340 



FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION 



June 



ent eighteen National Forests, with a 

 total area of 7,415,832 acres, and that 

 it was estimated that in addition to 

 this it would be well to place under 

 Government supervision ab'^ut 1,500,- 

 000 acres of forest lands, all of the 

 forested areas, he said, lying high up 

 in the mountains. About one-half of 

 this latter 1,500,000 acres, he stated, is 

 privately owned, and cannot be ob- 

 tained by the Government except by 

 purchase. He stated that it is the ex- 

 perience of every one in Utah that, 

 from every point of view, it is desirable 

 that the forest reserves be kept in- 

 tact. Reforestation, to remedy the de- 

 vastation wrought in former years by 

 disastrous forest fires, is going on in 

 Utah, he stated, adding that he under- 

 stood that the Governmient nurseries 

 of Utah have now over tv/o and a 

 half millions of seedling trees that will 

 be ready for transplantuig next year. 



In view of the fact that Utah is a 

 state wherein exist very extensive 

 grazing and stock-raising interests, 

 Governor Cutler's advocacy of a law 

 for range regulation was most inter- 

 esting. He stated that the question 

 of grazing is a vexed one, but that 

 he believes it would be well to re- 

 strict the number of head of live 

 stock to be grazed on the ranges and 

 in the National Forests to the actual 

 carrying capacity of such ranges, and 

 that if this is done the ranges, etc., 

 will be maintained in their present 

 good condition. Some measure such 

 as that introduced last winter by Sen- 

 ator Burkett, of Nebraska, providing 

 for Federal supervision of the range, 

 and the establishment of a leasing sys- 

 tem, would, he thought, bring about 

 nothing but beneficial results. 



Governor Cutler referred to the 

 work of the Reclamation Service on 

 the Strawberry Project, in Utah, say- 

 ing that he was convinced, after a re- 

 cent visit to this project, of the wis- 

 dom of entrusting such works to the 

 Government. The Strawberry Pro- 

 ject will, he said, reclaim 60,000 acres 

 of land, at a cost of about $40 an 

 acre, but making the land worth over 



$100 per acre; and he said he consid- 

 ered this a good investment. He re- 

 ferred to the efforts of President 

 Roosevelt to save from vandalism the 

 scenic marvels of Utah, by setting 

 aside the land surrounding the three 

 great natural bridges of the State as 

 National Parks, these lands containing 

 also ruins of cliff-dwellers' houses, and 

 canyon walls covered with the hiero- 

 glyphic picture-writing of the extinct, 

 unknown races that once peopled the 

 western country. Summing up, he 

 said that it is the laudable desire of 

 President Roosevelt and his associates 

 to do everything possible in the way 

 of conserving those natural resources 

 the country possesses, for the benefit 

 not only of the people who now enjoy 

 them, but also for the generations 

 yet unborn, and he concluded with the 

 declaration that, so far as he was con- 

 cerned, he intends to give his loyal -sup- 

 port in the undertaking. 



Governor Gooding, of Idaho, and 

 Governor Norris, of Montana, in brief 

 talks that bristled with figures and cor- 

 uscated with Western enthusiasm, told 

 of the work that is being done in their 

 States toward reclaiming desert and 

 arid lands. Both spoke of the work of 

 the Reclamation Service in the highest 

 terms ; both declared, however, that 

 the work being done by the states, 

 under the Carey Act, was far greater 

 in amount and value than the work of 

 the Government. The plea of both 

 speakers was for the adoption of some 

 plan whereby the states themselves 

 could carry on the work of forest con- 

 servation, reclamation, etc., unhindered 

 by the Government. Governor Nor- 

 ris added to the enthusiasm of the ses- 

 sion by declaring that he intended to 

 follow the example of Governor Folk 

 and appoint a State Forestry Commis- 

 sion immediately upon his return 

 home. 



Dr. James, president of the Univer- 

 sity of Illinois, told the Conference 

 that the statesmen of the country, , 

 from President Roosevelt on through 

 the list, are today taking up and in- 

 corporating into the political economy 



