45 o The National Geographic Magazine 



the precipitation, and the snow of winter 

 being broadly spread over plains or 

 caught by ranges of a moderate height 

 is dissipated by the melting and evap- 

 oration of summer. 



' ' The glacier-bearing belt includes 

 about three- tenths of the vast territory 

 of Alaska. Its exploration has but 

 begun ; yet enough is known to give it 

 rank as the third great glacier district 

 of the world, only the Antarctic conti- 

 nent and Greenland surpassing it. Its 

 ice maybe roughly estimated to occupy 

 a tenth of the surface, or an absolute 

 area of between 15,000 and 20,000 square 

 miles, and this expanse is so divided and 

 scattered as to offer to the student the 

 utmost variety of local condition and 

 detail. Of alpine glaciers, such as would 

 receive individual names if near the 

 homes of men, there are many hun- 

 dreds, possibly more than a thousand ; 

 of broad, composite fields, like the Muir 

 and Malaspina, there are about half a 

 dozen, and more than thirty are known 

 to reach the coast and cast bergs into 

 the sea." 



In the summer of 1899 the Harriman 

 Alaskan Expedition onboard the George 



IV. Elder sailed for hundreds of miles 

 along the Alaskan coast, obtaining splen- 

 did panoramic views of the glacier sys- 

 tems. Opportunities for close exam- 

 ination included landings from the ship 

 at thirty-four localities, at three of which 

 the use of a camping outfit extended the 

 time to several days. The remainder 

 of the two months covered by the voy- 

 age was spent on the ship, and about 

 half the sailing time was so conditioned 

 by distance from shore, by light, and 

 by weather as to permit profitable ob- 

 servation of the coast. After the voy- 

 age was over physiographic studies were 

 continued by the aid of photographs. 

 Thousands of views by members of the 

 expedition were examined, as well as 

 a large number from other sources, and 

 several hundred of these have yielded 

 information as to glaciers and glaciation. 

 The results of all these observations 

 appear in the present volume. The 

 magnificent series of panoramas, maps, 

 and illustrations accompanying the text 

 give the work unusual permanence and 

 value. The volume, like the others in 

 the Harriman Alaska series, is ably 

 edited by Dr C. Hart Merriam. 



GOVERNMENT ASSISTANCE IN HANDLING 



FOREST LANDS 



THE forest lands of the United 

 States are owned in three sepa- 

 rate ways : First, by the Gov- 

 ernment of the United States, to which 

 belong the reserved and unreserved for- 

 ests of the public lands ; second, by 

 some of the states, and, third, by pri- 

 vate owners, among whom are individ- 

 ual men, companies, and institutions. 



The private forest lands exceed in 

 area those of the states and the federal 

 government combined, and their preser- 

 vation in productive condition, as re- 

 gards both timber and water supply, is 

 of vast importance to the nation. As a 



rule, however, the treatment they re- 

 ceive tends to destroy their value rather 

 than to sustain or increase it. The rea- 

 son is evident and natural. These lands, 

 like other private property, are held by 

 the owners for the returns they yield, 

 and the owners as yet have scarcely be- 

 gun to understand that it pays better, 

 as a rule, to protect a forest in harvest- 

 ing the timber crop than to destroy it. 

 A knowledge of how to bring about the 

 desirable result is still more restricted, 

 while trained men capable of advising 

 forest owners in the matter are very few 

 indeed. 



