*9°5\ Pratt — Appalachian Forest Reserve. 163 



son and a laboratory for those studying- or interested in for- 

 estry. 



The acquirement of this land by the national government 

 for a forest reserve will not be setting a precedent for, 

 4 'nearly 50,000,000 of acres of forest covered lands have been 

 set aside (in the Western States) as National Forest Reserves 

 and parks for the purposes of perpetuating- a timber supply in 

 the "Western States and territories and for preserving forever 

 the sources of their more important streams." Thus what is 

 now proposed is not new either in principle or practice. 

 There are a number of reasons that can be given why this 

 should be a National Forest Reserve. First, the problems 

 and dangers that it is intended to meet are national; second, 

 this tract of land lies in several States and the streams that 

 rise in them flow through many States and it would be diffi- 

 cult, even if possible, for these States to control and operate 

 such a reserve successfully; third, these States are not so sit- 

 uated financially that they could even make the attempt to 

 carry out this plan. Thus if the forest reserve such as is 

 contemplated is established it must be done by the National 

 Government. The several States have conferred upon Con- 

 gress the necessary authority to acquire land within their 

 respective borders. These lands can at the present time be 

 purchased at a very reasonable price; but they are increasing 

 in value from year to year. While there are these fifty mil- 

 lions of acres in National Forest Reserves and Parks in the 

 West there is not a single National Forest Reserve in the 

 East. (There are a few State Reserves.) 



The withdrawal of this large amount of land and putting* it 

 into the hands of the Government will not prevent the devel- 

 opment of its other resources (mineral and agricultural) for 

 these can be developed as fast as capital desires but under the 

 judicial guidance of the Government and it is possible for 

 large industries to become established in them. 



Besides being a forest reservation, this tract of land will 

 also be a large National Park, though this is a secondary 



