64 SURVEYS OP FOREST RESERVES. 



and miners throughout the hills. One of the first steps taken to^vard 

 checking the fires should be the enforcement of the existing regulations 

 against leaving tops in the woods after lumbering. 



The white spruce, the only lumber tree other than the yellow pine, 

 occurs chiefly in the northwestern hills above an altitude of 4,500 feet. 

 It reproduces itself in dense groups after fire, to injury from which it is 

 extremely sensitive. It reaches average dimensions as follows : Height, 

 75 feet; diameter, 15 inches; length of clear trunk, none. This tree is 

 estimated to occupy altogether about 15,000 acres. 



Other trees are the aspen (conspicuous on many burns), the burr oak, 

 an elm, and a small ash. 



WATER. 



Irrigation is little practiced within the hills, but the water of Spear- 

 fish, Stockade, Beaver, and Sand creeks, among others, is taken out at 

 the edge of the hills for this purpose. Within the hills the chief indus- 

 trial use of water is for milling, and for this purpose it is already 

 scarce. 



For a reason not yet thoroughly established, the past few seasons 

 have shown a progressive drought in this region, so that considerable 

 numbers of ranches, especially in the southwestern portion of the hills, 

 have been abandoned for lack of water. This result is locally attrib- 

 uted to the destruction of the forests, but the data necessary to a 

 conclusion are not yet at hand. 



MINiNG. 



Mining is the chief industry of the Black Hills, upon which the pros- 

 perity of the whole community may be said to depend. It is largely 

 concentrated near the cities of Lead and Deadwood, in the northern 

 part of the hills : near Keystone, In the central hills, and it exists in 

 many localities scattered throughout the eastern portion. There has 

 been little mineral development in the west and south. Without min- 

 ing few of the industries of the Black Hills would survive, except illegal 

 cutting of timber for export from the State; and it is manifest that 

 whatever measures of forest management maybe undertaken must pro- 

 vide for a continuance of mining. 



AGRICUtlURB. 



In the schist and slate regions agricultural lands occur only near 

 streams, except where the contours of the -country are extremely mild. 

 The soil is very productive. In the limestone region the higher ground 

 is more particularly adapted for agricultviral use, especially about the 

 head waters of streams. There is some good land still bearing trees, 

 but, as a rule, the agricultural land throughout the hills is open. The 

 products are hay, oats, and vegetables, with some corn and wheat. 

 There is a good market, chiefly in the mining communities, to which 

 the products of the Black Hills ranches are essential. There are, alto- 

 gether, from 450 to 460 of such ranches, located for the most part on 

 placer claims of 20 acres each. A ranch of 160 acres thus consists of 

 eight placer claims, taken up by eight men, and deeded over, by previous 

 agreement, to one of the number. The procedure recommended on 

 page 47, in Part II, of this report for allowing agricultural lands to be 

 entered is of the first necessity in this reserve. In the case of land 

 already settled upon, title should be given to the present occupant by 

 means of the usual precedence accorded after surveys in view of actual 

 occupancy. 



