CHIEF FIRE WARDEN. 61 



The appropriations which congress made for the present 

 fiscal year for the care of forest reserves and for the 

 forestry bureau amounted in the aggregate to $892,000. 



LAKE SUPERIOR FOREST RESERVE. 



Favored by perfect July weather, my trip into the 

 wilds of Lake County was through a region that could 

 well be called Minnesota's Adirondacks. Embarking 

 four miles east of Ely in two modern canoes, with an ex- 

 perienced canoeman for each, and with a photographer, 

 the route was via the Cashaway and Birch rivers, Gabbro 

 and Bald Eagle lakes, the Isabella river, Lake Bellissima, 

 Elbow and intermediate lakes to Cross river, thence to its 

 mouth at Lake Superior; traversing parts of eleven town- 

 ships, five of which are unsurveyed, and most of the 

 country being in the proposed Lake Superior Forest 

 Reserve. The surface is undulating with elevations vary- 

 ing from 1 600 feet to 2200 above the sea. Granite ledges 

 are frequent and granite boulders often fringe the banks 

 of lakes and streams. The country generally is a hand- 

 some primeval forest, with some swamps of dwarf spruce 

 and burnt areas interspersed, the prevailing kind of trees 

 being spruce, balsam, jack pine, white birch, poplar, 

 cedar and tamarack. There is but little of white and Nor- 

 way pine. Alder bushes abound in low places and along 

 river and lake shores. The ash, elm and maple are seen 

 in more fertile spots, but not frequently. A few spruce 

 and cedars were seen that were a little over two feet in 

 diameter, breast high, but generally the trees are not of 

 large size so far as could -be judged in travelling many 

 miles through the woods in the twenty portages some of 

 which, on account of obscure trails, fallen trees and laby- 

 rinth of roots, were difficult. Climbing to an occasional 

 height, an extensive view could be gained of the landscape. 

 The sombre coloring of coniferous woods was relieved by 



