ADMINISTRATION ON INDIAN RESERVATIONS 839 



mation as to the character of soil on each forty and the gathering of 

 data for an accurate contour map of each reservation examined. The 

 strip system is used, two strips, each two chains wide being run through 

 each forty, except where the stand of timber is both Hght and uniform 

 and the surface practically level, where a single strip two chains wide 

 may be run. Base lines are first run two miles apart and the stations 

 (two for each forty) marked, and all elevations carefully recorded. 

 The cruise strips are then run through the forties at right angles to the 

 base lines from station to station. Box compasses with two and one- 

 half needles are found satisfactory and distance are determined by a 

 two-chain steel tape. Dififerences in elevation along cruise strips are 

 determined by a six-inch Abney hand level graduated to read differences 

 in per cent of slope. The topographic compassmen do not attempt to 

 draw accurate contour lines in the field but aim to represent the surface 

 accurately by form lines and the location of the contours is determined 

 by the draftsmen from the Abney readings as corrected by the transit 

 station elevations. The timber estimates thus obtained are sufficiently 

 accurate for all sales in which the amount actually cut is the basis for 

 payment, and the contour maps are as accurate as will ever be needed 

 for forest administration in the localities that they cover. 



Since 1915 extensive general sales of timber have been made on the 

 Bad River, Colville, Coeur d'Alene, Flathead, Fort Apache, Jicarilla, 

 Klamath, Mackinac, Mescalero, Nett Lake, Nez Perce, Lac Courte 

 Oreille, Quinaielt, Red Lake, Spokane, and Tulalip, and many small 

 sales on other reservations or on public land allotments have been made. 

 During the five years 1916 to 1920, inclusive, nearly fifty general tim- 

 ber sales involving approximately three and one-half billion of stumpage 

 have been effected and the amount of timber actually cut has been over 

 one billion six hundred million feet. The income from timber sales on 

 lands administered by the Indian Service has averaged more than one 

 and one-half million dollars annually during the last ten years. It is 

 interesting to note that the total income from timber sales on all 

 National Forests for the fiscal year 1920 was about the same as the 

 total value of the timber removed from lands under the jurisdiction of 

 the Indian Service during the same fiscal year. 



From this it will be seen that the forestry activities of the Indian 

 Service are somewhat extensive. However, the facts above presented 

 afford an incomplete picture of the work done. The administration of 

 individual and collective allotment sales involves a large amount of 



