AORK TLTIRAL APPR(»PRIATIOX BIIJ^ \\f2*. 283 



^tate; ho is an instructor: ho gots a lino on a oartimhir situtilion in a 

 Stato that is not hoin^ ofTortivoly hnndltMi and jjivos th« stalo offir^rs 

 practical sn«;;;ostions an<l advij-o. By usint; oxpcrioncoii and turlful 

 jnon *n\ this work, wv have hoon al)h' to ^cl ov«'r a ;;oo<| nianv sug- 

 •jostions which havo h'd to ijnj)rovcnionts iti tho State or;'ani/atj«»ns 

 and to hotter State hiws (h«ahnj^ with lire protortion and slnsh din- 

 posal. 



' «»<>PKItATI<)\ WITH STATKS. 



Ill t\s«> or lliifc ruses hxws Jiave l)Oon roceived which re(|Uire 

 financial contrihutions to the Slates lire-i)rotection system hy tJio 

 (twnors of tho hind. Thoro aro ahont half a (lozon Statosln tho country 

 that now fiavo loj^ishition of that cliaractor in one form or another: 

 and it represents an important phase of this m(»voment for nation- 

 wi(h' forest protection, in whicli the Fed«'ral cooperation has heen n 

 lonchiifj factor. Another thin*; which wo havo ompha-sized in our 

 inspections everywhere has ])een t!M> poHcy that th<' Federal funds 

 must not ho used to protect vahiahh' merchantahle timher. which wo 

 rejjard as an ohh^ation that the owncT of the hmd sh(tuM assumo, 

 hut primarily to extend tho protection system over the cut-over 

 lands, the denuded hnuis. and lands containinjr vounjr {growth, in 

 which tho owner may not have any very <;reat intorost. 



Thoro aro enormous areas of such lands in tho country which aro 

 hoing hold hy tho owners without any very tanjjihlo idea of what they 

 are winjr to do with them and without much intorost or concern over 

 what ha])])ens to them. By extending the ]>rotoction system over 

 these cut-over and second-growth lands we are inculcating every- 

 where the idea that this protection is for tho sake of future forest 

 ijrowth. From that standj^oint alone the Federal coo])oralion has 

 been of very great value. That is all I have to say on this item. We 

 are still short of what we ought to he doing, hut the times do not 

 look propitious for securing an increase. 



AC'QLaSlTlON OF ADDITIONAL FOREST LANDS. 



Mr. Ander.son. We will take uj) tho item on page 315 for the 

 acouisition of additional lands 



Colonel Greeley. The National Forest Reservation Commission 

 recommends an appropriation of $2,000,000 for forest purchases under 

 the act of March 1, 1911. The item as it comes to you from the 

 Bureau of the Budget is the same as for the present year, $450,000. 



Up to July 1 of this year a total of $12,577,000 has heen actuallv 

 expended or ohligatod for tho ])urchase of land under the act of Marcli 

 1, 1911. In return for this ex])enditure the Government has acquired 

 title to 2,142,000 acres of forest land, at an average cost of $5.87 per 

 acre. That average cost includes the overhead expenses, the cost of 

 the land examinations hy a])])raisers. the cost of tho examination of 

 titles, which is often high on account of tho exacting retiuiromonts 

 of the Department of Justice, and the cost of cadastral surveys to 

 determine tho exact area of each tract. 



PURCHASE OF LANDS. 



During the last fiscal year purchase agreements wore made covering 

 241.000 acres at an average cost, for tho land itself and excluding 

 overhead charges, of $3.31 per acre. I monti<Hi that hocause it is 



