122 



THE FORESTER. 



May, 



spirit in favor of their preservation that 

 will in itself be ample protection. 



Forest Lands for ' 'An act to set apart and 

 Forest Purposes appropriate certain tax 

 in Minnesota. title lands for the State 

 forestry purposes, and 

 to provide for quieting the title thereto in 

 the State, and to appropriate money for 

 the expense thereof." 



The foregoing is the title of an act re- 

 cently passed by the Minnesota Legisla- 

 ture, whereby all lands title in which re- 

 verted to the State through delinquent 

 taxes prior to 1S91, and are unfit for- ag- 

 ricultural purposes, are set apart for State 

 forest purposes and are declared a part of 

 the Forest Preserves of the State. 



The act provides that only such lands as 

 are totally unfit for agricultural purposes 

 shall be set apart; and in addition before 

 any lands are thus appropriated the propo- 

 sition in regard to the same must be sub- 

 mitted to the Board of Commissioners of 

 the county in which the lands are situated, 

 who are to decide if such lands are unfit 

 for agricultural purposes. One-half of 

 the income from such lands will go to the 

 State, one-fourth each to the town and 

 county in which the land is situated. 



The law requires the Attorney General 

 to serve notice on delinquents informing 

 them as to termination of the period of re- 

 demption ; he is also charged with the 

 duty of bringing action in the name of the 

 State to quiet title to each tract of such 

 land. Such actions shall be brought only 

 at the written request of the Minnesota 



State Forestry Board. When titles in 

 these lands are quieted they shall become 

 a part of the Forest Reserve of the State, 

 and are thereafter under the control, care 

 and management of the State Forestry 

 Board. This law goes into effect at once. 

 This law as it stands, though conserva- 

 tive, is a step forward in the movement 

 looking to the preservation of the existing 

 forests of Minnesota, and the reforestation 

 of cutover lands. It is at least an oppor- 

 tunity for a practical start in state forest 

 management. According to General C. 

 C. Andrews there are nearly three million 

 acres in Minnesota, in detached localities, 

 of idle non-agricultural lands, which will 

 begin to earn a good income as soon as 

 they are forested. Under the new law 

 much will depend on the opinions and 

 decisions of the boards of commissioners 

 of the several counties. There is a chance 

 that the tracts of land thus secured foi 

 forest purposes will be so scattered that 

 the State Board will be handicapped in 

 their endeavors to produce the forests. 

 However, this law marks the beginning of 

 the redemption of waste lands through 

 reforestation, and Minnesota has set an 

 example in regard to derelict lands that 

 several other states could follow with 

 advantage. 



It is a matter for regret that the resolu- 

 tion for a National Park in Minnesota, 

 after passing both branches of the legisla- 

 ture by an almost unaminous vote should 

 fail to receive concurrent action owing to 

 the legislature adjourning before the matter 

 was reached on the calendar. 



NEWS, NOTES, AND COMMENT. 



The Forest 

 Fire Season 



That season of the year 

 when we may expect, 

 upon opening the news- 

 papers, to see reports of forest fires, is at 

 hand. Already there is a long list of such 

 fires, reported from all sections of the 

 country. 



As early as March 4th the Cincinnati 

 papers printed a dispatch from Columbia, 



Ky., which stated that "A forest fire 

 raged west of this place yesterday, de- 

 stroying thousands of panels of fence, and 

 other property. Near Elroy, a forest fire 

 burned the Mt. Pleasant Church and two 

 large barns ; near Dunnsville the old Tay- 

 lor mansion and several large barns were 

 also burned." 



On the same date was reported a forest 



