1 904 



FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION 



state of improvement from year to year. 

 Grazing within described areas has been 

 judiciously permitted, and the methods 

 adopted seem to have met with general 

 approval. 



Another important branch of the 

 work, that of effecting sales of timber, 

 has also been considerably expanded, 

 as shown by the increase in amounts 

 received from such sales, the report for 

 this last year showing an aggregate of 

 over 545,000 actually paid in on such 

 sales as against over $25,000 for the 

 preceding year. It is also shown that 

 there still continues a growing demand 

 for the free use of forest- reserve timber. 



The appropriations made by Congress 

 to defray the expenses connected with 

 the administration of the federal forest 

 reserves have been as follows : Under 

 the act of June u, 1896, $25,000 were 

 appropriated to pay the expense of a 

 commission appointed to report relative 

 to the establishment of forest reserves. 

 Subsequent to this act appropriations 

 were made as follows : 



For the fiscal year 1899 ............ $175,000 



1900 ............ 210,000 



1901 ........... 3 2 5,ooo 



1902 ......... .... 300,000 



1904.. ... 375,000 



The above appropriations are used to 

 pay the salaries and expenses of officers 

 employed in the service. The force is 

 made up of forest inspectors, superin- 

 tendents, supervisors, and rangers of 

 different grades. As it is impossible to 

 continue in active sen-ice the entire 

 number of officers during the whole 

 year, on account of the limited appro- 

 priation, a number of rangers are fnr- 

 loughed during the winter months, when 

 the danger from forest fires and trespass 

 is not so great as during the summer. 

 There were employed during the past 

 year about 450 rangers, together with 

 the necessary number of inspectors, su- 

 perintendents, and supervisors. This 

 number was maintained until October 

 15, when the force was considerably re- 

 duced. During the winter months there 

 were employed, about 175 rangers on 

 the reserves. 



An important matter for legislative 

 action in connection with the forest re- 



serve is the present method of permitting 

 mineral locations within the reserves, 

 which is open to criticism. While we 

 favor the freest opportunities for a bona 

 fide exploitation of the minerals within 

 the reserves, w r e feel that the existing 

 laws are defective in that it is possible 

 under them for large numbers of mineral 

 entries to be made where no minerals 

 exist in paying quantities, and where, 

 when title is once passed to the entry- 

 man under a patent, all control of the 

 lands passes from the general govern- 

 ment. This is a serious menace to the 

 proper administration of the forest re- 

 serves. Under these entries large quan- 

 tities of lands valuable only for their tim- 

 ber or as hotel sites and pleasure resorts 

 are being taken, and a nominal compli- 

 ance with the mineral laws makes it pos- 

 sible for such entries to be perfected. 



In addition to the work 

 Forest Work of the federal govern- 

 in the States, ment, the states have 

 also advanced in their 

 forest development. In Pennsylvania 

 the state reserves have been increased in 

 area, as is also the case in Indiana. 

 Important legislation looking toward 

 fire protection and proper forest admin- 

 istration has been passed, among others, 

 in Minnesota, New Hampshire, Califor- 

 nia, and Washington. 



The State of Maine has appointed a 

 trained forester, a graduate of the Yale 

 Forest School, as a state officer to assist 

 in its forest work, and Wisconsin has 

 asked the Bureau of Forestry to nomi- 

 nate a forester to take charge of its for- 

 est work. Following an investigation 

 of forest conditions in Hawaii, that ter- 

 ritory has appointed a forester, in charge 

 of the protection and development of the 

 forests of the island. 



Under the provisions of the so-called 

 Morris Act, which provided for the crea- 

 tion of the Minnesota National Forest 

 Reserve, the first selection of lands for 

 the reserve has been made by the For- 

 ester. It covers 104,459 acres, upon 

 which the marking of trees to be left 

 standing after lumbering is now in 

 progress under the supervision of the 

 Bureau. 



There is every prospect of the success- 

 ful execution of the provisions of the 



