60 FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION February 



subject to disposal under the act pro- bility of developing the underground 



viding for the disposal of abandoned waters of several portions of the Great 



military reservations. Plains area. It is recognized that if 



These lands were restored to the the Garden City project in Kansas 



public domain by the act of May 19, proves a success that private capital 



1900 (312 Stat.. 180), which provides will immediately take up the work in 



that they shall be subject to disposal other sections. There are many people 



under the homestead, townsite, and in the east, especially in the New Eng- 



desert land laws. It provides that the land states, who are deeply concerned 



actual occupants thereon upon the first in this work. 



day of January, 1900. shall have a During the days of the "rain-belter" 



preference to make one entry not ex- a great wave of immigration swept 



ceeding one quarter section ; that lands ove r vast areas of western Kansas and 



occupied for townsite purposes and Nebraska. For a vear or two rainfall 



lands shown to be valuable for coal or wa s abundant and prodigious crops 



minerals shall be subject to entry and were grown. Easterners, allured by 



sale under the townsite, coal and min- the high rates of interest, invested 



eral land laws, respectively. their savings in mortgages on these 



The practical effect of the act of farms. A cycle of dry years came, the 



May 19, 1900, was to restore the land settlers vanished, and the mortgages 



to entry under existing laws, except were foreclosed. A considerable amount 



such laws as are not specificallynamed. f this land is still the property of 



These lands are, therefore, subject to New England school teachers, mer- 



withdrawal under the Reclamation Act chants, and farmers, and their interest 



as portions of the public domain which i n a proposition of reclamation is ob- 



are subject to entry under the general vious. 



land laws. The withdrawal made by A large part of the Great Plains 

 the Reclamation Service is therefore are a is underlaid with a thick stratum 

 effective and all the lands included and f water-bearing gravel. The investi- 

 entries thereof are subject to the limi- g a tions of the government show that 

 tations and restrictions of the Recla- the water supply is enormous, and if it 

 mation Act. can be cheaply lifted into distributing 

 Telephones Since July i, 1905, the ditches, will insure the reclamation of 

 in Forest Forest Service has ap- many thousands of acres of land of 

 Reserves prove d the construction exceptional fertility, 

 of 154.65 miles of telephone lines The government project in Kansas 

 through various forest reserves. In so is a small one, only 9,000 acres ; but 

 doing, the service has arranged, in all upon its successful operation may de- 

 cases, to secure to forest officers the pend the future development of an 

 free use of these lines. area equal to several eastern states. 



Now that the telephone is recog- Mr _ H B Holroyd, of 



nized as one of the best safeguards Studying ^ e p orest Service i's in 



against the spread of forest fires, this Louisiana at the request 



arrangement means greatly increased of the Southern Cypress Manufactu- 



safety to the reserves, secured without rers > Association, to make a prelimi- 



expense. By the continuance of the nary stud of the con ditions necessary 



policy, it is believed that in due time for the season j ng f tu pelo gum, with 



a full and adequate telephone system whjch manu f actur ers have not a little 



will be built up on the reserves, to the difficulty, owing to the tendency of 



great advantage of the service. this wood to warp and twist Though 



Underground Very widespread inter- of a distinct genus, tupelo gum shows 



Waters of est j s b^ng- taken in the much similarity in this respect to red 



investigations the Recla- gum, which for some time offered 



mation Service is making of the feasi- much difficulty in the process of dry- 



