1910] FOREST, GAME AND FISH WARDEN. 63 



trol of such forests by the Federal Government would be of benefit in other 

 matters, such as helping protect our forests from fire; maintaining an even 

 flow of our streams, thus making them better for fish culture and furnishing 

 better protection to our game and birds. While these lands will not be game 

 preserves in a strict sense, yet with the protection from fire and under the 

 patrol and care of the United States Government, it will, at least, make a 

 refuge where game and birds can be protected from the pot hunter. The pub- 

 lic will have the right to hunt and fish upon these lands, in accordance with 

 the state laws, where they are located. 



One has to but take a glance at the map of the portion of the United States 

 which comprises this adventure, to be impressed with the wisdom of the 

 government in acquiring same. Along these two great ranges of mountains 

 the water sheds are formed that control the supply of water for all the Eastern 

 part of the United States. 



The position that West Virginia occupies in this undertaking is unique and 

 more important than that of any other state affected, for the reason that 

 two of the greatest navigable streams in the United States take their rise in the 

 Appalachian Mountain ranges, in the counties that are covered by this proposi- 

 tion. 



While there are 282 navigable streams in the United States it is shown by 

 statistics that two West Virginia rivers, the Monongahela and Ohio, carry al- 

 most 25,000,000 tons of freight each year, or about one-fifth of the whole ton- 

 nage carried on navigable streams in the United States. For this reason the 

 protection of forests in West Virginia is of immense importance to the nation's 

 inland commerce, for without this protection the time must come when these 

 great navigable streams of commerce will fail on account of the drying up of 

 the fountain heads of these streams-. 



The government's aid in creating forest reserves in West Virginia w411 mean, 

 even more to us than maintaining a water supply for commercial purposes and 

 should not only be encouraged by the State aid in every way possible, but 

 corporations, firms and individuals should be reasonable in quoting prices on 

 land which they have for sale in these designated regions. It is the purpose 

 of the commission to obtain lands that can be purchased for a low or reasonable 

 price, and not pay any fancy price for land for this purpose. There are 

 thousands of acres of such lands in the mountain ranges mentioned that are 

 scarcely valuable enough to justify the owners in paying taxes on same, which 

 can be* used to great advantage in this work and should be turned over to 

 the Federal Government at a nominal price. 



By establishing these forest reserves an even supply of water will be main- 

 tained for all time, and the great freshets and floods that have been increas- 

 ing in the last few years, will be held in check; the soil that is now held 

 in place by these forest tracts will be retained and used in reforesting the 

 cut-over areas, and the care that is taken of the tracts of the Federal Govern- 

 ment will inspire others to take similar care of their forests, and in numerous 

 ways the state will be benefited. 



Thousand *of acres of land in West Virginia that have been cleared would 

 be worth more in its primitive condition and every available acre of forest 

 land in the state, unless it is very valuable for agricultural purposes, should 

 be retained as a forest reserve. 



