100 MAJOR JOHN F. LACEY 



transfer the management of these permanent reserves to 

 the Department of Agriculture. 



In a later Congress, a bill was introduced, for the same 

 purpose, by Mr. Mondell, and it has become a law. 



The area set apart for these national forests has stead- 

 ily increased until they now contain more than one hun- 

 dred millions of acres, about equal to the combined states 

 of Iowa and Missouri. 



Two of these reserves — the Wichita in Oklahoma and 

 the Grand Canyon in Arizona — have also been declared 

 by law to be refuges for game, and hunting has been pro- 

 hibited in them. No doubt the wild life in some of the 

 other reserves will also enjoy the immunity of a per- 

 manently closed season by an additional law, and the 

 overflow of game from the reserves will aid in restocking 

 the lands beyond their boundaries. 



It is too early to state certainly what will be the effect 

 of this feature of forestry administration, but I believe 

 it will meet with universal favor as an adjunct to the en- 

 tire forestry policy. This additional use will in no wise 

 interfere with the other purposes of the reserve. 



President Roosevelt has very heartily endorsed this 

 policy in more than one of his messages to Congress. 



Wyoming did not wait for national action along this 

 line but by state law declared a permanent closed season 

 in the reserves adjacent to the Yellowstone National 

 Park. 



In setting aside a hundred millions of acres of land for 

 forestry, it was impossible to avoid including consider- 

 able tracts of land much more useful for agriculture than 

 for timber raising. Commissioner W. A. Richards of the 

 General Land Office has earnestly urged the passage of a 

 bill by which these tracts could be selected, surveyed, 

 and opened to settlement under such restrictions and 



