1902. 



FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION. 



jij 



C ANAPA 



MAP OF NORTHEASTERN MINNESOTA, SHOWING LOCATION OF THE PROPOSED LAKE SUPERIOR 



FOREST RESERVE. 



Ten of these townships are unser- 

 veyed, and all of the lands are practi- 

 cally vacant, with the.se exceptions, that 

 only half of T. 59, R. 9 W., and T. 60, 

 R. 8 W., are vacant, and that two-thirds 

 of T. 60, R. 9 W., and T. 61, R. 5 W., 

 are vacant. I make this recommenda- 

 tion for the following reasons : 



I. The land has a general elevation 

 of about 1,200 feet above I^ake Supe- 

 rior, is generally hilly and rocky, and 

 more valuable for the production of 

 timber than for agriculture. It is nat- 

 ural timber land, but much of the orig- 

 inal timber was killed by fires many 

 5^ears ago. Its soil is onh' third or 

 fourth rate, and the fact that, although 

 fairly accessible, none of it has been 

 taken by settlers is of itself evidence 

 that it is undesirable for agricultural 

 purposes. 



The benefit that will accrue to Min- 

 nesota by having this waste and vacant 



land utilized for forest purposes is 

 quite evident. Every one knows that 

 the supply of pine timber in Minnesota 

 is fast diminishing. Alread}^ several 

 kinds of lumber from the Pacific coast 

 are competing here with our home pro- 

 ducts, and as our home supply decreases 

 rates of transportation on lumber from 

 the coast will be advanced. Increase of 

 the price of lumber will tend to retard 

 the development of agricultural lands, 

 farmers being among the principal local 

 consumers of lumber. On this land pro- 

 posed to be created a forest reserve it 

 will require about eighty years for pine 

 timber to grow to merchantable size. 

 The population of the United States in 

 eighty years from now, according to the 

 estimate of the most competent judges, 

 based on our pa.st history, will be 320,- 

 000,000. Every one can see that the 

 demand for lumber will then be verj- 

 much greater than at present. 



