FOREST POLICY. 



The Gallatin forest reserve of only 40,320 acres, near Boze- 

 jnan, is unimportant. 



The Madison forest reserve (736,000 acres), bordering the 

 Yellowstone Park, and the Little Belt Mountain forest reserve 

 (501,000 acres), both established in 1902, seem important for irri- 

 gation at the head of the Missouri and Yellowstone Rivers. 

 On the Lewis and Clarke forest reserve, western larch is by far 

 the prevailing species, having twice the stumpage of Douglas fir 

 and five times the stumpage of yellow pine. In the same reserve 

 there seems to be more spruce than either yellow pine or lodge- 

 pole pine. The Canadian larch and spruce are sentinels of the 

 British Columbia forest flora. 



The Absaroka forest reserve of 1,311,600 acres, recently 

 established, lies north of the Yellowstone Park. It has been 

 consolidated with the Yellowstone and Teton reserves by Presi- 

 •dential proclamation. 



9. Irrigation: Montana is third in irrigation, 950,000 acres 

 lieing irrigated. Irrigation practicable only near the mountains 

 at the present moment. Irrigation necessary for the cultivation 

 of crops, notably barley. 



The canal of the Minne'sota and Montana Irrigation Com- 

 pany in Yellowstone County is 40 miles long, with an average width 

 of 35 feet and a depth of 5 feet. Another canal in Chateau 

 County is 75 miles long. 



The great eastern plains, with very rich soil, are almost 

 unsettled, owing to the difficulty of irrigation. The best farms 

 ^re found in the Gallatin Valley, near Bozeman, and along the 

 Yellowstone River. 



Winter forage is required for the development of the rap- 

 idly increasing livestock interests. 



In 1889, 950,000 acres of irrigated farm land producea 

 $7,300,000 worth of crops from irrigation works constructed 

 at an expense of $4,700,000. 



FORESTRY CONDITIONS OF NEBRASKA: 



1. Area: 2,300 square miles, or 3% of the area of the 

 State, are wooded. 



2. Physiography: Prairie traversed by the Platte River 

 ■midway from west to east. The Niobrara flows along the north- 



56 



