THE PERIOD FROM 1878 TO 1891 111 



united in urging the reservation of a part of the public timber lands/'' 

 and throughout their administration gave unqualified support to that 

 policy. 



Lamar and Sparks were aided in their efforts by B. E. Fernow and 

 E. A. Bowers, who entered the government service in 1886. Within a 

 year after Fernow's installment at Washington, he formulated an 

 elaborate bill for the withdrawal of all public timber lands. Bowers 

 likewise had been in the government service only a year or two before 

 he had worked out a complete plan for the management and disposal 



&#f the public timber lands,^^® and this plan he urged upon Congress in 



^Brery way possible. 



^H Lamar's successor, Vilas, evinced no special interest in forestry; 



^^■or did his successor, John W. Noble, during the first years of his 



^Hdministration. 



^^P During the eighties, at least one magazine published articles fav- 

 orable to forest reserves, and later this became a very popular subject 

 with various publications. In 1885, the American Forestry Congress, 

 and in 1889 and 1890, the American Forestry Association, called for 

 forest reserves, while in the latter year the American Association for 

 the Advancement of Science sent a memorial to Congress, urging the 

 policy of reservation. The California State Board of Forestry 

 addressed a memorial to Congress in 1888, calling for reservations, 

 but spoiled the effect of it all by asking for state ownership. ^^^ 



Not only was there agitation during this period, but one of the 

 states actually established public forests. In 1884, the legislature of 

 New York appropriated $5000 for the employment of experts to work 

 out a system of forestry for the state, and the commission appointed 

 urged that the state should at least keep the lands which it still had, 

 amounting to about 780,000 acres. No scheme of general purchase or 

 condemnation was deemed wise, however, because of the great expendi- 

 ture necessary, and the danger of artificially enhancing the value of 

 privately owned timber lands. Five years later, however. New York 

 passed a law authorizing the purchase of additional lands.^^* 



175 Report, Sec. of Int., 1885, 45, 236. 



176 H. Ex. Doc. 242; 50 Cong. 1 sess. 



177 The Nation, Sept. 6, 1883, 201: Proceeding!*, Am. Forestry Congress, 1890, 19. 



178 Report, Forestry Commission of N. Y., 1885: N. Y. State College of Forestry, 

 Tiul. 5, 1902. 



