1904 FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION 291 



The)' report their corn, oats, and gar- retary W. H. Freeman of Indianapolis, 

 den stuff to be in fine condition. One visited the reserve last Tuesday they 

 reports a wonderfully productive gar- were, with the exception of Mr. Free- 

 den, another a good stand of alfalfa man, greatly surprised at the work that 

 only five acres of it and so on. The had been done. Mr. Freeman, by close 

 story is one of intensified and diversified economy and careful attention to each 

 farming. detail of the work, and personal inspec- 



'' Soon we shall find the entire West tion of the land, has succeeded in trans- 

 taking up the idea, and with irrigation forming a part of Hoosier wilds into a 

 it will be not only practicable, but highly park. 



profitable. The .exhaustion of our non- Last year at this time the land was in 

 arid public domain compels the settle- as dilapidated a condition as old fences, 

 ment of the remaining portion, and there buildings, underbrush, and none-too- 

 must be irrigation before there can be careful attention could make it. At that 

 successful settlement. At the same time time there were no roads through the 

 irrigation makes intensified farming reserve. At the present time the reserve 

 profitable, for under irrigation there is is carefully cleared, and many trees have 

 often more productiveness in forty acres been planted over ground that was for- 

 than there is in a whole section where the merly given to crops of corn and such 

 farmer must depend upon the weather truck as was grown in that section of the 

 and stand total or partial crop losses two country. Winding among the hills are 

 years in five. roads, by which the inspection party was 



" If there is a tendency to intensive able to see almost all the improvements 

 farming where there is no irrigation, it from a carriage. The buildings which 

 is safe to predict that not many years were formerly on the land have been re- 

 will elapse before the range country is moved and all parts of the reserve are 

 broken up into irrigated farms of a com- now ready for the work of planting and 

 paratively few acres each wherever irri- attending the young trees, 

 gation is possible, and Congress can The planting of 10,000 white pines on 

 hasten the day by turning a deaf ear to the knobs was completed, and everything 

 the cattle kings and timber barons and is now practically ready to work on the 

 legislating in the interests of the plain newty cleared and prepared ground. In 

 people, who are anxious to make homes speaking of the work which will next be 

 for themselves. taken up, Mr. Freeman states that there 



"Congress has fought shy of this are 2 50 acres of the reserve which will be 



question of preserving the remaining worked over from September to Decem- 



fragment of public domain for the peo- ber. This land will be planted with 



pie, but public opinion will surely force hardwood trees, including walnut, hick- 



a repeal of the laws making monopoly ory, beech, and ash, with some poplar 



possible and small individual proprietor- and similar trees. The final details in 



ship impracticable before all the public preparing this ground will be taken up 



land has been given to the ' barons.' with the beginning of this week. The 



. patrolling of the land has already com- 

 menced and will continue during the 



Forest Progress The recent inspection of summer and fall. 



in Indiana. Indiana's forest reserve To the Clark County sportsmen the re- 

 in Clark county has serve offers a tempting hunting ground, 

 brought about some very interesting Squirrels are already finding a safe re- 

 facts in regard to the work that has been treat and plenty of quail and other feath- 

 done there and regarding work that is ered game are becoming plentiful in the 

 laid out for the coming few months. woods. Although the law does not per- 



When the board, the members of mit the shooting of squirrels until Au- 



which are President F. C. Carson of gust, they are already being killed in the 



Michigan City, Albert L,ieber of Indian- south part of the state, and it is the duty 



apolis, Stanley Coulter of Lafayette, of the patrol to see that none of the little 



John Cochran of Indianapolis, and Sec- animals are molested on the reserve. 



