THE NATIONAL IRRIGATION CONGRESS 45 



total standing timber in the United States. This will be sufficient to supply 

 all demands for the next 100 years at the present rate of cutting. Fully 80 

 per cent of the revenue from this resource remains in the several states for 

 labor in cost of manufacturing and marketing the product." 



Taking up the subject of reforestation, which Mr. Long declared was 

 equaled in importance only by the need for applying every preventive measure 

 against loss from forest fires, the speaker declared that 75 per cent of the area 

 west of the Rocky Mountains was suited for nothing better than for growing 

 other forests. 



George M. Cornwall, secretary of the association, read a comprehensive 

 paper emphasizing the need for education of the public to the importance of 

 the lumber industry as the primary essential towards cultivating their in- 

 terest and support of legislation essential to the further conservation and 

 protection of this industry. 



THE NATIONAL IRRIGATION CONGRESS 



LMOST a thousand delegates attended the National Irrigation Congress 

 at Chicago the week of December 5 and spent several days in discussing 

 irrigation projects, swamp drainage and forest and stream conservation. 

 Governor Charles S. Deneen, of Illinois, welcomed the delegates and many 

 prominent men addressed the convention. President Benjamin A. Fowler 

 advocated amendments to the national irrigation act and urged the reclama- 

 tion of swamp lands as two of the most important matters to be discussed 

 by the congress. He laid particular emphasis upon the necessity of draining 

 the swamp lands. It was stated that Illinois has 2,500,000 acres of drainable 

 swamp land which could be converted into highly profitable farming property. 



R. P. Tello, of the United States Census Bureau, presented statistics 

 showing that there are 5,636,394 acres available for irrigation on which there 

 are no settlers. 



State Senator Fred Whiteside, of Montana, spoke on Government Irri- 

 gation in Montana and on Tuesday evening C. J. Blanchard, statistician of 

 the United States Reclamation Service, lectured on "Making the Wilderness 

 Blossom." 



Wednesday morning the principal topic was drainage. W. L. Park, first 

 vice-president of the Illinois Central Railroad, spoke of drainage as a basis 

 for development; J. C. Longstreet, of Missouri, state aspect of drainage; Dr. 

 W. A. Evans, former health commissioner of Chicago, stream pollution; 

 Prof. Gardner Williams, of Michigan, the uses of the Great Lakes. A special 

 feature was an illustrated lecture by M. O. Leighton, chief of the hydrographic 

 branch of the United States Geological Survey, his subject being the national 

 aspect of drainage. 



On Wednesday afternoon representatives of Salvador, Canada, Germany, 

 Peru and British Columbia made addresses, and Arthur P. Davis, chief 

 engineer of the reclamation service, told of irrigation in Western Asia, illus- 

 trating his talk with recently taken photographs . 



