10 



The. officers of this bureau told me that sheep scab is still common in the 

 United States ; anthrax occurs every now and then, and on several occasions 

 has been traced to hides in tanneries; foot and mouth disease has been 

 stamped out ; but hog plague is very common, and has been closely studied. 

 Though caused by a minute bacillus, it is essentially a dirt disease in the first 

 instance. This bureau analyses and publishes a list of the proprietary sub- 

 stances permitted in official dipping of sheep and cattle for scabies. In the 

 list printed in August, 1907, there are forty-two different washes, consisting 

 of lime and sulphur, coal tar extracts, and tobacco extracts. 



The Bureau of Biological Survey is another branch closely related to the 

 Entomological, as it deals with the range and distribution of birds and 

 animals; the value either from the point of game or food; and their value 

 as insectivorous birds. In the absence of the Chief, Dr. Fisher took me 

 round. The collection and examination of the stomachs of many thousands 

 of birds have been carried out, and thus the food of each is known, and the 

 insectivorous ones are protected. This branch has issued many valuable 

 reports on the value to the farmer of different groups of birds. ]n the work 

 on noxious animals, maps have been made, showing the districts infested. 

 The sage rats, or ground squirrels as they should be correctly called, are 

 almost as destructive as our rabbits ; in one district in the north west 

 last year they destroyed 300,000 dollars' worth of wheat. The chief poisons 

 used to destroy these pests is strychnine and phosphorus, bnt they are very 

 cunning and not easily poisoned. It is reported that a tubercular disease 

 .spontaneously sprang up among them last year, causing a great mortality in 

 some districts. The officers of the department are trying to obtain and 

 propagate this disease. The branch deals, to a large extent, with the Game 

 Laws and Bird Protection Acts, and it would probably be a very good idea for 

 the Australian Departments of Agriculture and the officers of the Forestry 

 Departments to have charge of the Bird Projection Acts, which at present 

 only exist and are administered by no one in particular. 



The Forest Service is under Mr. Gifford Pinchot, who has done so much in 

 protecting the remains of the American forests. On paper the United States 

 national forests cover an immense area, but in reality the eyes have been cut 

 out of them; and, according to authentic reports, millions of feet of the best 

 timber have been stolen by some of the lumber companies, and thousands 

 more destroyed by forest fires. It is only a matter of a few years hence 

 when the people of the United States will have to go to Canada for their 

 lumber. 



In 1891 Congress authorise! the President to establish forest reserves, 

 now known as national forests, and the Yellowstone Park was proclaimed as 

 xuch the same year. At the present time there are 145,000,000 acres of 

 national forest, without including another 5,000,000 in Alaska and Porto 

 Rico. 



These are chiefly composed of coniferous trees, and are all situated in the 

 north and north-west ; there are no forest lands belonging to the Govern- 

 ment ill the Eastern States. Theie is very little replanting going on. The 

 supervisors have direct charge of the forest lands, and all business passes 

 through their hands. Under them come the rangers, who live in central 

 points in the forest, and carry out the work on the ground sell timber, grant 

 permits for settlers or miners to cut timber, fight forest fires, and patrol 

 the country. Included in these forest areas are some agricultural lands, 

 which are let as homestead leases in blocks of from 160 to 320 acres. 

 There is also much of the forest which adjoins the " free range country," 

 where sheep and cattle men graze their stock on the Government lands, and 



