254 



FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION 



June 





such cooperation has been effected, 

 and it is believed that the relations 

 thus established will result in more 

 expeditious and satisfactory work, and 

 will prove of great economic advan- 

 tage to both public and private inter- 

 ests. 



The initial work, that of analyzing 

 and testing the relative steam produc- 

 ing powers of coals and lignites of the 

 United States, which was inaugurated 

 during the summer of 1904, at St. 

 Louis, will also be continued. The 

 various portions of the plant were con- 

 tributed by different manufacturing 

 companies, and the railroads entering 

 St. Louis or having coal resources 

 along their lines cooperated most hear- 

 tily with the committee in charge of 

 the work. The results of this work 

 are very interesting and valuable. 



Plan for A planting plan for a 



Planting Coal portion of the lands of 

 Lands t j ie Keystone Coal and 



Coke Company, of Greensburg, Pa., 

 has just been finished by the Bureau 

 of Forestry. This company owns sev- 

 eral thousand acres overlying coal 

 beds. It is proposed by the planting 

 of rapid-growing trees to make these 

 lands more productive than under the 

 old plan of renting on shares for agri- 

 cultural purposes. A small nursery 

 was established and several thousand 

 young chestnut and maple trees were 

 set out this spring. A detailed plant- 

 ing plan was also prepared giving di- 

 rections for future operations. Black 

 locust is the species which will be 

 mainly used. 



A planting plan for cer- 

 tain important water- 

 sheds, and recommenda- 

 tions for the treatment of lands in the 

 interior of the San Gabriel Forest 

 Reserve, California, have just been 

 completed by Mr. A. T. Searle, of the 

 Bureau of Forestry. This report con- 

 siders the possibilities of planting on 

 various types of denuded and chapar- 

 ral covered land in these mountains, 

 and embodies recommendations as to 

 the species which should be used. 

 methods of planting, and locates the 



To Plant 

 Wateisheds 



slopes which are in the most urgent 

 need of attention. These recommen- 

 dations are based on experience gained 

 in experimental work which has been 

 under way for several years and are 

 intended to give a definite, systematic 

 plan of procedure for future opera- 

 tions. The chaparral growth has been 

 divided into five well defined types 

 which require special treatment. The 

 most hardy species, such as knob-cone. 

 Monterey, and Digger pine will .be 

 planted in the more unfavorable situ- 

 ations, while the more valuable but less 

 hardy trees, such as yellow, sugar, and 

 Coulter pine, and spruce and cedar, 

 will be planted on the more favorable 

 sites. 



Forest The Bureau of Forestry 



Students has completed the selec- 



Chosen tion of forest students- 



for the coming season. The men were 

 chosen from the most promising stu- 

 dents of forest schools and will be as- 

 signed for the summer to the collec- 

 tion of data, under the direction of 

 trained foresters, in various lines of 

 the Bureau's activities. There will be 

 29 such students appointed July I. 

 from a total of about 200 applicants. 



Planting operations in 

 the Black Hills Forest 

 Reserve are being pushed 

 rapidly under the direction of L. C. 

 Miller, of the Forest Service. A re- 

 cent examination has revealed such 

 favorable conditions that it has been 

 decided not to use nursery stock ex- 

 tensively in reforesting the denuded 

 areas. Instead, several hundred pounds 

 of seed will be sown directly on the 

 land where trees are desired. In or- 

 der to compare the nursery method 

 with that of direct sowing, about 50.- 

 ooo small trees grown in the Dismal 

 River Reserve nursery, in Nebraska, 

 will be set out. The region in which 

 operations are under way is in the vi- 

 cinity of Custer Peak, where lumber- 

 ing and fire have denuded the ground. 

 The season thus far has been unus- 

 ually rainy, and while it has delayed 

 operations it will ultimately contribute 

 much to the success of the work. 



Planting in 

 Black Hills 



