1906 



FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION 



293 



load the wagons and drive out of the 

 mine. 



Much coal have heretofore been re- 

 moved from the reserve lands, and it is 

 expected that the establishment of the 

 reserve will aid in such a manner as 

 to have these lands only conveyed to 

 private parties pursuant to the Federal 

 law. 



It appears from the records made by 

 the Department within the last two 

 years that the Manti Forest Reserve 

 has fed great numbers of stock during 

 the summer seasons for ten years past. 



It was an agitated question of range 

 management at the time of the creation 

 of the reserve, for evidence of over- 

 grazing indicated that some move must 

 be made or the range would be made a 

 desert. The establishment of the- re- 

 serve and its management seems to 

 have settled the question, and it has 

 been the aim of the Forest Service to 

 so conduct the reserve as to give the 

 greatest benefit to the greatest number 

 of people, commensurate with the pro- 

 ductive power of the reserve. 



The regulation has reduced the 

 number of sheep heretofore grazed by 

 certain parties so as to not exceed one 

 herd to each person. 



The timber valuable for lumber pur- 

 poses as found within the reserve is 



situated at an elevation varying from 

 7,000 to 9,000 feet, and always . upon 

 the northern slopes, where it is protect- 

 ed from the fierce and heavy winds. 

 Among the species found are : White 

 Fir (abies concolor) local name Black 

 Balsam; Balsam Fir {abies lasiocarpa) 

 local name White Balsam; Engelmann 

 Spruce, Douglas Spruce, Blue Spruce 

 and Western Yellow Pine, and Lodge- 

 pole Pine. 



During the past and before the es- 

 tablishment of the reserve much tim- 

 ber has been destroyed by fire and 

 wasteful cutting, especially was this, 

 true during the years of 1890 and 1891 

 when the forests were cut without 

 reservation and in an extremely waste- 

 ful manner for the purpose of making 

 railway ties. 



Several places within the reserve 

 virgin pine forests are to be found, 

 and in many places dense undergrowth 

 of shrubs. 



The timber operations have taken 

 on a new aspect since the cuttings are 

 done under the immediate supervision 

 of an officer of the Forest Service, and 

 at one cutting point upon the reserve 

 last season where only 200,000 feet 

 were cut, more than 700 cords of dead, 

 down and valueless material was piled 

 and burned. 



TIMBER STUMPAGE BUSINESS OF 

 THE NATIONAL GOVERNMENT 



Over a Quarter of a Million Dollars' Worth Sold 

 in 1905 Saving the Woods While Selling 

 the Trees Prompt, Businesslike Management. 



A NATURAL feeling among lum- 

 *"* bermen toward the forest work 

 of the Government is that the Govern- 

 ment is not in the lumber business and 

 can not, therefore, take the lumber- 

 man's business point of view. Yet a 

 greater misconception could scarcely 

 exist. As a dealer in stumpage the 

 Government is the largest lumber deal- 



er in the country. Further, it applies 

 to its sales the practice of scientific for- 

 estry, requiring the removal of the 

 timber under the same sort of instruc- 

 tions which it advises for private oper- 

 ators. Thus the Forest Service, in its 

 reserve work, is giving an object les- 

 son on a huge scale to enforce its 

 teachings that conservative manage- 



