58 



THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



FOREST PRESERVATION. 



Various organizations in the United 

 States have been for some years mak- 

 ing the effort to have the government 

 adopt a national forestry policy for the 

 preservation of the forests still remain* 

 ing on the public lands. The total 

 forest areas in the United States are 

 estimated by the department of agricul- 

 ture, at 495,000,000 acres, or about one 

 quarter of the total area, exclusive of 

 Alaska and the various Indian reserva- 

 tions 



The annual requirements of forest 

 products in the country are approxim- 

 ately over 24,000,000,000 cubic feet made 

 up as follows: Lumber market and 

 manufactures. 5,000,000,000 cubic feet; 

 railroad construction 600,000,000 cubic 

 feet; charcoal, 250,000,000 cubic feet; 

 fences, 500,000,000 cubic feet; fuel, 18, 

 000,000 cubic feet, and mining timber. 

 150,000.000 cubic feet. At the present 

 rate of cutting off the timber, the exist- 

 ing forest area cannot long supply the 

 demand. Several states have taken steps 

 for the preservation of their forest areas. 

 New York created a forest commission 

 in 1885, but it was abolished by the 

 adoption of the new state constitution. 

 California provided for a similar com- 

 mission, but it was abolished in 1893, 

 the forest experimental stations in the 

 state being turned over to the state 

 university. Colorado, North Dakota, 

 Pennsylvania and New Hampshire have 

 forest commissions. Minnesota and 

 Wisconsin have each a forest fire warden. 

 Ohio has a foresters bureau, Maine a 

 forest commission, while New Jersey 

 and South Carolina the state geological 

 survey has charge of the preservation of 

 the forests. 



There is a national organization known 

 as the American Forestry association, 

 which meets annually, and there is a 

 forestry division of the department of 

 agriculture. Besides all these agencies for 

 the preservation of our forests, arbor days 

 to encourage tree planting, are observed 

 in forty-four states and territories; in 

 twenty-one of them by legislative enact- 

 ment; in six as legal holidays and in 

 five as holidays for tlje public schools. 

 There has been a united effort to have 

 the national government at least second 

 the work of the states and organizations 



and preserve the forest areas in the pub~ 

 lie domain at the west. In 1891 an act 

 was passed under which the president 

 was authorized to make public forest 

 reservations and under that law seven- 

 teen such have been established, embrac- 

 ing 17,500,000 acres in Colorado, New 

 Mexico, California, Arizona, Wyoming, 

 Oregon and Washington. A bill to 

 provide for a systematic forest adminis- 

 tration passed both houses of the Lllld 

 Congress, but failed to become a law. 

 The same or a similar law passed the 

 house in 1896 but went no further. 



Hershey, Nebraska The f o 1 1 ow ing 

 were the carload shipments from Hershey, 

 Nebraska for the year 1896: Hay, 214; 

 wheat, 19; corn, 18; live stock, 16; pota- 

 toes 8; oats 7; broom corn 3; miscellan- 

 eous 4; total 289. This shows a car a 

 day for each working day in the year. 

 Where is there a newly opened territory 

 in the state that can show such a divers- 

 ity of agricultural products? This val- 

 ley is bounded on the north and south 

 by branches of the Platte river with 

 irrigating ditches in operation that 

 carry w r ater to every quarter section of 

 land, which can be made to raise with- 

 out any possible change of failure a full 

 crop every year, giving farmers and 

 stock raisers full value for the time and 

 money expended. Farther back in the 

 foothills are the herds of cattle that con- 

 sume a part of the corn; nearby mills 

 use a larger part of the wheat, while the 

 shipments show how much of a surplus 

 was sent away the first year the irrigating 

 ditches were completed and in operation. 

 The town of Hershey has two general 

 stores, one hardware store, a lumber 

 yard, a coal yard, a first-class elevator, 

 blacksmith shop, wagon and buggy shop, 

 building contractor, and other enter- 

 prises. 



Colorado. 



Artesian wells are proving exception- 

 ally successful at Rocky Ford, Colorado. 

 It "appears to be an artesian basin in 

 which the water is delivered under very 

 high pressure. 



Montana Engineers. 



The Montana Society of Engineers 

 holds regular monthly meetings and is 

 doing a great deal to build up a high 



