~43] Condition of Forests on the Public Lands. 59 



applies only to the Pacific States and Nevada. Under 

 this act land chiefly valuable for timber and unfit for 

 cultivation if the timber is removed, can be pur- 

 chased for $2.50 per acre under certain restrictions. 



The act of June 15, 1880, permitted timber tres- 

 passers to purchase the land on which they had com- 

 mitted their depredations, at the usual price, but as 

 that applies only to trespasses committed prior to 

 March 1. 1879, it is of little importance now. 



By the act of March 3, 1875, all land grant and 

 righfc-of-way railroads are authorized to take timber 

 from the public lands adjacent to their lines, for 

 construction purposes only; in addition to which the 

 Denver and Rio Grande railroad has the right to cut 

 also for repairs. 



The various appropriation bills, authorizing the 

 employment of special timber agents, by implication 

 recognize their authority to protect the public timber. 



The settlement laws, under which a settler may 

 enter lands valuable for timber as well as for agri- 

 culture, furnish another means of obtaining title to 

 public timber. None of our timber-bearing lands 

 should be subject to such entry, for reasons that will 

 appear later in this address. 



With the exception of the timber culture act, de- 

 signed to stimulate the planting of small areas of 

 trees upon the treeless plains, the above is the only 

 legislation of consequence affecting the public tim- 

 ber lands, or aiming to promote or preserve forests. 

 In no other way than under some one of the above 

 laws can a citizen of the United States use the public 

 timber. 



Of the results of the timber culture act it may be 

 well to point out that of the 38,000,000 acres of 



