62 STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



which even now have large water power, are much shallower than they 

 were half a century ago. This is true also of these great rivers in North- 

 ern Michigan. There is much less water in them than there was j^ears ago. 

 We believe it is due to the fact that the forests have been taken away from 

 their sides. One prominent idea in choosing this particular location for 

 the reserve is that the flow in these rivers may be kept more uniform 

 throughout the year, and thus their marvelous water power be developed. 

 There is more water power in these rivers I have named in northern 

 Michigan than in all the rest of the State probably. Thousands of horse 

 power going to waste, and it will still further be diminished if the forests 

 are entirely cut away. 



Now we have not yet authority from the legislature to entirely manage 

 this reserve. Most of these lands are what are called delinquent lands. 

 You may be astonished to know that out of the 87,000,000 acres of land 

 in Michigan, over 6,000,000 acres, or about 18 per cent, are held by the 

 State for unpaid taxes — taxes which in many cases have accumulated 

 until they amount to very much more than the lands are worth. After a 

 certain process these lands come back to the State and the State owns 

 them. What we want is to have the legislature put large areas of these 

 delinquent lands into the hands of the forestry commission to be used 

 for forestry purposes. But the legislature is not yet educated to do this 

 as fast as it ought to be done, and we want you to educate the legislature 

 in this matter. 



There are two things to be kept in mind as I have already intimated, 

 the protection of the trees from fire and trespass, and the securing of a 

 growth of forest at the head waters of streams. 



I want to leave another thought with you, and that is that this work 

 will go on faster than you imagine. I have with me on the platform a 

 section of a cottonwood tree 24 years old, grown out of a soil originally 

 a huckleberry marsh, with sand underneath, which was burned over 

 thoroughly about 25 years ago. When that tree was cut this year it was 

 81 feet high and 36 feet to the first limb, and it grew in thick timber. 



The reserve we have made consists of 47,000 acres situated in twelve 

 townships, and we want your assistance in getting legislation which shall 

 make this a genuine State reserve for forestry purposes. 



Professor C. A. Davis, University of Michigan : 



I shall be very brief, but I have one or two things to say that may be of 

 especial interest to the political economists. As Commissioner Wildey 

 has said, we find that nearly one-sixth of the land of the State is idle 

 and worse than idle, because it is a source of menace to other people. 

 There is danger that in this unoccupied land the loose soil will be moved 

 by wind and cover up valuable land near by. That is actually being done 

 in some cases, and this question of the moving sands alone is worth con- 

 sideration. Then the social side is important, for much of this land is 

 what may be called non-agricultural. Much of it is not suited for the best 

 farming, yet it is often picked up by speculators who advertise it to 

 unsuspecting immigrants as first-class farm land. Now I say it is not 

 right to tempt a poor man to such land. If you go through this forest 

 reserve that has been mentioned, you will find much land of this kind. 



