1904 



FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION 



495 



Cyrus C. Babb, of the investigations 

 in Montana ; Mr. L. H. Taylor, of the 

 work in Nevada; Mr. F. E. Weymouth, 

 of the work in North Dakota ; Mr. 

 Ferdinand Bonstedt, of the investiga- 

 tions in Oklahoma; Mr. John T. 

 Whistler, of those in Oregon; Mr. C. 

 H. Fitch, of those in South Dakota; 

 Mr. G. Swendsen, of the work in 

 Utah ; Mr. T. A. Noble, of the inves- 

 tigations in Washington ; and Mr. 

 John E. Field and Mr. Jeremiah 

 Ahern, of the investigations in Wy- 



oming. 



Within the year actual construction 

 was begun in Nevada on a large canal 

 from Truckee River. In Arizona pre- 

 liminary construction was commenced 

 on the Salt River dam, which will fur- 

 nish water to arid lands in the vicin- 

 ity of Phoenix. In other States and 

 Territories plans and specifications 

 are in various stages of progress. Ev- 

 erywhere the work is being pushed as 

 rapidly as is consistent with a full 

 knowledge of conditions and with 

 economical administration. 



Awakening m 



Readers of FORESTRY 



^ IRRIGATIQN will 



be interested in learn- 

 ing the action taken upon forest mat- 

 ters by the Illinois Federation of 

 Worrien's Clubs at the State meeting 

 held at Danville October 18-21. This 

 meeting was largely attended, and 

 was one of the most successful in the 

 history of the Federation. The for- 

 estry subjects on the programme 

 were: "What Forestry Means to 

 Illinois Through the Work of the For- 

 estry Committee of the Federation," 

 by Mrs. P. S. Peterson, of Chicago; 

 "Forest Life Habitat and Sojourn- 

 er," by Mrs. E. C. Lambert, of Jack- 

 sonville; "A Forest Policy for Illi- 

 nois," by R. S. Kellogg, of Bureau 

 of Forestry. 



The Federation also indorsed bills 

 for the establishment of a Depart- 

 ment of Forestry at the State Univer- 

 sity and the creation of a State For- 

 est Reserve. There is good reason to 

 think that action of some kind along 

 forestry lines will be secured at the 

 next session of the Legislature. 



Regarding the spruce 

 Forest Nusery ? . 



and pine nursery on 



in Minnesota. ,. r -,-..,, , / 



on the Pillsbury forest 

 reserve sixteen miles north-west of 

 Brainerd, which has just been inspect- 

 ed by General Andrews and Professor 

 Green, both of the executive commit- 

 tee of the Minnesota State Forestry 

 Board, the former reports that : 



The nursery is a carefully cultivated 

 and fenced acre, in which principally 

 Norway spruce seeds were sown in 

 Jong beds last spring. The Norway 

 spruce came up fairly well. In many 

 of the beds the rows are full of thrifty 

 plants. The white pine and white 

 spruce did not come up as well. The 

 trees vary from an inch to three inches 

 in height and we estimated that there 

 are about a million of them. 



The sight of so many young trees 

 perfectly free from weeds was most 

 pleasing. Half the nursery is cover- 

 ed with lath screens and the other half 

 with brush screens on poles resting 

 on firmly-set posts eight feet high. 

 This shade has tinged the whole floor 

 of the nursery with green moss an 

 interesting picture. The screens were 

 planned by Professor Green, and 

 were made by Lars Hope, the nur- 

 sery keeper, in workman-like manner, 

 and will last several years. 



The nursery being half a mile from 

 Mr. Hope's residence, he was unable 

 to prevent some of the seeds after they 

 were sown from being consumed by 

 blackbirds and gophers. To dispatch 

 the rest, Mr. Hope put into their holes 

 paper saturated with bisulphide of car- 

 bon.- To the blackbirds he issued a 

 few rations of millet mixed with Paris 

 green with desired effect. 



Before snow falls these seedlings 

 will receive a thin cover of hay. Be- 

 fore they are over two years old they 

 should be taken up and set where they 

 are to remain permanently. It is be- 

 lieved that spruce for pulp will yield 

 quicker returns than any other tree 

 on cut-over lands or light soil, and 

 probably the Minnesota Forestry 

 Board will experiment in growing 

 spruce on a part of the Pillsbury land 

 if the next legislature will furnish 

 means for doing so. 



