FORESTRY — THE TREE IS THE MOTHER OF 



THE FOUNTAIN — A TREE IS THE BEST 



GIFT OF HEAVEN TO MAN 1 



The question of a system of forest reserves in this 

 country is of comparatively recent origin, and interest in 

 it has become general. There are two propositions in- 

 volved in this bill. The first is that the reserves which 

 have heretofore been created and which may hereafter 

 be set apart shall be transferred from time to time for 

 administration to the Department of Agriculture. The 

 bill however provides that this shall not be done until the 

 permanent boundaries of each of these reservations shall 

 be established, which permanent delimitation of the 

 boundaries shall precede the transfer of each reserve. 

 In the end the result will be that all of the forest reserves 

 will be transferred to the Department of Agriculture for 

 administration. We have now a Bureau of Forestry in 

 the Department of Agriculture. That bureau has in its 

 employ practically all the scientific foresters in the Unit- 

 ed States. We have a division of forestry in the land 

 office, but the land office, of course, has not been specially 

 fitted for this scientific work. The great purpose of the 

 land office has been to survey and dispose of the public 

 lands, not to take care and preserve them, but to dispose 

 of them to private individuals. So that by the very na- 

 ture of the organization of the two departments, the per- 

 manent administration and permanent care of the forests 



1 Speech of Hon. John F. Lacey, of Iowa, in the House of Bepresenta- 

 tives, Monday, June 9, 1902. 



