FOkKSTkY AND IRRIGATION 



January 



now in operation . Twenty-seven wood- 

 lots in the Northeast and South Atlantic 

 States are being managed in accordance 

 with the recommendations of the Bu- 

 reau. The first selection of the Minne- 

 sota National Forest Reserve, consisting 

 of K>4,4V> acres, is now under the Bu- 

 reau's -.upervision. In addition to these 

 lands. 679, i<)4 acres of private lands and 

 i<v icres of public lands not in- 



1 1 tided in forest reserves are under for- 

 management. 



The interest which large railroad com- 

 panies have recently exhibited in the 

 practice of forestry is one of the most 

 encouraging developments of the year. 

 Many of them have made application to 

 the Bureau for its cooperation in studies 

 whose results would determine the ad- 

 visability of the purchase and manage- 

 ment of forest lands for the production 

 - -til road ties and other timbers. 



Cooperative studies of state forest con- 

 ditions, in which the states shared in the 

 expense of the work, were made for 

 Maine, New Hampshire, and California. 

 In Maine the forests of Piscataquis 

 county, south of Moosehead Lake, were 

 studied. The results of the work were 

 presented in the Fourth Report of the 

 Forest Commissioner of that state. In 

 New Hampshire a study of the forests 

 of the entire state was begun, with the 

 purpose of determining the methods by 

 which they may best be preserved. In 

 California the work was directed toward 

 the making of a forest map of the state, 

 the determination of practical modifica- 

 tions in lumbering methods, and of the 

 effects of gra/ing and fire, and other 

 matters entering into the determination 

 of a state forest policy. 



Studies were made of the Sugar Pine 

 in California, the Lodgepole Pine in 

 Montana, commercial hardwoods in 

 Virginia, North Carolina, Ten- 

 nessee, and Kentucky, the Balsam in 

 the Adirondacks, th< t nut in south- 



ern Maryland, and the Red I'in<- in 

 northern Minnesota. 



The section of Forest Measure me- 

 without increase of force, a. < omp 

 nearly twice as much wo, 

 previous year. 



The work of the section of J [ a n 



ment for the ensuing yea; 



more important undertakings than ever 

 before. Technical problems involved in 



the management of the national for- -,!. 

 reserves must be solved; the field work 

 in Texas, in South Carolina, and in Ala 

 bama must be completed. Much work 

 remains to } done on woodlots for pri- 

 vate owners. On the lands to be in- 

 cluded in the Minii'-.ota National Forest 

 Reserve those trees must be marked 

 which are to be reserved in the lumb'-i 

 ing, and npervision of the lumbering 

 operation- must be exercised by the 

 Bureau. The study of the forests of 

 California and of New Hampshire 

 mains to be completed, and a study of 

 Vermont forests will be undertaken. 

 Commercial tree stirlies will be marie in 

 Maine, Minnesota, and the Southern 

 States. 



FOREST INVE 'I H.ATIOX. 



A notable accomplishment in the 

 South during the year has been the ex- 

 tensive introduction of ther up :md ;/nt 

 ter system of extracting turpentine. 

 Thissystem, invented by I)r. Charles II. 

 Herty, working under the Bureau's di- 

 rection, although in operation only a. 

 year, is rapidly replacing the old, de 

 structive system of boxing trees. Its 

 great superiority is due to the fact that 

 it is far less destructive than the box 

 and that it yields at least 40 per cent 

 more turpentine. 



Forest investigations in 1903 wen- 

 carried on in the following states : 



In Maryland, a study of the distribu- 

 tion of the forests of St. Mary, I'riii" 

 George, and Kent counties, in ^.op- 

 tion with the State Geological Survey. 



In Texas, a study of t he forest grow) h 

 of the Kd wards Plateau and its influent e 

 on stream flow. 



In Missouri, a study of the swamp 

 forests, including such timbers as Bald 

 Cypress, and Red, Black, and Cotton 

 gums. 



In California, a study of the Tan bark 

 Oak in connection with the tan-bark in- 

 dustry. 



In Ohio, Iowa, Michigan, and Mon- 

 tana, a study of forest distribution. 



An investigation of the cedar-shin 

 industry was carried on in the Pa< ih< 

 northwest, which included a stud ol 



