142 



FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION 



March 



souri, secured consideration of the bill 

 (H. R. 8435) providing that all proofs, 

 affidavits, and oaths required under the 

 homestead, preemption, timber-culture, 

 desert-land, and timber and stone acts 

 need no longer necessarily be made in 

 the district where the land lies, as for- 

 merly required, but may be made in an- 

 other district, provided the place where 

 thev are taken is within the same 

 county or parish as the lands in ques- 

 tion, and that affidavit is made, satisfac- 

 tory to the Commissioner of the Gen- 

 eral Land Office, that they were taken 

 before the nearest or the most accessible 

 qualified officer. The bill was passed. 



February 20. 



In the Senate : A message from the 

 House announced that the Speaker had 

 signed (among others) the bill (S. 1490) 

 to authorize the sale of a part of what 

 is known as the Red Lake Indian Res- 

 ervation, in the State of Minnesota. 



Mr. Hansbrough introduced a bill 

 (S. 4429; relating to the creation of 

 forest reservations on the public domain, 

 and for other purposes. 



February 20. 



In the Senate : Mr. Hansbrough in- 

 troduced a bill (S. 4429) relating to the 

 creation of forest reservations on the 

 public domain. 



February 23. 



A message from the President of the 

 United States announced to the Senate 

 that the President had on the 2oth in- 

 stant approved and signed the act 

 (S. 1490) to authorize the sale of a part 

 of the Red Lake Indian Reservation in 

 the State of Minnesota. 



February 24. 



In the Senate : Mr. Burnham pre- 

 sented a petition of the American Paper 

 and Pulp Association praying for the 

 establishment of a national forest re- 

 serve in the White Mountains. 



During consideration of the agricul- 

 tural appropriation bill (H. R. 11825) 

 amendments by the Committee on Agri- 

 culture and Forestry were agreed to 

 which increase the total appropriation 

 for the Bureau of Forestry to $450,000. 



February 26. 



In the House : A message from the 

 Senate announced that the Senate had 

 passed, with amendments, the bill (H.R. 

 11825) making appropriations for the 

 Department of Agriculture for the fiscal 

 year ending June 30, 1905, in which the 

 concurrence of the House of Represent- 

 atives was requested. 



Mr. Mondell introduced a bill (H. R. 

 13095) to regulate the use of forest 

 reserve timber. 



RECENT PUBLICATIONS. 



The Botanical Gazette. February, 1904. Vol. 

 XXXVII, No. 2. The University of Chi- 

 cago Press. Contains an article by E. B. 

 COPELAND and F. A. SHRINER, called 

 "Deforestation and Creek Flow About 

 Monroe, Wis. " 



The accompanying map shows as nearly as 

 possible the changes in the surface flow of 

 \\.-iter which have accompanied the gradual 

 removal of the native forest from four town- 

 ships of Green county, \\ is 



The original forest covered 83 per cent of 

 tin- entire area. Twenty years ago the wood- 

 land had shrunk to 28 per cent. As mapped 

 for September, 1902, it does not cover more 

 than 6 per cent of the space which -the primi- 

 tive forest occupied. 



I'ntil iSS; no creeks went dry, although 

 there was a noticeable lowering, "since then 

 the streams that are dry during the entire 

 .summers or longer amount to 65^ miles in 

 length. 



"Once twelve mills ran by water power 

 within this area. Several now use steam and 

 the rest have been discontinued. Where most 

 of these mills stood less water runs now than 

 used to be wasted." 



The Agricultural Gazette of New South Wales. 

 Vol. XIV, Part 12. December, 1903. 



This is one of the most attractive and meaty 

 agricultural papers that come to this table. As 

 a result of recent droughts in New South Wales, 

 the attention of farmers in that state is particu- 

 larly turned to irrigation at this time. In this 

 number Mr. W. J.Allen, who gained familiar- 

 ity with irrigation problems during ten years of 

 former residence at Riverside, California, con- 

 tributes an article showing the success of vari- 

 ous crops which obtained water during the 

 drought from artesian wells. He also gives 

 practical information for the proper methods of 

 controlling and applying water to lucerne, hay 

 crops, trees, and vines. 



