1904 



FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION 



153 



man, the first man to hold the portfolio 

 of agriculture. 



Secretary Wilson made a happy 

 speech, and because of his popularity 

 with the western ruralist he was the 

 shining, central figure of the gathering. 

 When he had finished talking, lusty 

 lungs and sunburned hands gave him 

 noisy approbation. The applause had 

 not ceased when a Nebraska farmer, 

 with whiskers like Senator Peffer's, 

 arose in the back of the hall and said : 



" Gentlemen, we are all mighty glad 

 to hear Secretary Wilson and are ready 

 to do him honor ; but let us not forget 

 the other great men we have with us. 

 We have on the same platform to-night 

 the Alfalfa and Omega of agriculture' ' 



It was as far as the speaker ever got. 

 His few remaining words were lost in 

 the shrieks of laughter. 



At Biltmore. Mr. P. P. Pelton, of the 

 Biltmore Forest School, 

 writes that Dr. Schenck has been exper- 

 imenting with a method of storing acorns 

 over winter with a view to preparing 

 them for more rapid starting of growth 

 when planted. 



Just beneath the outtake at fish hatch- 

 ery No. i, a large wire-netting box was 

 placed, through which the escaping 

 water flowed constantly. In this box, 

 when cold weather came, were placed a 

 couple of bushels of acorns. All through 

 the winter an unceasing stream of cold 

 water has poured over them. The idea, 

 of course, is the maintenance of a con- 

 stant temperature and air supply. 



Much trouble has been experienced in 

 obtaining in sufficient quantities a proper 

 covering for newly planted seed beds 

 during the winter season. Of the sev- 

 eral materials used, one that seems to be 

 unusually good is old, weather-beaten 

 burlap. It forms a good cover and is 

 easily removed in the spring. 



Another point of interest is the use of 

 well rotted sawdust as a top dressing be- 

 tween rows of seedlings during the win- 

 ter. The results are excellent. The 

 sawdust keeps the temperature as even as 

 does manure. It prevents ' ' boosting ' 

 of the young plants by frost, and will be 

 allowed to remain on the beds during the 



summer as a protection against evapora- 

 tion. It acts to some extent as a fertil- 

 izer and its cost is trifling. 



Kansans' 

 Meeting. 



The State Horticultural 

 Society of Kansas will 

 hold a special meeting 

 at Dodge City, Kansas, May 1 1 and 

 12, which will be devoted entirely to 

 forestry and irrigation. 



The Bureau of Forestry will be rep- 

 resented by Mr. William L. Hall, who 

 will speak on ' The Progress of For- 

 estry in the United States," and Mr. 

 R. S. Kellogg, who will discuss ' ' Forest 

 Planting in Western Kansas." 



Mr. M. C. Hinderlider, of the U. S. 

 Geological Survey, will talk of the work 

 of the Reclamation Service. 



The program is not ) T et completed, 

 but it is announced that a number of 

 prominent Kansans who are well in- 

 formed on these matters will take part. 



This meeting should be one of great 

 interest, and it is hoped that a large at- 

 tendance will carry its benefits through 

 a wide range of influence. 



To Buy Another step has been 



Reservoir taken toward the trans- 



Site, formation of the arid 



West. The Secretary 

 of the Interior has authorized the pur- 

 chase of the Hondo reservoir site in 

 New Mexico for the sum of $20,000. 

 It is in Chaves county, about 12 miles 

 west of Rosvvell 



The site of this proposed reservoir 

 is a natural depression, which, with a 

 small amount of enbankment, can be 

 given a capacity of 4.0,000 acre-feet. 

 This will hold practically all the water 

 that the Hondo will furnish during low- 

 water years. It is proposed to store 

 here the flood waters of this stream 

 and draw on them through lateral 

 canals for irrigating the lands below 

 the reservoir. 



The lands that will be benefited by 

 the reservoir waters are naturally fer- 

 tile and may be easily irrigated at slight 

 expense. They are free from alkali 

 and will be ultimately worth at least 

 $100 an acre when planted to alfalfa 



