THE PERIOD OF BEGINNINGS 43 



can Society for the Advancement of Science, and Dr. F. B. Hough of 

 that society was the appointee. In February, 1877, Dunnel secured an 

 amendment to the Sundry Civil Bill, appropriating $2000 to com- 

 plete the report which Hough was working on,®^ and late the same 

 year, the first volume was completed.^" Congress evinced further in- 

 terest in the matter by ordering 25,000 copies of the report for dis- 

 tribution.®^ 



THE TIMBER CULTURE ACT 



The Timber Culture Act of 1873,®* although it had little effect on 

 forest conditions in the United States, must be classed with conserva- 

 tion measures, because some of the motives behind its enactment were 

 sincerely favorable to the conservation policy. Just as state action on 

 the subject had begun early, so national interest was shown at an 

 early date, and was fostered generally by men from the prairie states. 

 In 1866, Senator Brown of Missouri introduced a bill donating public 

 lands to the "American Forest Tree Propagation and Land Com- 

 pany," for conducting experiments.®^ The same year. Senator Harris 

 of New York introduced a bill "to promote the growth of forest trees 

 on public lands" f^ and this bill was reported from the Committee on 

 Public Lands. Senator Cole of California, in 1867, introduced a bill 

 into the Senate providing for timber culture, and Senator Ross of 

 Kansas brought in several bills in 1869 and 1870.®^ In December, 

 1871, Senator Wright of Iowa submitted a resolution: "That the 

 Committee on Public Lands be instructed to inquire into the expe- 

 diency of requiring homestead settlers on prairie lands to cultivate 

 a certain number of trees," and this resolution was agreed to.®® 



It was a Nebraska man, Senator Hitchcock, who introduced the 



«i Cong. Rec, Feb. 23, 1877, 1881. 



62 F. B. Hough, "Report on Forestry." Professor Sargent criticised this report 

 severely. Nation, Jan., 1879, 87. 



63 Cong. Rec, Apr. 3, 1878, 2255. 



64 Stat. 17, 605. 



65 S. 228; 39 Cong. 1 sess.; Cong. Globe, 1588. 



66 S. 396; 39 Cong. 1 sess.; Cong. Globe, 3427, 3782. 



67 S. 110; 40 Cong. 1 sess.; Cong. Globe, 292: S. 876; 40 Cong. 3 sess.; Cong. 

 Globe, 814: S. 50; 41 Cong. 1 sess.; Cong. Globe, 29: S. 394, S. 650; 41 Cong. 2 sess.; 

 Cong. Globe, 413, 1819. 



C8 Cong. Globe, Dec. 12, 1871, 68. 



