242 APPENDIX. 



Private Lands. 



The movement to introduce forest management on private 

 lands is spreading rapidly, especially in the Pacific Coast States 

 and the Middle West. Nearly four-fifths of the applicants for 

 co-operative assistance were small owners. The total area for 

 which assistance was asked was nearly 1,500,000 acres. 

 Examinations to determine the practicability of management 

 were made of 22 large timber tracts in 15 States, and detailed 

 working plans were made for 8 large and 81 small tracts, with 

 a total area of almost 2,000,000 acres. 



During the year a revision of the terms of co-operative 

 assistance was made to induce wider acceptance by small 

 owners. Up to the present time 380 planting plans have 

 been made, of which 49 were made during the i3ast year." 



So far Mr. Secretary Wilson. 



The progress depicted in this Eeport is really quite mar- 

 vellous. The people of the United States have recognised 

 the immense importance of a systematic treatment of their 

 forests, and the Government has provided the machinery for 

 doing justice to the task. All this has been effected in the 

 course of a few years. Why should not Canada, Australia 

 and other parts of the Empire do likewise? Why should 

 the Government of the United Kingdom, as pointed out on 

 page 193, not give a helping hand by the establishment in 

 this country of a central authority with a limited number 

 of experts, who could go about and advise landed proprietors 

 regarding the economic management of existing woods and 

 the afforestation of lands which are either not wanted or not 

 suited for agriculture? These experts could manage any 

 woodlands which the State might acquire or establish on 

 surplus lands, and they would have to attend to various other 

 matters connected with the full development of forestry in 

 this country. 



