696 



AMERICAN FORESTRY 



of the nation may be conserved for the gen- 

 eral welfare of mankind. 



"Approving the withdrawal of public 

 lands pending classification and the separ- 

 ation of surface rights fi-om mineral, forest 

 and water rights, including water power 

 sites, we recommend legislation for the 

 classification and leasing for grazing pur- 

 poses of all unreserved lands suitable 

 chiefly for this purpose, subject to the 

 rights of homesteads and settlers or the 

 acquisition thereof under the land laws of 

 the United States, and we hold that arid 

 and non-irrigable public grazing lands 

 should be administered by the government 

 in the interest of small stockmen and home- 

 seekers until they have passed into the 

 possession of actual settlers. 



"We favor the repeal of the commutation 

 clause of the homestead law and the disal- 

 lowance of homestead entries of land chiefly 

 valuable for its timber at time of filing. 



"We hold that mineral deposits under- 

 lying public lands should be transferred 

 to private ownership only by long time lease 

 with revaluation at stated periods, such 

 leases to be in amounts and subject to such 

 regulations as to prevent monopoly and 

 needless waste, and that in case of doubt 

 as to the availability of such mineral de- 

 posits, or while they are awaiting exploita- 

 tion, surface rights to the land should be 

 transferred only by lease under such con- 

 ditions as to promote development and 

 protect the public interest. 



"We hold that phosphate deposits under- 

 lying the public lands should be safe- 

 guarded for the American people by appro- 

 priate legislation, and that export of phos- 

 phates and other natural or manufactured 

 material should be limited and regulated 

 by law. 



"Realizing that the productivity of our 

 soil depends upon water supply; that one 

 of the chief losses of the farm is destruc- 

 tive soil erosion; that the freshets and 

 floods due to storm and thaw waters are de- 

 structive to property and even of life; and 

 knowing through experience in this and 

 other countries that the waste and destruc- 

 tion due to unregulated runoff are largely 

 susceptible to control by appropriate agri- 

 cultural methods, we hold that the aim of 

 every farmer should be to make his farm 

 take care of the water naturally reaching 

 it." 



Officers were elected as follows: Presi- 

 dent, J. B. White, Kansas City; executive 

 secretary, Thomas K. Shipp. Washington; 

 treasurer, D. Austin Latchaw, Kansas City; 

 recording secretary, James C. Gipe, Clarks, 

 La. 



annual meeting of the association in Janu- 

 ary. It was decided for the present to 

 concentrate the efforts of the association 

 towards (a) the reduction in the annual 

 drainage to the forests of the state from 

 fire (b) the prevention of insect depreda- 

 tions in our pine forests, and (c) the intro- 

 duction of methods of management which 

 will insure adequate reforestation. 



With these objects in view it was de- 

 termined to collect statistics of the annual 

 loss from forest fires in the different coun- 

 ties of the state and have them published 

 separately in the county papers, for the 

 information of the local population. The 

 formation of small local associations in 

 aflaiiation with the state association will 

 be strongly advocated and encouraged for 

 the purpose of increasing the interest in 

 forest protection and for forming centers 

 for the collection of statistics on forest 

 destruction. 



The reforestation of the cut-over and 

 abandoned lands of the state both by na- 

 tural and artificial means will be strongly 

 urged by the association. 



North Carolina Forestry Association 



At a meeting of the officers and execu- 

 tive committee of the North Carolina For- 

 estry Association September 21, a constitu- 

 tion was adopted for submission to the 



A New American Arboretum 



The late William Pryor Letchworth, well 

 known for his large public spirit and many 

 good works, left his noble estate, Glen 

 Iris, at Portage, New York, to the state for 

 a park. The American Scenic and His- 

 torical Preservation Society, which is the 

 custodian under the deed of gift, nas de- 

 cided upon a policy that harmonizes well 

 with Mr. Letchworth's interests and the 

 spirit of his gift. The purpose is to make 

 the park a great arboretum. Of this the 

 Rochester Dew.ocrat says: 



The park, which comprises about 1,000 

 acres, especially adapted to forest growth, 

 will be transformed into an immense ar- 

 boretum for testing the adaptability of all 

 kinds of forest trees, native and "foreign, 

 having in view the necessity of ultimately 

 restoring the forests of this country. The 

 plan has been well devised, and contem- 

 plates eventually furnishing material for 

 planting forests of vast extent with trees 

 which have been tried out and which have 

 been found to be best adapted to the vary- 

 ing climatic and other conditions which 

 are found in the United States. 



It should be understood at the outset 

 that the plans of the American Scenic 

 and Historical Preservation Society in no- 

 wise will militate against, but will enhance, 

 the instruction and pleasure of the people 

 who, in the last analysis, are the owners 

 of the park. It is made plain by Mr. Dow 

 that it is the intention of the Scenic So- 

 ciety to operate the Letchworth Park ar- 

 boretum on the lines followed at the Glas- 

 nevin Royal Botanic Gardens at Dublin, 

 the Arnold arboretum at Boston, and the 

 Highland Park arboretum at Rochester, 

 which is ranked with the two first named 



