340 



FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION June 



ent eighteen National Forests, with a $100 per acre; and he said he consid- 

 total area of 7,415,832 acres, and that ered this a good investment, 

 it was estimated that in addition to ferred to the efforts of President 

 this it would be well to place under Roosevelt to save from vandalism the 

 Government supervision ab~ut 1,500,- scenic marvels of Utah, by setting 

 ooo acres of forest lands, all of the aside the land surrounding the three 

 forested areas, he said, lylne high up great natural bridges of the State as 

 in the mountains. About one-half of National Parks, these lands containing 

 this latter 1,500,000 acres, he stated, is also ruins of cliff-dwellers' houses, and 

 privately owned, and cannot be ob- canyon walls covered with the hiero- 

 tained by the Government except by glyphic picture-writing of the extinct, 

 purchase. He stated that it is the ex- unknown races that once peopled the 

 perience of every one in Utah that, western country. Summing up, he 

 from every point of view, it is desirable said that it is the laudable desire of 

 that the forest reserves be kept in- President Roosevelt and his associates 

 tact. Reforestation, to remedy the cle- to do everything possible in the way 

 vastation wrought in former years by of conserving those natural resources 

 disastrous forest fires, is going on in the country possesses, for the benefit 

 Utah, he stated, adding that he under- not only of the people who now enjoy 

 stood that the Government nurseries them, but also for the generations 

 of Utah have now over two and a yet unborn, and he concluded with the 

 half millions of seedling trees that will declaration that, so far as he was con- 

 be ready for transplanting- next year, cerned, he intends to give his loyal sup- 

 In view of the fact that Utah' is a port in the undertaking. 

 state wherein exist very extensive Governor Gooding, of Idaho, and 

 grazing and stock-raising interests. Governor Norris, of Montana, in brief 

 Governor Cutler's advocacy of a law talks that bristled with figures and cor- 

 for range regulation was most inter- uscated with Western enthusiasm, told 

 esting. He stated that the question of the work that is being done in their 

 of grazing is a vexed one, but that States toward reclaiming desert and 

 he believes it would be well to re- arid lands. Both spoke of the work of 

 strict the number of head of live the Reclamation Service in the highest 

 stock to be grazed on the ranges and terms ; both declared, however, that 

 in the National Forests to the actual the work being done by the states, 

 carrying capacity of such ranges, and under the Carey Act, was far greater 

 that if this is done the ranges, etc., in amount and value than the work of 

 will be maintained in their present the Government. The plea of both 

 good condition. Some measure such speakers was for the adoption of some 

 as that introduced last winter by Sen- plan whereby the states themselves 

 ator Burkett, of Nebraska, providing could carry on the work of forest con- 

 for Federal supervision of the range, servation, reclamation, etc., unhindered 

 and the establishment of a leasing sys- by the Government. Governor Nor- 

 tem, would, he thought, bring about ris added to the enthusiasm of the ses- 

 nothing but beneficial results. sion by declaring that he intended to 

 Governor Cutler referred to the follow the example of Governor Folk 

 work of the Reclamation Service on and appoint a State Forestry Commis- 

 the Strawberry Project, in Utah, say- sion immediately upon his return 

 ing that he was convinced, after a re- home. 



cent visit to this project, of the wis- Dr. James, president of the Univer- 



dom of entrusting such works to the sity of Illinois, told the Conference 



Government. The Strawberry Pro- that the statesmen of the country, 



ject will, he said, reclaim 60,000 acres from President Roosevelt on through 



of land, at a cost of about $40 an the list, are today taking up and in- 



acre, but making the land worth over corporating into the political economy 



