of moderate means will buy Government bonds when given the opportunity to do so was fully demonstrated in President Cleveland's second administration, and the proof may be repeated at any time. INDORSEMENT OF THE FOREST AND RECLAMATION SERVICES The congress approved the work of the Forest and Reclamation Services in the following resolution: 572 We approve of the honest, intelligent, and efficient manner in which the work of the Forest Service and Reclamation Service has been carried on, and we are convinced that the work of these bureaus has been to the interests of the small landowner and settler. This resolution comes at a time when these two services are subjected to the fire of fierce criticism, and when it has been freely predicted that the heads of both would be driven from their posi- tions. Further, it was adopted almost unanimously by a great and representa- tive assembly, meeting in a far western state where the work of both bureaus is intimately known. The results, therefore, must be peculiarly grateful to every reader of Conservation and to every friend of the conservation movement. $10,000,000 annually for irri- gation The call for an additional $10,000,000 per annum to be appropriated by Con- gress for the period of five years, the same to be used under the provisions of the Reclamation Act and covered back into the national treasury in due time by the home-builders, is likewise eminently worthy the consideration of Congress. Since the passage of the Reclamation Act, June 17, 1902, the utility of this service has been amply demonstrated. At the same time, there remains a vast area to irrigate and great projects, al- ready begun, await completion, pri- marily, because of inadequate funds. INIoney thus expended costs the Govern- ment nothing, for it all comes back from the home-builders. From the standpoint of the settler and of public policy, there is everything to gain and nothing to lose by pushing such work. If objection there be, it must be looked for, pri- marily, from two classes of citizens: those, first, who would have Govern- ment do nothing but play the policeman ; and those, second, who represent "the EDITORIAL 573 REGULATION OF TIMBER-CUTTING rights of private enterprise" in irriga- acre the total land value thus added to tion, and who apparently harbor a mor- the Nation will amount to $6,000,000,- bid dread of "the Government entering 000. into competition" with such enterprise. The Flint bill, which has been before Thus far, "legitimate private enter- the Senate for some time, provides for prise," especially that which has passed a revolving fund similar to that by the infantile stage, has somehow man- which arid lands are reclaimed by irri- aged, in this country, to worry along, gation. Here again is an enterprise It has discovered that "there is room which will cost the country nothing, for at the top," and has headed that way. the lands reclaimed pay for themselves The Spokane debate, however, reminds and more ; in addition they will add one of the remark of old Ephraim in vastly to the national wealth, and in- discussing the question of room. Said crease the opportunity of citizens to he, "What we most need, 'pears to me, provide for themselves homes and earn am a little moah room at de bottom." honest livelihoods. The 60,000,000 This room, it has been fondly hoped acres above mentioned, if divided into by irrigationists, the Reclamation Serv- forty-acre farms as contemplated by the ice would aid in providing. Since all Flint bill, would provide for from it needs, apparently, is more money 7,000,000 to 8,000,000 additional farm and no brakes, the appropriation should population. Unless all "poor men's by all means be made, and the amount propositions" are to be turned down, asked is small enough. and the Government is to be permanent- ly committed to the policy of refrain- GOVERNMENT DRAINAGE j^.^ f,0„^ ^-^-^^^ ^^^ ^-^-^^^^ -^ ^^^^^j^ The resolution in favor of drainage, seem difficult to find good ground for by Government, of the swamp and over- criticizing the drainage resolution, flowed lands of the Union in the interest of public health and the creation of homes, is eminently wise. In view of The Congress favored "the enact- work already in progress by states, ment of laws by the states regulating notably Florida, the cooperation of the cutting of timber on state and private states and the Federal Government is lands." very properly suggested. This proposed restriction of the The drainage question is one of far- "right" of the individual "to do as he reaching importance. We have in the will with his own" is another blow at United States 150,000,000 acres of that rampant "individualism" which has waste lands, capable of reclamation, gone so far to despoil the heritage of Such lands are among the most fertile, generations yet to come. In foreign if not absolutely the most fertile, on the countries, notably Germany, such regu- continent. The largest swamp area is lation is accepted as a matter of course, in Florida, where the region covers At the White House Conference, Presi- 18,500,000 acres ; Louisiana follows dent Roosevelt, in his opening address, with 9,600,000 acres ; Arkansas is third called special attention to the need for with 5,700,000. Thirty-nine states have such legislation in the United States, swamp areas which may be figured in He said : the tens of thousands of acres. »„„ ,,• t,^. ^i,- k; r ^i ,. *i ^ . ,. rr • 1 • j^ ii ^^y rignt-tninking father earnestly de- Accordmg to official estimates the sires and strives to leave his son both an cost of reclamation by drainage will untarnished name and a reasonable equipment not, in most instances, exceed five or six for Jhe struggle of life. So this Nation as 1 11 T 1 • ~ u 4-i,„ „^^^ s whole should earnestly desire and strive dollars per acre. Judging by the prep- ^^ ,^^^^ ^^ ^j^^ ^^^^ generation the national ent value of drained lands, it is within honor unstained and the national resources litnits to estimate that these lands will unexhausted. There are signs that both the reach a value of from $50 to $200 per Nation and the states are waking to a reali- ,f ,' 1 • J zation of this gfreat truth. On March 10, 1908. acre. If 60,000,000 acres are reclaimed ^he Supreme Court of Maine rendered an and reach an average value of $100 per exceedingly important judicial decision. * * * 574 CONSERVATION The opinion of the Maine Supreme Bench sets forth unequivocally the prin- ciple that the property rights of the individual are subordinate to the rights of the com- munity, and especially that the waste of wild timber land derived originally frorn the state, involving as it would the impoverishment of the state and its people and thereby defeat- ing a great purpose of government, 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 peculiarly 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 impoverished and one great purpose of gov- ernment defeated." Commenting on this policy, the Presi- dent said : Such a policy will preserve soil, forests, water power as a heritage for the children and the children's children of the men and women of this generation ; for any enactment that provides for the wise utilization of the forests, whether in public or private owner- ship, and for the conservation of the water resources of the country, must necessarily be legislation that will promote both private and public welfare; for flood prevention, water-power development, preservation of the soil, and improvement of navigable rivers are all promoted by such a policy of forest conservation. This decision was also quoted in part and discussed at the same meeting by Mr. Edgar E. Ring, state forest com- missioner of Maine. STILL OTHER RESOLUTIONS In view of the hardships suiTered under the present law, it is desired that the home- stead law should be amended so that the entryman upon public land under a Govern- ment project shall not be required to estab- lish residence thereon before the Govern- ment is prepared to furnish him water. The lands in question are, of couse, worthless without water. Eor the citi- zen to live upon them while the irriga- tion works are being constructed un- questionably involves, in cases, extreme hardship. A living cannot be made upon the land, and the entryman cannot go from it to make a living elsewhere without forfeiting his claim. Herein, doubtless, is found one chief reason why irrigation is "not a poor man's propo- sition." The problem, however, it would seem, might easily be solved. The demand for deep waterways, notably the fourteen-foot waterway through the Illinois and Mississippi rivers from the Great Lakes to the Gulf, and the welcome declaration in fa- vor of establishing national forests in the Southern Appalachian and White Mountains by Federal action, have also th e genume rmg. ^ «=' ^ What Is the "Poor Man's Proposition?" "While it is possible that persons of limited means may successfully enter and acquire irrigated lands, it will gen- erally be found that it is not a poor man's proposition, unless coupled with intelligent industry in agriculture. The whole scheme of the act is based upon appropriation of the proceeds of the sales of public lands in certain states and territories for the construction of irrigation works for the reclamation of arid and semi-arid lands therein. No further appropriation by Government is intended, or can be inferred from the act." Thus spake Secretary Ballinger at the National Irrigation Congress. For- mer Senator Wilson, in defending the power companies, is quoted as saying at the Congress: "It is the duty of the people to help the Government, and not the duty of the Government to aid the people in reclamation." Statements like these at an irrigation congress are distinctly disappointing. It goes without saying that the desert is not to be reclaitned without "intelli- gent industry." The Secretary's re- mark, however, is supposed to carry with it a criticism of the cooperative policy of Director Newell and his ad- visers whereby water users were per- mitted to pay for their rights, in part, at least, by their labor. By this means, it is claiined and apparently not dis- puted, men who otherwise could not have done so have been enabled to secure hotnes upon irrigated lands, and the Government has been enabled, at the same time, to carry its reclamation EDITORIAL 575 projects much further than would have been possible had it in all cases paid cash for labor employed on the projects. The country has supposed hitherto that, with the rapid taking up of the public lands, one of the few opportu- nities still remaining to the poor man was afiforded by the reclamation of the arid and semi-arid lands in the West. It has believed, in fact, that one of the chief advantages accompanying the rec- lamation work has been the possibility thus afforded for relief from the con- gested conditions existing in modern cities, and from the increasing pressure accompanying the struggle for exist- ence. The statement by the secretary; however, especially when coupled with his overthrow of the cooperative plan above described, and reenforced by the statement above quoted from Former Senator Wilson, one of Secretary Bal- linger's leading supporters in the Irri- gation Congress, would indicate that these suppositions are incorrect, and that once again the poor man must look elsewhere for relief. Not all have forgotten the speech made last fall by President, then candi- date, Taft at Cooper Union. At its close, he was questioned as to the oppor- tunities which exist in the United States for a man capable and willing, but un- employed. The speaker could extend to the inquirer no encouragement; his reply being simply, "God knows." If the Omniscient alone knows what an unemployed man can do in America, if farming on irrigated land is "not a poor man's proposition," and if "it is the duty of the people to help the Gov- ernment, and not the duty of the Gov- ernment to aid the people," echoes will be heard from Governor Pardee's in- quiry, "When are we ever going to give a chance to the common, working citi- zen?" It will be recalled that Rome found it necessary to provide for its unemployed, although by means not generally to-dav approved. Who will say that as against maintaining a body of place^ess nroletar- ians "in noisy idleness upon the price of their votes" and upon shiploads of grain from the provinces, freely dis- tributed, it were not better for "the Government to aid the people," espe- cially when, by providing opportunities for them to earn honest livings on re- claimed lands, it can do so without a penny of expense to itself or any one else? VS ^ ^ The Water-'power Trust NOTHING which occurred at the Spokane meeting has seemingly contributed more to the wide-spread press discussions of that gathering than Mr. Pinchot's reference to the "water- power trust." This concentration, he declared, is "not yet formed, but in rapid process of formation." Among those who delight to denounce "Baron"" Pinchot and all his works, this declaration is greeted with ridicule and scorn. One writer avers that "there seems to be no reason for Mr. Pinchot's exploiting this bugaboo of water-power monopoly, except to gain support in his effort to make power plants in national forests pay a charge for 'conservation' of water." This question is one of fact. Fortu- nately, we have evidence at hand. On January 15, 1909, President Roosevelt communicated to the House of Representatives a special message vetoing House Bill 17,707, authorizing the construction of a dam across James River in Stone County, Missouri. Accompanying this message was a letter from the Commissioner of Cor- porations, under date of January 14, 1909, "setting forth the results of his investigations and the evidence of the far-reaching plans and operations of the General Electric Company, the Westinghouse Electric and Manufac- turing Company, and other large con- cerns, for consolidation of the water- powers of the country under their con- trol." This letter contains six pages of solid facts on the subject. It closes with a summary from whicli the fol- lowing is taken : An estimate of the water-power, developed and potential, now controlled hy the General Electric interests, admitted or sufficiently proven, is ahout 252,000 liorse-power ; by the 576 CONSERVATION Westinghouse interests, similarly known, about 180,000 horse-power, and by other large power companies, 875,000 horse-power. This makes a total of 1,307,000 horse-power. Adding the horse-powers of the third class (c), those whose connection with these two great in- terests is at least probable, to-wit, 520,000 horse-power, we have a small group of thir- teen selected companies or interests con- trolling a total of 1,827,000 horse-power. Assuming that the water-power at present in use by water-power plants in the United States is 5,300,000 horse-power, as estimated by the United States Census and Geological Survey from figures of installa- tion, it is seen that approximately a quantity of horse-power equal to more than thirty- three per cent of that amount is now probably controlled by this small group of interests. Furthermore, this percentage by no means tells the whole truth. The foregoing powers naturally represent a majority of the best power sites. These sites are strategic points for large power and market control. Poorer sites will not generally be developed until these strategic sites are developed to their full capacity. And should these strategic sites be "coupled up" they become still more strategic. There are powerful economic reasons for such coupling. The great prob- lem of water-power companies is that of the "uneven load," and not only an uneven load but of an uneven source of power, because of the fluctuating flow of the stream. A coupling up utilizes not only the different storages in the same drainage basin, but, of still greater import, the different drainage flows of different basins. Also by coupling up, powers which have largely "day loads" can at night help out other powers which have largely "night loads," and ?'ice versa. Coupling up is rapidly in progress in the United States. The Niagara Falls Power Company and the Canadian Niagara Power Company are coupled. The Southern Power Company, in North Carolina and South Caro- lina; the Commonwealth Power Company, in Michigan ; the Pacific Gas and Electric Com- pany, the Pacific Light and Power Compiny, and the Edison Electric Company, in Cali- fornia— each concern has its various develop- ments coupled up into one unit. The economic reasons urg'ng water-power concentration are thus obvious. The facts set forth above show the very rapid and very recent concentration that has already oc- curred, practically all in the last five years. These economic reasons and business facts indicate clearly the further progress toward concentration that is likely to occur in the near future. It is obvious that the effect on the public of such present and future condi- tions is a matter for serious public considera- tion. In his veto messag^e the President fers to the facts stated in this let and says : The total water-power now in use by power plants in the United States is esti- mated by the Bureau of the Census and the Geological Survey as 5,300,000 horse-power. Information collected by the Bureau of Cor- porations shows that thirteen large con- cerns, of which the General Electric Company and the Westinghouse Electric and Manu- facturing Company are most important, now hold water-power installations and advan- tageous power sites aggregating about 1,046,000 horse-power, where the control by these concerns is practically admitted. This is a quantity equal to over nineteen per cent of the total now in use. Further evidence of a verj' strong nature as to additional intercorporate relations, furnished by the bureau, leads me to the conclusion that this total should be in- creased to twenty-four per cent; and still other evidence, though less conclusive, never- theless affords reasonable ground for enlarg- ing this estimate by nine per cent additional. In other words, it is probable that these thir- teen concerns directly or indirectly control developed water-power and advantageous power sites equal to more than thirty-three per cent of the total water-power now in use. This astonishing consolidation has taken place practically within the last five years. The movement is still in its infancy, and unless it is controlled the history of the oil industry will be repeated in the hydro-electric power industry, with results far more oppressive and disastrous for the people. It is true that the great bulk of our potential water- power is as yet undeveloped, but the sites which are now controlled by combinations are those which offer the greatest advantages and therefore hold a strategic position. This is certain to be strengthened by the increas- ing demand for power and the extension of long-distance electrical transmission. Facts like these, supplemented and emphasized by such papers as those of Mr. John L. Mathews in Hampton's Magazine, quoted elsewhere in part in this issue of Conservation, throw light upon the question as to whether the ex- istence of a "water-power trust" is to be dismissed with a sneer. Yet over against the above should be placed the statement of Mr. Ormsby McHarg-, who, he says, "in the late campaign was put in charge, by Mr. Hitchcock, of nine far western states," and is now Assistant Secretary of Com- merce and Labor. In a column-and-a-half interview published August 28 in a Washington paper attacking the Forest and Reclama- tion Services, he says: "The talk of a gigantic water-poiver trust being form- ed to lay a heavy tribute on all posterity of the land is the veriest nonsense." \ EDITORIAL 577 Sacrificing the Indian Forests PRESS dispatches of August 20 and 21 from Spokane, Wash., brings the following word : Fanned by high winds in the mountains, a fire with a five-mile front has been eating its way through the choicest white fir and tamarack forests on the Coeur d'Alene In- dian reservation in Idaho for forty-eight hours unchecked by a thousand men, who are fighting the blaze. Blinding smoke from the green timber clouds the north and south ends of the re- gion, hiding parties of fire fighters. * * * Farmers, homesteaders, and every available able-bodied man in Rockford, a town of 1,500 inhabitants; Plummer, a town of 500, and many settlements in the timber adjoining Lake Coeur d'Alene are fighting for their lives, homes and families. The total loss is estimated at $1,500,000. The Biackwell Lumber Company has hold- ings valued at $5,000,000 in this territory, and the 400 employees in lumber camps of this firm have turned from their work to battle with the blaze. Here, it seems, we have one of the fruits of "strict construction." The forests on the Indian reservations are under the control of the Land Office of the Department of the Interior. This office does not maintain trained for- esters, hence it is not prepared to handle forests or prevent fires. Realizing this, Secretaries Wilson and Garfi'eld, on January 22, 1908, agreed upon a plan of cooperation whereby the Forest Service should ad- minister the forests on the Indian reser- vations, the salaries and expenses to be paid by the Indian Office. As shown by a letter from Forester Pinchot to Secretary Wilson, dated July 23, 1909, the plan worked ad- mirably and was saving untold millions to the Government and its wards. One fact out of many illustrates : At the very time the Forest Service established a force on the Coeur d'Alene reserva- tion, a fire which "would not have got- ten started had an efficient protective force been patroling the reservation, was burning with a front six miles wide." Under the Forest Service manage- ment fires were prevented, timber was advantageously harvested and marketed. and the entire administration of the Indian forests underwent a beneficent revolution. When Secretary Ballinger assumed charge of the Interior Office he agreed that the cooperative plan with the For- est Service should continue. Later, however, his representative called it ofif. The Indian forests are now being ad- ministered by the Indian Office. A statement given out by the Depart- ment of the Interior on July 28, states that that department requested that it "be enabled to avail itself * * * of for- est experts to advise and aid the em- ployees of the Indian Office in the care or disposition of timber." Forester. Pinchot in his letter to Secretary Wil- son, above mentioned, states that "the Service will be prepared, so far as may be consistent with the performance of other duties entrusted to it, to advise regarding the care of forests within the Indian reservations." He states, how- ever, that "the absence of men in the Indian Office technically qualified to carry out the advice given will neces- sarily deprive it of the greater part of its value." And the Forest Service states that the plan proposed by the In- terior Office would involve little more than the return to an ineffective plan whereby that bureau cooperated in an advisory capacity with the Indian Office before the definite cooperation of Janu- ary 22, 1908, was agreed upon. This systematic cooperation between the two offices was discontinued by the Department of the Interior because "in contravention of law and of well settled principles." It should be noted that the question of law was considered by Secretaries Wilson and Garfield before the plan was adopted, and that Secretary Bal- linger accepted the plan. In addition, it should not be overlooked that the Wilson-Garfield cooperation was not unique. Cooperation substantially simi- lar now exists between the Departments of Interior and War on the national parks, and almost identical between the Forest Service and the Geological Sur- vey in the examination of mining claims. 578 CONSERVATION But while discussing analogies we should not forget another. While Nero posed and acted, Rome burned; while the Interior Office strains over legal constructions the forests are burning. Does it pav? )!i ^ ^ The Case oi Congressman Tawncy T N Conservation for August (page 1 496) Chancellor Van Hise's criti- cism of Congressman Tawney for paralyzing the work of the National Conservation Commission was quoted. In the Congressional Record for July 27 may be found Mr. Tawney's reply. He criticizes the "enthusiasts" in the conservation movement "to whom so worthy an end seems to justify any means, whether lawful or otherwise," and refers to the Appalachian proposal as an example. "The member of Con- gress who differs with the theoretical conservationists * * * must expect to be singled out as the enemy of prog- ress," or worse. In Mr. Tawney's judgment, the con- servation of "our dual system_ of gov- ernment and our national credit," is in- volved in such schemes. He would throw the responsibility for conservation work upon the states, instead of having it "foisted upon the Federal Government." The reasons why this is not done, he thinks, are that the states may thus escape the burden of expense, and that "the advocates of conservation" may "concentrate public opinion upon Con- gress," which is easier than to concen- trate it upon forty-six state legisla- tures. Like Speaker Cannon, Mr. Tawney is appalled by "the ultimate cost" of "reforestation," which "would be so vast as almost to defy computation." Mr. Tawney next points to increas- ing public expenditures, culminating in a "billion dollar session." True, he concedes that 72 per cent of the expenses of the last fiscal year went for wars, past or prospective, and neglects to show wherein the conser- vationists are responsible for this. Still he advises them to preach economy in army and navy expenditures. Mr. Tawney strikes at Mr. Roose- velt's "numerous commissions," stating that "they existed and carried on their work in violation of law," and as a re- sult of "usurpation." He says, "We are not yet willing to return to the old idea that the Executive is the fountain of justice and can therefore do no wrong Further on he declares these com- missions to have been appointed, "not only without authority of law, but in violation of law," and explains that "it was * * * to prevent the violation of the law by the executive branch of the Government that the provision of the A Sundry Civil Appropriation Act for 1 1910 was adopted." Mr. Tawney next devotes two col- umns to showing what the Federal Gov- ernment has been and is doing for prac- tical conservation, and again urges the conservationists to turn their attention to the state legislatures. Conservationists recognize that the Government has done much in recent years and decades in contravention of the laissez faire policy ; Mr. Vrooman's articles help to make this clear. They realize, however, that every step taken in this direction has been in the teeth of the advocates of a do-nothing gov- ernment ; they also realize that good w^ork well done affords ground, not for desisting, but for doing more good work. The theory that conservation is in- finitely costly, they repudiate. The facts show that it yields vastly more than it costs. To sacrifice forests, soils, miner- als, waterways and water-powers rather than undergo the expense of saving them, conservationists hold, is like let- ting one's house burn to save the labor of throwing water upon the flames. The pecuniary argument is altogether upon their side. As to the states, conservationists are willing and glad to have them do their part, but they will not accept the new version of the old states' rights doctrine, as voiced by Speaker Cannon and his friends, and agree that Congress may abandon its proper field and throw its duties upon the states. Let Nation and state each do its part ; there is no lack of work ^or either. NEWS AND NOTES Resolutions Following are the principal resolutions adopted by the National Irrigation Congress : Resolved, That the homestead law should be amended so that the entryman upon pub lie land under a Government project shall not be required to established residence thereon before the Government is prepared to furnish him water ; and that the honorable Secretary of the Interior be requested to recommend such an amendment in his forth- coming annual report. Whereas, The amount of money now available or likely hereafter to become avail- able under the Reclamation Act is inadequate to reclaim the arid lands of the Union; Resolved, That the president of this Con- gress is authorized to memorialize the Con- gress and the President of the United States to augment the reclamation fund by an an- nual appropriation of ten million dollars ($10,000,000) for the period of five years, for use under the provisions of the Reclama- tion Act, to be covered back into the National Treasury in due time by the homebuilders. We urge legislation to the end that mort- gagees who in good faith have been com- pelled to foreclose their liens on lands within the limits of such irrigation projects rnay have a reasonable time after acquiring title to such lands under foreclosure proceedings to dispose of the same to qualified persons under the Reclamation Act. Resolved, That we memorialize the Federal Government immediately to inaugiirate drain- age measures for the reclamation of the swamp-land and overflow lands of the Union in the interest of public health and the crea- tion of homes, and we urge the cooperation of the states and Federal Government to this end. Resolved, That the better utilization of our waters for water supply, irrigation, naviga- tion, and power demands a unification of the various administrative agencies of the Gov- ernment having charge of the Federal regu- lation and control of water and waterways into a single agency ; therefore, we urge upon the Congress of the United States legislation looking to the early creation of such agency. Resolved, That the Congress be requested to enact a law providing for the immediate survey and estimates of the cost of reclama- tion of submerged lands, where the work is international in character, or where part of the territory has been withdrawn from sale by the Federal Government, or lies along the banks of navigable lakes and streams. Resolved, That the National Irrigation Con- gress cooperate with the several sections inter- ested to bring about broad, comprehensive, yet conservative legislation whereby drain- age, deep waterways, and forest conservation together with the pressing needs of irriga- tion may be provided during the coming session of Congress by bond issue; such bonds to be issued in small denomina- tions bearing a low rate of interest, in order that they may find their way into the hands of the people. We urge the Congress of the United States to extend the Reclamation Act to the terri- tory of Hawaii. We approve of the honest, intelligent, and efficient manner in which the work of the Forest Service and Reclamation Service has been carried on, and we are convinced that the work of these bureaus has been to the interest of the small landowner and settler. We indorse the work of the irrigation in- vestigations branch of the Department of Agriculture and urge that the states and the Federal Government contribute liberally to its support, in order that the water supplies that have been and are being provided for arid lands may be wisely used. We favor the enactment of laws by the states to regulate the cutting of timber on state and private lands, and laws reforminp taxation on timber lands, cut-over lands, and reforested lands, in order that the perpe- tuity of the forests may be assured and the flow of the streams be preserved. We commend and strongly urge the con- tinuation of the work of the United States Geological Survey, and recommend that more liberal appropriations be made by the Fed- eral Congress for the prosecution of the work of the hydrographic and topographic branches. Resolved. That there should be no political divisional lines with reference to the right to use water for irrigation or other benefi- cial purpose in the United States. We approve the enactment of water laws by the states along the lines pursued in sev- eral western states during recent years. We adhere to the principle incorporated in these recent statutes that the waters belong to the people, and hold that this right of the people is inherent and indefeasible. Recog- nizing the necessity for administering this invaluable possession of the people by state and Federal agencies, we deny the right of state or Federal governments to alienate or convey water by granting franchises for the use thereof in perpetuity or without just com- pensation in the interests of the people. We recognize the immeasurable importance of the development of navigation through- out the rivers and lakes of the United States 579 58o CONSERVATION in accordance with the comprehensive plan beginning with the fourteen-foot waterway through the Illinois and Mississippi rivers from the Great Lakes to the Gulf as the main artery of our inland waterway system, and we urgently recommend to the Congress of the United States prompt action toward carr>'ing out this and other great projects for the promotion of commerce. We hold that there is no more important subject now before the American people than that of irrigation by private enterprise in the several states of the Union ; that the in- dustries connected therewith have risen to the first importance among the class of industries recognized by statisticians, statesmen, and the people generally; that definite informa- tion, at once comprehensive and detailed, is not now available in any state or branch of the Federal Government; and we urgently request that the Census Office be directed to take account of the industries connected with private irrigation, in order that the people may fully profit by our growing experience. We reiterate the declaration of the Irri- gation Congress of 1907 and 1908 in favor of establishing national forests in the southern Appalachian and White mountains, and urge legislation for that purpose, preferably through the Weeks bill in the amended form as it now stands before the Sixty-first Congress. We recommend to the legislatures of the several states and to the Congress of the United States appropriate legislation to se- cure forest planting and the reforestation of lands denuded of timber. We commend the work of the Audubon Society; and, recognizing the value and utility of birds and wild animals, we rec- ommend their careful and adequate pro- tection. VH ^ ^ Roosevelt Policies Concerned There has always been a small but very busy band of opponents to the Forest Service, headed by a man named Eddy, and — in the last year, since water-power on the public domain became an issue — encouraged by the big power companies, subsidary to the water- power trust. These forces have opposed Mr. Pinchot in every way possible but without success. Indeed, they apparently had no hope of success until a few months ago when Mr. Garfield was succeeded as Secretary of the Interior by Mr. Ballinger, whose ideas vvith regard to the administration of the pub- lic domain appear to differ widely from those of his predecessor. — Colorado Springs (Colo.) Gazette, August 15, 1909. «? )^ «« Roosevelt Policies at Stake Until a decade or so ago, national resources that are now seen to be limited and rapidly disappearing were looked upon as unlimited and inexhaustible. Under old conditions the Government's easy policy of disposing of the forests, the water-power, the coal and oil lands and ir- rigable areas had a merit that no longer ex- ists. The Nation seemed to have these re- sources in riotous abundance, enough and more for the corporations and the individuals too, and could afford to encourage their con- version into wealth by giving them over to private enterprise. But now the country is confronted by radi- cally different conditions. These resources have dwindled to relatively small proportions, and the old free-handed policy becomes now a grievous wrong to the Government and the people, and if permitted to continue would soon be made a means of public oppression by corporate greed. President Roosevelt, with admirable patriot- ism and courage, inaugurated his broad policy of conservation of these resources for the public benefit, and had the support among other zealous assistants of Director Newell of the Reclamation Service, and Gifford Pin- chot, chief forester, over all the national re- servations. President Roosevelt vigorously applied the policy of doing everything for the public benefit and the Government's wel- fare that was legal and not prohibited by law. That policy Mr. Newell and Mr. Pin- chot are now attempting to perpetuate. But Secretary Ballinger, of the Interior Department, has unfortunately manifested strong reactionary tendencies that were thought to be foreign to his character when he was pressed for appointment to the Taft cabinet. He appears not to have grasped the fact that the old easy-going policies, meri- torious in their day, have now become posi- tively vicious. He is twenty years or more behind the times. Mr. Ballinger's reactionary inclination be- came so apparent that President Taft found it necessary to pull him up with a short rein, and since he cannot well direct his chagrin and anger against the President, it appears that he has turned upon Director Newell and Chief Forester Pinchot, evidently sus- pecting that they had entered a remonstrance against his course. {The Spokesman-Review here recites that Secretary Ballinger made wholesale cancella- tions of ex-Secretarv Garfield's withdrawals of public lands, and continues:) Apparently he acted without consultation with President Taft, who declined to ap- prove the act of his secretary and directed him to return to the policies of President Roosevelt and Secretary Garfield. Smarting under this rebuke. Secretary Ballinger would like to take the scalps of Mr. Newell and IMr. Pinchot, but these offi- cers are backed by public sentiment and ao- parently have the support of President Taft, and the outcome may be that Mr. Ballinger will lose his own official scalp. East and west the public is awakening to the magnitude of this conflict and the nature of the principles at stake. — The Spokesman- Review^ Spokane. NEWS AND NOTES 581 A National Issue Shaping Unless President Taft takes decided action in the matter of the conservation of the public lands and their water-power, the issue now looming up in the Pinchot-Ballinger controversy will be taken up in Congress and will be enlarged into a great national issue. * * * Formerly the people did not care, because they did not know. Our natural resources were so great that they seemed inexhaust- ible, and the people were told that private enterprise was necessary for their develop- ment. Enormous areas of the public domain were granted to railroads on that theory, and while grants were necessary and just, many millions of acres represented pure graft. The hunt for the Government's natural as- sets goes on ; great conspiracies are formed and audacious acts are committed under the forms of law. The people look to the Presi- dent to see that his administration does not aid or countenance this plunder of the Na- tion, and if his policy does not satisfy the popular sentiment a pressure will be brought upon Congress to compel adequate legislation or start a great national movement inde- pendent of party ties and questions. — Newark (N. J.) Advertiser, Augvist 18, 1909. ^ ^ ^ The Lawyer and the Man of Science The controversy between Gififord Pinchot and the administration presents a phase of the immemorial conflict between formal law and the facts of experience. Pinchot, as a man of science habituated to an out-of-doors view of things, is bent upon the facts. He sees the growth, under his eyes, of that gigantic water-power monopoly in the West which Mr. Roosevelt foresaw might come to overshadow the very Government itself. Pinchot is determined to deal with this monopoly by any means that will keep the water-power in the possession of the people. He is determined that the issue of the struggle between the Government and the privileged combination shall leave the Gov- ernment on top. Now the case looks altogether different to the higher powers of the administration. The President and the Secretary of th? Interior are in their mental make-up indoors men. They take the point of view tradi- tionary with- lawyers. The practical facts of the economy of water-power have only a secondary interest to them. Their duty as they understand it ' is to administer a formal code of laws. If a conscientious discharge of this obli- gation will keep the neck of the public clear of the heel of the Water-power Trust, that is well and good. If not — well, Mr. Taft and Mr. Ballinger will hold themselves blameless. Now. which of these two mental atti- tudes, Mr. American Citizen, is more likelv to save the Government of the United States from becoming the mere hahboy and type- writer of the Amalgamated Monopolies? Which is the more competent at last for the vindication of law? The administration seems to have scruples about its legal right to keep certain water- power sites exempt from private entry. But there is such a thing as being so nicely legal that the law gets trampled under foot. Last week the Irrigation Congress, in ses- sion at Spokane, was thrown into a state of excitement at the reputed disclosures of facts showing that the Secretary of the Interior had shattered the Roosevelt con- servation policy in Montana. It was said that Mr. Ballinger had allowed millions of dollars of power-site lands to fall into the hands of the Water-power Trust. The story is sensational, and should stir the country as it has stirred the Irrigation Congress. It presents a great primary issue that must be met. Shall the Government be a little rough- handed — in the Roosevelt fashion — when nec- essary to maintain its sovereignty over pri- vate powers, or shall it lay down its life for its enemies on the altar of legal scrupulosity? Nobody can believe that Mr. Taft and Mr. Ballinger could possibly do what they seem to have done in this water-power mat- ter from any but the most conscientious motives. But the question arises. Are not their mo- tives too high, too fine for any earthly use?— Boston (Mass.) American, August 19, 1909. ^ ^ )^ Director Newell and His Enemies A public official who brings to an impor- tant task a zealous desire to advance the pub- lic welfare and courage to oppose selfish in- fluences must expect to have his. motives as- sailed and his achievements criticized. Director Newell, of the Reclamation Serv- ice, is no exception to this deplorable rule. Persistent efiforts have been made to dis- credit him with his superiors, to work up narrow local hostility in those communities that did not immediately receive portions of the reclamation fund, and to prejudice public sentiment generally against him. These attacks are directed chiefly by large and powerful interests that have failed in their efforts to manipulate Mr. Newell and persuade him to sacrifice the public welfare wherever it came in conflict with their de- sires. Disinterested and well-informed govern- ment officials who have observed Mr. New- ell's public work over a long range of years speak enthusiasticallv of his honesty, unflag- ging zeal in the public service and marked ability. Director Newell has had charge of this great reclamation work from the begin- ning,'and under his eye and hand it has been made a gratifying success. Not a single undertaking has failed, vast desert areas have been reclaimed and passed over to 582 CONSERVATION prompt and profitable settlement, and other undertakings are being driven to completion as rapidly as engineering ability and limita- tion of funds permit. Mr. Newell has the faculty of drawing to his engineering staff able and disinterested assistants and of inspiring them with his zeal for the public welfare, and the splendid success of government reclamation is due to this faculty and his firmness in resisting local pressure for appropriation of the fund to projects that could not wisely be taken up at this time. * * * It is not improbable that the interests that are fighting Director Newell have organized to attack him before the irrigation congress. If so, they will bring forward trumped-up objections and criticism and take great care that their real animus is kept in the back- ground.— The Spokesman-Revierv, Spokane, Augvist 10, 1909. «? ^ ^ No Explanation That Taft's Secretary of the Interior is actively working to undermine all the good work that had been done by his predecessor has been a common charge, based upon the reports of his own ofifice showing the throw- ing open of these power sites to general settlement and purpose. The change in policy was not made after long and careful consideration and the reports of duly ap- pointed inspectors. It was done with what looked like indecent haste, as a slurring re- versal of policy. This is not based upon the irresponsible observations of some journal- ist. It is the expression of members of the administration itself and the situation which is arising is one that may seriously embarrass the national administration. So, all these matters considered, it was supposed that Mr. Ballinger would seize upon the opportunity yesterday to address 1,200 of the most responsible people of the West, in convention assembled at Spokane, upon the meaning of the most consipcuous and important act of his department since he has assumed ofiice. His speech was carefullv prepared in advance and sent out by mail through the press associations in order that there might not be any mistakes in reporting or transmission. He read his speech, thus sent out before the congress, so that there might be no variations of a verbal nature. And what does it contain? Some plati- tudinous truths regarding the need of farm- ing development in the West, and the duty of the Government to carry on irrigation systems which are too large for private capi- tal to handle, and winding up with a quota- tion from Oliver Goldsmith. Not a word about power sites. Not a word about the part his department is playing in the des- truction or conservation of forests. Not a word as to the reversal of policies of his predecessor within four months of assuming office and without any more than a cursory examination of the situation by him in his official capacity. It may be that Mr. Ballinger has good reason for all his official acts. It may be that if Secretary Garfield were still in office he would have thrown back these lands for public entry. Or it may be that Secretary Garfield was too hasty in his actions, and that a reversal of policy is right and proper at this time. But if so, Secretary Ballinger should so far emerge from the obscurity of his official dignity as to address some public gathering, or write a letter to some congress- man, or contribute a paper to some magazine, or get himself interviewed in some way, so that the people of the country will know why he is doing things. There is usually a suspicion that every man is reporting his acts to some one. It will be just as well for the Secretary of the Interior if that "some one," in his case, is the people of the United States. — Fresno (CalJ Republican, August 12, 1909. ^ ^ Va To Can Pinchot The startling news comes from Washington that G. Pinchot, the National Forester, is about to lose his job * * * He is a great man who can't be canned with impunity. If he is, the people should rise up and make him President. Remember the name — Pinchot. — Springfield (Mo.) Leader, August 13, 1909- ^ V>i ^ Pinchot vs, Ballinger Mr. Pinchot wants a continuation of the policy whereby President Roosevelt made large withdrawals of public lands from entry; Mr. Ballinger, who is a far westerner and holds the view of his neighbors that public lands should be turned over to the people on the spot, will only check the alleged water-power trust by reserving a few sites. * * * Since President Taft was well acquaint- ed with Mr. Ballinger's views when giving him charge of the public lands — Mr. Bal- linger, as Commissioner of the General Land Office under President Roosevelt, left no stone unturned to throw open every acre of land he could — it would seem a fair conjec- ture that the Ballinger forces will get their way. With all due allowance for possible unwis- dom on both sides, it looks to us as if Mr. Pinchot is taking the national view and Mr. Ballinger the sectional view. Certainly Mr. Pinchot has shown himself during years of faithful service a public servant whom the country could ill spare. — Charlotte (N. C.) Observer. August 15, 1909. «? 5^ )fe' Pinchot and Newell Commended With propriety and justice the National Irrigation Congress approved "the honest, intelligent and efficient manner in which the work of the Forest Service and the Reclama- tion Service has been carried on." and ex- NEWS AND NOTES 583 pressed a conviction "that tlio work of these bnreaus has been to the interest of the small landowner and settler." This resolution is equivalent to a personal indorsement of Chief Forester Gifford Pin- chot and Director Newell, for they have long been at the head of the two bureaus under consideration, and the selfish and unworthy attacks that have been made upon the Forest Service and the reclamation work have taken on the form of personal reflections upon them. The congress could, with propriety, ap- prove the results of their efforts, because these have extended over many years, and the achievements are before the people for in- spection. The congress, on the other hand, wilh equal propriety, refrained from an indorse- ment of the record and policies of Secretary Rallinger of the Interior Department, for the reason that Mr. Ballinger has only entered upon his duties, and it is not at all clear what his policies are or what they will be. So far, they give evidence of a strong re- actionary tendency and corresponding lack of sympathy with the conservation policies of Roosevelt and President Taft. The Spokesiiiaii-Reviezv hopes that Secre- tary Ballinger will fall in line and administer the Interior Department along the broad, general lines laid down by Secretary Gar- field, his predecessor, but an expression of approval now of his acts or policies would be premature and unwarranted. — Spokesman- Rcviciv, Spokane, August 14, 1909. &' «? )^ Pinchotism and the Power Trust Nobody in Congress discovered the en- coachments of the power trust on the natural water-power rights of the country, but the discovery was made by Mr. Pinhcot, or in his bureau. Nobody in Congress raised a protest against the lavish gifts of public water rights to private corporations, uncon- ditionally, perpetually and without compen- sation to the public for the wealth surrender- ed. Give, give, give has been the demand for a period of years, and Congress amiably gave. There seems to have been nobody of consequence or influence there to raise the point that this is the public property, that it is wealth, that its future value is immense. Congress simply followed its custom of yielding compliance to the representations of great capital that it was for the best interest of the public, of you and the rest of us, to give away wealth to enterprising finan- ciers, who would proceed to administer the property so that everybody would be pros- perous. In consequence of the dunderheaded- ness of Congress in pursuing its favorite theory that public prosperity can be brought about best by public exploitation, the people have been made to surrender an amount of wealth that is almost beyond caicnl;ilion nnd a power trust has been built up, headed by J. P. Morgan, which exceeds in its ability to bleed the consumers any other trust that has ever been conceived bv the thrifty pro 6 moting syndicates of Wall Street. Mr. Pin- chot's speech, the Spokane dispatch says, was greeted with the "wildest applause" given any speaker of the Irrigation Congress, indicating that if Congress has been fast asleep, the country is awake.— ro/>ry^a Capital. «? «? 'JSr' The "Water'power Trust" The so-called power trust, which is credit- ed with such great activities in the public domain section of the country, is reported to be a New Jersey corporation, with a capital- ization of over $10,000,000. If it should prove true that this corporation is operating illegally by means of "dummy" entries to get control of all valuable water- power sites situated upon public land opened for settlement, it would be the duty of New Jersey to take all legal steps to thwart these activities. Corporations which are organized under the laws of this state should not pass entirely from under its control. Corpora- tions are creations of the state and owe their personality to articles of incorporation which are binding upon them. When they seek to violate the laws of the Federal Government they are exceeding the powers granted in their charters and are violating their pledges to this state. However desirable it is that New Jersey should be hospitable to corpora- tions which operate chiefly in other states, the privilege should not be granted under conditions wdiich should not leave ample con- trol in the hands of this state. — Elizabeth (N. J.) Journal, August 16, 1909. Mr, Pinchot's Fight That is a game fight that Chief Forester Pinchot is making to protect the water-power of the country from being monopolized by a great trust. During the administration of President Roosevelt it became evident that certain powerful capitalistic interests were quietly planning to obtain control of the most eligible sites for water-power through- out the country, and in pursuance of that plan the public lands near the headwaters of important western rivers were being grad- ually passed into private hands. For the purpose of thwarting that, the President withdrew large areas of the public hnds from entry and placed them in the class of forest reservations, under the law authorizing the conservation of natural re- sources. Secretary Ballinger, of the Inte- rior Department, has recently withdrawn a number of these lands so set aside, and it is given out that a powerful trust lobby will be on hand when Congress opens in Decem- ber to put through a law ratifying the with- drawal of these lands and the opening of them to private ownership. Against these things Mr. Pinchot has op- posed strenuous objections, as a result of which the relations between the Chief For- ester and the head of the Interior Depart- ment have been greatly strained. * * * 584 CONSER\'ATION The question is a most important one, and a powerful fight will undoubtedly be made by the rich timber and public-land thieves of the country to discredit Mr. Pinchot and to show that the action of Mr. Ballinger is right and proper. The public lands of the United States have been the source of scandal and corruption from the beginning of the Republic until now ; and as these lands grow scarcer the struggle to acquire them by means fair or foul — preferablj' foul, it seems — grows fiercer and more desperate. It will be well for the country to keep a sharp lookout on the efiforts now being made to monopolize the Nation's water-power. — Nczv Orleans (La.) States. August 15, 1909. J^ Jt' 5^ Too Serious to Be Ignored Mr. Pinchot's statement that a great water- power trust is being formed is too serious a matter to be dismissed lightly. Dismissing him from office would be like the Oriental custom of beheading the bearer of bad news and then refusing to believe there was any danger. — The Wall Street Jownal, August 16, 1909. )^ «=' i« Pinchot's Object Right * * * It is certain that the policy which Theodore Roosevelt carried out with much success was inaugurated bv Gifford Pinchot to the discomfort of public-land swindlers all over the West and with the approval of every honest citizen throughout the country. * * * The burden of proof is upon tho Secretary of the Interior to demonstrate that the established policy of the Government, as applied to the locality concerned, is wrong. There are vast areas of public lands whose value the Government has not had time to determine. Of 774,000,000 acres in the public domain nearly seventy per cent is still un- surveyed. Many of the tracts are known to private interests to contain enormouslv valuable deposits of minerals. Other area*- vvill aflford splendid opportunity for irriga- tion enterprises,_ as to which the Govern- ment has a policy of its own and counter to which private interests occasionally run. Further than that, grazing and lumber interests in not a few parts of the Northwest have been deprived of pasturoge and privi- leges that they formerly enjoyed with prac- tically no compensation to the public treasury. Finally, it is true, as the Chief Forester claims, that the game of grab is being played in desperate earnestness on the part of syndicates bent on corralling water-power locations on public lands. Against these forces Gifford Pinchot has fought the fight of the people for fullv fif- teen years. After such a service it oughl to take a great quantity of proof to the con trary to change popular confidence in him as a faithful and fearless custodian of the national forests. * * * Secretary Ballinger by adhering to a narrow interpretation of the law seems in effect to speak for local interests and for private parties, in con- trast with the national interest represented in a policy of conservation and careful valu ation of resources before the people, through the Government, should part with this por- tion of their national heritage. There is apparently no need of haste in alienating public property to private owner ship under the circumstances. In the ad- ministration of its forest reservations the policy of the past has proved eminently sat- isfactory as a matter of public housekeeping. No amount of pressure or intimidation, no matter who its spokesman may be, should cause the Government custodians of the pub- lic forests to abate one jot or tittle from the strict spirit of the established policv to dis- pose of the public lands only so fast as the development of the communities in which they are located may really justify. If the law has really been strained to establish the policy, then the law should immediately be amended to give the proper authorities full power to protect the public interest. Mr. Pinchot, in his aims at least, should have unqualified support. — The Wall Street Jour- nal, August 14, 1909. )« i?^ &' Congress Should Investigate It appears that to the water-power issue Secretary Ballinger has added another by his declaration of hostility to further irrigation schemes in the West, a fact that has greatly stirred the people of that section, because it is generally recognized that the development of the arid lands will result in enor- mous benefit to the whole country. Moreover, the present controver.sy has resulted in the airing of questionable if not scandalous coal- land transactions in Alaska, and it is quite certain that the enemies of Mr. Ballinger will cause all the facts in connection witl? these transactions to be uncovered by a con- gressional investigation. It is alleged that these lands contain coal to the value of $250,000,000 and that the Mor- gan-Guggenheim interests are seeking to get their grip on the properties which are re- garded as almost indispensable for the wel- fare of the Northwest. However, it is evi- dent that the Ballinger-Pinchot dispute which started over the water-power sites has grown to larger and more serious proportions, in- volving the whole policy of conservation which the Roosevelt administration did so much to promote. It is obvious that President Taft should at once inquire thoroughly into this matter. — New Orleans (La.") States. August 16, 1909. «? 5^ «? The Law and the Spirit Secretary Ballinger's declaration that he wants everything done according to law and not personal caprice sounds well enough. NEWS AND NOTES 585 but scarcely defines the situation. There is no charge that the law has been violated in the past. The real point at issue is whether the law shall be administered in a spirit of harmony with the principle of conservation of our resources and of retaining for the peo- ple as much as possible of the value of the public lands and their contents or in a spirit of getting into private hands all such lands and resources as speedily as possible, in the supposed interest of "business" and of "building up the country." Pinchot represents the conservation prin- ciple and Ballinger the "use it all now" prin- ciple. The law is the same for both, but it makes a great deal of difference which spirit controls its administration. Secretary Bal- linger is a western man, a man of the ex- treme West, where the people are obsessed with the idea of quick growth of cities and exploitation of resources. Anything that in- terferes with cutting down the forests, dig- ging out the metals, bringing new lands under cultivation or the rapid growth of business, is anathema in the home of the Secretary of the Interior. Genuine conserva- tion of the country's resources prevents them from falling into the hands of those who would exploit them for personal gain and, while incidentally making "business good," would make the people pay roundly for what had once belonged to them. President Taft will be called to take a stand in this matter. — St. Louis (Mo.) Star. August 17, 1909. «? «=' «? Waterways Commission in Berlin Berlin, Aug. 2T. — The Congressional Water- ways Commission arrived here last Tuesday and has had a Inisy week. The members include Senators Burton, Gallinger, and Simmons, and Representatives Wanger, Stevens, Alexander, and Sparkman. The commissioners have firmly declined all invi- tations to social festivities, and have been putting in most of their time visiting the waterways near Berlin and grappling with the statistical materials which the German authorities have been sending to their hotel by the bale. Senator Burton has had conferences with the Prussian public works department. The commissioners left tonight for Dresden to take a boat down the Elbe. — Washington Post, August 22, 1909. «* Jfe' «« Conservation Congress in Seattle The first National Conservation Congress of the United States, to be held in the audi- torium of the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposi- tion on August 26, 27, 28, 1909, promises to be the largest and most enthusiastic gath- ering of prominent men ever held on the Pacific coast. * * * The indications are that many thousand people will congregate on the grounds of the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition to discuss the principles of con- servation. Sixty-four universities and other educa- tional institutions will be represented. Four governors, the members of forty state con- servation commissions, and the Governor of Hawaii and his commission are expected. The churches will be represented by twenty- two bishops and other prominent church- men, and in consideration of that fact a special religious day will be observed for considering the subject of conservation. Tlic commercial organizations from Maine to California have accepted the invitation and will send delegates of prominence. Presi- dent Taft is expected to speak. Other well-known men, some of whom have formally accepted the invitation to address the Congress, are: Prof. Ralph S. Hosmer, of the Hawaiian Conservation Commission ; Gov. W. T. Freer, of Hawaii; Mr. Gfford Pinchot, United States Forester and Chair- man of Joint Committee on Conservation ; Gov. M. E. Hay, Washington ; Mr. William L. Finlcy, of the KTational Audubon Societies; Prof. John Craig, of Cornell University ; Rev. Henry Sloane Coffin, of the Union Theological Seminary of New York ; Prof. L. R. Higgins, of Tacoma, representing Occi- dental College, of Los Angeles; Anson Smythe Burwell, of Seattle, representing Oberlin College; David R. Sanderson, of Vancouver, B. C, representing the Rose Polytechnic Institute, of Terre Haute, Ind. ; Senator G. W. Chamberlain, of Oregon ; J. N. Teal, of the Oregon state conservation commission ; W. K. Kavanaugh and W. F. Saunders, of St. Louis; Senators Joseph H. Dixon and Paris Gibson, of Montana ; ex-Gov. George C. Pardee, of California ; Hon. James R. Garfield, and George H. Max well, of irrigation fame; Senator Reed Smoot, of Utah, and A. C. Shaw, of the Forest Service, Washington, D. C. There will be nine sessions of the Con- gress and a special religious service, con- ducted by visiting churchmen on the Sun- day following the Congress. At that meet- ing definite plans will be put in motion for the conservation of natural resources of land and water. Special delegates will be appointed to at- tend the International Conservation Confer- ence at The Hague, Holland, where an organization will be formed for the pur- pose of conserving the natural resources of the world. — Spokane (Wash.) Chronicle. August 13, 1909. ^ ^ ^ The Forest Conference The Forest Conference under the direction of the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests at Bretton Woods on Tuesdaj', Wednesday, and Thursday of last week brought together a distinguished com- pany. Governor Rollins presided and Gov- ernor Jordan was there. The state foresters of Vermont, New York, New Jersey, and :;86 COXSERVATIOX Maryland took part, in addition to the new state forester in New Hampshire, Mr. E. G. Hirst. Mr. Robert P. Bass, president of the state forestry commission, explained the new for- estry law passed by the legislature last win- ter. He urged that citizens throughout the state take an interest in the selection of the proper person for town forest fire warden. * * * The illustrated address on forest conditions in New York State and abroad given by Commissioner Whipple, of New York State, pointed out that, with the diminishing supply of timber in the country at large, and the rapidly increasing population, tree planting on a large scale is becoming a matter of the utmost importance. Dr. John H. Finley. president of the Col- lege of the City of New York, and a close personal friend of the late Grover Cleve- land, spoke of the Cleveland Memorial Road in Tamworth. Mrs. Grover Cleveland was present. There were other equally interesting ad- dresses. George H. Maxwell, of Chicago, spoke of forest conditions in the West and said that New Hampshire should not give up her struggle to secure a national forest in the White Mountains, because the prin- ciple of Federal control of forests at the head of interstate streams is essential to the well being of the country at large. Mr. Allen Hollis, of Concord, stated the difficulties in passing a law to improve the taxation of forests, and said that the proper method, if it could be established by legis- lation, even though it required a change in the Constittttion, is to tax the lands onlv annually and the forest crop once when it is felled. The forester of the society, Mr. Philip W. Ayres, presented a series of lantern pictures showing the beauty of the forests on the mountains and their complete destruction from lack of better state laws. He urged the acquisition of forest lands by the state and by the towns. — Clarcmont (N. H.) Eagle, .\ugust 14, 1909. •if 'If A Field Meeting of the Vermont Forestry Association Following the New Hamp.shire meeting at Bretton Woods, officers of the Vermont For- estry Association conducted a delightful and profitable forestry excursion to the Billings estate at Woodstock, Vt., where forestry has been practised for twenty years. The party included the several state foresters and about forty members of the Vermont asso- ciation. The Billings estate is one of the most beautiful in this country. Situated in one of the most charming parts of the Green Mountains, its management has shown a fidelity to nature and an adaptation of land- scape effects to natural conditions not sur- passed by the famous Smiley estate in Cali- fornia. The meeting was arranged by Mr. Austin F. Hawes, state forester of Vermont, and conducted by Mr. George Aiken, super- intendent of the estate, who is also secretary of the state board of agriculture. To him the progress of the forest movement in Ver- mont is chiefly due. There were visits to the plantations of white pine, in rows six feet apart each wav and of Norway spruce, thirty-two years old, the thinnings of which are now used to make paper pulp of a fine quality. Indeed, it is due to the success of this plantation of Norway spruce that the International Paper Company has established a nursery for th*" propagation of seedlings of this species, in order to secure a future supply of spruce for pulp at some of its great mills. This is practical forestry. The visitors were con- veyed over the entire estate, through mag- nificent forests, properly thinned years ago ; over roads kept in best condition. The plantations of European larch, sixteen years old, on a sandy, unprofitable hillside, at- tracted much attention, but it was Mr. Aiken's view that white pine on the same ground would have been more profitable. After luncheon there were addresses by the state foresters, Mr. Besley, of Maryland; i\Ir. Gaskill, of New Jersey; Mr. Hirst, of New Hampshire, and Mr. Pettis, of New York. With cordial thanks to iNIr. Aiken, the visitors departed. It is through such asso- ciations that the cause of forest protection gains its best headway. ^ ^ )^ Disastrous Fire in Maine Forest Biddeford, .Me., Aug. 13.— Alore than $100,000 damage has been done here in the last twenty-four hours in the most disastrous forest fire in this section of Maine in years. Already timber covering more than a mile square has been destroyed and though th' fire is temporarily checked, it is feared that a shift in the wind will more tlian double the damage. BACK NUMBERS WANTED The office of Consekv.\tion desires a few copies of the following ntimbers: Vol. \', Xo. 5 ; Vol. \I, Xo. 6; Vol. \'IT. Xos. 6. 7. 8, 10 and 12 ; Vol. XI, Xo. 3. For these it will pay twenty cents each. Any having- available copies will oblige b}' advising this office. CONSERVATION'S ADVERTISERS KEXICANPEDUrilKAS (REGISTERED IN U.S.niTENT OrnCE) WASHINGTON,D.C. 1203-5 G STREET. We will .send you a two-pound box of our Bon Bon-s.-Chocolales anil French Fruits, "the Hnest m the world," all charjce.s pre- paid, for one dollar and fifty cents. We will .send you a box (jf IVlBXICAr> F>RCA.IN - OKAS CA.r>DV (nearly 2 pounds) anywhere in the world, all charges prepaid, for a dollar hill mailed at our risk. BROWNLEY'S, Dept. K. 1203^5 G St. Washington, D. C, U. S. A. seud for Our Mew Booklet— It's Free Rife Automatic Hydraulic Ram (Water Pumped by Water Power) No Attention No Expense — Runs Contin- uously. Country Homes — Formal Gardens^ Farms — Town Plants — Irrigation — Railroad Tanks — Dairies^Etc. 7,000 in operation. 80% efficiency devel- oped. Catalogue and estimate Free. RIFE ENGINE CO., 2172 Trinity Bldg., New York ^.MECHANICAL BRAINS. ^ ERROR PROOF OENl ADDINO MACHINE,. 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POCKET-MONEY POULTRY. By Myra V. Norys. Paper, 50 cents; cloth, $1. No. 7. THE EGG QUESTION SOLVED. By T. F. McGrew. Paper, 25 cents; cloth. 50 cents. No. 8. HOW TO GROW CHICKS. By T. F. McGrew. Paper, 25 cents; cloth, 50 cents. No. 9. THE HOMING PIGEON. Illustrated. Paper, 25 cents; cloth, 50 cents. No. 10. THE FEATHER'S PRACTICAL PIGEON BOOK. Bv J. C. Long. Paper, 50 cents; cloth, $1. No. 11. MONEY IN SQUABS. Profusely illustrated. By J. C. Long and G. H, Brinton. Paper. 50 cents; cloth. $1. No. 12. THE FEATHER'S PRACTICAL SQUAB BOOK. By W. E. Rice. Paper, 50 cents; cloth, $1. No. 13. PERFECTED POULTRY OF AMERICA, Bv T, F, McGrew and Geo. E. Howard. Illustrated by Louis P. Graham. Cloth. $2. .50. SPECIAL OFFER Our latest book, THE PERFECTED POULTRY OF AMERICA, and THE FEATHER for one year for the price of the book alone, $2.50. THE HOWARl> PUBLISHING CO. 714 Twelfth Street Northwest Washington, D. C. TREES FOR FORESTRY PLANTING Catalpa Speclosa, Black, Locust, European Larch, Sugar or Hard Maple, American Beech, White Birch. Red Oak, American Linden, White Elm, American Sweet Chestnut, Black Walnut; also SEEDS of above varieties. EVERGREENS White Pine, Scotch Pine, Ponderosa Pine, Jack Pine, Austrian Pine, White, Norway, Doug- las, and Rvd Spruce, $3.00 to $10.00 per 1,000. We also carry a large assortment of EVER- GREEN Tree Seeds, both native and foreign. Many Millions to Offer We make a specialty of growing EVER- GREENS and DECIDUOUS tree seedlings In Immense quantities for reforestation purposes. Our list Includes all valuable native species, at lowest possible prices. Our new Catalog describes each variety and gives much valuable information about care and culture. All applicants for Catalog mentioning this Mag- azine will receive free of charge a booklet en- titled "Catalpa Growing for Profit," by D. Hill. D. HILL EVERGREEN SPECIALIST BOX 305 DUNDEE. ILL. Hill's trees have been famous for over half a century. In writing to advertisers kindly mention Conservation JAMES D. LACEY WOOD BEAL VICTOR THEANE Interested in Soulliern or Pacific Coast Timber? We furnish detailed reports as to the QUALITY of the timber, giving average TOP and BUTT diameters, average lengths and number of trees on each 40-acre subdivision. We submit reports covering details as to logging conditions, cost and most feasible methods of logging each 40-acre or sectional subdivision of each tract. We also furnish a TOPOGRAPHICAL map of all tracts located in mountainous dis- tricts, showing every elevation of 100 feet throughout the tract with OUR OWN engineer's report showing locations of most feasible routes and grades for logging roads. We can furnish sufficient data regarding ANY tract of timber which we have examined to convince you whether the tract is what you want or not. Personal inspection of any tract we may offer you will be found just as represented. We are in a position to offer some exceedingly attractive TIMBER properties in tihei SOUTH, in BRITISH COLUMBIA, and on the PACIFIC COAST. Also a few going mill operations with ample timber supplies in South Carolina and Mississippi. We furnish detailed reports of amount of STUMPAGE on each 21-2- 5- or lO-acre subdivision of each forty. ^^^^^^^ We employ expert PACIFIC COAST CRUISERS to check all estimates made on West- ern Timber, We offer HIGH CLASS Timber Properties only, which have been placed in our hands for sale. We guarantee our estimates are reliable. JAMES D. LAGEY & CO.'^ (ESTABLISHED SINCE 1880) .? 608 Hennen Building 828 Chunljer of Commsrce 507 Lnmber Exchange 1216 Old Colony New Orleans Portland, Ore. Seattle Chicago QmO. I. HOWAXD PBBSS, WASHIITOTON Formerly FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION PUblUhed by THE AMERICAN FORESTRTSSSOQATION, 1417 G St. N. W., Washington. D. C. Price, $2.00 per Year, Including Annual Membership in the Association Copyright, 1909, by The American Forestry Association COXSERl -JTIOXS AD\ 'HRTISHRS >> '*The SalvaOon o! Our Trees Educational Lecture by Jolui Davey Tlie "Father of Tree Surgery" John Davey, the world's greatest tree expert, who gave to mankind the wonderful profession of tree surgery, is rounding out his useful life by the delivery of an illustrated lecture, "The Salvation of Our Trees," that arouses each community in which it is heard to the needs of its trees. Knowledge of trees, founded on abiding love for them, enables Mr. Davey to speak with convincing force. This lecture, using over 150 beautiful lantern slides, illustrates real trees, portraying every phase of tree life — perfect and imperfect trees ; sick and wounded trees ; neglected and "butchered" trees ; improperly treated trees, and trees that have been saved by the sci- ence of tree surgery, properly applied. Afr. Davey describes with pow- erful efifect the wonders of tree life, from an entirely new stand- point. His wortls are the expres- sion of a life experience, and ap- peal to the best emotions of his hearers — for a deeper ap]:)recia- tion of the significance of trees and a tenderer regard for their welfare. John Davey, The " Father of Tree Surgery " "The Salvation of Our Trees" is practical, yet entertaining; in- structive, yet filled with human interest ; original, and little less than astounding in many of its revelations. The president of the American Civic Association said of this lecture, "I wish ten thousand commu- nities might hear it ; tJiat would mean the salvation of a million trees." Fall and Winter engagements for Mr. Davey are rapidly being completed. Special rates will be made to Park Commissions, Civic Improvement Societies, Boards of Trade, Schools and Colleges, Women's Clubs and Chautauquas. Those inter- ested shonld write promptly for open dates, book- lets and full information. THE DAVEY TREE EXPERT COMPANY (Operating Davey's School of Practical Forestry) Desk 13, KENT, OHIO "ThS '^'^^ latest book of John Davey. Practical from cover to cover. 213 lr66 beautiful photographic illustrations. rinptnr" ^^ ^^^^^ hozv; is good to read and ""^'"' better to study. $2.00 postpaid. Large and handsome brochure, "Our Wounded Friends, the Trees," free to owners of property with trees. Tn writing to advertisers kindly mention Conservation *% ®i? "iflHS <^ CONTENTS FOR OCTOBER, 1909 COVER DESIGN— By Charles E. Cartwright. OPENING OF THE SEVENTEENTH NATIONAL IRRIGATION CONGRESS AT SPOKANE, WASH., AUGUST 9, 1909 Frontispiecr SEVENTEENTH NATIONAL IRRIGATION CONGRESS 589 THE GUNNISON TUNNEL 595 DESTRUCTION OF THE NORTHERN FORESTS. AND ITS EFFECT ON THE FUTURE OF THE CENTRAL STATES— By Alexandre Erixon 599 SONG OF THE OAK (Form)— By H. F. Chorley 60s THE FOREST CONFERENCE IN THE WHITE MOUNTAINS— By Philip W. Ayres 6o'. To the average Easterner this story may not even bring a thrill of pride, but to the western man, or to the man whn is seeking a home, and who has read of the marvels irrigation has wrought in the arid regions, the building of the (junnison Tunnel means much. It means, among other things, that 150,000 acres of desolation will be turned into a garden spot, and that homes of com- fort and plenty will be made for thou- sands of x\merican citizens. The old irrigation systems of the val- ley have been taken over by the Gov- ernment, enlarged and extended. All of the public land has oeen filed upon except about 15,000 acres, which are not yet open to settlement. This land lies in small tracts on the outskirts of the irrigable area, and as the ditches are extended to cover it. it will be opened to entry. The most valuable crop in the I'n- compahgre Valley is fruit, the climate and soil possessing just the qualities which give fruit of all kinds superb color and the richest flavor, and which produce enormous yields 3'ear after year. One acre of pears, apples, or peaches will increase a man's bank roll by four figures, and there has never been a time when the supply of fruit has approached the demand. Many settlers, however, prefer to engage in general farming, and alfalfa, grasses, vegetables of all kinds, vine crops, peas, beans, tomatoes, squash, and, in fact, practically every crop of the temperate zone, can be produced in the Uncompahgre Valley of a (|uality and in abundance surpassing the highest expectation of farmers from anywhere but the irrigated country. 597 598 CONSERVATION The near-by mining regions furnish an excellent market for everything that can be grown in the valley, but so great is the demand for fruit produced here that frequently Chicago buyers take the entire supply, making it impossible to get Uncompahgre fruit in Denver or other local cities. This valley offers a golden oppor- tunity to the man who desires to make his home on the soil. To be sure, but little Government land remains subject to homestead entry, but many of the early settlers took up farms containing more land than they can obtain water for under the Reclamation Act. These excess lands can be purchased at prices ranging from $25 to $100 per acre. The valley contains 20,000 people, and has three good towns, Delta, Mont- rose, and Olathe. There is room for many enterprises, including a sugar- beet factory, flour mills, alfalfa-meal mills, brick factories, cold-storage plants, fruit-box factories, canning fac- tories, evaporators, etc. Professional and business men will find good open- ings here, also. It is an ideal spot for the sportsman, as bear, elk, deer, and grouse are plentiful in the foothills and surrounding mountains, and the moun- tain lakes and streams afford excellent fishing. In the elaborate preparations which are being made for the celebration the citizens of Colorado will proudly dis- play the products of mountain and val- ley. There will be parades, speeches, much handshaking and cheering, and everybody will be happy ; but some- where in the throng, in dignified si- lence, Chipeta, the favorite squaw of old Chief Ouray, will walk alone, a vivid reminder of what has been ac- complished in one generation, the turn- ing of the hunting-ground of a nomad tribe to a highly developed region where flourishes the highest type of modern civilization. Hennlgcr Flats Nursery, San Gabriel Forest Reserve Grand Canyon of the Gunnison from Above, Looking Down Toward the Head of the Tunnel Destruction of the Northern Forests, and Its Effect on the Future of the Central States By ALEXANDRE ERIXON IT IS well known that the northern section of the Central States east of the Dakotas is the main source of the Mississippi and St. Lawrence rivers. It is also known that this sec- tion was orig^inally covered by forests. With reference to similar co-relation, a writer on the subject says: "It is a mistake to suppose that the water is the cause of the groves being there. On the contrary, the groves are the cause of the water being there." "In general the central parts of con- tinents are likely to receive much less rainfall than their peripheral portions," says Shaler. The conditions, therefore, of the Central States are such, that the retention of existing moi.sture is essen- 599 A'Purc Stand of'Sapling Norway Pine on Ihc Ten Sections" Virgin Forest of Oak and Hemlock in Western Maryland DESTRUCTION OF NORTHERX FORESTS 60 [ tial t<> productiveness and life. 'Jdiis becomes fully plain when we consider the natural laws of the distribution of humidity, which place the coasts under direct control of the sea, while the inte- rior is dependent on local conditions. An illustration may be had in the water discharged by the Mississippi River, which amounts to about one-fifth of tlu' annual rainfall of its basin. It is evi- dent, then, that only one-fifth is re- ceived each }ear from the sea, while the other four-fifths are retained in their cycle of activity as local moisture. 'Tt is not fanciful," says Shaler, "to say that the greatest misfortune which in a large way man has to meet in his agriculture arises from this peculiar stress wdiich grain crops put on the soil. If these grains grew upon peren- nial plants, in the manner of our large fruits, the problem of man's relation to the soil would be much simpler than it is at present. He might then manage to till the earth without bringing ui^on it the inevitable destruction which he now inflicts. As it is, he should recog- nize that his needs imperil this ancient and precious element of the earth's structure, and he should endeavor in every possible way to minimize the damage which he brings about. * '■' * \Vhere, as is often the case with farms in hilly countries, all the fields are steeply inclined, it is an excellent pre- caution to leave the upper part of the slope with a forest covering. In this con- dition not only is the excessive flow of surface water diminished, but the moist- ure which creeps down the slope from the wooded area tends to keep the lower- lying fields in a better state for tillage, and promotes the decay of the under- lying rocks, and thus adds to the body and richness of the earth." Tt is needless to ask whether or not the people of America have conformed their actions to this princii)le so essen- tial to the future welfare of the land. And the result which ignorance or dis- regard has brought about is made known by the same author in his Out- lines of flic Earth's History. "Within the limits of the United States the deg- radation of the soil, owing to the pecu- liar conditions of the country, is in many districts going forward with a startling rapidity. Tt has been a habit of our people — a habit favored by the wide extent of fertile and easily ac(|uired frontier ground — recklessly to till their farms until the fields were ex- hausted, and then to abandon them for new ground. \\y shallow plowing on ••■teep hillsides, by the neglect in the beginning of those gulches which form in such places, it is easy in a hill coun- try of the eastern United States to have soil washed away within twenty years after the protecting forests have been destroyed. The writer has estimated that in the states south of the Ohio and James rivers more than 8,000 square miles of originally fertile ground have by neglect been brought into a condi- tion where it will no longer bear crops of any kind, and over 1,500 miles of the area have been so worn down to the subsoil or the bedrock that it may never be jirofitable to win it again to agri- cultural uses." If Shaler had written of the northern section of the Central States, he would have found conditions there similar to those mentioned above. But of even greater weight at the present time is the devastation resulting from a wasteful and unjustitiable sys- tem of lumbering. The great forests which once clothed the sandy tracts in t!ie northern part of these states have disappeared. And to-day we have but little more than the charred remains of that which the ax has left. The history of other countries jxnnts verv clearly to the attendant effects of such a sy.stem of work. "The reckless and wanton destruction of forests has ruined some of the richest countries on earth. Syria and Asia Minor, Palestine and the north of Africa were once far more populous than they are at present. Thev were once lands 'flowing with nn'Ik and honey,' according to the pic- turesque language of the Bible; but are now in manv places reduced to dust and ashes. Why is there this melan- choly change? Why have deserts re- placed cities? Tt is mainly owing to the ruthless destruction of trees, which Tops Left Among the Trees in Logging. These Feed Forest Fire? so Effectively That They Sometimes Destroy Everything in Their Path View of a Deforested Hillside, Showing Effect of Erosion, Southern Appalachian Region Hills Once Covered With Timber Down to the Banks of the Marsh. This Hill Has Been Badly Washed Away, Owing to the Denudation of Timber in the Valley Above has involved that of nations." And to this adds Dana in his Manual of Gcol- oi^y: "Forest regions also keep the soil beneath them charged with moisture, and, like lakes, help to give rivers con- stancy of supply and uniformity of flow. And evil often conies when forests are cut away ; for the rain-waters then speedily reach the river-channels and may occasion alternate periods of wasteful violence and worthless feeble- ness. The cutting away of the forests in the French Alps has led to uncon- trollable erosion, despoiled fields, and impoverishment of the people ; and, in America, to annual seasons of dry mill- ponds, an immense sacrifice of avail- able water-power, and destruction of many a mill-site." In this country, more than any other, has the wanton destruction of forests been permitted to ])roceed with the ut- most rapidity, until but a swiftly dimin- ishing fragment of its primal splendor still remains. The area of inland waters has greatly diminished. The power of retaining the local moisture in its cycle of continued service has decreased. With the removal of the forests, "the rain-water speedily reaches the river- channels," and is carried away to the sea. And as the moisture received from that source is, in the interior, insuffi- cient for the sustenance of life, the nat- 60.} Forest Lumbered Twenty Years Ago to a Diameter of Fourteen Inches, Now Ready for Another Cutting ural consequences will be an ever- lessened vegetation. This all leads us to a perfect under- standing of the words of Hinman when he says : "It is seen that all fleserts correspond to regions of very light rainfall, and that the regions of heaviest forests are in regions of heaviest rain- fall." With a lessened vegetation fol- lows a decrease of the organic constit- uents of the soil ; making it more per- meable, and bringing it nearer to that state of which Winchell tells us in his World-Life, where the earth, during the latter stages of its history, will ab- sorb all moisture from its face. With all this before us it is time to awaken to an understanding of the immutable 604 laws of nature, and to change those systems which are hastening the prog- ress onward to that ultimate state of barrenness. This region of which we here write, the northern section of the Central States, is by nature adapted to the growth of pines, with which it was originally covered ; though in parts it may produce other trees. To this wc may add that it is almost worthless when considered from a standpoint of agricultural pursuits. As a forest it would preserve the local humidity in its cycle of useful service, thus giving pro- ductiveness to the regions around ; and with conservative methods it would yield an almost unlimited supply of Badly Washed Mountain Valley Lands, Bakersville, N. C. The Lower Slopes Bordering This Valley Are Largely Cleared wood and lumber. From this point of source of one of the most important view it is of inestimable local value — a rivers in the world, its history will g'o value to which the Government and the down on another page in the annals of people should awaken. And as the time. SONG OF THE OAK O, sing of the oak, the brave old oak. Who hath ruled in tlic greenwood long; Here's health and renown to his broad green crown, And his fifty arms so strong. There is fear in his frown when the sun goes down. And the fire in the West fades out ; And he showeth his might on a wild midnight, When the storms through his bnmches shout. — //, F. Chorlev (05 ( 4 Landslide Stopped'by the Forest in the Southern AppaJachians A Virgin Forest of White Pine THE FOREST CONFERENCE IN THE WHITE MOUNTAINS The Grover Cleveland Memorial, Forest Taxation, State Forest Policy, Federal Control of the Water^sheds of Interstate Streams By PHILIP W, AYRES Forester, Society Protection of New Hampshire Forests, and Dartmouth College Grant A VARIETY of interesting topics was discussed at the Forest Conference held at Bretton Woods, N. H., August 3 to 6, under the auspices of the Society for Pro- tection of New Hampshire Forests. These included forest taxation, the re- forestation of denuded areas, the scope of a state forest policy, forestry in the public schools, the preservation of water-power, and Federal control of the headwaters of interstate streams. In connection with the Conference there occurred the eighth annual meeting of the X^ew Hampshire Society, a meeting of the directors of the American For- estry Association, of the New Hamp- shire State Forestry Commission, and of the state foresters of the northeastern states. JMaine to Mary- land. A notable group of friends of the forest and experts in the care of forests was present, including Mr. George H. Maxwell, of Chicago, execu- tive chairman of the National Irrigation Association ; Mr. E. P. Whipple, of New York, state conmiissioner of Forests. Fish and Game ; Otto Luebkert, treas- urer of the American Forestry Associa- tion ; yir. James H. Cutler, of Wash- ington ; Austin F. Haines, state for- ester in Vermont ; Alfred Gaskill, state forester in New Jersey ; F. F. P)csley. state forester in Maryland ; E. C. Hirst. state forester in New Hampshire ; C. E. Pettis, state forester in New York, and Asa F. Williams, forester of the Lidge- wood Manufacturing Company. 608 Ex-Gov. F. W. Rollins, of New Hampshire, presided. Ex-Gov. Chester A. Jordan was in attendance, as were the forest commissioners of New Hampshire, Robert P. Bass and W. Robinson Brown. Dr. John H. Finley, president of the College of the City of New York, pre- sented a striking paper on the Grover Cleveland Memorial Road in Tam- w^orth, N. H., a road laid out by Mr. Cleveland. Mrs. Grover Cleveland was present. Doctor Finley remarked that to establish this memorial — which goes straight up the hill, with every element of beauty — large contributions are not solicited, but a large number of small ones will be welcome as a tribute to the man whose work also went "straight up the hill." By resolution of the Confer- ence, friends of the forest movement are invited to send contributions to Doctor Finley. Mr. Cleveland estab- lished the first National Forests. The proper taxation of forests, said Mr. Allen Hollis, secretary of the New Hampshire Society, is an important element in forest preservation. If the law of taxing all property equally is en- forced, and the owner must pay on this crop two per cent per annum taxes for fifty years, no one can afiford to hold woodlands. Fortunately. in New Hampshire, this provision of equality is systematically violated by the assess- ors, which makes it possible for wood- lands to be held until maturity ; but there are as many systems as assessors. FOREST CONFERENCE IN WHITE MOUNTAINS 609 with the greatest variation in practise. Mr. HoUis advocated, first, that the land be taxed annually, apart from the forest, and second, that as soon as it could be brought about without hard- ship to the towns now dependent upon taxes from woodlands, and as soon as constitutional difficulties can be solved, the forest should be taxed once only, viz, when felled. As a step in this direction, he urged exemption of wood- lands properly planted, and those so cut as to leave adequate forest cover. This exemption could gradually be extended to the whole forest area. Commissioner E. P. Whipple, of New York, urged the maintenance of our great water-powers through preserva- tion of the forests on the mountains. In a series of rarely beautiful lantern pic- tures he show'ed the progress of moist- ure, the forests alone serving to prevent erosion and keep the soil on the moun- tains. The forest history of China, France, Germany, Italy, and Canada were traced to show examples of what is inevitably true in this country as in every other. The vitality and perma- nence of our entire civilization depend upon the preservation of the forest and the reforestation of denuded areas. That the fundamental work of a forest service is educational, was the view of Robert P. Bass, president of the New Hampshire Forestry Commis- sion, and of Austin P. Hawes, state forester in V'^ermont. This educati<)n should bear fruit in three main lines, the prevention of forest fires, the main- tenance of the forest cover, and the ac- (|uisition of forest land bv public au- thorities. Federal, state, or local, in or- der to guarantee that the forests are regulated in the interest of the whole people. Mr. Bass spoke particularly of the new forest-fire law in New Hamp- shire, which is progressive in that it pro- vides for patrolling the woods in dry seasons to prevent fires, and provides for the arrest without warrant of per- sons found violating the law. An admirable address on "Trees Along the Highway" was read by Dr. John D. Quackenbos, of New York and Lake Sunapee, N. H. Prof. B. S. Pickett, of the Nev/ Hampshire State College, urged that a w^ell-equipped for- estry department be established at that institution. Mrs. P. S. Peterson, of Chicago, chairman of the forestry com- mittee of the National Federation of Women's Clubs, presented in a prac- tical manner the need for educational work everywhere as to the meaning and importance of forestry to the country. The most notable address in this not- able series w?as that of Air. George H. Maxwell. With faith in the future that cannot be shaken, he said that the prin- ciple of Federal control of the head- waters of interstate streams must be accepted by the country. He urged New Hampshire and the people who live in the East to take courage and push forward the Appalachian bill for national forests in the ^^^hite Moun- tains and Southern Appalachians, be- cause this is only the beginning of a necessary policy. He said it is more im]^ortant to save the forests than to build battle-ships, for the safety of the people depends more upon them. To prevent the consequences of forest de- struction it will prove of the utmost value to introduce forest instruction into the public schools. The tall oak, towering to the skies, The fury of the wind defies, From age to age, in virtue strong, Inured to stand, and suffer wrong. — Montgomery A BEGINNER IN FORESTRY By ANNE WARNER Paper Five IIjEGIN to wonder if, in tlie caring for trees so that they may produce raih-oad 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 nuich frequented, totally ignored by Mr. Baedeker, and the most of the in- habitants of the village are the simplest 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 country-side 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 vicin- ity is chalky, and the lay of the land makes me want to study geology — wlien I don't want to study mushrooms, botany, astronomy, or any other one of the new-old primitive sciences which ])ress ])Ower fully to the fore when one comes oneself under the forest's scepter. 6io The desire to know the answer to the riddle is that the riddle here is so big. The great plain of northern (Germany lies straight out- spread 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 defined, and without exception they are all tipped almost perpendicu- larly on end. The slant is invariable, and the ends of the stratum have a sharp little twist just beneath the soil. Tlie soil on these rocks is only one or two feet dee]) 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 professions, it would be the least possible to give a living to an indififer- ent follower. I went with him the other (lay to see his knife mark out the super- fluous 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 contiiuious or else grass grows be- neath, and grass is not allowed in Ger- man forests. I mean, of course, as a A BEGINNER IN FORESTRY 6ii j^eneral thing — there are large open spaces every httle 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 vet 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 women — - their load bound on their shoulders. Just as thev have come for thousands of years. They go quietly by piles of neatly stacked cut wood to be taken t(^ town and sold when the men shall have time, and the cut wood remains undis- turbed 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 that they give to their trees. In my eyes, it links somehow to the spirit that leals the market woman to leave her full basket outside the church door and go in to pray. W'c 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 Galifornia trees over to the executioner ; but — a long way ahead — we shall not laugh. We shall pray, too, in that day — w^e shall give cast-off wood to the poor instearl 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 is closer yet 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 to])s cut in the old, French fashion until the new sprouts form a thick cover over- head, the whole too low to walk tipright 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 provide a covered shelter for the herds and flocks which were driven daily through the wood and out to the pasture land on the other side. The herds and flocks are not so plenty now, and the wav it- self has been curtailed ; but when it rains we go in under its close, green shelter, and — like many jnoderns who think the sun takes a year to go care- fully and kindly around our little earth — thank the old lords of the manor for having thoughtfully saved us a wet- ting. I hope next time to write something of the old forest-history of Germany — something of the days when the kaisers or kdnigs 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. THEODORE ROOSEVELT Dynamic Geographer By FRANK BUFFINGTON VROOMAN, F, R, G. S, (Continued) DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE BEHIND the advent of that political party which Mr. Roosevelt repre- sents, and through which he has done so much to develop the principles of Alexander Hamilton, both exten- sively and intensively, lie in the back- ground of the ages the swarming mil- lions of those who, without hope and with little intelligence, have tilled the soil for their own daily bread, and for the daily bread of the world— peasants and yokels for the most part, helpless slaves in the ignorance and in the weak- ness of their individualism. For still other centuries this unfortunate class of men might have ploughed the same dismal furrows, but that just about the time of the Civil War a group of poli- ticians began to deny the infallibility of laisses-fairc and the democracy of indi- vidualism : to overturn that theory of government which is the policeman's theory of government; and to dare the innovation of loaning the resources of the Nation (after freeing one class of slaves) to lift from another bondage another class of slaves, which numbers now in the United States about 6,000,000 families of those who till the soil. The new coterie lifted the stigma from labor and made of a railsplitter their first President, wdio himself broke the shackles from 3,000.000 slaves. Lincoln had not been President a year before he signed the Homestead Act of Galusha Grow, which gave the settler a chance over the speculator, which opened up the enormous area of the great West, and gave free homes and farms to mil- 612 lions of men and women who worked with their hands for their daily bread. This idea has since been developed for this lowly and hardworking class of men into the most useful and the most brilliant scientific organization in the world. It has made as well one of the most romantic contributions of human genius to the welfare of the human race. Now the American farmer is no longer a "hayseed." He is a prosperous busi- ness man. In the past, farming was a last resource ; now it is a dignified, sci- entific profession. It is such because we have 2,000 scientific men and trained experts probing the secrets of Nature, roaming the world, solving the prob- lems of soils, waters, seeds, weathers, fertilizers, forests, plants, insects, and farm animals ; the foods, diesases, and adaptabilities of all of them, in their affinities and possible pernuitations. It is impossible in any brief space to give even the outlines of the vast work of this department. Its work is divided into many bureaus, and these, in turn, into divisions, the Bureau of Plant Industry alone having thirty-two. The Weather Bureau, c. g., besides main- taining its central office in Washington, with about 200 subordinate stations scattered over the United States, Alaska. Hawaii, and the West Indies, coordi- nates with it. by daily telegraphic re- ports, observations made in Canada on the north, Alexico on the south, in the Azores and Iceland, the western coast of Europe, European and Asiatic Rus- sia, covering every day practically the wdiole of the inhabited portions of the North American Continent, the North THEODORE ROOSEVELT 613 Atlantic Ocean, western and northern Europe, and northern Asia. With this substantial basis for the forecasting of the weather, the bureau issues storm signals, flood signals, and other mete- orological information for the benefit of agriculture, commerce, and navigation. The Forecast Division receives in charts twice daily telegraphic reports of the prevailing weather conditions through- out the field of observation, and is able to give reliable information to shipping through 255 special storm-warning sta- tions over and above all the weather- bureau stations along the lakes and sea- coast. The Climatological Division, with more than 3,600 meteoro- logical stations, supplies, at the Gov- ernment's expense, gratuitous informa- tion to all parts of the country by tele- phone, raihvay, telegraph, train service, regular mail service, and rural free de- livery. There are many other divisions of this one bureau, each with its special and valuable work. The Bureau of Animal Industry covers everything relating to the live-stock in- dustry. It deals with the investigation, control, and eradication of diseases of animals, the inspection and quarantine of live stock, the inspection of meat and meat-food products, with animal hus- bandry and dairying. The bureau has been able, from time to time, to stamp out diseases of cattle which have threat- ened the whole cattle industry of the United States. The Aleat Inspection Division is now carried on at 702 establishments in 196 cities. Closely allied to this is the Path- ological Division, studying the diseases of animals, and the Division of Zoology, which collects and describes animal parasites of all kinds ; the Experiment Station, studying all these questions in their bearing on the public health, and questions of heredity in animals and the making of better and stronger stock. Closely allied to this is the Animal Husbandry Office, dealing with the breeding and feeding of farm animals, poultry, etc. It is impossible to outline the thirty- two separate and distinct groups consti- tuting the Bureau of Plant Industry, through which plant life is studied in all its known possible relations to agri- culture. There are laboratories of plant and forest pathology, investigations of diseases of fruits, plant-life history investigations, together with experi- mentation in cotton breeding, corn, to- bacco, drugs, and poisonous plants and tea culture, sugar beets, fruits, grains, forage crops, etc., with other groups devoted to farm management, crop technology, soil bacteriology, water pur- ification, alkali and drought resistance, and many other useful lines of work. The Bureau of Chemistry is conduct- ing original investigations on hundreds of different lines, which have already resulted in untold good to the public health, to the prosperity of the Amer- ican farmer, and is adding every day contributions to the stock of scientific knowledge of the world. The Bureau of Soils has surveyed and mapped and analyzed the soils with reference to their utilities, always in connection with their climatic surround- ings, 147,107 square miles of land in forty-seven states and territories. It sends out circulars and bulletins and reports containing detailed descriptions of soils and agricultural conditions, with suggestions for the improvement of crops and methods of cultivation, with large scale lithograph maps show- ing the distribution and the relations of soils to climate and organic life. The laboratories take up such ques- tions as alkali and fertilizers, and with the many experiment stations ofiter free to the whole people invaluable informa- tion on soil management, utilization, erosion, and questions of fertility. The Bureau of Entomology, or the "War Department," in the field of agri- culture, is what we might call the Gov- ernment Bug Industry, and has a fasci- nation all its own. There are bugs which destroy plant life and animal life. There are big bugs and little bugs. It costs the farmer to feed these terrifying and insiduous armies of Lilliputian Huns and Vandals more every year than it costs to run the United States Government, including the pension roll, the army and the navy, and this for the vegetarian bugs alone. This does not count those which leave with man and 6i4 CONSERVATION beast tlieir trail of disease and death. In the old days of ante-paternalism and anti-paternalism, days of every farmer for himself and the bugs take the hind- most, the black-scale and the grass- hopper, the chinch-bug and the Hessian fly and Texas fly swept unhindered over the domain of the farmer, his homestead open at every angle of his ignorance and his prejudice and his in- dividual helplessness, and the last scenes of the tragedy were generally seen in the auction advertisements, the sheriff's hammer and the pathetic procession of the old man and his wagon full of child- ren driving down the road, if he had saved so much as a horse, to begin life over again as somebody's hired man. Now he drives an automobile, sends his sons and daughters to college, and the bank complains that he loans instead of borrowing money. The farmer has been feeding about 200,ocx>,ooo pounds sterling a year to one subdivision of his bugs. Nearly half this much is saved to him every year by the Bureau of Ento- mology alone. In other words, because the United States Government is in the hands of those who believe in the social organism instead of a social atomism, this one department of government has revolutionized agriculture and has placed the status of the farmer's pros- perity upon scientific and permanent foundations. The wealth of the American farmer to-day is about £6,000,000.000, almost thrice the total wealth of the whole United States before the civil war. The product of the American farm last year was twenty-five per cent on even this enormous investment, and the values of the last year's product of the farms of the United States were £1,500,000,- 000. The American farm has produced enough in 1908 to give £100 to every family in the United States. Such has been the intelligence and vigor and disinterestedness of the ad- ministration of agriculture under Sec- retary Wilson, that in Mr. Roosevelt's term of office, in the single item of live stock alone, the values have increased from 450,000.000 to 866,000,000 pounds sterling. This is largely due to the dissemination of free, scientific litera- ture to the farmers, and other actual na- tional assistance in combating the dis- eases of farm animals. The three crops of wheat, maize, and oats alone have increased to the value last year of £200,- 000,000 over the value of those three crops upon the year President Roose- velt was sworn in as President of the United States. During the same period the value of farm land has increased about thirty-two per cent, or from 3,300,000,000 to 4,550,000,000 pounds sterling, and this has been due largely to the study and dissemination of litera- ture and practical field help given by the Nation to the farmers in studying the plant diseases and combating plant enemies. Two of the most useful laws which Mr. Roosevelt has succeeded in driving through Congress and successfully run- ning the gauntlet of every interest in- volved are the meat inspection act and the pure food law, the latter conducted by the Hon. Mr. Mann. Taking at random a period of four years, the Bu- reau of Animal Industry inspected 227,000.000 animals per year, and 148,- 000,000 for slaughter. I find in a re- port from the bureau a certain table of the causes of condemnation of car- cassses, in which, roughly speaking, 19,000 cattle, 12,000 sheep, 4,000 calves, and 91,000 hogs, besides as many parts of each, were condemned and thrown away on account of the presence of forty-five different diseases. These dis- eases included tuberculosis, cholera, Texas fever, erysipelas, cancer, tumor, abscess, gangrene, tapeworm, trichinse, and thirty-five others. Under laisse::-faire we used to eat all this. And we didn't know what was the matter with us ! It is impossible to give, in anything less than a volume, an adequate idea of what this department alone has done, is doing, and will continue to do, for the American farmer. The Post-office Department has made its own contribution in these seven years of Roosevelt by increasing the number THEODORE ROOSEVELT 615 of free rural delivery mail routes from 8,000 to over 40,000. The President has just called a commission on countrv life to make an exhaustive study of the conditions of rural life, of what it is possible to be done by the Government to eliminate the element of isolation and loneliness, to introduce telephones, parcel post, better roads, and other measures to help forward that move- ment upon which the whole future of civilization depends — the movement back to the land. More advances in agriculture have been made in one generation than have been made before since the red Indian ploughed his maize with a stag-horn and hoed it with a clam-shell, or invoked the rain with the incantation of a howl- ing Dervish. All the past has not per- formed the miracles with the soil which science has wrought in forty vears. and all the literature of science, so far as I know, holds no more charming tale than that buried in the Tiovernment stacks of plain black cloth and paper-covered farmers' bulletins, and United States agricultural reports and year-books — the romance of science and the soil — of the making of two farmers grow where one grew before. Let some one sing us a new song now — " Tis the man with a plough." He is the foremost figure in the landscape, this belated scientist ; and he is such solely and only because the American world made up its mind that in this field at least, indi- vidualism and laisscc-fairc are played out. No sturdier blow has ever been given to the shabby pretensions of laissec-fairc than that by the Depart- ment of Agriculture of the United States. FORESTRY The annual growth of wood in our .American forests does not average more than twelve cubic feet per acre, or the total annual growth is less than 7,000,- 000,000 cubic feet. But we are taking 23,000,000,000 feet from the woods every year. "We use each year 100,- 000,000 cords of firewood, 40,000,- 000,000 feet of lumber, more than a billion post and fence rails, 118,000,000 hewn ties, one and a half billion staves, over 133,000,000 sets of heading, nearly 500,000,000 barrel - hoops, 3,000,000 cords of native pulp-wood, 165,000,000 cubic feet of round mine timbers, and one and a quarter million cords of wood for distillation." This is used every year. What we waste is appalling. An average of 50,000,000 acres of forest has been burned over yearly since 1870. and the annual average loss by forest fires for that forty years has been fifty lives and 10,000,000 pounds sterling worth of lumber. Rut the waste in lumber-pro- duction is even more startling because wholly unnecessary and avoidable. In the case of yellow pine alone, in 1907, it is estimated that only one-half the cut was usd, and 8,000,000 cords wasted, twenty per cent of the whole cut having been left on the grounds in the woods to rot — a waste representing the entire output of 300,000 acres in the matter of yellow pine for the year 1907 alone. And there is still more criminal waste at the mill. Only 320 feet of lumber have been used for each thousand feet 1 hat stood in the forest. Enough timbir is destroyed by fire every year to last the Nation for three months, and, not count- ing the losses from forest fires, we are using up three and a half times the yearly growth. The condition of the world's supply of timber makes it more and more necessary to become self- sufficing, or to do more and more with- out the use of wood. There is a vital relationship between forest and stream in any rational econo- my. The problems cannot be separated, therefore they must be coordinated. The inhal)itants of the Mississippi fiats are among the first to sufifer from the tree thief and the land-skinner among the countless tributaries. There is in- separable relation between river-bottom or desert plain and the wooded moun- tain of faraway interiors. High up on the forested canons Na- ture has built her great sponge reser- voirs and her dams of moss and fern. .Above these yet, are the ice and snow. Here open thousands of tiny sluiceways for the oozing waters that have been 6i6 CONSERVATION let loose from melting' snow and falling rain. Soaking deep, the sluggish and reluctant waters flow from their cool retreats down into the brooks, these into the larger streams, whose replenisherl banks guide them from their natural reservoirs into the plain. How different the canons and gullies of the treeless and arid regions, scenes of alternating forms of desolation ! \\dien it does rain, which is not often, a thousand streams pour like water off a tin roof, to expand below into an inudation in an hour, to sweep swift destruction through the valley, to subside at once into a blister upon the plains, to parch there like the forsaken victim of illicit love. All at once and all o'er with a mighty uproar, And this way the water comes down at Ladore. A striking comparison of the types of water-supply was given by J. B. Lip- pincott, supervising engineer of the United States Reclamation Service, at the Forestry Congress in Washington recently. He says that Queen Creek, Arizona, discharges through a barren, treeless drainage basin of 143 square miles, in violent freshets and floods, subsiding almost as rapidly as they arise. During most of the year the channel is dry. In contrast is Cedar Creek, Washington, with the samt- drainage area. It is heavily timbered, and in addition the ground is covered with a heavy growth of ferns and moss. The total annual rainfall in Washington Creek for 1896 was eight times that of the Arizona Creek, yet the maximum flood discharge per second is onlv 3,600 cubic feet for the former, while that of the latter w'as 9,000 cubic feet per sec- ond. The mean discharge froiu the Arizona Creek was fifteen cubic feet per second, that of the other 1.089 cubic feet per second. The Forest Service has undertaken, as one phase of its task, the solution of the problem of floods in rivers. For instance, I saw the Kansas River floods of 1903, which destroyed £4,000,000 worth of property and 100 lives. One of the most fertile valleys on the conti- nent, 120 miles long, was partially des- troyed. Here the rich soil was cut away, there it was covered with san;! six and eight feet deep over the fields; holes were cut out and lakes left be- hind. C)ut of the 250,000 acres of wonderfully fertile soil, 10,000 acres were completely destroyed, 10,000 more lost fifty per cent of their value, and the uncertainty left behind depreciated the value of the wdiole valley. The Forest Service has devised sys- tems of tree-planting for the river banks, the sand-covered and deeply eroded lands. The object of the first is to prevent washing of the banks, to protect the whole area from the full force of the floods, and, in time of over- flow, to check the tendency to cut new channels. The last two systems are for ultimately reclaiming the now destroyed lan's and making them prodtictive. The useless sand lands will grow cottonwood and reclaim the land for crops. A most interesting discover}' was made after this flood ; where the protected growth of cottonwood, which had not been cut away, checked the rush of flood waters, the land beyond was generally covered, not with sand but silt, and was often more fertile than before. With exten- sive planting of trees another flood would bring back, instead of further desolation, a return of fertility to niuch of the land now barren. Says Mr. F. H. Newell, director United States Reclaniation Service. "In six years the Government has reclaime 1 250,000 acres, upon which are now liv- ing 20,000 people, representing 4,000 families. It is a reasonable estimate that, in another decade. 2.000,000 more acres may be reclaimed, upon which 250,000 more human beings may main- tain themselves in reasonable comfort. "The water for this work comes chiefly from streams rising in moun- tains. Tn niaintain the supply of this water, it is essential that forests be maintaiiied upon these mountains. To this end national forests are indispens- able."' Addressino- the National Rivers and Harl)ors Congress at Washington, D.C., THEODORE ROOSEVELT 617 on December 4, 1907, M. J. J. Jus- serand, French ambassador, said : "It is an absolute principle — no forests, no waterways. Without forests, regulating the distribution of waters, rainfalls arc at once carried to the sea, hurried some- times, alas ! across the country. After having devastated the neighboring fields, the rivers find themselves again, with little water and much sand ; and with such rivers how will you fill your canals? * * * The question is as clear as can be : Do you want to have navi- gable 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. * * * "If the ?\Iississippi is the 'Father of Waters.' the forest is the father of the Mississippi." Mr. Roosevelt was the man who dis- covered that a national conservation policy, wdiich must include a national forest policy, is all that stands between the United States and the speedv des- truction of whatever foundations of wood the national utilities and indus- tries rest upon. Through his direction, the Forest Service has been familiariz- ing itself with the entire public domain, to determine its highest measure of utility. This study is thorough and scientific, and includes both general and specific problems of the forest and its product, and every possible relation they sustain to the Nation and to the individual. In short, it is concerned with every possible relation existing between civilization and the tree. The Service is replanting denuded forest areas, starting new ones, and conserv'- ing old ones. It studies the tree and its relation to the drought and the flood, to the irrigation of arid land and the en- croachment of sand dunes, as well as to the inundations of the freshet. It tells the man who owns timber land how to get the most out of it ; the farmer who has none, what trees to plant, and how. It shows the lumberman how to avoid waste, and the millman how to save. In short, it has made possible the perpetuation of the utilities and indus- tries and comforts dependent upon wood. It has taught the lumberman there is no future to his business if there is no future to the tree, and that the lumberman must fall in line with the Federal forest policy, or go out of business for want of one. Air. Roo.se- velt said at the American Forest Con- ference in Washington. Januarv 2, 1905, "I ask, with all the intensity that I am capable of, that the men of the West will remember the sharp distinc- tion I have just drawn between the man who skins the land and the man who de- velops the country. I am against tlic land-skinner every time. Our policy is consistent — to give to every portion of the public domain its highest possible amount of use." The Forest Service controls over seventy per cent of the forests publicly owned by the United States, but less than one per cent of the forests privately owmed. This gives a total of only eighteen per cent of the total forest area of the United States, covering about 550,000,000 acres, over which there is anv scientific oversight, promotion of utilitv, or prevention of waste. The po- litical princii:)les of competitive anarchv and patriotic nationalism are here thrown into such dramatic contrast that the mere statement of the prob- lem should furnish a self-evident basis for its solution. It is impossible to exaggerate the seriousness of the menace to the busi- ness interests of the countrv in the possible failure of the lumber supplv. Every human interest, from agricul- ture, transportation, building, manufac- ture, commerce on the land, to the sail- ing-vessel on the sea with lier cargo of wooden nutmegs, is directly and vitally afifected by the forest sources of the woofl-supplv at living prices. ^^^e have not been accustomed to think of the wood industry as such an iuflispensable basis of our industries as iron. We have looked upon agriculture and iron as our two most important economic corner-stones. But our cities and our shipyards use more w^ood now tlian even before the day of steamboats or steel eirders. 6i8 CONSERVATION My attention has been called by Mr. Smith, chief of the Editorial Division of the Forest Service, to the fact that while the census shows an annual out- put from the logging camps of only about one-half the value of that of the iron mines, viz. £74,000,000, that this takes no account of the vast amount of timber, not for the general market but for local consumption — worth, prob- ably, in the aggregate, at least as much more. Moreover, as we use iron we use it up. So it was once with the forest. Fresh supplies of timber were available only in new terri- tory. First the Northeast, then the Lake states, then tlie South, were swept clean of any great reserve. Only the Northern Pacific coast was left. Soon this would have been gone under the awful warfare with which these private interests have vandalized the past and jeopardized the future. No one who has read the history of the Forest Service, and, as well, that of the "land-skinner," can hesitate long as to whether "state interference," or /a/.wrr.'- foirc (to use the larger meaning of the term) is better politics, and as to whether competitive anarchy or patriotic nationalitv is the better guiding prin- ciple in public affairs. It is pretty certain that, but for a national forest policy, backed up by the Nation, the greed of the land-skinner would soon have laid bare our western states, as it has stripped the eastern and middle states, and deprived the arid region of the West of a stable water- supply. Every true American has felt the elemental sorrow of Leatherstocking, driven to the far West because the sound of the woodsman's ax which had driven him from his forest home, still in the clearings, btu^t his ears ; and a lonely old luan with his silent laugh and his silent grief, sorrow-stricken still in the far prairie at the sound of a falling tree. There is real tragedy here. This is a common feeling. But this sentiment has never been organized. There has been a necessity for this, for sentiment still rules the world. A growing national sentiment is behind the whole work of the Forest Service. A national sentiment is not a nation- al scntiiiiaifalisiuus. The i:)ioneers of forestry, in creed or de^d, have enter- tained no geographic grief that the dryads are dead, or that the wan shapes of the hamadryads are wandering like lost ghosts among the ragged and un- roofed stumps of so many a deserted waste. We entertain a sentiment of i:)atriotism, a religion, for the restora- tion of the beauty, the utility and the dignity of the land. But for the forest, which was the glory of the Nation's youth, what would that land have been to-day? AVhat would it have been to- morrow? Surely another domain. It furnished the fortress to protect the early pioneer froiu the arrow of the treacherous foe. The life of the Na- tion's youth was nurtured in the forest. And, more or less, in every home on the continent to-day some forest prod- uct furnishes shelter. By the substitution of the geograph- ical economist for the land-skinner, the principle of nationalism for a competi- tive anarchy, we can not only produce a supply of timber four times as great as we produce now, and sufficient for our national needs, but we can kill several other birds with the same stone, as it were, for upon this central economy de- ]:)ends the usefulness of the streams of the continent for navigation, water- supply, irrigation and power. 1 (To be continued) CLASSIFICATION OF PUBLIC LANDS" By GEORGE OTIS SMITH, Director U, S. Geological Survey THE necessity for classifying the public land is not a recent dis- covery. The earliest land legisla- tion in this country both contemplated differences in the quality and character of the public land and planned that the officers charged with their sale should be furnished with descriptions based on field examination. From 1796 down to the present day, whatever the policy that has prompted legislation with reference to public land, whether the purpose was to procure revenue, or to promote home building, or to benefit influential citi- zens, most of these laws recognize classes of land and presuppose classifi- cation. Yet even the honest administra- tion of the land laws has ever been sub- ject to criticism arising from the fact that no adequate provision was made for land classification. A period of national awakening to the worth of the public domain appears to have followed the close of the civil war, and in the late seventies Congress gave serious consideration to the prob- lem of making better provision for effective administrj^tion of this great estate with its latent possibilities for national growth. We have just entered upon another epoch of realization by the Nation of the true source of its wealth and prosperity, and both the legislative and the executive branches of the Fed- eral Government are awake to the fact that exact knowledge is essential to the proper utilization of our country's great resource of land. The earlier propa- ganda bore fruit in the creation of a scientific bureau, first among whose functions was the classification of the public land. But, unfortunately, this specific duty laid upon the new Fed- eral bureau was subordinated to the more general though hardly less im- portant task of determining the natural resources of the public domain and the opportunity for a scientific classifica- tion of the land before the larger part of the more valuable areas had passed into private ownership was lost. In the present period of aroused public opinion the land classification which leads to better use, and the field knowledge on which intelligent administration must be based, have come to be regarded as vital factors in the public-land policy. The Secretary of the Interior may be considered to be a trustee charged with the disposition of the public land, and within his department the functions of administration are divided among three bureaus : to the General Land Office belong the subdivisional surveys, the sales and the issuance of patents ; to the Geological Survey has been en- trusted the investigation of the resources of the public domain, with the determi- nation of the character of the public lands, and the valuation of those whose price is not specifically fixed by law ; and upon the Reclamation Service has been laid the vitally important task of insuring the full utilization of arid lands by the construction of engineering works. The duty of classifying the unentered public lands is now definitely accepted by the Geological Survey, and the op- portunity neglected in 1879 has for sev- eral years been vigorously improved. The Department of the Interior fully recognizes that the land laws have not been and never can be efficiently admin- istered in the absence of a detailed and authoritative classification of the land. *Delivered before the National Irrigation Congress, Spokane, Wash., on August 10, 1909. 4 619 620 CONSERVATION Thus the Geological Survey is heartily cooperating with the General Land Office to the end that the best disposi- tion of the land may be secured, and it should be noted that no small part of the data utilized in this work repre- sents the fruitage of the earlier general investigations of the Survey. In this present-day task of land-classification the painstaking work of the Survey geologists and engineers in the last thirty years counts for much. Utilization is the keynote of the pres- ent public-land policy, and by utilization I mean not that kind of local develop- ment that exploits the present at the ex- pense of the future, and is promoted by the land-skinner, but rather a develop- ment whose plan weighs national needs and calculates future demands, and whose accomplishment will serve our country's advance in the next century as well as in the present decade. Util- ization is opposed to both non-use and waste. To withhold the land from pri- vate use, except where public use is of greater advantage to the people, is to check national progress; to dispose of the people's land for other than its highest practical use is to waste that property and betray the trust. The public-land problem thus resolves itself into, first, the determination of the best use to which the public domain can be put, and second, the disposition or res- ervation of the land now belonging to the Nation so as to assure that use. Such a land policy needs no defense, for it is based on the safe principle of the greatest good to the greatest number. The classification of the public lands as now carried on by the Geological Survey serves two important ends, one administrative, the other legislative, and I believe both were contemplated by Congress at the time of the creation of the Survey. Not only does land classi- fication facilitate the work of fulfilling the requirements of existing law, but the classification of the public domain and the investigation of its resources furnish Congress with the facts on which to base new legislation. A notable example of land classifica- tion in aid of proposed legislation is afforded by the acts of March and Oc- tober, 1888, wherein Congress directed that an irrigation survey should be made by the Geological Survey, and further provided that the reservoir sites and irrigable lands designated as a re- sult of that investigation should be re- served from entry, settlement, or sale pending further legislation. The legis- lation of 1888 was itself the logical out- come of Maj. J. W. Powell's 1879 re- port on the arid lands, and his subse- quent work as Director of the Geolog- ical Survey, and the law that eventually resulted from the work thus authorized in 1888 was the Reclamation Act of 1902. As another instance where thorough knowledge of the public domain, and particularly of the character of a special tract with its strategic relation to the hydrography of the region, enabled the Department of the Interior to aid Con- gress may be cited the act of February 20 of this year, reserving for public use eight sections of waste land in southern California. The law provides that this land shall be used for the diversion of flood waters into underground storage, thereby replenishing the supply of un- derground waters in the San Bernar- dino Valley. While apparently of only local scope, the principle established in this legislation is really of great impor- tance as providing a line of action that will be found adaptable elsewhere in securing effective conservation of waste waters. Hydrographic and topographic sur- veys which are in progress at the pres- ent time under instructions of the Sec- retary of the Interior have as their purpose the collection of information that may be presented to Congress in aid of legislation looking toward the best utilization of the water-powers on the public domain. Land classification in aid of the ad- ministration of the public lands is now actively prosecuted by the Geological Survey, and reports setting forth in de- tail the mineral or non-mineral charac- ter of public lands are being transmitted CLASSIFICATION OF PUBLIC LANDS 621 to the General Land Office on the coal, oil, and phosphate landi of which the Geological Survey has made actual field examination. Another line of ac- tivity is the segregation of non- irrigable lands under the terms of the enlarged homestead act of February 19 of the present year. Tlie recommenda- tions of the Geological Survey on which the Secretary of the Interior bases his designations have not, of course, de- pended on surveys made for this spe- cific purpose, but represent the avail- able data collected through a period of many years by Federal geologists and engineers. The existence of this infor- mation whereby, within these few months since the enactment of the law, the Secretary has been able to designate areas in nine states and territories, ag- gregating 162,000,000 acres, is in itself a forceful argument for a land classi- fication that is complete and authori- tative. The classification and valuation of the coal land is the special phase of public- land work to which the Geological Sur- vey is giving increasing attention. Since the Executive withdrawals of 1906 the coal fields in the public-land states have been the scene of Survey activity on a scale that could not have been possible in the earlier period when the appropri- ations by Congress were altogether in- adequate. The purpose of these classi- fication surveys is two-fold : to expedite the complete restoration to agricultural entry of land thus determined to be non-coal although included in the gen- eral withdrawals, and to promote the utilization of the coal lands which to- day represent the greatest natural re- source to which the people retain an unquestioned title. I agree with Mr. Pinchot on the water-power trust ; but no combination controlling the coal fields of the West has as yet poked its head over the horizon. The geologic investigations of the last three field sea- sons have not only furnished a knowl- edge of the quantity and quality of the coal on the public domain, but have ren- dered possible the present policy of ob- taining coal prices for coal lands. The General Land Office now depends on the Geological Survey to furnish de- tailed valuations for every forty-acre tract of coal that is placed on the market. The scale on which this work is be- ing prosecuted is indicated by the rec- ord of the three and a half months following the adoption of the revised scheme of valuation and reports to the General Land Office which released to agricultural entry approximately two and a half million acres. Colorado, Wyoming, and Montana placed selling prices on nearly a million acres of coal land, with an aggregate valuation of over $50,000,000, which is an average advance of more than 200 per cent over the mininuim prices fixed by law. Under the regulations setting forth the plan of valuation of Govern- men coal land the price is determined on the basis of estimated tonnage, and the unit rate varies with the quality of the coal, ranging within fifteen miles of a railroad. The prices thus calculated for the public-coal deposits average less than one-tenth the usual royalty paid in the West, yet this conservative valua- tion will more than double the average price of public coal lands, not to men- tion the fact that this policy of land classification has stopped the illegal dis- posal of coal lands at even less than the minimum coal price. I might cite ex- ceptional cases like one in Wyoming where the average price based on ton- nage represents a fifteen-fold increase over the old minimum price. Sales are being made at the new prices and the reports from one land office already in- dicate a greater activity in coal lands priced at $25 and $50 per acre than ex- isted a few years ago when they sold at the minimum price of $10 and $20. It is conceded that this policy of bas- ing the price on the quantity and qual- ity of the article sold will discourage purchase by speculators, but I maintain that the Government valuation will not impede the disposition of the coal de- posits for purposes of utilization. The real development of the West will be promoted, not retarded. The situation is clearly viewed by an editor of a western mining journal who has re- 622 CONSERVATION cently stated that this increase in valu- ation "can prockice but one result — the lands will be sold only as they are ac- tually needed for mining purposes. This should reduce the danger of monopoly, without promoting over-production and wasteful competition. In the end it should give future generations cheaper coal. The unearned increment will go in part to the Nation rather than to individuals." If a scientific classification and adequate valuation of the coal lands will accomplish all this for the people of the West — protection against monop- oly, over-production, and wasteful com- petition, as well as the assurance of cheaper coal to the consumer and a larger return to the public — what more can you ask ? The popular view in regard to the disposition of the public lands is, in my opinion, in a state of transition. Not only is the speculator now given less consideration than the entryman who desires to use the land, but by reason of the operation of the Reclamation Act, the citizens of each state are beginning to take a personal interest in the re- ceipts of the Land Office. It is hardly necessary in this connection to bring to your attention the fact that the in- creased valuation of the millions of acres of public coal land must result in increased contributions to the recla- mation fund and greater possibilities for local utilization of your agricultural lands through irrigation. In conclusion, I would mention a principle that is winning increased rec- ognition in land legislation — namely, relative worth. The earliest land laws provided for the reservation of mineral lands from disposal for other purposes and the present coal-land law expresses this principle of relative worth by giv- ing gold, silver, and copper deposits priority over the coal, and the coal in turn preference over agricultural values. These distinctions necessitate land class- ification based on adequate field ex- amination, and with such classification data at hand the principle of relative worth can be further developed. Wher- ever the dififerent values conflict the higher use should prevail. For ex- ample, the reservation or disposal of a tract of land for a dam or reservoir site should have preference over its use for agriculture. On the other hand, wher- ever the dififerent values can be sep- arated, that separation by appropriate legislation is at once the easiest and best solution of the problem. For in- stance, the surface rights may be sep- arated from the right to mine underly- ing beds of coal. The first step in this direction was taken in March of this year in the passage of the Mondell act for the protection of the surface rights of entrymen, whereby the homeseeker may secure all of which he made entry, all he swears he is getting, while the coal beneath his tillable land is reserved to the Nation for future disposal. The ideal land classification would be that based on field examination, scien- tific and detailed enough to include every natural resource ; the ideal land legislation is that which fully recog- nizes the principle of relative worth ; and the ideal land administration is that which will assure the reservation or the disposition of the people's land only for its highest use. THE WOODS Straiglit as a linCj in beauteous order stood Of oaks unshorn a venerable wood ; Fresh was the grass beneath, and ev'ry tree At distance planted, in a due degree, Their liranching arms in air, with equal space, Strctch'd to their neighbors with a long embrace. — Dryden WORK ON A NATIONAL FOREST No, 12, Ex/^r angers By CHARLES HOWARD SHINN, Supervisor, Sierra National Forest WHEN the social history of the Forest Service comes to be written with sympathy and knowledge by some one of the real in- siders, twenty years from now, the very strangest and saddest of the chapters will be crowded with stories of rangers who fell by the wayside and did not manage to get up again — who, in fact, deserved no consideration because they were weaklings and good-for-nothings. If a man is at home with his rangers, and they are so with him, he will some- times get glimpses of reasons behind reasons for these failures, from the stories told as one climbs a trail to the snows and stars, or drops into the twi- light of mighty deeps between walls of granite, or sits by a mere spark of a campfire islanded in an ocean of bil- lowy tree-clad Sierras. "Everybody knows, but it isn't very often that anybody tells," was the way one ranger put the thing. "Why not? Well, if a thing seems funny I tell it in the end, if I have a chum to tell it to. but sometimes it takes ten years to get around to it." It was one of the oldest rangers in the service who heard a youngster let- ting himself go with too free and crit- ical remarks about other rangers. After supper, when the pipes were lit, he asked me if I knew what had become of the Yoacum family. They were down in the valley somewhere, I said, and having a hard time. The wife and girls were working in a cannery, and Yoacum was a railroad section hand. The old ranger shook his head and med- itated over Jack Yoacum. the ex- ranger. "Jack was a lovely talker, and so was his father before him. T expect it had been that way for hundreds of years in the Yoacum family. It wasn't ill-natured talk, as a rule'; but it was always kinder theatrical, so to speak. He'd hear a little and guess a little, and bring lots of people into his stories. When he got all through, or maybe the next day, you'd feel that your confi- dence in the people he'd brought in had been a mite shaken by all sorts of little hints. "I never could understand just how Yoacum did it, and I couldn't make up my mind whether it was done a-pur- pose or mostly by accident. Still, if he worked a week with a crew the men just naturally pulled apart, and yet they all stayed friendly with him. He was always cheerful and active, taking hold pretty well everywhere, and still he managed to play smash with general good feeling in a crowd. "No, it wasn't his wife. Never was a better woman, nor better brought-up children. It was just Jack Yoacum's way. "I remember once the district ranger went to a cattle convention, and took Jack — to teach him a little, I suppose. It was a stiff and lively meeting, and everybody had honest ideas and threshed them out in public. N'obody was hurt, and evervbodv felt better aft- erward— the stockmen understood the regulations better and the rangers un- derstood the troubles of the stockmen better. But Jack didn't pay much at- tention— heard a little, misunderstood a lot. and went home and gave the boys little theatrical imitations of the worst bits of the convention, till he got them laughing fit to kill — all except one big young fellow. That one, the next day. comes up to the district officer and says : 624 CONSERVATION '1 understand that you quarreled with my father up in Tuolumne last week at the cattlemen's meeting. You and he talked right out at each other, as I hear. Now, my father's the best man in that country, and — blank you, here's my resignation !' "The district ranger just looked at the youngster and sat down on a rock and laughed till the tears ran down his cheeks. Then he slapped the boy on the shoulder and said: 'Wish I had a boy like you. Now, hit the trail on leave with pay. It's Saturday night — moon- light— and you'll get home for break- fast. You can come back by Snow Creek and see the school-teacher, too. You tell your father all about it, and ask him what he thinks of our quarrel.' "By Monday noon the young ranger was back, and, walking up to the dis- trict man, said: 'Mr. Williams, my father laughed till I thought he'd bust, and said you was white all through.' Then the boy got red in the face, but he kept right on, and said: 'He says you'll make a man of me yet, and I hope you will.' "Pretty soon a Congressman came up here fishing, and wanted to borrow a ranger to show him where to go, you remember. I guess now it was just a new kind of try-out for Jack, but you gave him several easy jobs that month, and his brag grew on him like a jimson weed. He told the boys he was going to be a tourist ranger — better grub, lots of free cigars, and short hours. Then, when you pulled the rope in on him just a little, he talked pretty warm an' said that if things couldn't be fixed for him thus and so he would sure re- sign. I guess he must have said some- thing like that to you, for I noticed he didn't stay in the office more than five minutes before he took the road, a truly ex-ranger goin' home to tell his loving wife how mean the Service was. "His wife took in plain washing — miners' shirts an' overalls, an' such heavy things, to support the family till her Jack should settle into 'something suitable.' If she saw through him, she never let on. He kept smiling and cheerful except when the Service was mentioned ; then he looked resigned and grieved, till a good many of the boys thought perhaps the boss had been pretty hard on him, and crowded him, we didn't know exactly how. "After a bit, though, we discovered for ourselves that Jack was no good ; just a sneak and a liar inside." There was a long pause. The pipes went out, the fire burned low. I thought to have heard all that was com- ing about Jack Yoacum. But it was a night for confidences, and the old ranger replenished the fire, refilled his pipe, and began again : "Wlien he was on that other forest he got up charges against one of the boys he had camped with — one of the best rangers in the service. You know, I was on that forest, too, before I mar- ried and came down here. Well, he sent these charges clear up to the Presi- dent and the Secretary of Agriculture. "We had an inspector, and more fuss, and affidavits and interviews, and two months of worry." "What did he say about that ranger?" "Said that on a certain date at a cer- tain place the ranger had taken hush- money to keep still about a timber tres- pass, and had got gloriously drunk on the money, lying drunk all day in a miner's cabin." "In the same letter to the higher-ups he expressed his love for the service and his 'extreme regret' over the af- fair. He hinted, too, that that ranger had been throwing down the Service for years that way." The listening rangers around the campfire spat upon the ground in silent disgust. There is no more significant expression of human contempt known on the frontier ; it is not mere expecto- ration ; it is of oriental intensity. Thus the son of the desert does to this day when he hears the name of one who has been a traitor to the tribe. "But how did that ranger pull out?" one asked. "I suppose it was just his word against Jack's, for, of course, if he had taken hush-money, the feller that gave it would say he hadn't." "Well, in the first place, that ranger did what most of you fellers don't do. WORK ON A NATIONAL FOREST 625 He wrote up his diary every night be- fore he went to bed. And the diary showed that he couldn't have been drunk anywhere nor received money anywhere in the forest, because he was about twenty miles away, taking his wife and little sick baby to a doctor's. His leave-of-absence lalank, on file, showed that, too. Then, after about twenty people had been hunted up in all sorts of places, including Jack's wit- nesses, and their evidence written down and compared, and after the land had been surveyed and gone over, the Gov- ernment found there hadn't been any timber trespass nor any hush-money offered to anybody. "I heard afterward that the letter Jack finally received from the higher- ups read about this way : 'Your charges against your former associate, Ranger Blank, have been found to be entirely baseless.' Of course, Jack resigned. That was before the days of civil- service examinations, and he tried the examination two years later and got in again without saying anything about any early experiences in the 'reserve' way up North. "When he got that letter, though, he showed it 'round himself one night when he wasn't quite responsible, down at Lumbago's Indian and sheep-herder saloon, just to prove how mean the de- partment was to a poor, hard-working man. But even old Pete Lumbago, who is just a drunken horse-thief, said : 'They seem to have sized you up, all right. Jack, as a kind of a liar.' It went all over the woods in that shape." "Well, there !" said one big ranger. "I never knew the rights of that affair. Jack sure did throw himself down by the roadside and break his bones. He's off the roll-call when the boys line up. Gosh! I'd hate to be that kind of a dead duck!" "Jack, he talked loose ends, and that growed on him," said another. "But 'tain't always talk that puts men out. It's gambling or it's laziness, or it's a bad temper or it's silly, little, cry-baby wives. But mostly, I think, it's stoppin' all study an' thinkin', just to feel his own head, an' then sayin' in an admirin' tone of voice, 'Ain't I jest the limit for real smart? Ain't I jest a charmin' Government ossifer in a new uni- form ?' " Some one turned to me for a contri- bution to this symposium, and I added : "Boys, a lot of men that fail in this work do so because they were badly brought up at home ; they never learned how to work hard, and they were al- lowed to consider themselves 'sensi- tive'— too averse to honest criticism, too undisciplined, in a word, either to take or to give orders or to work in a systematic way. I do not know of any more appalling waste in all America's natural resources than the waste of young manhood through such lack of discipline. It seems to many a fine young man who is beautiful to look at, splendid to fight fire beside, as if he could not unbend, or give and take, or come into the system without losing what he calls his 'self-respect' and making what he terms a 'slave of him- self.' The work really needs all his superb energies, but they must be di- rected and controlled. He must come into harness and push against the collar, not like a mule, but like a royal- hearted man. He must do what col- lege men call team-work. Then he be- comes a part of the fellowship of the service. "Jack Yoacum really didn't mean to tell lies ; he only loved to gossip, and the real Jack inside of him liked to sneer a little at hard work and courage and get other folks into trouble. His boys are growing up just like him, but his girls have had more of the mother- training. In ten years they will make rangers' wives, and poor old Jack will sit in the sun, quite harmless, an amus- ing talker whom no one takes seriously. The moment he left the service his power for injuring it came to an end." A district ranger from over the crest of the Sierra spoke up : "Well, now, I can see my way plain in a case like Jack's ; but what I can't seem to handle is those fellows that one keeps on hop- ing against hope will do better — and they don't pan out. 626 CONSERVATION "The worst case I ever knew of was that of Tommy West, over in Mono. He was bright, handsome, very popular, did everything- he was told; but after four years' work with him no one could lean on him. He hadn't a had habit, was engaged to a pretty girl, and had a lot of admiring relatives up and down the valley. Everything in the way of criticism ran right off him. He was the most attractive ranger I ever saw, and he made a continual picnic of it. Sometimes he would simply turn off work for a week, and then sag back into the old ruts. I used to lie awake nights trying to think out some way to harden Tommy up — get that steel finish on, so to speak, that will keep an edge and cut things." "What did you finally do?" I asked the visiting district man. "Well, the supervisor, he took a hand. He kept trying Tommy out all along the line, quiet and fine. Then one day he went riding and found Tommy's camp and told Tommy that it was a case of a round peg in a square hole. "Tommy spoke up : 'What have I done ?' " 'Nothing.' " 'Then, what's the matter ?' "'It's this way: You are not able to become a living part of this Service for life or for death. You are not mar- ried to it ; the work is to you merely that by which you earn your living, as you have raised cattle, or have farmed, or have driven stage.' "Tommy shook his head cheerfully. 'Well, I don't see it's anything but giv- ing the Government seventy-five dollars' worth of work a month, same as if I was plowing on some old jayhawker's ranch. If I had got promoted I'd have done more work. Hand over that pur- ple blank, and I'll sign her up, and no bad feelings, only I'll tell you right now you can't run any business with senti- ment. Give my regards to the Secre- tary of Agriculture when you write.' "Then Tommy saddles and starts off, singing a new version of the ranger song — the which all of us know by heart now. We heard him howling up the pass at the top of his lungs : " 'I was a happy ranger la-ad, The boss, he hints that I am ba-ad. I goes ! I scoots ! I seeks repose The other side of Lyell's snows.' " Ranger's Quarters, Wet Mountain National Forest THE FARM COMMUNITY* By LIBERTY HYDE BAILEY, Director CoUegc of Agriculture, Cornell IRRIGATION profoundly affects so- the development of the community or ciety and institutions ; and any per- neighborhood sense, and this is the son who is interested in rural civ- proper theme of my paper. Before I ilization must necessarily, therefore, be discuss this subject, however, I must interested in irrigation. present a point of view as to the in- The best rural civilization will de- terest of society, or of all the people, in velop out of native rural conditions the class of work for which this con- rather than be imposed from without, gress stands. Irrigation makes a rural condition. It The people have made i't possible for provides the possibility for a community irrigation-reclamation to be developed ; to develop ; and it must, therefore, color for whether the work is performed by the entire life of the community. As the Government directly or by private the civilization of New England devel- enterprise, it nevertheless rests on na- oped about the town-meeting, and that tional legislation ; and this legislation of the South about the court-house, so expresses the consent and theinterest must the civilization of irrigation of society in the work. All of the peo- communities develop about the ditch- pie have not only a right to an interest meeting. in irrigation-reclamation, but they carry Irrigation communities are compact, an obligation to be interested in it, since As all the people depend on a single it reclaims and utilizes the fundamental utility, so must the community life tend heritage of all the people. I take it that to be solidified and tense. Probably no society's interest in the work is of two other rural communities will be so uni- kinds : to see that the land is properlv fied and so intent on local social prob- utilized and protected, and to see that lems. We shall look, therefore, for a persons desiring homes shall have an very distinct and definite welfare to opportunity to secure them. Society is arise in these communities ; and they not interested in speculation in land or will make a peculiar contribution to in mere exploitation, rural civilization. In the last analysis the land belongs The life of the irrigation community to all the people. No man really owns will be expressed not only in institutions his land ; society allows him to use it, of its own, but in the literature of its and to say who shall use it when he is own. Much of the world's literature done with it ; and every man is under does not have significance to country- obligation to society to maintain the fer- life conditions, and very little of it has tility of his land. Even a farm is not significance to an irrigation civilization, a man's own, in the sense that he has a I look for poetry to come directly out right to abuse it without check. More of the irrigation ditch, and to express than that, he is under obligation to the outlook of the people who depend use all the natural resources of the for their existence on the canal and the earth with a care for those who are to flood-gate. It is most significant of a come after him. No man has a moral new feeling in art and literature that or social right to denude the land of we have a national irrigation ode. its forest, unless he leaves the land in All our efforts in forwarding rural condition for his successor to utilize it civilization must express themselves in with satisfaction. The American prac- *Delivered at the National Irrigation Congress at Spokane, Wash., on August 12, 1909. 627 628 CONSERVATION tise of raping the earth of its timber has no defense, not only in economics, but also none in moral obligation. In mak- ing this statement, I make no imputa- tion as to whether the fault lies with the timberman or with society in gen- eral. I hope that the irrigation people realize their obligation to the society that makes it possible for them to de- velop their irrigation systems. Not every person in the Nation agrees to the wisdom of national reclamation, but society has given it the trial. The peo- ple in the West are interested in devel- oping their localities and their common- wealths, and in securing settlers to them ; and with this feeling we all must sympathize. I have no fear that the irrigation settlement of the West will set up disastrous competition in prod- ucts with the East ; the areas involved in the new irrigation projects are too small and the development too slow for that. But there is danger that the pro- ducing power of the land may not be safeguarded. The very fact that irriga- tion farming is intensive increases the danger. From an agricultural point of view, the greatest weakness in this farming is the fact that the animal, or live stock, does not occupy a large place in the system. Other systems of main- taining fertility must be developed. Society has a right to ask that you be careful of your irrigated valleys. They are abounding in riches. It is easy to harvest these riches by the simple magic of water. You will be tempted to waste these riches and the time will come quickly when you will be conscious of their decline. This seems remote to you now, but the dan- ger is real. Not even the fertility of the irrigation waters will maintain the land in the face of poor agricultural practise. It is the flat valleys of the great arid West that will be opened by irrigation. These valleys are small areas compared with the uplands, the hills, and the un- irrigable regions. Society is interested, also, that you be careful of your up- lands and hills, for in the arid regions they give small yield in forage and in timber ; this forage and timber must be most thoughtfully protected. When the irrigated lands begin to decline you can- not fall back on your hills. I am not saying that irrigation- farming is proceeding in a wasteful way, or that systems are not developing that will protect society ; I am calling your attention to the danger and to the interest of all the people in this danger ; and I hope that you may profit by the errors of all new settlements thus far made in the history of the world. We are everywhere in need of better agriculture, not only that every agricul- turist may do a better business, but also that agriculture may contribute its full share to the making of a better civ- ilization. Here and there, as we learn how to adapt ourselves to the order of nature, we begin to see a really good agriculture in the process of making. A good agriculture is one that is self- sustaining and self-perpetuating, not only increasing its yields year after year from the same land, but leaving the land better and richer at each genera- tion. This must come to pass from the land itself and from the animals and crops that one naturally brings to the land, and not by the addition of mined fertilizing materials brought from the ends of the earth. Thus far in history, it is only when the virgin fatness is coming to be used up, speaking broadly, that we put our wits to work. Then the rebound comes. The best agricul- ture thus far has developed only after we have struck bottom, and we begin a constructive efifort rather than an ex- ploitive efifort ; and this comes in a mature country. This is why so great a part of the European agriculture is so much better than our own, and why, in old New England, such expert and hopeful farm- ing is now beginning to appear. The East is in an epoch of rebound. The East is in the process of becoming more fertile ; the West is in the process of becoming less fertile. In western North America the business systems have been developed to great perfection, and the people are possessed of much activity and are so far escaped from tradition THE FARM COMMUNITY 629 that they are able to do things in new- ways and to work togther. I hope that this great region also will apply at the outset all the resources of business and science to develop an agriculture that will propagate itself. When all the lands are taken that can be developed or reclaimed by private resources, there remain vast areas that require the larger powers, and perhaps even the funds, of society (or the Gov- ernment) to bring into utilization. One class of lands can be utilized by means of irrigation. This form of land- reclamation is much in the public mind, and great progress has been made in it. There remain, however, other lands to be reclaimed by other means. There is much more land to be reclaimed by the removal of water than by the addi- tion of water. There are many more acres to be adapted to productive uses by forest planting and conservation than by irrigation. There are vastly larger areas waiting reclamation by the so- called "dry farming" (that is, by farm- ing completely adapted to dry regions). And all the land in all the states must be reclaimed by better farming. I am making these statements in no dispar- agement of irrigation, but in order to indicate the relation of irrigation to what should be a recognized national reclamation movement. But even though we should recognize a national reclamation movement to in- clude all these phases and others, it may not be necessary or advisable, in the in- terest of all the people, that every last acre in the national domain be opened for exploitation or settlement in this decade or even this century. The Na- tion may well have untouched reserves. No one knows what our necessities will be a hundred years hence. Land that has never been despoiled will be im- measurably more valuable to society then than now ; and society holds the larger interest. When the pressure of population comes, we shall fall back on our re- serves. The rain-belt states will fall back on their wet lands, their uplands, and their hills. These hills are much more usable than those of the arid and semi-arid West can ever be. The eastern states have immense reserves. New York is still nearly half in woods and swamps and waste, but practically all of it is usable. The same is true of New England and Pennsylvania and great regions southward. Forests and sward grow profusely to the summits of the mountains and the hills. Vast areas eastward are undeveloped and unexploited. Even the regions of the so-called "abandoned farms" are yet practically untouched of their potential wealth. I have no regret that these countries are still unsettled. There is no need of haste. When the great West has brought every one of its available acres into irrigation and when population increases, the eastern quar- ter of the country will take up the slack. It is by no means inconceivable that at that time the eastern lands, new- ly awakened from the sleep of a cen- tury, will be the fresh lands, and the older regions will again become the new . regions. Now let me say further that irriga- tion is properly not a practise of arid countries alone. Irrigation is of two purposes — to reclaim land and make it usable ; to mitigate the drought in rainfall regions. As yet the popular imagination runs only to recla- mation irrigation. This form of irri- gation is properly regulated by the Federal Government. Now and then a forehanded farmer in the humid region, growing high-class crops, in- stalls an irrigation plant to carry him through the dry spells. As our agri- ctilture becomes more developed, we shall greatly extend this practise. We shall find that even in humid countries we cannot afiford to lose the rainfall from hills and in floods, and we shall hold at least some of it against the time of drought as well as for cities and for power. We have not yet learned how to irrigate in humid regions, for the practise of drainage is equally in- volved; but we certainly shall apply water as well as manures to supple- ment the usual agriculture practise. Now. inasmuch as irrigation-recla- 630 CONSERVATION mation is a national enterprise and de- pends for its development on the will of all the people, as it is one part in a much larger plan for the utilization of land, and as the people in all parts of the country have a right to ask for in- formation, I submit that it is not only wise, but that it is the obligation of this Congress to hold sessions in the East as well as in the West. The West cannot live to itself alone. My contention, therefore, is that the people are necessarily interested in ir- rigation as a national enterprise, that irrigation-reclamation is properly only one part of a slowly evolving national plan, and also that every man, whether on irrigated land or elsewhere, carries a natural responsibility to leave his •land at least as good as he found it. The public domain must be safe- guarded for the entire people, whose estate it is; and if the individual bears a responsibility to posterityt still more does society bear this responsibility. All schemes of protection for the pub- lic resources need to be constantly re- adjusted, in the details of their opera- tion, to local conditions ; but in the end. the fundamental development of the country must rest on the principles and policies of Theodore Roosevelt. "TT- 5^ Headgates and Part of Canal, Bigham River EDITORIAL The President's Letter THE President has spoken on the BalHnger case. On September 15 he wrote a lengthy letter, indorsing the Secretary's position on the Cunningham coal claims, the re- opening of lands to entry, the cancella- tion of the cooperative agreement re- garding Indian forest lands, the vetoing of the cooperative plan on the reclama- tion projects, and every other point in controversy. In a word, the Secretary has received from the President a clean bill of health. It would be easy to criticize this let- ter, and to show that those who fur- nished the President his facts did not give him all the facts. It could even be shown that some of the supposed facts furnished him were not facts, and that numerous rep- resentations made to him were mis- leading. But the Secretary is highly pleased with the letter. So are numerous others, conspicuous among whom are those who favor a wide-open policy on the public domain, and who. for whatever reason, have rallied around Secretary Ballinger as their champion and have regarded For- ester Pinchot as the one grand obstacle to their plans. The people have had no opportunity to see the materials placed before the President by Mr. Glavis and riddled by Secretary Ballinger. Necessarily, there- fore, they can have no valid opinion upon the case. Further, they are not reassured by the emphasis laid by numerous publi- cations upon the statement that the President must necessarily give his Sec- retary the benefit of every doubt and uphold him in any event. They hope that the Secretary's case is as good as it looks in the letter. Meanwhile, they await further facts, some of which are said to be forth- coming through the agency of Mr. Glavis, congressional committees of in- vestigation, and what-not. As to the question of law, the Amer- ican people certainly believe in obedi- ence thereto, howbeit there may have been less of the same than might have been hoped — on the part, for example, of "malefactors of great wealth," "land skinners," et al. Deep as is the public interest in the conservation of natural resources, the people do not want those resources saved at the expense of the law. So ardent is their love for the law that they want it conserved until it can be regularly changed. If, meanwhile, their own interests sufifer through the abundance of bad law, or the paucity of good, they will try to stand it. Nevertheless, the incessant, almost gleeful, assertion by a certain class of papers, since the appearance of the President's letter, that President Roose- velt and his governmental helpers pro- tected the people's interests chiefly by trampling the law under foot, does not go down well. This claim, just now, it would seem, is being considerably overworked. The people know that President Roosevelt made an earnest effort to pro- tect their rights and promote their in- terests. They know that, in so doing, he left deep tracks on the geography and pub- lic policy of the United States. They recall that the Reclamation Service began with him; that, in him, the National Forest Service found its strongest friend and the water-power monopoly its first formidable foe. They know he began the movement to save for the people their coal, that he called the two great conservation con- ferences and created the National Con- servation Commission. 631 632 CONSERVATION The people do not impute infalli- bility even to former President Roose- velt, but the constant implication that he was able to save some shreds of our common heritage only by wading- knee- deep through the statutes, smashing the Constitution, and functioning generally as an irresponsible anarchist is not gratifying. There is even the feeling that if Mr. Roosevelt w^ere still in the White House instead of in the wilds of darkest Africa such declarations would be less fash- ionable. Again, law, to be of value, must be enforced, and with all their veneration and love for the law, the people know there is enforcement and enforcement. They know that there is such a thing as ''the spirit of law ;" and that one w^ho, Shylock-like, occupies himself in searching for the letter, may wholly miss this spirit. They know that at an earlier age men, eminently respectable, tithed mint, anise, and cummin, and, at the same time, neglected the weightier matters of the law, including judgment, justice, and a square deal. They know that law enacted nom- inally to serve a certain end has been used to serve an end directly opposite. They know that lawyers, of a certain type and training, have grown rich by finding or making holes in laws through which corporations and special interests have been enabled to drive their coach- and-four. Again, the suggestion that if the people do not like the law as it is they may apply to Congress for a better quality of law is not wholly satisfying. Such applications have been made before. The history is long and not encouraging. Everybody knows what it means, nowadays, to apply to the American Congress for law in the people's in- terest. They know who controls both Senate and House, and they remember the treatment usually accorded such measures by both bodies. Some of these measures, it is true, have passed ; but after how much effort from outside? And how manv bills that should have passed have fallen by the wayside ? And how many more that did pass have met their Waterloo in the courts ? So the people do not place all their eggs in the Congressional basket. Con- gress has its place, they know, but so has the Executive Department. Now what the people want to know in regard to this conservation business is. Is the administration, in all its branches, on their side, or on some other side ? Is any branch of the administration saying, "Law, law;" and, at the same time, casting encouraging glances at the spoilers? Is the administration, as a whole, do- ing its utmost for the people with the law as it is ; and is it preparing to do its utmost to secure for them, from Congress, such additional legislation as their interests demand? These are questions which are not to be answered merely by words ; words have already been multiplied ; what is now wanted is deeds. The man from Missouri is abroad in the land ; he wants to be "shown." On this conservation question he is at last awake. His eyes are wide open. He knows what has been going on, and what it means ; and he demands the turning over of a new leaf. He has heard of the conservationist who is "just as good," or a little better; now he wants an exhibition of him in action. He wants to see a whole-hearted, genuine, earnest, aggressive carrying out of the conservation policies launched by the preceding administration and in- dorsed and adopted, under pledges the most solemn, by the present one. If the demonstration is forthcoming, all will be forgiven and forgotten. For this demonstration he has been patiently waiting and earnestly watch- ing during the last half-year. What he has seen thus far has by no means reassured him. Henceforth he will watch more eagerly and more crit- ically than ever. He wants the goods delivered, and nothing else will suffice. EDITORIAL 633 T McHarg as an Index HE outburst of Ormsby McHarg is significant. The public has been assured that there were no differences in adminis- tration circles on the merits of the con- servation policy. All concerned, we have been told, are deeply and equally interested in the whole scheme. Such apparent differences as have arisen have had to do not at all with the policy, but only with the methods. Some have proposed to conserve the resources in one way and some in another. The chief difference, it has been re- iterated, has had to do with interpre- tations of law. Some have thought the law permitted of more latitude, and others less, in saving for posterity something out of the wreck of our once "inexhaustible" natural wealth. But now appears Mr. Ormsby McHarg. This gentleman occupies no less a position that that of Assistant Secretary of Commerce and Labor in the present administration. Furthermore, he has been a trusted political lieutenant. For he tells the public that, "in the late campaign he was put in charge, by Mr. Hitchcock, of nine far western states." Just why Mr. McHarg need have spoken at all is not clear ; nevertheless, he spoke. Furthermore, his utterances have no uncertain sound. He was clearly "in earnest." He "did not palliate ;" he "did not excuse." So important, evidently, in his mind, was the conservation issue that he was not deterred, even by considerations of official propriety, from expressing his sentiments. How much of a conservationist is Mr. McHarg may be judged from the following excerpts from his interview : "Let the ordinary laws of supply and demand regulate the cutting of trees." "There is enough timber standing in the state of Washington alone to sup- ply this country for fifty years. Vast supplies remain in other states sufficient to maintain the supply for a much longer period. * * '^ The abundance of the forest was such that the alarm- ist statements as to approaching ex- haustion of supply were utterly un- founded." "The talk of a gigantic water-power trust being formed to lay a heavy tribute on all posterity of the land is the veriest nonsense." "The Reclamation Service during the latter part of President Roosevelt's ad- ministration carried on a purely 'dog in the manger' policy that has done much to hold back various sections of the West." "The Reclamation Service, without genius to carry out its projects, has, notwithstanding, located the water rights, and then stood idly by them and said : 'No one else can appropriate this water * * *.' The 'dog in the manger' policy has thus brought about a stu- pendous waste of natural resources." That Mr. McHarg's fulminations represent mere sound and fury goes without saying among the informed. Further, that he failed utterly to "make good" with facts when challenged by Associate Forester Price to do so should not be overlooked. But this is not the important thing. The important thing is that a "near" cabinet officer displays not simply lack of sympathy with the conservation pro- gram, but violent hostility toward and contempt for it. He even goes so far as to attribute bad faith to its chief promoters, as when he accuses the Forest Service of concealing important facts and figures "proving the truth" of what Mr. McHarg says. All of this is exactly in line with facts brought out in the September issue of Conservation in the article entitled, "The Interests versus the People." There it was pointed out that a fight has been organized against the con- servation movement, and that members of Congress are definitely enlisted in the war, even to the extent of paying dues to the Denver organization formed to fight it. 634 CONSERVATION Save possibly for his indiscretions of utterance, McHarg is exactly the type of man which the Denver organization might rejoice to see in high administra- tion circles. Now the question is, how many more McHargs. equally committed but better able to bridle their tongues, are there in the administration ? It may be said that Mr. McHarg's philippic was a "swan song;" that he was not given opportunity to speak again, but that he was required to pay for his disloyalty with his head. Unhappily, no such conclusion can be drawn. Instead, we are assured that a definite understanding existed that Mr. McHarg, by his own choice, was to retire at the end of six months. He says, "It was only because of the great friendship that I entertained for the President and for Secretary Nagle that I undertook the onerous duties required of me in the first place ;" and the press tells us, "there was no one in Beverly willing to say that Mr. McHarg's resignation was in any wise the result of the interview" above quoted. McHarg is a type. He represents the laisscc fairc, in- dividualist, help-yourself viewpoint as applied to our natural resources. And he is by no means alone in this position. There are others ; and with them the genuine believers in con- servation must prepare to deal. Putting Two and Two Together THE Spokane meeting brought out a degree of hostility to Govern- ment irrigation which not all may un- derstand. Note the statement by Mr. John L. Matthews in the Seattle Intelliacneer that "the water-power trust is opposed to Government irrigation projects of every sort. It wants to develop irriga- tion itself in order that it may have the power incidentally developed at the big storage dams, besides making profit off of the water supplied to the land." Here we have an additional light on the motives of the water-power trust of which the country is hearing some- thing these days. The point brought out by Mr. Pinchot at Spokane is that this com- bination is seeking to monopolize the Nation's power. Hence its fight for the power sites, and its natural desire to have "friends at court." According to Mr. Matthews, how- ever, there is nothing small about this trust. It wants not simply the power, but it wants in addition to control the irrigation system. Thus the trust would make two uses of the water stored in the great dams : "For a consideration," of course, it would supply the settlers with the water, as essential to their lives as at- mospheric air ; in addition from the water stored in these dams it would generate power and sell the same to the settlers and, with the help of long dis- tance transmission facilities, "run things" generally. If we ask why the fight is coming on now instead of having developed earlier, a hint is found in Mr. Newell's address at the Spokane meeting. Speaking of private capital invested in irrigation work, he said : "Much of this investment, however, has been made possible, or at least has been stimulated by the Government work. The fact that the National Gov- ernment has deemed it wise to take up the matter has been one of the strongest arguments appealing to capitalists to do likewise." That is, the Government first takes the risk, constructs the great engineer- ing work, and proves irrigation on a large scale to be feasible and profitable. Then the trust says to the Government, "Stand aside, we will now take charge of this business." Putting with this Secretary P)allin- ger's declaration : "I am not a believer in the Government enterins; into com- petition with legitimate private enter- prise," and his actual cutting down of the work of the Reclamation Service by abolishing the cooperative plan whereby water-users paid in part for EDITORIAL 635 their rights by their labor, we have al- together an interesting situation. Meanwhile, should the trust gradu- ally accomplish its purpose and acquire control of the water essential both to the production of crops and the de- velopment of light and power upon which the great West depends, where, we may inquire, will the people be? )^ J^ «? A Question of Ethics and Construction COLLIER'S, in its issue of Septem- ber 18, for the second time heads its leading editorial, "Ballinger Should Go." This second demand is based upon the following facts : When Mr. Ballinger resigned the Commissionership of the Land Office, in connection with the duties of which he had become familiar with the Cun- ningham coal claims in Alaska, he promptly accepted employment as coun- sel for one of the Cunningham claim- ants. Because of its direct bearing upon this act, the following law and rulings have been adduced : Section 190 of the Revised Statutes reads : It shall not be lawful for any person ap- pointed after the ist day of June, 1872, as an oflScer, clerk, or employee in any of the de- partments, to act as counsel, attorney, or agent for prosecuting any claim against the United States which was pending in either of said departments while he was such officer, clerk, or employee, nor in any man- ner, nor by any means, to aid in the prosecu- tion of any such claim, within two years next after he shall have ceased to be such officer, clerk, or employee. During the administration of the In- terior Department by L. Q. C. Lamar (1885-88), a case arose in the Land Office directly parallel to that of Mr. Ballinger's. Luther Harrison, a former Assistant Commissioner of the Land Office, complained that the Commis- sioner of the Land Office refused to al- low him to appear in any land cases which had arisen while he was in office. Secretary Lamar held as follows : The objection is that this statute has no reference to contests of title to lands, but only to claims for money upon the 5 United States, and that the language of the statute and the policy of the act arc each satisfied by this interpretation. I do not concur in this conclusion. The statute applies to all of the departments; to all of the offices of the designated classes in each one ; and to all prosecutions of claims of every class in the departments pending there while the officers, clerks, or employees appointed since June, 1872, belong to them. The act is not penal in its nature. It au- thorizes no criminal prosecution nor does it impute discredit or dishonor, nor affi.x stigma on any. It creates a civil disability for the public utility. Its design is to elevate the public service, so that it may inspire public confidence. The act plainly implies that it is not suit- able or seemly for an officer, clerk, or em- ployee, shortly after his departure from serv- ice in a department, to appear before that department as a prosecutor of the claims pending therein against the United States while he was a member of it. The principle of the act is, that all the public ser\'ants in the department, whether officers, clerks, or employees, shall observe a condition which at least tends to hinder them from appearance of being placed under a suspicion of having had a conflict between their duties as officers or public agents and as men, and as giving preference to the last. * * * Neither do I concur in the argument that cases prosecuted in the Land Office relative to claims for title to the public lands are not included within the terms of the act. * * * (Decisions of the Department of the Inte- rior relating to Public Lands, October 6, 188s, Vol. IV, page 179.) On July 10, 1890, First Assistant Secretary Chandler rendered a decision in harmony with that of Secretary Lamar, saying, "The decision referred to is broad enough to cover all clerks or employees and was evidently in- tended to do so." (Vol. XI, page 25.) On August 23, 1893, Secretary Hoke Smith decided that the phrase, "claim against the United States" means a money demand, only. (Vol. XVII. page 216.) On July 25, 1904, Acting Secretary Ryan made a similar decision, its sylla- bus reading as follows : The phrase "claim against the United States" as employed in section 190 of the Revised Statutes means a money demand against the United States, and does not apply to the prosecution before the Land Department of claims involving the right and title to public lands. (Vol. XXXIII, page 137.) 636 CONSERVATION And there we are. Secretary Lamar and First Assistant Secretary Chandler held that the law meant what it said, and Secretary Lamar's knowledge of law was deemed sufficient to warrant his promotion to the bench of United States Supreme Court. "But Secretary Smith reversed him." In a sense, yes; yet the Smith decision would not help Ballinger. Secretary Smith's decision was based on the theory that a claim for public land was not a "claim against the United States." From his standpoint, public land was of no value to the United States. In- stead, it was but so much old junk, to be gotten rid of as fast as practicable. Whatever basis this astounding theory may have had in the practise of the Interior Department, it does not apply to claims for United States coal lands — in Alaska or anywhere else. For the scandalous practise of sell- ing Government coal lands for a song, President Roosevelt substituted the present plan of selling such lands for a price approximating their market value. And he did this before Commissioner Ballinger left the Land Office. Since this change in practise it has been and is the pride and boast of the Interior Department and Geolog- ical Survey that the Government is treating the people's coal as a thing of value, not be dumped like rubbish upon the first applicant. A claim for Government coal lands means to the Government to-day as much as a claim for the money value placed by the Geological Survey upon such lands. Yet Secretary Ballinger overlooks all this ; and he ignores the masterly decision of Secretary Lamar, the un- fjuoted parts of which simply add to its strength. Nevertheless, Secretary Ballinger is a champion of "strict construction" — when it suits. Was it not a lawyer who, on an earlier occasion, found his judgment in- fluenced by the question as to whose ox was gored? Construction — Strict To-'day and Free To'-morrow AFTER all,, is not the question of construction one less of schools than of moods and tenses ? Upon this question light is thrown by our national constitutional history. The father of strict construction in America found it necessary, when in power, to "stretch the Constitution un- til it cracked" to cover an important ad- ministration measure. On the other hand, the free con- structionists, when out of power, have sought aid and comfort from the strict construction philosophy. The fact seems to be that people are free constructionists when they want to do things, and strict constructionists when they want to prevent things from being done. We are now in the midst, apparently, of another era of strict construction. Yet, as noted in another connection, the Secretary of the Interior forgot all about his strict construction principles when Section 190 of the Revised Stat- utes got in his road. Furthermore, when it was found de- sirable for the Government at Wash- ington to aid American financiers in securing a share of the $25,000,000 loan for the construction of certain Chinese railways, a way was promptly found to do so. But has any one pointed to the clause of the Constitution or the article of the Revised Statutes authoriz- ing such aid? Still, when it was discovered that users of irrigated land were paying in part for their water rights by their labor, or that trained Government for- esters were applying approved methods to the handling of Government forests on the Indian Reservations, immediately legal lions blocked the path. 'wonderful, indeed, is law, and more wonderful still the legal mind ! in '^ ^ Legal Last Year But Not This THAT the plan whereby Forest Serv- ice men cared for the forests on the Indian Reservations was eminently wise, practicable and helpful is con- EDITORIAL 637 ceded. The Interior Office admits it, and the President says, "The Forest Service is much better able, with its trained men, to do the work with effi- ciency and economy." Nevertheless, it has been discovered that this method is "illegal" and there- fore must be stopped until Congress chooses to act, whatever fires may, meanwhile, consume the Coeur d'Alene or other Indian forests. Apropos of this question of legality, note the following passage from For- ester Pinchot's letter to Secretary Wil- son on July 23 last : "But lest the Forest Service might be thought to have acted hastily in recom- mending the plan for cooperation to you for approval, I have the honor to report that its legality was fully con- sidered in both departments at the time it was agreed upon ; that the auditor for the Department of the Interior has approved the accounts under it since cooperation began ; and that similar cooperation between departments is now and has long been in existence." J^ «t' )^ The Cooperative Certificates "Illegal" MENTION has before been made in these columns of the cooperative plan whereby users of water rights on lands irrigated by the Reclamation Service paid in part for their rights with their labor, receiving therefor cer- tain "certificates." These certificates were adopted to meet a pressing and imperative need on the reclamation projects. The settler, to hold his claim, was re- quired to occupy it while waiting for water. This might involve two or three years of waiting, during which time he could make nothing out of the land, and could not leave it to earn a living else- where. The eflfect on a multitude of settlers was intolerable. They begged the privilege of constructing irrigation ditches themselves, receiving from the Government some form of evidence that they had performed this work, and being credited with the same against their future obligations to the Govern- ment for water. To the profound satisfaction of the reclamation communities these certifi- cates, known locally as "scrip," were authorized, and the settlers were per- mitted to work on the ditches. As is well known, these certificates, and the cooperative arrangement which they represented, have gone down be- fore the strict-construction steam-roller. The question of their legality was referred to Attorney General Wicker- sham, and by him decided adversely. Before consigning these certificates finally to the dust of oblivion, a little history should be narrated. This cooperative plan was not adopted hastily nor without advice. As noted last month, it was first carefully considered by the Secretary of the In- terior, the Director of the Reclamation Service, and the Assistant Attorney General for the Interior Department. After the plan had been in operation some three months it was taken up by the Senate Committee on Irrigation and the Reclamation of Arid Lands. On May 18, 1908, a hearing relative to the certificates was had before this committee, and the results published. No action, however, was taken regard- ing the certificates save to suggest a slight change in their phraseology. Now the present Attorney General has declared the plan illegal, the princi- pal reason given being that it consti- tutes "a system for borrowing labor and material, and making the Govern- ment the debtor to intending settlers," thus violating the law providing that "no project shall be entered upon until there is money enough in the Reclama- tion Fund to pay for the project or parts thereof contracted for." What are the facts? The maximum ohli^^ation incurred by the Reclamation Service on account of these certiHcatcs has never e.rcceded $400,000, over a_s:aiiist which there has ahvays been in the Treasury to the credit of the Reclamation Fund ap- proximately $1,000,000 available for reclamation work. 638 CONSERVATION These facts, it is understood, were not before Attorney General Wicker- sham when he made his decision. The news of this decision was re- ceived at the Capitol last summer, Con- gress then being in session, with any- thing but enthusiasm. Senators and Representatives from the West knew how vital was the plan to the interests of settlers and commu- nities, and how slender was the founda- tion for the Attorney General's decision. They knew, as was brought out at the hearing above referred to (S. Doc. No. 507, page 8), that the Supreme Court of the United States had clearly enun- ciated the principles underlying such a case in the following language : A practical knowledge of the action of any one of the great departments of the Govern- ment must convince every person that the head of a department, in the distribution of its duties and responsibilities, is often com- pelled to exercise his discretion. He is lim- ited in the exercise of his powers by the law; but it does not follow that he must show a statutory provision for everything he does. No government could be admin- istered on such principles. To attempt to regulate by law the minute movements of every part of the complicated machinery of government would evince a most unpardon- able ignorance on the subject. Whilst the great outlines of its movements may be marked out, and limitations imposed on the exercise of its powers, there are numberless things which must be done that can neither be anticipated nor defined, and which are essential to the proper action of the Govern- ment." (U. S. vs. MacDaniel, 7 Peters, 380.) So vital was the matter felt to be that the Senate Committee on Irrigation sought a conference with the Attorney General. He was invited to meet with the Committee ; to this he agreed, and a date was set. The committee met, but the Attorney General failed to appear. Conversa- tion by telephone developed the fact that he had an important engagement with the President which he had for- gotten. By agreement, the meeting was thereupon postponed to another date when the Attorney General could be present. Again the Committee met. but again the Attorney General failed to arrive, and again came the word from him of a conflicting engagement. The Committee's attempts to confer with the Attorney General were there- upon abandoned. His opinion, how- ever, stands to-day as the law of the land. In consequence, important irrigation plans have been set aside and settlers have been left in despair. But strict construction has scored a triumph. J^' «i i^ Where the West Lags Senator Gore, of Oklahoma, re- cently said : Up around Beverly, in that land of petri- fied conservatism, that's a poor place to get the atmosphere of the country. Up in Massa- chusetts they believe all progress is radi- calism. It's a pity there's not more inter- course between the East and the West. They believe we're a bunch of radicals out here ; the great unwashed ; bulls in a china shop, and all that kind of thing. What an awakening they are coming to, with the theater of operations in this coun- try shifting to the Mississippi Valley. It's the Mississippi Basin that's really the throne of the country. And when this power comes to the West — as it will in a decade — -it will not be misused to the prejudice of the East as the power of the East has been mis- used to the prejudice of the West. It will be used for the country's good. On this the Kansas City Star com- ments editorally, and with marked ap- proval ; saying, among other things : Within a few years, when the Mississippi Valley is united in Congress, it will make such a demonstration of its power and its sanity as to bring the eastern privilege users and their allies in public places to their senses. Conservation unquestionably appre- ciates the progressiveness of the West. It becomes, however, the painful duty of this publication to point out that there are respects in which even the West is not unanimously progressive. Of all the great progressive measures that have appeared before Congress in recent vears few, if any, are more fundamental, more essential to the gen- eral good and to the conservation of the foundations of our prosperity than the bill for the establishment of Na- 1 EDITORIAL 639 tional Forests, especially in the x^ppa- lachian and White Mountain region^. Yet an inspection of the vote on the Weeks bill, taken in the House of Rep- resentatives on March i last and pub- lished in the June issue of this maga- zine, will show that record to bristle with surprises. Among the ayes may be found, for example, the name of one Republican congressman who lost his place because of his devotion to Speaker Cannon, and of other stanch followers of the Speaker who have been less unfortunate in their districts. There will also be found the names of Democrats who deserted their party in the Special Session and voted for the tariff bill. On the other hand, there will be found among the noes eastern and southern men whose interests, were they guided by no broader principle, would apparently have dictated the wis- dom on their part of an affirmative vote. But more astonishing, still, we find in that list the name of the leader of the insurgent Republicans in the House, and, among the Democrats, two, at least, of the most advanced, not to say radical, members of the Congress of the United States. And these liberal members, Demo- cratic or Republican, hail from the Mississippi Valley, the great progress- ive center of the country, while the bill itself bears the name of a representative from Massachusetts, "that land of petri- fied conservatism." This is another of the surprises with which politics abounds ; but it also goes to show that the West has, as yet, no monopoly on liberalism and progress- iveness. )ii ^ )^ The LakeS''tO''the''Gulf Deep Waterways Convention PRACTICAL though it is, the pres- ent is an age when young men see visions and old men dream dreams. One of the dreams of the present day is of a deep waterway from the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico. Conceive of a channel which will per- mit ocean vessels to pass from the Great Lakes through the Desplaines, Illinois, and Mississippi rivers, the Gulf of Mexico and the Panama Canal into the Pacific and thence westward to the Orient ! The Mississippi Valley is the heart of the world. Think what such a water- way will mean for the development of this valley ! Picture in mind the teeming millions who will yet swarm in that valley, and estimate the service which will be ren- dered to them by this highway com- bined with the arteries of traffic which will radiate eastward and westward therefrom ! But three years ago the people of the Mississippi Valley began to give em- bodiment to this dream by the organiza- tion of a Lakes-to-the-Gulf Deep Waterways Association. In 1906 this Association held a con- vention in St. Louis, where 1,100 dele- gates gathered. In 1907 the Association met in Mem- phis. President Roosevelt went to St. Louis and thence down the river to Memphis as a guest of this Association, making an address at the convention. In 1908 the Association held its third convention, this time in Chicago, where 3,517 delegates met. On this occasion the Association was addressed by candi- dates Taft and Bryan. Now the call has been issued for the fourth annual convention. The meeting will be held in the Athenaeum in New Orleans, Saturday, October 30; Mon- day, November i , and Tuesday, Novem- ber 2. The object of these meetings is, of course, to promote the great enterprise suggested by the Association's name. How, in the opinion of the Associa- tion, the end to be accomplished is indicated by its call. The sanitary district of Chicago has built the waterway practically to Joliet. The route from Joliet to New Orleans has been surveyed under di- rection of Congress by United States engineers and reported feasible. The people of the state of Illinois have voted a bond issue of $20,000,000 to promote the project. 640 CONSERVATION Representative pjartholdt, of Mis- souri, has introduced a bill into Con- gress providing for the issue by the United States Government of bonds to the amount of $500,000,000, the pro- ceeds to be spent on this waterway and other meritorious river projects. The Sixty-first Congress will be asked to provide that the United States Government construct a waterway from the point at which Illinois stops to the Gulf of Mexico. As at the Spokane meeting, here again it will be observed that large bond is- sues are called for. In his trip down the river from St. Louis in 1907, President Roosevelt declared to the seventeen governors who accompanied him that the United States should build this waterway by issuing bonds, if neces- sary. Economists have long distinguished between loans for consumption and loans for production. Loans of the former type, represented by bonds issued for war, represent a long-time burden upon the people. Loans of the second type, however, illustrated by bond issues for reclama- tion, drainage, forest conservation, flood prevention and waterways devel- opment, properly handled, represent, not a burden, but an assistance to the people. Still, as President Hill has just pointed out, if the interest on a bond issue almost equals the principal of an adequate annual appropriation, the lat- ter is much to be preferred. The New Orleans meeting is to be attended by more than a hundred mem- bers of Congress, fifteen United States Senators, thirty governors, six foreign ministers, and other representative men from all sections of the country. Not only so, but the President of the United States will also be present and address the convention. Accompanied by numerous digni- taries, he will go to St. Louis on Octo- ber 25, and from that point descend the river to New Orleans. The President will travel in the steamboat Mississippi, which will be convoyed by some of the finest steam- boats on the western rivers. In addition, the Navy Department has ordered a flotilla of four large torpedo boats to proceed to St. Louis and con- voy the Presidential fleet down the river. Moreover, the Department has directed the armored cruisers Montana, North Carolina, and New York to New Or- leans, thence to proceed as far up the river as practicable to meet the Presi- dent. The presence of such vessels in the river will furnish added proof, should this be needed, of the magnificent pro- portions of the "Father of Waters." Needless to say. New Orleans is mak- ing every efTort to render the occasion a notable one. For the climate of the Crescent City, the date chosen is ideal. In connection with the convention, a conservation meeting is to be held. The exact date of this meeting, un- fortunately, cannot as yet be announced. The details will be handled by the New Orleans Progressive Union. Invita- tions are being issued by Secretary W. F. Saunders, of the Waterway Associa- tion. Speakers at the conservation confer- ence will undoubtedly drive home the fundamental truth, "No forests, no waterways." «r' 5^ «? The National Conservation Association ON SEPTEMBER 15 appeared the announcement of the organiza- tion of the National Conservation Asso- ciation, with President Emeritus Charles. Wm. Eliot, of Harvard University, at its head. The announcement is made by Mr. Walter L. Fisher, president of the Con- servation League of America, formed something more than a year ago, with headquarters at Chicago. The constitution of the new associa- tion contains a declaration of principles taken from principles adopted by the Conference of Governors held at the White House in May, 1908. From the press report of these, we quote the following: The land should be so used that erosion and soilwash shall cease; that arid and semi- EDITORIAL 641 arid lands should be reclaimed by means of irrigation; that swamp and overflowed re- gions should be drained; that the waters should be so conserved as to promote navi- gation and develop water-power in the in- terests of the people; that the forests which regulate our rivers, support our industries, and promote the fertility of the soil, be pre- served and perpetuated ; that the minerals found so abundantly underneath the surface should be so used as to prolong their utility; that the beauty, healthfulness, and habitability of our country should be pre- served and increased. The principles further comprehend the purchase or control by the Nation of the necessary land within drainage basins, the regulation of timber cutting, and the support of practical forestry. The conservation of water-powers for the benefit of the people at large is ad- vocated. Other principles, as reported in the press, are : The retention by the Government of the title of all lands still in public ownership which contain phosphate rock, coal, oil, or natural gas, and development of the same by private enterprise under conditions which will prevent extortion and waste. The direction of public attention to the need for preserving the fertility of our soils, and thus protecting the future food supply of our people. The enactment of legislation whereby the titles to the surface of public lands and to the minerals below the surface shall be granted separately, with every appropriate facility to miners to acquire such parts of the surface as may be needed in the de- velopment of their claims. The purpose of the association, Mr. Fisher says, will be to unite in one great national or- ganization all those who desire to give their personal influence and support to the move- ment which, under the name of conservation, has come to mean so much for the future of our country. It is stated that headquarters for the association will probably be opened in New York, and that the necessary funds for the prosecution of its work have been subscribed. Conservation, and the older body — the American Forestry Association — which it has the honor to represent, cordially welcome the National Con- servation Association to the field. There need be no fear of competition between the two organizations. "The harvest truly is plenteous and the la- borers are few." Wliile we preach, teach, organize and press for legisla- tion, the slaughter of our resources proceeds apace. The need for organi- zations to educate the public, arouse sentiment and make possible such legis- lation as shall conserve for their highest use, for all the people, all the resources, which constitute the foundations of our prosperity, is imperative. Different or- ganizations may supplement each others' work. They may suggest to each other methods hitherto unthought of. By emulation they may stimulate each other to higher and more effective activity, and call into being still other organizations, all of which combined will hasten and ensure the accomplish- ment of the grand end sought by all. Conservation notes with pleasure that President Taft is one of the first to join the new association ; over against which fact may be placed another, namely, that about three years ago, Hon. William Jennings Bryan joined The American Forestry Association. &' it' «? Attorney BalHnger's Fee IN THE President's letter. Secretary Ballinger is told, regarding his connec- tion with the Cunningham claims : "You accepted the employment ; visited Sec- retary Garfield and Commissioner Den- nett ; * * * to pay your traveling ex- penses and for your services you re- ceived $250, and no inore." Mr. Ballinger lived in Seattle. A trip to Washington, including railway fare, sleeping car, meals en route, and hotel in Washington would cost almost the sum named. Query : Did Attorney Ballinger ren- der legal services gratuitously? NEWS AND NOTES The Denver and Seattle Meeting The Trans-Mississippi Congress met in Denver, August i8, and the first National Conservation Congress at Seattle, August 27. Matter relative to these meetings may be ex- pected in Conservation for November. )ii "^ ^ Maine's Watef'power Commission Not long since, Maine placed all the forests in the state, however ovirned, under state control. No private owner can now cut for- ests clean without showing cause. Maine has recently established a Water- storage Commission composed of three able citizens serving without salaries. Their duties will be to map out the available water- powers of the state; measure up the extent of such powers and the proportion in use; consider what can be done in the construction of storage basins to conserve and equalize the flow throughout the year; and study the matter of forest preservation in relation to this subject. Maine's unused resources in water-power are said to be enormous. ^ ^ ^ Watef'-power Investigation in Wisconsin At its last session, the Wisconsin legis- lature appointed a special water-power, dam and forestry committee to investigate water- power and dam conditions in th*; state. The committee is at work, and will report to the legislature. An important question before them is whether the water-power sites and dams should belong to riparian owners or to the state. Private interests are urging that the power sites, etc., should be of ripa- rian ownership. ^ ^ '^ Forestry Instruction in Columbia At Columbia University a course in for- estry has been added to the curriculum of the engineering school. It is planned to place instruction in forestry on an equal academic footing with other engineering courses. It will be a four-year course, leading to a degree of forest engineer, and for the pres- ent will be open to undergraduates, no pre- vious degrees being required for admission. — Christian Science Monitor, Boston. 61:; The Woman's National Rivers and Harbors Congress The Woman's National Rivers and Har- bors Congress was organized in Shreveport, La., June 29, 1908, with seven members. It now has 22,000 members, the greater part in clubs and organizations. The object of the congress is the conservation of all our natural resources, especially the preservation and development of waterways and forests. The congress stands for navigation, sanita- tion, and beautification of our waterways and harbors. It is having conservation taught in the public schools. Its president is Mrs. Hoyle Tomkies, 980 Jordan Street, Shreveport, La., and its cor- responding secretary is Mrs. Frances Shuttle- worth, 621 Cotton Street, Shreveport, La. Mrs. Tomkies writes : "Our work is mainly to educate upon the subject, to arouse interest and secure con- verts to this cause. In this we are succeed- ing. We are putting forth all the energy and influence we can muster for the cause, lest the enemy come while we are sleeping and sow in the people's minds the tares of 'individualism' and non-conservation." )^ >^ «? Louisiana Forestry Association The Louisiana Forestry Association was organized April 6, 1909, and publishes its articles of association in a neat, twelve-page booklet. The president is Mr. Henry E. Hardtner, and the secretary, Mrs. A. B. Avery. The office of the association is at 254 Stoner Avenue, Shreveport, La. «««?«? Good Roads Interest in the good-roads movement grows. San Diego County, California, has voted one and one-fourth million dollars in bonds to build 455 miles of highway. Ten men, representing the Farmers' Asso- ciation of the Southern States, visited Wash- ington, September 19, to begin an inspection of the country roads of the East. The governors of the New England states and New Jersey are manifesting much in- terest. A movement for building a first-class high way between Washington City and Alexan- dria is being aggressively pushed. The NEWS AND NOTES 643 Washington Post and Richmond Times-Dis- patch are promoting the movement. The Post-office Department aids the good roads movement by insisting Rural Free Delivery routes shall be kept in good con- dition. President Taft, in a recent letter to the Washington Post, shows himself to be an earnest believer in the effort to supply the Nation with adequate highways. >S «=' &' Wise Conservation Legislation in Wisconsin At its last session, the legislature of Wis- consin enacted a law containing the following wise provision : "Whenever the state of Wisconsin shall hereafter convey in any manner whatsoever any of its lands, the conveyance thereof shall be subject to the continued ownership by the state of all minerals in said lands and all mining rights therein, and shall also be sub- ject to continued ownership by the state of all water-power rights on such lands or in any manner appurtenant thereto." (Chap- ter 374, 1909, Section 207 m. In effect June 12, 1909.) «««?«? S< M, Higgins Supervisor of Michigan Forest Mr. S. M. Higgins, for several years a resident of Michigan, has been appointed supervisor of the two National Forests in Michigan, with headquarters at Au Sable. He will take charge immediately. This appointment marks the beginning of Federal forest administration in Michigan. The waste areas Forester Pinchot hopes to develop into profitable stands of pine trees. Mr. Higgins will select and map lands which will restock naturally, lands adapted to plant- ing white and Norway pine, and lands too barren for present operations. In addition, he will plan a system of fire protection. )^ «? «r' State Forester of Connecticut Mr. Samuel N. Spring replaces Mr. Austin F. Hawes as state forester of Connecticut. Mr. Hawes is now state forester of Vermont. Mr. Spring graduated from the Yale Forest School in 1903. After graduation he or- ganized the department of forestry in the University of Maine, where he served two years as professor of forestry. _ In 1905 he entered the Government service and re- mained until 1908. At the time of his leav- ing the Forest Service he was the head of the Section of Tree Planting. He left the Forest Service to enter privatework as a consulting forester. His service in Connecti- ■cut begins October i, 1909. Black Butte Mountain Fir Forest On page 607 of this issue will be found a cut (photograph furnished by Mr. W. B. Dennis, of Black Butte, Oreg.) of a fir forest growing near the top of Black Butte Mountain, Oregon. Black Butte Mountain is one of the buttes in a spur of the Callapooia range, which range connects the Cascade and Coast ranges. Black Butte is geographically in Section 16, Tp. 23 S., R. 3W., W. M., in the southern part of Lane County. Black Butte Mountain contains a large de- posit of cinnabar ore, which is being mined and reduced to metal in a reduction plant on the property. The mountain is densely covered with fir of the character shown in the photograph. «? «? «r' Oregon Caves National Monument On July 12 President Taft, by proclama tion, set aside an area upon unsurveyed land within the Siskiyou National Forest, Oregon, containing certain natural caves of unusual scientific interest and importance, as a na- tional monument. This was done under the act of June 8, 1906, entitled "An Act for the Preservation of American Antiquities." )>i >^ ^ Club Women for Conservation Mrs. P. S. Peterson, chairman of the for- estry committee of the General Federation of Women's Clubs, and delegate to the Seattle Conservation Congress, visited Los Angeles, Cal., and spoke on conservation. Among other things, she said : "Clubwomen are taking up the movement. We wish to have it become a part of public sentiment that shall command the attention of men, women, and children — a subject that can be spoken of from the public platform or discussed at the family fireside." Mrs. Peterson also spoke of the waste of coal, and of the forests, the need of con- servation for business and agriculture, and of the strong work Mr. Pinchot is doing to save our resources. «? «? U? Year^-book of the New Hampshire Society The Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests has issued its seventh annual report or year-book. This is a hand- some, illustrated volume of seventy-eight pages, containing the Appalachian (Weeks) bill, the new forest law in New Hampshire, the amended law for highway trees, several interesting papers, and the reports of the forester, secretary, and treasurer. The secre- tary, Mr. Allen Hollis, may be addressed at Concord, N. H. 644 CONSERVATION Increase in Flood Damage Gov. M. E. Hay, of Washington, in his address of August 9 to the National Irriga- tion Congress, stated that, since 1900, damage by flood has increased from $45,000,000 to $238,000,000. va >fe' &' Problems of the Waterways The large measure of success claimed for the inland water transportation of France, Germany, Belgium, Holland, and other coun- tries of Europe seems to be due to the policy of harmonizing the rail and water routes by operating them in connection with each other. This is only possible under govern- ment ownership, which exists quite gener- ally throughout Europe. Successful opera- tion seems impracticable in this country un- der present conditions. It is interesting to note that the United States has by far greater railway and water- way mileage than any other country in the world. The following statistics, compiled January i, 1907, are instructive: Mileage per Mileage 100 square per 10,000 Total mileage miles of area population Rail- Water- Rail- Water- Rail- W'r- ways ways ways ways ways ways Belgium 7,495 1,360 65.9 11.9 10.6 1.9 Germany 57,376 17,080 27.5 8.2 9.4 2.8 United Kingdom 37,107 3,374 30.6 2.8 8.8 .8 France 47,142 7,617 22.8 3.6 12.1 1.9 Holland 3,054 2,244 24.1 17.7 5.4 4.0 Austria-Hungary 41,227 7,200 15.8 2.7 8.7 1.5 United States. . 222,572 51,834 6.2 1.4 25.3 5.8 Italy 16,420 664 3.6 .1 4.4 .2 Canada 22,452 3,355 .6 .09 41.8 6.2 China 3,435 9,070 .08 .2 .08 .2 From the above it is clear that Belgium has the most highly developed facilities for transportation on the basis of area and pop- ulation, while the United States, exhibiting exceedingly high mileage for railways and waterways, does not reflect a growth as ex- tensive as the countries of Europe, with the single exception of Italy. — Wall Street Journal. ^ ^ )^ The Dry^farming Congress The fourth annual dry-farming congress will be held at Billings, Mont., October 26 28. Representatives of the congress are pushing it with great vigor, circulating bulletins, and otherwise arousing interest in the great and necessary work represented by the organiza- tion. A notable feature will be "Governors' Day," when the chief executives from many western states will address the congress and discuss from the statesman's viewpoint the problems now confronting the people of the arid states. The secretary, Mr. John T. Burns, may be addressed at 407 Temple Court Building, Denver, Colo. Work of Reforesting Islands A movement is on foot to reclothe the Boston Harbor Islands with the trees of which they were robbed centuries ago. The Metropolitan Improvement League, Harvard College, and the Institute of Technology are interested. A party recently cruised the harbor to ex- amine the islands. In the party were Syl- vester Baxter, secretary of the league; Charles S. Rackemann, representing the Trustees of Public Reservations; Dr. Werner Hegemann, representing the Boston 1915 movement; Prof. Frank W. Rane, state for- ester; Edwin A. Start, secretary of the Massachusetts Forestry Association; Allen Chamberlain, representing that association and the Appalachian Mountain Club. The matter of reforestation will be brought be- fore the legislature. >« )^ &' Gunnlson/'Uncompahgre Lands Taken All of the Gunnison-Uncompahgre lands for which water will now be available is already in private ownership or has lieen entered. It is estimated that not over 15,000 acres of Government land under this project remains subject to entry. Practically all these lands are located along the edge of the project, and will be watered from canals yet to be constructed. Owing to the present state of the reclamation fund, it is not likely that sufficiently large allotments can be made to the project for the immediate completion of the entire distribution system for these public lands. ^ ^ ^^ An Ideal Pumping Device Running water has now become a neces- sity on the farm. The farmer's problem has been to secure a satisfactory pump. The windmill is regarded as unreliable and the power pump expensive. A satisfactory hydraulic ram has been awaited with interest ; the Niagara seems to meet the requirements. On account of its mechanical perfection, it will operate, with an incredibly slight fall,, practically any flowing brook or spring suffic- ing to supply it with power. Even the smaller sizes supply thousands of gallons of water daily, while large sizes will supply water enough for a small city. This ram is inval- uable for railroad tanks, manufacturing plants, irrigation projects, mine operations,, and anywhere where a constant, unfailing supply of water is needed. It is the only ram made which has a double-action device l)y which the water of a pure spring can be pumped with power supplied from a brook or river which is unfit to drink. This ram is handled by the Niagara Hy- draulic Engine Company, 140 Nassau Street, New York City, which has a factory at Ches- ter, Pa. The company issues a Ijooklet and catalogue. NEWS AND NOTES 64= Conserving Human Resources A certain brilliant literary and society woman, well known in Washington, and formerly president of the General Federa- tion of Women's Clubs, maintains that the Nation's children are as well worth "con- serving" as the forests, waterfalls, or other natural resources, and that much less atten- tion is paid to them. She made this statement in rejecting the offer of a Representative in Congress from Colorado to resign in her favor, saying she did not wish to sit in Congress; but, if there, she would make it her chief business to pro- mote legislation for the children of the coun- try. She requested the Representative to do like work, and promised him the support of every woman's club in the Union. &' Jt' &' Bad Forest Fires On September 14 a bad forest fire was reported on the San Gabriel National Forest, in the canyons of the Sierra Madre Moun- tains back of Mount Wilson. North along the uplands of the San Fer- nando Valley, two great fires lit up the giant mountains and forests fell crashing in the flames as they swept over the foothills. In Chatsworth Park district the live oaks with- ered in the touch of the smothering fire and smoke that ate over acres of scrub and pasture land. From Ventura and the Santa Barbara Reserve came word of forest fires raging in the wilderness of the almost inaccessible mountains. Ringed as by gigantic beacons, lay the beautiful Los Angeles and San Gabriel val- leys, while in the fire zone men battled with the flames until early dawn. Fires were also reported from the Soledad Canyon in the Santa Barbara Reserve on the side of the Mojave Desert. &' &' va Glavis to Publish the Facts Seattle, Wash., Sept. 20. — L. R. Glavis, who was dismissed as chief of the Seattle Field Division of the United States Land Office because of charges made against chief of- ficers of the Interior Department, has written a letter to President Taft, as follows : "The President. "Sir: I have laid before you all the essen- tial facts in my possession regarding the of- ficial conduct of certain cases by the Depart- ment of the Interior concerning coal lands in Alaska. As chief of field division, directly concerned, and because of the tremendous values involved, I felt my personal responsi- bility most keenly. "The evidence indicated that a great syn- dicate is trying to secure a monopoly of this coal, in direct violation of the law. Ulti- mately, I felt myself obliged to appeal to you over the heads of my superior officers in order to bring about the enforcement of the law, which in a measure would conserve these coal lands to the people at large. T deemed it m}^ duty to submit the facts to you, and I cannot regret my action. "Since there may be now even greater dan- ger that the title of these coal lands will be fraudulently secured by the syndicate, it is no less my duty to my country to make pub- lic the facts in my possession concerning which I firmly believe that you have been misled. This I shall do in the near future with a full sense of the seriousness of my action and with deep and abiding respect for your great office. "Respectfully, L. R. Glavis." &' i« ^« The West in Earnest William H. Taft has been in the Presi- dential office for a long enough period of time to give the country some general idea of what he intends to do, and how he in- tends to do it. Congress has been in ses- sion, engaged in passing a tariff bill, which, in its final analysis, has not been accept- able to the Central West. Richard A. Ballinger, his Secretary of the Interior, has been engaged in a controversy for several weeks with Gifford Pinchot, Chief Forester, over the general issue of conservation, with particular reference to the administration of the public-land laws with respect to water- power sites, coal lands, and reclamation proj- ects. All of these subjects are of vital and even political interest in the Far West. It is manifest, therefore, that both of these sec- tions of the country are not to be "jollied" out of their opinion on these serious ques- tions.— New York Post. ^ it' &' The Future of Man in America Ex-Governor Pardee of California said at Spokane : "Wealth is too often used in this country to-day to take from the people their political rights, turn their representatives into chat- tels and doers of the wishes of those who desire to oppress the people by taking from them their natural resources. No one in this country who reads and thinks doubts that some governors, legislators. Congressmen. Senators, and judges have prostituted the of- fices to which they were elected by the votes of the people. There are those who desire to monopolize the water-power of our rivers, who are eager to grab our forests, and who desire to seize our coal lands, to use all for their private aggrandizement to the detri- ment of the people. "Is there any sound reason why the public should not regulate the natural resources? Is there any real reason why the Government should turn back to 'public entry' one single 646 CONSERVATION acre of forest lands which were withdrawn under Roosevelt and Garfield? To say that every man should be permitted to grab and hold what he can of our natural resources is equivalent to saying one has no objections to so arranging matters that future Amer- icans shall be composed of a few very rich and millions of very poor people. Such a doctrine is neither decent nor patriotic." — Springfield (Mass.) News. )^ ^ ^ On the "Dynamic Geographer" Truth is in receipt of a copy of a recent publication entitled "Theodore Roosevelt, Dynamic Geographer." It is probably one of the most comprehensive reviews of what the President accomplished or attempted to ac- complish that has been issued. It is an elab- oration of a lecture delivered at Oxford University by Frank B. Vrooman. It tells of the check on the corporations which were threatening to get the upper hand in the very Government itself, and how the Presi- dent attempted to steer the people between the shoals of this evil and socialism. It also reviews the forest and waterways problems and details the immense benefit which will accrue to future generations as a result of the laws set in motion by the Executive. It will pay the critics as well as the admirers of the strenuous statesman to read this pamphlet. It will be a revelation to many persons who are asking what the President accomplished while in the White House. ^« )ii ^ Alaska as a Prize From a special dispatch to the New York Post of September 2, the following is con- densed: Now that Secretary Ballinger has started out to open up all kinds of public land, and since the application of his principles seems to mean the breaking down of the Pinchot conservation barricade, a controversy has broken out in the Taft administration with the Roosevelt men in it. Congress will find it necessary thoroughly to investigate the Alaskan situation. One of the most powerful lobbies operating in Washington during Congressional sessions represents opposing interests in Alaska. Alaska is worth exploiting, and a battle royal is being waged for control. A dozen rail- roads have been projected into the territory, each one of which has had to fight for its leg- islative existence in Congress against the underground as well as aboveboard opposi- tion of "the other crowd." There has been all sorts of trouble over river navigation. The existence of valuable copper properties has been affirmed and denied on expert testi- mony. The last ruction over Alaskan re- sources is just now in process of exploita- tion in the Ballinger-Pinchot controversy, and the basis of it is coal. The actual situa- tion seems to be that the Guggenheim - Standard Oil interests have fairly well cor- ralled the transportation facilities of the new territory; garnered in the best copper claims, than which there are none better in the world, and are now reaching out for the coal. Two years ago the railroad situation was explained in the Post. Within a week a powerful railroad lobby appeared in Wash- ington composed of men from as far east as Boston and as far west as Seattle, and remained all winter, at great expense. It was here last winter and is coming again next winter. Two years ago the Guggenheim interests had secured a practical control of the great copper belt, the best of which was the Bo- nanza mines, on the Copper River. Their experts in the field described these holdings to men they met in the wilderness as the greatest copper fields they had ever laid their eyes upon. In Washington they admitted the existence of copper in paying quantities. The Guggenheims were then after the con- trol of the transportation facilities of the great territory. Through various allies, in- cluding Close Brothers, of London, they al- ready controlled the river transportation from Dyea and Skagway, via the White Pass Rail- road, to Eagle City, the American gateway to the Klondike, and then on down the Yukon to St. Michaels and Nome. Through another ally, headed by John Rosene, of Seattle, the same combination was rapidly getting control of the through-sea route from Nome to Puget Sound. Fierce' conflicts, sometimes bloody, oc- curred between these rival railroad interests. The Guggenheims were believed in Washing- ton to be trying to prevent railroad building until they had secured everything worth hauling out of Alaska. Of these facts the American people were practically ignorant. Alaska now has cable connection with Seattle, a delegate in Congress, and a new governor. The greatest impetus for the ter- ritory, however, was the appointment of Richard A. Ballinger, of Seattle, to be Sec- retary of the Interior. The territory is not only one of that department's wards, but the city of Seattle looks upon Alaska as one of its own children, having been the port of exit during the great Klondike rush, and it is, therefore, up to Mr. Ballinger to exploit Alaska, the word "exploit" being used in its best sense. The most pressing question in Alaska is the opening of its coal deposits. On these all the Alaskan railroads are dependent for a goodly portion of their freight tonnage. The Pacific coast wants Alaskan coal, and the Navy Department would like a coaling sta- tion on the Alaskan coast. The Cunningham claims have been on file in the Land Office for several years. They were filed before Congress passed the coal land law two year ago linu'ting the consoli- dation of coal lands under one company to 2,560 acres. As a matter of fact, the Alas- kans thought they could just about double this amount under the law, but when thev 1 NEWS AND NOTES 647 got back home they found that Mr. Garfield's fine Italian hand had effectively tied them up to the stated amount, and they also had strong reasons to suspect that Gifford Pin- chot was not far away when the restrictions were made. Since then the Cunningham crowd has sought to be permitted to file their claims under the old law, on the ground that their applications were in when it was in force. It is understood, however, that Sec- retary Garfield never considered a land claim had reached the dignity of having the laws finally applied to it until it had been investi- gated, and it is further understood, owing to the suspicion that the Cunningham claims had behind them somebody, not yet visible, intent on consolidating what was then be- lieved to be about $100,000,000 worth of coal into one concern, never regarded the claims as more than mere clouds on the title of somebody else who might get them in the future. It is now being covertly intimated that these same claims are worth in the neigh- borhood of $500,000,000, and that the Gug- genheim-Standard Oil crowd are beind them. «r' «r' «r' McHarg for Exploitation Mr. McHarg's request that the "red- blooded men" of the West be permitted to do as they please, in exploiting and absorb- ing and confiscating the Nation's resources, just as they have taken care of the buffalo, so offfnds all decent sentiment as to make the Ballinger cause now more than ever dif- ficult for President Taft to sustain. It is a peculiar habit of speech which some west- ern men have in using "red-blooded" when they make an appeal for a bad cause, or a defense of anything that is inhumane. The theory that real strength is not possessed by persons like Pinchot and Newell, who pre- fer to see things done with decent regard for the larger rights of man, future as well as present, will not stand analysis. — North Adams (Alass.) Transcript. «i «? «? The people have little faith in the law and have come to put their trust in the Executive instead. And while the President may re- establish law in its proper place, it is equally important, but more difficult, to reestablish public confidence in the law. In order to do- that he will be obliged to go to Congress and ask for legislation closing some of the evident loopholes that now exist. This is certain to be a prominent topic of discussion through the Northwest, into which the President is going. If he finds time to read the papers, he will learn that the people are very much in earnest in the matter; that they have more faith in Mr. Pinchot than they have in the law, and that if they are directed to the law as their final and su- preme safeguard and relief, they will de- mand that the enforcement of the law pro- duce results. — Boston Herald. Ur' &' «? La Follette's on the Controversy La Follette's Weekly, speaking of the Bal- Hnger-Pinchot question, says : "It involves an issue of tremendous im- portance. Its outcome will determine to a great extent whether or not this generation and future generations will have saddled upon them another monopoly, more powerful than any of our present trusts — a gigantic water-power combination. "The people must take sides in this fight,- for at bottom it is the people's fight. This fact must not be forgotten. Pinchot and Ballinger now occupy the center of the arena. For the moment they are the principal figures in the struggle. But back of them are two great opposing forces. On the one side is an army of citizens who are determined upon the wise conservation of our natural re- sources and the protection of the rights of the public in these resources. On the other side are the hosts of privilege, bent upon se- curing, at any cost, for private exploitation,, the natural resources that still remain in the hands of the public." Results Wanted This decision of the President does not close the incident by any means, nor does it touch the vital issue which is involved. The point of view and the purpose of the Pinchotites deserve as careful consideration as is given to that of the President and the Secretary of the Interior. Mr. Pinchot rep- resents and is backed by a very strong public sentiment, particularly in the West, which believes that there is an effort on the part of large associated interests to obtain monopolistic possession of the most valuable of remaining public lands. Past experience justifies that fear, and incidents of the pres- ent day confirm it. There is a belief that the letter of the law contains such loopholes that its spirit will be violated with impunity. "Search Their Pockets" Every community has its group of highly respectable citizens who deplore the lawless methods of the Roosevelt regime. They tremble for the Constitution, the courts, and the people, and in their mind's eye foresee the doom of the Republic unless the too zealous partisans of Roosevelt reforms can be curbed and disciplined. It is betraying no secret to say that these men, when they are not harmless or eccentric idealists, are those whose private interests have been in some way menaced by the Roosevelt reforms. * * * It will probably be a safe rule to search the pockets of every man found weeping over the fall of the Constitution and the 648 CONSERVATION mistakes of Pinchot. Ten to one there is concealed on his person a rebate or a pass or a canned-beef sandwich or an option on a Alontana water-power. Your corporation lawyer, especially, is apt to tremble for the liberties of the people. It is a pleasure to hear his touching apotheosis of conserva- tism. But as we dwelt by the ancient land- marks the trusts enjoyed a freedom of ac- tion to which, if we have good luck, the}^ shall never be permitted to return. — Terrf Haute (Ind.) Star. J^ ^ ^ The People for Conservation Two significant events have occurred within the past few weeks. Two big as- semblages have met — the National Irrigation ■Congress, at Spokane, and the Trans- Mississippi Congress, at Denver. Both are almost wholly made up of volunteer mem- l^ers. The men who go to them are assumed to pay their own expenses. Almost anybody who is willing to meet this condition can get appointed as a delegate. And yet, two great gatherings thus made up have declared in strong terms for the conservation policies that find their official representative in Gifford Pinchot. * * * The power grabbers and the timber grab- bers have been liberally represented at these congresses. Their attorneys have spoken from the floor, and men affiliated with them have worn the badges of delegates. This was to be expected. The men who are grabbing power rights and public lands and public privileges stand to make millions if the conservation policy is reversed. They have already made millions by Secretary Ballinger's act in restoring to private entry the 186,000,000 acres of lands that President Roosevelt withdrew for protection of public rights. Therefore, they can afford to pay the expenses of men to attend congresses and vote and talk in a way to create the im- pression that public sentiment approves the grab-all policy. When these facts are remembered it sig- nifies much that these gatherings have stood strongly for public interest. It shows the overwhelming sentiment of the people in favor of the men and the policies that re- serve our forests and our coal and our water-powers for the benefit of the public. — .San Francisco (Cal.) Examiner. «r' &' )^ Disposing of Natural Resources There seems to be a steadfast attitude of the people in the Ballinger-Pinchot contro- versy, and it is with Pinchot, not for any personal or political reasons, but on the main proposition, that under no circumstances is a franchise to be given to a person, corpora- tion, or trust, that involves the bestowal in perpetuity or a long series of years of any of the public domain or natural resources. The public lands may be distributed in small homesteads for tillage, but everything else should be reserved for the use of the people. It is this view of the case that contributes to the popular faith in Pinchot. * * * jf there is anythjig public judgment is against, it is the granting of perpetual franchises, of either a corporeal or incorporeal character, to anj^body. Whatever benefit there is in whatever this country possesses must be left for the people's use. — CohDiibus (Ohio) State Journal. i^ ^ ^ Heirs and Testators Heirs often disappoint the testator's hopes. In Mr. Taft's case, the testator is still alive and he may find it easy to revoke his be- quests. It is said that on his return from wandering abroad Mr. Roosevelt will land at San Francisco. If Mr. Taft does not make good on his western trip we are likely to see Mr. Roosevelt crossing- the continent with the West behind him. — Moody's Maga- zine, September. ^ ^ ^ Seeing the Point The President was greatly impressed with his trip through the irrigated desert districts of Colorado, and he is more firmly resolved than ever to find a way in the next Con- gress of legalizing the projects that have been halted by Secretary Ballinger. The President was especially impressed with the possibility for good that is to come from the completion of the Gunnison Tunnel. The Colorado people were hot on his trail to get him to make a definite promise in regard to the completion of the big work that has been held up near Grand Junction, but the best the President would do was to promise to take it under consideration and do his best. — Nezv York Journal. )^ J^ t^ Pardee on the Letter Referring to the President's letter to Sec- retary Ballinger, former Governor Pardee said : "At the Irrigation Congress I read a copy of a letter approved by Secretary Ballinger and directing that over 4,000.000 acres of land previously withdrawn by Garfield to save power sites from being grabbed should be restored to entry. This was but one of the several similar orders approved by Sec- retary Ballinger. The President mentions but one order of Ballinger's, restoring to en- try only 1,500,000 acres, and says this order of restoration was upon a recommendation of the Reclamation Service. 'T have seen documentary evidence that the Reclamation Service argued with Secre- tary Ballinger against the restoration order NEWS AND NOTES 649 of which the President speaks, and that it rekictaritly made the recommendation only after having been repeatedly ordered by Sec- retary Ballinger to do so." — Boston Evening Globe. 5t' ^ ^ The Effect of the Letter The efifect of Glavis' summary dismissal will be strongly to deter other subordinates, who may feel like questioning the acts of their superiors. It will clear up the atmos- phere in one branch of the Interior Depart- ment, and it will insure for President Taft's official family at least a superficial peace. But it will not convince the West or con- vert it to Ballingerism. The West knows Ballinger too well. It knows his associa- tions. The West knows Pinchot and his work. The vindication of yesterday is not conclusive of the West's interest in this matter. The West is willing, even anxious, to be convinced. It will wait to see who gets that Alaska coal, and whether Ballinger or his friends share in the profits. — San Fran- cisco Call. 5fe' «? «i Senate Committee to In estigate Indian Forests The Senate Committee on Indian Affairs is investigating Indian forests. Senator Clapp of Minnesota is chairman, and Senator La Follette of Wisconsin is a member. Special investigation will be made of af- fairs on the Menominee reservation, Wis- consin. This inspection is significant, because of the discontinuance of the cooperative work between the Forest Service and the Inte- rior Department at the instance of the latter. Senator La Follette is deeply interested. J^ ^ in The Effect of Environment The President's confidence in Secretary Ballinger is reassuring. Yet, notwithstand- ing the Secretary's complete faultlessness, the welfare of the administration seems to de- mand his early transfer to some other post. In any other Cabinet position Mr. Ballinger could probably command public confidence. The very fact that he comes from a section and environment where the public domain has been regarded as a fair prize, and where land marauders have more or less dominated political affairs assures that, no matter how pure his acts and motives, he must work constantly in a cloud of suspicion. That can- not fail to reduce the efficiency of his depart- ment.— Lincoln (Nebr.) State Journal. How It Looks in Illinois The President may be right — we hope he is ; but undoubtedly he is on the unpopular side of the case, and in such a contest he will lose in respect of the great mass of the people. He \till win the respect of the cor- porations who are trying to grab the public domain. His argument, if read without his signature, and its source unknown, would lead the general reader to think that it was the plea of a lawyer before a Federal court for a wealthy corporation who was charged with violation of law. We are sorry, but the President's action in sustaining Ballinger does not look good to us. — Alton (111.) Telegraph. )^ «? \^ A Typical Comment The view of the anti-conservation press is well illustrated by the following: "There will be some regret in various quar- ters that the President did not make a clean sweep of the trouble-makers and provide for the early retirement of Pinchot, who, if not at the bottom of all the controversy, is at least a malcontent and disturber, and who has been equally prominent with Governor Pardee in making charges of a "water-power trust" which the President has found does not exist. * * * As long as Pinchot is in office there can be no hope of harmony and a maxi- mum of efficiency in the Interior Department. The proper course for him under the cir- cumstances is to resign. If he does not re- sign he should be discharged. — Kansas City (Mo.) Journal. Pinchot and Ballinger The JVorld's Work for October contains an editorial discussion of the disagree- ment of Secretary Ballinger with Mr. Pinchot on "conservaion." Say "Pinchot" to any company of men in the United States, and it is the same as saying "conservation." For this reason, any controversy to which he is a part necessarily becomes a contro- versy about conser\'ation. It is not a con- troversy merely about a legal interpretation. The public understands this, and the enemies of conservation understand it. And these enemies get aid and hope and courage from any doubt that they are permitted to harbor about Secretary Ballinger's appreciation of this large policy and his earnestness about it. Mr. Ballinger owes it to himself to remove it by as vigorous and prompt action as pos- sible, of an unmistakable nature. «? )^ «? The Kind of Fighters the People Need Pinchot fighters are the kind of fighters that are needed to get a square deal under existing conditions. The leader who assumes 650 CONSERVATION that the right thing will be done because it has been demanded and promised will not get anywhere. — Pueblo (Colo.) Chieftain. % )fe' )^ The People with Him The President realizes that the head For- ester is a power in conservation and cannot profitably be disturbed. Mr. Ballinger will be wise if he takes the same view. He can- not crowd Pinchot out. Eight-tenths of a hundred millions of citizens would rise as one man and object. — Woonsocket (R. I.) Call. )^ J^ }^ Let Pinchot Alone Secretary Ballinger should think twice be- fore he falls out with Pinchot. If the public had to choose between the two on the strength of their past records, so far as they are known, it would favor Pinchot rather than Ballinger. It is well understood that most if not all of the unfriendly critics of the Chief Forester in public and private life are men whose personal interests have been interfered with by forest-conservation work which has benefited the Nation. They have been snarling at him for years, but have not changed the popular opinion of him. It is that he is capable, honest, and unselfish, and that whatever mistakes he may have made grew out of his passionate devotion to the cause he has at heart. — Chicago (111.) Tribune. i^ i^ ^ The People's Country "I hold very strongly that all the country, in every power, every faculty it possesses, belongs, first of all, indefeasibly and inalien- ably, to the plain American citizen. . "Public-service corporations exist to serve the people. They must be conducted not sim- ply for the people who own them, but for the people they serve and for whom, rightly considered, they exist. * * * "The withdrawal of water-power lands that has taken place under President Taft will be submitted to Congress, and it must then be decided whether water-powers shall be given m perpetuity or for a limited time. No decision more important than this has come before Congress in years. It is a question whether the means of lighting, heat- ing, power, and transportation shall forever be transferred to private hands, or shall be kept under the control of the people, from whom originallv it came. "After vested rights once attach, it is more difficult to remove them in this country than in any country on the globe." — (^iflford Pinchot in Portland, Oreg., as reported in Portland (Oreg.) Journal. Mr, Pinchot at Los Angeles Mr. Gififord Pinchot was at Los Angeles on September 3. From the press, the fol lowing reports are clipped : "Los Angeles, Sept. 3. — 'The hardest and perhaps the most momentous fight the public has engaged in for years,' said Chief Forester Gififord Pinchot to-day, when he arrived here, 'will be before Congress at the next session on the question of preserving for the people water-power rights on navigable streams on the public domain and in the forest reserves. " 'Action one way or the other must be had at the next session. If it goes the way of private interests the possession of the water-power— and that means the possession of the most valuable public asset left — will be lost to the people. " 'Our contention is that these rights should not be granted in perpetuity. We, and by we I mean all those interested in conservation and keeping for the people what is the peo- ple's, hold that a limit of, say, fifty years should be affixed to the conveyance of each right and that a reasonable rent should be paid the Government. " 'You can have an idea of the influences that will be brought against this idea when I tell you they will include the General Electric Company, the Morgan interests, the Standard Oil, and the Transcontinental railways, who intend to use electric power for trans - mountain traffic' " — San Francisco (Cal.) Examiner. In an address before the City Club, Mr. Pinchot said : "The lines in this country are being pretty closely drawn between those who stand for good government and those who stand for special privileges. "The square deal is what we seek in the controversy between the people and the money interests. I feel that the time has come for men to stand up and be counted. * * * "Suppose the present tendency should go on. We have seen great trusts building up. Suppose the utilities fall into the same cate- gory as the railroads. It is a pretty picture to suppose that all these resources will fall into the hands of a little group of men to decide what part of the country should be de- veloped. I am an optimist, and do not be- lieve we ever shall reach that condition, but unless our people take the action I think they will take, we shall reach it very soon." — Washington (D. C.) Star. "The men who control the natural re- sources of the country should be controlled by the whole people. The same point of view which made it appear that the forests should be preserved also makes it clear that coal waste should be stopped, water-power developed, and lands irrigated — this same point of view goes straight on and applies to the great total of national efficiency." — Seattle (Wash.) Times. NEWS AND NOTES 651 Mr. Pinchot at San Francisco "Corporations should no more be granted rights in perpetuity to water and power sites than a street railroad should be granted its franchise in perpetuity. "There should be a time limit fixed by law on the rights granted corporations under governmental control. "The next Congress will have to settle this question. The matter has been so framed that it will have to be decided for all time." Excerpts from interview with Gififord Pinchot at San Francisco, September i, 1909. • — San Francisco (Cal.) Examiner. &' &' ^ President Taft to Forester Pinchot President Taft, on September 25, gave out, at Salt Lake City, the following statement : "In view of the published statements that the letter of the President to Secretary Bal- linger was to be considered in some way a reflection on Mr. Pinchot, the President to- day authorized the publication of the follow- ing: That at the time he wrote the letter to Secretary Ballinger he also wrote a letter to Mr. Pinchot, assuring him that the con- clusions stated therein were not intended in any way to reflect on him ; that the President deemed Mr. Pinchot's continuance in the public service as of the utmost value; that he expected to continue the Roosevelt policies as to the conservation of resources, including the reclamation of arid lands and preserva- tion of our forests and the proper restrictions in respect to the use of coal lands and water sites, as well as the improvement of our waterways, and to ask Congress for such confirmatory and enabling legislation as would put the execution of these policies on the firmest basis ; and that he would deem it a great loss if, in respect to the matters with which Mr. Pinchot had been concerned, the administration should be denied the ben- efit of his further service." «? Jt' «? Forester Pinchot's Statement On the same date Mr. Pinchot gave out the following statement : "At the suggestion of the President, I make public the following extracts from his letter to me mentioned in the statement he has just authorized : " 'I wish you to know that I have the ut- most confidence in your conscientious desire to serve the Government and the public, in the intensity of your purpose to achieve suc- cess in the matter of conservation of natural resources and in the immense value of what you have done and propose to do with ref- erence to_ forestry and kindred methods of conservation ; and that I am thoroughly in sympathy with all of these policies and pro- pose to do everything I can to maintain them, insisting only that the action for which I become responsible, and for which my administration becomes responsible, shall be within the law. " T should consider it one of the greatest losses that my administration could sustain if you were to leave it, and I sincerely hope you will not think my action in writing the inclosed letter to Secretary Ballinger is rea- son for your taking a step of this character.' "These expressions by the President, which are most kind toward me and most favorable toward my work, as well as the statement au- thorized by him, define his attitude toward the conservation policies with convincing clearness. "I shall not resign, but shall remain in the Government service. I shall give my best efforts in the future, as in the past, to promote the conservation and development of our forests, waters, lands, and minerals, and to defend the conservation policies when- ever the need arises. I especially shall con- tinue to advocate the control of water-power monopoly in the public interest and the use of our institutions, laws, and natural re- sources for the benefit of the plain people. "I believe in equality of opportunity and the Roosevelt policies, and I propose to stand for them as long as I have the strength to stand for anything." «? va ^ National Forester Pinchot's Pluck Perhaps you noticed during the tariff de- bate that there was a tendency among the standpat Congressmen to denounce Gififord Pinchot, the head of the national forestry service. Of course, these attacks came from the tools of the lumber trust, and were made because Pinchot had been informing the country how the operations of the trust, with its accumulations of dried debris, laid the foundation for forest fires. Moreover, Pinchot had the nerve to tell the truth about the destruction by forest fires last year, which also displeased the trust. Now Forester Pinchot has invited new wrath by issuing a warning against the plans of an entirely new trust, the Water- power Trust. * * * This is a bold and public- spirited utterance, and what Mr. Pinchot has to say about "legal technicalities," can be readily appreciated in Saratoga County. Here selfish corporations have been enabled to steal the prosperit}' of the many, and legal technicalities have been successfully oppos- ed to the enforcement of laws in the public interest. More power to Pinchot ! The country has too few men of scientific training to speak out in behalf of the interests of the public as opposed to grasping private interests. — Saratogian, Saratoga Springs, N. Y. 652 CONSERVATION The Row in the Interior Department It will be observed that Mr. Ballinger in- sists that he is acting strictly within the law. He is doing what has so often been practised by men in power — construing the law to protect the monopolies instead of the people. It is the old trick. Mr. Pinchot is simply following the path which Roose- velt marked out to protect the public against the ring. When Rlr. Ballinger says that he is following the instructions of the Presidem. it will only be another indication that Eph- raim is joined to his idols. The only question is whether we ought to let him alone. — Peoria (111.) Star. ^ «i «r' A Fighter of Men Forestry and conservation have not engag- ed all of Gifford Pinchot's time and energy. He was the moving spirit in the Committee on Departmental Methods, which was ap- pointed by President Roosevelt to put the Government othces into proper shape for business. In this work, Mr. Pinchot's ideas of doing away with the duplication of efifort in various bureaus, in reducing "red tape,"' and in applying modern business methods to governmental business was adopted, and the result has been a saving of many millions of dollars to the Government. Then, again, President Roosevelt, recognizing the sig nal administrative ability of Mr. Pinchot, made him a member of the Country Life Commission. Again, Mr. Pinchot was the moving spirit in the investigation which took place. Through the inspiration afforded by the work of this commission to-day, in all sections of the countr}', conferences are being held to put into effect many of Mr. Pinchot's recommendations. Above all things, how- ever, Mr. Pinchot works without varying from the policy that it is better for the Na- tion that the small man should make a living than that the big man should become richer still. In following out that polxy, Gifford Pinchot has had to fight tooth and nail organized bands of land grabbers ; he has had to wage bitter contests against corpora- tions bent upon controlling water rights; he has had to war against politicians of power- ful fiber, who were politicians by grace of the land grabbers, and he has had to show up land thieves, big and little. In certain sections of the West he is not popular with politicians. He has as enemies the worst element of real estate men in the Northwest, and his bitter foes are the lumber thieves of Minnesota and North Dakota. A pulilic man should be praised for enemies of that stripe. To the politicians who detest the Roose- \'elt "square deal" policies, men such as Gifford Pinchot and Frederick Newell are obviously disliked. Director Newell and Forester Pinchot, whose policies are really their own, but which were exalted by the distinguished approval and public commen- dation of President Roosevelt and which were permitted to expand and materialize by reason of the approval of President Roose- velt, have no idea of changing their policies under the new administration. * * '' More and more, in this country, the people are heeded in matters political, bar- ring, possibly, the tariff, and reclamation and forestry are near to the people, and a toying with their rights will not be tolerated. Let the storm come, and the ones to bob up serenely after the hurricane will be the men who stand for the "square deal." — JVilliams- porf (Pa.) Grit. «i «r' )^ Titanic Struggle over Conservation Titanic forces are gathering in the con- troversy with regard to the proper Govern- ment policy of conservation. A struggle has begun which is likely to be as important, before it ends, as any that has entered the politics of the Nation since the Spanish war. We are not prepared to say who is right, because we do not know; but we do know that a tremendous principle is at stake, in- volving the welfare of the American people for centuries to come. * * * Mr. Pinchot gives an earnest of his sin- ceritv in the present controversy by staking his ofifice upon it. He knew when he at- tacked Mr. Ballinger that the result would probably be the retirement of one or the other to private life, and that he (Pinchot") was burning his political bridges behind him. We like to see a man who does not put the chance of retaining his ofificial job above evervthing else. — Norfolk (Va.) Virgiiiiaii- Pilo't. «r' t^ )^ Mathews on the Water-power Trust In his address to the Irrigation Congress, John L. Mathews, representing the Lakes-to- the-Gulf Deep Waterways Association, said, in part : "What is the real condition as regards irri- gation in Montana ? "There stands the Great Falls Water-power and Townsite Company, owned by the Butte Electric and Power Companv, owned, in turn, by the North American Company, con- trolled, in turn, by the General Electric Com - pan}' — chief constituent member of the Water-power Trust — there it stands, hogging the Missouri. "It has filed on all water which passes Great Falls. "Above the falls is the arid Prickly Pear Valley and much other land which is suit- able for irrigation. Montana wants to take out water for irrigation on this land. Not one drop can it take without violating the so-called rights of the monopoly. They must have it all. Governor Norris this year NEWS AND NOTES 653 tried to get his legislature to give irriga- tion rights precedence over prior power fil- ings, but without success." Continuing, he said, in part : "The state is helpless to take water from its own abundant streams to irrigate its own rich land because its creature, slimy and loathsome, lies across the ditch. "We have had a great deal of discussion about the carr3'ing out of the Roosevelt poli- cies, and there seems to be a general im- pression that they are being carried out on a shutter, to slow music. But the Roosevelt policies must live, despite changes in the administration, and they will so live only when they are plainly and unmistakably en- graved upon our laws. Pressure on our leg- islators for legislation exactly enrolling these policies and making them permanent — this is what we must seek, and the shortest road to it is by a simple and convincing exploita- tion of the exact situation in which we find ourselves — exploitation utilized as pressure upon our legislative representatives. 'T am neither a friend nor an enemy of Secretary Ballinger. I sincerely disapprove of the trend of his actions. I came West this summer to investigate the possible grabbing of power sites he had restored. I have gone carefully over the records of the several land offices and have the facts in my possession. "I assert, and I will readily prove, that no amount of filing on land alongside the Missouri River could have given a power site, and no withdrawal of Government lands there can prevent use of a power site. The Missouri is a navigable river. Congress has spent $40,000 upon this section by way of favor to the Helena Con- gressman. No dam can be erected in any river of which the navigability is recognized by Congress without express authority given in a special bill. "Though few vessels have ever plied its waters above Great Falls, some have been used there. Congress has formally recog- nized the navigability of the stream, and the three dams and power sites owned and in use by the Amalgamated Copper Company's United Missouri River Improvement Com- pany rest upon specific bills from Congress giving each separate company the right to erect a dam and maintain it. "Such a bill must contain clauses safe- guarding navigation. Sometimes they con- tain certain provisions for the payment f o - the water — but as yet not often. But no state grant, no riparian right, no filing on water or land, no ownership which the trust can acquire can cover tlie erection of a dam at a power site on a navigable river except by special and express' authorization from Congress. "There are abundant grounds for censur- ing the conduct of Secretary Ballinger in the whole course of these water-power sit" withdrawals without recourse to disputed facts. And in the case of the Missouri, espe- cially, these land filings are of no impor- tance. "Watch these water-power bills, for you yourself have already given the right to the land away. Careless of your rights, careless of the actions of your Congressmen and Senators, except when they secure you local appropriations; careless of the rights of others which they guard, you have let them wipe out all the rights of an individual which a corporation may covet to the power and the land of a navigable river." «? «r' )t' Iowa State Conservation Commission The last legislature of Iowa created a com- mission known as the Iowa State Drainage, Waterway and Conservation Commission, composed of seven men appointed by the governor, Hon. A. C. Miller, of Des Moines, l)eing the chairman. The commission has had one meeting and organized. Results are expected later. ]^ i^ ^ Conservation in Wisconsin The Wisconsin Conservation Commission has been holding meetings to formulate rec- ommendations to the governor for the con- servation of the water-powers, forests, and soils in the state. One of its members, Mr. G. A. Whiting, of Neenah, a big paper manu- facturer, protests against renewing a recom- mendation that the state levy a special charge on all developed water-powers of the state for the purpose of securing money for the extension of the state forest reserves. The question involved is that of taxing fran- chises, for the development of the water- powers of the state. The commission is expected to inspect the water-powers of the Fox, Wisconsin, and Chippewa River valleys and interview the owners of water-power properties regarding the adoption by the state of an equitalile policy toward such properties and the issue of franchises for undeveloped water-powers. «? Jt' i^ More Incendiary Fires A correspondent of the Nezv York Sun holds that the forest fires which for three weeks have raged in the Shawangunk Moun- tains, Minnewaska, N. Y., are started by berry-pickers, who burn the woods to obtain better crops. The landowner fears to take legal proceedings lest worse things come upon Inni. The consequence is that one of the most picturesque regions in the state of New York is fast becoming an unsightly wil- derness. The evil is apparent to every one except the authorities. CONSERVATION'S ADVERTISERS iiQliPiilKAs ~ . (REGISTERED III U.S.PATENT OmCC) WASHINGTON.D.C. 1203-5 G STREET. We will send you a two-pound box of our Bon Bons, Chocolates and French Fruits, "the finest in the world," all charges pre- paid, for one dollar and fifty cents. We will send you a box of MEXICAN PBCA.N - OKA.S CA.[^DV (nearly 2 pounds) anywhere in the world, all charges'prepald, for a dollar bill mailed at our risk. BROWNLEY'S, Dept. K. 1203^5 G St, Washington, D. C„ U, S. A. Send for Oar New Booklet— It'a Free The Campion McClellan Co, Incorporated ENGINEERING, CONSTRUCTION POWER, INDUSTRIAL, RAILWAY 90 West Street ^ x / New York 1003 Bailey Building ^ Philadelphia Timber and Coal lands for Sale 7,100 acres In North Carolina 9,000 acres In Tennessee 24,000 acres In Tennessee 51,000 acres In Tennessee 23,000 acres In Georgia 50,000 acres In Mississippi 13,000 acres In West Virginia 25,000 acres In Virginia Many other tracts Titles good Prices reasonable Tell US what you want TRI=STATE INVESTMENT 6 SECURITY CO. TJnion Trust Building Parkersburg, West Virginia PUMPS WATEIl ~ Day and Night Automatically ■^■^B Low in first cost, easy to install, no expense to operate, any capacity desired lor Country Homes, Farms, Dairies, Gardens, irrigation, Town Plants, Railroad Tanlis, etc. RIFE HYDRAULIC RAMS Kaise water 30 feet for every foot of fall. Satis- faction Guaranteed. Over 7.000 in use. If there 18 a stream, spring or pond within a mile — Write for Free Plans and Book. Get Our Freo Trial Offer. RifeEngine Go. 2172Trinity BIdg. NEW YORK WANTED Wanted — A Forester or other person in- terested in Forestry, with capital, for a partner, active or silent, by a trained and experienced Forester and Timber Expert, to exploit large timber propositions. Ad- vertiser furnishes large experience, reputa- tion, clients, and working field. Address TIMBER EXPERT, Care Conservation. PLANE SURVEYING Tracy A Text-book and Pocket Manual. School of Yale University. i6mo, xxvii 4 792 pages, illustrated with line cuts. Morocco, I3.00 net. EXERCISES IN SURVEY- ING FOR FIELD WORK AND OFFICE WORK Tracy With Questions for Discussion. Intend- ed for Use in Connection with the Author's Book, "Plane Surveying." i2mo, xiv 4- 169 pages. Morocco, $1 00 net- THE DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION OF DAMS Wegmann 4to, Cloth, ^6.00 JOHN WILEY & SONS 43 and 45 East 19th St., New York City lb In writing to advertisers kindly mention Conservation CONSERl -ATI OX'S ADi 'ERTISERS Free from the Insidious Control of "Advertising Interests'' THE TWENTIETB CENTURY MAGAZINE A REJIEJV OF COXSTRUCTIVE DEMOCRACY, S0CE4E PROGRESS AND INDIJ^IDUAL DFJ^EEOPMENT Edited by B. O. FLOWER, the founder of The Arena FRIENDS of free institutions and just government are everywhere coming to realize the absolute necessity of the people having at the present time one great, free, untrammeled, and absolutely fearless monthly review of opinion, outspoken in its advocacy of a government "of the people, for the people, and by the people." It is the intention of Mr. Flower and the publishers to make Thi-: Twentieth Century Magazine a review equal to The Arena in its best days, when under Mr. Flower's man- agement. The special contributors already secured for its pages constitute, we believe, the most brilliant coterie of authoritative and popular thinkers among the friends of fundamental democracy and social advance that has ever been brought together in one magazine. The following are but a few of the strong and brilliant writers who will con- tribute to the pages of The Twentieth Century Magazine during the coming year : Edwin Markham Prof. Charles Zueblin U. S. Sen. Robert L. Owen Wm. Ordway Partridge Wm. Salisbury J. Lincoln Steffens CLarles E. Russell Carl S. Vrooman Brand Whitlock Prof. John Ward Stimson Hamlin Garland George Wharton James Prof. Archibald Henderson Prof. Wm. Kittle Lilian Whiting David Graham Phillips Helen Campbell Ex-Gov. L. F. 0. Garvin Will Allen Dromgoole Prof. Thos. E. Will Each Issue will be Illustrated and will contain at least One Full-pags Cartoon drawn expressly for its pages by Ryan Walker. It will also contain the cieam of the best current cartoons. 'I'lic following "Table of Contents" of leading features uf the openiii}; issue will give an idea of the general char- iipfer .■Hid excellence of the magazine: PRINCIPAL CONTENTS OF THE OCTOBER NUMBER Frontispiece, HamMn Garland. From Mr. (Jiirl.-niil's latest and be.st pliotograph. What Happened in Pasadena: The Story of a Municipal Triumph. Francis Marshall Elliott. Illustrated. A Representative Western Artist: A Pen-picture of Prof. W. L. Judson. George Wharton James. Illustrated The Seventeenth National Irrigation Congress. Edwin A. Start. \ review of ji ,i;reat coiiveiitioii wliii-li special interests did not d(»niinate. I Direct Legislation in Switzerland. Theodore Curti. .\n extremely imiiortaiit iniper liy tlie great .Swiss Statesman and Journalist. Ernest Howard Crosby and His Message. Hamlin Garland. .\ luniinims paper tliat will prove an inspiration to our readers. Political Parties of the Future. Hon. John D. Works. Formerly of the Supreme Bench of California. The Master Demand of Twentieth-century Civilization. Edwin Markham. Tlie poet laureate of democracy The Bondage of the Press. By a inomineut American Journalist. British Rule and the Fundamental Demands of the Indian Nationalist. Taraknath Das. .\n important paper setting fortli tlie demands of young India. An Automatic System of Relief for the Unemployed. Clinton P. McAllaster. .\n exceptionally statesmanlike and tlujuglit-stiniulating paper. The Income Tax and the Proposed Constitutional Amendment, W. R. Eastman. A timely and lucid discussion l>y a friend of fundamental democracy. Among the principal extended editorials by Mr. Flower, we mention: New Zealand's Past and Present: Facts Versus Fiction. A comprehensive reply to tlie recent misrepresentation-: of the tainted-news mongers. Glasgow's Latest Message to the American Municipalities. A pap'T tliat all friends of etticient i-ity government will be Interested in. The Climax: A Powerful Drama Dealing with the Potential Evil of Mental Suggestion. In this editorial Mr. Flower characterizes the remarka'ole play in a fascinating and informing manner. THE SUBSCRIPTION PRICE OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY MAGAZINE WILL BE $2.50 A YEAR But in order to start our magazine witli a subscription list of not less tliaii 2."i.(l(l0 subscribers, and becau.se we are con- fident tliat the readers of this publication who become well acquainted with our magazine will 'find it indispensable, we make the tollowing special and limited offer: ^^? UNPARALLELED OFFER: (K To all readers of this publication who send us .$1.00 before October 1st. we will send The Twentieth Century Magazine for one year on trial: or (12) those who prefer to send 2.'5c will receive the first three issues of the magazine, provided their subscriptions are received before October 1st. These are the most liberal otters ever made by a $2.50 matrazine. and thev are ahsfilntelv limitprl tn tlTo ii,itoo dvar, pjn out the coupon and ik you for it. and in this pure and just government. luirt- l.>.-.lu•^ ill uie inaj;aziiie, |iroviiie(i rneir sunscriptions are received liefore October 1st. These offers ever made by a $2.50 magazine, and they are absolutely limited to the dates given. Fill return it to-day. Call the attention of your friends to this e.xceptional offer. They will thank y- way you will be materially aiding the preservation of a free press and of pure and just govern TWENTIETH CENTURY COMPANY \ V"'^ 5 PARK SQUARE, BOSTON, MASS. ; , , , J ; Address. Herewith find enclosed i „^ ,- for which please •' enter my subscription for ! ' y^^'' i to : ^ "^^'" ■ • / 3 mos. \ The Twentieth Century Magazine ? State . . . In writing to advertisers kindly mention Conservation JAMES D. LACEY WOOD BEAIi VICTOR THRANE ARE Interested in Soutiiern or PacitJG Coast Timber? We furnish detailed reports as to the QUALITY of the timber, giving average TOP and BUTT diameters, average lengths and number of trees on each 40-acre subdivision. We submit reports covering details as to logging conditions, cost and most feasible methods of logging each 40-acre or sectional subdivision of each tract. We also furnish a TOPOGRAPHICAL map of all tracts located in mountainous dis- tricts, showing every elevation of 100 feet throughout the tract with OUR OWN engineer's report showing locations of most feasible routes and grades for logging roads. We can furnish sufficient data regarding ANY tract of timber which we have examined to convince you whether the tract is what you want or not. Personal inspection of any tract we may offer you will be found just as represented. We are in a position to offer some exceedingly attractive TIMBER properties in tha SOUTH, in BRITISH COLUMBIA, and on the PACIFIC COAST. Also a few going mill operations with ample timber supplies in South Carolina and Mississippi. We furnish detailed reports of amount of STUMPAGE on each 2 1-2- 5- or 10-acre subdivision of each forty. ^^^^^"^^ We employ expert PACIFIC COAST CRUISERS to check all estimates made on West- em Timber. We offer HIGH CLASS Timber Properties only, which have been placed in our hands for sale. We guarantee our estimates are reliable. JAMES D. LACEY & CO. (ESTABLISHED SINCE 1880) 608 Hennen Building 828 Chamber of Commerce 507 Lumber Exchange 1215 Old Colony New Orleans Portland. Ore. Seattle Chicago UBO. m. HOWAJtD PSBBB, WASHINGTON Formerly FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION No. 11 v'^'- "^ Y>-^\ ?nO;?n iis^IKl QMS) ^na miMimimm h Publiihed by THE AMERICAN FORESTRY ASSOQATION, 1417 G St. N. W„ Washington, D, C. Price, $2.00 per Year, Including Aonual Membership in the Association &)pyright, 1909, by The American Forestry Association CONSERVATION'S ADVERTISERS Save Your Trees— These Davey Books Wm TeU You How! " OUR WOUNDED FRIENDS. THE TREES " Grii|iiin';ill\ ilescribes tree laets, niaii.v oi ihem heretofoie untold, and gives in detail the Da- vey methods of tree preservation. Ihis book is uniiiue, just as the Davey system is essen- tially original. It explains the superior effi- ciency of Davey methods and tells why only experts should be employed for tree surgery. 'I he book has cost too much to permit promis- cuous distribution, but we shall be glad to for- ward a copy, on request, to any person who has fine trees that are decaying and who is in- terested in saving them. A;-k for Book H. " THE SALVATION OF OUR TREES " A little booklet which gi\ es facts about lecture of the same title delivered by John Davey. 1 he Father of Tree Surgery. This lecture is an ex- position of the unifjue science of tree preser- vation and is attention-compelling to the ut- most degree. Fall and winter engagement for Mr. Dave.v will lie madeatspecial rates to Park Commissions, Civic Improvement Societies, Poards of Trade, Schools and Colleges, Women's Clubs and Chautaurjuas. If in- terested, write today for ojien dates, full in- formation and free copy of Booklet HH. " THE TREE DOCTOR " John Davey's latest and most comprehensive work on the care of trees. From the layman's standpoint, it is simple yet effective. .\n in- valuable handbook for every owner really in- terested in the preservation and care of his trees. Price $"2, postpaid. JOHN DAVEY The Father of Tree Surgery WHAT is the physical condition of your trees — those splentlid monuments of the genera- tions that have gone before? Are you sure they contain no hidden defects which, if left alone, will speedily destroy them? Have you ever considered that if you lose your trees by failure to protect them and preserve their lives, it will not be pos- sible to replace them, in their present grandeur, within your lifetime, or in that of your children, or even, in many cases, in that of your grand-children? When you have considered these points with the serious- ness they deserve, and have decided to have the health of your trees looked after, con- sider well, also, whether their ills shall be treated by expert tree-surgeons or by novices — by the man who originated tree-surgery and those whom he has adequately trained, or by amateurs who lack both knowledge and experience. THE DAVEY TREE EXPERT CO. (Operating Davey's School of Practical Forestry) KENT, OHIO. .vith the calendar year 8f The American Forestry Association OFFICER.S FOR. 1909 N. J. BACHELDER. New Hampshire ANDREW CARNEGIE. New York CHARLES W. EI.IOT, ManKachnsetta R. E. FEUNOW, Ontario, Canada W. W. FINEEY, Waslilnpton, D. C. DAVID R. FRANCIS. Missouri RUTHERFORD P. HAYES, North Carolina JAMES J. HILL. Minnesota S. WEIR MITCHELL, Pennsylvania PRESIDENT CURTIS GUILD, Jr., Massachugetts VICE-PRESIDENTS-AT-LAEGE GEORGE T. OLIVER. Pennsylvania GEORGE C. PARDEE, California GEORGE FOSTER PEAEODY, New York J. E. RANSDELL, Louisiana J. T. ROTHROCK. Pennsylvania ALBERT SHAW, New York CHARLES P. TAFT, Ohio CHARLES R. VAN HISE. Wisconsin ANDREW D. WHITE, New York BECRETAEY AND TREASURER, OTTO LUEBKERT, Washington, D. C. DIRECTORS PHILIP W. AYRES, New Hampshire JOSHUA L. BAILEY, Pennsylvania JAMES H. CUTLER. Massachusetts HENRY S. GRAVES, Connecticut CURTIS GUILD, JR., Massachusetts WILLIAM S. HARVEY. Pennsylvania GEO. D. MARKHAM, Missouri GEORGE H. MAXWELL. Illinois CHARLES F. NESBIT, District of Columhla HENRY A. PRESSEY. District of Columhla HENRY RIESENBERG. Indiana CUNO H. RUDOLPH, District of Columbia EDWIN A. START, Massachusetts JAMES S. WHIPPLE, New York GEORGE P. WHITTLESEY, District of Columbia Advisory Board, Representing Affiliated Organizations TELLOW PINE MANtTFACTtrRERS' ASSOCIATION PHILIP S GARDINER I-aurel, Miss. N. W. McLEOD, St. Louis. Mo. H. H- WHELESS, .Shreveport. La. NATIONAL WHOLESALE LUMBER DEALERS' ASSOCIATION GEORGE F. CRAIG, Philadelphia. Pa. ROBT. C. LIPPINCOTT, Phlladelplila. Pa. LEWIS DILL. Baltimore, Md. NORTHERN PINE MANUTACTURERS' ASSOCIATION C. A. SMITH, Minneapolis, Minn. WILLIAM IRVINE, Chippewa Falls. Wis. F. E. WEYERHAEUSER. St. Paul. Minn. MASSACHUSETTS FORESTRY ASSOCIATION JAMES S. RUSSELL, Boston, Mass. GEORGE E. STONE, Amherst, Mass EDWIN A. START. Boston. Mass. LUMBERMEN'S EXCHANGE WILLIAM L. RICE, Philadelphia. Pa. FREDERICK S. UNDERBILL. Philadelphia. Pa. SAMUEL B. VROOMAN, Philadelphia, Pa. TIGHT BARREL STAVE MANUFACTURERS' ASSOCIATION GEORGE M. HAMPTON, Fordyce, Ark. W. K. KNOX, New York City A. L. HAYES, Naslivllle, Tenn. NATIONAL SLACK COOPERAGE MANITFACTURERS' ASSOCIATION J. T. WYLIE, Saginaw, Mich. JA.MES INNES, Chatham, Ontario C. H. KEYS, New York City NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF BOX MANUTACTURERS B. W. PORTER, Greenfield, Mass. S. B. ANDERSON, Memphis. Tenn. ROBT. A. JOHNSON, Minneapolis, Minn. CARRIAGE BUILDERS' NATIONAL ASSOCIATION H. C. McLEAR, Wilmington, Del. D. T. WILSON. New York C. D. FIRESTONE, Columbus, Ohio BOSTON PAPER TRADE ASSOCIATION N. M. JONES, Lincoln, Maine JOHN F. A. HUSSEY, Boston, Mass. ARTHUR L. HOBSON, Boston, Mass. ApplicaLtion for Membership To OTTO LUEBKERT Secretary American Forestry Association 1417 G Street N. \V., Washington, D. C. Dear Sir: I hereby signify my desire to become a member of the American Forestry Asso ciation. Two Dollars ($2.00) for annual dues are enclosed herewith. Very truly yours, Name. P.O. Address. 9f Plue Gum (Eucalyptus) Showing Bark, Leaves and Flowers ^ "-.v YORK ICAL rO RESTS INTERS '- -^e ^SO'ILS AND Vol. XV NOVEMBER, igog No. II How Our Forests Are Wasted, and Why the Need of Government Control By S. T. KELSEY ALL of the water upon the land surface of the earth comes in the form of rain or snow, and can doubtless be depended upon so long as the ocean endures and the sun shines. Though certain as the sunshine, the rainfall is as variable and uncertain as the wind, and as uncontrollable by man's devices ; but after it has fallen it is con- trolled and its effect upon the earth reg- ulated by conditions for which man is largely responsible — conditions which he may direct and modify, but may not defy with impunity. One condition is that the bare, loose covering of the earth, exposed to the falling rain, is sure to be washed from the higher levels into the valleys, the streams, and at last into the ocean be- low. And no practicable substitute has been found for the forest-covering that _ nature has provided for regulating the ^run-ofif of the water and protecting the , earth's surface from disintegration, dis- ^^ placement, and ultimate barrenness. We in America came into possession O^ of a land stored with the accumulated wealth of the ages. In our reckless haste for gain we are destroying more of this stored-up wealth in a single dec- ade than any of the older people of the earth have done in a century. But the direct destruction of our re- sources is not the worst feature of the case. The land was protected from erosion, practically everywhere. The greater portion was covered by dense forests that had formed a bed, or forest floor, of porous soil and decaying wood and leaves, all held in place by a mass of entangling roots, forming a sponge- like covering of the earth that absorbed the water in time of excessive rainfall and allowed it to percolate slowly through, furnishing a constant supply to moisten the earth and maintain the springs and streams. To the early settlers the forest had no commercial value and must be cleared ofT the land to prepare it for growing crops. The woods then were the greatest 6S7 Forest Covering' Provided by Nature to Regulate Fun^off (Page 657) obstacle in the way of settlement, anti the prime object was to get rid of them in the quickest and cheapest manner. They had no friends or protectors, and, besides the destruction from clear- ing, lumbering, and accidental burning, they were deliberately fired to improve the range for the settler's stock, to give the children and hogs a better chance to gather the chestnuts and acorns, to kill ofif the snakes, and, if there ap- peared no better reason, they were fired just for the fun of seeing them burn. 658 The early lumbering operations con- sisted in running over the country and taking only the best timber wherever it would pay for manufacture and trans- portation, and the forests were so ex- tensive that the lumbermen, by ever seeking new fields for exploitation, could get the pick of the standing tim- ber almost for the cutting. Only the best timber in the best trees was taken ; the rest of the forest was not considered worth preserving, and 50 what was cut and not taken was left Sierra Forsst Rc3er95 view of the individualist. The problems here involved can never be solved with- out the element of intelligence and pa- triotism. This is a question of a sim- ple political application of scientific knowledge to the matter in hand, in one great national scheme and purpose, in one continental view, for one uni- versal aim and end, and that is "The greatest good to the greatest number for the longest time." Government experts have estimated that a working capital is needed for the national conservation scheme of f 100,000,000; that the income from water-power alone would pay the whole thing, or that the cost of half a crown a head a year would save 50 shillings a year in certain few avoidable losses. They claim that not only would the destruction of floods and freshets be ])ractically eliminated, and hence this enormous loss be saved, but that such an undertaking, which it would take ten years to finish, besides preventing £30,000,000 per year of flood damage, £73,000,000 annually of loss by forest fires, or £200,000 a day, which could be prevented by intelligent management, would save also £50,000,000 annually alone in -transportation if one-fifth the freight could be handled by water ; and quite another £100,000,000 in the pre- vention of soil erosion and through other benefits to farm lands. In these items alone the expenditure of two and sixpence a year per capita would save £2 10 shillings a year a head. This is making no account of the water uses in irrigation, the drainage of swamp anfl overflow land, and a puri- fied and cheaper water-supply, and the consequent prevention of an enormous loss of human life from preventable dis- ease, the economic gain from the miti- gation of preventable disease being es- timated at £300,000,000 a year. It is pointed out by these experts that there are many indirect benefits which would arise from these projects, c. ij;.. the de- velopment of water transportation in- stead of that bv rail would reduce the increasing consumption of ties and mine timbers, or iron and coal. Every farmer in the country would benefit directly from cheaper transportation. It has been estimated that the income derived from power developed by works for the improvement of navigation would pay the entire cost of maintenance and con- tinue further development, and pay in- terest on the expenditure of £100,- 000,000 as working capital. The full development of all the feasible water possibility of the country would furnish a power probably greatly exceeding five times the present total horsepower of all kinds in the Nation, or 150,000,000 horsepower. In addition to the recla- mation of 25,000,000 acres of arid land, there are about 77,000,000 acres of swamp land now useless, but of inex- haustible fertility, which. If drained and thrown open to agricultural uses, would, allowing forty acres to each family, fur- nish homes for 10,000,000 people. A working capital of £100.000,000 would save, directly and indirectly, £1,000.000,000 a year, and yield vastly more of economic good to the people and their posterity than can be reck- oned in pounds and pence ; and yet the land is infested with interests whose tools are in Congress, blocking this in- vestment with the cry of "economy" and "deficit," with which they are block- ing also the national defenses, and then boasting that wc have laid up more wealth in a generation than Great Britain in half a millennium, and own over a quarter of the world's wealth. What posterity will think of these en- lightened and disinterested patriots niay be imagined from the opinion of some of their contemporaries — this Con- gress which has refused Mr. Roose- velt's request that £10.000 be voted for the maintenance of the National Con- servation Commission. I believe the members of the Inland Waterways Com- mission worked for nothing and boarded themselves; otherwise we would never have had one. (To be concluded) THE NEW POLITICAL SCHOOL By THOMAS ELMER WILL MR. J. ARTHUR EDDY, tempo- rary president of the (Denver) National Public Domain League, pays the conservationists the compli- ment of calling theirs the " 'new- thought' political school." Mr. Eddy may be building better than he knows. There is, developing in the United States, a new political school. It is not attached to any party ; its representatives are scattered through or located outside of all political parties. This school represents a revolt against individualism and laissez-faire. And how are we to understand these terms ? Mr. Eddy regards an attack on in- dividualism as suicidal. Note Webster's definition of "individualism:" "An ex- cessive or exclusive regard to one's per- sonal interest ; self-interest ; selfishness." This is exactly what the Denver school stands for ; likewise, it is exactly the thing against which the conserva- tionists protest. What do we understand by laissez- faire f The phrase originated in France in the years preceding the revolution of 1789. It characterized the economic philosophy of the Physiocrats. In their day, the Physiocrats were reformers, "radicals," "dreamers," "cranks," representatives of a new era whose thought, combined with other men's actions, was to make that era a fact. They were the protestants against de- cadent feudalism, the prophets of the new regime of modern business. Feudalism, then on its last legs, meant paralysis to industry. That the new order might be born, the old had to be overthrown. To be overthrown, its weaknesses had to be understood, and the superiority of the new gospel made plain. 696 This task fell to the philosophers — the Rousseaus, Voltaires, Diderots, and D'Alemberts — and to the economists — the Mirabeaus, Turgots, Quesnays, and Gournays. These men protested against the old restrictions in thought and action, and demanded liberty. The liberty the economists preached was, however, primarily that of the business man ; the man protesting against internal tariff restrictions which forbade him to transport his goods from one portion to another of the kingdom without having them eaten up by dues and charges. It was a protest against royal orders prescribing the styles of goods to be manufactured, their qualities, sizes, ma- terials, shapes, and other features. It was a demand that the dying order should take its hands off the newly aris- ing one, and give it an opportunity to establish itself and render its service to the world. Adam Smith, who revolutionized British economic thought, studied these doctrines at first hand in France, and his book became the bible of statesmen at home. William Pitt swore by it, and sought, in so far as practicable, to put it into effect. Barring occasional exceptions, the gospel of Adam Smith's Wealth of Na- tions was the gospel of laissez-faire: hands off, leave industry and commerce alone ; let each work its will ; let the business man buy in the cheapest mar- ket and sell in the dearest ; give him a free field and no favors : unshackle trade, abolish monopoly, and let wealth flow as freely from point to point, within or without the nation, as the waters flow from shore to shore of the mighty sea. THE NEW POLITICAL SCHOOL 697 For the time, the laisse::-fairc eco- nomics was necessary. Feudalism had to be destroyed, mod- ern industry had to be established ; to the extent that thinkers and teachers can change systems, men of the type of the Physiocrats and Adam Smith ef- fected this change ; and to them the world owes a great debt. But the new system, like its prede- cessor, was born to do its work, to die and pass away. For society is a living, growing, evolving thing; institutional forms are not rigid, but plastic ; not permanent, but temporary. As the snake sheds its skin, human society sheds successively its economic garments, and takes on new ones. The time came in Europe when "Smithianismus" became a fetter, as feudalism and Colbertism before it had been fetters. Laissez-faire meant the triumph of the Whig, and the conquest of society, industry, and politics by commercial- ism ; it meant the unbridled, lawless reign of the money-bags. On one side, society was brilliant ; but on the other, it was rotten. Under hisses- f aire, help yourself, get all you can, and devil take the hind- most, "the fortunes of Lancashire" grew up, "not by tens, but by hundreds and thousands per cent." And while swollen fortunes were mounting, Mrs. Browning was voicing the "Crv of the Children," and "the Bitter Cry of Outcast London" was heard in the land. Gradually, the conscience of Europe awoke ; Carlyle wrote his "Past and Present ;" Ruskin punctured the bubble of orthodox economics, and German historical economists exposed the ab- surdity of the "classic" fundamentals. Like its predecessor, feudalism, laissez-faire read the handwriting on the wall. National self-interest, moreover, op- ened its eyes, and men who could see beyond the profits of the rich began to reflect upon the question of the na- tional defense. Could England, for example, with an army recruited from slums and pauper warrens, protect herself from invasion? And if starvelings could not fight, could they be expected to work? Could a nation luaintain its commercial and industrial supremacy with a laboring population depleted, emaciated, and broken in spirit? To such questions there could be but one answer. How increasingly defi- nite it is to-day becoming we may infer from the goings-on in parliament, the Lloyd George budget, the hustings and the returns from by-elections. America, the child of England, fol- lowed, as was to be expected, in the footsteps of the parent country. As she inherited the common law, so likewise she inherited the economics of England. Until yesterday, Adam Smith. Ri- cardo, and Malthus ruled the colleges and universities of America. To-day, in any up-to-date institution in the land, they are as dead as Ji-ihus Caesar. Why? Because the era of laissez-faire busi- ness— long rampant in the United States as in Europe — has at last run its course. Because the people are awakening to the fact that "get all you can," and "devil take the hindmost" mean one rich man and an army of poor men. And the army of poor men can out- vote the one rich man, and are gradu- ally getting ready to do so. Our Denver critics lament that we quote Roosevelt. Why do we? Because Theodore Roosevelt marked the governmental recognition of the out-of-dateness of laissez-faire, and of the incoming of the new regime. And what is the new regime? Pri- marily, it is that under which the chief concern of America will be the interest, not of a few industrial magnates, but of the people at large. Tt is the era which will recognize that a happy, contented, prosperous, pa- triotic, intelligent people, with time to live and the ambition to serve, is, from every point of view, vastly to be pre- 698 CONSERVATION ferred to an era in which social and in- dustrial policies are controlled by a handful of millionaires, while a multi- tude of common people, when per- mitted, do their bidding for a scant subsistence. If the Denver champions of ex- ploitation for the benefit of the few will inform themselves, they will ascertain that this new school is abroad in the land. Were it not invidious, names of its representatives might be quoted at length. Among them would be found leaders of contemporary literature at bome and abroad. The roll would include names high in the lists of the clergy, here and else- where. Representatives of this school are writing the modern drama, and pack- ing great houses night after night. At last, after an era of proscription, they are being heard in American col- leges and universities. Others of them address select audi- ences in the parlors of the rich and cul- tivated, and multitudes from the most influential platforms. Further, the spokesmen of this school are to-day found in legislative halls. In the last session they well nigh captured the American House of Rep- resentatives. They speak in thunder tones in the United States Senate ; and, while representatives of the old order flock to the cloak-rooms, the great American people stop and listen. The Denver school may sing its song, but the song is that of the dying swan. It may boast of the fight that is com- ing in Congress, but soon, under the dome surmounted by the Statue of Liberty, it will meet its Waterloo. The people are not dead. Neither are they willing to pass on to their children a land looted and despoiled of its natural resources, and ruled by a few great trusts. They have not read in vain the his- tory of the Mayflower Pilgrims, who "sailed wintry seas to found Christian states." ■ The stories of Samuel Adams, Pat- rick Henry, and James Otis were not taught them for nothing, nor are the names of Wendell Phillips, William Lloyd Garrison, and Harriet Beecher Stowe meaningless. And they still recall a President who declared that this Nation could not live half free and half slave. And what lessons would we draw from such history? This, for one: That the United States of America belongs to the people who occupy its territory, and not to a small percentage of them. We would learn that, while exploiters and industrial freebooters may thus far have helped themselves to the wealth vouchsafed us all by bounteous Nature, the people meanwhile passively acqui- escing, the day of passive acquiescence will not continue. That day, in fact, has already about passed. The people are reasserting themselves. Again, they are preferring their claims to that which is indefeasibly theirs ; and, henceforth, we may expect them to insist upon the right to live normal, healthful lives, and upon the preservation of the opportunities which alone make such lives possible. EDITORIAL Competitive Methods DISCUSSING Senator Burton's views on water transportation, the Neiv York Commercial says: He goes on record in published interviews as declaring it to be absolutely necessary to sscure national legislation for preventing the railroad interests of the country from con spiring to suppress water traffic; he says that it is useless to attempt any development of the freight-carrying possibilities of our Amer- ican waterways until such a conspiracy has been impossible; and his proposal is that a law should be enacted by Congress forbidding the owners of railroads that parallel water- ways_ to cut the rates of carriage below a certain minimum. Commissioner Smith, in his recently submitted report on transporta- tion by water in the United States — part one, "general conditions of transportation by water" — records substantially the same opin- ions. * * * It may be that freight rates are too high nowadays — in some instances it is indisput- able— but when it comes to forbidding rail- road companies to makes rates below a legally established minimum, the proposal does not appear to be in the public interest. If a railroad paralleling a natural or an artificial waterway can haul freight at a profit at rates below those that the waterway can maintain profitably, it most certainly ought to be per- mitted to do it; otherwise, a burden is placed on the public that is essentially unjust and unreasonable. Does the Nczv York Comuicrcial tm- derstand the sittiation ? More than twenty years ago the coun- try was made acquainted with "the long haul" and "the short haul." In fact, abttses growing out of the long and short haul were potent factors in caus- ing the establishment of the Interstate Commerce Commission. The point was simply this : Two im- portant shipping points, as Chicago and Omaha, were connected by several com- peting railway lines. To get business, these lines underbid each other on rates. This process continued tmtil profits in cases disappeared. Did this mean that the railways lost money? Not at all. What they lost on the long haul between the competing points they made up on short iiaids between points on their individual lines which did not en- joy the advantages of competition. Thus was explained the marvel that goods might be hauled from Chicago to Omaha and thence back to some in- tervening point at less cost than they might be hauled direct from Chicago to the intervening point. The same principle has been applied by the packing houses. When the trust's meat-shop moved into town, it proceeded to drive out all the other shops. This it did by cutting rates be- low the point at which the other shops could live. If necessary, it sold meat for a time at cost or even at a loss. Then, when the other shops were gone, and the trust shop was secure in its monopoly, it simply raised prices and recovered what it had lost during the competitive war, with as much in addition as the market would bear. This principle, according to the testi- mony of waterways experts, is exactly that which the railroads have employed in the destruction of river trafific. A railroad has paralleled a river, cut the rates on the traffic for which the river competed, made itself whole on other traffic for which the river did not compete, and so put the river out of business. Now, Senator Burton propo.ses that this little game on the part of the rail- road shall be blocked by the enactment, by Congress, of a minimum rate law. To this, the Nezv York Commercial objects, saying further: There is no sense in, no justification for, a law that compels the public to pay extra high freight rates merely for the purpose of keep- ing alive waterwavs-trafFic enterprises that otherwise would die. From such comments one might infer that the Nczv York Commercial was not familiar with competitive methods. 699 700 CONSERVATION Make the Rivers Available for Transportation THE tide of western demand for river transportation facilities is steadily rising. A new and potential argument has been found in the $8,000,000,000 crop predicted by the United States Depart- ment of Agriculture. At first thought, such a crop would seem to call only for rejoicing. However, as in mone- tary discussions we are constantly in- formed, crops, to be available, must be "moved." To move crops we must, of course, have the mechanism of exchange ; we must, in addition, have the mechanism of transportation. The West has by no means forgotten car shortages in the past, and it is now menaced with a similar shortage in the early future. The Interstate Commerce Commis- sion, through its chairman, Martin Knapp, has announced that the rail- roads this year will be unable to handle the enormous traffic that will come from large crops and the unusual activity in business and that there will be a car shortage similar to that of 1907, when millions of bushels of grain were left to rot upon the ground in the West be- cause the railroads could not move the freight. The vision is not enticing. The West has not forgotten the hillocks, almost mountains, of wheat which have been piled for weeks together upon the bare ground awaiting transportation and menaced by storms. But President Hill has long since assured the country of the utter incapacity of the railroads at any reasonably early day to handle the country's freight. The only remain- ing resource must be those highways used so generally and for so many cen- turies before railways were dreamed of, namely, the rivers. Mr. Hill says : The freight to be carried by the railroads has increased two and a quarter times in ten years. The machine for handling it has increased its size little more than one-fifth. Production and business maintain their growth and volume. The railroads have nearly exhausted their resources for public service. In seeking more ample ways for traffic the country turns to its waterways for relief. These are about to emerge into an era of restored usefulness and influence in the de- velopment of our resources. The severest pressure upon transportation facilities and the greatest increase of demand upon them originates in the Middle West. From these fertile lands comes the surplus agricultural product that constitutes the real wealth of this country, and that, either di- rectly or converted into meats or other foodstuffs, furnishes the body of our foreign exports. The time is soon coming when their product will be twice or fourfold what it is to-day. The problem of getting these food supplies out of the central basin and into their ultimate markets is the most vital to its economic welfare that the country has to consider. A vast traffic like that which will gravitate from the whole interior toward the Gulf as soon as facilities are offered needs river transportation. The embargo on commerce would be lifted. Not only would the prod- ucts of the Middle West find an open door with a material lowering of the cost of reaching a market, but traffic all over the country would gain by this relief from pres- sure at critical points. We have by nature the greatest system of inland waterways on earth ; but, as President Roosevelt informed Con- gress, these rivers are, for transporta- tion purposes, used less and worth less than fifty years ago. The growing disuse of rivers for transportation is to be traced not to their inutility, but, we are told on high authority, to railway hostility. Happily, however, this hostility is waning. President Hill, as noted, and President Finley, the first representing the Great Northern and the second the Southern Railway, have publicly de- clared in favor of the development of our inland waterways. These men pos- sess sufficient breadth to perceive, what the history of waterway development in Europe has proved, that the increased use of the rivers, instead of hindering, has helped railway transportation. Freight of which railways may in in- creasing measure well seek to rid them- selves, that, namely of excessive weight and bulk, and commanding low rates, had far better be borne by the rivers, leaving to the railways a constantly in- EDITORIAL 701 creasing bulk of other and more profit- able classes of freight. The development here, as everywhere among living and growing things, of the need for "differentiation and spe- cialization" has from the first been in- evitable and is now evident. Our friends, however, who are so deeply concerned in the development of our inland waterways must not over- look the intimate and vital connection existing between those waterways and our forests. They cannot ponder too earnestly the words of Ambassador Jusserand : "It is an absolute prin- ciple : no forests, no waterways. * * * The question is as clear 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. If the Mississippi is the 'Father of Waters,' the forest is the father of the Mississippi." Unfortunately, not all waterways ad- vocates have grasped this fundamental truth. For example, one of the leading advocates in Congress of internal wa- terways voted last March against the Weeks bill, a measure absolutely essen- tial to the protection of eastern and southern waterways. All of which proves the need of increasing educa- tion, even in high places, as to the im- portance, breadth, and depth of the for- estry movement. Farmers Building Their Own Roads A DESPATCH from Brenham, Tex., tells of a mass meeting of the peo- ple of Washington County, of that state, to devise ways and means to establish good roads. As a result, an organization was effected called the Good Roads Asso- ciation of R. F. D. No. 9. We are told that there were over 100 progressive men present, that they agreed to tax themselves 50 cents per month, and that nearly all the members paid the first assessment. Some may style this "individualism ;" some, "communism ;" some, "coopera- tion ;" while others may see in it the germ of the town meeting far removed from its habitat in New England, Old England, or the German forest as seen by Caesar and Tacitus. By whatever "ism" it be character- ized, it is good, hard sense. Governments, national, state, and municipal, have a vast work to do — vaster far than any of them have as yet undertaken. But this does not exclude initiative on the part of individuals or interested groups. Schiller's maxim, "Do the duty next to hand," applies not simply to indi- viduals or to Governments, but to all to whom duty may seem clear, and who may not be barred by laws "strictly con- strued." The work which might be accom- plished locally and without waiting for further legislation is unquestionably vast. At our last annual meeting Sec- retary Wilson urged that everybody, whether Government did its duty or not, should plant trees. In like manner many, while urging governmental action but not waiting for it, may enormously promote the good roads movement by attacking the prob- lem where they are. ^ ^ ^W The Dry^farming Congress at Billings BEFORE this issue reaches the readers of Conservation, the Dry- farming Congress, due at Billings, Mont., October 26-8, will have been held. This Congress has been thor- oughly advertised by a most efficient press agent. The prospect for a large attendance is excellent. Those enlisted in the movement are pressing enthusi- astically for the conquest of the desert, not all of which is expected to be re- claimed by irrigation. The Department of Agriculture, as Secretary Wilson writes Governor Norris, is scouring the world for plants that will grow and put organic matter into the soil during the year that is now occupied in fallowing. Others are working industriously to ascertain the best methods of conserving such moist- 702 CONSERVATION lire as the soil actually receives. There seems little doubt that, between irriga- tion on the one hand, and dry-farming methods on the other, the arid area will, from now on, rapidly shrink until, we may hope, with the aid of forests for mountain slopes, it will have dis- appeared altogether. Where to Get the Money ON OCTOBER 7 the Upper Missis- sippi River Improvement Associ- ation closed its eighth annual conven- tion in Winona, Minn. Congressman Tawney. of that city, chairman of the Appropriations Com- mittee of the United States House of Representatives, addressed the associ- ation. He admitted that its object was de- sirable and "should succeed." The great problem, however, was that of "securing the means." Said he : "The Government owns all the navigable rivers and all the harbors in the country, and to keep them all in good condition and repair would re- quire a fabulous sum." The proposition advocated by the convention, namely, a six-foot channel in the upper Mississippi, would require, he stated, twenty millions of dollars for its completion — a sum larger than Con- gress had ever before appropriated or authorized for any improvement except for the Panama Canal. The proposal for a bond issue was one in which he could not concur. Mr. Tawney deprecated the costli- ness of wars, past and prospective, and expressed the hope that "the bill now pending, authorizing tlie improvement" of the Mississippi "at a cost of $20,- 000,000," and "carrying with it an ap- propriation of $20,000,000 per year for ten years" would pass. He, however, failed to indicate where the money would come from. Every conservation proposal coming before Congress may, of course, ex- pect to be met with the cry of "economy and deficit." To this, there are two answers, either of which is sufficient. First, the country is full of wealth, practically unreached by taxation. Two ways of reaching it were suggested by President Roosevelt in the following language: "A graduated income tax of the proper type would be a desir- able feature of Federal taxation. The inheritance tax, however, is both a far better method of taxation, and far more important for the purpose of having the fortunes of the country bear, in propor- tion to their increase in size, a corre- sponding increase and burden of taxa- tion." Legislation providing for either or both of these taxes might have passed at the recent special session, and might again pass with a little more encour- agement. Through such channels, wealth can easily be drawn to meet every proper requirement of the Na- tional Government. Second, conservation, properly han- dled, yields far more than it costs. To hesitate at an expenditure for reclaim- ing deserts, draining swamps, improv- ing inland waterways, preventing ero- sion, or saving forests and water- powers, is like hesitating to spend money for seed corn. Ordinarily speaking, a crop pays for itself and yields a profit besides: the same is true of conservation policies properly established and administered. To object to them on groimds of na- tional poverty is to confess incompe- tency in statesmanship. ^i ^I SH Courts, Congress, and Conservation A DECISION recentlv rendered by a Federal judge in Oklahoma bears upon an aspect of the conservation movement. Oklahoma is rich in natural gas ; the people of that state desire to guard this utility for their own benefit. To do so they have utilized their state constitution. In framing this document they insertefl a section denying to any corporation the right of eminent domain or the use of highways unless a do- mestic charter was first taken out. EDITORIAL 703 Thus safeguarded, it was believed the state could place upon the corpora- tions such restrictions as it might see fit, and so preserve its natural gas and other interests. But the constitution-makers, it seems, failed to reckon with the Federal courts. A Federal judge is now reported to have launched a sweeping injunction restraining state officers from interfer- ing with the plans of corporations to pipe gas into other states. The judge holds that, like grain or coal, natural gas is a product of inter- state commerce, with the handling of which the state has no right to inter- fere. The state of Maine has a similar law, prohibiting corporations from transmit- ting electric power beyond the confines of the state. It is now suggested that, if the Okla- homa law in invalid, the same is true of the Maine law. But how, may we inquire, may the interests of a state be protected? If its own legislature is powerless, recourse must next be had to the Na- tional Congress, the responsibility of which body is correspondingly in- creased. Yet appeals to Congress do not al- ways bear fruit, as friends of Appala- chian legislation can testify. When they call upon Congress to pro- tect the forests and streams of New England and the South by enacting ap- propriate legislation, they are told to go to the state legislatures, and not trouble Congress with state afifairs. _ Are the people's interests to be kicked like a football from state legis- latures to Congress and back again? Are their rights to be denied them through a "dog-in-the-manger" policy under which Congress will not, and the state must not take the necessary pro- tective steps? Is the "twilight zone" between state and Federal jurisdictions to be a per- manent obstructive fact ? With the convening of Congress just ahead, light on this point would be appreciated. 5 Conservation Not Owned by Mr. Pinchot A S HAS already been pointed out in -'>■ these columns, the city of Denver is the headquarters for the fast-vanishing but die-in-the-last-ditch contingent who still believe that the yet ungobbled iwr- tions of our national heritage belong, by inalienable right, to the grabbers who can get there first. Conservation, including especially the September and October issues, is evidently read in that fair city, and the wails that ascend from those whose means of gain at the people's expense are threatened by the great American awakening, are wild and weird. From the press utterances emanating from Denver, it may be gathered that, in the opinion of the contingent referred to, this magazine and the press bulle- tins issued by this office are the prop- erty of Mr. Giflford Pinchot, United States Forester. For the benefit of these, and any others who may labor under like delu- sions, a brief historical statement may be submitted. There was a period when the Secre- tary of Agriculture was the president of the American Forestry Association, a fact dwelt upon by the present writer in Conservation for March. 1909. There was also a time, practically co- incident with that of Secretary Wilson's presidency, when Forester Pinchot was chairman of the Executive Committee of the same Association, and when other members of Government Bu- reaus associated with him were mem- bers of its Board of Directors. But on April 24, 1907. Mr. Pinchot wrote the following letter to the Sec- retary of the American Forestry As- sociation : Dr. Thos. E. Will, Secretary, American Forestry Association, Washington, D. C. My dear Doctor Will : After mature con- sideration, I have decided to present my resignated both as chairman and as a mem- ber of the E.xcciitive Committee of the .ALmerican Forestry Association. T do this partly because I am about to leave Washing- ton for an absence of six months, and partly because I believe it to be unwise for a Gov- ernment forest officer to be connected with the American Forestry Association in a 704 CONSERVATION position of such great influence as this. In other words, it is my strong con- viction that the Association should stand upon its own feet and be independent of the Forest Service in all respects. While I hope strongly that the Forest Service will con- tinue to contribute all it can to the cause which (he American Forestry Association so well rep- resents, I believe it unwise that the two insti- tutions should continue to be merged to the present extent b}' the officers of one act- ing also as the officers of the other. This resignation must take effect upon the date of this letter, and I beg you to call a meeting of the Executive Committee, or to correspond with its members, in order that the committee may choose its own chairman until the Board of Directors can take action. Very sincerely yours, (Signed) Gifford Pinchot. Non-governmental members of the Board, and the Secretary as well, urged Mr. Pinchot not to press this resigna- tion. He was absent for a number of months, and action upon it was not taken. At the meeting of the Board of Di- rectors preceding the annual meeting of the Association, January 28, 1908, Mr. Pinchot again insisted that he must retire ; this time, not only from the Ex- ecutive Committee, but also from the Board itself. The minutes of that meet- ing contain the following: Mr. Pinchot made a statement setting forth that, to avoid confusion in the public mind between the American Forestry Association and the Forest Service, he felt that he should no longer continue as a member of the Board of Directors of the Association. To this end he requested that he be not renominated. At the same meeting. Secretary Wil- son stated that, for the same reason, he ought to retire from the presidency of the Association. As, however, in the case of Mr. Pinchot. other mem- bers of the Board strongly demurred, and Secretary Wilson's resignation was deferred for practically one }'ear, at which time it was reluctantly accepted. At the present time no representative of the United States Government, whether in or out of the Agricultural Department, including the Forest Serv- ice, is in any way connected with the management of this organization. No representative of the United States Government has any voice whatever in controlling or suggesting the policy of this Association or of its publications. No Government representative saw, be- fore publication, or knew in advance the character of any matter that has appeared in this publication since the Ballinger-Pinchot controversy began. The Conservation magazine is free to criticize Mr. Pinchot and all his works if it sees cause to do so. That it has supported and still sup- ports him in his conservation fight is due not to his influence or control, di- rect or indirect, but to the fact that this publication recognizes that in this great struggle he is on the people's side. While he stands there. Conservation will continue to support him. When he fails to do so, this publication, with whatever influence it may command, will be arrayed against him. )^ &' «? Whither Are We Drifting AT THE meeting of the Colorado Conservation Commission, Dr. John Grass, of Trinidad, endeavored to in- troduce an amendment to a resolution, his amendment being : "We recognize the right of Govern- ment control of the public domain, and hold that the natural resources of the country belong first of all to the whole people." Ex-Senator Thoinas M. Patterson, chairman of the committee on resolu- tions, and one of the leading opponents of our National Forest policy, opposed this amendment ! Upon what grounds, is it asked, could any sane, intelligent American citizen oppose such a resolution? His grounds, we are informed by the press, were two-fold, namely, "that the first clause was 'academic' and the second 'socialistic!' " Is it to this complexion that the for- estry and conservation controversy has broueht us? This magazine is not an exponent of socialism ; it is, however, an exponent of the principles of the conservation of natural resources. As such, it stands emphatically, un- eqiu'vocally. and everlastingly for the EDITORIAL 705 principle "that the natural resources of the country belong first of all to the whole people." It rejoices, furthermore, at evidence, piled as Ossa upon Pelion, that a daily increasing number of disinterested American citizens and of citizens con- cerned for the well-being of America and the perpetuity of the race, stand with equal emphasis for this identical principle. And now comes a former member of the United States Senate announcing that this principle is "socialistic." Conservation has only to remark that if Mr. Patterson desires to convert a majority of the American people to socialism, he has but to give adequate publicity to the doctrine announced by him to the Colorado Conservation Commission. J^ &' )^ Whose Is the Land ? SINCE ex-Senator Patterson shied at Doctor Grass's declaration that "the natural resources of the country belong first of all to the whole people," we wonder what he would think of Prof. Liberty Hyde Bailey's statement at Spokane. Here is a paragraph from his ad- dress given at the National Irrigation Congress, and published in Conserva- tion for October : In the last analysis, the land belongs to all the people. No man really ozuns his land; society allows him to use it, and to say zvho shall use it when he is done with it; and every man is under obligation to society to maintain the fertility of his land. Even a farm is not a man's own, in a sense that he has a right to abuse it without check. More than that, he is under obligation to use all the natural resources of the earth with a care for those who are to come after him. No man has a moral or social right to de- nude the land of its forest, unless he leaves the. land in condition for his successor to utilize it with satisfaction. The American practise of raping the earth of timber has no defense, not only in economics, but also none in moral obligation. For the Denver school, this should be bitter medicine. This view, however, rests not simply on the declaration of Doctor Grass or Professor Bailey. Should it be chal- lenged, a cloud of witnesses in its de- fense can be produced to whose testi- mony even that element must listen with respect. ^ ^« i« More "Progress" Backward IN ITS issue of September 20, the Portland Oregonian published a half- column story from Washington stating that, "as a result of the Pinchot- Ballinger row, the administration may later determine to recommend the trans- fer of the Forest Service from the De- partment of Agriculture to the Depart- ment of the Interior. "Such a change," the writer says, "can only be made by act of Congress, and it probably would call for consid- erable pressure from the President in order to get the necessary authority, es- pecially if Gifford Pinchot is permitted to remain as Chief Forester." The writer goes on to argue that the Forest Service is out of place in the Department of Agriculture, having nothing in common with the other bu- reaus of that department, but much in common with the General Land Office and Geological Survey of the Depart- ment of the Interior. He states that "on several occasions the suggestion has been made that the Forest Service should be transferred" to the Interior Department, "but dur- ing the last administration Mr. Pinchot had sufficient influence with the Presi- dent to get the support of the admin- istration in his objection to the change." Now, however, he thinks, in view of the Ballingcr-Pinchot controversy, and the supposed attitude of the President, the latter himself might lead in the de- mand for the transfer. The writer contimics : "If the Forest Service was made a bureau of the Interior Department, it would be on equal footing with the Land Office, and under the control of the same Cabinet officer. The Secre- tary of the Interior then would have a say, not only as to questions of title to forest-rcscrve lands, but as to all (juestions of forestry administration." 7o6 CONSERVATION He repeats that such a transfer would, of course, be opposed by Mr. Pinchot, but he opines that if "Secre- tary BalHnger beheves in the transfer and says so, it is a reasonably safe guess the President will urge Congress to authorize the change." All of which, of course, is refreshing. From the tone of the article, one might imagine the writer looked upon such a transfer as in the line of a nat- ural evolution. Whether or not he knows it, how- ever, the evolution is in exactly the op- posite direction. On February i, 1905, the administration of the Forest Re- serves, hitherto in the Land Office of the Department of the Interior, was transferred to the Secretary of Agri- culture and turned over to the Forest Service. As everybody knows, who knows anything about it, this step was one of the most momentous and beneficent ever taken in the history of Government land or forest administration. Hitherto the Government forests had been in charge of men who knew noth- ing about forests, while the trained for- esters were in the Agricultural Depart- ment, where they had little or nothing to do with forests. The act above quoted brought the forests and forest- ers together, where, of course, they had from the first belonged, and the results have amply justified the move. But now comes the Portland Orc- S^onian, which ranks along with several Denver papers in opposition to conser- vation policies, and proposes that the Government beat a retreat. Again, the Washinf!;ton Post recently published an editorial to show that the Interior Department is doomed to dis- appear. With the appropriation of the public lands by settlers, the work of the Land Office will be finished. The Reclamation Service belongs with the Agricultural Department ; the Pension Office, with the Bureau of Commerce and Labor, and so on. But the Orc- gonian would reverse this process and tiuild up the Interior Department at the expense of the Department of Agri- culture. The suggestion that the Forest Serv- ice "be placed on an equal footing with the Land Office, and under the control of the same Cabinet officer" should arouse enthusiasm — in certain quarters. The general standing of the Land Of- fice is such that the Forest Service should feel proud of such company. Within a week, an employee in the Land Office has been heard to remark, unchallenged, in the presence of other employees of the same office, that in the course of a recent vacation trip it had been impossible to discover any- body who regarded any one connected with the Land Office as above sus- picion. Alembers of the force of that office are, of course, equal in point of hon- esty with other people, and many, if not most of them, sympathize with the Pinchot policy ; but that such an opinion as above expressed should have gained prevalence is a sad commentary upon "Land Office methods" with which the countrv has become all too familiar. The notion that the Forest Service has nothing in common with the other work of the Agricultural Department is characteristic of the view of the timber- thieving, resource-plundering class. The idea of raising successive crops of timber on a forest, as a farmer raises successive crops of grain on a field is. of course, quite beyond them. With them, timber harvesting is sim- ply a matter of "once and out;" and that "once" for the individual as against the public. Government control, under the Pinchot management, discourages this process, hence their antagonism. That Secretary Ballingcr and his con- stituents are supposed to be backing this transfer should be enough. With the record that officer has already made, one may guess the result of his control of National Forests. Let these once be committed to the tender mercies of his department, to which the principles of scientific for- estrv are unknown, and the public do- main is but spoil for individuals, and the looters will once more have their innings. EDITORIAL 707 The headline-writer of the Orcgonian informs his readers that the "transfer is urged," that the "Forestry Service may go to the Interior Department," that "loud wails are expected," that "Pinchot and the conservationists will set up a howl, but if the President makes the suggestion, the anti-administration will lose out." If any such scheme is brewing, it is well that it has come to the surface thus early, for the cat is now out of thfe bag. Fore- warned is forearmed. The people are already on the alert ; they realize that, if their interests are to be protected, they, themselves, must be constantly on guard, and they are getting ready for the coming session of Congress. Following the Spokane meeting they were heard from. Let the above attempt be made, and to the outburst which will follow, that which succeeded the meeting named will be but as the pop- ping of a firecracker to a cannonade. ^ ^ )^ Power and Similar Bills THE attention of the public has been and is being called to the impor- tance of the water-power question. As the black coal goes, "white coal" — as water-power is coming to be styled — must more and more take its place. That this power may be appropriated, legislation must be had and will, with- out doubt, be diligently sought. The recent special session of the Sixty-first Congress was supposed to be (levoted, almost exclusively, to the tarilT. Nevertheless, persons interested in water-power and similar legislation took time by the forelock. Twenty-three bills, some duplicates, were introduced into one or the other Iiouse of Congress in that session. All were printed, several were read twice, and all but one were referred to their appropriate committees. These bills, therefore, are all ready to be taken up and pressed at the coming regular session. Some of these bills may be harmless : others, however, will bear close in- spection. No power bill should be permitted to pass Congress unless it contains three provisions, namely : 1. The grant or privilege should be limited in time, say to fifty years; 2. The recipient of the grant or privilege should pay to the Govern- ment a reasonable fee or charge ; 3. This fee or charge should be sub- ject to revision by Congress at inter- vals, say, of ten years. The day for grants in perpetuity is past ; no more should be tolerated. The attempt, in future, to secure such grants should impugn the good faith of the applicant. Since water-power is a valuable as- set, and its use a source of substantial revenue, the grantee should be willing and should expect to pay for it a rea- sonable price. Finally, inasmuch as, with the growth of population and industry, the value of a water-power site whose source is ade- quately protected may be expected to increase from year to year and genera- tion to generation like the values of lands in thriving cities, the charge for its use should be subject to periodical revision. A utility worth a dollar to- flay may be worth ten dollars or a hun- dred dollars some years hence ; for this reason, a long-time contract based on a rate which is fair to-day may, later, be- come grossly unfair. One of the chief scandals marking the system of English land taxation is the fact that, until recent years, lands in London were still taxed at the valua- tion fixed in the year 1692 I Some of those lands have since be- come worth as much as the £?old sov- ereigns which, placed on q(.\^<:, would pave them. Yet every attempt to adju.st the taxation to the increasing value of the lands was sticcessfully resisted. To establish to-day in America, in connection with water-power grants of inestimable value, a similar system is prciK)stcrous and intolerable. Who- ever, hereafter, gets the use of a water- power must be required to pay for it what it is wprth. Gratuities and pen- sions to millionaire promoters should, henceforth, be recognized as "out of fashion." 7o8 CONSERVATION Following is the list of bills, num- bers, names of introducers, and abbre- viated titles: Bills Pertaining to Dams, Locks and Dams, Navigation with Water-power Development, Use of Waters and Use of Water-powers, Introduced into the 6ist Congress, ist (special) Session, Spring and Summer of 1909 H. R. 1 1408 (Tilson) — To construct a dam or dams across the Connecticut River. H. R. 1 1592 (Aiken) — Permitting the building of dam across the Tugaloo River at Hattons Ford, Georgia, South CaroHna. H. R. 6277 (Patterson) — To build a dam across the Savannah River, mouth of Stevens Creek. H. R. 1 1590 (Aiken)— To build a dam across Savannah River, at Trotters Shoals. H. R. 11591 (Aiken) — To build a dam across Savannah River at Calhoun Falls. H. R. 1 1 593 (Aiken) — To build a dam across Savannah River at Cherokee Shoals. H. R. 1052 (Cullop) — To build a dam across White River, near Decker, Ind. H. R. 2263 (Crow) — To build a dam across James River, Stone County, Missouri. H. R. 6867 (Hamilton)— To authorize city of Sturgis, Mich., to build a dam across the St. Joseph River. H. R. 1 1579 (Moon, Tenn.)— To amend act relative to erecting of lock and dam in aid of navigation in the Tennessee River. H. R. 6181 (Hull, Tenn.)— To lock and dam Richland River between Dayton, Tenn., and mouth. H. R. 11571 (Henry) — To improve naviga tion of Connecticut between Hartford and Holyoke, and develop water-power. H. R. 10026 (Richardson) — To improve navigation of the Tennessee over Elk River Shoals and Big and Little Muscle Shoals in connection with development of water- power. H. R. 10937 (Burnett) — To amend _ act authorizing use of waters of Coosa River, Alabama. H. R. 10025 (Oldfield) — To provide for use of water-power on White River, Arkan- sas, at dam No. 2. H. R. 1471 (Oldfield) — To provide for use of water-power on White River, Arkansas, at dam No. i. S. 2896 (Bnlkeley)— To construct dam or dams across Connecticut River. S. 1120 (Clay) — To build dam across Savannah River at or near mouth. S. 2179 (Tillman) — To build dam across' Savannah River. S. 574 (Stone) — To build dam across James River, Stone County, Missouri. S. 2036 (I3urrows) — To authorize city of Sturgis, Mich., to construct dam across St. Joseph River. S. 424 (Flint) — To build dam across Colo- rado River near Parker. Ariz. S. 2761 (Bulkeley) — To improve navigation of Connecticut River between Hartford and Holyoke, and to develop water-power in con- nection therewith. THE FOREST GIANT By Charles Albert Brewfon Tall, stately, grand, it rears its head, The monarch of the woods. From out its topmost branches peer The eyes of fairy gods. King of the trees, it stands erect, As Nature's monument, While saplings thin and puny men Look up in wonderment. What but a superhuman hand, A never-failing eye. Could build from but a single seed A ladder to the sky? NEWS AND NOTES Mr. Start Made Secretary At a meeting of the Board of Directors of the American Forestry Association held in New York City on October iSj Mr. Edwin Augustus Start, of Boston, Mass., was elected Secretary of the American Forestry Asso- ciation. Through his connection with the ]Massa- chusetts Forestry Association, of which, for a number of years, he was secretary and treasurer, and because of his activity in the American Forestry Association, particularly in pressing the Appalachian-White Mountain bill, Mr. Start is well known to the members of this Association. At its last annual meeting, he was elected to the Board of Directors, at which time he nominated Hon. Curtis Guild, Jr., for the presidency of the same body. Mr. Start was born at North Bridgewater, Mass., June i, 1863; he graduated at Tufts College in 1884, receiving the degree of A.M. from Harvard College in 1893. On September 9, 1885, at Windsor, Conn., he married Miss Julia Edith Moor, who died January 21, 1902. From 1885 to 1892 Mr. Start was occupied with journalism; in the eight years following he was head of the Department of History in Tufts College. Mr. Start is a member of the American Historical Association, of the New England History Teachers' Association, and of the New England Historic Genealogical Society. He is a Royal Arch Mason, a member of the Phi Beta Kappa, the Theta Delta Chi, the Twent>th Century, and Appalachian Mountain clubs, and a contributor to the de- partment of modern history in the Nezv International Encyclo^^'cdia. Mr. Start has written numerous articles in magazines, and has aided in launching the new Tzvcnticth Century Magazine, successor to the Arena. _ Mr. Start may be expected to give special attention to Appalachian-White Mountain legislation, together with the other large in- terests for which the American Forestry As- sociation stands. Conservation Congress Resolutions The National Conservation Congress at Seattle adopted the following resolutions on the water-power question : "We urge upon the states the enactment of comprehensive water laws, framed in ac- cordance with the policy pursued in_ several western states during recent years, incorpo- rating the principle that the waters belong to the people. We hold this right of the people to be inherent. Recognizing the necessity of administering this invaluable possession for the people, we deny the right of state or Federal governments to alienate or convey water by granting franchises for the use thereof for commercial or power pur- poses in perpetuity, or without just com- pensation in the interests of the people. "We hold that all natural resources be- long primarily to the whole people and should not be alienated by municipal, state, or na- tional grants or franchises to individuals or corporations except for limited periods." «i &' "M President Taft to the Conservation Congress President Taft sent to the first National Conservation Congress at Seattle the fol- lowing telegram : "I congratulate you upon the objects of your meeting and sincerely hope that your deliberations will result in useful conclu- sions. You can count upon earnest support from this administration for the policy of conservation of natural resources by every reasonable means properly within the juris- diction of the Federal executive, and such recommendations to Congress as may best be adapted to obtain useful legislation toward the same end. "WiLi.i.'Wi H. Taft." 1*' i»' it' vc ye ys President Taft on Conservation On September 28 President Taft discussed the conservation question at Spokane, Wash. He spoke of the preservation of the National Forests, the reclamation of the arid and semi- arid lands by irrigation, the disposition of water-power sites, and the disposition of coal, oil, and phosphate lands belonging to the Government. Following are his remarks, in part: "The wonderful progress made by Mr. Pinchot, witli the earnest support of Mr. Roosevelt and Secretary Wilson, at times has met the denunciation of persons in this western country on the ground that properly was being taken which Congress intended for individuals, and was being withheld from them. But I think general opposition to Mr. Pinchot's plans has disappeared and that the great body of the American people recog- nizes the benefit of the reform in reference to forestry and greatly regrets that it was not begun years before. Congress has come 709 7IO CONSERVATION fully to recognize the necessity of pursuing forestry reform by making liberal appropria- tions for the purpose. The forest lands of the United States ought to be surveyed and carefully preserved and its jurisdiction in respect to them clearly defined. The regula- tion of forests in private ownership within state boundaries is not plainly within the scope of Federal jurisdiction, and it should be undertaken by the states. I don't think that the states have taken up the matter with as much energy as they should, and have not improved the opportunity which was given them by way of example by the Forestry Bureau of the United States. * * * "There are some thirty projects which have been entered upon by the Reclamation Bu- reau, and I believe that all of them are to be commended for their excellent adapta- tion to the purpose for which they were erected and for the speed with which the work has been done. It is believed, however, that in the planning of a number of these improvements the enthusiasm of the pro- jectors has carried them to a point where they begin to feel embarrassed in the matter of resources with which to complete the projects, and begin to show that prudence was not observed by those engaged in exe- cuting them. * * * "Now, it appears that it will take $io,- 000,000, or more, which is not available in ' the reclamation fund at present, fully to com- plete the projects, and it also appears that a great number of persons, by reason of the beginning of the projects, have been led into making settlements, the expenditure of time and labor, with the hope and upon the reli- ance that such reclamation enterprises would te carried through in a reasonable time. * * * "I think it wise to apply to Congress for relief by urging the passage of an enabling act which shall permit the Secretary of the Interior to issue bonds in the sum of $10,- ■000,000 or more to complete all the projects. These bonds should be redeemed from the money paid into the reclamation fund after the completion of the projects. "Frorn conversation with Senators who had visited much of the reclamation work, I infer that such appeal seems to them to be the ea.siest way out_ of the difficulty, and I shall take pleasure in recommending the passage of such a remedial measure by the next Congress. "No one can visit this western country without being overwhelmingly convinced of the urgent necessity for the proper treat- ment of arid and semi-arid lands by the extension of systems of irrigation. The re- sults in the productivity of the soil when ir- rigated are marvelous. The mere fact that the Reclamation Service has gone ahead too fast ought not to prevent Congress lending its aid to overcome the difficulty. * * * "I shall * * * urge upon Congress at its next session the passage of a law authorizing the disposition of such water-power sites "pon terms to be agreed upon by the Sec- retary of the Interior with the proposed purchaser. My impression is that the dc mand for water-power is going to be so great that these restrictions will not pre- vent the investment of capital, but will ulti- mately bring to the public coffers a revenue from an entirely proper source and will secure the development of a power for man- ufacturing industries that will probably in time exceed the utility and value of coal and become a substitute for it. * * * "It seems wise, in the disposition of coal lands, and, indeed, of all mineral lands hav- ing agricultural value, to separate the sur- face of the land from its mineral contents, and then either to lease the right to take coal from the lands at a specified compen- sation per ton — that is, to provide a system of royalties — or to sell the deposits of the land outright to the coal miner. In every case restriction by way of forfeiture ought to be included to prevent monopoly of own- ership. This is the greatest object of a change in the method of their disposition. The same provision should be made with reference to the disposition of the phosphate land in Wyoming and Idaho which contains the wonderful fertilizer which it will soon be necessary to use on much of the land in the United States. The oil lands of California, as well as the phosphate lands and prac- tically all the coal lands, have been with- drawn from settlement in order to await the action of Congress, and I expect to recom- mend to Congress legislation on the lines above indicated. What, however, I wish to make as plain as possible is that these pur- poses cannot be accomplished unless Con- gress shall act. The executive can recom- mend, but the legislature must enact." _ The President stated that his administra- tion "is pledged to follow out the policies of Mr. Roosevelt" (with respect to conserva- tion), "and while that pledge does not in- volve me in any obligation to carry them out unless I have Congressional authority to do so, it does require that I take every step and exert every legitimate influence upon Con- gress to enact legislation which shall best subserve the purposes indicated. I hope noth- ing will prevent our taking the further steps needed when Congress meets. Secretary Bal- linger of the Interior Department, upon whomwill fall the duty of executing the new provisions of the law, is in entire accord with meas to the necessity for promoting in every legitimate way the conservation of the re- sources which I have named, and he can be counted upon to use the great influence which he must have as Secretary of the Interior to this proper end." ^ «? Mr' Mr, Pinchot at the Trans-'Mississippi Congress At the Trans-Mississippi Congress, which met at Denver, Colo., August 18, United States Forester Pinchot said in part: "Conservation as a practical business pol- * icy will grow, for it is based, like commerce NEWS AND NOTES 711 itself, on prudence and foresight. It is the application of common sense to the common problems for the common good, and it repre- sents the best spirit of to-day, the spirit which yearly brings this congress together to discuss, develop and promote the common good of the whole West. "Conservation is the central factor in the galaxy of the Roosevelt policies — the policies of equal opportunity. I want to repeat here what I had keen pleasure in saying at Spokane, that as a Nation we are fortunate at this time in this fact, above _ all others, that the great man who gave his name to these policies has for his successor another great President, whose administration is most solemnly pledged to support them. And every man who has read President Taft's letter on the importance of conservation to business men will realize how strongly he stands behind the conservation policy. "The National Forests are a part of the property of the Nation. They exist for the public good, and have no other reason for existence. The governmental machinery organized to make them useful is the Forest Service, and like the National Forests them- selves, it has no other object and no other excuse for existence but the general welfare. "Whatever mistakes it may have made, whatever shortcomings it may have been, or may still be guilty of, I claim for it at least the credit of an honest and earnest effort to be of real use. 'Tn the times in which we live the road to usefulness commonly follows the line of co- operation. This is true of the great business interests which you represent, and it is no less true of the Forest Service. "The outlook for forestry has grown stead- ily brighter of late with each succeeding year, and it was never so bright as now. But of all the good signs there is none so cheerful and none so welcome as the increase in co- operation between the users of the National Forests and the Forest Service. This is due in large part to the establishment of six branch offices in the West, so that the users of the forests can get immediate action on all local questions by men familiar with local conditions and local needs. It is due in still larger part to a better understanding be- tween the users of the National Forests and the Forest Service. The forest users realize better what the Service is trying to do and the Service itself is learning to do better work — adapting itself better every year to the needs and desires of the West. "It is true that cooperation is not always possible. Increasing usefulness to all the people must sometimes entail smaller useful- ness to one or more individuals. Like every other government institution, whether mu- nicipal, county, state, or national, the Forest Service is at times required, in the course of its duty, to prevent some man from getting what he would like, but ought not to have. But that is simply a part of the effort for the general good, and the firmness which such work requires is obviously necessary in the public interest. "The Forest Service is a public servant — our servant in the work of preserving our forests. It asks, I believe it deserves, and I know it desires and expects your admonition, counsel and assistance in the work the American people have given it to do." *i J-s is Mr. Pinchot at the Conservation Congress at Seattle At the First National Conservation Con- gress, held at Seattle, Wash., August 27, Na- tional Forester Pinchot said, in part : "Conservation has three primary objects: "First, to develop our natural resources, so that this generation may have its full share and use of the riches of this earth. "Second, to prevent a needless waste and destruction of these resources, so that fu- ture generations may likewise have a just share in the material foundation of our prosperity. "Third, to see that our great natural re- sources, when so developed, shall be pro- tected and used for the permanent welfare of the many, instead of the few. "This conservation idea covers a wide field. It aims at the greatest good for the greatest number for the longest time. It is simple, definite, and direct. It advocates the use of foresight, prudence, thrift, and intelligence in public affairs and private business. "It proclaims equal rights, and it is the duty of the people to think and to act for the benefit of the whole people. "Therefore, in a word, it demands the application of common sense to common problems for the common good. "Conservation, the application of common sense to common problems for the common good, will lead directly to efficiency wherever it is given control. We arc coming to see that conservation will have two great results — to conserve our natural resources which guarantee our welfare, and to lead our peo- ple to greater wisdom and effectiveness in every department of our common life. The outcome of conservation is national efficiency. "The principles of conservation, thus de- scribed, have a general application, the breadth and value of which is very remark able. The development of our resources and opportunities, the prevention of waste and loss and the protection in this by foresight, I)rudcnce, thrift, and intelligence — all this ap- plies with clear and undeniable force to the conservation of our national resources. But it applies just as clearly and undeniably to the conservation of every interest that is necessary for the entire people. "Conservation, from my viewpoint, is as valuable in education as in forestry. It ap- I)lies to the body politic as well as to the earth and its minerals. It applies as much to municipal franchises as it docs to the i-arth and its minerals. Municipal franchises 712 CONSERVATION are as squarely within its sphere as fran- chises for water-power. It apphes to the subject of good roads as well as to water- ways, and the training of our people in ef- fective citizenship is as germane to it as an increase in the productiveness of our soils. "President Roosevelt himself said that the policy of conservation is the most typical example of the policies which will bear his mark. Fruitful, vital, and beneficent, these policies are both deeply needed and widely cherished by our people. . "As a Nation, we are fortunate at this time, as I said in my recent speech at Spo- kane, in this fact above all others, that the great man who gave his name to these poli- cies has for his successor another great President, whose administration is most sol- emly pledged to support them." «? '^ «? Pinchoi's Conservation Ideas and Municipal Franchises One of the strongest pleas for conservation of the country's resources was that deliv- ered before the National Conservation Con- gress, in Seattle, by Gififord Pinchot, United .States Forester. Joseph N. Teal, of Oregon, one of the most active workers of the Na- tional Municipal League in the Northwest, presided over the session. Speaking of the principles of conservation, Mr. Pinchot said : "The principles of conservation have a gen- eral application, the breadth and value of which are very remarkable. The develop- ment of resources and opportunities, and prevention of waste and loss, the protection of the public interests by foresight, pru- dence, thrift, and intelligence— all these ap- ply with clear and undeniable force to the conservation of natural resources. They ap- ply just as clearly and undeniably to every interest and necessity of the people. The conservation point of view is as valuable in education as it is in forestry. It applies to the body politic as it does to the earth and its minerals. "Municipal franchises are as properly within this sphere as franchises for water- power. It is as applicable to the subject of good roads as to that of waterways, and the training of our people in effective citizenship is as germane to it as the increase of pro- ductiveness in our soils. "Conservation, the application of common sense to the common problems for the com- mon good, will lead directly to efficiency wherever it gets control The outcome of conservation is national efficiency." — National Municipal Leagvie Clippings. «? it' "^ Hawaii Wide Awake Mr. Ralph S. Hosmer, chairman of the Territorial Conservation Commission of Ha- waii, sends clippings from a number of Ha- waiian newspapers showing the alertness of the press of the island to the conservation situation here, and its appreciation of the merits of the present controversy. Mr. Hosmer says: "Here in Hawan the relation between the continued prosperity of the territory and the right use of the nat- ural resources is so intimate that it is per- haps more clearly appreciated than on many parts on the mainland. This has led to the formation of the strong public sentiment in favor of conservation, which recent events only tend to broaden and strengthen." Speaking of the tendency of newspaper men to emphasize the personal element in the Ballinger-Pinchot controversy, the Sun- day Advertiser for September 19 says edi- torially: "But the real question at issue — the vital point— is not of difference be- tween men. It is whether the remaining nat- ural resources belonging to the Nation, nec- essary as they are to the health and life of the common people, shall be legitimately de veloped, and exploited in the interest of all the people, or whether they shall be so dis- posed of to-day that, sooner or later, they could fall into the ownership of great cor- porations that, controlling the situation, could in the end exact a crushing tribute from all except the favored few in control." To put the situation more clearly in the same number of words would be difficult. The Pacific Commercial Advertiser of Sep- tember 23 says editorially : "That Roosevelt should have found oppo- sition is but natural ; that Pinchot should have been blackguarded by those whose de- structive enterprise he had stopped was to be expected. That those vitally interested in the exploitation of the great natural re- sources of the country for their own private gain should object to having the excellent source of revenue cut off was a foregone conclusion. But abuse and threats have not dissuaded Pinchot and his lieutenants from the course which they have mapped out for themselves. The effort to befog the real is- sue in a mist of political sculduggery will not blind the people to the necessity for conserving the natural wealth of the land, not only for the future generations, but for the enjoyment of the present." It was understood at the beginning of the controversy that Mr. Pinchot's audience was large. These Hawaiian papers make it clear that this audience is well represented in that remote island, and that the people there have ears to hear and minds to understand. Jt' ^ «^ The Changing Sentiment Certain masters of industry, not long ago regarded as models of enterprise because of their rapid accumulation of wealth through the exploitation of forests, coal, oil, and gas, phosphates or water resources, now to their great bewilderment, find themselves looked upon with serious suspicion. \t is no longer regarded as good citizenship to sacrifice ruth- lessly the interests of future generations, in NEWS AND NOTES 713 order that wealth may be accumulated in this. The manager of a great coal or lumber company, who has taken pride in creating an industry, building up a community, and ac- cumulating wealth for himself and his asso- ciates, and too much engrossed or too care- less to watch the trend of public opinion, is shocked some day into an amazed and re- sentful consciousness of the changed public attitude toward himself and his enterprise. Is not the coal or the lumber to use? he says. Is it not perfectly legitimate to create wealth by an exploitation of these resources, in the possession of which the Nation is so fortunate? Suppose he does leave a path of destruction behind him. Future genera- tions can take care of themselves, as this generation must. Is he not reaping but the legitimate reward of his foresight and en- terprise in acquiring these great bodies of coal and oil, timber and phosphate? Are they not his own? Whose business is it, anyhow, how he mines or how he cuts his lumber? Of course, he does it in the way that yields the largest returns. That's what he is in business for. Fifty per cent of the coal wasted ? All the young undergrowth killed? Well, that's because it doesn't pay to save it. You don't expect him to waste his own and his stockholders' money in out- lays that bring no returns, do you? So he fusses and fumes. He has not changed, but his standing in the community has. It is irritating beyond understanding. He may even be threatened with indictment because it is found that he has acquired his large hold- ings of coal or of timber in the usual way by using dummy entrymen. He, the most prom- inent man in the community, a criminal ! Inconceivable. Who is this man Pinchot, anyhow? What is conservation? A fool and his fad. A dreamer and his dream. Away with them. Let us have a business ad- ministration. This type of man has been passed in the evolution of public opinion. A few years ago he represented the normal, usual atti- tude toward his business. But the public conscience has developed and now he rep- resents only an irritated and decreasing minority. IBut he has rights that must be respected. He is not criminal in intent. He deserves and will receive a hearing and time to comprehend the change that is com- ing about, and to adjust himself to it. — Ad- dress of Mr. W. C. Mendenhall, of Washing- ton, D. C, before local representatives of the Woman's Rivers and Harbors Congress, Honolulu, Hawaii. «r' «? «? Singlc'-taxefs With Forester Pinchct Among the resolutions passed by the Women's National Single-tax League in its eighth annual conference at Arden, Del., was the following : "That the league indorse the work of Chief Forester GifFord ^Pinchot in his strug- gle to save ihc heritage of the people for the people ; and that the attention of single- ta.xers be called to the growing importance of water-power sites and to the equally rap- idly growing danger of monopolization of those water-power sites." «i «r' «? Irrigation at Yakima Workmen in the employ of tlie Govern- ment are building a large dredge at the Sunnyside Canal in the Yakima Valley, west of Spokane. The present water supply is inadequate for the irrigation of the rapidly growing Sunnyside project and it was decided to in- crease the capacity of the canal, which is now 600 second-feet, to a maximum of 1,080 second-feet, an increase of seventy per cent. An excavator was put to work on the upper bank of the canal. Many important advantages could be gained by a floating dredger, so the con- struction of one was commenced two months ago. Twenty-one men are now at work on it, and it will require six engines to operate it. Steam will be provided by two large boilers. The value of this work to the valley cannot be overestimated. It will in- crease the irrigated area from Parket to Prosser and beyond, which means many new homes, new orchards and fields, and many millions of dollars to be taken from the soil. •« ^}i 1^: Reclamation Service Notes Mr. F. H. Newell, Director of the Recla- mation Service, returned from the West Oc- tober I, after a month's trip with the Senate Committee on Irrigation, Hon. Thomas H. Carter, chairman. The committee visited the reclamation proj- ects in Montana, Oregon, Idaho, Washing- ton, Wyoming, South Dakota, and Nebraska, spending thirty days ' of strenuous travel. Adjournment was taken until Noveml)er i, when the trip will be resumed to visit re- maining projects in Colorado, Utah, Nevada, California, Arizona, and New Mexico. The results of the inspection so far have been very advantageous to the work, as the Sena- tors have become personally acquainted with the opportunities and difficulties, and appre- ciate more than ever the nature of the work and the organization carrying it on. There was general discussion of the desir- ability of expediting construction, which is now being carried on with an expenditure of about $8,000,000 per annum, this being the present income of the reclamation fund. The projects which have been undertaken have been planned with a view to expend- ing economically about this sum, although a larger amount could be used to hasten re- sults. It is very gratifying to note that Presi- dent Taft is appreciating this matter and 714 CONSERVATION has announced himself in favor of a bond is- sue of $10,000,000. This will enable work which would otherwise take two years or more, to be accomplished in one year. The plans can be readily adjusted, and the organization is able to carry on the work. The Senate committee discussed this matter informally, and individually expressed the opinion that it would be practicable and desirable to issue bonds to the amount of $10,000,000 per annum for a time, securing these not by the general credit of the Government, but by the rec- lamation fund, the investment_ of which al- ready amounts to over fifty millions of dol- lars. Western bankers express the belief that bonds bearing a low rate of interest and secured by the reclamation fund could read- ily be floated at par. As a business proposi- tion, it is unquestionably sound. Every dollar invested in irrigation work returns ul- timately a gross income to the country of 100 per cent. That is to say, every acre of land reclaimed at a total cost of $40 will yield each year at least $40 in crops when handled intelligently. If money can be bor- rowed at three or four per cent on prop erty yielding an income of 100 per cent per annum, there should be no hesitation in thus expediting the work. The interest charge could readily be included in the cost of the works, as this is repaid by the settlers in ten annual instalments without profit or interest on the investment. Mr. Newell has been with Mr. Ballinger on several occasions, going over the projects, obtaining from the Secretary and the Sena- tors advice and suggestions with reference to the policy to be pursued in expediting the work in the future. Mr. Ira W. McConnell, M. A. Soc. C. _E.. supervising engineer in the Reclamation Service, has resigned to go into private practise. His most notable work for the Government has been the construction of the Gunnison Tunnel which was formally opened by President Taft on the 23d of September. He has also had charge of the large earth dam near Belle Fourche, S. Dak., one of the most notable structures of its kind in this country. The loss of such a man as Mr. McConnell emphasizes one of the difficulties under which the Government labors owing to the rela- tively meager salaries which are paid to the higher officials. The work of the Govern- ment itself is of such magnitude as to de- mand the highest possible business efficiency and engineering skill. The services of an engineer who demonstrates ability along these lines are in unusual demand at the present time. _ The resignation of Mr. McConnell is a dis- tinct loss to the Reclamation Service. The Secretary of the Interior has ap- proved a contract entered into by the Recla- mation Service and the officials of Spanish Fork City, Utah, whereby the former agrees to_ furnish the city of Spanish Fork elec- tricity for lighting purposes in amount not to exceed 65,000 kilowatts per mouth. The rate charged is eight-tenths of a cent per kilowatt hour. Crop reports from Huntley, Sun River, and Lower Yellowstone projects are exceed- ingly satisfactory. The irrigation manager on the Huntley project states that some of "the better class of farmers are reporting a net profit from forty-acre farms of from $1,200 to $1,800. The Clear Lake dam of the Klamath project, Oregon-California, as a whole is about fifty- five per cent completed. Excavation for the month of September amounted to 12,000 cubic yards, 10,000 yards being placed in the embankment, making a total in all to date of 24,000 cubic yards. Construction of the dikes at the south end of Clear Lake is proceeding rapidly. Sur- veys for the low-line canals on the Upper project and along the margins of the Lower Klamath Lake continued during the month. and fifty-five miles of plane-table topography were taken. Plans are under way for the construction of a new flume across Lost River, and also for the building of a concrete check in the main canal. The Lower Yellowstone Valley in Mon- tana and North Dakota, where the Recla- mation Service has one of its large projects, furnishes a most impressive example of the beneficence of irrigation. The transforma- tion from a vast free range for live stock to a thickly settled community has come quickly. New towns have sprung up, a rail- road is build'ng the entire length of the val- ley, and as far as the eye can reach broad fields of wheat, oats, and corn dot the land- scape which a short time ago was marked only here and there by habitation. Ten steam threshers have been constantly at work during September harvesting a bountiful crop. With oats yielding from forty to sixty-six bushels per acre, and weighing forty-four pounds to the bushel, and wheat from twenty-five to thirty-five bushels per acre, the farmers are naturally rejoicing. Potatoes are being dug and it is demonstrated that a superior grade can be grown in the sandy loam soils of the valley. A satisfactory crop of field corn was pro- duced by a number of farmers. The opportunities for homeseekers in this valley are unusually attractive, especially for those who are accustomed to the climate of our northern states. During the month of September 70,000 cu- bic yards of material were placed in the Owl Creek embankment of the Belle Fourche proiect, S. Dak., making a total of 1,348,000 cubic yards to date, and about 40,000 cubic yards were placed in the Owl Creek gap. The fill has now passed the danger point from a raise in the reservoir, since the waste can be carried through the conduits. The project as a whole is about seventy- five per cent completed. Good progress is being made in building NEWS AND NOTES 715 the branch line of the Chicago Northwestern Railway through the project. This railroad will pass through the new Government town site which will be opened for the sale of town lots shortly after the completion of this project. At the present time about fifty Indian and thirty Government teams, with sufficient force of laborers, are engaged on excavation work in connection with the canal system of the Blackfeet project, in northern Montana. A gang of twenty-five men is doing rock work on the same project. During September construction work was continued on the Jocko and Mission divi- sions of the Flathead project, Mont., includ- ing the building and placing of wooden turn- outs, bridges, etc. The excavation for the "K" canal headworks was completed. At Poison excavation work on first-unit canal continued and good progress was made for the first unit. The tunnel force is now grading at the power-house site at the lower end of the tunnel. In connection with the farm-unit work, sixteen square miles have been mapped, eighty miles of secondary levels were run, and three farm-unit township plats were com- pleted. Much interest was displayed in the auction sale of the Government town sites at Poison and Dayton, the prices secured av- eraging two to three times the appraised values of the lots. During the month of September the con- tractors on the Roosevelt dam, the prin- cipal engineering feature of the Salt River project in Arizona, laid 7,800 cubic yards of rock, bringing the dam to eighty-three per cent of completion. Active work on the concrete construction of the Shoshone dam, Wyoming, was re- sumed on September i. This structure is now 181 feet above bedrock, leaving 147 feet to be built. With the completion of many large struc- tures and the approach of winter the fidd force of the Reclamation Service is being rapidly reduced. A number of experienced men are resigning to accept private employ- ment; others are going on furlough, and few, if any, new employees are being taken on, excepting in the lower grades. Owing to favorable weather conditions, construction work on the Klamath project, Oregon-California, proceeded rapidly durmg September. Three gangs of foreign laborers were shipped in from Portland to make up for scarcity in the local supply. During September the drainage work on the first unit was completed, and the force of men was transferred to the south end of Clear Lake, where work was commenced on the dikes. The site has been cleared of rocks, the surface plowed, and a cut-off trench under the earth portion of the em- bankment has been excavated. The Salt River project, in Arizona, is eighty-two per cent completed. On the great Roosevelt Dam the most important en- gineering feature and one of the largest struc- tures of its kind in the world is within fif- teen per cent of completion. The cement mill operated by the Reclarna- tion Service was run twenty-six days, with an output of 13,023 barrels burned and 8,901 barrels ground. Good progress was made on the transmission line and substations. l£ngineers throughout the country, and es- pecially those engaged in irrigation develop- ment in the West, have been greatly inter- ested in the progress of the construction of a remarkable dam across the Colorado River near Yuma, Ariz. This enormous structure, nearly a mile in length, nineteen feet in height, and 246 in width up and down stream, was built by force account by the Reclamation Service. It rests upon the quicksands of the turbulent Colorado River, and is the only structure of its kind in this country. Since its completion many prominent en- gineers of the United States and several from other nations have visited the site. The erratic stream has several times spent its fury in vain against the obstruction which man has placed in its channel, but the severe tests which the dam has withstood are evi- dences that it was built to stay. Mr. Arthur P. Davis, chief engineer of the Reclamation Service, left Washington early in October to inspect the work on the Truckee-Carson project in Nevada. From there he will proceed to points in California, and during November will be with the United States Senate Committee on Irriga- tion, Hon. Thomas H. Carter, chairman, in the trip through Colorado, Utah, Nevada, California, Arizona, and New Mexico. Writing from Fallon, Nev., under date of October 10, he said : "I am delighted with the outlook on the Truckee-Carson project. Many of the set- tlers have made excellent showings, and they are sufficiently scattered to serve as dern- onstrations of' all the different types of soil. No one can hereafter honestly say that the natural conditions here are not favorable. Many farmers have raised from nine to ten tons of alfalfa, and all fruits that have been tried have succeeded well. Within a few years it will not be possible to buy average land with water right at less than $100 per acre in this valley." , m .. The project engineer on the North 1 latte project, in Nebraska, reports a most suc- cessful irrigation season for 1909. Notwith- standing the newness and extreme length of the main canal and lateral system, the de- livery of water was made in ample quan- tity to each settler without a single dis- astrous break. It is a pleasure to travel over the newly reclaimed lands to view the bountiful har- vests The crops arc all made, potatoes are being dug, the corn has ripened, and wheat and oats are in the stack _ awaiting the thresher On the whole, the yields have licen 7i6 CONSERVATION satisfactory, and an atmosphere of optimism pervades the valley. The four-mile tunnel, an important fea- ture of the Strawberry Valley project, Utah, has been excavated 4,383 feet, the rate of progress for September being 370 feet. The wonder-working miracle of mixing water with the desert soil has been wrought here. A settled, prosperous, and contented community has been established, which from this time on will take its place among the best of the newly developed sections of the West. To the Reclamation Service, the most cheering feature is the complete har- mony which prevails in the relations of the local engineers and the farmers. The mu- tuality of interests is recognized and all are working together for the success of the valley. The Service regards the North Platte project as one of the best examples of the wisdom of the Reclamation Act. }¥ «? fe' Floods and Forests Maine has been stricken with great floods, cloudbursts, and rivers overflowing. The ex- tent of the damage, the amount of the loss, cannot be accurately computed. Always fol- lowing such outbursts of nature's fury there is a train of loss and hardship which es- capes the statistician. The lesson is none the less plain, and it is that if the country is not to lay itself open to many such ex- periences as this of Maine a more effective and comprehensive forestr}' policy and per- formance must be attained. — Boston (Mass.) Adi'Crtiser. ^ ^ )>i Enrollment in Pennsylvania State College Pennsylvania State College has enrolled as forestry students ten seniors, twenty juniors, forty sophomores, and over eighty freshmen for the year 1909-10. ^ «i ^ Need for Protecting Pacific Coast Forests A member of the American Forestry As- sociation writes : "There is great need for protecting the remaining forests on the Pa- cific coast south of San Francisco. "Santa Cruz County has a satisfactory rainfall for our timber on the Santa Cruz Mountains, but in all of California south of our county the rainfall is irregular and often fails altogether. The little remain- ing timber in these mountains will be ex- hausted in a few years. The result will, I fear, be disastrous. The time has come to act." ^ «? )>i Forestry Pamphlets The United States Forest Service and the Bureau of the Census of the Department of Commerce and Labor arc cooperating in the preparation and publication of a series of interesting pamphlets on Forest Products. "The work is conducted under the direct supervision of a committee of four, consisting of W. M. Steuart, chief statistician for man- ufactures, and J. E. Whelchel, expert chief of division, representing the Bureau of the Census, and R. S. Kellogg, assistant forester, and A. H. Pierson, forest assistant, repre- senting the Forest Service." Pamphlets recently published cover slack cooperage stock, tanbark and tanning ex- tracts, tight cooperage stock, wood distilla- tion, cross ties purchased, and poles pur- chased. «r' U? i^ Meeting of Connecticut Forestry Association A field meeting of the Connecticut For- estry Association was held at the home of Doctor Mathewson, "The Larches," south Woodstock, Conn., on October 8. There were forty-six members of the association present. Prof. H. S. Graves, director of the Yale Forest School, spoke upon "The Han- dling of Woodlands." Mr. S. N. Spring, who was appointed state forester of Con- necticut on October i, addressed the meet- ing on the subject of "Forest Plantations." After the meeting an inspection was made of the improvement thinnings in Doctor Math- ewson's woodlot and an examination was also made of his extensive larch plantation. ^ ^ ^ The First National Forest in the United States Mr. Robert Underwood Johnson, associate editor of the Century Magazine, criticises the statement by Mr. Philip W. Ayres in CoN- .SERVATioN for October (page 608) that "Mr. Cleveland established the first National Forest." Mr. Johnson points out that "the first re- serves'were established by President Harri- son through the cff'orts of his Secretary of the Interior, Gen. John W. Noble, of St. Louis, who is still living. Mr. Cleveland's service to this great cause is not to be under- estimated, but it is well to remember in these days of its general acceptance the far- sightedness displayed by Mr. Harrison and General Noble, who were the first persons officially to turn the face of the United States in the right direction." Mr. Johnson is, of course, correct, as Mr. Ayres will willingly concede. On March 30, 1891, President Harrison created the first reserve, namely the Yellowstone Park Tim- berland Reserve, while on February 22, 1897, President Cleveland, upon the recommenda- tion of the National Academy of Sciences, created thirteen additional Forest Reserves, of 21,379,840 acres. Mr. Ayres was, without doubt, distinguish- ing between a National Park and a National Forest. NEWS AND NOTES 717 Forestry Patrol Recommended Prof. C. H. Goetz, of the Washington State College, states, from experience in the Cas- cade Mountains last summer, that the best way to protect a forest against fire or tres- pass of any kind is to have a sufficient patrol to keep out small fires, and to prevent fires from starting. The moral effect of a good fire patrol on the fishermen, lumbermen, miners, prospectors, and even railroad em- ployees is wonderful, a fact which accounts for the small number of fires started in Washington State last season. If every state that has timber to protect had a state fire association, as has the state of Washington, there would be very little heard about large fires destroying our woods. The Washing- ton State Fire Association has spent from $50,000 to $7S,ooo a year for keeping a good fire patrol, and has found it a paying invest- ment, the annual saving being now three times the cost of fire protection. Professor Goetz writes enthusiastically of the forestry work in the Washington State College, the situation of which institution for forestry work is highly favorable. 5^' )^ ^ State Cent ol of Maine Forests Mr. D. H. Darling, treasurer, Bradstreet Lumber Company, writes from Richmond, Me., correcting the news note found on page 642 of Conservation for October, and says : "The facts are as follows : "The legislature of 1906-07 interpellated the state supreme court to learn if the state could regulate the cutting of forests without compensating the owners thereof. "The court's answer, that they could, has been widely circulated, but. so far, the state has not availed itself of the right to enact such a law. "Since this decision, but one attempt to enact a cutting-regulation law has been made, and this was embodied in the bill I drew and had presented at the last session, but Avhich was referred to the next." Mr. Darling sends a copy of the bill. «r' «? i« Governor Hughes on Forest Conservation In his address at the Hudson-Fulton cele- bration. Governor Hughes said, in part : "This celebration should not only prove a stimulus to endeavor by its commemoration of distinguished achievements, but it should also quicken our appreciation of the natural con- ditions which made these achievements pos- sible, and direct our attention to the con- servation of this priceless gift of nature. At the headwaters of the Hudson and its_ prm- cipal tributaries we learn the necessity of forest preservation. If we would preserve the source of industrial power, if we would secure and maintain proper regulation of the flow of our streams and make them agencies of progress rather than devastating forces, we must conserve the forests of the country. It is only within a few years that we have appreciated the importance of this policy. The people have not awakened too soon. In the state of New York during the past few years large areas of forest tract have been acquired by the state, and under the amend- ment to the constitution adopted fifteen years ago all lands so acquired are to be kept in- violate. It is to be hoped that these pur- chases will largely be extended and our forest tracts put beyond danger of devasta- tion. "The river should be kept, so far as pos- sible, free from pollution. We must main- tain this noble stream as a wholesome river and not permit it to become a mere sewer. This is a problem of great difficulty because of local exigencies and of the demands of established industries upon which the pros- perit)' of many of our communities depends. There are diversities of conditions which should have intelligent appreciation, but we must not be indifferent to the necessity of protecting the health of the people and to the importance of keeping our streams pure." Governor Hughes also plead for the pres- ervation of the scenery of the Hudson, and expressed the earnest hope that the two states interested would cooperate "to safe guard the highlands and waters in which they are both deeply interested." MJ »«i hj^ Conserving Miners' Lives Lyman Beecher Stowe says in the October Outlook that about 30,000 men have been killed in the coal mines of the United States since 1889. About 7,000 were killed and in- jured in 1906 alone, and, in 1907, he states that over 3,000 were killed and 6,000 injured. Mr. Stowe's article, which is entitled "To the Rescue," describes the work of the newly organized Government Rescue Corps, started as a result of the work of Dr. Joseph A. Holmes, chief of the Technologic Branch of the Geological Survey. In May, 1908, Con- gress authorized the investigation of mine explosions, and in July, I909- a Federal ap- propriation of $150,000 was made to start mine-rescue work in connection with a sta- tion which had been opened the previous December in Pittsburg. Three foreign ex- perts on mine disasters came to this country with suggestions for the development of the rescue corps. The Government has already established two experimental stations, the one already mentioned at Pittsl)urg and a sub- station at Urbana, 111., in connection with the University of Illinois. Government mining engineers are assigned to these stations, and aside from the rescue work the experts test explosives. Reports on all mine accidents, both in the United States and foreign countries, are there collected. .-Xfter each disaster mine experts 7i8 CONSERVATION are sent to study the conditions and find out, if possible, the cause of the accident. The data thus gathered are then tested by ex- periments in the artificial mine galleries and in a mine which is used as an experimental laboratory. The Government is to establish other mine stations at or near the greater centers of accidents. — The Survey. &' «r' &' Drainage Circular Mr. J. O. Wright, supervising drainage engineer of irrigation and drainage investi- gations of the United States Department of Agriculture, has prepared Circular No. 76 entitled "Swamp and Overflowed Lands in the United States, Ownership and Reclama- tion." This circular carries a map showing graphically the swamp and overflowed lands in the states east of the Rocky Mountains, the total area of which is almost equal to that of Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio. Florida leads in swamp lands, Louisiana is second, Arkansas, Mississippi, Minnesota, North Da- kota, Michigan, South Carolina, Georgia, and North Carolina follow in the order given. Mr. Wright declares that "after consid- ering what has been done to reclaim the marshes of Holland, two-fifths of which lie below the level of the sea, and the difficulties that have been overcome in draining the fens of England, it would be a reflection on the skill and intelligence of the American en- gineer to proclaim the drainage of our swamp lands impossible." On the contrary, the en- gineering problems are simple. Mr. Wright argues that drainage is a pub- lic function, but that the cooperation of the interested landowners is necessary. Drain- age legislation, he maintains, should be en- acted. "Were this 77,000,000 acres of swamp and overflowed lands drained," says Mr. Wright, "and made healthful and fit for agriculture and divided into farms of forty acres each, it would provide homes for 1,925,000 fam- ilies." The swamp he regards as a nuisance which should be abated and made to con- tribute to the support and upbuilding of the United States. «? &' )^ Redeeming the Great Valley of California Mr. A. D. Foote, M. Am. Soc. C. E., has prepared a paper entitled "The Redemption of the Great Valley of California." The writer compares conditions in the Great Valley with those in Egj'pt. He mentions a case where 5,000 acres of wheat were flooded in the winter of 1908 and 1909, "but that the owner did not regret it much, as the next crop would be more than doubled by the fer- tilizer deposited by the water." "In this simple statement," says Mr. Foote, "lies the secret of the redemption of the valley. It is no exaggeration to state that the floods of last winter carried down enough fertilizing material to produce millions of bushels of wheat, could it have been placed at the dis- posal of the tiller of the soil." He continues : "If engineers would study Egypt and follow the teachings of her long experience, in so far as conditions admit, they would be trying no experiment." The basin irrigation of upper Egypt, gradually developed through 5,000 years, has proved in that country highly successful. "Basin irrigation is dividing the land with dikes into so-called basins and introducing flood-water, usually carrying considerable sediment, from two to six feet deep over the entire area, and letting it stand for sev- eral weeks until the sediment has settled and the water has soaked into the soil as much as it will. The water is then drained off quickh% and the crop is sown on the mud, often before it is dried sufficiently even to harrow. The areas of these basins depend largely on the slope of the land. In Egypt they vary from a few acres to, in one in- stance, 40,000, the average being about 5,000 acres. This system of irrigation would be especially beneficial to alkali lands. The experience in Egypt is that where land has deteriorated and shows white efflorescence from perennial irrigation, one or two years of basin flooding restores it to its former state, and in no case has basin irrigation produced alkali lands." This method Mr. Foote regards as en- tirely practicable in the Great Valley of California, and far superior to dependence on "precarious rainfall to grow an inferior crop on a deteriorated soil, and unsuccess- fully fending ofi^ the flood in terror lest it destroy the country." "It is proposed, therefore, to construct dikes to form basins, as in Egypt, over the entire floor of the Great Valley, comprising some 3,000,000 acres ; and to feed these basins, during the winter or flood time, by suitable regulating gates and dams, from the various rivers and creeks entering the val- ley ; and to regulate and control the feeding of the basins so as to relieve the rivers of flood waters, as much as possible, and hold these flood waters in the basins, or let them move slowly through, that they may deposit the silt and soak the land, and finally drain through escape channels in time for the crops to be sown in the spring. It is proposed to provide escape channels, through the lowest parts of the valley, of sufficient capacity to drain the basins rapidly, if required, and assist the rivers in times of excessive floods." This scheme, Mr. Foote admits, will cost many millions^possibly $75,000,000. On the other hand, he is convinced it will return hundreds of millions. The money, he holds, "can be borrowed by the state as needed, and returned to the state by the lands benefited, in instalments, after the benefit has been received, in a man- ner similar to that followed by the United States Reclamation Service." NEWS AND NOTES 719 Mr. Foote's paper is accompanied by an admirable map of the Great Basin, and is reprinted from the Proceedings of the Amer- ican Society of Civil Engineers. )t' J^' i^ A National Land Exposition in Chicago From November 20 to December 4 of this year will be held in the Coliseum, under the auspices of The Chicago Tribune, the United States Land and Irrigation Exposi- tion, which will provide authoritative, graphic information about the vast land opportunities now opening up in many states for home- seekers, farmers, and investors. There will be exhibits of the wonderful fruits of virgin soil from all sections of the country. Elab- orate panoramas will show what is being done to irrigate, drain, and cultivate it. Ar- rangements have been made for Government exhibits of great value. )^ )^ ^ The National Land Laws During its existence as a nation the United States has given or sold to private owners •hundreds of millions of acres of public lands which to-day represent in their total a valu- ation expressed in billions of dollars. The policy adopted and pursued in the early days was defensible and even commendable. Set- tlers were wanted in the great West and in- ducements were necessary. Free land or cheap land proved an irresistible attraction and set'.lers swarmed westward. Railroads were needed, and land grants on a gigantic scale made railroads possible. Under this system endless miles of wilderness became one of the world's greatest producing areas and the home of millions of industrious and prosperous people. The change in conditions was not attended by change in the laws. There was a con- tinuance of the policy of treating public land as of little or no value, to be given, or at best sold cheaply, to those who applied for it. Under these antiquated laws petty frauds and gigantic swindles came into ex- istence and flourished mightily. All attempts to remedy the evil, to adjust the laws to the new conditions, were fought by the repre- sentatives of those who were making money by processes which were, in fact, the equiva- lent of robbery of the American people. All efforts to punish offenders were blocked and delayed, in spite of the courage and the fidelity of such men as the late Ethan Allen iHitchcock, until the prosecution of land- fraud cases has come to be almost a farce. Last year the General Land Office reported the United States (the American people) as the owner of 754,895,296 acres of "land areas imappropriated and unreserved." This in- cludes Alaska's 368021,509 unsurveyed acres. Leaving out the Alaskan area and the appro- riated and reserved areas of the country proper, it appears that the United States is now the proprietor of 386,873,787 acres of the least valuable land out of an original possession of 1,441,436,160 acres. Out of this 226,690,938 acres are reported as "surveyed" and 160,182,849 acres as "unsurveyed." Very little farming land remains for distribution. Much the larger part of the timber land has been either distributed or included in the National Forests. The mineral resources of the unsurveyed regions are either little known or quite unknown. * * * The gift or the bargain sale of highly val- uable forest and mineral lands for the en- richment of the few by the careless liber- ality of the many is now a national folly. Every possible acre of public land should be reserved until by proper survey a fair valua- tion can be determined and a fair price set on the property. About three-quarters of the original national holding has passed into private hands. A considerable percentage of the whole has undoubtedly been acquired by processes of doubtful legality, and much has been acquired by glaring fraud. For what re- mains as national property new laws should be devised in the interest of the present owners, the people of the United States. — The Sun, New York City. J« «i «? Let's Focus on Something for Conservation What if every man, woman, and child in the whole country could be convinced of the need for a vigorous conservation program? Would they get it? Not in a thousand years if they didn't organize the fight. The Forester has been at work to organize that fight for ten years. The administration tells us it is doing all it can to the same end now. The Conservation Commission and the American Forestry Association are far from idle. But all these forces together have not gone a great ways. James J. iHill has hit the conservation nail on the head. There will never be any prog- ress, thinks that astute empire-builder, until the plan of waterways development is madr solely in the light of the greatest good to the whole country. Congress will keep to about its present tire-exploded pace as long as Goose Creek is fighting Sugar Run. So with restrictive legislation as to the cutting of young timber. So with planting for the protection of soils. So with everything else — even the tariff. A waterways commission was Mr. iHill's plan. It would require Congress to eliminate itself. But the end is so much to be desired that maybe Congress could be persuaded to do so. Then, in the further judgment of th's same student, there must be sane finan- cincf. * * * What ought to be done by the friends of the conservation movement, and done right away, is this : The fight should be focused. There ought to be as nearly as possible unanimous de- mand upon Congress for one thing. That 720 CONSERVATION one thing should be a commission to lay general foundalions for future appropriations as to the further purchase of national forest lands, the development of mineral resources in the pubhc lands, the protection of soils, as well as to digging channels and building dams. If that can be accomplished — and there is a tarnel sight more chance of it than of getting any billion-dollar bond issue — then there is some hope for the whole cause of conservation. Somebody ought to send out a farmers' bulletin on the need of getting to- gether.— Washington Times. VI iH as Colorado Conservation Commission Resolutions Among the resolutions passed by the Col- orado Conservation Commission at its recent meeting were the following: A resolution expressing the intention of the Commission to cooperate with the state and Nation in every proper conservation effort, in which monopoly was guarded against and the law respected. A resolution indorsing the general con- servation policy of the Government and urg- ing other states to cooperate in the work. A resolution advising the Government to limit the time of its franchises for water- power on the public domain. A resolution favoring legislation to pre- vent mineral lands being obtained under the guise of agricultural land. A resolution favoring legislation encourag- ing bona fide irrigation enterprises. A resolution favoring more stringent game laws. A resolution favoring the plan of taxing timbered land on its value outside of the trees on it, and favoring the exemption from taxation of all land up to ten acres which any settler plants in new trees. A resolution favoring the cooperation of the state with the Federal Government in protecting the forests from fire and depre- dation. A resolution favoring the sale of matured timber on forest reserves to settlers needing it for local consumption. Japanese Visitors in America The party of honorary commercial com- missioners of Japan, a large and distin- guished body composed of noblemen, captains of industry, educators, agriculturalists, finan- ciers, lawmakers, and men prominent in the affairs of the empire, now touring the United States, met with a distinguished reception in Spokane. Baron Shibusawa said : "Often we have traveled in England and Europe, and in the smoky cities we have seen signs. 'English spoken.' To-day in your beautiful city we have seen 'Japanese Spokane.' * * * "You have spoken in warm terms of our progress, but you have not mentioned the fact that we owe it all to America. If it had not been for America — for Commodore Perry — we would not to-day have been able to boast of the progress of which we have been so proud. "You are citizens of the inland empire of the West, while we are of the island empire of the East; I have heard that Spokane means 'sons of the sun,' while our nation, too, claims descent from the goddess of the sun, so that our two peoples would, after all, seem to be really one." Mr. Poindexter was cheered to the echo in closing his remarks with the declaration that the wealth of forest and water on the mountain slopes belongs to the people, and should be protected for their benefit. Jinie Nishimura, member of parliament and president of the Kyoto Chamber of Com- merce, who has started transportation proj- ects with capital aggregating $500,000,000, headed a party of bankers and experts on a visit to the Washington Water-power Com- pany's works, and they expressed keen in- terest in the machinery and turbines. The falls of the Spokane River, where thousands of horsepower electrical energy is generated, also proved a source of interest. «« «^ «i Waterways Meetings Waterways meetings abound. On Oc- tober 7 the Upper Mississippi River Im- provement Association closed its eighth an- nual convention in Winona, Minn. On October 7 the Good Roads and Waterways Conventions called by Governor H. H. Hadley, of Missouri, met in Sedalia, of that state. On October 14-15 the Ohio VaHey Im- provement Association met in Cincinnati. Ohio. On October 21-23 the fifth annual conven- tion of the Interstate Inland Waterways League was held at Corpus Christi, Tex. On October 29-30, and November 1-2, the Lakes-to-the-Gulf Deep Waterways Associa- tion will meet at New Orleans. On November lo-ii a waterways meeting will be held at Fort Wayne, Ind., to promote the Toledo, Fort Wayne and Chicago Deep Waterway project designed to construct a ship canal connecting Lake Erie and Lake Michisran by way of the Maumee River and Fort Wayne. On November 15-16 the iMississippi-Atlantic Inland Waterways Association will meet at Jacksonville, Fla. On November 17-20 the Atlantic Deep Waterways Association will hold its second annual convention at Norfolk, Va. Meanwhile the American Waterways Com- mission, with Senator Burton, chairman, is touring Europe studying the inland water- ways question. NEWS AND NOTES 721 Meetings of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers Meetings of the American Society of Me- chanical Engineers have been advertised as foiiovvs : In New York, on Tuesday evening, Oc- tober 12, at eight o'clock, in the Engineer- ing Socie.ies Building, with a paper by Prof. R. C. Carpenter, of Cornell University, upon "The High-pressure Fire System of New York City." ]n St. Louis, jointly with the Engineers' Club of St. Louis, on Saturday evening, Oc- tober 16, Professor Carpenter's paper to be repeated. In Boston, on Wednesday evening, Oc- tober 20, at eight o'clock, jointly with the Boston Society of Civil Engineers, in Chip- man Hall, a paper to be presented by Prof. Gaetano Lanza and Lawrence S. Smith on "Comparison of Results Obtained by the Use of Three Theories of the Distribution of the Stresses in Reenforced Concrete Beams," with the experimental results. as i!£ as The Nature Lovers' League To aid in awakening the public conscience to a sense of moral obligation toward van- ishing nature, the La Rue Holmes Nature Lovers' League was organized, not quite two years ago, and is doing its part to that effect. This movement originated with a young naturalist, connected with the Museum of Natural History, New York City, whose name was given the organization after his premature death, when but upon the thresh- old of his intended work. It was the out- growth of an intense, sorrowful love for re- treating nature. The Nature League accomplishes its purpose largely through the formation of chapters in schools, both public and private; the introduction of literature and lectures treating of natural history themes and of kindness to all the humbler forms of God- given life — of kindness to humanity by deal- ing with nature as a sacred heritage to be passed on to the future unimpaired, as far as possible, if not enriched, through our guardianship. As a means of familiarizing our children and youth with the utility of our birds, the relation between animal and vegetable life, the mission of forests, etc., themes are pre- sented to school chapters, pupils writing brief essays, embodying information given, as well as items of personal observation. Many of these little essays, written fre- quently by very young members, are printed throu.sh the courtesy of the press, not only stimulating interest among members of league chapters, but frequently presenting items of more or less interest concerning various forms of humble life calculated to increase sentiment in behalf of nature's pass- ing pageant. If our forests are not to be remorselessly felled; if our water supply is to be maintained throughout the land; if our birds are not to be sacrificed as mere targets and decorations for the thoughtless, our young people must be led out of the ruts, cut deep across the heart of nature by past generations, and up to a plane of outlook whence may be clearly seen the relation between the preservation of nature's riches and national prosperity. U? ^ )t' California to Raise Eastern Hardwoods The Pacific Coast will soon be the scene of an interesting tree-growing experiment. The United States Forest Service is plan- ning to introduce a number of the more im- portant eastern hardwoods in California, and will this year experiment with chestnut, hickory, basswood, red oak, and yellow pop- lar or tul p trees. Small patches of these trees will be planted near the forest rangers' cabins on the National Forests, and if these do well larger plantations on a commercial scale will soon be established on wider areas. There are over 125 different species of trees in California, a number of which pro- duce some of the most valunble varieties of lumber in the country. Although cons dcr- ably over one half of the species are hard- wood or broad-leaved trees, yet, with the ex- ception of the exotic eucalyptus, there is not a single species of hardwood here ranking in commercial importance with the leading east- ern hardwoods. Climatic conditions in many parts of California are undoubtedly favor able for the growth of a number of the valu- able hardwoods, and the absence of these trees is due mostly to unfavorable factors of seed distribution. If the experiments are successful, a valu- able asset will have been added to the forest resources of this state, which shmild pro^■e of special benefit to the local furniture and vehicle industries. Chestnut and red oak arc high'y esteemed for furniture, while with hickory, basswood, and cucal.vptus at its com- mand, California should lead all other states in the vehicle industry. | ii£ ^ VS The Smoke Nuisance The smoke nuisance in cities feems to be not only a burning question but a question of burning — of combustion. A Sullotin just published by the United States Geological Survey (Bulletin :^7:^) on "The Smokeless Combustion of Coal in Boiler Plants." by D. T. Randall and H. W. Weeks, gives the results of smoke studies carried on in thir- teen large cities and of rests made at the Government fuel-testing plants at St. Louis and Norfolk. A preliminary report on the same subject was made in the Survey's Bui- 722 CONSERVATION letin 334, "The Burning of Coal without Smoke in Boiler Plants," by Mr. Randall, the edition of which is now exhausted. The report just published consists of i86 pages and forty illustrations. The conclusions reached may be sum- marized as follows: Smoke prevention is possible. Any one kind of apparatus is effective only if so set under boilers that the principles of combustion are respected. Stokers or furnaces must be set so that combustion will be complete before the gases strike the heating surface of the boiler. No one type of stoker is equally valuable for burning all kinds of coal. Although hand-fired furnaces can be op- erated without objectionable smoke, the fire- man is so variable a factor that the ultimate solution of the nroblem depends on the me- chanical stoker — in other words, the personal element must be eliminated. The small plant is no longer dependent on hand-fired furnaces. In short, smoke prevention is both possible and economical. >^ ^ 5^' Soil Fertility the Foundation of Progress Agriculture is being given more promi- nence among the educators of our Nation than ever before. There are now fifteen state agricultural high schools, and forty others which receive state aid. Two hundred and fifty high schools and academies are giving instruction in agriculture and there are also sixteen co. leges privately endowed with funds to carry on this same farm train- ing. One hundred and fifteen state and county normal schools are teaching our teachers to teach these principles. The peo- ple have seen a great light. It is a most hopeful sign of a hopeful Nation that we are placing our trust in the soil as the founda- tion of our material prosperity. Our food comes from the soil. When a man is rea- sonably assured of his daily bread, he may begin to cast about him for other means of betterment, but the bread must be provided first. As with one man, so with a nation. While we firmly establish our agricultural greatness, we shall have no fear but that our other grovvfth and prosperity and general progress will follow right along. In all this we shall never forget that it is the soil fertility of America that most directly fur- thers her might. — The Wisconsin Farmer. ^ i^ an Maine's Timber Loss According to Fred A. Gilbert, of the Great Northern Paper Company, of Bangor, Me., the annual loss to the state of Maine through failure to utilize its wealth of timber is over $10,000,000 on five of the most common kinds of lumber — spruce, pine, fir, hemlock, and cedar. Besides this loss, the state is also slowly losing its principal asset — the stand- ing growth of the timber itself. This latter loss, in the opinion of Mr. Gilbert, is not due to the annual cutting and marketing, but to the waste and decay and losses by fire and wind. "Given the needed railroad facilities into this now inaccessible wealth of timber," says Mr. Gilbert, '"a proper care in cutting, and an efficient fire patrol, and the state is ca- pable of producing 1,400,000,000 feet of spruce, pine, cedar, hemlock, and fir annually, or 650,000,000 feet (less unavoidable fire and wind losses) more than it is now mar- keting, to say nothing of hardwoods, and yet gain in the quantity of timber standing." —The Paper Mill. ^ iii ^ Reforestation in Ontario The Ontario Department of Agriculture has published a Report on the Reforestation of Waste Lands in Southern Ontario. It states : "In spite of the assertions of so-called practical men that nature will look after the replacing of the forest, the following is certain, that on large areas where no seed trees of commercial species exist, it will be impossible to obtain satisfactory new growth within a reasonable time." It estimates that southern Ontario could eventually have over 10,000,000 acres of pri- vate woodlands, and maintains that "it is very important that the private landowner be urged and educated to feel the necessity of protecting existing woodlands, and re- planting waste areas. This branch of work can be greatly assisted by demonstrating forestry methods on these larger areas. * * * "Government forest nurseries * * * will be able to supply planting material to owners anxious to replant waste land. "In addition to their value as object-les- sons in forestry methods, these areas should be preserved for the people of Ontario as recreation grounds for all time to come. * * * "The policy of putting these lands under forest management has many -arguments in its favor. It will pay as a financial invest- ment; assist in insuring a wood supply; pro- tect the headwaters of streams; provide breeding ground for wild game; provide object-lessons in forestry, and prevent citi- zens from developing under conditions which can end only in failure." U? 5^ «« Forestry In California The California State Board of Forestry issues a small, four-page folder, the moral of which is, "Do your best to prevent for- est fires." From it we clip the following items : "Would you set fire to any man's house? "If you saw his house burning, would you pass by without doing anything.^ NEWS AND NOTES 7^Z Do you realize that timber is quite as valuable to the owner, and much more so to the community and to you? "He can build a new house, but not a new forest. As for your own interest, think over the following facts: "California has 160,000,000,000 feet of standing timber, even now worth $400,000,000 as a resource. If manufactured and sold even at present lumber prices, it would brmg $2,500,000,000 into the state for labor and supplies. "Cal.fornia sells over $20,000,000 worth of lumber a year. Of this, $14,000,000 is received by employees, who put it into local circu'ation. You share it. "About 1,000,000,000 feet is destroyed by fire in California every year. If manufac- tured, it would bring in $15,000,000. "On every 1,000 feet burned the stumpage owner loses at least $3, but the community loses $8 in wages. '■Timber means pay checks to support all industries, but burned timber pays no wages. "Care with small fires is the best way to prevent big ones. "Don't toss away burning matches or tobacco ! "Don't make a camp-fire in leaves, rotten wood or against logs, where it may spread or you can't be sure it is out ! "Always clear away all inflammable material before building your camp-fire! "Never leave a fire until it is out ! "Don't burn brush, grass or slashings without a permit from a fire warden. "Don't operate an engine using fuel other than oil without having it equipped with a spark arrester. "Put out any fire you find if you can. If you can't, notify a fire warden or other pub- lic ofiicer_ or the landowner. Remember that any little fire may become a big one if left alone." Similar folders might well be circulated by forestry and conservation people through- out the country. It is education that counts. )^ J^ it' Saving the Great Oak at Edgewood One of the finest oaks for many miles around has been saved by the aid of the tree surgeon, to be, it is hoped, for many years to come a delight to the eye, a com- fort and joy for old and young, for man and beast and bird. The grand old tree in question stood in the middle of one of the roads at Edge- wood, W. Va., and, thanks to the wisdom of those who laid out that village, was not then destroyed. Decay had set in, and each year's rains and insects did their deadly work, until it commenced to look as though its years were numbered. The great hole in the trunk became larger and larger; more from thought'essness than any motive of mischief, children — nay, those of larger growth, who knew better — come to fill the hollow trunk with rubbish — motley and offensive. Serenely the oak looked down upon them all, and with dignity and patience strove to repair the undoing of insects, man and weather. Hundreds of years had this oak been growing in beauty and usefulness; possibly when Columbus first saw the New World it was a lusty young sap ing, shoul- dering Its way among elms and beeches. Many an Indian has it sheltered ; many gen- . erations of men has it seen come and go; many thousands of birds has it sheltered in Its arms; many a song has it heard; many a woodland tragedy has it known. Then one brother after another fell before the ax of the settler, until finally our friendly tree stood forth alone, displaying all the majesty of his girth and spread of limb. Perhaps it was a lightning stroke started the mischief of decay; perhaps the wanton carelessness of man. A tree surgeon was brought, who studied the situation, brought his assistants, ladders, tar, cement, skill and knowledge, and to-day our friend the tree rejoices in healing wounds, recovered health and a discharge certificate from the sur- geon's hands, prepared to defy the storms of many a year. The credit for this work is due to Mrs Virginia Kendall and Miss Nellie Hum- phreys, of Edgewood. «? «t' ^ Exhaustion of Mineral Resources The report of the National Conservation Commission of 1908, showing the reckless manner in which our natural resources are being wasted, finds an echo in a bul'etin (No. 394) just issued by the United States Geological Siirvev. in which are reprinted the papers on mineral resources contributed by members of the survey to the conservation report. The data on which these papers arc based were not obtained especially for the occasion, but were taken from the files of the survey, where they had been accumulat- ing for years. Taken together, they present a state of affairs that may well awaken reflection. COAL Coal is considered first, and it is shown that waste in mining loses forever about one- half as much as is marketed. This half is either left in the ground in thin beds or in the shape of pillars to support the roof. Coal has been extensively mined in the United States for not much more than half a cen- tury, but the consumption is increasing so enormously that if this increase should con- tinue, all the easily accessible coal would be exhausted by the year 2040. and all coal by the middle of the twenty-first century. It will, of course, not continue at such a rate, for the increasing scarcity will raise prices and check consumption. Water-power, too. will undoubtedly largely take its place. PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS With regard to petro!eum the situation is a good deal more serious. Petroleum has been used forlessthnn fifty years, and it is estimated that the supply will last only about twenty- 724 CONSERVATION five or thirty years longer. If production is curtailed and waste stopped, it may last till the end of the century. The most important effects of its disappearance will be the lack of lubricants and the loss of illuminants. Ani- mal and vegetable oils will not begin to sup- ply its place. This being the case, the reck- less exploitation of oil fields and the con- sumption of oil for fuel should be checked. In natural gas the waste is enormous; 1,000,000.000 cubic feet are estimated to be wasted into the air every twenty-four hours. The gas supply will last about twenty-five years— about as long as it has already been utilized. IRON Iron is very abundant in nature, but usu- ally is found in ores so poor that it cannot be extracted at any reasonable cost. The best ores are being rapidly worked, and it is estimated that within thirty years they will have been exhausted, and that it will be necessarv to resort to ores that cannot now be worked at a profit. This, of course, means higher prices unless new and much cheaper processes shall have been invented. GOLD, SILVER, ETC. Gold, silver and zinc are all so abundant that the supply is likely to last for centuries. Copper is al.so abundant, but is largely in low-grade ores, wh;ch cannot now be profit- ably worked. At increased prices, however, the supply will probably be abundant. For lead, however, the outlook is much jess favorable. Its production in the United States is still increasing slightly, but is decreasing elsewhere in the world, and this despite a marked increase in prices. Prob- ably the world's output has already reached a maximum, and will henceforth decline. The phosphates, it is estimated, will be exhausted in about twenty-five years, and the farmer will then have to look elsewhere for ferti'.izers. Fresh supplies of all these materials may, of course, be found, but (except for gold) it seems unlikely that they will be great enough or valuable enough to materi- ally affect the estimates. Bullet'n 394 can be had, free of charge, from the director, United States Geological Survey, Washington, D. C. ae iH »£ Utilizing Wa'te When the great lumber barons stripped Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Michigan of their pine trees, the land was considered prac- tically valueless and not worth the cost of clearing it of stumps. But now the chemist has come to the rescue and demonstrated that there is wealth in the waste pine stumps. The stnmps are therefore being grubbed out, liroken up, and placed in retorts, where by disti'lation valuable products are obtained. Tar and turpentine are the direct products, and the charcoal residue is also proving of value. From the turpentine comes acetic acid, formaldehyde, creosote, and wood al- cohol, and an endless variety of color dyes. Among the by-products are embalming tiuid, shingle stain, sheep dip, metal polish, lacquer, and tree spray. In addition, the cleared land is worth something for cultivation. — Omaha (Nebr.) Bee. ^ % ^ Squirrels Menacing Forests The tree squirrel is reported as rnenacing pine forests in California. His principle food is the pine nut. With the cutting of p'.ne timber the supply of nuts diminishes, the result being an intensified competition by squirrels for food, with the consumption of practically the entire crop of pine nuts. In consequence the stand of pine trees for the future is threatened. The question is aris- ing whether the trees should be protected at the expense of the squirrels or vice versa, or whether some mode may be devised for protecting both. ^ ^ % Making Engines Spark^proof The first inspection by representatives of the public service commission, second dis- trict, of all locomotives to be used within the forest preserve of the Adirondacks dis- closed that forty-three per cent failed to meet the requirements named by the com- mission, owing to defects in the spark ar- resters or ash pans. These were ordered corrected; and, later, three examinations were necessary on two of the roads before the engines were put in satisfactory condi- tion. On the New York and Ottawa, nine out of ten examined were found to be de- fective upon the first inspection, and on the Carthage and Adirondacks, every locomotive proved to be more or less defective. On the Mohawk and Malone division of the New York Central, the general mechan- ical condition of the locomotives was found to be good, practically all the engines hav- ing had general repairs at the West Albany repair shops within four or five months. A result of this thorough work is that prac- tically all of the locomotives on the division are in good operating condition, and re- sponsible mechanical officers of the New York Central have advised that this has re- sulted in a substantial saving of fuel, which has more than offset the increased cost of inspection and experimenting made neces- sary by the proceedings and order resulting from the forest-fire investigation of the commission. Additional inspections will be made each month during the summer to ascertain whether the spark arresters and ash pans on the railroads operating in the Adirondacks are maintained in satisfactory condition, and whether the otner requirements of the com- mission's orders are being enforced. — Nctv York Commercial. CONSERVATION'S ADVERTISERS To the Members: Your Board of Directors conclude their last annual report with the fol- lowing : "Inland navigation, deeper waterways, water powers, and eco- nomical manufacturing therewith, floods, soils, irrigation, drain- age and the public health, as shown in detail by one of our fold- ers, are all fundamentally dependent upon and related to Forestry. This larger field of conservation and utilization of all our natural resources plainly places upon our Association duties which should be heartily assumed, and diligently discharged. "In closing, it should be said that, in comparison with the work remaining to be done, the work already accomplished by all the forestry forces combined is slight. Destruction of resources pro- ceeds without abatement. Sentiment now developing should be intensified, and focused upon local, state and national govern- ments, that legislation and administration may accomplish tlie ends without which all our efforts are vain. "The American Forestry Association is a leading agency for general propaganda in this field. Its efforts are strictly limited by its means. Where it receives hundreds, it should receive thousands of dollars for the prosecution of the great work be- fore it. For this arm of power it looks to its members. Their dues are practically its only resource. Each member may, how- ever, enlist other members, and by so doing, render to his coun- try a patriotic economic service of great value." Use blank on the preceding page and enlist another member In writing to advertisers kindly mention Coxservation JAMES D. LACEY WOOD BEAIi VICTOR THEANE ARE Interested in Southern or Pacific Coast Timber? We furnish detailed reports as to the QUALITY of the timber, giving average TOP and BUTT diameters, average lengths and number of trees on each 40-acre subdivision. We submit reports covering details as to logging conditions, cost and most feasible methods of logging each 40-acre or sectional subdivision of each tract. We also furnish a TOPOGEAPHICAL map of all tracts located in mountainous dis- tricts, showing every elevation of 100 feet throughout the tract with OUR OWN engineer's report showing locations of most feasible routes and grades for logging roads. We can furnish sufficient data regarding ANY tract of timber which we have examined to convince you whether the tract is what you want or not. Personal inspection of any tract we may offer you will be found just as represented. We are in a position to offer some exceedingly attractive TIMBER properties in thfll SOUTH, in BRITISH COLUMBIA, and on the PACIFIC COAST. Also a few going mill operations with ample timber supplies in South Carolina and Mississippi. We furnish detailed reports of amount of STUMPAGE on each 2 1-2- 5- or 10-acre subdivision of each forty. . We employ expert PACIFIC COAST CRUISERS to check aU estimates made on West- em Timber. We offer HIGH CLASS Timber Properties only, which have been placed in our hands for sale. We guarantee our estimates are reliable. JAMES D. LACEY & GO. (ESTABLISHED SINCE 1880) 608 Hennen Building 828 Chunber of Commerce 507 Lumber Exchange 1216 Old Colooj New Orleans Portland. Ore. Seattle Chicago QSO. ■. B.OWAMD PKBB8, WA8HIMOTON No. 12 S oils and irtgi^aus I PublUhed by THE AMERICAN FORESTRY ASSOCIATION, 1417 G St. N. W., Wathington. D. C Price, S2,00 per Year, Including Annual Mcmbenhip in the Association Copyright, 1909, by The American Forestry Association CONSERVATION'S ADVERTISERS A Battery of the Largest Rams in the World (Installed by the Rife Eng-ine Co.), Capacity, 700 Gallons per Minute Each 7,500 in successful operation. U. S. Government Rec- lamation Serviceat Powell and Chey- enne. Wyo., U. S. Government Plant at Narragansett Bay Over 30 railroads use them for rail- road tank supply. Adopted by nearly all the Prominent colleges and insti- tutions for their testing laboratories (This is an actual photograph — not an imagrinary sketch) COUNTRY Ki-SIDENCES equipped with pneumatic^ or tank-and-tower water systems Work under 18 inches to 50-foot fall. Elevate water 30 feet for each foot of fall — up to 500 feet The only practical Double-acting- Rams — 2,500 in use, Rams fitted for 1-inch up to 12-inch drive pipes (in actual use) Capacity from 3 gallons to 700 gallons per minute Rife Ram will automatically supply WATER and AIR to pneumatic tank outfits. Runs constantly — little attention or expense CATALOGUE AND ESTIMATE FREE RIFE ENGINE CO.. 2172 Trinity Building. New York City i NOMccsr iM thc 1 TiiE Eql'it.vble Life AssrRANCE Society Edwahd A.W^wins. Manacku FRICM euiLDIMG, PITTSauRG April 12, 1909. - . John Itevey, Kent, Ohio. Dear Slr:- Replylng to yours of the 9lh Inst., I vould say that years ago you did some work on my. treee - fleveral hvmdred of them - and I have had work done hy other people on those end other trees. Yoxit work, after the yeare that have elapsed, fleems to have baen Intelligently, thoroly and honeetly done. YoufS ' "Intelligently, Thoroughly and Honestly Done" This tist'nijiiv to the character of the work of the Davey tree experts is typical oi the hundreds cheerfully given by patrons. The supreme test of any accomplishment is its endurance — its permanent benefits, as measured by the passing seasons. Note particularly that this typical expression as to the results of its practical application is The Verdict on Davey Tree Surgery After the Test of the Years . Compared with the partial success, often amounting to real failure, of thc "tree doctors," so called, who have entered the work with so little appreciation of its significance or require- ments. The completely efficient work of the Davey tree experts is not difficult to explain when the foundations of the Davey methods are clearly understood. "Our Wounded Friends, the Trees"^ — the Davey Book of Why and How Tells in full the fascinating story of the glorious fruition of the life-work of John Davey, now carried forward in wider scale by tree doctors, trained under "thc father of tree surgery." and loving their grc.it work of saving trees. This magnificent book is too expensive for indiscriminate distribution, but will be mailed free to any owner of trees who writes for it to Desk 11. THE DAVEY TREE EXPERT COMPANY {Operating Daoe\)'s School of Practical Forestry) KENT, OHIO JOHN 1»AVEY The Father of Tree Surger.v In writing to adverti.^crs kindly mention Conservation %> m TTMS .AMEMCii^M lF®l^m^TlFlY ASg®aA'irn®l?3 CONTENTS FOR DECEMBER, 1909 COVER DESIGN— By Charles E. Cartwright. FALLS OF ELK CREEK, NEAR CRANBERRY, N. C Frontispiece FORESTRY IN JAPAN— By J. Barrington Moore 727 THE SOUTH'S CONCERN IN THE APPALACHIAN PROJECT AND HOW TO MAKE ITS INFLUENCE FELT— By John H. Finney 741 A BEGINNER IN FORESTRY— By Anne Warner (Paper 6) 75J THEODORE ROOSEVELT, DYNAMIC GEOGRAPHER— By Frank Buffington Vrooman 754 STORIES TOLD IN RANGER CAMPS (No. i)— By Charles Howard Shinn 763 EDITORIAL— The National Conservation Association 767 Prevention of Timber Waste 7*)7 Who Is Able to Stand Before Envy? 768 Labor for Public Improvements 769 Trouble in Illinois for tlie Deep-waterways Movement 770 ALL THINGS DECAY-By Herrick The Cost of Waterways Improvement 771 The "Expense" of Conservation 77-T Let the Reclamation Service SiifTer No Harm.. 77 1 Rally for the Appalachian Bill 775 The Glavis Case 777 778 NEWS AND NOTES— Waterways and the National Defense 779 The Swiss Water-power Legislation 779 Economical Water Supply 779 Secretary Ballinger's Recommendations 780 The Reclamation Outlook 780 Mr. Pinchot at the New Orleans Meeting 781 Southern Forestry and Conservation 782 Republican Club for Conservation 783 Forestry Chairman, Federation of Women's Clubs. 783 The Corpus Christi Inland Waterways Meeting.. 783 Meeting of American Mechanical Engineers 783 The Wonder of It All '83 Good Roads Propaganda "84 The Biltmore School Peripatetic 784 Hurricane Destruction on the Mississippi Coast.. 784 Mr. Herbert A. Smith at Brattleboro 7SJ Commercial Importance of New Hampshire Forests 78.'> Louisiana Forestry Association 785 Practical Work for Minnesota Forestry Students. 78.' Fighting Moths with Searchlights and Fans 786 Forester Gaskill at Work 786 Maine Forestry Law a Success 786 Germans Planting Forests in China 787 Forester Hawes Utters a Warning 787 To Merge Nova Scotia Timber Lands 787 Preventing Adirondack Forest Fires 788 President Hill for Conservation 788 Forestry on Private Estates 788 RECENT PUBLICATIONS- Fourteenth Annual Report, Forestry Commis- sioner, Minnesota "89 Andaman Marble- wood '^89 National Hickory Association Circular 780 Practical Farm Drainage "89 Transactions Royal Scottish Arborlcultnral So- 790 780 clety Recent Books on Forestry. at Washington. D. C. under the Act of March S, 187.4 Published Monthly at 1417 G STREET, N. W. WASHINGTON, D. C. 7f CONSERVATION'S ADVERTISERS The American Forestry Association President— CURTIS GUILD. Jr. Former Governor of Massachusetts The American Forestry Association was organized in 1882, and incorporated in January, 1897. It now has over 7,000 members, residents of every State in the Union, Canada, and foreign coun- tries. From its organization it has been the tireless friend of the forests. The object of the Association is to promote the preservation, by wise use, and the extension of the forests of the United States ; its means are agitation and education ; it seeks to encourage the apph- cation of forestry by private owners to forest holdings, large or small ; and it favors, especially, the establishment and multiplication of National and State forests, to be administered in the highest in- terests of all. The Association seeks as members all who sympathize with its object and methods, and who believe that our natural resources con- stitute a common heritage, to be used without abusing and adminis- tered for the common good. Seeking to conserve our supplies of wood and water, the Association appeals especially to wood- producers and users, including owners of wood lands, lumbermen, foresters, railroad men, and engineers ; and to those dependent upon equable stream flow, as manufacturers, irrigators, employers of water power, and those engaged in internal commerce. The Association meets annually in Washington. It publishes, monthly, Conservation, the magazine of authority in its special field. The list of contributors to this publication includes practi- cally all persons prominent in forest work in the United States, making it alone worth the cost of Annual Membership in the Association. The dues, covering a subscription to Conservation, are as fol- lows: Annual — For Annual Members, $2; for Sustaining Mem- bers, $25 ; Total, with exemption from all other payments — for Life Members, $100; for Patrons, $1,000. Of the above amount, $ is set aside each year to pay the subscription of each member to Conservation. Edwin A. Start, Secretary, The American Forestry Association. Membership in the Association coincides 'with the calendar year 8f The American Forestry Association OFFICERS FOR. 1909 PRESIDENT Hi)X. CURTIS GUILD. Jr.. MassaoliiisettB VICE-PRESIDENTS-AT-LARGE N. J. BACHELDER. New Hampshire e wi.MW Mixiiirti i.« „. i ■ iMnT}i<'T»- r- \ uMcfiiTi ».T t- ■ *• "'•'" .Ml 1 1 IIIJ.L, I'enns.vlvanla ANUKLn (ARNEGIE. New \ork r:Fni?r'i.' i.-m«ti.mj i.i;' » i.m.v- »• t- . CHARLES W. ELIOT, MassachusettB J. E RANSDE o„ anl ' ""' W. W. FINLEI. -nashlngton, 1). C. ALBERT SIIAW New York DAVID R. FRANCIS. Missouri CHARIFS R vvv iVi«V n-i i l>TTTUi.'Dmr>r> r> ii»i-i;>o i>.t .. r. ,. <-MAlU,r,.S K. \ .\ .N WISE. \\ iKCOIIsIn KL rHLRFORD P. HAiES, North Carolina EXECUTIVE SECRETARY EDWIN A. START. WitshiiiKlon. D. C. DFKICKS 1417 (1 St. N. \V.. Washington. D. c. I .i,,,- st.. Boston. Ma.'*.';. TREASURER OTTO LUEKKERT, WnshinKlcn. Ii. C. DIRECTORS reiLIP W. AYRES. New Hampshire CEORGE H. MAXWELL Illinois JOSHUA L. BAILEY. Pennsylvania CHARLES F. NESBIT. District of Coliinihlfl JAMES H. CUTLER. Massachusetts HENRY A. PRESSEY District of ColuniMa HENRY S. GRAVES, Connecticut HENRY RlESENBERG. Indiana CURTIS GUILD. JR., Massachusetts CUNO H. RUDOLPH. District of CnlMnil.la WILLIAM S. HARVEY'. Pennsylvania EDWIN A. START Mnssaclmsptts GEO. D. MARKHAM, Missouri JAMES S. WHIPP[,E. New York GEORGE P. WHITTLESEY, District of Colufflbla Advisory Board. Representing Affiliated Organizations YELLOW PINE MANUFACTURERS' ASSOCIATION PHILIP S. GARDINER. Laurel. Miss. N. W. McLEOD. St. Louis. Mo. H. H- WHELESS. Slircvopnrt, La. NATIONAL WHOLESALE LUMBER DEALERS' ASSOCIATION GEORGE F. CRAIG, Philadelphia. Pa. ROBT. C. LIPPINCOTT, Philadelphia. Pa. LEWIS DILL, Baltimore, Md. NORTHERN PINE MANUFACTURERS' ASSOCIATION C. A. SMITH, Minneapolis, Minn. WILLIAM IRVINE. Chippewa Falls. Wis. F. E. WEYERHAEUSER, St. Paul. Minn. MASSACHUSETTS FORESTRY ASSOCIATION ALLEN CHAMBERLAIN. Boston, Mass. GEORGE E. STONE. Amherst. Mass EDWIN A. START, Boston, Mass. LUMBERMEN'S EXCHANGE WILLIAM L. RICE, Philadelphia. Pa. FREDERICK S. UNDERBILL. Philadelphia, la. SAMUEL B. VROOMAN, Philadelphia, Pa. TIGHT BARREL STAVE MANUFACTURERS' ASSOCIATION GEORGE M. HAMPTON. Fordyce, Ark. W. K. KNOX. New York City A. L. HAYES. Nashville, Tenn. NATIONAL SLACK COOPERAGE MANUFACTURERS' ASSOCIATION J. T. WYLIE, Saginaw, Mich. JAMES INNES. Chatham, Ontario C. H. KEYS. New York City NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF BOX MANUFACTURERS B. W. PORTER, GreenBeld, Mass. S. B. ANDERSON, Memphis, Tenn ROBT. A. JOHNSON. Miiiiicaiiolis. Minn. CARRIAGE BUILDERS' NATIONAL ASSOCIATION H. C. McLEAR, Wilmington, Del. D. T. WILSON. New York C. D. FIRESTONE, Columbus, Ohio BOSTON PAPER TRADE ASSOCIATION N. M. JONES. Lincoln, Maine JOHN F. A. HUSSEY. Boston, Ma.xs. ARTHUR L. HOBSON, Boston. Mass. ApplicaLtion for Membership To EDWIN A. START Secretary A)nerican Forestry Association 1417 G Street N. W., Washinglorn, D C. Dear Sir: I hereby signify my desire to becoine a inemher of the .^iiKiicaii Forestry Asso ciation. Two Dollars ($2.00) for annual dues are enclosed herewith V^ery truly yours. Name P. O. Address < Vol. XV DECEMBER, 1909 No. FORESTRY IN JAPAN By J. BARRINGTON MOORE, M, F., United States Forest Service I INTRODUCTION DL'RING the last five (ir ten years the civiHzed nations of tlic West have been \vatchin_q" with opcn- e\c(l amazement the astoundin": achieve- ments of the Japanese in all lines of material progress. Forestry, now gen- erally recognized as one of the most im- portant factors in the development of any civilized nation, has been little thought of because eclipsed by tlie more spectacular feats of this remarkable people. Yet fully as much substantial progress has been made in forestry as in anything else which they have under- taken. In the short space of a maga- zine article it cannot be ex])ccte(l to give more than a brief general idea "f the conditions of this important science in Japan. Among the factors influencing the ,^^ development of forestr}-, aside from <3 outside influence two stand out pre- ^ eminently as the key to most of the I others. The first of these is the small- er: ness of the islands and the consequent . over-crowding of the population. Not jjL only are the islands small, but also only C; twelve per cent of this small area is agri- cultural, the remainder being too hilly to farm. The result is that to support such a large i)opulation everv foot of land nui^l l)e productive. It' il camiMi be made to produce a croj) of rice it ca'i be made to produce a cro]i of trees. The second factor is the desj^otic form of government which prevailed until re- cently, lender the in in rule of tlie old Daimyos (feudal lords) ilie dei)rcda- tions of the individual in llie forests were kept severely in elu'ck. l'"()restr\ in Iai)an \uu^{ nut be thuughl of as a brand new science transplanted iIumh- bodiJN' at the time of the o])i'ning <'l the couutrv. Forest protection liad been enforced under the despotic Daimyos since the ninth century, and some form of management had been practised for the last 300 years. Tn one case at least this old management was re- markably well advanced and intensive (in the Yoshino private forests). Of course forestry received a great impulse after the opening of the country and was greatly influenced by European ideas, but the foundation was there long beforehand. For the sake of clearness the forests will be considered mider three heads: 727 Private Forests of Yoshino. View of tfie Valley of the Yoshino River. An Excellent Example of the Combination of Forestry ,'and Agriculture. The Bottoms Cultivated, and Slopes Covered with Plantations ol Trees iS; v^:. Private Forests of Yoshino, Plantation of Cryptomeria (Cryfitonieria j'at>0)iica) a Hundred Years Old Imperial Forests of Kiso. A Typical Piece of the Coniferous Type Shinoki ( Cliuiiiurvpris ohtiisa), Shiba ( Thiijopsia dohtbrala) , and Sawara ( Cliaiii- ce,:ynis pisifera) near Top of Slope (Page 7J2) State Forests of Nagakizawa. A Typical Piece of llie Fine Stand of Cryptomeria Comprising This Forest. This Would Run Forty to Fifty Thousand Board Feet per Acre, It Is as Yet Uninjured by the Sul- phur Fumes (Page 739) /.•) o CONSERVATION (i) Private, [2) imperial, and (3) state. The proportionate of these in round ninnbers are : Private, 23,000,- 000 acres ; Imperial, 6,000,000 acres ; Slate, 29,000,000 acres. II- — PRIVA'IK FORESTS The most important of these arc in what is called the Yoshino region (named from the Yoshino River), in Yamato Province. This region pre- sents a spectacle absolutely without par- allel anywhere in the world. It is a rugged and hilly country with but an insignificant amount of land on which farm crops can be raised, and yet it supports a large and extremely prosper- ous population because every inch of these slopes is covered with trees. The remarkable feature of the region is that the whole area is divided up into small pieces each owned by a different man. It is an ideal community of prosperous small owners (an excellent example of what our own western communities can be made into by the continuance of the present policy of the Forest Serv- ice to favor the small owner and to de- velop as large a number of small home- steads as possible in and around the National Forests). It is said that 500 years ago there was absolutely no timber in the region, so that the people were forced to plant enough for their own use. They hap- pened to grow a little more than they actually needed and threw the surplus into the river to be sold down below. This was found to be very profitable, so that everybody started planting trees. The result is that growing trees is to- day the main industry of the region. There are practically only two species used, the Cryptomeria (Cryptomeria Japonica) and Shinoki (Chaincccypris obfusa), both conifers. The Crypto- meria does not resemble any tree in the Cnited States, but the Shinoki is very much like our northern white cedar or Arbor Vitse (Chamcecypris thyoidcs) except that it produces a much finer and stronger wood. The Cryptomeria grows on the moister sites, and the Shinoki on the drier. The system of sylviculture is entirely clear cutting and planting, using three-year-old Cryp- tomeria plants and four-year-old Shi- noki, spacing as close as three by three feet. Thinnings begin at twelve years and are repeated every three or foiu" years till the stand is twenty-four years old. After that they are repeated at intervals of five years till the stand is forty-five years old. then at less frequent intervals till the final cutting, at 100 years. These thinnings are possible on account of the excellent market, which makes even the smallest sizes salable, and the easy water transpor- tation. They are done with such ex- treme care and such a high degree of skill that they are even better than a great many of the thinnings in the well- uianaged forests of Germany. There are not many elaborate theories in Yoshino, and there is no cumbersome mass of office work, on account of the peculiar condition of ownership ; but the actual practise of forestry in the field is more intensive than anything to be found in Europe, strange as this may sound to foresters accustomed to look u]) to Germany as the home of all in- tensive forestry. For example, in stands forty to fifty feet high, which had been somewhat bent by the snow, the trees were tied back with ropes fastened to the tops of the trees forty feet from the i^round. The amount of labor in car- rying out such an operation can easily be imagined. Also, some high, rocky slopes were planted which were so bare that even the soil had to be carried up there to plant the trees in. Another site was seen which was so steep that men had to be actually lowered by ropes down the face of the cliff' to do the planting. It is claimed by one of the owners that the returns are higher than anywhere in the world, being $17 per annum per acre, compared with $5.30 for Saxony. This is too high, because he failed to figure in the interest on his investment. JUit even .so the returns are remarkable because of the almost ]:)erfect combination of favorable condi- tions, fairly fertile soil, abundant mois- ture, a ready market, and cheap trans- portation, together with very cheap la- bor. Another noteworthy faature of Private Forests of Yoshino. Four Ages on a Single Acre. Plantations One Year Old, Four Years Old, Eighteen Years Old and Fifty ^seven Years Old. This Looks Like Any WelUnianaged Forest in Germany (P«ge 730i State Forest of Takahagi. Seed Beds Covered wi\h Mulch cf Rice Straw (Pjgc 738) 72>'2 CONSERVATION this wonderful region is that there is a company of consulting foresters who advertise that they will apply their 300 years' experience to any forest problem. Thus we find in Yoshino the oldest and most intensive forestry in the world, an absolutely natural growth untouched by outside influences, resulting from an absolutely unique combination of condi- tions. Ill IMPERIAL FORESTS The best Imperial Forests are those commonly known as the Kiso forests. These are three forests with a total area of approximately 60,000 acres, situated in about the middle of the main island of Japan. They are in a rug- ged, mountainous country, from about 1,000 to 6,000 feet in elevation, made up of very steep slopes and narrow, rocky gorges. The soil, where there is enough of it, seems to be of very fair fertility, and there is an abimdance of moisture (eighty inches rainfall). There are only three distinct natural types as far as could be observed. These are : ( 1 ) along the stream beds and less pre- cipitous lower slopes, a forest of mixed hardwoods with occasional conifers; (2) on the middle slopes an even mix- ture of hardwoods and conifers, more or less in groups; (3) on the steep, up- per slopes practically pure conifers. Among the hardwoods a species of birch (called Misume), almost like our vellow birch (Bctiila lutcv), formed sixty per cent of the stand. The rest was made up of a kind of chestnut, a white oak (very much like Quercus Alba), a maple, Magnolia and a cherry. In fact this hardwood type might have been anywhere in the eastern United States from all appearances. The coniferous forest is made up of three principal species, all of them very nnich like our northern cedars (CJiaui- cBcypris and 1 huya) , in the general ap- ])earance of the bark and leaves. The most important of these is the Shinoki ( Chanicecypris obtusd) , the same as the one planted in the ])rivate forests of Yoshino, forming forty per cent of the stand in the original forest. The other two, both of which have soft. coarse wood, are: Sawara {Chamce- cxpris pisifera, forty per cent of the stand) and Shiba {Thujopsis dolobrafa, ten per cent). The remaining ten per cent is made up of other less important conifers. That part of the forest cut over under the old regime has come up in almost pure hardwoods. The tops of some of the hills thus cut over are now cov- ered with a birch almost exactly like our poplar birch (Betiila popyrifera). These forests have been under some sort of management for about forty years. But only in the last twenty-five years has planting after felling been practised. The species planted is Shi- noki. Until within tlie last five years this planting was done in a haphazard manner, with only 1,000 plants per acre, and was not followed up by cleanings. The result is that these old plantations are now mostly covered with hardwoods through which an occasional Shinoki has managed to struggle up. Within the last five years they have been using three-year-old plants, putting in about 2,000 to the acre, and have been clean- ing the area before planting, and every year for five years after ])lanting. The present working plan was re- vised three years ago, and it is the intention to revise it every ten years. It is very closely modeled on the Ger- man working ])lans, giving everything in tabulated form. The rotation is fig- ured as 120 years, with twenty-year felling periods, and ten-year subperiods. The whole forest is divided into work- ing circles, compartments and sub- compartments, the subcompartments serving as the basis of the year's cut. The stand on the entire forest has been estimated, the yearly growth found, and the cutting regulated according to area and volume. They have two sets of maps made by a special bureau in Tokyo, one on a scale of 1-5,000, the other on a scale of 1-20,000. The utilization is curious on account of the lack of ani- mals which is so characteristic of the whole of Japan. As they have no ma- chinery to make up for this lack of ani- mals, everything has to be done by "man-power." They have a tramway ■r ) I ^^M- ^N ^^ i>' 'f' ^^f" Slate Forest of Uechimabe. Showing Stand o( Pure Shiba ('J'/iiijopsi.s Jolobxiln) Lightly Cut Over by the Daimyos (Feudal Lords), with Excellent Re- production in the Opening (Page 739) State Forest of Nagakizawa, Cutting Up a Felled Cryptomeria. This Tree Is Only About Medium Size for This Forest, Showing the Peculiar Kind of Saw Used (Page 739) 734 CONSERVATION with a two-foot gauge run by gravity to take the logs from the logging area to the main stream, a distance of five miles. The logging area itself is so steep that an elaborate system of stops and slides has to be constructed to get the logs down. And they fell the trees across the slope instead of up or down for convenience in peeling and for the safety of the men. The working plan and system of syl- viculture would compare favorably with almost any in Europe except that, per- haps, the formulas used for figuring the annual area and volume to cut were rather crude, considering the intensity of the rest of the management. The oidy criticism of the system is the rigidity with which it is applied. \'cry steep, rocky slopes on which the forest should be managed as protection forest under some system which would keep the crown cover intact, are clear- cut and planted. The result is that on large parts of such slopes the cutting destroys the forest conditions so that fdanting becomes impossible. This point, however, may be looked at in another way. Under any system of nat- ural reproduction the valuable Shinoki would be crowded out by the inferior Shiba on account of the poor power of reproduction of the Shinoki and ex- cellent reproduction of the Shiba. Hence, from a strictly financial point of view, it may pay better to get a patchy forest of Shinoki than a solid one of Shiba. IV TRAININC. Before taking up the state forests it will be well to give some idea of the kind of training which foresters re- ceive in Japan. There is no regular forest school as such, but forestry is taught as one of four parallel courses in the College of Agriculture in the University of Tokyo. The four parallel courses are: (i) Agri- culture, (2) agricultural chemistry, (3) forestry, and (4) veterinary medi- cine. Of course, this is the same thing as having a forest school. The staff consists of five professors, three assistant professors, and one lec- turer on law. These men are for for- estry alone, not for the other courses as well. The course extends over three years, covering very completely all the sub- jects in technical forestry, and the al- lied sciences. Before entering the for- estry course, a man must have been three years in a "higher school." Thi> is not like our "high schools," but much more advanced, more like our ordinary colleges. A man is generally about twenty when he graduates from one of these higher schools and enters the uni- versity. Thus the course in forestry is practically a post-graduate one and is built on a good, broad foundation. In addition to the four parallel courses mentioned above, there are three sub- sidiary courses in agriculture, forestry, and veterinary medicine. For forestrv this subsidiary course extends over three years, has the same staff of in- structors as the higher course, and prac- tically the same subjects. The only difference is that the three years in the higher school are not required before entering (admission being by competi- tive examination), and therefore there is not the same foundation to build on. Unfortunateh', there is a rush for the subsidiary course, three times as many applying as can be admitted, while there are not enough for the higher course. The courses, both higher and subsid- iary, are all influenced by German methods, and even a certain amount of teaching is in the German language. All the technical phraseology is German. The university is very fortunate in the matter of college forests, owning five in all, aggregating 206,509 acres. Of these, one of 5,421 acres is within easy reach of Tokyo, and serves for giving the men practical field training. Of the others, one of 57,000 acres is on the Island of Hokkaido, or Yezo, to the north, and serves only as a field for special investigations of the individual students or professors, and the other, of 144,000 acres, is on the Island of For- mosa, and is practically untouched. Alost of the vacations are spent in tour- ing through the different forests of the country. Imperial Forests ol Kiso. An Example ol Too Rigid Application of the Syslrni o( Clear Culling and Planting. Steep Slope Clear Cut, Where There Should Be Protection Forest (Page 732) Stale Forest ot Takahagi. Slopes Formerly Bare, Now Planted wiih Shinoki (Page 7311) 736 CONSERVATION The whole university, as well as the higher schools (which are attended only by men who are going to enter the uni- versity) are government institutions. Therefore, a man is admitted directly from the forestry course into the gov- ernment service without further exam- inations. In addition to the forest courses in the University of Tokyo, every province has a forest school. These are much higher than ordinary ranger schools. The one seen, in Yamato Province, near the private for- ests of Yoshino, was a combination agricultural and forest school with 200 students, about equally divided between the two branches (forestry and agricul- ture). The course took three years, and took in a large proportion of the necessary subjects. Thus it can be seen that forest edu- cation is well advanced in Japan. V STy\TE FORESTS Historical A very brief outline of the history of forestry in Japan will serve to give an idea of its i)Osition to-day. Under the old regime (the feudal system) rigid rules for protection and careful utilization were enforced in all forests, ])rivate as well as those be- longing to the Daimyos. At the time of the restoration of the Mikado and abolition of the feudal system these strict rules were largely done away witii, on ])rivate land at least, and con- siderable cutting was carried on. The state took over all the forests belonging to the Daimyos, but there was consider- able confusion between the boimdaries of these different Daimyo forests and l)etween the Daimyo and private forests. To remedy this a plan was drawn up in 1890, called the "First Adjustment Program." P.y this plan the state holdings were to be consolidated by the sale of small, isolated bodies of forest of under 150 acres in extent and of land, whether forested or not, which was more suitable for agriculture than 'The planting which is paid for oiil of the areas. The regular planting following the cutt tion for the running expenses of the forests. for forestry. This program was to extend over fifteen years, from 1890 to 1904. In 1898 the program was re- vised and a special fund created from the proceeds of these sales. This fund was to be used in carrying on the work of adjustment, and demarcating the boundaries of the forests and purchas- ing such forests as were required, in mapping the forests, marking working plans, planting demuled areas and in permanent improvement. This fund will amount to $11,500,000 in fifteen years, during which time it is expected that the work (readjustment, working plans, permanent improvements, etc.) will be completed. At present most of the forests have been demarcated and mapped, and have working plans made for them. The work of permanent im- provement and planting denuded areas ^ is being vigorously pushed and will also soon be completed. This work is under a special branch in the P>ureau of For- estry. Oi^i^aiii.cafiflii The main organization is practically identical with that of our own Forest Service. The Pureau of Forestry is under the Department of Commerce and Agriculture. There is a central office (Sin-rin-kioku) at Tokyo. The whole country is divided into ten major of- fices (Dai-rin-kuchos), corrosponding to our dictricts. lender each major office are a number of minor offices (Sho-rin-kuchos), 300 in all, corres- ponding to our National Forests. The head of the P)ureau, Mr. Kami- yama, is a lawyer, as are also two of the ten heads of the major offices. The whole force consists of : twenty-six secretaries, men who have for the most part had a higher training in law at the University of Tokyo ; ninety-eight higher trained men, 997 lower trained men (from the subsidiary forest course, or perhaps a provincial forest school), ()70 ordinary clerks, and 1,428 rangers and guards. The higher trained men are generally in the major offices, or special fund is only the planting of denuded ings is paid for out of the regular appropria- Iinpcridl Forests nf Kiso. One of t Series ol Stops Built on a Steep Slope for Logging, with llie Partly Completed Slide Being Built Up into the Stop (Page 7^) Private Forests of Yosfiino. A Thirty'vcafold Plantation of Sfilnoki ( Cliaimecypris ohhisa) Just Thinned (Page 730) 738 CONSERVATION This has an area of 60,000 acres cov- ering- part of a range of more or less gently sloping, rounded hills near the coast, with an elevation of from just above sea level to about 1,600 feet. It is practically all either poor, deciduous forest or bare slopes. When the forest was taken over by the state ten years ago 18,000 acres had been planted by the former management. During the , ,. r , ^^ ^ ^ M ten vears in which the Government has tection torests, no matter to whom they u^a' ,i,^,.„^ .^ ^^^ 1 u , , o . ' . . • ^ 1 J 'i^d charge 30,000 acres have been belong; (c) policmg of private lands ,o^„f^,i ,, wi ,. ^ 1 ^ ^i • , , ^ ^ ^ \ /JN 11- planted, and thev expect to plant the (agamst trespass, etc.) ; (a) deahng • • - • ', r ,1 •f, r ^ ^ ^- \ \ 1 • remammg 12,000 m the course of the with forest corporations; [e) admin- districts, and the lower trained men gen- erally in the minor offices, or forests. The organization of the different branches is somewhat different from ours. They have six branches : 1. Finance, personnel, and miscel- laneous business. 2. Supervision of private forests. This branch takes in : (a) Cooperation with private owners; (h) care of pro- istration of forest law on all forests ; (/) education. 3. Works: {a^ Planting plans: (h) lumbering (all cutting is done by the government) ; (c) the disposition of all the products of state forests. 4. For the adjustment of state forests (this is only a temporary branch hav- ing charge of the work being done under the adjustment program, and next three years. The important thing to be seen at Takahagi was the large state nursery, the largest in Japan. It has an area of 150 acres and a capacity of 8,000,000 plants per annum. The species are mostly Shinoki (ChaiiKvcyf^n's obtitsa) and Cryptomeria (Cryptoincria Japon- ica) with a mixture of pine, chestnut, and elm. It supplies five other state for- will be done away with as soon as this ests in addition to Takahagi. A striking feature of the nursery is the fact that Ijoth Shinoki and Cryptomeria arc transplanted cirry year. The object is first to make the roots grow, and secondly, so as to save space, because labor is eheapcr than land rent. This fact is verv significant of the whole work is completed) : (a) Investiga- tion, surveying, and making working ])lans ; (b) distinguishing between for- est and agricultural land, and disposing of the latter; (c) planting denuded areas. 5. Protection and management of state forests (corresponds to our branch situation in Ja])an. Labor is cheap and of operation) : (a) Supervision of major and minor offices: (b) protec- tion and management; (c) dealing with profit-sharing plantations ;' (d) investi- gation and giving back of private lands wrongfully taken from the people at the time of the Restoration in 1868; (c) dealing with litigations, both judi- cial and administrative. 6. Experiment station: (a) Utiliza- tion of forest proflucc : (b) forestrv proper (silviculture) ; (r) collections of things made from forest materials, and of birds, insects, etc. STATK FOREST OF TAKAHAGI The first state forest visited was that of Takahagi. in the Tokyo Dai-rin- kucho (major office).* land is dear, due to the over-crowded condition of the whole country. The cost of raising the ])lants is only $2 per thousand for Cryptomeria and $2.20 for Shinoki. In planting, they used to s|)ace five by five, but now they put them in six by six feet. Three-vear-old ' ]:)Iants are used. On account of the chea]) labor (20 cents a day for a man ])utting in 450 ])lants) the total cost of ])]anting is only $3.10 per acre. Cleanings must be done in the planta- tions every year for five years at a cost of c;o cents per acre per annum. The working plan seems to be very closely modelled on the German plans, even more so than the one at Kiso. There are four sei)arate parts to it, all in tabulated form: (i) The prelimi- ^The Government has authority to prohibit cutting- on any private forest. 'It used to be the practise to allow mdividuals to plant state lands for a share of the profits. This is being done away with on account of the litigations to which it gave rise. There is a major office (district headquarters) in Tokyo, as well as the central office. FORESTRY IN JAPAN 739 nary plan, giving all the data; (2) the main working plan, giving the basis of the cutting and planting plans; (3) the cutting plan, giving also the prescrip- tions as to what to do with the area, and (4) the planting plan. STATE FORESTS OF UECHIMABE The forest of Uechimabe is in the Aomori Dai-tin-kucho (district) at the very northernmost end of the main island of Japan. It has an area of 16,000 acres covering part of a range of liills which runs parallel to the coast. These hills are steep in the middle, about up to 300 or 1,000 feet elevation, and more gentle on their outer edges, with a flat strip of rice fields from two to five miles wide between them and the shore. The forest was of practically pure Shiba (Tluijoposis dolobrafa) except for occasional patches where mixed hardwoods, beech, maple, etc., would be found. The stand is more or less even aged, with excellent reproduction wherever openings occur. Under the Daimyos the forest had been lightly cut over, and just enough taken out to make small openings in which there is abundant reproduction. The management has taken advantage of this fact and prescribed a system of natural reproduction, the only case of natitral reproduction seen in Japan. The system used is an ada])tation of Schlich's Shelterwood Compartment system with three cuttings and a period of repro- duction of twenty years. They are sup- posed to wait five years between the first and second cuttings, and fifteen \ears between the second and third. As a matter of fact they admit that they will have to make one or more thin- nings between the second and third cut- tings unless the second cutting is made rather heavy, which would be bad, be- cause it would favor the hardwoods against the Shiba. In general, they have considered the fellings made by the Daimyos as the first cuttings, and are now carrying out the second and third. Blanks are planted up with Cryptoiueria. The system is really an excellent one if properly carried out. The trouble is that they have unwisely left tbe markings to mitraincd guards, with disastrous re- sults in some cases. If this kind of marking is continued the system will have to be abandoned in favor of clear cutting and planting. It is probabU' that this will be (kme sooner or later. The working ])lan, though made by a man who had only the subsidiary for- est course in the Universitv of Tokyo, slK)wed a good deal of care and skill. The whole forest had been map]ied and divided into working circles, Idocks, and coni])artments. The com- partments were based on topography, and are for convenience in estimating and location. Tliey were made before the estimate and then used as units in estimating, each being estimated sep- arately. The rotation is 100 years, with a felling period of twenty years. The object is to obtain sustained yield by cutting equal areas and equal volume. For tliis purpose five site qualities arc (listinguislie (district), just .■;outh of the Aomori Dai-rin-kucho. .\s with most of the forests of Ja]ian, it is in a mountainous region, some of the hills being rather high and .steep. This forest is famotis for containing one of the finest bodies of virgin Crvptonieria in Japan. It is a solid body of about 40.000 acres in extent, of large, mature Cryptomcria. remarkablv even-aged, averaging thirty inches or more in diameter at breast height by about sixty feet, merchantable length. The stand would run from forty to fifty thousand board-feet per acre through- out the whole tract. There arc a few patches of hardwoods on the edge of the forest, but these are comparatively insignificant. 740 CONSERVATION The working plan, which was made seven years ago, is an excellent piece of work with a remarkably good map, as gootl as any to be found in Ger- many. It prescribes a system of clear cutting and planting with a ninety-five rear rotation. The trouble is that the forest is situated within eight miles of the Kosaka copper mine, the largest in Jai)an, which gives off fumes of SO" (su'lpluu- dioxide) gas to such an ex- tent that all the timber within that part of the forest nearest the mine has been killed. The working plan was re- vised five years ago so as to exclude that part of the forest which was being injured. But the damage was so great that the ])lan had to be revised again last year to exclude a still larger area. At present they have practically had to abandon the working plan entirely anil devote their cutting operations to the areas most badly damaged. Of course, it is useless to replant the cut-over areas under such circumstances. They are carrying on experiments with a large mnuber of native and foreign species to find something which will resist the fumes. The only si)ecies so far found is the Nara (Qiicrciis grosserafa), a kind of ash of little commercial value. The}' sa)', however, that the production of timber is of minor importance so long as they can keep a protective cov- ering on the slopes. The mine authori- ties are oft'ering rewards for a process which will do away with the fumes. L^nless some such ])rocess is soon dis- covered, the whole forest of Naga- kizawa is doomed. VI CONCLUSION It is probable that the forests seen were the finest ones, not typical of the general average in the country, because one state forest seen on a special trip, not on the itinerary made out by the chief of the bureau, comprised large areas of poor, scrubby hardwoods lib- erally interspersed with blanks. ( The grazing problem in Japan is noticeable by its absence, because there are practically no cattle in the whole country. Hence the revenue is derived only from the sale of forest material.) Tile ordinary expenditures for iqo8- 1909 were $2,199,000. This is from an appropriation which is put in the regu- lar budget and voted on by the cham- ber. The extraordinary expenses, for working plans, planting denuded areas, permanent improvements, etc., were $1,323,500, derived from the sale of isolated pieces of land. And the net revenue amounted to $5,000,000, a very striking figure when we think of the comparatively small area of their for- ests ; that is, compared with ours. It shows the enormous profits to be de- rived from well-managed forests in a thickly settled country, a thing which we hope to have in the United States some day. One of the finest and most instructive things about Japan is that a large part of the absolute forest land, that is, land unfit for agriculture, belongs to the state. Sucli of it as is now bare is being rapidly planted up, so that it will soon all be productive. The absolute forest land in the hands of private in- dividuals can be controlled by the state if necessary, but is managed by the owners as permanent forest under sci- entific principles. This is a state of affairs which is dif- ficult for the ordinary American of to- day to realize. But it is one which, the sooner it is understood and adopted, the better it will be for the future welfare of the whole country. Forestry has been called the "yard- stick" of civilization. Judged by this standard, Japan is one of the most highly civilized nations in the world to-day. The South's Concern in the Appalachian Project and How to Make Its Influence Felt By JOHN H. FINNEY, Secretary Appalachian National Forest Association THE Appalachian Forest Project, is non-agricultural, is the natural home that proposed plan whereby the of the hardwoods, where they most National Government shall ac- flourish and best grow, and where, in quire a forest area in the Southern the main, o;//v trees can grow ; (6) that Appalachians of about 5,000,000 acres here is contained practically the only lying at the headwaters of the impor- remaining stand of hardwoods in the tant southern streams, is no new thing. Nation ; (c) that here is practically the In one form or another, as a great only remaining source of supply of "National Park," "National Forest Re- hardwoods for the future; and equally serve," etc., it has been proposed for as important, (d) that this area is being nearly twenty-five years ; it has been be •• cut and devastated as rapidly as lum- fore the Congress for the past ten years bering skill and ample capital can do at almost every session, asking for na- it, and that a continuance of these op- tional recognition as a national duty erations, under present conditions and owed by the Nation to itself. It has, at the present rate, means the practical in all this time, received the earnest extinction of this whole timber area and support and indorsement of patriotic industry in from fifteen to twentv men, women, and national leaders years ! everywhere, of associations, scientists, The second fact of the South's con- engineers, geologists, agriculturists, cern is that this vast area lying in eight foresters, commercial bodies, naviga- states is an interstate problem involv- tion, power, and manufacturing inter- ing, were it solely an intrastate duty ests, almost without number. Testimony to be performed by the states, the simul- that cannot be disputed as to the value taneous cooperation of these eight sep- of it ; as to its vital necessity to the arate states, to render any action cf- South and to the Nation, has been fective — but it is more than that ; for piled up in an absolutely convincing while the states do have a grave duty manner, that this area should be ac- and a heavy responsibility (which they quired — two Presidents of the United must in time assume in forest con- States have earnestly recommended and servation), the largest duty rests on worked for it. the Nation, because of its guardianship The only unconvinced body seems to of the streams, be the Congress of the United States ! See how this is true in just one il- Let us look into the basis for the lustration: In North Carolina rise the South's concern : The first, because important streams such as the Broad, most obvious, is the timber question. the Wateree, Pedee, Saluda, Pacolct, The South contains, in its 234,000,000 Tugaloo, Savannah, etc. Their head- acres of timber lands, nearly one-half waters are not navigable ; they are small of the Nation's remaining, and its most streams in North Carolina: and, while valuable, timber. It contains, in the useful for some power in North Caro- largest portion of the 75,000,000 acres lina, they reach their greatest useful- lying within the Appalachian range, ness for power and their use for navi- four important timber facts: gation solely within, and for the bene- (a) That this area, which in the main fit of, South Carolina. Surely, North 3 741 Reproduction of Hardwood Forest in the Southern Appilachians. The Large Trees Have Supplied the Seed from Which the Smaller Ones Have Grown Scene in a Typical Longleaf.'pine Forest 744 CONSERVATION Carolina cannot reasonably be expected to tax herself with the large investment involved in the purchase of the forest cover of these streams for the benefit of her sister state. And these same condi- tions apply to the whole problem, whether it be one state or another in which this forest area lies. Were all these eight states so altru- istically inclined as to work out an ef- fective cooperative plan, the lack of money in all our southern states, and the tremendous task of getting funds appropriated, through bonds or other- wise, would prevent effective action un- til too late. The National Government is obvi- ously, as the guardian of the navigable streams, the natural and proper guar- dian of the headwaters of these same streams, and under either the commerce clause or the general welfare clause of the Constitution has ample power and authority to act, if and when it so WILLS ! It, only, has the money. It, only, can so promptly act as to save the forests before their total destruction. It, only, can intelligently handle and patrol the area thus set aside so as to most fully utilize it and make it effectively per- form its varied functions. The next fact in the South's concern is brought about through considering the forest functions in other matters than a timber supply, or its effect on navigation. These functions have to deal with the even more important for- est influences, as water-power, water supply, agriculture, health, and climate. We need not go into great detail ; we know, who know southern conditions, that the controlling factors in the mak- ing of the South into a manufacturing section rest on four fundamental facts : (i) Climate, which enables us to grow, (2) cotton, on (3) fertile soil, and (4) cheap water-power. These things are intimately bound up with the forest question, for without the forest the climate changes, the soil erodes and washes away, the cotton field becomes a barren waste, and the water-power is ruined through dam- aging floods or prolonged droughts. Can a picture such as this be com- placently regarded by the man who knows and loves the present fair and prosperous Southland ? Can he imagine what these conditions will mean to the coming-generation South (nay, indeed to the present one !) ; for these condi- tions are not merely future possibilities nor the imaginings of dreamers or View Showing Effect of a Forest Fire. The Branches and Smaller Trees'Bent and Twisted by the Intense Heat (Page 741) c UJ c Cascadei Near Head of Catawba River. There Are Hundreds of Cjscadss a? Biautiful as Tliis in the Southern Appalachians. As Long as These Mountain Forests Are Preserved These Streams Have a Regular Flowi United Th«y Furnish the Water-powers Which Operate the Factories Valued at Increasing Millions (Page 741) Wreck of a Railroad Bridge, Doe River. Tennessee (Page 744) A Flooded Farm— Orchards and Fields Under Water, With Residence and Outbuildings Threatened (Page 744) 748 CONSERVATION pessimists, but are the sober words of warning of students and engineers and scientists who know, and who have testified to their knowledge of condi- tions before Congressional committees time and time again in language as ear- nest and unmistakable as this. It is likewise a sober statement of fact, that, should the Appalachian for- est disappear, as it must and will if some action be not taken by the Na- tion, the very life of the South is at stake — its prevision and patriotism a sham, its civilization a misnomer. Is it an unreasonable thing that we are asking of the Government? The Government's ability to do it is unques- tioned ; it is spending millions in irri- gating western arid lands ; it owns and is splendidly handling and conserving 172,000,000 acres of western forest lands ; it is spending millions in river and harbor improvement ; it is main- taining many agencies for the better- ment of the Nation, and is wisely do- ing all these things. Is not the Appalachian project in the same class — nay, is it not even more important than some of them, in the light of conditions that can only be de- scribed as critical? This thing must be done now. Do- ing it now means that the National Government shall lead in a work that requires national leadership, a leader- ship that will finally compel the states to act in respect to the wide field cov- ered by their duty to the forest ques- tion. To-day, no southern state has an acre in state forests ; no southern state is making a serious effort to get one, but, when the states have an adequate dem- onstration and object-lesson of this size, that forest conservation is sane and possible and profitable, surely all the states must finally resolve to have state forest areas under competent for- esters ; must enact adequate fire laws ; must properly tax forest lands, and must do such other things as are neces- sary to the perpetuation of the South's large and enormously valuable timber area now in the hands and under the sole control of individual owners bent on cutting them ! Whether the cost of this to the Na- tional Government be five millions or more matters little, for it can be wisely spent as a national investment, yield- ing satisfactory yearly financial returns, quite regardless of the actual benefits to the South and to the Nation that can- not be measured in dollars and cents. Dollars spent now mean the avoid- ance of hundreds of dollars later in costly reforestation plans such as France has undertaken ; each day of delay makes the problem more difficult, more expensive — the situation more critical, the menace more alarming ! It being a thing that the Nation must finally do as a matter of self-protection, if no higher motive actuates it, it should do it nozv, and it can be brought about. if the South acts, and makes its influ- ence felt. In the last Congress there was taken, on March i, a vote on the Weeks-Lever forestry bill, a comprehensive and wise measure, general in form, providing for the purchase by the Government of for- est areas at the headwaters of navi- gable streams. This bill did not specifically name the Appalachian or White Mountain proj- ects, but it was generally understood that the bill was framed primarily in the interests of these two great national reserves, as being the most urgently needed areas in the way of water pro- tection. Of the many measures presented in Congress in the ten years of attempted legislation on this question, the Weeks- Lever bill was not only the best and most comprehensive, but it alone, of the several Appalachian bills, came to an issue on the floor of the House. It passed the House by a vote of 157 to 147, but (because of lack of time) failed in the Senate. How did the South vote on a matter of such vital concern to itself? This is the record : The fourteen southern states— Maryland to Texas, including Arkansas — had 119 votes. They were cast as follows : For the measure, 53 ; against the measure, 36 ; not voting, 30. Thirty-six southern men actively against the project — some of them sav- u u Q 8 o C - < i. >■ ^ o — e U. c ^ U 750 CONSERVATION agely attacking it — with thirty so in- different that their votes were not re- corded at all. Look at the details: State Ayes Maryland 3 Virginia 7 West Virginia 2 Kentucky 5 Tennessee 6 North Carolina 7 South Carolina 4 Georgia 2 Florida o Alabama 6 Mississippi 2 •Louisiana 4 Arkansas 2 Texas 3 Totals 53 Not Noes votnig 0 3 I 2 0 3 3 3 4 0 2 I I 2 6 3 0 3 2 I 3 3 I I 2 3 II 2 36 30 This is the record as it stands, and, frankly speaking, as it will probably stand, in the next Congress and in suc- ceeding ones, unless the South can prod indifference into action, and change misrepresentation into representation. Contrasted with the vote of New England on the same measure, where, out of a total of twenty-seven votes, twenty-six voted aye and only one is recorded as not voting, there need be no hesitancy on the part of intelligent and patriotic southerners in character- izing the vote of our southern repre- sentatives as a reflection on the intelli- gence of the South and a disregard of the South's best interests. It is not a record to be proud of (and it is said by a southern man), and it should mean such an arousing of the South as will give the Weeks-Lever or a similar bill in the next session a ma- jority that comprises every southern man in Congress ! It should further mean that the South is determined to have this forest area ; that it will closely follow proposed for- estry legislation in the next session : *!'* »»,♦#""*'- »■'* "»,-«'9«"' rr^;y^..r;i.v"?'yyg.'^T^p';::?'"j'!-'^py '- ' -'"f. "r«yA^i*''^i|l'^ ' Bluffs on New River Forty Feet High at a Point About Eighty Feet Below Sea^level, New River Channel Rises Above Sca^level and Disappears at 280 Feet Below SOUTH'S CONCERN IN APPALACIIIAX PROJECT 751 that it will impress its wishes upon its congressmen ; that it will attend in overwhelming- numbers (as New Eng- land does) any congressional-committee "hearing" given on the bills; that each individual in the South believing in the necessity and the righteousness of the South's demand for action in this mat- ter will pledge himself to the forest cause and aid actively in this work. We can win the fight at this session of Congress, but it depends on what the South does, and the South, in its final analvsis, means ^'OU. Illustration of a F.nish Fight Between a Live Oak and a Grapevine In a North Carolina Fore.t A BEGINNER IN FORESTRY By Anne warner Paper Six WHEN we returned on the 25th of January the winter had fallen thick and white upon Brunswick. The view from the Burgberg- was no longer of toy vil- lages set out on a patch-work quilt of greens and browns ; it had now be- come toy villages set out on a shining sheet of silvery snow with sunny lit- tle trees dotted pin-like in many di- rections. So pretty every day ! So wonderful when storms came drifting out of the gray north ! And presently we — indoors or out — found ourselves in the midst of a blinding snow that whirled and swept and reeled about, and then after fifteen minutes of fury, sailed sweetly and calmly away. As the little girl, the poodle, and I all huddled together against a big tree during one of the fiercest of these blows it came to me what "with no other shelter than a tree" really meant. Uncivilized races feel first and try to explain what they feel as they learn language, but we civilized people are so well educated that we can clescribe everything without knowing anything about it. I have even been given to understand that some hold that know- ing about things places easy speakers at a real disadvantage. I can hardly believe that, but I do feel keenly the inadequacy of words after you arc thoroughly permeated by the real feel- ing. When I was in London and longed, with a heart-sick loneliness that no one believed in, for the forest, I found myself looking in despair on those who never would understand. Now I am back in it and life and language, trees, and my soul, run smoothly abreast again. The gray, and 752 brown, and purple lights and shadows lie quiet and wait for us to come to them, and when we go there the wide silence, the soft snow, the little black flowing streams, gurgling under its icy coat, the tiny new green things pierc- ing upward — they are all ready with a welcome. The forest is so full of inter- est in its wildest form — and here it is so full of its life with men. Such a wonderful inter-weaving ! As we go along in the still quiet we come sud- denly on the wood cutters — or on the long rows of cut and piled wood. The trees were marked before we went away. They were felled while we were absent. The largest were chained on wagons and drawn to the railroad. The next were sawed with long, thin hand- saws worked by two men each, and then corded up for sale. The smallest were cut and trimmed and swathed to- gether in long, curious hedge-like piles. The waste and twigs the poor received gratis. For a fortnight the drawing away has been going on, and I cannot see that the trees are thinned out at all. The head forester conducted the wood sale here in the little Kurhans ten days ago. It was a bitter cold day and they borrowed the oil stove out of my guest room so that the head forester would not freeze while he sold wood. I wish it were possible for more chil- dren at home to learn the winter life in the woods. Most children get under the trees in the summer, but compara- tively few in the winter. The winter is just as full of interest as the loveliest possible summer season if one can only get a chance to enjoy it. We've been amused to see that the mole digs along under the snow exactly as if it were A BEGINNER IN FORESTRY 753 earth ; we've found patches out in the open where the rabbits have evidently held either a parliament or a ball, the deer make their own convenient short cuts and keep them in trim, and the pheasants when they fly low do not trouble to carry their heavy tails, but let them train on the snow. It is so droll to see where a pheasant came quietly along, where he stopped and scratched up some dinner, where he jumped about a bit to warm his feet, and then wdiere he flew lazily ofif, drag- ging his tail. One of the most interesting studies in a w^ell-brought-up forest is the tre- mendous part played by the fallen leaves. When a tree is wastefully cut it isn't just its wood and its future growth that are lost — it's also all that annual crop of fallen leaver. What the leaves here do is a never-ceasing won- der to me. Not to speak of the joy it gave us to kick them as we \valked all through October and November, or their lovely likeness to a plum-cake too thinly iced, often, now, they do such a vast amount of real labor in every thaw that I am forever amazed. The object- lesson in the prevention of floods is one that I shall never forget again. There was a large, low place out of which a little stream meandered across a road and into a small hollow. The stream was very slow and feeble as it was choked with leaves, and Nanna took a stick and s])ent some time making a free channel. Then she and I wan- dered farther on and, returning in half an hour, found our stream again blocked, ^^'e soon learned that we couldn't free it. the leaves allowed the water to filter through and that was all. The fallen leaves are the cook and the nurse and the personal bodyguara of everv tree, and, like everything else in this world, they cannot do their duty well by one without doing a great good indirectly to uountless others. As the davs go on and I fail to find time to learn all the technical knowl- edge that I so crave, I do find that, in- directly, I am learning anyhow. As a little child learns to love books by playing in a library, so I find myself gradually becoming a somewhat experi- enced forester just by being very happy for two hours dail\- in the Lichienber- ger Wald. THEODORE ROOSEVELT Dynamic Geographer By FRANK BUFFINGTON VROOMAN, F. R, G, S, (Concluded) COORDINATION A FAIR question to ask in esti- mating the value of any service, public or private, is "How would it have been with us otherwise?" What the country was without the Reclama- tion Service we have seen who knew the arid West years ago. What Amer- ican agriculture would have been with- out national interference one could imagine who knows what farming was a generation ago. What the land would have been without a National Forest Policy the average man cannot imagine. Under the laws for which Mr. Roosevelt was responsible a hun- dred and twenty million acres of the public domain have been set aside to be held in public ownership for the public good, making 168,000,000 acres in all of Forest Reserve. In connec- tion with this ac^ of administration he sounded the note for the whole con- servation policy. "It is consistent," he said, "to give' to every portion of the public domain its highest possible amount of use." This large domain is now held for development and use. These reserves are for the i)eople. The land-skinner was abroad. It became necessary for Mr. Roosevelt, when he came to office, not only to set aside the Forest Reserve, but to take the most vigorous measures to se- cure bona fide settlers in their rights, and to prosecute those who had unlaw- fully taken the land. During a period of five years of this administration, fences were removed unlawfully en- closing public land from 3.518,583 acres, and suits have been recom- mended on other actions, and steps 754 taken to remove such enclosures, from more than an equal amount. During the administration something like a hundred thousands pounds have been collected by the Government for timber trespass on the public lands, and legal proceedings taken involving trespasses of half a million pounds. During this time, there has been secured in public land cases, involving perjury, subor- nation of perjury, conspiracy, forgery, false affidavits, timber trespasses, and unlawful enclosures, 3,096 indictments, 871 convictions, with 251 prison sen- tences with many indictments awaiting trial. During the same period 7,874 fraudulent land entries have been can- celled, restoring over a million and a quarter acres to the public domain. It was also found that large tracts of public coal lands were being illegally obtained. The President at once took measures to ascertain the extent and value of the coal areas, and the Geolo- gical Survey was directed to classify and value coal lands. It has been found that the Government still owns between seventy and eighty millions of acres of known coal fields of the We.st. The President immediately withdrew from all entry 67,000,000 acres of this land, and the Geological Survey fixed the ])rices at from two to twenty ])ounds sterling, wliicli had hitherto been illegally acquired at from five shillings to four pounds per acre. This economic work of the administration, on the basis of the actual field investi- gation of the coal geologists of the Survey, has not only increased but has multiplied many times the return to the THEODORE ROOSEVELT 755 Government from the sales thereof, and has prevented monopoly of the coal fields. Another very interesting^ item con- nected with these economic investiga- tions is the act providing for fuel and structural material tests passed four years ago. For example, the Survey has demonstrated the important fact that the low-grade bituminous coals and lignites, of wdiich there are tens of millions of acres, formerly considered of but little, if any, economic value, can l)e converted into gas and used as gas fuel, with double the efficiency pos- sible under the steam boiler. The item that ten millions of acres of coal have been doubled in value and made a na- tional asset by one little scientific ex- periment successfully concluded by a Government bureau could be duplicated in many other illustrations. Under the new arrangements the mineral and agricultural and timber re- sources are available to the settler with strict provisions against waste. Throughout these large areas of the public " domain, the Government has made large expenditures for roads, trails, bridges, houses, telephone lines, fire-fighting accessories, and other needs and conveniences. The principle involved in the Roose- velt Conservation Policy, while car- ried out on strictly historical lines, and strictly constitutional principles, is, in its practical and in its political efifect, almost revolutionary. While the Gov- ernment is owner of these hundreds of millions of acres, it is not as the ordi- nary landowner. If owned by private interests the resources would be wasted in the interest of the immediate profit. At least, such is the verdict of experi- ence. And it is because of such a ver- dict that a hundred and sixty-eight mil- lion acres have been withdrawn from private ownership to start a real f^ithlic domain and for the common good. .\ fair beginning! These resources are to be developed, not in the interest of the Government as landlord, but in the in- terest of the present population and their posterity forever, with the Gov- ernment as trustee. Mr. Roosevelt has constantly insisted upon the most exhaustive and scientific investigation of all the water resources of the country. During the past year over 500 stations have been main- tained to determine the average flow of the rivers toward their utiliza- tion in irrigation, drainage, and power, and for the development of inland navigation. The integrity of the great irrigation works, built and being built by the United States Government, depends on the scientific accuracy and thoroughness with which the hydrographic surveys have been made. The division of Hydrology or Hydro- geology of the United States Geological Survey, which was organized on Janu- ary I, 1903, deals with underground waters, on the same principles as the division of Hydrography deals with surface waters, and strictly scientific investigations were begun at once in about two-thirds of the states or terri- tories. The work is divided into six departments — the bibliographical, sta- tistical, technical, legal, scientific, and economic. The scientific work seeks to solve such problems as the measure- ment of direction and rate of under- flow by electrical apparatus ; to make experimental field investigations of the general movement of ground water ; to study the general movement of sprinc: water; the relation of topography to underground drainage in regions of soluble rocks. The "economic" deals principally with reports and maps on the location and extent of water- bearing horizons, the depth of water below the surface, and the height to which it will rise, the (juality and quan- tity of the supplies, and problems re- lating to i)urity or pollution of the ground waters. In close connection with tlii- work, also, are the features of rainfall, texture of water-bearing materials, and of adja- cent land surfaces. The economic results to be obtained from such studies depend also on the general topography, the main direction and velocity of ground waters, etc.. in 756 CONSERVATION order to furnish a basis for a requisite thorough knowledge of topography. The Geological Survey is construct- ing a complete topographical map of the United States, in sheets of about 250 square miles, one of which is issuing every third day. Nearly 2,000 of these sheets have already been engraved, and already more than one- third of the United States has been covered. This will be as complete a map as any in the world. It is the aim to do this work so thoroughly that one may be able to trace the course of every stream, and locate every mountain and hill, with accurate knowledge of steepness and altitudes with reference to making it equally valuable to the engineers of irrigation or drainage sys- tems or railroad extension, as well as to help the farmer who may wish to drain a swamp. To this sort of information the Geological Survey adds data, not only regarding rocks and soils exposed to the surface, but with remarkable accuracy shows what may be found at hundreds or even thousands of feet in depth. The mapping of the catchment basins presents problems which are both topo- graphic and geologic. The determina- tion of the geologic structure of the depth of water horizon and of the depth of flow of each water well are all of great value in outlining artesian areas, whose charts are reduced to folios which include topographic, geologic, and economic data, and are issued by the Geological Survey. It must be remembered that before anything definite was done, practically the whole problem had to be stated. An enormous preparatory work of scien- tific investigation must be laid down be- fore the engineering work of construc- tion could be even begun. To be sure, a great deal was already at hand, but in many fields it was pitifully inadequate. One must remember, also, that before Mr. Roosevelt's administrations began, public opinion in the United States as to the Government taking the initative, or assuming the responsibility of a great project like the Reclamation Service or the Forest Service, or the Inland Waterways Plan, was in a state of doubt or open hostility. And there are still other problems to solve. Experts must be called, each to make his contribution toward the solu- tion of the difficulties offered, from the ^lississippi Delta through to Lake ?\lichigan, and again from the muddy waters back to the very snow-drifts whence flow its primal supplies. There will be chemical problems, physical problems, geological problems, botan- ical problems and engineering problems. There will be projects of swamp and sanitary drainage, the making of reser- voirs for the developing of water power and for impounding potable waters and waters for irrigation and navigation supplies. There will be other works for protecting slopes, river banks, bot- tom lands, valleys, and plains, and for conserving their soils, and many other details and problems and all of them subsidiary to the great geographical con- ception of opening up and artificializing and controlling the entire interior em- pire of the United States and Canada, tributary to the Mississippi and the Great Lakes. The idea of state control, and the realization of the ethical possi- bilities under certain phases of state ownership, have grown more during the Roosevelt administration than in all the rest of the history of the United States put together. That Mr. Roosevelt has been able to -iccomplish so much of a definite and concrete nature which was dependent upon the technical surveys and investiga- tions of thousands of scientific experts, and get this vast mass of material to- gether and mapped out and organized and digested and transmuted into its proper engineering channels ; that he i-;as been able practically to educate the Nation on the subject, or put it in the way of being educated ; that he has been able not only to get so many con- crete engineering works accomplished, but that he has been able to inaugurate so much of ethical legislation, and ethical administration, straight away in the line of the enlargement and morali- zation of the sphere of the State and tlie extension of the sovereignty of the THEODORE ROOSEVELT 757 State over the sphere of private exploi- tation, is one of the astonishing things to those who know the intensity of the individuahsm of the American people in all the achievements of modern American history. President Eliot said at Harvard quite recently, "American people are oppor- tunists ; they will adopt institutions, socialistic or not, if they are practical, but they will not follow an idea beyond the stage where it becomes inefficient." All of this, and more, is exactly true, and President Eliot might have said that until the Roosevelt administration the American people were not, and even to-day are not, willing to follow an idea as far as it is efficient, or else they hesi- tated to make any new application of the idea, on the principle of keeping out of the water until they knew how to swim. But the time has come when policies no longer answer. The oppor- tunist temper is inadequate. We want an idea. World-making is no piece- meal, laissez-faire, individualist job. The Roosevelt work is of one piece. It shows one mind and one idea. It re- quires that one mind and that one idea in the coordination of scientific efifort, in the direction of the investigation and observations for data, in the application of one administration toward the utili- zation of these data, and the framing of a single engineering scheme for its support by the National Government — nothing less. The control of rivers and harbors cannot intelligently be left in the hands of one set of men in one de- partment of the Federal Government, and that of the control of water sources and supplies left in another department of the Federal Government. This great work is of one piece ; it should be administered as one scheme. A great and immediate need of the United States Government is a new Federal department. Mr. Roosevelt created the Department of Commerce and Labor. Perhaps Mr. Taft will create the Department of Public Works. Instead of being administered with more or less duplication and omission and economic loss by the Federal De- partments of Agriculture. War. Tnte- 4 rior, and Commerce and Labor, these functions, together with such new ones as are necesary, should be synthesized and coordinated under one Federal department. While the results already achieved by the Government are bril- liant, the mass of scientific data neces- sary to the intelligent administration of >uch a complicated scheme are still very meager and imperfectly correlated. So vast a scheme, upon which so many scientists and engineering experts are engaged, presents a complication and in- terrelation of problems which can be satisfactorily administered only by one department under the control of one mind according to one overruling idea. NATIONAL PROGRESS RATIONAL, NOT FORTUITOUS It should be apparent by this time that we have here a new kind of poli- tics. What we have all been taught heretofore, when, indeed, we have been taught anything on the subject, has been political science. Just what this is, nobody seems to have a very clear idea, and for the most part it has been confined to a classification of historical systems. Although it has been vaguely and erroneously confused with political philosophy, the two are as separate and distinct as either one is from the study of history. But here we have something differ- ent. Instead of. political science we liave scientific politics, and it seems to be what we have been waiting for a long time. To be sure, we can find scientific politics, as, for example, in Germany, where politics are rational and not for- tuitous. But in the Roosevelt scheme scientific politics is laid on democratic foundations, or, perhaps, what would be just as accurate to say, democracy has been laid on scientific foundations. This new movement seems to have come not a moment too soon in the evolution of civilization. A swift glance ahead lOO years with Asia in possession of our industrial and military secrets, with its own unequaled natural resources untouched and our own squandered, should occasion a 758 CONSERVATION diurnal nightmare for the incredible un- intelligence which refuses immediate expenditure of that £100,000,000 which will save £1,000,000,000 a year, and possibly the future of our race. The fu- ture belongs to those nations who own the soil and rule the sea — whose peo- ple shall have to use and not to abuse the natural resources of the earth. There is no future to any nation with- out these. The time has come in the history of western civilization for a new poli- tics. There is something wrong with our politics ; there is something the matter with our theory of life — Indi- vidualism. Anglo-Saxondom, in par- ticular, is losing ground, and on the racial escutcheon should be blazoned Waste. Individualism made the Anglo- Saxon great, but it cannot keep him great. Individualism has ceased to be true. Once we wanted protest — prot- estantism ; reform — reformation ; revolt — revolution. Now we want something else, something archetectonic — we want overmind — "oversoul." The infallible inspiration of the gospel of helter- skelter is succumbing to the higher crit- icism of the science of economic geog- raphy. For in the United States things can never be again as if Theodore Roosevelt had never been. He has not merely given us the idea; he has em- bodied the idea in an immortal, scien- tific achievement. His politics means that the principles of intelligence, sci- entifically applied to the physical condi- tions of life in North America, have not only made progress possible, but acceleration of that progress possible. It means the quintupHcation of the eco- nomic resources of the people of the great Mississippi Basin. It means the renaissance and enrichment of the South, and vast good to central Canada. It means this because one man had sense enough to know that things could not get themselves scientifically done by themselves ; that progress is rational, not fortuitous. What he has already achieved is the guarantee of what his scientific policies have promised, and a warrant for the hope which most Amer- ' Lecture delivered winter of 1830-31. icans have been holding in a dreamy way, but which a few great minds have foreseen as an accomplished thing in future time, of a superlative destiny for this new western world, this world of the morn and the dew, this world whose vast fallow and fecund wildernesses have lain so long in the dark, while suc- cessive civilizations have depleted the potentiality of the larger and antipodal hemisphere where so much of humanity has grown old and gray. "America," says Hegel, "is the land of the future, where, in the age that lies before us, the burden of the world's history shall reveal itself. * * * Jt is the land of desire for all those who are weary of the historical lumber-room of old Europe. Napoleon is reported to have said: 'Cette vicille Europe m'en- niiie.' It is for America to abandon the ground on which hitherto the history of the world has developed itself. What has taken place in the New World up to the present time is only an echo of the Old World — the expression of a foreign life.'" Mr. Roosevelt has worked out his idea on rational and constitutional and human lines. This was his task. His struggles for a square deal for the com- mon people have been successful. His geographical economics have been un- paralleled. But his chief distinction is that he has given an ethical and con- structive democracy a chance, for the first time on the Western Hemisphere, on principles which, avoiding both an- archy and socialism, shall conserve the ends of liberty, not merely as an end in itself, but as the condition of a na- tional moral perfection. Facing the failure of the democracy of individualism, already about re- duced to its lowest terms of economic slavery and financial despotism, and so- cialism ready to occupy the field by rea- son of sheer want of another, and more rational, program, he is the first Amer- ican statesman who has wrought into deeds a fundamental body of doctrine involving a rationalization and moral- ization of the American democracy. The foimdations of the new construct- THEODORE ROOSEVELT 759 ive democracy are geographical founda- tions. This democracy is organized and centralized, but it avoids the common dangers of centralization in that it is democracy, i. c, that it is self- government. It differs from the funda- mental idea of the old democracy of in- dividualism in that it is self-government in its corporate and public aspect. It is national self-government in those areas which concern the national and common good. For the very life of this democ- racy, and its fitness to survive, are bound up in the proposition that the whole people is fit to govern, can gov- ern, and does govern itself. A new era dawned in the United States with a sudden and almost revo- lutionary enlargement and moraliza- tion of the sphere of the State during this one administration. The National Government, qua National Government, has for the first time frankly acknowl- edged its own responsibilities in the matter of the commonwealth and the common good, and the whole American people have overwhelmingly supported the constitutional creed of Mr. Roose- velt to "promote the general welfare." The political significance of the con- servation policies is that under them the aegis of the Constitution has been thrown over an unpreempted area of human endeavor, that recognition has been given to the revolutionary doc- trine that people may better work to- gether than against each other for their common good: Results have been achieved undreamed of under laisses- faire. No section will profit so greatly as the new South, the stronghold of the democracy of individualism, the South looking toward a prosperity never before thought possible, because of these very conservation policies, which their own confederacy would have made forever impossible. For the Montgomery constitution expressly de- clared its Jefifersonian individualism in that no public improvement should ever be undertaken at the public expense. But the South, more than all other sections, is to learn the value of the political application of scientif.c knowl- edge to human welfare through their own organ — the State, if, indeed, the people of the South have not begun to suspect it from the Government war on the stegomyia mosquito and yellow fever. The stegomyia mosquito defied the philosophy of individualism for hundreds of years, to surrender to science at last. The American people have shown their ethical soundness in nothing more than in the support they have given their President in his effort to recon- cile ethics and politics, in his aim to guide the rebound of political theory and practise in its unmistakable reac- tion from the extreme of anarchy to- ward the extreme of socialism, and to hew the highway of the national des- tiny straight along the middle way, on sound, safe, and rational, and at the same time, ethical lines of historic na- tionality. * * * The twentieth century dawned upon the world in a state of arrested democ- racy, with the creed of the revolu- tionary forefathers discredited as not having fulfilled its promise. Conserv- atism was sterile and without a social program, and glued to the status quo. Liberalism the world over had found itself bankrupt, except where it had maintained solvency by borrowing heavily from socialism. The ultra- individualism of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries had been a good protestant philosophy in an age of re- action and revolt. It marked the end of an era. But, as Mazzini has said of the French Revolution, it was in- capable of marking the beginning of a new age. for it had no program and no possibility of a program. It may be as well to state here that Mr. Roosevelt's political philosophy is founded on neither individualism nor socialism as a theory of life. There is a middle ground between the two, and an element of political philosophy lying outside the two, which define the ground held by the Roosevelt school of politics. Unfortunately, no one yet has been able to coin a word which will cover this ground. But the seven and a half years of his term of office have caMed a halt on the democracy of individualism, have stemmed the tide of socialism by the substitution of something better 76o CONSERVATION than either, which, for want of a better ther back throngh Epicurus to Democ- word to describe an ethical democracy, ritus, the founder of atomism and I call tentatively Nationalism. doubtless of the Democratic party, if It is due to Theodore Roosevelt al- Epicurus can be believed that Leucip- most wholly, not only that the distinc- pius never existed. And, by the way, tion has been made between the democ- speaking of the political atomism of racy of individualism and ethical democ- democracy. Democritus, the first con- racy, which is not exactly, perhaps, the sistent, and perhaps the original, Jeffer- democracy of altruism ; but that founda- sonian Democrat, conceived the uni- tions have been laid for a democracy verse as constituted of infinitesimal which implies that human progress is atoms floating in an infinite void, rational and not fortuitous, that its Everything happens from the accidental foundations are scientific, and that they meeting of these atoms in this void, do not lie in the quicksands of whim- There is a god upon the throne of this sicality and blind chance and laisses- universe, endowed with two functions, faire. namely, mixture and separation. The A new era in American politics dates atoms themselves, devoid of qualities, from the beginning of the Roosevelt are regulated by a force outside, not administration. While this new era is immanent, and Aristotle has not un- revolutionary in its results, it is the justly named this god Chance. If this simplest development, on conservative exact theory could be transferred to a lines, of a principle as old as the Amer- theory of politics, excepting the doc- ican Republic. He has opposed two trine that the atoms are devoid of quali- philosophies, or at least drawn a sharp ties, you w^ould have a pure democracy distinction between them — the philos- of individualism. In it you have indi- ophy of individualism, that of all rights vidualism minus the selfish instinct, and no duties, which has found its Endow each atom with a sovereign, classic expression in the Declaration of selfish motive*; predicate of progress Independence, and the philosophy of that everything happens from the acci- duties as well as rights, of the reci- dental meeting of these self-seeking procity of the golden rule, which has atoms floating in the social void ; as- found its expression in the Constitution sume that there is no immanent rea- of the United States. The trend of Mr. son or ethic among them, but that a Roosevelt's work has been straight away blind god is shooting the arrows of from anarchy and toward law and or- whimsically undirected forces at ran- der. It has led away from individu- dom through time and space, and you alism, and, while not toward socialism, have something like an individualism so it has tended toward socialization, to- pure that Democritus and Thomas Jef- ward national organization, in other ferson both might have claimed it as words, so far as it can be conceived their own. from a strictly political standpoint, by And so the individualist and demo- scientific methods, and limited by Amer- cratic conception of the American State ican institutions. His position is that is that of a conglomeration of 85,000,000 of the old nationalism, developed and self-centers, in more or less of juxta- up to date, which began to call order position, each moving toward some- out of the individualist chaos of the thing or other with a selfish and intro" national history from the moment spective instinct, and that something Alexander Hamilton entered the de- certain pleasurable sensations to be en- bates on the Constitution ; that nation- joyed by that particular organism, alism which without cessation has been Each self-center pulls and struggles encroaching upon the political atomism without common spirit or will, without of democracy — the atomism Thomas archetectonic reason, or "oversoul," and Jefiferson adopted from the school of unrestrained by considerations of right the French Revolution ; the atomism or wrong, except in terms of pleasure whose direct lineage can be traced or pain. The fundamental error in- through Hobbes and Locke and fur- volved in this whole theory is that so THEC )Dulns as substantial as the Archaean Ilills. It is not claimed by the new poli- tics that legislation will recreate human character or reform the world, or that the State, centralized or decentralized, can ever become what Bentham char- acterized as a "mill to grind rogues honest." The vain regret is as old as the memory of Antisthenes, who im- plored the senate of his time to make horses of asses by official vote. The new democracy of nationalism claims for itself that it offers the forms of a rational association in a sphere of the .State, enlarged and moralized, which will constitute a political environment where everything in the individual that is best and worth preserving will be en- couraged instead of thwarted, and where the kindlier impulses of the hu- man heart, the most of which are being choked in the maelstrom of individual- ism, shall have at least even chances for existence. If the State will offer a political environment which will make the public well-being possible, the pub- lic will look out for itself. The pathetic message of history is that the people have never had a chance. What they want is a chance. An ethical democ- racy would offer them a chance. XA'hether the legislative and economic forces which environ the daily lives of the multittides are rational and ethical and .social determines the limitations, and, to a large extent, the destinies of those lives. Whether they are the archetectonic constructions of rational foresight, or the unplanned or unin- telligent accidents of chance, will decide whether individuals shall walk in blind alleys or open avenues. If the scientific and ethical and pliilo- .sophical contribution of Theodore Roosevelt to the I'nited States, to the twentieth century: if his warfare with the billionaire anarchist and his defense of the people's domain succeeds in awakening the national intelligence and 762 CONSERVATION the national conscience in stemming its wayward course, in outlining the path of its future development, in drawing the large outlines of the only kind of democracy in which politics and ethics can ever coincide ; if he has drawn the line of cleavage where it belongs, and has set the party of State Rights over against the party of Nationality ; if he has opposed the principles of anarchy ana suciality, the motives of egoism and altruism, the parties of self-interest and the general welfare, the philosophy un- derlying th^ Declaration of Independ- ence and that of the Constitution of the United States ; if he has with suf- ficient distinctness contrasted a political atomism with the social organism, the historian of a future age will have the right to compare him with the Fathers of his Country as a constructive states- man. STORIES TOLD IN RANGER CAMPS By CHARLES HOWARD SHINN, Supervisor of Sierra National Forest No. 1 SIX or seven years ago I rode into a ranger camp on Bubbs Creek, and found three men there, intently hstening to a young ranger from Inyo. Those were the days in which not only the total inadequacy of the force to any- thing except the most perfunctory pa- trolling of the back-country, but also our definite orders, compelled the rang- ers to be camped many miles apart. If I should map this ranger's district topographically, all of you who read this would be sorry for him — and for the forest (in those days the "reserve"). But the ranger, a fine and fearless but somewhat young mountaineer, was not at all sorry for himself. Plenty of pleasant people went past, along the great Kearsarge trail, or fished in the magnificent rivers, and he gave them easily and well of his really superb knowledge of that whole region. Ac- cording to his lights, he was an honest ranger and resisted every temptation to leave his beat and go hunting, or to climb the peaks. Then, coming back, some of the tourists took dinner with him, and left him little mementos or surplus grub. So I let my horse wander and crop grass, and told the ranger to "go ahead with his old yarn," which I write down here partly to show the stock from which this type of ranger springs, partly to illustrate "the times that were," but chiefly, I think, because I liked the straightforwardness of the story itself. "Now, my uncle," he was saying, "was just that kind of an up-and-down man, and after that trouble he came to California, in 1850, when he was twenty- five years old." Evidently I had lost the boyhood of the hero of the epic, but from the solemn tone of the young ranger, one could see that his uncle's career had become a proud family tra- dition. "My uncle was mighty strong an' quiet by then, an' people was generally care- ful what they said to him. He was fif- teen years older than my father, but when they growed up they acted an' looked a good deal alike." The ranger, stretching himself out on the rocks, added : "An' those that knew them say I am cut off the same stick, only I am bigger — an' lazier." Looking at the careless young giant of twenty-two, one could have given anything to have seen him truly and completely aroused in some great cause. He looked like a yellow-haired Viking up among the high places of Norway, looking for pines to build a sea dragon — under orders, for some one else to sail into the West. "Well," he continued, "my uncle came to California, and looked around a little and noticed that every feller had to take care of himself pretty lively at times. Then he went south of San Francisco on the road to San Jose, and built a roadhouse and eating station, fenced in a patch of land (squatter title) and got him some hogs and a few cattle. Of course, he run a little saloon — every roadhouse needed that. "In a year everybody who traveled that road stopped at the place, an' he dealt square. Then he picked up a boy of sixteen out of some decpwatcr ship in the bay — a boy who had run off from his home in Vermont and had learned to ride and shoot. He was kinder reddish and freckled and went by the name of Brick. He didn't talk nnich, and he had gray eyes that shut out everything behind them — but he got 763 764 CONSERVATION along all right with my uncle. Didn't he have any last name? Guess he left it somewhere, same as my uncle did. Nobody called him Richard Freeman ; it was just 'Dick,' and 'Dick's Station.' . "The old California pioneers will sometimes tell stories of the outlaws of those days, and of the 'Hounds' and the 'Sydney Ducks' who robbed and murdered so many returning miners. It was the crimes committed all over California by such people that led to the forming of the vigilance commit- tees, you know. "One day a gang of nine men rode up to my uncle's place. It was hot weather, and for once he was caught asleep in a chair. They piled into the saloon and began spreading themselves before my uncle could get to a weapon. They took all the whisky and cigars they wanted, an' treated him out of his but they were all sound and capable, and hardly one but had his pistol strapped on. They was eatin' supper. They was easy clost, and the brush was broken so that everything was plain to be seen, but nobody noticed the man an' the boy in the edge of the field by the fence above the spring. "My uncle takes Brick back an' gets hold of his hand a second. 'You'll do,' was all he said, an' then they walks up an' begins to shoot the men. "Well, in less than four minutes they killed them all. If I was a novel writer I could give you the details, an' make a great fight of it. The boy shot four men an' my uncle five, an' my uncle chose the end where the most dangerous-looking men were. It was done awful quick an' complete. I think they got a few shots back, but the sun was in those fellers' eyes an' they didn't own stock. Of course, he knew enough damage my uncle nor Brick none. to be a good feller with the bunch. Brick, you see, was somewhere around out- side when this happened. Not that he would have counted just then. "After the crowd was pretty well satisfied that my uncle wouldn't hurt a fly, they went off in the gulch by a spring and made a camp. They took a ham and some other truck out of his cabin and began to get supper. Pretty soon they shot some fresh pork. It would have made a Quaker mad to see how they acted. "Brick come home after a little, and found my uncle round behind the cabin. He had got together the rifles, and a couple of the old Colonel Colt revolvers and two shotguns crammed with buck- shot " 'Here, Brick,' says my uncle, 'will you stand by me in a fight?' — an' he tells Brick all about the thing. '"Of course,' says Brick. 'What you want me to do?' " 'Take that gun an' that pistol. It's near sunset an' the men are at supper. You begin at one end an' I'll begin at the other, an' we'll shoot to kill.' "My uncle an' that sixteen-year-old boy went out to the west edge of the bank an' looked down on the camp. The nine men had been drinking a lot, 'My uncle sent Brick off to get some of the cattlemen and ranchers to come over. Then they found that every one of the nine men had a bad record, and the rewards on some of them summed up $1,500. They collected that money an' divided it. It was pay for one of Joaquin's gang, an' an escaped con- vict from Australia, and a big nigger from Chili. "Brick sat and looked at his share, one evening later, so my uncle used to say. Then he remarked in the slow, scared way he had, 'I ain't sorry I shot them fellers, but I'd rather not get into the habit of it, so I guess I'll take this cash an' go back to Vermont.' " 'Can you stay there ?' says my uncle. " 'Yes, I can !' answers Brick, 'an' I can get rich there, too.' "My uncle always said he had no doubt that Brick held up the Ver- monters. "About my uncle? Well, he had managed it this way, you see : His neighbors who helped to bury the dead men knew that nine had been shot. But the officers took notice of only the three that carried rewards. It didn't make much stir. He could have run for sheriff, once, on the strength of it. He went to Frazier River in the gold ex- STORIES TOLD IN RANGER CAMPS 765 citement there, and then to Nevada, and after that to Inyo, and at last over beyond Panamint, a feller shot him in the back and was tried and hung for it by some vigilantes. But no one that I ever heard of ever blamed my uncle for that Madre Corte shooting over San Mateo way." I looked at the three young tourists, and they were really pale. They had restless, unguided, novel-fed imagina- tions; they saw and felt all the things which the ranger had left out of his simple tale — the chill, slow wrath of boy . and man ; the swift, unexpected death stroke; the dead and dying des- peradoes suddenly falling down into their campfire and over the outspread supper. They heard the first shots, the wild cries of terror, surprise, and rage ; the few ineffectual shots of reprisal and the plunging of frightened horses, until a red and awful silence followed tumult in that green hollow of the foothills fifty-five years ago. 'Tt was murder," said one, "and I should have thought that even a Cali- fornia jury would have hung those two. I cannot believe that such a boy ever came out of the Green-iuountain State." "It was mere savagery," said an- other. "Your uncle could have sent for an officer and arrested the trespassers." The third tourist was older, bronzed by wider travel, trained in some wise to the main differences in points of view between East and West. 'T think that I might have liked your uncle," he saiH, "but Brick was the real center of the play. I suppose that he went into poli- tics later and moved on ruthlessly to his chosen ends. He certainly could take care of himself." "Nobody knows what become of Brick," said the ranger; "but my uncle and the cattlemen buried them nine men the next day with no help from Brick. He went fishing. And after he went back East, he never wrote no letters to my uncle — jest dropped out." "Told you so/' remarked the third tourist. "Brick was suited to any de- structive game. The sight of that little seven hundred and fifty in California slugs and gold dust simply turnefl his predatorv instincts into new channels. Perhaps he went to New York and slaughtered his foes in Wall Street." "Didn't take much stock in Brick, myself, even when I first heard about it," said the ranger. /'But don't none of you mistake about my uncle. He never wronged a man. He played a straight game. He helped every friend of his that was down on his luck. Ac- cordin' to my views of those times, he had to shoot those men — or else run away and leave his ranch. Before morning they might have burned his buildings, or cut oft' his ears to make him tell where his money was. There was no law to speak of in that neck of the woods." The tall ranger rose with an air of finality, and went to saddle his horse to start up the trail with me. The tourists gathered up their manifold belongings and went off the other way. "Never again will anybody hear that story from me," the ranger declared, that evening after supper. Too many people say : 'How very Californian !' in a tone that really means. 'How very wicked !' I can't see any blame coming to my uncle. Is it because he sold whisky when everybody drank it, or be- cause he didn't get a sheriff' when there wasn't a sober one within fifty miles? Wasn't that gang all armed? Didn't he take mighty big chances?" "There, 'there!" I told him. "Go slow, youngster. The mistake is yours. You tell that story to tender feet, and it seems to them brutal. Besides, it belongs to a civilization in which they have no part. The whole situation i> beyond their comprehension. They like to read in western novels of all .sorts of dressed-up, excited mix-ups ; your un- cle's affair seems to them too cold, too deadly, too simple. Now, I will gamble that your uncle or the boy went down and took the rest of the ham, and cooked it for supper." "I suppose, of course, they did. if that was the la.st ham," said the ranger, "and why not.?" "Why not, of course, if you arc of the elemental sort ? The fight was over ; it was supper time, ^^es ; they replev- incd the liam. "S'ou would have done it." 766 CONSERVATION That night, as the ranger lay in his blankets in front of the campfire, my thoughts were busy with the relations of himself and of others like him to each other and to the Service. What quiet, calm, yet undisciplined natures they had ! With what straight sim- plicity they went forward to fateful con- clusions. How immense the responsi- bility upon the ofificers of the forests to train, control, restrain, direct these hereditary forces ! And I remember the dictum of an old supervisor a year or two earlier when he said to me? "If I told that ranger to shoot a man, in the name of the Government, and his reason approved, he would kill him, and never lose a minute's sleep over it. But if his reason did not approve, he would resign and leave the camp without stop- ping for dinner" (a serious proposi- tion out West ; to leave that way is like refusing to take salt in the tent of an Arab). Such was the bringing up of some of the older types of forest rangers before the days of reports and business details of timber sales, grazing permits, and land matters. They did their work, and fulfilled themselves, under very hard conditions. Their virtues have been handed on down the line, and their successors, with much better edu- cations and fuller comprehension of for- est problems, are still valuable in the main according to the degree in which, like the rangers of 1891-1903, they speak and live the truth as it is revealed to them. Honesty, fidelity, capacity for hard work, and belief in the game we are playing, are now, no less than in pioneer days, the requisites, the im- perative demands of the Service upon the ranger. EDITORIAL The National Conservation Association THE American Forestry Associa- tion will extend a cordial welcome to the National Conservation Associa- tion, the organization of which has just been announced. For over twenty years, through many of which forestry was misunderstood and unpopular, and "conservation" remained hidden in the dictionary, awaiting its Roosevelt as America awaited Columbus, this asso- ciation has worked for better conserva- tion legislation, and for wider and sounder knowledge of forestry, with all that it means to the people's welfare. To it the advocacy of the vital issues raised by the conservation movement seemed in a measure to fall, because it was the strongest and most completely organized popular association in the field, and because forestry is the key- stone of the conservation arch and soils and waters look to the forest as parent, conserver, and restorer. This must in- evitably influence our work in the fu- ture. We cannot, if we would, divorce the forestry cause from the whole great conservation work, but there is much to do and our work is so large, so impor- tant, and so well defined that we rejoice in the appearance of a strong combi- nation, in which we hope to find a powerful ally, which assumes the obli- gation to push the conservation work along other lines. An impression has been fostered by some newspaper outgivings that there is some rivalry or hostility between the two associations. For our part we know of none, nor reason for any. Our own work remains clear before us, and becomes larger year by year as the need of forestry and the public appreciation of it grow. To make this magazine the representative and authorative popu- lar presentation of American Forestry, with all that the term implies in main- taining the primary forces of conserva- tion; through it and through all the educational means at our command to inform the people on forestry and the allied subjects of soils and waters; to secure the most effective legislation in the Nation and each of its common- wealths— this is our program, and it is big enough and definite enough to enlist the support of all good Americans. We recognize no rivalry except that of who shall accomplish most for the public welfare. ^ as ms Prevention of Timber Waste HOW to prevent waste is one of the great forestry topics, along with taxation, forest fires, reforestation, and the other familiar headings of the forest creed. On this subject Capt. J. B. White, of Missouri, made an ad- mirable address at the recent southern conservation meeting in New Orleans. Incidentally he paid his respects to the popular idea of a lumber trust, main- taining that it did not exist, and that high prices for lumber were not due to artificial forcing, but were the natural result of a supply inadequate to meet the demand. We believe he was right. He discussed the proposal that the states should regulate the cutting of lumber by restricting it to a certain size, finding this impracticable, as have all professional foresters who have con- sidered it, so far as we know. Often, he said, the smaller tree would be of more value than the larger for specific purposes. Size regulation is imprac- 767 768 CONSERVATION ticable as a plan for conservation, and if practised, should come only as an inci- dent. As one means of economizing production the lumberman might put up the prices for his better grades, thus widening the market for poorer stock. The use of fiber for packing boxes, which many of the box men have re- garded as inimical to their business, he found not harmful, but beneficial, since it utilizes otherwise waste material and saves good lumber. Here are some further suggestions from Mr. White's address : Tracts that are intended for forestry should be registered and exempted from taxation, only as the product is cut for mar- ket. And this law should apply to the farmer with his small wood lot, if he sets it apart for growing trees, as well as to the party having larger holdings. And when the time comes, as it some time will, that it will pay as well to grow trees as to grow other crops, then a new basis of land values ac- cording to adaptability will have come also. But wood will be more valuable. Lumber will be higher. While we will be able to grow stumpage in soft woods at from $io to $12 a thousand under a favorable tax system, yet the lumber from these trees will be inferior to what we have now. It will not be like the ripe 150 and 200 year old growth which we are now cutting. Our chil • dren will not have the percentage of clear and upper grades of well-matured wood which we now have. They will have to be content with forty to fifty year growth of sound lumber with sound knots, an^i their finishing lumber may be what is even better than ours is now — a fine, clear fiber board that will be free from liabilitv to check or shrink, and susceptible of a high polish. Then Mr. White emphasized a point which he had already touched upon, the growing importance of the small trees. These, he declared, are to be the com- mercial timber of the future. They are already in demand for telegraph and grape poles, mining props, railroad ties, wagon hub and spoke, and handle tim- ber, and for many other uses : A rapidly increasing population, wanting bread as well as trees, cannot wait 200 years for trees to grow, and I do not believe it will be economy that they should. We should sell from our forests whatever is most valu- able regardless of mere size and we should plant again, protect, and grow another croj) governed by intelligent forestry methods. The farmer finds that he often gets more for his young corn than it would bring him if matured. He gets more very frequently for a six-weeks'-old veal calf than he would get for that same calf a year old. So it is with lumber trees. Let us supply the market demand and keep reforesting, conserving, and growing trees for the market. Germany, France, England, and other foreign countries are coming to America for their lumber, be- cause they buy here cheaper than they can raise it at home. Some time the market will advance so it will become necessary and profitable for them to raise their own trees, even as we will have to grow ours. Lumber to-day is worth at the mills forty per cent less than it was worth two years ago. The farmer's wheat and corn are worth twenty- five per cent more, and his cotton 100 per cent more than it was a year ago, and it is all due to the market conditions governed by the law of demand and supply. This necessity of utilizing the smaller trees and growing more rapid rotations will be regretted by the lover of the big forest, but we shall have to recog- nize the compelling force of daily needs. More and more we must consider this subject of the prevention of waste. We are glad to have this discussion of it by a practical lumberman — not a last word, but a good word. There was much of the ethical spirit of the forestry and con- servation movement in Mr. White's closing sentences, and we commend them for the breadth and enthusiasm that animated them : Forestry and agriculture will work hand in hand. Each needs the other in the work of conservation and reclamation. In the reali- ties of life we need both its poetry and its prose. We need the trees and the flowers, the golden grain and the ripening autumn days; we need youth and spring and old age, and we need most public patriotism, moral courage and human love. ^ «r' 5^' Who I» Able to Stand Before Envy? W RATH is cruel, and anger is out- rageous ; but who is able to stand before envy?" Thus spake the wise man thousands of years ago, and his words are appro- priate to-day. These reflections are called forth by another Denver outbreak. The thing which now chiefly disturbs the equa- nimitv of the would-be land-grabber EDITORIAL and resource exploiter in Denver is the popularity of Forester Pinchot The writer begins by mentioning the spontaneous' and 'enthusiastic' in- dorsements procured for the Forest Service by Mr. Pinchot." These the writer declares, "are the most care- tully planned and manufactured 'out- bursts' of popular feeling that were ever expressed this side of a Roman mob of supes on the mimic stage." "Just now," we are told, "the Chief Forester is competing with Secretary Balhnger for Presidential favor. * * ■> Hence he organizes an intelligent con- spiracy for popularity. And Presi- dent Taft will be deluged with reso- lutions approving the Chief Forester and all his methods." "And most of this 'outbreak.' " we are assured, "is all humbug." The writer then proceeds to explain how Mr. Pinchot has carefully organ- ized a claque, and "at every possible gathering" they do their stunt, "nut oyer a resolution or a speech laudinq him and his work, and his press bureau does the rest." This, the writer as- sures us. "is the rankest fake ever per- petrated * * * the method of the cheapest demagogue." Really, this Denver "continuous per- formance" has in it the element of the pathetic. Here we have Mr. J. Arthur Eddv serving for months together as "tem- porary" president of his organization and, as he informs his constituents, with an empty treasury, devoting his time, talents, stren.gth, and zeal to the great cause of "dividing up" our "na- tional heritage" and parceling it out among those who can most expedi- tionslv and certainlv "make monev out of it :" and all this without even the poor tribute of the praise of men. He goes to a meeting, bravelv at- tacks the "feudal baron" of the Forest Service who insists that our natural re- sources be conserved for the use of all the people, present and to come, in- stead of being turned over to a few Guggenheims and the like — mnsters of the gentle and jovous art of "getting on" by "getting others off"— and, for 769 these things, he nm.st needs receive a (rubbing in his own bailiwick from divers and sundry of his own neio-h- bors, while the groundlings "throw "up their sweaty night-caps," applaud the feudal baron" as "all right," and prav that his tribe may increase. That Mr. Eddy should be required to keep this thing up indefinitely with- out even being made permanent presi- dent of the National Public Domain League argues, on the part of the mag- nates whose interests he serves, a cal- lous indifference that should wring the hardest heart. Again, is there not some one in Den- ver who will kindly pass the basket and recoup the long-since empty treasury of the league? For business is business: printers' bills must be met. and Uncle Sam will not carry press bulletins un- less the postage is prepaid. And cannot some good soul "put over" at least one resolution commend- ing the unselfish efforts of Mr. Eddy and his league? Labor for Public Improvements AT THE Corpus Christi meeting, Lieut. Gov. A. B. Davidson raised the labor question in connection with waterways improvements. It seems that the constitution of Texas bars state activities in water- ways development, leaving such work to the Nation. Instead, however, of relying wholly upon the National Gov- ernment to develop the streams of Texas. Mr. Davidson proposed that the state cooperate with the Nation in this work. The state, he believed, cnuld aid bv furnishing the labor for the work; to do this, he would utilize the 3.600 con- victs now maintained in idleness by the state. This, it would seem, is as little as a state could do in promoting an enter- prise so great. Yet Governor Camp- bell is quoted as having opposed Lieu- tenant Governor Davidson's scheme and favoring the development of the Texas 770 CONSERVATION waterways as a national proposition, pure and simple. In certain southern states, convict labor is utilized in draining swamps. That any one should prefer permitting a great body of men to rot in idleness in the penitentiary when they might be usefully employed in developing the re- sources of the state, is hard to under- stand. In this connection, however, it may be pointed out that not all our unem- ployed are in penitentiaries. A body of them, ranging, from time to time, in size from regiments and brigades to an army, herd in our great cities or tramp the railway tracks seeking em- ployment. An American railway official has re- cently estimated that our railways de- stroy a human life every hour and in- jure a human being every ten minutes. A large percentage, it is believed, of the killed and wounded in our annual railway holocaust consists of unem- ployed men wandering about the coun- try seeking employment. When we speak of utilizing natural resources, it should be remembered that human resources rank first in impor- tance. In the unemployed people, some of them graduates of our leading universi- ties, others clerks, skilled workmen, and professional men, we have a resource of far-reaching importance. Have we reflected upon the extent to which this human resource might be utilized in conserving the sub-human, or material resources? There is a great good-roads move- ment on in this country. Have we thought of the possibility of utilizing unemployed men in creating good roads, paying the expenses in large measure, or wholly, from the taxation of better- ments ? Have we figured upon the number of acres of desert which might be irri- gated, or of swamps which might be drained each year by the employment of these unemployed men, the bill being paid by those who use the reclaimed lands? Horatio was informed by Hamlet that "there was more in heaven and earth than was dreamed of in his philoso- phy." The same might be said with equal truth of the political philosophy of the old-fashioned statesman. Here, right before us, is an oppor- tunity to do a great good to a great body of hopeless, despairing people ; to render a great service to the Nation in constructing highways and redeeming lands, and all by methods which need not cost the Nation a penny, but which should, on the other hand, result in a vast increase of the Nation's wealth. Why should not such proposals be se- riously considered? )^ 5t' &' Trouble in Illinois for the Deep-'waterways Movement THE deep-waterways movement in Illinois has struck a snag. This obstruction is located, in part, in the Des Plaines River, in the form of a big dam built by a corporation ; and, in the second place, in the supreme court of the state, which supports the com- pany in building this dam. Governor Deneen is deeply interested in the Great Lakes-to-the Gulf project. A part of this highway is the Des Plaines River. This little stream rises in Wisconsin and flows into the Illinois. For reasons not explained, the Illinois and Michigan state canal commissioners, appointed by the governor, leased to this corpora- tion— the Economy Light and Power Company — at a low figure, the state property on this river. The company then proceeded to build a great dam and power plant at Dresden Heights, on the river, where practically the "full water-power of the stream is available. Of course such a structure would in- terfere materially with the deep water- ways project. Governor Deneen, in behalf of the state, started proceedings to enjoin the completion of the plant. A temporary injunction was granted by a Cook County court, but, on hearing, was dis- solved. EDITORIAL The case went to the supreme court of the state, where the state main- tained : 1. That it owned the bed of the river at the point where the dam was built ; 2. That the river is a navigable stream, and that the proposed dam would constitute an obstruction to navi- gation ; and, 3. That certain contracts executed by the canal commissioners, under which the Economy Company claimed certain rights, were void and offered no justi- fication for the construction of the dam. At every point, however, the supreme court has decided in favor of the corpo- ration. The river, it holds, is not navi- gable ; the bed, therefore, belongs to the riparian owners, including the Econ- omy Company ; the contracts referred to are valid and the corporation is en- titled to build its dam. If, now, the state is to proceed with its waterways project it must institute condemnation proceedings, get posses- sion of the property owned by the com- pany, and, for this property, make "just compensation," which, it is claimed, will amount to the tidy sum of some $12,000,000. Naturally, friends of the waterways project are disappointed. One Chicago paper, hostile to the governor, sharply criticises him for appointing commis- sioners who would thus alienate the state's property and embarass his own policy. The water-power question, it may bo observed, is involved. Governor Deneen has been proposing to utilize the water-power of the state of Illinois for the benefit of the state. In explaining his project to the governors on the trip down the ^Mississippi, he said: "The state proposes to connect all navigable streams^ by a series of canals, to be paid for by the revenue from the sale of the water-power afforded." A portion of this waterway, however, is now in the hands of the Economy Company at Dresden Heights, and this company evidently doesi not propose that it shall pass again into the hands of the state. The counsel for the corporation is quoted as saying that the company, if so disposed, could force the condemna- tion of the property involved before al- lowing the construction of a Federal waterway : but that the company would grant the right of way without com- pensation if 110 attempt were made h\ the state to take over the xvater-pozver. and would also allow a Government lock on the dam. All of which is interesting for sev- eral reasons. It shows, for one thing, how a pri- vate corporation can get in the way of a great state or national enterprise. It shows, again, how public officials. from lack, either of judgment and dis- cernment, or of loyalty to the public interests, can permit a corporation to get the whip-hand over government, state and national. And, finally, it shows how the court? can support the corporation in so doing. The reader may be interested in placing this case along with some others that have occurred in Illinois in recent years. One of these is that of the P>eef Trust, in which, to the disgust of the President. Federal Judge Humphrey decided in favor of the trust and against the Gov- ment. Another, and more recent case, is that of Standard Oil, where Judge Grosscup decided that the fine of $29.- 240,000 against the trust could not hold. And there are others — several of them. Vy> to date, corporations and trust.>- in Illinois — not to mention other state.* — have fared reasonably well at the hands of the courts. Perhaps, some day, the tide will turn. ',s tv? '-^ The Cost of Waterways Improvement TO PROVIDE a nation with water- wa\s is a task for statesmen. Un- happily, statesmen do not grow on trees, nor descend by night like manna in the wilderness. 772 CONSERVATION Herbert Spencer used to say that, as Again, as Poor Richard taught our it is impossible to insert a normal, five- great-grandfathers, "A penny saved is fingered hand into a glove of but two a penny earned." The waterways de- or three fingers, so it is equally im- velopment now proposed coupled, as it possible to put a big, more or less com- necessarily must be, with forest con- plicated, idea into an imperfectly devel- servation, will involve a prodigious oped mind. saving. To every one with eyes to see, and To succeed, the waterways movement leisure and opportunity to contemplate must adopt measures that will minimize the facts, it is obvious that the internal overflows and floods. To appreciate waterways of the United States must the significance of this factor alone, let be rehabilitated and made available for the pecuniary damage resulting from the uses of commerce. floods be compared with the amounts However, like the lion which, in of past waterways appropriations. Bunyan's allegory, obstructed the path The appropriation made by Con- of the pilgrim, a huge barricade rears gress for waterways for the year 1909 itself before the eyes of a certain type was $18,097,945, an amount equaling of statesman when the question of about eighty-three per cent of the av- waterways development is broached. erage annual appropriation for this This barrier is the problem, to him purpose for the last ten years, apparently insoluble, of finance — the The United States Senate, in its re- problem of "where to get the money." port of April 11, 1906, said: "From Formidable, however, as this ques- April, 1901, to April, 1902, floods in the tion may appear to some, is is not pos- South, fed from the Southern Ap- sible that its size is, roughly speaking, palachian region, did a damage esti- inversely proportional to the size of the mated at $18,000,000." statesman? Note, again, the loss from erosion, It may be noted first that money, estimated to amount, annually, for the wisely used in waterways development. United States, to one billion of dollars, represents not an expenditure but an While waterways improvement would investment. Let a single corroborative not wholly stop this waste, it would aid fact be here adduced. materially in so doing. In the W^fl// Street Journal for No- Again, when sources of revenue are vember 13, a publication not overly sought, it should be remembered that, friendly to the waterways movement, in the United States, the real sources, may be read from a leading editorial: like the coal beds of China, have been, "C. W. Macara, recently president as yet, practically unopened. In the of the Manchester Cotton Association, recent special session, suggestions were says that the value of the Manchester made as to scratching the surface of Canal as measured by reduction in the some of these, but little of a practical cost of conveyance of raw cotton and nature was accomplished, of cotton goods manufactured there- The bond proposition is now at once from, has been at least $2,500,000 an- the most popular and practical device nually to the cotton trade alone." for immediate use. However, as stated The same editorial points out that before in these columns, to expend as this canal has yielded advantages in much annually in interest on a loan as three ways ; it has reduced the cost : would be covered by an ordinary lump 1. Of accumulating raw materials appropriation would involve no econ- from various parts of the world for omy ; its chief advantage, apparently, l^e- manufacturing purposes ; ing in avoiding the ri'-k of future prog- 2. Of handling food supplies, im- ress "by jerks." and ensuring a rea- ported largely by the manufacturing sonable continuity of policy, districts of Manchester and adjacent A proposition of extraordinary in- ppints ; terest is that made by Governor Deneen 3. Of distributing manufactured to his fellow governors on their recent produce. trip down the Mississippi. EDITORIAL 773 In a word, his plan involves the re- tention by the Government, whether National or state it matters not, of water-powers on the several rivers, and the utilization of these powers for pur- poses of public revenue. Says a newspaper correspondent who heard the proposal: "It has been estimated that the elec- tric power which could be made by con- trolling the floods of the Ohio, the up- per Mississippi, and the Missouri would suffice to pay for the entire cost of the improvements within a decade." _ Which brings us again to the ques- tion of statesmen and statesmanship. On the one hand, we have the school which stands for donating the people's wealth and wealth sources, water- powers included, to corporations in per- petuity, and then raising the public rev- enues by indirect taxes paid chiefly by those in moderate circumstances. On the other hand, we have the new school, discussed in our last issue, which believes that the property of the whole people should be made to inure to the advantage of the whole people. In direct line with the creed of this second school is the proposal of Gov- ernor Deneen. It will, of course, arouse no enthusiasm among the representa- tives of the old regime. But between these two schools it is the privilege of the American electorate to choose. )^ «? V>i The "Expense" of Conservation AN EXCHANGE comments edi- '»■ torially upon the danger of the great and growing "expense" liable to result from "conservation and water- way schemes." It points to the "an- nual increase of $50,000,000 in the ap- propriations," and 'says that the Presi- dent is "advising the curtailment of all expenses." This advice, it thinks, may be fol- lowed with the result of largely wiping out the Treasury deficit. Our enthusiasm, however, over such economies may, it believes, well be re- strained in view of the menace of "fixed charges." 5 Congressman Tawney is quoted as having declared that these, "in very large measure the consequences of war," are eating into the Nation's rev- enues and leaving no trace behind. Furthermore, along with existing fixed charges for war and a growing military establishment, the exchange points to another prospective fixed charge, that, namely, from "conserva- tion and waterway legislation." This "has already been started," and "unless the utmost care is taken," may result in "another series of fixed charges." The "difficulty," we are told, "is that when these movements are given Government aid, they go forward to an extent that is very uncertain." "The saving of $50,000,000 in ap- propriations this year," it is said, "will be a very good thing, of course. But if, while applauding ourselves for this triumph of economy, we allow the Na- tion to become involved in other great obligations that will cling to us, our tri- umph will be barren." That the fixed charges resulting from wars, past and prospective, are prepos- terously large. Conservation freely concedes, and deplores. But note the issues thus yoked up together — War and conservation. ' The ancient Hebrew was forbidden to "plough with an ox and an ass to- gether." Could the lawgiver have fore- seen, through the ages, so unequal a yoking as has above been made by our contemporary, in what language, we wonder, would he have couched the terms of his prohibition ? War and conservation ; waste and saving; destruction and production; tearing down and building up; wreck- ing a world and saving it — all to be classed together and equally con- demned ! The human mind is fearfully and wonderfully made, and to follow its workings in every ca<:e has baffled the wisest. To fathom the processes whereby war and conservation could be grouped in a single pair were, indeed, a task for the alienist. 774 CONSERVATION The astounding conclusion under consideration has resulted, evidently, from the failure to distinguish between expenditure which subtracts from' and that which adds to the wealth of the Nation. To be sure, the making of such dis- tinctions is economic kindergarten work; yet not all, unfortunately, who fill space in economic discussions have mastered the requirements of the eco- nomic kindergarten. To meet the needs of such, the subject must be pre- sented in an elementary way. One may point out, for example, that the battleship which costs millions of dollars and, in a few years, rusts out or goes out of date, is, during the en- tire period of its existence, producing not a penny's worth of wealth. The best that can be said for it is that, in extreme cases, it may protect the Na- tion from invaders who would them- selves destroy wealth and hinder pro- duction. Over against the battleship, however, let us place, for example, the great Roosevelt dam across the Salt River Canyon in Arizona. Here we have a gigantic Government- built structure which will make one of the largest artificial lakes in the world — a body of water twenty-five miles long, 1,200,000 acre- feet in capacity, and capable of irrigating 200,000 acres of fertile soil. Now, in two respects the battleship and the Roosevelt dam are exactly alike ; each costs a mint of money, and each is paid for, in the first instance, by the whole American people. But here the similarity stops. For their expenditure on the dam the American people will be repaid by those who use the irrigated land; for their expenditure on the battleship the peo- ple will be repaid by nobody. So long as it floats, the ship will con- tinue to cost the money of the whole people ; when once turned over to the water users' association, the dam will cost the whole people nothing what- ever. The function of the battleship is to destroy wealth ; the function of the dam is to create wealth. In a few brief years the ^battleship will go on the scrap-heap or to the bottom of the sea; the dam, however, we may rest assured, will continue to produce wealth for generations and centuries. Now, the whole conservation policy, rightly handled, is typified by the Roosevelt dam. It will multiply wealth for ages to come ; its entire cost may be paid out of a fraction of its product, and its sole end is to bless the race. And yet we are gravely warned that "unless the utmost care is taken an- other series of fixed charges," anala- gous to those from "increased arma- ments," "will be provided through con- servation and waterway legislation!" 5^ 5^ «« Let the Reclamation Service Suffer No Harm IN A Washington paper a sensational article has just appeared. It sets forth, in substance, that the Senate Committee on Irrigation may be ex- pected to favor a reversal of the policy of the Reclamation Service. The plan supposed to be favored re- quires that the Government shall do only the difficult and unremunerative work and leave to individuals and cor- porations the simpler and more profit- able projects. From time to time in recent months broad hints have been dropped that in- fluences looking to this end were at work. The Reclamation Service is proving that irrigation pays. Whatever pays, private enterprise is anxious to enter. It goes without saying that private enterprise has a great field in connec- tion with the irrigation of our western arid and semi-arid lands ; the important question, however, is whether Govern- mental activities are to be curtniled, and restricted to unprofitable operations, while the plums are to be thrown to private irrigation concerns. Inquiry seems to indicate that, what- ever private individuals may desire, there is little danger that the Senate committee will make such a recom- mendation. EDITORIAL 775 The statement from Mr. Newell, Di- rector of the Reclamation Service, found in our news columns, would not bear out such a conclusion. Neverthe- less, as eternal vigilance is the price of liberty, so, likewise, is it the price of the proper safeguarding of the peo- ple's interests in general. The Reclamation Service has abund- antly demonstrated its right to live and greatly to extend its operations. Criticism has been made that it has undertaken too much. A Senator, quoted as favoring private as against public irrigation, says that no blame should attach to the Reclamation Serv- ice because of the number of enter- prises undertaken. Local demands voiced in Congress, together with the law itself, seemed to leave the Service no recourse. It was forced into work which its present funds do not permit it promptly to complete. The question now is whether Congress will enable it to complete these works and likewise to undertake others. This same Senator bears testimony to the widespread popularity of the Reclamation Service in the West and the protest which may be anticipated should any attempt be made to impair its usefulness. Let no backward step be taken in the work of Governmental reclamation. Whatever private concerns may do, the Reclamation Service must lead. Its business is to serve the people at cost. It works not for individual profit, but for the general welfare. The people are for it. The President recommends, as does the Secretary of the Interior, that bonds should be issued to enlarge its funds. Let Congress act upon this recom- mendation. i^ i« «r' Rally for the Appalachian Bill THE session of Congress is almost here. The fight for the Appalachian bill must be renewed. We need not repeat the history of this leg-islation. Note that the work began in the South. Now it includes New England, and its friends are scattered from sea to sea. Again, it began in esthetics ; now it is rooted in economics. It was instituted to save the magnifi- cent scenery of the Southern Ap- palachians. Now it is sought primarily to save the forests and streams of New England and the South, with the tre- mendous interests dependent upon wood and water. As to wood : It is well known that our chief hardwood supply is in the Southern Appalachians. But, with the slaughter now on, these hardwoods, in another twelve or fifteen years, will be practically gone. As a writer suggests, hardwood prod- ucts may soon be expected to bear the label, "j\Iade in Germany." But important as is the question of wood, the question of water is more so. To blink the connection between for- est and stream is futile and fatal. Eor waterways men to do it is for them to follow the example of the ostrich which, to ensure its safety, hides its head in the sand. Yet some waterways men are doing this very thing. Waterways men of prominence arc denying all connection between wood and water ; between for- ests and floods ; between timber-clad slopes and the control of streams. One of the waterways leaders in the House voted against the Weeks bill ; an- other has recently denied categorically all faith in forests as a protection to streams, and has demanded that the forest and waterways propositions be kept absolutely separate and distinct. This man pins his faith to the teach- ings of the army engineers. The chief of these is Colonel Chit- tenden. As CoNSERv.ATioN readers know, his paper was riddled by Prof. George F. Swain in this magazine for August and September. Military men arc models of courtesy ; thev are delightful friends and com- panions ; but, as a class, they have one weakness. The bane of nn'Iitarism is conven- tionalism, conservatism, adherence to ^,^5 CONSERVATION the old, both in idea and practise, till Jhe viewpoint of the military en- actually driven to the new. gmeer to-day corresponds with the This has been proved a thousand viewpoint, m their days, of the_ au- '^XeVeT.r '" '' p.- 'and refusing to change his posi- The modern, scientific view of the tion^ ^^^tending with such men, facts connection between forests and streams ^^i^^^^^^^^tle^ otherwise they might is represented by the f^^f ^^^ Rec- mountain-high, lamation Services and he Geological ^ P published by Mr. Survey ; the old-fashioned view is repre- ^^^ ^^^^ ^^^^^^ ^^^^.^^ ^.^^ sented by the army engmeers. ^ ^^ ^^ ^^^^^^ Because, like the Chmaman, he be- ^^^^ Pinchot's illustration before the lieves that the teachings of the fathers ^^^^^ judiciary Committee might be must control the children to all genera- ^.^ ^^^^^f ^^en, by pouring water upon tions, the military engineer of necessity ^^-^^^y^^^^ blotter, and then upon an in- repudiates the doctrme of these modern ^^.^^^^ photograph, he showed the dif- bureaus. ference between the action of a for- But if military advice on these ques- ^^^^^ ^j^p^ ^^^ ^^^^ Qf ^ denuded one. tions is followed by America, this Na- ^j^ ^^ ^^^ p^j^^^ ^f saturation, the tion will go down before up-to-date ^Q^^gj. absorbed the water; the photo- competitors like Germany or Japan as graph absorbed not a drop, the old regime in Europe went down ^ -g^^^ ^^^^ waterways man says that before Napoleon, or as wind-power ^^^^ ^j^^ iovest cover has been sat- goes down before steam and electric ^j-ated the water runs ofiF. Who denies power. it? When the mulch is full, it is full. Galileo taught that a heavy body falls ^g ^^i^h so as is a barrel, no faster than a light one of the same g^^ does this admission disprove bulk. The savants of his day laughed ^he fact that, until the mulch is full, him to scorn. He proved his conten- much water is absorbed, and thus kept tion by dropping balls from the Tower j^^ck from an otherwise possible flood? of Pisa, but the pedants were still un- Again, the full blotter and the full convinced. mulch can be supplemented. For the Columbus proved the terrestrial globe latter, we need the reservoir, to be a sphere ; but the wiseacres of his Further, the waterways man con- day tapped their foreheads and smiled, tends that the second growth, sprouts, Descartes believed that the universe ^nd brushwood found on the deforested is developing through evolution ; Co- slopes restrain the water as well as the pernicus taught that the earth moves original forest would have done, round the sun ; Kepler formulated the It is admitted that such a cover exer- laws of planetary motion ; Dietrich cises a restraining influence ; it is not Flade repudiated witchcraft: Roger admitted that this influence is equal to Bacon taught that man may learn by that of the well-kept forest, experimental methods ; John Barillon But suppose it were ; shall we hold, interrogated nature by means of chem- therefore, that with a timber famine ical appliances : Harvey taught the cir- in sight a ragged coppice, burned over culation of the blood. and practically worthless as a wood- Every one of these men flew squarely producing area, is as desirable as the in the face of the dominant sentiment of splendid forests which adequate protec- his time, supported by the accepted "au- tion ensure? thorities" in the field of truth. Our waterways friend apparently Yet in every instance the dominant concedes that the second growth re- sentiment and the accepted authorities strains the waters; will he then deny were wrong, and the advocate of the that the first growth restrains them m new view was right. at least equal measure? EDITORIAL m If not, how does he choose between the splendid forests which the Ap- palachian legislation will ensure and the wreck which its failure must necessitate ? Again, as is well known. Old-world countries, long indifferent to govern- ment ownership or control of forests, were at last driven to it, but after fear- ful loss. Years ago, the United States Senate informed the country that the price of Appalachian lands was rising like that of the Sibylline books. Now the fact is indisputable. When the Southern Appalachian Park bill was first introduced into Congress large areas of uncut timbered lands of average quality could be bought for from $1 to $3 per acre. Now the Secretary of Agriculture, in his report on the Southern Appalachian and White Mountain watersheds, telh us that "even cut-over lands with no prospect of a timber crop inside of ten or twenty years will cost as much now as virgin lands ready for the saw would have cost eight years ago." Such already is the price our pro- crastination has cost. How much higher shall we, by further procrastination, permit that price to rise? «« J^ !^' The Glavis Case THE expected has happened. Mr. L. R. Glavis has stated his case. The statement is a strong one : strong in what it says and in what it omits; strong in its self-restraint. To attempt to brush such a paper aside as "a tissue of falsehoods" and as "shreds of suspicion" is vain. As well might King John have at- tempted to brush aside the document handed him by the barons at Runny- mede. As well might King George have dropped the Declaration of Inde- pendence into the wastebasket. or with equal profit might the present House of Lords flout the Lloyd-George budget. Nor will it avail to quote "the Presi- dent's" letter as a final rebuttal. The suspicion is too widespread that the President had very little to do with that letter. It bears too many earmarks of another office, and its phraseology and arguments are too familiar to those who have discussed the subject with another highly interested official. The country now demands the facts. They should come from no biased or in- terested source. And, as a generation ago, the motto should be, "Let no guilty man escape." It is said that a well-known Senator will call for all the papers in the case. This report is encouraging. But it must be remembered that there are in- vestigations and investigations. The object of an "investigation" is sometimes to find the truth and some- times, apparently, to conceal it. In a matter of such gravity, no pains should be spared to protect the country against a "whitewash." For it must be remembered, and never forgotten, that it is the country's interests which, in this matter, weigh most heavily. An official here or there, or a sub- ordinate more or less, arc not, in and of themselves, the issues at stake. Officials come and go, but the people's interests are permanent. The vital question is, "Are these interests being conserved or betrayed ?" And it is this question which renders important the incontinent removal of Glavis. Suppose Glavis were right. What ef- fect must his discharge, without benefit of clergy, have upon the public service ? And suppose he were not right in hi> conclusions, but were right in his im- pulses and desires — and nobody, appar- ently, denies the latter — what then? Here we have a public servant con- vinced that important public interests are imperiled. He endeavors to pro- tect them and is thwarted at every turn. Finally he makes the supreme effort, and, acting on high advice, lays the facts before the iiighest official au- thority. For his pains, he is discharged by telegraph. How, in the light of this case, may other public servants be expected to govern their actions? A citizen applies for admi.ssion to the public service. 778 CONSERVATION Before entering upon his duties he must first register an oath. He swears that he "will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic ;" that he "will bear true faith and allegiance to the same ;" that he "takes this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion ;" and that he "will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which he is about to enter." Following which, he utters the solemn objuration, "So help me God." To whom or what does this man pledge his fealty? Specifically, to the Constitution of the United States. This means, of course, to the people of the United States and their highest interests. ' Yet, in this Glavis case, we are given to understand that the obligation of the public servant is not, after all, to the Constitution of the United States, not to the Government, not to the people, but to his superior officer. Should such an interpretation hold, what, we repeat, would be the effect upon the public service? Suppose an interested or corrupt of- ficial should obtain control of a Gov- ernment bureau. Every employee in that bureau must then feel bound by his oath, as well as by his economic need, to obey his chief, however detrimental such obedience might be to the public good. A corrupt department head would, in like manner, corrupt the force of his entire department ; and a corrupt or in- terested or ambitious President, should we ever be so unfortunate as to have one, would vitiate the entire public serv- ice from top to bottom. And, in so doing, he would find the civil service oath, combined with the dread of discharge, his most effective engmes. Is this the object of the oath ; and is such a possibility or prospect attractive ? Is it the sworn duty of the public servant to serve his master, good or bad, or to serve the people's interests, as he understands them? This Glavis case involves more than may appear at first blush. Let Congress do its duty in the premises. ^ ALL THINGS DECAY By HERRICK All things decay with time; the forest sees The growth and downfall of her aged trees; That timber tall, which three-score lustres stood The proud dictator of the state-like wood — I mean the sov'reign of all plants, the oak — Droops, dies and falls without the cleaver's stroke. NEWS AND NOTES Waterways and the National Defe nse In speaking of the Lakes-to-the-Gulf Water- ways, Mr. Frederic J. Haskin says: "The United States can well afford to con- sider the question of constructing a deep waterway from the Gulf to the Great Lakes, for the national defense is destined to re- quire it as much as national commerce de- mands it. Canada is now engaged in build- ing a system of canals, the completion of which will permit the English navy to send its fleets into the Great Lakes themselves. For many years there has been a treaty be- tween the United States and Great Britain providing that there should be no war vessels built on the Great Lakes by either nation. But if Canada is to extend her seaboard into the Great Lakes by canals the United States would be placed at an enormous disadvan- tage in case of war." 5t' 5t' 5t' The Swiss Water-'power Legislation Several years ago the Swiss federal rail- road management, finding itself menaced with a large surplus, decided to engage in the business of developing the immense water- power resources of the country, with the view to electrifying the railroads. Switzer- land has no coal, but almost unlimited water- power. Engineers surveyed the situation and found that after the railroads were supplied with electrical power there would be a sur- plus big enough to supply the cheapest power in Europe to a vast system of industries. The railroad administration went ahead with plans for this development, but found presently that more legislative authority was necessary. Appeal was made to the national assembly, but meanwhile the possibilities of private profit in water-power had impressed statesmen and business men alike, and both classes had become interested in the devel- opment of projects. With legislation hope- lessly dragging and private interests grabbing for the best things, Switzerland could hardly bave figured how it was any better off than the LTnited States, with a precisely parallel cond'tion. But note how the Swiss redeemed their situation. The parliament showing no dis- position to act, the people circulated peti- tions initiating a piece of legislation on the subject, which would precisely cover the points in issue. The initiative and refer- endum system gave the people the right to do this, and they set about it with the pur- pose of correcting the shortcomings of their congress. Results were prompt and highly satisfac- tory. The national legislature saw that the people meant business, and would pass the legislation without so much as a "by your leave" from parliament. So the statesmen got down to business, forgot their stock- holdings in water-power enterprises, and passed the sort of legislation the people needed and were demanding. The water- power trust in Switzerland has ceased to give worry to anybody. Wherein there may be found rather more than one lesson worthy of thoughtful con- templation by the people of these United States. — JVashin^ton Times. >« «? «* Economical Water Supply There are hundreds of locations where it is desired to elevate water for haciendas, railroad tanks, irrigation, etc., where the cost of fuel and attendants is prohibitory, and where there is ample running water with two or more feet of fall to furnish the power to operate a Rife Ram. The Colombian government engineer, Mr. Maximo Gonzalez, commissioned by the gov- ernment to make an examination of the plant installed for the Rife Engine Company of New York City, by Guillermo A. Jones, the government engineer there, reports : "All of this work has been very care- fully executed, and I cannot help expressing my admiration for the competence, con- stancy, and devotion of Mr. Jones in view of the difficulties that had to be overcome in carrying on the undertaking. Tn this in- stallation there are three large American rams, manufactured by the Rife Engine Com- pany of New York City, which deliver from 210 to 230 liters of water per minute, rais- ing it to a height of sixty-five meters through an iron pipe six inches in diameter and 4,200 meters long. The minister of the govern- ment has decided to distribute the water in the town in accordance with a plan that has already been made. There will also be foun tains and public baths." 779 ySo CONSERVATION Secretary Ballinger's Recommendations From a bulletin containing abstracts from the annual report of the Hon. Richard A. Bal- linger, Secretary of the Interior, the follow- ing passages are quoted : POWER SITES In anticipation of new legislation by Con gress to prevent the acquisition of power sites on the public domain by private persons or corporations with the view of monopoliz- ing or adversely controlling them against the public interest, there have been tempo rarily withdrawn from all forms of entry approximately 603,355 acres, covering all lo- cations known to possess power possibilities on unappropriated lands outside of National Forests. Without such withdrawals these sites would be enterable under existing laws, and their patenting would leave the General Government powerless to impose any limita- tions as to their use. If the Federal Government desires to ex- ercise control or supervision over water- power development on the public domain, it can only do so by limitations imposed upon the disposal of power and reservoir sites upon the public lands, the waters of the streams being subject to state jurisdiction in their appropriation and beneficial use. I would, therefore, advise that the Congress be asked to enact a measure that will au- thorize the classification of all lands capable of being used for water-power development, and to direct their disposal, through this department, under substantially the following ■conditions : 1. That the title to such lands be reserved in the Federal Government, and only an easement granted for the purpose of develop- ing and transmitting electrical power for pri- vate and public use, and for the storage of waters for power, irrigation, and other uses ; 2. That such easement be granted for a limited period, with a maximum of at least thirty years, and the option of renewal for stated periods upon agreed terms ; 3. That entry shall be accompanied by plans and specifications covering the works sought to be installed, and covering the maximum horsepower capable of develop- ment at such site ; also that a substantial ■entry fee be paid to show good faith, and that a transfer to the United States of the necessary water rights to permit of the esti- mated power-development be made; 4. That the construction period allowed entrymcn for the development of nt least twenty-five per cent of such power shall not extend beyond four years, or such further time as may be granted by the Secretary of the Interior upon a proper showing. 5. That a moderate charge shall be made on the capital invested, or upon the gross earnings of the project for the first ten years of operation, adjusted at each subsequent ten-year period, and equitably determined by appraisement; 6. That all rights and easements shall be forfeitable for failure to make development wilhin the limitations imposed or upon entry into any contract or combination to charge or fix rates beyond a reasonable profit on the investment and cost of operation, or entry into any agreement or combination to limit the supply of electrical current, or failure to operate the plant ; and, 7. That all books and accounts shall al- ways be subject to the inspection of the department. RECLAMATION SERVICE The receipts from all sources do not give encouragement that the fund wid be suffi- ciently replenished to enable an expeditious completion and extension of existing projects or to take up any new work. * * * In view of the importance of a speedy completion of existing projects and their proper extension, * * * j believe an urgent appeal should be made to Congress to au- thorize the issuance of certificates of indebt- edness, or of bonds against the reclamation fund, to an aggregate of not exceeding $30,- 000,000, or so much thereof as may be needed. These certificates or bonds should be sold by the Treasurer of the United States from time to time as may be required by the Sec- retary of the Interior and the proceeds placed to the credit of the fund. They should be redeemable on call within a period of not exceeding ten years after issuance. The pro- ceeds should be devoted to the completion of feasible existing projects and the construc- tion of any feasible extensions thereof, and so much thereof as may be needed should he devoted to the construction of new proj- ects in the states and territories in which the expenditures have not met the require- ments of section g of the act of June 17. 1902. iH ^ ^ The Reclamation Outlook Mr. F. H. Newell, Director of the United States Reclamation Service, has returned from his trip with the Senate Committee on Irrigation. Over fifty days of continuous travel have been consumed in th's trip, and the Senators have viewed practically all of the projects. The report of the committee will probably be prepared at an early date. As to what it will contain, Mr. Newell, of course, has no information, but from the pub- lic expressions of the individual Senators in addresses to the water users' associations and other public bodies, the general attitude of the committee appears to be substantially as follows : It is the expressed opinion of the Senators that it will be impossible to make any es- sential modifications of the Reclamation Act ; that while imperfections are recognized, these are not vital, nor of sufficient importance to justify attempting new legislation, with the NEWS AND NOTES 781 risk of losing many of the advantages of the present law. The Senators also emphasized, especially dunng the latter part of the trip, the fact that every dollar paid out of the fund must be returned, and that whatever may be the excuses offered, they would insist that the money be refunded to the Treasury in due course of tmie. It was recognized that, of course, there would be great inconvenience and m some cases actual hardship in requir- ing the repayment of the cost in ten annual mstallments; but it would be impossible to modify the law to favor certain deserving- individuals or localities. The result of thi'^ declaration has been immediately manifest in the rapid increase in returns to the fund, tele- grams having been received within a day after the announcement was made, showing that m one place $2,000 had been refunded. The Senators also were practically unani- mous in the belief that work should be expe- dited by securing additional funds, if pos- sible, through the issue of bonds or other interest-bearing obligations. The results already attained justify this action. Mr. Newell expresses himself as greatly pleased with the results of the trip because many matters of policy which previously had been criticized are now unqualifiedly ap- proved, and he felt that the Reclamation Service is endorsed by men well informed regarding its work, and while they might dis- agree on details, were fully convinced of the wisdom of the act, and the effectiveness of the administration. ^ «? V^ Mr, Pinchot at the New Orleans Meeting At the Lakes-to-the-gulf Deep Waterway- Convention in New Orleans, Mr. Gifford Pinchot, United States Forester, said: "Certain newspapers have said of late that the Forest Service has gone beyond the law in carrying out its work. This assertaion ha- been repeated so persistently that there is danger that it may be believed. The friends of conservation must not be led to think that before the Forest Service can proceed legally with its present work all the hazards and compromises of new legislation must be faced. "Fortunately, the charge of illegal action is absolutely false. The Forest Service has had ample legal authority for everything it has done. Not once s'nce it was created has any charge of il'egality, despite the most searching investigation and the bitterest at- tack, ever led to reversal or reproof by either house of Congress or by any Congressional committee. Since the creation of the Forest Service the expenditure of more than $11,- 000,000 has passed successfully the scrutiny of the Treasurer of the United States. Most significant of all, not once has the Foresr Service been defeated as to any vital legal principle underlying its work in any court or administrative tribunal of last resort. Thus those who make the law and those who in- terpret It seem to agree that our work has been legal. "But it is not enough to say that the Forest ^eryicc has kept wiihin the law. Other quali hcations go to make efficiency in a Govern ment bureau. A bureau may keep wiihin the law, and yet fail to get results. "When action is needed for the public good there are two opposite points of view regard ing the duty of an administraiive officer in enforcing the law. One point of view asks, ;is there any express and specific law author- izing or directing such action?' and, having thus sought and found none, nothing is done. 1 he other asks, 'Is there any justification in law for doing this desirable thing?' and hav- ing thus sought and found a legal justifica- tion, what the public good demands is done. I hold it to be the first duty of a public officer to obey the law. But I hold it to be his second duty, and a close second, to do everything the law will let him do for the public good, and not merely what the law compels or directs him to do. "It is the right as well as the duty of a public officer to be zealous in the pubi.c serv- ice. That is why the public service is worth while. To every public officer the law should be, not a goad to drive him to his duty, but a tool to help him in his work. And I main- tain that it is likewise his right and duty to seek by every proper means from the legal authorities set over him such interpretations of the law as will best help him to serve his country. * * * "I believe in dividends for the people as well as taxes. Fifty years is long enough for the certainty of profitable investment in water-power, and to fix on the amount of return that will be fair to the public and the corporation is not impossible. What city does not regret some ill-considered fran- chise? And why should not the Nation profit by the experience of its citizens? "There is no reason why the water-power interests should be given the people's prop- erty freely and forever except that they would like to have it that way. I suspect that the mere wishes of the special interests. although they have been the mainspring of much public action for many years, have begun to lose their compelling power. A good way to begin to regulate corporations would be to stop them from regulating us. "The sober fact is that here is the immi nent battle ground in the endless contest for the rights of the people. Nothing that can be said or done will suffice to postpone longer the active phases of this fight, and that is why I attach so great importance to the attitude of administrative officers in pro- tecting the public welfare in the enforcement of the law. "From time to time a few strong leaders have tried to unite the people in the fight of the many for the equal opportunities to which they are entitled. But the people have only 782 CONSERVATION just begun to take this fight in earnest. They have not realized until recently the vital im- portance and far-reaching consequences of their own passive position. "Now that the fight is passing into an acute stage it is easily seen that the spe- cial interests have used the period of public indifference to maneuver themselves into a position of exceeding strength. In the first place, the constitutional position of property in the United States is stronger than in any other nation. In the second place, it is well understood that the influence of the corpora- tions in our lawmaking bodies is usually ex- cessive, not seldom to the point of defeating the will of the people steadily and with ease. In the third place, cases are not unknown in which the special interests, not satisfitd with making the laws, have assumed also to interpret them through that worst of evils in the body politic, an unjust judge. "When an interest or an enemy is en- trenched in a position rendered impregnable against an expected mode of attack, there is but one remedy, to shift the ground and follow lines against which no preparation has been made. "Fortunately for us, the special interests, with a blindness which naturally follows from their wholly commercialized point of view, have failed to see the essential fact in this great conflict. They do not under- stand that this is far more than an economic question ; that in its essence and in every essential characteristic it is a moral question. "The present economic order, with its face turned away from equality of opportunity, involfes a bitter moral wrong, which must be corrected for moral reasons and along moral lines. It must be corrected with just- ness and firmness, but not bitterly, for that would be to lower the Nation to the moral level of the evil which we have set ourselves to fight. "This_ is the doctrine of the square deal. It contains the germ of industrial liberty. Its partisans are the many, its opponents are the few. I am firm in the faith that the great majority of our people are square-dealers." •« Southern Forestry and Conservation An important conservation meeting was held in New Orleans on the ist of Novem- ber. The governors of the southern states were invited by Gov. J. Y. Sanders of Louis- iana to meet in New Orleans with the con- servation commissions of the several states for the purpose of discussing steps necessary for the further conservation of the natural resources of the South. The Louisiana For- estry Association met with this Congress. Governor Sanders presided and delivered an address of welcome at the morning session. This was followed by an address of wel- come by Judge I. D. Moore, representing the mayor of New Orleans, and the reply to these addresses was delivered by the Hon. W. H. Milton, of Florida. At this session an address was delivered by the Hon. Henry E. Hardtner, president of the Louisiana Con- servation Commission and the Louisiana Forestry Association, his subject being espe- cially the forestry conditions of Louisiana and the South. He illustrated his arguments with a review of the forest experiences of foreign countries. Part of Mr. Hardtner's address will be published in the next number of this magazine. This was followed by an address on the conservation of our water- ways by the Hon. J. E. Ransdell, president of the National Rivers and Harbors Con- gress. In the afternoon Capt. J. B. White of Missouri, chairman of the Executive Council of the National Conservation Congress, spoke on the prevention of timber waste, his address being a broad, practical treatment of an extremely practical subject. At the con- clusion of Captain White's address. Presi- dent Hardtner introduced the Hon. Giflford Pinchot, National Forester, saying that the South owes him a debt of gratitude that cannot be measured either in words or in any material compensation. Mr. Pinchot's address was on the general subject of con- servation. He was received with enthusi- astic applause. Among other things, he said that this great work of conservation will be carried out by the joint earnest cooperation of men and women throughout the country. Men experienced in politics say that there are two things which must be conveyed to the people. One is to get clearly into the conscience of the American people that this is a great moral question, and the moral side will win. If a moral question any- where exists it is certainly the conserva- tion question. Another thing is that to en- sure success you must keep the thing con- stantly before the people. With all the felici- tations to ourselves for what we have done in this matter of conservation and what we propose to do, we should realize that public sentiment stands behind conservation, and that we must use every means in our power for the development of our ideas and that we must save always and see that the peo- ple get the benefit of our resources, not for the few, but for the many. The next speaker was Dr. Herman Von Schrcnck, chairman of the Missouri Conser- vation Commission, on some practical phase? of the forestry question. Dr. Von Schrenck gave special attention to the topics of taxa- tion, fire protection, education, and state reservations. Hon. F. J. Grace, commissioner of fores- try of Louisiana, delivered an address on forestry in Louisiana which will be published in this magazine next month, and this was followed by an address on constitutional law by the Hon. F. C. Zacharie. In the evening there was a symposium pre- sided over l)y Giflford Pinchot, with ten- minute addresses on the subject, "What Is NEWS AND NOTES 783 Conservation Doing in My State?" In this symposium the Hon. John Barrett spoke for North and South America, the Hon. D. W. Baker for Maryland, Hon. S. D. Redding for Arkansas, Hon. W. P. Lay for Alabama, Dr. J. Hyde Pratt for North Carolina, Com- missioner E. J. Watson for South Carolina, the Hon. P. St. Julian Wilson for Virginia, Hon. Hugh Maxwell for West Virginia, Hon. W. H. Milton for Florida, Gov. E. F. Noel for Mississippi, Hon. H. P. Gamble for Louisiana, Hon. J. Pope Cowan for Ken- tucky, Dr. H. Von Schrenck for Missouri, Hon. W. Fleming Jones for New Mexico, and Hon. R. F. Burgess for Texas. Va Ur' «r' Republican Club for Conservation The Republican Club of New York City — the largest club of its kind in the country — has unanimously declared for the conserva- tion of natural resources and the Weeks- Lever bill. At its regular meeting on Monday even- ing, November 15, the national committee — Hon. Warren Higlej^ chairman — made an extended and able report on the conservation of our natural resources, which report was read and received by the club with en- thusiasm, and the proposed resolutions were unanimously adopted, as follows : "Resolved, That the Republican Club of the City of New York declares in favor of the policy of the conservation of our natural resources as inaugurated by President Roose- velt and unanimously indorsed by the gov- ernors and representative citizens of the sev- eral states at the noted White House Con- ference in the spring of 1908, and approved by President Taft. And be it further "Resolved, That this club urge upon Con- gress such legislation as will secure na- tional control of the Appalachian and White Mountain watersheds, substantially as set forth in the 'Appalachian-White Mountain Bill,' as introduced into the last Congress." ^ «? ^' Forestry Chairman, Federation of Women's Clubs The present chairman of the Forestry Committee of the National Federation of Women's Clubs is Mrs. F. W. Girard, 44 Bay View Avenue, Soifth Norwalk. Conn. About a year ago Mrs. Girard succeeded in that office Mrs. P. S. Peterson, of Chi- cago, who was inadvertently referred to in the October number of this magazine as the present chairman of the committee. Mrs. Girard is deeply interested in forestry, and is continuing with enthusiasm the work in- augurated and developed among the clubs of the federation by her predecessors. The Corpus Christi Inland Waterways Meeting The Inland Waterways Meeting at Corpus Christi, Tex., opened on October 21. One of the chief objects sought by the convention is the inter-coastal canal from the Rio Grande to the Mississippi, an important func- tion of which is held to be the reg^iiation of railway rates. As an example of the effectiveness of water competition in regulating rates, Congressman Rufus Hardy mentioned a case in which cotton charges of $2.75 were levied from Cor- sicana to Galveston, a distance of 261 miles, against a rate of 85 cents from Memphis to New Orleans, a distance of 451 miles. Congressman James L. Slayden described this project as an effort on the part of the people to become independent. He pointed to the example of New York, the Empire State, now expending $100,000,000 on the Erie Canal, which has already cost her fifty millions, which canal she expects to make available even for ocean-going vessels. Such work, he claims, asserts the dignity and right of a state in an impressive way that might well command the attention of other com- munities that talk a great deal more about state sovereignty. Congressman Slayden referred to a steamer trading between Galveston and Liverpool, which took out a cargo of 26,000 bales of cotton requiring 486 cars to deliver the cargo to the ship. "That," he declared, "indicates why it is so much cheaper to send your pro- duce to market by water." President Taft attended the meeting, and urged that the country's waterways be im- proved, and at the earliest possible date, by the issuance of bonds, if necessary. Governor Campbell of Texas expressed his belief that the canal would return to the pockets of the people of the state $3,500,000 annually. Meeting of American Mechanical Engineers The thirtieth annual meeting of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers will l)e held in the Engineering Societies Building, 29 West Thirty-ninth Street, New York, iDecember 7 to 10. A number of interesting professional pa- pers will be read, to be followed by several valuable reports. •tf >'.: tfi The Wonder of It All Speaking of the Ballinger-Pinchot con- troversy, the Minnesota Forester, for Octo- ber, says : The wonder of it all is the vast wave of interest which has swept the entire coun- try from sea to sea. This clash of officials which would ten years ago have had but an inch of space in the official news of a Wash- 784 CONSERVATION ington paper has occupied column after col- umn in thousands of papers scattered throughout the entire country. The strong- est opi.)Osition to the order came from that portion of the country from which the Sec- retary haled, where the P'orester was for- merly most bitterly cursed, it was the growl of the people when the "trusts," through a branch of the National Government, reached for the bone which they had always held so cheaply. That bone is the great reasources and natural wealth of the United States. It has always belonged to the people, but only in very recent years have they realized its value or taken the trouble to safeguard their rights. The conservation of the natural resources is now a live question. The people have risen to claim them for themselves and pos- terity. The forests are the most important of these resources, the foundation on which many of the others rest. iSi iH i^ Good Roads Propaganda In the week of December, 6-11, the South- ern Commercial Congress and the National Rivers and Harbors Congress meet in Washington City. During that time the Office of Public Roads, in Washington, will keep open house, thus enabling all who visit the city to come in contact with some of the most skilled road engineers in the country. Mr. Logan Waller Page, director of the Office of Pub- lic Roads, has requested Mr. J. E. Penny backer, chief of road management, to give an illustrated lecture before the Southern Commercial Congress. In addition to the lecture the exhibit hall of the congress will contain enlarged photographs of bad roads and good from various southern states; and photographs showing the before and after of some roads that have been improved. In addition there will be models of different types of road construction. There will be also several films of moving oictures shown during the lecture illustrating the processes of road making in motion, and also illustrat- ing the effect of automobiles on the road bed. The Southern Commercial Congress will print and distribute in Washington the latest information regarding road progress of the South so as to encourage effort in every county of the South and also to pro- duce the conviction that road improvement pays the county that undertakes it. Over 2,500 invitations have been mailed to county commissioners throughout the South. The first county in all the South to pay the way of an official to this practical good-roads ex- position is Woodward County, Oklahoma. J^ «« «? The Biltmore School Peripatetic The Biltmore School, which Dr. C. A. Schenck has so long and successfully con- ducted on the Vanderbilt estate near Ashe- ville, N. C, is about to become a peripatetic institution. Several months will be spent in study in the forests of Germany. The classes in the school have closed and the students have left for their homes to make final preparations for sailing in the party, November 9, on "The Potsdam" from New York. The plans include many trips to various parts of Germany, and adjacent countries. The party includes fifty-six, forty-five of whom are students. Four of the remaining eleven are instructors. The remainder are young ladies of the city who have joined the class. More students would have gone if permitted by the management. The requests for membership for next year are equal to the number for this year. The course as now planned will give oppor- tunity for study in every kind of forest. When the party returns in the spring, the work will be resumed at Pisgah forest. The school will not have its headquarters on the estate, but at the same time the forests of the Vanderbilt property will be the basis of much of the work. «r' i^ J« Hurricane Destruction on the Mississippi Coast Mississippi's coast is some seventy miles in length and is followed closely by the Louis- ville and Nashville Railroad. Says the New Orleans Picayune: "The recent hurricane which raged along that coast inflicted serious damage upon the railroad mentioned, stop- ping its operations for several weeks, but other quite considerable injury along that coast was the undermining and carrying away of much of the shore at several of the prominent coast resorts. At each of those places a broad and level driveway, which extended along the water front, was the delight and charm of life there, and in many places it was completely destroyed and obliterated, so that in order to restore it, the dwellers along the route must either move their houses farther back from the new line of beach made by the waves or a new road must be built out into the water. "In view of the damage done and the losses suffered, there has been voiced a de- mand that the National Government shall give protection to that coast by building some sort of a breakwater to receive and fend off the fury of the waves." i« 5t' «r' Mr, Herbert A. Smith at Brattleboro Mr. Herbert A.Smith, Forest Service, recently zens of Brattleboro, Vt. forestry. In closing his tional Forest.s, he said : "This property of the whole an undeveloped p of high productiveness when railroads and the tion have opened up th ated a greater demand of the United States addressed the citi- , on the subject of remarks on the Na- Nation's is on the roperty. Its period will come later, increase in popula- e country and cre- for the timber. In NEWS AND NOTES 785 foreign countries the governments which own forests make an annual profit of $2, $3, or even $5 an acre from their forest lands, but to get this profit they must also spend heavily. Our outlay is less than 2 cents to the acre and our national forest force sup- plies about one field man to every 125,000 acres of land to be cared for, yet even so they are doing magnificent work in protect- ing and developing these forests. Altogether our national forest force is a little but very effective army of about 2,000 men. I think you have a right to be proud of the work they are doing for you."— Journal, !Mont- pelier, Vt. «r' «r' «? Commercial Importance of New Hampshire Forests The commercial importance of the White Mountains is the subject of a bulletin just issued by the Agricultural Department, the author of which is Philip W. Ayers, forester of the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests. Mr. Ayers makes five principal points in showing that the New Hampshire forests are of great commercial importance. Because they contain a timber supply near the principal markets, where the high price of lumber is already working a hardship ; because the White Mountains are the source of several important rivers and the preserva- tion of their forests is neccessary to protect navigation, water-power and domestic water supply, and because the health of people from many states who seek rest and recrea- tion in the White Mountains is a national asset. Mr. Ayers quotes figures to show that the rise in the price of standing timber and lum- ber has been very great in New England during the last few years, due to the exhaus- tion of the forests. Only about one-tenth of the area of northern New Hampshire is agri- cultural land. As a striking instance of the commercial importance of the New Hampshire forests, Mr. Ayers gives some facts and figures about the wood pulp and paper industry of New England. The total investment in these in- dustries was $io8,coo,ooo in 1905, and _ the paper mills of Massachusetts, Connecticut, and other states depend upon the New Hampshire forests for their raw material. Mr. Ayers dwells upon the wasteful methods of lumbering that are employed and the re- sulting loss from forest fires, which devas- tated 85.000 acres in 1903 alone. The fires destroy the productive qualities of the soil, so that it will not support vege- tation for many years. In this connection Mr. Ayers urges that fires would be largely a thing of the past if the White Mountain forests, similarly to the National Forests, were placed under the charge of the Federal Government. Taking up the water-power question, Mr. Ayers says that the total investment in indus- tries dependent upon the water of the Merri- mac, Connecticut, Saco, Androscoggin, and Kennebec rivers is $250,000,000. These in- dustries, with thousands of persons employed in them, cannot exist without water-power. As regards navigation, Mr. Ayers shows that the combined navigable length of the streams in 146^2 miles. This is interfered with by silt deposited in the stream beds. He quotes Prof. George F. Swain, of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, C. C. Goodrich, of Hartford, and A. M. Schoen, of the American Institute of Electrical Engi- neers, to show that navigation is interfered with by destroying the forests on the water- sheds of streams. The object of Mr. Ayers' pamphlet is to show the necessity of Congress enacting legislation for the protection of New Hamp- shire forests. Mr. Ayers is a strong advo- cate of the Weeks forestry bill. — New Haven, Conn., Palladium. •^ «^ «* Louisiana Forestry Association Louisiana, as becomes the second state in the Union in lumber production, is awaken- ing to the importance of forestry, and has a live state association well under way. The oflScers of this association are Hon. Henry A. Hardtner, president; W. O. Hart, vice-president; Mrs. A. B. Avery, secretary; Robert Roberts, jr., treasurer, and the execu- tive council is composed of these officers and of two members at large: Mrs. J. D. Wilkin- son and Harry T. Gamble, Hon. Charles P. Johnston from the first congressional dis- trict and Hon. F. J. Grace from the second The annual meeting of the association will be held on the first Tuesday of January. The association is growing rapidly and de serves the support of every one who is inter- ested in conserving and replacing the forests of the state. The address of the secretary is Mrs. A. B. Avery, 254 Stoner Avenue. Shreveport, La. ^ «? &' Practical Work for Minnesota Forestry Students Forestry students of the Minnesota Forest School were given a fine opportunity the past summer to acquaint themselves with the actual conditions of a forester's life. Work was found in western states for all those who desired to put their vacation time to the best advantage in their chosen line of work. This work was not supposed to combine high salaries and practical experience, but on the average the students came out about even on the money question; and, besides, acquired a practical experience which no amount of school could get {hem.— The \Un itesota Forester. 786 CONSERVATION Fighting Moths with SearchUghts and Fans To use a Catling gun to kill a sparrow would be considered a most shameful waste of energy. In Germany, however, they are employmg the great force of electricity to kill moths, and the results obtained have been so satis- factory that the plan may be followed in this country. It was because the forests of Germany were being devastated by moths that it was finally decided to try electricity. By the use of an electrical device these insects are being exterminated at the rate of nearly half a million a day. The new method involves the use of elec- tric light at night. It was tried first at Zittau, Saxony, where the moth known popu- larly throughout Germany as the "nun" was doing untold damage to the trees. It was found that the insects were most active between the hours of lo p. m. and i a. m., and that they were inevitably attracted to bright lights. A little experimenting showed that the greater the light the greater the attraction. The flame of burning wood drew them slightly; acetylene or magnesium lamps proved more effective, and the electric arc light proved most powerful of all. Where a gas lamp was located near an arc light, the former was found to be practically deserted, while the latter was infested by multitudes of flies and moths. Near the forests of Zittau were the mu- nicipal electric works. The entire stock of arc lamps on hand was utilized, the lights being linked together so as to furnish the most powerful light possible. The effect of this brilliant illumination was to attract the moths of the forest in swarms, although the forests were several miles away. Thousands fell to the ground with singed wings, the heat generated by the powerful electric arcs being considerable. The success achieved in this way sug- gested amplifications. Instead of the arc lights alone, powerful searchlights with a current of forty amperes were mustered into service, the intense rays being directed upon the forests. To each searchlight were linked two arc lamps, which served to concentrate the flut- tering moths. Between the lamps was placed a powerful suction ventilator, in front of the outlet of which was stationed a piece of wire netting. When this contrivance was operated the slaughter of the insects which is accom- plished was beyond all expectations. Attracted by the bright illumination, the moths advanced in great hosts, and were da.shcd against the wire screen as soon as they came within range of the powerful suc- tion ventilator. The suction was caused by an electric motor, which produced 1,200 revolutions a minute, and sucked through about 2,800 cubic feet of air in the same period. About 141 pounds of moths, or 400,000 of them, were killed in a single night by the use of this device. The method has not yet been used in America, but it may be found necessary to adopt it in the near future. — Boston, iMass., American. «r' «r' ^ Forester Gaskill at Work In a recent interview, Mr. Alfred Gaskill, secretary of the state board of forestry of New Jersey said in substance : An ex- penditure of about $9,000 in preventing forest fires has saved not less than $250,000 in New Jersey during the past year. By extinguish- ing one forest fire $20,000 wor'.h of cran- berries were saved. The forestry board is not only fighting fires, but cultivating trees. There are 2,000,000 acres of forests in the state, covering almost half the state's area. These forests, however, have been so abused that their value has been almost extin- guished, being worth, on the average, to their owners less than $1 per year, while the forests of Wurtemburg, German, whose size, population, and conditions are similar to those of New Jersey, are worth $6 an acre net to their owners. New Jersey now owns about 10,000 acres of forest reserves, and expects soon to pur- chase 4,000 acres more. The state should protect itself against the gipsy and Ijrown-tall moths from iNew Eng- land. The elm-leaf beetle has already got into north Jersey and is killing hundreds of elm trees. An appropriation of $^,000, Mr. Gaskill thinks, would enable the commission to drive out these pests and prevent the threatened invasion. He says it is only a question of paying a small sum now or be- ing compelled to pay a much large one later. ^i )>i % Maine Forestry Law a Success The Hon. Edward E. Ring, state forest commissioner, says the law creating a Maine forestry district and providing for forest-fire protection in unorganized townships this season proved to be a great benefit. Speaking of the law that provides for tax- ation in unorganized townships for the pur- poses of fire protection. Commissioner Ring says that of the $64,000 raised $T 0,000 re- mains unexpended. Fourteen new lookout stations were built and equipped; additional wardens were employed, and tools for fight- ing fires were distributed. The state has now a total of twenty-two lookout stations. More are to be erected next year. — Christian Science Monitor. NEWS AND NOTES 7^7 Germans Planting Forests in China Tn a portion of the Celestial kingdom earnest efforts are now being made to re- establish a forest-cover by planting. Con- sul Wilbur T. Gracey, of Tsingtau, China, reports that the Germans in that region are making- successful attempts at refor- estation. When Tsingtau was occupied by the Germans about eleven years ago the hilh were found bare and barren, with only a sporadic growth of scrub pine and weeds. Plans for reforestation were at once made, and about 2,965 acres have already been planted. About half of this is planted in acacias, the balance in pine, larch, walnut, oak, ash, maples, and alders. So successful has this planting been that the point has already been reached where the sale of tim- ber can be made. Small branches are sold for firewood, and some of the timber is used for mining purposes. The sale and exporta- tion of acacia is expected to become a con- siderable source of revenue during the next few years. The work of reforestation has been re- tarded by lack of moisture, but especially by insects. Caterpillars have been especially hurtful. During 1908 over 7,000,000 caterpillars were gathered by hand, smashed, covered with lime, and afterward used as fertilizer. This method has been successful in protect- ing the greater part of the plantations, but on the mountains on the border of the terri- tory the trees are eaten bare. Acacias ap- pear to withstand the attacks of the insects better than any other species; and the sum- mits of the mountains are now being planted with these trees in an effort to check future destruction. In addition to these enemies, Chinese thieves are another source of diffi- culty, and on one occasion a band of thirty- six thieves was captured in the act of steal- ing wood. In spite of these drawbacks, however, the work has been so successful that the Chinese government is now undertaking forestry schemes in a number of places under advice from German experts. This work centers about Mukden, Manchuria. ^ The first Chinese forest school was estab- lished at Mukden two years ago. Six hun- dred and twenty-five acres have already been set apart for cultivation, and 24,710 acres are to be purchased for afforestation. Three large mines in China, in the prov- inces of Ch;hli and Shansi, which are under the management of Europeans, are making plans for afforestation, and the Shantung Railway is planting acacias along 260 miles of its track. This, however, is simply a beginning of the work, and the Chinese gov- ernment now has in contemplation the in- auguration of extensive afforestation work m different parts of China. Forester Hawes Utters a Warning State I'orester A. F. Hawes, of Vermont. says of the situation in that state: "Lumbering in the old way is responsible for the conditions in Vermont. The moun- tainous, or central part of the state, and Essex County in the northwestern part, have been greatly injured by this method of stripping the land clear of forest and leaving it to take care of itself. The new growth can just as well be made to produce as valu- able a crop of lumber as the one removed, or even a more valuable one. "Not only does the thoughtless cutting of trees from the land without regard to the future detract from the wealth and future prosperity of the state, which has found lum- bering one of its most profitable industries, but it takes money out of his own pocket. The floods which last week overflowed the banks of the rivers in that stale and caused a large number of mills to shut down might not have occurred but for the stripping of the mountain sides, thus letting the snow melt quickly. "One of the most important functions of the ofiice of state forester is that of fire warden. The fire warden in each town is the local warden, and they are all under the direction of the state forester, who, with two assistants, last summer made a thorough investigation throughout Vermont as to for- est fires, causes, amount of damage, and means of protection. "The state forester will cooperate with lumbernien and farmers desiring to improve •lieir lands and prevent them from going to waste." »i ^ ^ President Hill for Conservation In the present instalment of the series, "Highwaj's of Progress," now appearing in the World's Work, President James J. Hill says : "Practically speaking, our public lands are about all occupied. Our other natural re- sources have been exploited with a lavish hand. Our iron and coal supplies will show signs of exhaustion before fifty years have passed. The former, at the present rate of increasing population, will be greatly re- duced. Our forests are going rapidly; our supply of mineral oil flows to the ends of the earth. The soil of the country is being im- poverished by careless treatment. In some of the richest portions of the country its pro- ductivity has deteriorated fully fifty per cent. These are facts to which necessity will com- pel our attention before we have reached the middle of this century. To a realization of our position, and especially to a jealous care of our land resources, both as to quantity and quality, to a mode of cultivation that will at once multiply the yield per acre and restore instead of impairing fertility, we must come without delay. There is no issue, in business or in politics, that compares in importance or in power with this." '^ ^ '^ Forestry on Private Estates In point of variety and scope, the forest work done on the Biltmore estate in North Carolina is remarkable. The forests, which cover 130,000 acres, are made profitable by the production of various forms of material. Four million feet of lumber, 5,000 cords of tannic-acid wood and fuel, a thou- sand cords of tanbark, and several hundred cords of pulp wood are cut every year. At the same time, the forest, through wise man- agement, is bettered and is steadily increas- ing in value. Workmen employed along the boundaries of the forest do duty as fire- guards. Thus fire protection is secured at least throughout all the accessible parts of the tract. In connection with all lumbering opera ■ tions permanent logging roads are built. These minimize the present cost of trans- portation and will greatly reduce the cost of marketing future crops. Thus the exten sion of the roads is steadily adding to thf investment value of the forest. — Harper's Weekly, New York. RECENT PUBLICATIONS "Wild Flowers and Trees of Colorado." By JM-ancis Ramaley, Professor in the Uni- versity of Colorado This attractively published little volume is intended as an introduction to Colorado plants. It deals with the subject almost wholly from the point of view of the bota- nist, and probably will be of little interest or value to the forester. No attempt is made to cover more than a few of the wild flowers of the state, which are briefly described in popular language and illustrated by photographs and drawings. The distribution of the flowers in altitudinal zones is taken up quite fully, however, with an ecological discussion as to the causes of this. Forest formations and forest trees are taken up in some detail, but the author's discussion of the causes of the distribution of the different species and tj-pes is not very convincing. Professor Ramaley's desire to emphasize the necessity for proper forest protection unfortunately leads him to dis- courage forest management by making the very broad statement that if illegal cutting is prohibited and fires kept out the forests will take care of themselves. Exception must also be taken to his sweeping statement that, "Unless grown on bottom lands, all trees planted in Colorado must be irrigated or else well cultivated and protected during the first few years after being planted," which, if true, would of course make planting for commercial purposes on a large scale impossible. The book contains a key to the identi- fication of all trees found in the state with a description of each species, illustrated by photographs and pen and ink drawings, which will undoubtedly be helpful to those desiring to become acquainted with the flora of the state. A bibliography of the articles dealing with Colorado trees is also included. S. T. D. *t? i-/ J« "Andaman Marble-wood or Zebra-wood (Diospyros kurzii. Hiern), by R. S. Troup, Imperial Forest Economist to the Govern- ment of India " This publication is the first of a series dealing with some of the more important Indian timbers. It contains a sample of the wood and a description of the tree, but gives particular attention to a discussion of the structure of the wood, its weight, strength, seasoning qualities, and uses. The publication will be of especial interest to wood merchants, engineers, architects, and others interested in the utilization of Indian timbers. S. T. D. Mr' &' }t' "National Hickory Association. Circular No. 3 " This circular consists of a report of the third annual meeting of the associa- tion, papers on "Forest Conservation," and the "Time Required to Grow Hickory," by Mr. Kellogg and Mr. Ziegler of the Forest Service, and a discussion of Eucalyptus as a suitable timber for vehicle stock. The President's address calls attention most forc- ibly to the rapidly decreasing supply of hickory and the necessity for prompt action by the association to determine the amount of standing timber and to inaugurate re- forms in the method of cutting and utilizing the wood. Mr. Ziegler's paper is a partial summary of a bulletin on the commercial hickories of the United States to be issued by the Forest Service, and contains much valuable data concerning the growth of the dififerent species under different conditions. S. T. D. &' )t' 5^' "Practical Farm Drainage," by C. G. Elliott ; New York, John Wiley & Sons, 1908 This little manual of drainage is a rewrit- ten edition of a book which first appeared in 1882. It is intended "for the use of farmers and students," particularly those who have no experience in drainage and kindred mat- ters. While many of the author's sugges- tions will prove very helpful to inexperienced workers, the book suffers from an unsatis- factory arrangement of material and from a certain lack of clearness in the descrip- tions of methods and processes. Whether the average farmer could, with the aid of this book, prepare a sketch map showing elevations, such as are illustrated on page fifty, or even accomplish the use of a plane table, as descril)ed in Chapter X, it is doubt- ful. Furthermore, many of the illustrations are poor, and the style shows signs of hur- ried writing. Some cliaptcrs, however, should prove of great value. The chapter on special prob- lems in drainage deals excellently with sev- eral difficult subjects; that on drainage of irrigated lands should prove very valuable to farmers in the arid West. The book is well printed and carefullv indexed. N. H. G. 789 790 CONSERVATION "Transactions of the Roval Scottish Arbori- cukiiral Society, Vol. XXII, Part II, July, 1909 " The number is devoted mainly to a dis- cussion of the report of the Royal Commis- sion on Coast Erosion and Afforestation. which recommended the planting- of the enormous area of 9,000,000 acres of land in the United Kingdom, at an annual cost of approximately $10,000,000. This proposal and the method suggested for carrying out the work are thoroughly discussed by such emi- nent authorities as Dr. Schlich, Professor Somerville, Dr. Nisbet, Mr. Ribbcntrop, and others. The discussion takes up very thor- oughly the question as to the adivisability of starting planting work on such a tremen- dous scale, and covers the economic aspects of the problem very fully. To those who are interested in the problem of state forest planting on a large scale, this issue will be of special interest and value. There arc also several articles on other sub- jects, such as afforestation of waste lands in Europe, trees of California, and the effect of smoke on trees, which are, as usual, of much interest. S. T. D. ti< t>' ki' y: ys vc Recent Books on Forestry, Written in English Familiar Trees; G. S. Boulger. New ed.. Vol. 1-3. 1906-7. Illus. Cassell & Co., London. The Utilization of Wood Waste by Distil- lation ; W. B. Harper. 1907. 156 pp. Illus. St. Louis Lumberman, St. Louis, Mo. British Trees; R. V. Cole. Vol. t-2. 1907. Illus. Hutchinson & Co... London. Wayside and Woodland Trees ; a pocket guide to the British sylva ; E. Step. 1907. 182 pp. Illus. F. Warne & Co., London. Seaside Planting of Trees and Shrubs; A. Gaut. 1906. loi pp. Illus. Country Life, London. The Pruning Book; L. IT. Bailev. 1907. 545 pp. Illus. McMillan Co.. N' Y. North American Trees; N. L. Britton. 1908. 894 pp. Illus. Henry Holt & Co., New York. Trees of Great Britain and Ireland ; H. J. Elvves and A. Henry. Vol. 1-4, 1906-9. Illus. Privately printed. Our Trees : How to Know Them ; C. M. Wed & A. T. Emerson. 1908. 295 pp. Illus. J. B. Lippincott Co., Philadelphia, Pa. Forest Entomology ; A. T. Gillanders. 1908. 422 pp. Illus. Wm. Blackwood & Sons, Edinburgh and London. A Concise Manual of Silviculture for the Use of Forestry Students in India. 1906. 240 pp. Supt. of Government Printing. Cal- cutta. Indian Forest Utilization : R. S. Troup. 1907. 2~,'/ pp. Illus. Supt. of Government Printing, Calcutta. A Mantial of Forest Laws Compiled for the L'Se of Students at the Imperial Forest College, Dehra Dun. 1906. 100 pp. Supt. of Government Printing, Calcutta. A Manual of Elementary Forest Zoology for India ; E. P. Stebbing. 1908. 229 pp. Supt. of Government Printing, Calcutta. Trees and Their Life Histories; P. Groom. 1907. 407 pp. Illus. Cassell & Co., London. Wood : A Manual of the Natural History and Industrial Applications of the Timbers of Conmierce; G. S. Boulger. Ed. 2, 1908. 348 pp. Illus. E. Arnold. London. Wood Products, Distillates and Extracts ; P. Dumesney and J. Neyer. 1908. 320 pp. Illus. London. Our Wasteful Nation: The Story of Amer- ican Prodigality and the Abuse of Our National Resources; C. Rudolf. 1908. 134 pp. Illus. M. Kennerly, New York. Trees : A Handbook of Forest Botany for the Woodlands and the Laboratory; H. M. Ward. Vol. 1-5, 1904-9. Illus. The Uni- versity Press, Cambridge, England. Forest Finance; C. A. Schenck. 1909. 44 pp. Inland Press, Ashevillc. N. C. The Study of Evergreens in the Public Schools ; C. M. Weed. 1908. 30 pp. Illus. State Forester's Office, Boston, Mass. Our Forests and Woodlands : J. Nisbet. 1909. 348 pp. Illus. J. M. Dent & Co., London. The Practise of Forestry: Concerning also the Financial Aspect of Afforestation ; P. T. Maw. 1909. 503 pp. Walter iS: Walter, Brockenhurst, England. The Tree Book; M. R. Jarvis. 1908. 13^ pp. Illus. John Lane Company. London and New York. Indian Woods and Their Uses; R. S. Troup. 1909. 491 pp. Supt. of Government Print- ing. Calcutta. An Analytical Key to Some of the Common Tlowering Plants of the Rocky Mountain Region ; A. Nelson. 1902. CONSER VA TION'S AD VER TISERS / "THE DOCTOR" by Jlohn Dovey *• The RatHen of Tree Swrgery '♦ "The Tree Doctor" is recognized as the standard ' authority on the practical care of shade trees, orchards, lawns, shrubs, flowers, and vineyards. Tree structure, tree surgery in all its phases, proper and improper root conditions, the growing of fruits, the care of trees in public places, remedies of insect pests and tree diseases, the cultivation of flowers, various types of landscaping, the relation between trees, birds, and insects — these and kindred subjects are treated exhaustively, and the various points brought out in the text are clearly illus- trated by an abundance of photographs, specially selected for this work from thousands taken by the author during his many years of experience in the care and study of trees. This book is not written by a mere theorist, but by the most successful tree specialist of his time — a man who has spent nearly half a century in the most intimate contact with the subjects of which he treats. It is indispensable to the man who loves his home and its surroundings. It is interesting, instructive, elevating. NEW YORK TIMES SUPPLEMENT Saturflay, March 20, lOOS. " 'The Tree Doctor' is a book written by an enthusiastic tree lover, and one who, moreover, has made it his business to study trees, their injuries, diseases, and methods of preservation. « * • The large number of photo- graphs, 213, with which the book is embellished, comprise an object-lesson In themselves of the value and benefits of tree culture." THE Tree Expert Co. Incorpor-ated I IT (Operating Davey's School of Practical Rorestry) Main Office, KBINT, OHIO '♦The Home of Tree Surgery ft Bastenn Office, TARRYTOWN, N. Y. Address Nearest Office Price, <»2.00 Postpaid In writing to advertisers kindly mention Conservation CONSERVATION'S ADVERTISERS 25, Acres of Fine Timberland in HIGHLAND COUNTY, VA. This tract is heavily timbered with white oak, red oak, chestnut oak, yel- low poplar, white pine, bass wood, chestnut, hickory, and walnut from 60% to 80% of which is oak, and is estimated to cut from 6,000 to 10,000 feet per acre. The land itself is limestone and is first class for farming, grazing and orchard purposes, and the Jack Moun- tain, Avhich passes through the tract, contains two seams of iron ore. If you buy timber you will want to see this tract. We will furnish guide, who is familiar with the entire prop- erty, to show it. We have this prop- erty direct from owners and the title is perfect. Price $17.00 per acre for the timber, with 20 years for removal. Write for a full description of this tract, and for our Catalogue of Coal and Timber Lands. Tri-State Investment & Security Co. Union Trust Building, Parl(ersburg, W. Va. TREES FOR FORESTRY PLANTING Catalpa Speciosa, Black, Locust, European Larch, Sugar or Hard Maple, American Beech, White Birch, Red Oak, American Linden, White Elm, American Sweet Chestnut, Black Walnut; also SEEDS of above varieties. EVERGREENS White Pine, Scotcli Pine, Ponderosa Pine, Jack Pine, Austrian Pine, White, Norway, Doug- las, and Red Spruce, .$3.00 to $10.00 per 1,000. We also carry a large assortment of EVER- GREEN Tree Seeds, both native and foreign. Many Millions to Offer We make a specialty of growing EVER- GREENS and DECIDUOUS tree seedlings in Immense quantities for reforestation purposes. Our list includes all valualile native species, at lowest possible prices. Our new Catalog describes each variety and gives much valuable information about care and culture. All applicants for Catalog mentioning tliis Mag- azine will receive free of charge a booklet en- titled "Catalpa Growing for Profit," by D. Hill. D. HILL EVERGREEN SPECIALIST BOX 305 DUNDEE. ILL. Hill's trees have been famous for over half a century. WANTED BACK NUMBERS OF THE FORESTER AND FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION. The office of Conservation desires for some of its subscrib- ers a few copies of its issues for Ma)- and September, 1899, and January, February and March, 1907, and will pay for those needed 20 cents each. Any one willing to dispose of these will please advise us by postal card. 2f In writing to advertisers kindly mention Conservation CONSERVATION'S ADVERTISERS Trees for Forest Planting White Pine— (Seedlings) 4-6 in., $8 per 1,000; 6-12 In.. $60 per 1,000; 1-1% ft., $90 per 1,000; 2-3 ft.. $150 per 1,000 — 4-5 ft., $70 per 100; 7-8 ft., $300 per 100. Pitch Pine— (Seedlings) 2-4 In., $5 per 1.000—2 ft., $15 per 100. Scotch Pine — 2-3 In., $5 per 1.000; 2 ft., $15 per 100. White Spruce — (3-yr. seedlings) 3-8 In.. $5 per 1,000. Pin Oak— (Seedlings) 2-4 in., $9 per 1,000 — 4 ft., $25 per 100. Red Oak^ ft., $18 per 100. BIG SHADE TREES save 15 to 20 years of your time. Grown 15 to 25 feet apart, broad tops, good roots, safely shipped. Over 1.500 to select from. 20 to 30 feet high. Norway Maple... Norway Maple... Norway Maple. . . Silver Maple Dlam. 3% In. 5 in. 6 In. 4% In. Ht. 18 ft. 22 ft. 26 ft. 22 ft. Spread. 6 ft. 10 ft. 12 ft. 10 ft. Age. 13 yr. 18 yr. 22 yr. 12 yr. Price. F.O.B. $8.00 20.00 35.00 9.00 Price Dlam. Ht. Spread. Age. F.O.B. Silver Maple 5 lu. 24 ft. 10 ft. 12 yr. $18.00 Silver Maple 6 in. 26 ft. 12 ft. 16 yr. 25.00 Pin Oak 6 In. 24 ft. 12 ft. 15 yr. 30.00 HICKS' PATENT TREE-MOVERS and expert crews sent for moving shade trees up to 60 feet high and 35 feet spread of roots, and evergreen trees up to 35 feet high. BIG EVERGREENS, Pine, Spruce. Fir. Cedar, Hemlock, 10 to 30 feet high, shipped from our nursery with large balls of earth. Over 1.000 to select from. USUAL SIZES of trees, shrubs, vines, hardy flowers of excellent quality at low rates. Send for illustrated catalogue showing Eolations for many landscape problems. ISAAC HICKS ®. SON Westbury Station Long Island. New York TREE SEEDS Catalog co7itaining the largest assort- ment 171 America ready Jajuiary 1st. We invite orders for the following sorts particularly : Pinus Strobus White Pin* Acer Sacchaxium Su«rar Haplei Pinus Eigida Pitch Pine Abies Balsamea Balsam Fir Quercus Rubra Bed Oak Aoom Tilia Americana Basswood (Linden) R«binia Pseudacacia Yellow Locust Gleditschia Triacanthos Honey Locust Beiberis Eumbergil Allow US to enter your name for cata- log, which we mail free J. M. THORBURN & CO. 33 Barclay St. New York BOBBINK & ATKINS' World's Cboicest Nursery Products Shade Trees There is a growing tendency by eTcry property owner to plant Shade and Ornamental Trees. We have many acres of trees, in all kinds and sizes. Old-fasl)ioned flowers Our collection is complete. The plants are all field grown and will give results the first season. If it is the reader's intention to purchase Nursery products, make gardens or plantings of any kind, we would suggest that you ask for our General Illustrated Catalog, No. 50. WE GO EVKRVWHRRE FOR BUSINESS The General Supervision of Public Grounds and Private Estates a Specialty. NURSERYMEN AND FLORISTS Rutherford, N. J In writing to advertisers kindly mention Conserv.\tion- 3t CONSERVATION'S ADVERTISERS ■ SCHOOLS OF FORESTRY In the heart of the Reserve Region Colorado School of Forestry Forest Planting Stock for Sale By the Forest Department of the Biltmore Estate, Biltmore, N, C, White Pines, 18 in. $18.00 per Thousand White Pines, 4 in. 4.00 per Thousand White Ash, 10 in. 10.00 per Thousand The above stock forms the surplus over the current requirements for planting on the Bilt- more Estate. It is excellent in every partic- ular. Address C. A. SCHENCK, Forester Four years* course in Theoretical and Applied Forestry leading to Degree of Forest Engineer Winter Term at Colorado College, Colorado Springs. Summer Term at Manitou Park, the School Re- serve, 13,000 acres of pine and spruce timberland on the borders of the Pike National Forest Tuition Sixty Dollars a Year For fufthr particulars apply to WM. C. STURGIS, Dean Colorado Springs, Colo. YALE FOREST SCHOOL NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT The course of study in the YALE FOREST SCHOOL covers si period of two years. Graduates of collegiate institutions of high standing are admitted as candidates for the degree of Master of Forestry. The Summer School of Forestry is conducted at MILFORD, PIKE COUNTY, PENNA. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ADDRRSS HENRY S. GRAVES, Director New Haven Connecticut ■ In writing to advertisers kindly mention Conservation CONSERVATION'S ADVERTISERS Savethe Old Tree F. V. STEVENS, JR. Tree Specialist CAVITY TREATMENT. STORM INJURY AND SPRAYING A SPECIALTY ROOM 2, QUINTARD BLOCK STAMFORD, CT. REFERENCES; Austin F. Hawes, State Forester, Ct. Dr. Geo. P. Clinton, State Botanist, Ct. Dr. Britten, State Entomologist, Ct. C. L. Wooding, Bristol, Ct. Louis D. Hopkins, Rippowam Realty Co., New York FOREST MENSURATION Graves 8vo, xiv -I- 458 pages, 47 figures. Cloth, $4.00. THE LONGLEAF PINE IN VIRGIN FOREST Schwarz lamo, X 4- 135 pages, 23 full-page half- tone illustrations and 3 diagrams. Cloth, $1.25 net. PRINCIPLES OF AMERICAN FORESTRY Green i2mo, xiii + 334 pages, 73 figures, in- cluding many half-tones. Cloth, $1.50. JOHN WILEY & SONS 43 and 45 East 19th St., New York City Young Man Wants Position as For- ester on Large Estate. Technical Training at Biltmore Forest School. Address No. 10 Care CONSERVATION FORESTRY SCHOOLS can find no better medium through which to make their announcements than Conservation It reaches a class of Readers that is reached by no other Publication. It is the Magazine of authority in its special field. For Advertising Rates, etc., address Advertising Manager CONSERVATION 1417 G St. N. W. Room C Washington. D. C. POWDER POINT SCHOOL. Duxbury, Mass. Preparatory Course in ^ss^?^-^ Leading to Biltmore and College Courses in the Subject. SUMMER ClASS opens July 6. Also TUTORING In mathsmatlcs, etc. , „ , F. B. Knapp, S. B. (M I. T.) In writing to advertisers kindly mention Conservation' sf The American Forestry Association OFFICER^S FOR. 1909 PRESIDENT CURTIS GUILD, Jr., Massachusetts N. J. BACHELDER. New Hampsliiio ANDREW CARNEGIE, New York CHARLES W. ELIOT, Massachusetts B. E. FERNOW, Ontario, Canada W. W. FINLEY, Washington, D. C. DAVID R. FRANCIS. Missouri VICE-PRESIDENTS-AT-LARGE S. WEIR MITCHELL, rcnnsylvanla GEORGE T. OLIVER, Pennsylvania GEORGE C. PARDEE, California GEORGE FOSTER PKABODY, New York J. E. RANSDELL, Louisiana J. T. ROTHROCK, Pennsylvania EDWARD EVERETT HALE, Massachusetts ALBERT SHAW, New York RUTHERFORD P. HAYES, North Carolina CHARLES P. TAFT. Ohio JAMES J. HILL, Minnesota • CHARLES U. VAN HISE, Wisconsin ANDREW D. WHITE, New York SECRETARY AND TREASURER, OTTO LUEBKEUT, Washington, D. C. DIRECTORS PHILIP W. AYRES, New Hampshire JOSHUA L. BAILEY, Pennsylvania JAMES H. CUTLER, Massachusetts HENRY S. GRAVES, Connecticut CURTIS GUILD, JR., Massachusetts WILLIAM S. HARVEY, Pennsylvania GEORGE H. MAXWELL. Illinois CHARLES F. NESBIT, Distriet of Columbia HENRY A. PRESSEY. District of Columbia HENRY RIESENBERG, Indiana CUNO H. RUDOLPH, District of Columbia EDWIN A. START, Massachu.setts JAMES S. WHIPPLE, New York GEORGE P. WHITTLESEY, Distriet of Columbia Advisory Board, Representing Affiliated Organizations YELLOW PINE MANUTACTURERS' ASSOCIATION PHILIP .S. GARDNER, Laurel, Miss. N. W. McLEOD, St. Louis, Mo. H. H. WHELESS, Shreveport, La. NATIONAL WHOLESALE LUMBER DEALERS' ASSOCIATION GEORGE F. CRAIG, Philadelphia, Pa. ROBT. C. LIPPINCOTT. Philadelphia, Pa. LEWIS DILL, Baltimore, Md. NORTHERN PINE MANUFACTURERS' ASSOCIATION C. A. SMITH, Minneapolis, Minn. WILLIAM IRVINE, Chippewa Falls, Wis. F. E. WEYERHAEUSER, St. Paul, Minn. MASSACHUSETTS FORESTRY ASSOCIATION JAMES S. RUSSELL, Boston, Mass. GEORGE E. STONE, Amherst, Mass. EDWIN A. START, Boston, Mass. LUMBERMEN'S EXCHANGE WILLIAM L. RICE, Philadelphia. Pa. FREDERICK S. UNDERHILL, Philadelphia, Pa. SAMUEL B. VROOMAN, Philadelphia, Pa. TIGHT BARREL STAVE MANUFACTURERS' ASSOCIATION GEORGE M. HAMPTON, Fordyce, Ark. W. K. KNOX, New York City a] L. HAYES, Nashville, Tenn. NATIONAL SLACK COOPERAGE MANUFACTURERS' ASSOCIATION J. T. WYLIE, Saginaw, Mich. JAMES INNES, Chatham, Ontario C. H. KEYS, New York City NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF BOX MANUFACTURERS B. W. PORTER, Greenfield, Mass. S. B. ANDERSON, Memphis, Tenn. ROBT. A. JOHNSON, Minneapolis, Minn. CARRIAGE BUILDERS' NATIONAL ASSOCIATION H. C. McLEAR, Wilmington, Del. D. T. WILSON, New York city C. D. FIRESTONE, Columbus, Ohio BOSTON PAPER TRADE ASSOCIATION N. M. JONES, Lincoln, Maine JOHN F. A. HUSSEY, Boston, Mass. ARTHUR L. HOBSON, Boston, Mass. ApplicaLtion for Membership To OTTO LUEBKERT Secretary American Forestry Association 1417 G Street N. W., Washington, D. C. Dear Sir: I hereby signify my desire to become a member of the American Forestry Asso ciation. Two Dollars ($2.00) for annual dues are enclosed herewith. Very truly yours, Name P. O. Address 6f The American Forestry Association President— CURTIS GUILD, Jr. Former Governor oj Massaohusatts The American Forestry Association was organized in 1882, and incorporated in January, 1897. It now has nearly 7,000 members, residents of every State in the Union, Canada, and foreign coun- tries. From its organization it has been the tireless friend of the forests. The object of the Association is to promote the preservation, by wise use, and the extension of the forests of the United States; its means are agitation and education ; it seeks to encourage the appli- cation of forestry by private owners to forest holdings, large or small ; and it favors, especially, the establishment and multiplication of National and State forests, to be administered in the highest in- terests of all. The Association seeks as members all who sympathize with its object and methods, and who believe that our natural resources con- ftitute a common heritage, to be used without abusing and adminis- tered for the common good. Seeking to conserve our supplies of wood and water, the Association appeals especially to wood- producers and users, including owners of wood lands, lumbermen, foresters, railroad men, and engineers ; and to those dependent upon equable stream flow, as manufacturers, irrigators, employers of water power, and those engaged in internal commerce. The Association meets annually in Washington. It publishes, monthly, Conservation, the magazine of authority in its special field. The list of contributors to this publication includes practi- cally all persons prominent in forest work in the United States, making it alone worth the cost of Annual Membership in the Association. The dues, covering a subscription to Conservation, are as fol- lows : Annual — For Annual Members, $2 ; for Sustaining Mem- bers, $25 ; Total, with exemption from all other payments — for Life Members, $100; for Patrons, $1,000. Of the above amount, $1 is set aside each year to pay the subscription of each member to Conservation. Otto Luebkert, Secretary, The American Forestry Association. Membership in tKe Association coincides with the calendar year 7f CONSERVATION'S ADVERTISERS THE CARE OF TREES An interesting' but not extraordinary example of our methods of saving- valuable old trees. These wounds will suffer no further decay and in a few years a layer of bark will have overlapped the cement filling. DON'TNEGLECT YOUR TREES If you have old trees which you would save, if your orchard is run-down, infested with the San Jose Scale, Codling Moth, or other insects, if your elm trees were stripped of their foliage last year; in short, if you have any tree problem in your mind GET OUR EXPERT OPINION. Our work embraces every line of Scientific Forestry; priming sur- gery, insect control, fertilizing, etc. It is complete in every respect. Our men are carefully trained and are the best in the business. We have crews now working from Maine to Virginia and west through Iowa. THE CARE OF FORESTS If you have forest lands or waste-land to be put in forests we can assist you and bring excellent returns. Consult us before calling on a lumberman; it will be to your advantage. Let us mail you our booklet on the CARE OF TREES — sent free on application. We will gladly answer your questions. Treatise on Shade Trees by G. H. Allen; on Apple-Growing by George T. Powell, one dollar each, postpaid. Absolutely unequaled. OUR FREE LECTURES. — Village Improvement Societies, Boards of Trade, etc., should correspond with us relative to securing our free stereopticon lecture on the Care of Trees. 846 Tremont Building, Boston 1106 Flatiron Building, NEW YORK 1006 IVIonadnock Building, CHICAGO NEW ENGLAND COUNTRY HOMES Stock and dairy farms, Summer Houses at sea- shore, White Mountains and Berkshire Hills, from 25 to 1,500 acres of land, ranging in price from $10,000 up to $150,000. Will be pleased to give full description and terms. George C. Davis 70 STATE STREET, BOSTON High-grade Country Estates BUYERS OF TIMBER LANDS^ PULP-WOOD LANDS. WATER POWERS. ETC. are invited to make known their wants with fullest particulars. RALPH HERBERT WAGGONER 309 BROADWAY NEW YORK I seek to bring BUYER and OWNER together without intermediaries. I always have in my hands desirable properties at favorable prices. 8f In writing to advertisers kindly mention Conservation CONSERVATION'S ADVERTISERS TWO TIMBER BARGAINS No. '4S. — 14,000 acres, iron and timber land, in Bath and Rockwell Counties, Va. Second-erowlh timber, some merchantable; land lies well and is good grazing land for sheep or cattle. $1.25 per acre. ]No. ^G. — 41,576 acres in Bath, Highland and Augusta Counties, Va. Best vi^'gin tract of white oak noiu stand- ing in Virginia. All easy logging proposition, 10 to 12 miles from C. & O. Ry. Road would have a water grade on Mill Creek— all easy grades. 160,000,000 feet saw timber, 13 per cent, of -which is -white oak of finest quality, be- sides tan bark, ties and other limber. Owner would consider offer of $8.00 per acre. Prospective Investors, Look This Over! J. W. Guinn, Goshen, Virginia Timber Lands.Farms and Summer Resorts Philippine Bureau of Forestry WANTED — Two foresters with field experience. Minimum salary, $i,6oo. Travel expenses al- lowed, also liberal leave privileges. At least seven months' interesting field work per year. For information concerning travel allowance to Manila, Civil Service rules, health conditions; in fact any informa- tion in regard to the Islands, apply to the Bureau of Insular Affairs, War Department, Washington, D. C. Dj^^ a PICTURE isin the LENS The Goerz Dagor Lens is so constructed as to meet every re- quirement of the amateur and profes- sional photographer. C It has all the qualities necessary to produce perfect pictures. Ask for catalogue listing our lenses, X.L. shutter, Anschiitz camera, telephoto attachments, etc. Your dealer or from us. Mention this magazine. C. p. Goerz American Optical Company Office and Factory: 79 East 130th Street, New York Dealers' Distrib- J Chicago: Jackson & Scmmelmeyer uting Agencies: I "Asin Krancisco : Hirsch tk Kaiser FOR. SALE 300 acres, Londoun County blue-grass farm, Ave minutes walk from railroad station at Leesbnrg; 2 line houses, one of 14 rooms, all modern improve- ments, furnace heat, slate roof. Cost $18,000 to build, the other house has 8 rooms, porehes, and fine barns and out-bulldlngs, all In first-class condi- tion. Price, $45,000. No. 2 — 328 acres. Genuine lime-stone blue-grass land. Which Is the old home of Admiral Chilton, who was one of the founders of the U. S. Navy. It has a nice house of 13 rooms, and all kinds of out-bulldlngs in first-class condi- tion, all nicely fenced. The water supply Is never failing. This farm has been pronounced by the II. S. Government as the best agricultural land In the state for blue-grass and grain. Price $21,000. Terms, to suit purchaser. Bulletin sent on application. J. W. BAUCKMAN & SON KeaLl Estate Brokers Herndon, Va. Orchids Orchids We are specialists in Orchids, we collect, im- port, grow, sell, and export this class of plants exclusively. Our illustrated and descriptive catalogue of Orchids may be had on application. Also special lists of freshly imported unestablished Orchids. Orchid Growers LAGER (SL HURRELL and Importers summit, n. j. HENRY E. BURR Xant)gcape Hrcbttect Importer and Grower of Speci- men Evergreens and Trees NURSERIES SOUTH ORANGE. N. J. TELEPHONE^ 2001 ORANGE P. R. iVlEIER CONSULTING FORESTER I Broadway, New York TIMBER ESTIMATES, WOBSIKO PLAKS, FOBEST APFBAISEMENT, TBEE FLANTIKO, TBEE 8TJBGEBY AdTlce on profitable handling of woodlotB, foreat tracts, beautifying country estates. Work ««p«r- vlsed. Seventeen years experience In the Onlted States. In writing to advertisers kindly mention Conservation lb CONSERVATION'S ADVERTISERS OLD VIRGINIA FARMS . Good an»l8 ■i^'^ l«^CAN-OKAS CAMDY (nearly 2 pounds) anywhere in the world, all charges prepaid, for a dollar bill mailed at our risk. BROWNLEY'S, Dept, K, 1203.5 G St, Washington, D, C„ U. S. A. Send for Oar New Booklet— It's Free For a space this size the cost is small and the field is large. Try us. Conservation, Washington, D. C. PENNSYLVANIA Beautiful Country Home Ninety-seven acres located southwest of North Wales on Walnut Street % mile from the Station. The improvements consist of a fine stone mansion, and a large tenant house built of stone. Large stone and frame barn, and all outbuild- ings, spring and spring house,with ram forcing water to the house and barn. Fine stream of water flows through the farm.-'Fine meadow pasture. All buildings and fences are in order. All crops, stock and implements go with the farm. Price of this splendid farm is only $23,000. This is one of the finest farms in this section of the coun- try, and cost the owner more than the price asked. WM. J. WEATON Farm and Timber Lands Mortgages Negotiated Estates Managed 49 North Thirteenth Street PHILADELPHIA FORESTER WANTED 1 want .1 young man with capital, us partner, active or silent. 1 am a Consulting Forester in active practice fifteen years. Address: MUNICIPAL ENGINEERING MAGAZINE 1 BROADWAY, NEW YORK In writing to advertisers kindly mention Conservation 3b For Sale by CONSERVATION, 1417 G Street N. W.. Washington, D. C. Important Books on Forestry PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OF FORESTRY FOREST MENSURATION. By Hbnbt Solon Gbavbs, M.A. A complete text book of this Important subject and the first written for American Foresters. It deals with the determination of the Tolume of log, tree, or stand, and with the study of Increments and yields. Price, $k.00 ECONOMICS OF FORESTRY, THE. By B. E. Fernow. This volume treats of forests and forestry from the standpoint of political economy, and Is designed to fur- nish a trustworthy basis for formulating public policy. Price, $1.50 FIRST BOOK OF FORESTRY, A. By Pilibbrt Roth. An outline of the general principles of forestry, written In simple, non-technical language, designed particularly for the beginner. Price, $1.10 PRACTICAL FORESTRY, FOR BEGINNERS IN FOR- ESTRY AGRICULTURAL STUDENTS, AND WOOD- LAND OWNERS. By John Giffokd. A good general description of the principles of forestry with enough technical Information to prepare the beginner. Price, $l.hO HISTORY OF THE LUMBER INDUSTRY OF AMERICA. By J. E. Dkfbbauoh. The first authoritative work of Its kind yet Issued, and one which will commend Itself alike to the timber owner, lumberman, lumber manufacturer, or merchant, or student of economics. In four volumes bound in. half leather. $5.00 per volume FOREST PLANTING. By H. Nicholas Jarchow. An Il- lustrated I realise on methods and means of restoring de- nuded woodland. Price, $1.50 FORESTRY. (Schwappach.) An English translation of ••Forstwlss^nschaft." Price, 10c HEDGES, WINDBREAKS, SHELTERS, AND LIVE FENCES, liy E. P. Powell. A treatise on the plant- ing, growth and management of hedges with Informa- tion concerning windbreaks and shelters. Price, 10c NORTH AMERICAN FORESTS AND FORESTRY. By Ernbst Brunckbn. This volume, expository In Its char- acter. Is written In a style Intended for the general reader, to whom It should convey a good Idea of our forests forestry. Price, $2.00 PRACTICAL FORESTRY. By Andrbw S. Fuller. A treatise on the propagation, planting and cultivation, with descriptions and the botanical and popular names of all the Indigenous trees of the United States, and notes on a large number of the most valuable exotic species. Price. $1.50 PRINCIPLES OF AMERICAN FORESTRY. By Samdbl B. Grben. Prepared especially for students In elementary forestry and for the general reader who wishes to se- cure a general Idea of forestry In North America. Price, $1.50 SEASIDE PLANTING OF TREES AND SHRUBS. By ALFRED Gaut. Illustrated from photographs by Frank SoTcuFFB. This Is a new volume In the English Country Life Library. Advice regarding selection and manage- ment to get satisfactory effects under adverse Influence of closeness to seashore. Price, $1.15 FOREST MANAGEMENT. By C. A. Schknck. Describes methods here and abroad to bring the most profit from • 11 Investments made In woodlands. Price, $1.S5 FOREST MENSURATION. By C. A. Sohbnck. Treats conditions In U. S. from mathematical and practical standpoint. Price, $1.15 FOREST UTILIZATION. By C. A. Sohbnck. First treatise on this In U. S. Covers logging, lumbering, sawmllUng, cooperage, paper-making, and description of all industries obtaining raw material from American forests. Price, $1.S5 BILTMOEE LECTURES ON SYLVICULTURE. By C. A. .ScHBNCK. Written from author's long experience as for- ester of the BUtmore estate, where sylviculture has been practiced on a larger scale for a longer time than any- where else In U. S., and where results become more ap- parent from year to year. Price, $2.50 FOREST FINANCE. By C. A. Schbnck. Treats of the financial side of forestry, dealing with the scientific and practical development of forest finance, viewing forestry as an Investment. Price, $1.25 Price, $2.1,0 Price, $3.20 Price, $S.€0 Price, $i.SO Price, $i.SO PROFESSION OF FORESTRY, THE. By Gifford Pin- chot. a pamphlet containing an address on that sub- ject by Mr. Gifford Plnchot; also an address by Mr. Over- ton W. Price, on "Study In Europe for American For- est Students," and a list of reference publications for students. Price, 25c FOREIGN IMPORTATIONS ENGLISH ESTATE FORESTRY. By A. C. Forbes. An authoritative volume on English forest methods from the pen of a well known forester, that should prove of In ■ terest to Americans. Price, $3.50 FORSTWISSENSCHAFT. (Schwappach.) Price. 60c MANUAL OF FORESTRY. (Schllch.) Five volumes, com- plete, or separately, as follows {price, complete, $1S.S0); Vol. I. "FORESTRY POLICY IN THE BRITISH EM- PIRE." Vol. II. "SYLVICULTURE." Vol. III. "FOREST MANAGEMENT." Vol. IV. "FOREST PROTECTION." Vol. V. "FOREST UTILIZATION." This Is perhaps the most authoritative work that has been Issued on the technical side of forestry, translated from the German. WOOD. By G. S. Boulobr. An Important new book for arboriculturists and forestry students. A manual of the natural history and Industrial applications of the timbers of commerce. Cloth. 82 Illustrations. Price, FAMILIAR TREES. By Prof. G. S. Botilqer. Written by an eminent botanical authority, yet couched In lan- guage easily understood. The coloured plates are the work of celebrated artists, and are truthful and trust- worthy In every respect. A special feature Is the series of photo-mlcrographlc Illustrations of sections of woods.- Three volumes. Price, per volume, $1.5» DENDROLOGY, BOTANY, AND IDENTI^ FICATION OF SPECIES MANUAL OF THE TREES OF NORTH AMERICA (exclusive of Mexico). By Charles Spbaqub Saroent. A volume that presents In convenient form and with ex- cellent Illustrations, authoritative Information concerning the trees of North America. It Is written In a manner that enables the reader to readily find to what family or species any particular tree belongs. Price, $6.00 AMERICAN WOODS. By Rombyn B. Hodoh. A new de- parture in the publication of an authoritative work Illus- trated with actual wood sections of the various species described. Th.-ee are given of each, viz.: radial, trans- verse, and tangential. Issued In ten parts, per part Price, $5.00 HANDBOOK OF THE TREES OF THE NORTHERN U. S. AND CANADA, EAST OF THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS. By Rombyn B. Hough. Pictorial description •s^dj} jo Two pages to each species; photo-engravings of trunk, leaves, flowers or fruit, section of wood, and map of dis- tribution, with botanical description, and brief other In- formation. Price, in buckram, $8.00; in half morocco, $10.00 FLORA OF THE SOUTHERN STATES. Chapman. This Is an excellent key to the flora of the South, complete and accurate in Its scope. Price, $k.00 GETTING ACQUAINTED WITH THE TREES. By J. HoRAOB McFarland. A handsome volume, copiously Il- lustrated, and with facts accurately presented In an en- tertaining way. Price, $1.15 HOW PLANTS GROW. By Asa Gbat. An understanding of the way in whleh a tree grows Is of prime Importance to tho forester, and the matter here presented Is accurate and authoritative. Price, $1.00 PRINCIPAL SPECIES OF WOOD; THEIR CHARACTER- ICTIC PROPERTIES. By Charles Hbnrt Snow. No attempt is made to give exhaustive descriptions of species, but the author presents a mass of information designed for the use and Instruction of woodworkers, etc.. In a popular style. A host of concise Information Is brought under each head, and the work Is a valuable one. Price, $3.5t These books sent prepaid upon receipt of price indicated, by CONSERVATION 4fe 14^7 G Street N. W , Washington, D. C. Important Books on Forestry and Irrigation for sale by CONSERVATION 1417 G Street N. W., Washington, D. C. MANUAL OF BOTANY. By Asa Ghat. A key to the flora of tbe northeastern states, and the most autborltn- tiye publication of Its nature. Price, fl.Gi; field edition, ti.OO TREES OF NEW ENGLAND. By L.. L. Damb and Henbt Brooks. This book is a small Tolume which can be eHsMy put In the pocket and carried In the woods, and at the same time Is the best guide to the Identification of our New England trees of any of the smaller books yet published. Price, $1.50 TREES AND SHRUBS. By C. S. Saroent. The most thorough and authoritative publication yet issued, and a standard work. The matter is issued in parts, of which there are three already published. Price, per part, $5.00 TREES, SHR¥BS, AND VINES OF THE NORTHEAST- ERN UNITED STATES. By H. E. PABKHnnsT. In this book the author describes the trees, shrubs, and vines of the northeastern United States in a popular way, the book being designed especially for persons who have never studied botany. To these it will appeal as a val- uable guide to a familiarity with the salient character- istics of trees, shrubs, and vines. Price, $1.50 TREES. A handbook of forest botany for the woodlands and the laboratory. By II. Mabshall Ward. Vol. I, Buds and twigs. Vol. II, Leaves. Vol. Ill, Flowers and inflorescences. Three volumes to be added, on Fruits and seeds. Seedlings, Habit and conformation of the tree as a whole. Price, per volume, $1.50 PARTICULAR SPECIES AND LOCALITIES MOUNTAINS OF CALIFORNIA. THE. By John MniR. No other person is so well fitted to write of the moun- tains of California as John Mulr, and the volume pre- sented here describes not only the mountains themselves, but the trees that clothe them and the wild life which they harbor. Price, $1.85 OUR NATIONAL PARKS. By John MniB. If you want to learn about the glaciers, mountain peaks, canyons, and great waterfalls of the West; of the habits of ani- mals from the squirrel to the moose; plant life from the big trees to the wild flowers — in fact be brought face to face with nature's works, this Is tlie book. Price, $1.8 a TREES AND SHRUBS OF MASSACHUSETTS. Embbson. Two volumes. Plain cloth edition has 148 plates. The colored edition has 36 of these In colors. Price, plain, $12.00 Price, colored, $18.90 THE EARTH AS MODIFIED BY HUMAN ACTION. By G. P. Marsh. A Revision of Man and Nature. De- scribes changes in the face of the earth caused by man, including desolation of various countries, once thickly inhabited, by removal of forests. Shows importance of maintaining natural balance of forces. Price, $3.50 THE LONGLEAF PINE IN VIRGIN FOREST. A Sllvlcal Study. By G. Frederick Schwarz. This is a study of the life history of this Important forest tree. In- tended primarily tor foresters and forest students; also for owners and managers of pine timber lands. Deals with the preference or dislike of the species for par- ticular conditions of soil, climate, and environment. Illustrations and six tables. Price, $1.S5 THE SPROUT FORESTS OF THE HOUSATONIC VAL- LEY TO CONNECTICUT, By G. F. Schwabz. Illus- trated study of forests repeatedly cut over. Price, 3 5c IMPORTATIONS BEAUTIFUL RARE TREES AND PLANTS. By the Eabl of Annbslbt. A description of some of the rarer English trees, shrubs, and vines, Illustrated copiously. Price $1S 00 FORESTS OF UPPER INDIA AND THEIR INHABI- TANTS. By Thomas W. Wbbbhr. This volume is an account of the author's life In India during the period shortly after 1857. It contains a vivid description of the country, its people, customs, etc., with some description of Its forests and timber wealth. Price, $5.00 BOOKS ON IRRIGATION AND DRAINAGE IRRIGATION IN THE UNITED STATES. By F. H. Nbwbll. The most authoritative and complete work on the subject which has yet been published, by the head of the Government'a Irrigation work. Price, $i.00 IRRIGATION FARMING. By L. M. Wilcox. A newly revised edition of one of the standard works on Irriga- tion. The principal chapters treat very fully of Irriga- tion, Its application, etc., and the volume Is profusely Illustrated. Cloth, $2.00 IRRIGATION FOR FARM. GARDEN AND ORCHARD. By IlBNRT Stewart. This work Is offered lo those Amer- ican farmers and other cultivators of the soil who, from painful experience, can readily appreciate tlie los.» For Sale by CONSERVATION, 1417 G Street N. W.. Washington, D. C. WATEK POWZK, By Joseph P. Fbizell. An outline of the development and application of the energy of flowing water. Price, $5.00 CONCRETE, PLAIN AND REINFORCED. By Fbkdkbick W. Tatlob and Sanford E. Thompson. Designed for practicing engineers and contractors; text and reference book for students. Discusses materials, processes, and applications of concrete In construction and specifica- tions. Price, $5.00 HYDRAULICS. By Mansfield Meebiman. Purpose of booli Is to lieep abreast of modern progress, and present subject with conciseness and clearness. Gives general principles and discusses flow of water tlirough various kinds of openings and channels. Historical notes and references. Price, $5.90 FOUNDATIONS. By W. M. Patton. A practical treatise explaining fully the principles involved. Numerous de- scriptions of important modem structures are given In sufficient detail. Includes articles on use of concrete in foundations. Price, $5.09 MASONRY CONSTRUCTION. By Iba 0. Bakbk. Con- tains results of a great number of experiments, and a large amount of practical data on cost of masonry, pile driving, foundatious, culverts, etc., and 97 tables to facilitate estimating. Price, $5.00 REINFORCED CONCRETE. By Albebt W. Bukl and Chablbs S. Hill. A treatise for designing and con- structing engineers, governed by American practice and conditions. Theoretical discussions omitted, and re- placed by practical working formulas, examples of representative structures, and records of practice. Price, $5.00 BOOKS ON RELATED SUBJECTS UTILIZATION OF WOOD WASTE BT DISTILLATION. By Walteb B. Habpeb. An important treatise on a sub- ject regarding which tlie Interest Is great and the Information scarce. Is Intended to aid In the establishment and conduct of wood dlstllllDg enterprises on a business basis. Price, $i.OJ) HANDBOOK OF TIMBER PRESERVATION. By Samuel M. RowB. Intended as a complete practical guide for the operator of a preservation plant, wltli hints on construction thereof. Price, $k.00 IN FOREST LAND. By Douglas Malloch. The humor, sentiment, and philosophy of the lumber business Inter- preted by the "Lumberman Poet." A kind of touch with the great outdoors that few books contain. Illus- trated in tint, bound In silk cloth and gold stamped. Ideal for gift or library. Price, $1.25 THE GARDEN ROSES AND HOW TO GROW THEM. By many Experts. In text, practical; in subject and quality of illustrations, beautiful. Price, $l.iO FERNS AND HOW TO GROW THEM. By G. A. WooLSON. The growing of hardy ferns, both In the garden and Indoors. Price, $1.20 LAWNS AND HOW TO MAKE THEM. By Lbonabd Bab- bon. For the first time the subject of lawn seed mix- tures Is set forth and explained. 32 photographs. Price, $1.20 HOW TO MAKE SCHOOL GARDENS. By H. D. Hbm- ENWAY. This suggestive little book is a practical man- ual of school gardening for both teacher and pupil, and supplies the first adequate work of the sort In this country. There are to-day a hundred thousand school gardens In Europe, and the progress of the recent movement In America has been most rapid. Tlils vol- ume Is based on actual experience (tlie author Ik an authority and director of the Hartford Scliool of Hor- ticulture). Illustrations, 10. Price, $1.10 HOW TO MAKE A FRUIT GARDEN. Ity. S. W. Flbtcheb. An eminently practical work on tlie sub- ject of fruits for the home. With 182 photographic illustrations by the author. Price, $2.25 HOW TO MAKE A FLOWER GARDEN. A charming and a practical book by experts on every branch of the subject. More than 200 beautiful photographs. Price, $1.75 HOW TO MAKE A VEGETABLE GARDEN. By Edith L. FuLLEBTON. The only adequate book on the home vegetable garden. 250 photographs by H. B. Fullerton. Price, $2.20 ART AND CRAFT OF GARDEN MAKING. By Thomas H. Mawson. Tliird edition of this standard; out of print for a year, and now reissued In revised form. Over 100 plans and details of gardens. Methods em- ployed by successful designers carefully analyzed. Characteristic sites In typical districts described and pictured. Price, $15.00 THE HOME AND FARM THE COUNTRY HOUSE. By Chabuis Edw. Uoopex. A Practical manual of house building, absolutely invalua- ble to every one with a country place. It covers every branch of the subject In detail and treats of the garden and Its furnishings In connection with the dwelling. 3£<0 photographs and plans. Price, $3.30 THREE ACRES AND LIBERTY. By Bolton Hall. De- scription of what can be accomplished on a small place In the way of gardening, bome-maklug, and addition to financial resources. Were It not for the unimpeach- able aotboritiea quoted. Its statements as to the pos- slbllitleg of the "Little Lands" for a living would seem fanciful. Price, $1.85 THE MAKING OF A COUlfTRY HOME. By J. P. Mow- BBAT ("J. P. M."). This delightful story showed Its universal appeal when published serially, and the vol- ume amply carries out the Intention of the author. Besides Its practical interest for the thousands of city dwellers who have dreamed of having a country home, the story Is one of such reality, humor, and Interest as to ensure It the widest circulation in book form. Elaborately decorated. $1.65 THE FIRST BOOK OF FARMING. By Chables L. Goodbich. No one Interested in farming, old or young, can fall to appreciate this book, for It really gives the fundamental knowledge of how to conduct a farm with the least expense and the largest return. There are 63 full pages of helpful Illustrations. The price is extremely low for a work of such value. 63 pages of photographs. Price, $1.10 NATURE BOOKS AMERICAN FOOD AND GAME FISHES. By David Stabb Jordan and B. W. Evebmann. Fills a long-felt need In popular scientific works, being a full a<"count of the llfe-historles and methods of capture of North Ameri- can food and game fishes. The only book In existence which will enable the amateur readily to Identify spe- cies new to him. With 10 lithographed color plates, 100 photographs of live fish in the water, and 200 text cuts. Price, $i.kO NATURE BIOGRAPHIES. By CLAiiENCB M. Weed. This volume Is a sort of personal nciiualntance with the lives of the more common butterflies, moths, grasshop- pers, flies, and so on, the sort of fascinating details of these Insect existences which make the reader want to go out and study these every-day marvels for himself. 150 photographic Illustrations. Price, $1.59 THE BROOK BOOK. By Mabt Rooebs Millbb. A brook Is one of the most living and companionable features of the landscape, and few people, even the most ardent nature lovers, realize what an endlessly Interesting study its changes and Its throbbing life afford. It Is a fas- cinating subject which the author (well known as a teacher, lecturer, and writer connected with the Nature Study Bureau at Cornell) handles with much ability. 10 photographs. Price, $1.60 OUTDOORS. A Book of the Woods. Fields, and Marsh- lands. By Ebnbst McGaffet. Papers on out of doors, showing a love of nature and keenness of observation and power and beauty »t description rarely surpassed. Price, $1.25 NATURE AND THE CAMERA. By A. Raucltffb Dco- mobb. Mr. Dugmore Is an expert In the new movement of photographing live birds, animals, fish, flowers, etc. His works brought him so many requests for Infor- mation, that he has set down here a full and detailed account of his methods. From the choice of a camera to questions of lighting, and to the problem of "snapping" shy birds and animals in their native haunts, every step is explained so simply as to be easily comprehended, even by the beginner. 53 photographic Illustrations. Price. $1.50 These books sent prepaid upon receipt of price indicated, by CONSERVATION 1417 G Street N. W., Washington L) C. 6b CONSERVATION'S ADVERTISERS Join the American Forestry Association FllUng and mailing tKe enclosed form: i Annual ) I hereby signify my desire to become a member- Sustaining ^of the American { Life ) Forestry Association. Very truly yours, Name P, O. Address. DUES: I. Annual: For Annual Members, $2. II. Total, with exemption from all further payments: For Sustaining Members, $25. For Life Members, $100. For Patrons, $1,000. Draw check to the order of the American Forestry Association Membership coincides w^ith the calendar year S. A. Nominations for Membership The activities of the National Office of the American Forestry Association are limited chiefly by its resources. These are derived almost wholly from its members in the form of dues. Every member is urged to aid in increasing the membership. Kindly fill out the enclosed blank form, lengthening the list, w^here possible, by attaching and filling blank sheet. The list should then be sent to Otto Luebkert Secretary American Forestry Association 1417 G Street Northwest, Washington, D. C I hereby nominate the following persons for membership in The American For- estry Association : ^ame Jtddress Signed To the Members: Your Board of Directors conclude their last annual report with the fol- lowing : "Inland navigation, deeper waterways, water powers, and eco- nomical manufacturing therewith, floods, soils, irrigation, drain- age and the public health, as shown in detail by one of our fold- ers, are all fundamentally dependent upon and related to Forestry. This larger field of conservation and utilization of all our natural resources plainly places upon our Association duties which should be heartily assumed, and diligently discharged. In closing, it should be said that, in comparison with the work remaining to be done, the work already accomplished by all the forestry forces combined is slight. Destruction of resources pro- ceeds without abatement. Sentiment now developing should be intensified, and focused upon local, state and national govern- ments, that legislation and administration may accomplish the ends without which all our efiforts are vain. The American Forestry Association is a leading agency for general propaganda in this field. Its efforts are strictly limited by its means. Where it receives hundreds, it should receive thousands of dollars for the prosecution of the great work be- fore it. For this arm of power it looks to its members. Their dues are practically its only resource. Each member may, how- ever, enlist other members, and by so doing, render to his coun- try a patriotic economic service of great value." Use blank on the preceding page and enlist another member 8b CONSERVATION'S ADVERTISERS SCHOOLS OF FORESTRY In the heart of the J^eserve Region Colorado School of Forestry Four years' course in Theoretical and Applied Forestry leading to Degree of Forest Engineer Winter Term at Colorado College, Colorado Springs. Summer Term at Manitou Park, the School Re- serve, 13,000 acres of pine and spruce timberland on the borders of the Pike National Forest Tuition Sixty Dollars a Year For further particulars apply to Professor WALTER J. MORRILL Colorado Springs, Colo. Biltmore Forest School Biltmore, N. C. Theoretical and practical instruc- tion in all branches of applied for- estry. The course comprises eighteen months ; viz : twelve consecutive months of lectures and field work and six months of practical prenticeship. Working fields in the Southern Appalachians, in the Lake States and in central Germany. Catalogue upon application. Dr. C. A. SCHENCK, Director YALE FOREST SCHOOL NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT The course of study in the YALE FOREST SCHOOL covers a period of two years. Graduates of collegiate institutions of high standing are admitted as candidates for the degree of Master of Forestry. The Summer School of Forestry is conducted at MILFORD, PIKE COUNTY, PENNA. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ADDRESS HENRY S. GRAVES, Director New Haven Connecticut Tr writing to advertisers kindly mention Consevvatton If For Sale by CONSERVATION, 141? G Street N. W., Washington, D. C. Important Books on Forestry PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OF FORESTRY FOREST MENSURATION. By Hbnrt Solon Gbavbs M.A. A complete test book of this Important subject and the first written for American Foresters. It deals with the determination of the volume of log. tree. <"• stand and with the study of Increments and yields. Price, fi.OO ECONOMICS OF FORESTRY, THE. By B. E. Fernow. This volume treats of forests and forestry from the standpoint of political /-conomy, and Is deslcned to fur- nish a trustworthy basis for formulating public poljcy.. Price, tl.oO FIRST BOOK OF FORESTRY, A. By Filibetit Roth. An outline of the general principles of forestry. wrUten In simple, non-technical language, designed p.irtlcularly for tlie beginner. P''»ce, f 10 PRACTICAL FORESTRY, FOR BEGINNERS IN FOR- ESTRY, AGRICULTURAL STUDENTS, AND WOOD- LAND OWNERS. Bv John Gifford. A good gene-nl description of the principles of forestry with enough technical Information to prepare the beginner. Price, $H0 HISTORY OF THE LUMBER INDUSTRY OF AMERICA. By J. E. Defebatigh. The first authoritative work of Its kind yet Issued, and one which will commend Itself alike to the timber owner, lumberman, lumber manufacturer, or merchant, or student of economics. In four volumes bound In half leather. fS.OO per volume FOREST PLANTING. By H. Nicholas .Tarchgw. An Il- lustrated treatise on methods and means of restoring de- nuded woodland. Price, $1.50 FORESTRY. (Schwappach.) An English translation of "Forstwlssensehaft." Price, 70c HEDGES, WINDBREAKS, SHELTERS, AND LIVE FENCES. By E. P. Powbll. A treatise on the plant- ing, growth and management of hedges with Informa- tion concerning windbreaks and shelters. Price, 70c NORTH AMERICAN FORESTS AND FORESTRY. By Ernest Brunckhn. This volume, expository In Its char- acter. Is written In a style Intended for the general reader, to whom It should convey a good Idea of our forests forestry. Price, $2.00 PRACTICAL FORESTRY. By Andrew S. Fulleb. A treatise on the propagation, planting and cultivation, with descriptions and the botanical and popular names of all the Indigenous trees of the United States, and notes on a large number of the most valuable exotic species. Price. $1..50 PRINCIPLES OF AMERICAN FORESTRY. By Samuel B. Green. Prepared especially for students In elementary forestry and for the general reader who wishes to se- cure a general Idea of forestry In North America. Price. $1.50 SEASIDE PLANTING OF TREES AND SHRUBS. By Alfred Gadt. Illustrated from photographs by Frank SuTCLiFFB. This Is a new volume In the English Country Life Library. Advice regarding selection and manage- ment to get satisfactory effects under adverse Influence of closeness to seashore. Price. $1.75 FOREST MANAGEMENT. By C. A. Schbnck. Describes methods here and abroad to bring the most profit from all Investrnents made In woodlands. Price. $1.25 FOREST MENSURATION. By C. A. Sohbnck. Treats conditions In U. S. fro™ mathematical and practical standpoint. Price, $1.25 FOREST UTILIZATION. By C. A. Schbnok. First treatise on this In U. S. Covers logging, lumbering, sawmlUlng. cooperage, paper-making, and description of all Industries obtaining raw material from American forests. Price, $1.25 BILTMORE LECTURES ON SYLVICULTURE. By C. A. Sohbnck. Written from author's long experience as for- ester of the Blltmore estate, where sylviculture has been practiced on a larger scale for a longer time than any- where else In U. S., and where results become more ap- parent from year to year. Price, $2.50 FOREST FINANCE, By C. A. Schbnok. Treats of the financial side of forestry, dealing with the scientific and practical development of forest finance, viewing forestry as an Investment. Price, $1.25 PROFESSION OF FORESTRY, THE. By Gifford Pin- CHOT. A pamphlet containing an address on that sub- ject by Mr. Gifford PInchot; also an address by Mr. Over- ton W. Price, on "Study In Europe for American For- est Students," and a list of reference publications for students. Price, 2ic FOREIGN IMPORTATIONS ENGLISH ESTATE FORESTRY. By A. C. Forbes. An authoritative volume on English forest methods from the pen of a well known forester, that should prove of In terest to Americans. Price, $S.50 FORSTWISSENSCHAFT. (Schwappach.) Price, 60c MANUAL OF FORESTRY. (Schllch.) Five volumes, com- plete, or separately, as follows (price, complete, $18.80); Vol. I. "FORESTRY POLICY IN THE BRITISH EM- PIRE." Price. $2. in Vol. II. "SYLVICULTURE." Price, $3.20 Vol. III. "FOREST MANAGEMENT." Price, $3.60 Vol. IV. "FOREST PROTECTION." Price, $i.80 Vol. V. "FOREST UTILIZATION." Price, $i.80 This Is perhaps the most authoritative work that has been Issued on the technical side of forestry, translated from the German. WOOD. By G. S. Boulohb. An Important new book for arboriculturists and forestry students. A manual of the natural history and Industrial applications of the timbers of commerce. Cloth. 82 Illustrations. Price, 4 FAMILIAR TREES. By Prof. G. S. Boitlqkb. Written by an eminent botanical authority, yet couched in lan- guage easily understood. The coloured plates are the work of celebrated artists, and are truthful and trust- worthy In every respect. A special feature Is the series of photo-mlcrographic Illustrations of sections of woods. Three volumes. Price, per volume, $1.50 DENDROLOGY, BOTANY, AND IDENTI. FICATION OF SPECIES MANUAi. OF THE TREES OF NORTH AMERICA (exclusive of Mexico). By Charles Spbaoue Sargent. A volume that presents In convenient form and with ex- cellent Illustrations, authoritative Information concerning the trees of North America. It Is written In a manner that enables the reader to readily find to what family or species any particular tree belongs. Price, $6.00 AMERICAN WOODS. By Rometn B. Hotigh. A new de- parture In the publication of an authoritative work Illus- trated with actual wood sections of the various species described. Three are given of each, viz.: radial, trans verse, and tangential. Issued In ten parts, per part Price, $5.00 HANDBOOK OF THE TREES OF THE NORTHERN U. S. AND CANADA, EAST OF THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS. By RoMBTN B. Hough. Pictorial description -saejj jo Two pages to each species; photo-engravings of trunk, leaves, flowers or fruit, section of wood, and map of dis- tribution, with botanical description, and brief other In- formation. Price, in huckram, $8.00; in half morocco, $10.00 FLORA OF THE SOUTHERN STATES. Chapman. This Is an excellent key to the flora of the South, complete and accurate In Its scope. Price, $t,.00 GETTING ACQUAINTED WITH THE TREES. By J. Horace MoFarland. A handsome volume, copiously Il- lustrated, and with facts accuratrly presented In an en- tertaining way. Price, $1.75 HOW PLANTS GROW. By Aba Grat. An understanding of the way In which a tree grows Is of prime Importance to the forester, and the matter here presented Is accurate and authoritative. Price, $1.00 PRINCIPAL SPECIES OF WOOD; THEIR CHARACTER- ICTIC PROPERTIES. By Charles Henry Snow. No attempt Is made to give exhaustive descriptions of species, but the author presents a mass of information designed for the use and Instruction of woodworkers, etc.. in a popular style. A host of concise Information Is brought under each head, and the work Is a valuable one. Price, $S.S« These hor>k.BCA.IN > OKAS CA.NDY (nearly 2 pounds) anywhere In the world, all charges prepaid, for a dollar bill mailed at our risk. BROWNLEY'S, Dept. K, 1203-5 G St, Washington, D. C, U. S. A. Send for Onr New Booklet— It's Free 6f In writing to advertisers kindly mention Conservation CONSERVATION'S ADVERTISERS NORTH CAROLINA TIMBER LAND FOR SALE Best small tract of hardwoods in Western North Carolina. Sixtj' per cent, poplar. Excellent inveslment or saw mill propositio i Price ^6,ouo. Will double in value in ilitee )ears. C. A. DIVINE, Fra.i\klin. N. C. VIRGINIA FOR. SALE 300 acr*-B. IiO{)iloun County blu«>-prKSN farm, Ove minutes walk from railroad station at I^t-fsljurg; 2 Bne hoDBes, one of 14 rooms, all modern Improve- ments, furnace heat, slate roof. Cowt $18,000 to build, the other house has 8 roonjs, porehes, aii'i tine barns and out-bulIdlnBS, all in flrKt-clasis <'ondi tlon. Price, $45,000. No. 2—328 Hore.s, fjenuln.' limestone blue-graBs land. Which is the old home of Admiriil Chilton, who was one of the founders of the U. S. Navy. It has a nice house of l.T rooms, ind all kinds of out-buildings in flrst-ciass eondl tlon, all nicely fenced. Tlie water supply is never failing. This farm has been pronounced by the U. S. Government as the best agricultural land In tlie state for blue-grass and grain. Prii'e $21.0fin Terms, to suit purchaser. Bulletin sent on application. J. W. BAUCKMAN S. SON R^eaLl Estate Brokers Herndon, Va. ^uinnier homes, hunting preserves, ind farms. In Old Virginia. Write, W. E. LAWSON Hampton, Va. Ideal System of Water Supply If tliere's a spring or stream un your grouud, you I'an Iiave, at small e.\pense, a continuous sujijily of running water delivered undeu strong pressure for u.'ie in tlie kitclien. bathroom, laundry, stable and for spraying the garden, by simply installing a Niagara Hydraulic Ram \V nrks automat iially. re(|nires no atten- tion and is (Ilea per than any other pump or puw .•! . Don't install any water system iinlil you write for a eopy of imri-at.il.igiiH ■■ I'.," which ex- plains o;ir iTifiliod anil gives you tli-i-ost. Alsoaskfor our guar- aiit>-ed estimate. We furnish CaMwell Toweisand Tanks. Niagara Hydraulic Engine Co. 140 Nassau St., New York, Factory : Chester, Pa. OKLAHOMA OKLAHOMA R.EAL ESTATE Farm Lands, oil lands, coal lands. 2,000 acres tested coal lands, with 6 to 8 million ft, pine and oak virgin timber, $45 per acre. Town and city propertj^ Write for wants Porum Realty Co., Porum, Okla. Orchids Orchids We are specialists in Orchids, we collect, im- port, grow, sell, and export this class of plants exclusively. Our illustrated and descriptive catalogue of Orchids may be had on application. Also special lists of freshly imported unestablished Orchids. Orchid Growers and Importers LAGER ®. HURRELL SUMMIT, N. J. FOR SALE Back Numbers of Forestry and Irrigation A Few Volumes of the Years 1902-1903-1904-1908 Price per Volume, Unbound Bound in Buckram - - - $2 $3 American Forestry Association 1417 G Street X. W Wa.slurigtoji, JJ. C. In writing to adsertisers kindly mention Cnx.SKRV.wmx CONSERVATION'S ADVERTISERS Join the American Forestry Association Filling arvd mailing thve enclosed form: I herebv signify niv desire to become a member^ Sustaining yoi the American ( Life ) i Annual ) J ining > of Forestry Association. Very truly yours. Remittance Should Accompany Application Name P. O. Address- I. ADDual: For Annual Members. $2. For Sustaining Members, $25 DUBS: II. Total, with exennptlon from all further payuieDts: For LJfe Members, $100. For Citrons. $1,000. Draw check to the order of the American Fonstry Association Membership coincides with the calendar year S. A. Nominations for Membership The activities of the National Office of the American Forestry Association are limited chiefly by its resources. These are derived almost wholly from its members in the form of dues. Every member is urged to aid in increasing the membership. Kindly fill out the enclosed blank form, lengthening the list, where possible, by attaching and filling blank sheet. The list should then be sent to Edwin A. Start Secretary American Forestry Association 1417 G Street Northwest, Washinofton, D. C. I hereby nominate the following persons for membership in The American For- estry As.sociation: Mame Jtd dress Signed 2b CONSERVATION'S ADVERTISERS To the Members: Your Board of Directors conclude their last annual report with the fol- lowing : "Inland navigation, deeper waterways, water powers, and eco- nomical manufacturing therewith, floods, soils, irrigation, drain- m age and the public health, as shown in detail by one of our fold- ers, are all fundamentally dependent upon and related to Forestry. This larger field of conservation and utilization of all our natural resources plainly places upon our Association duties which should be heartily assumed, and diligently discharged. "In closing, it should be said that, in comparison with the work remaining to be done, the work already accomplished by all the forestry forces combined is slight. Destruction of resources pro- ceeds without abatement. Sentiment now developing should be intensified, and focused upon local, state and national govern- ments, that legislation and administration may accomplish the ends without which all our efforts are vain. "The American Forestry Association is a leading agency for general propaganda in this field. Its efforts are strictly limited by its means. Where it receives hundreds, it should receive thousands of dollars for the prosecution of the great work be- fore it. For this arm of power it looks to its members. Their dues are practically its only resource. Each member may, how- ever, enlist other members, and by so doing, render to his coun- try a patriotic economic service of great value." Use blank on the preceding page and enlist another member JAMES D. LAOEY WOOD BEAL VICTOR THBAl^ ARE Interested in Southern or Pacific Coast Timlier? We furnish detailed reporta as to the QUAIiITY of the timber, giving average TOP and BUTT diameters, average lengths and number of trees on each dO-acre subdivision. We submit reports covering details as to logging conditions, cost and most feasible methods of logging each 40-acre or sectional subdivision of each tract We also furnish a TOPOORAPHICAIi map of aU tracts located in mountainous dis- tricts, showing every elevation of 100 feet throughout the tract with OUB OWN engineer's report showing locations of most feasible routes and grades for logging roads. We can furnish sufficient data regarding ANY tract of timber which we have examined to convince you whether the tract is what you want or not. Personal inspection of any tract we may offer you will be found just as represented. We are in a position to offer some exceedingly attractive TIMBER properties in tii^ SOUTH, in BRITISH COLUMBIA, and on the PACITIC COAST. Also a few going mill operations with ample timber luppUes in South Carolina and Mississippi. We furnish detailed reports of amount of STUMPAGE on each 21-2- 5- or 10-acre subdivision of each forty. We employ expert PACIFIC COAST CRUISERS to check aU estimates made on West- em Timber. We offer HIGH CLASS Timber Properties only, which have been placed in our hands for sale. We guarantee our estimates axe reliable. JAMES D. LACEY & GO. (ESTABLISHED SINCE 1880) 608 Hennsn Building 828 Chamber of Commercs 507 Lumbar Ezchaagfe 131t Old Cblenj New Orleans Portland. Ore. Seattle Chicago «BO. H. HOWAXD FXB88, WASHINOTON New York Botanical Garden Librar 3 5185 00258 2003 i'->i=^--:^'f!'9iii!l!!ii!i!iPi^^ lilt : I iiiiillii tpilii' 11 ^liiiiiiii- m '■Mi0M ^liililfiiili; ■'''^'■■^iiiiii mm^ Pit!' ?t;' •if Ir' iiiiiiiii- itjii!: iiiiiiiiiiii I iiitil ■ir«i iiijiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiijiiiiiiii'i iiiiiilil liiiii liiiii 'im\ iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii; i! ,. iiiiili"!