52 OUR FEDERAL LANDS 



claimed. Thousands of square miles of drained bot- 

 toms have proved useless for growing, lacking quali- 

 ties of soil. Swamps are often useful, like forests, 

 in conserving water sources for maintenance of 

 stream flow. One new fact that is causing deep con- 

 cern to many and increasing hundreds of thousands 

 of conservationists and sportsmen is the decline in 

 migratory bird fowl which necessarily follows de- 

 struction of their breeding and resting places en route 

 back and forth between the Gulf shores and Canada. 

 Even an economic argument based on the meat value 

 of millions of ducks, geese and swans shot annually 

 to help out the family larder as well as for sport is 

 brought into the discussions in succeeding Congres- 

 sional sessions. 



Public Domain policies in Alaska are not dis- 

 cussed here because they are not yet recognized as 

 problems. The land is too new and vast. Condi- 

 tions are altogether different. It will be enough to 

 catalogue our territorial possessions: 



Alaska, nearly a fifth the size of the United 

 States, is a great possession with a great future de- 



