June 16, 1911] 



SCIENCE 



921 



over the previous year, the total for 1911 hav- 

 ing been $5,008,100. The policy of definite 

 allotments to each of the 161 national forests 

 for maintenance was continued. The Ne- 

 braska National Forest was authorized to fur- 

 nish young trees free of charge to settlers in 

 the surrounding region. 



The sum of $150,000 was granted for fight- 

 ing forest fires and for other unforeseen 

 emergencies, of which $70,000 is immediately 

 available. The allotment for permanent im- 

 provements on the national forests was in- 

 creased from $275,000 to $500,000. Provision 

 was made for the refunding to claimants of 

 moneys erroneously collected in the adminis- 

 tration of the national forests, and for the 

 granting of easements under certain condi- 

 tions for rights of way across the public 

 lands, national forests, and reservations, for 

 the transmission of electrical power and for 

 telephone and telegraph purposes. 



Liberal provision for the development of in- 

 vestigational work was also made, $177,040 

 being granted for investigations of methods 

 for wood distillation and preservation and 

 the economic use of forest products, including 

 the testing of woods for paper-making, together 

 with $18,420 for investigations of range condi- 

 tions within National Forests and range im- 

 provement, $251,168 for silvicultural and den- 

 drological experiments, and $33,760 for 

 miscellaneous forest investigations and the 

 preparation and dissemination of results. 



The appropriation of the Bureau of Soils 

 was increased to $262,060. No appropriation 

 was made for soil erosion investigations, for 

 which $5,000 has been allotted annually for 

 many years. The soil survey work received 

 $145,000, a net increase of $13,040, with a 

 provision added limiting to 10 per cent, the 

 expenditures in any state. 



The bureau was authorized to undertake a 

 new line of work by the appropriation of $12,- 

 500 " for exploration and investigation within 

 the United States to determine a possible 

 source of supply of potash, nitrates and other 

 natural fertilizers," $2,500 being made im- 

 mediately available. It is expected that par- 

 ticular attention will be devoted to possible 



sources of potash in view of the present situa- 

 tion as regards the German potash supply. 

 The work will also be supplemented by re- 

 searches to be conducted by the Geological 

 Survey, which received authority in the 

 sundry civil appropriation act to expend $40,- 

 000 " for chemical and physical researches 

 relating to the geology of the United States, 

 including researches with a view of deter- 

 mining geological conditions favorable to the 

 presence of potash salts." According to a re- 

 cent announcement from the survey, the ex- 

 penditure of half this appropriation for the 

 potash exploration is contemplated. 



The Bureau of Entomology receives an 

 aggregate of $601,920. This is an increase of 

 $69,740, mainly for the extension of work to 

 the aKalfa weevil and for enlarging the in- 

 vestigations on insects affecting rice and 

 sugar-cane, for demonstration work against 

 forest insects, and for additional studies in 

 bee culture. The largest single allotment is 

 for the continuation of the campaign against 

 the gipsy and brown-tail moths, for which the 

 appropriation is $284,840. 



The large proportionate increase of $52,- 

 780 was accorded the Bureau of Biological 

 Survey, making its total $139,700. All the 

 various lines of work were continued on a 

 more comprehensive basis, and new items 

 were included of $2,500 for the purchase, cap- 

 ture, and transportation of game for national 

 reservations, and of $20,000 for the feeding, 

 protecting and removal of elk at Jackson's 

 Hole, Wyo., and vicinity. The latter appro- 

 priation is made immediately available and 

 remains available until expended. 



The activities of the Office of Public Roads 

 have been rapidly increasing in recent years, 

 and to keep pace with the growing demands 

 the appropriation was increased from $114,240 

 to $160,720. A new line of work authorized 

 is the conducting of field experiments in road 

 construction and maintenance, for which $10,- 

 000 is granted. 



The total appropriation of the Office of Ex- 

 periment Stations is $1,864,000, of which 

 $1,440,000 is allotted to the state experiment 

 stations under the Hatch and Adams Acts. 



