308 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



The White Mountain and Southern Appalachian Reserves. 

 In April the State Forester was appointed on a committee 

 to urge the passage by Congress of the bill to create the 

 White Mountain and Southern Appalachian Forest Reserves. 

 An account of the proceedings at Washington is contained in 

 the report of the Massachusetts delegation to the Governor, 

 which report is here given : — 



His Excellency Curtis Guild, Jr., Oovernor of Massachusetts. 



Sill : — We have the honor to report that the seven gentlemen 

 commissioned by yon to represent the Commonwealth of Massa- 

 chusetts at the hearing in Washington, April 25, before the 

 committee on agriculture of the House of Representatives, in 

 behalf of the bill for the acquisition of lands suited to national 

 forest reserve purposes in the Appalachian Mountains, within 

 the States of Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina, 

 South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama and Tennessee, and the White 

 Mountains, in the State of New Hampshire, were all present at 

 the place and time appointed for the hearing. These represent- 

 atives were Mr. Tbeophilus Parsons, Mr. Harvey N. Shepard, 

 Mr. Alfred Akerman, Mr. D. Blakely Hoar, Prof. J. Rayner 

 Edmands, Dr. 0. G. Duhamel and Mr, Edwin A. Start, Mr. 

 Shepard was also accredited as the representative of the Ap- 

 palachian Mountain Club, Mr, Hoar of textile manufactures 

 representing a capital of about one hundred and fifty million 

 dollars, and Mr. Start of the Massachusetts Forestry Associa- 

 tion, 



The hearing was continued, at the wish of the committee 

 on agriculture, on Thursday, the 26th, when all of the Massa- 

 chusetts delegation were present except Mr, Parsons and Dr. 

 Duhamel, who were called home by pressing engagements. In 

 addition to the personal presence of the delegation and the peti- 

 tion presented by Mr. Hoar on behalf of numerous manufac- 

 turers, letters presenting in the strongest manner the sentiment 

 of the Commonwealth in favor of this measure were filed with 

 the committee on agriculture from yourself, and from Mr. 

 James Richard Carter, Mr. Amory A, Lawrence and Mr. Charles 

 A. Stone, who were unable to accept your request to be present 

 in person as members of the delegation. 



Other States officially represented, through commissions ap- 

 pointed by their governors, were Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode 



