LETTEE OF TKANSMITTAL. 



United States Department of Agriculture, 



Office of the Secretary, 

 Washington, D. (7., January 24, 1899. 

 Mr. President: In the act making appropriations for the Department of Agriculture for the 

 fiscal year ending June 30, 1899, under the heading "Forestry investigations," the following 

 provision occurs : 



Provided, That the Secretary of Agriculture shall make a special and detailed report at the beginning of the 

 next session of Congress upon the forestry investigations and work of the Department of Agriculture, showing 

 the results obtained and the practical utility of the investigations. 



In accordance with the above provision, which is mandatory in its character, I herewith 

 submit for transmission to the Congress of the United States u a special and detailed report" 

 "upon the forestry investigations and work of the Department of Agriculture, showing the results 

 obtained and the practical utility of the investigations." 



The extremely wide scope to be covered by the report, as indicated by the language of the 

 provision, has necessitated a voluminous report, and this fact, together with the change in 

 the Chief of the Forestry Division, which took place July 1, 1898, will explain why the report 

 was not presented at the beginning of the present session of Congress. 



The report was necessarily prepared by the former chief, Br. B. E. Fernow, now of the 

 New York State College of Forestry, and I desire, in submitting it as covering the past work 

 of the Division of Forestry of this Department, to call special attention to the fact that since 

 the appointment of Mr. Gifford Pinchot, the present Chief, the work of the Division has been 

 directed in distinctly different channels, which may be briefly indicated by the following summary 

 taken from Mr. Pinchot's annual report for 1898: 



(1) To introduce in practice better methods of handlmg forest lands of private owners, including both wood 

 lots and large areas chiefly held for lumber, and afterwards to spread a knowledge of what has been accomplished; 

 (2) to assist the Western farmer to plant better trees in better ways; (3) to reduce the loss from forest fires, the 

 reported amount of which reaches a yearly average of not ]ess than $20,000,000; (4) and, if future appropriations 

 will permit the necessary investigations, to inform our citizens regarding the extent and value of new opportunities 

 for forest enterprises in Alaska, Cuba, and Puerto Rico. These objects can be pursued only so far as appropriations 

 will permit. The present resources of the division are utterly inadequate to meet the pressing and steadily growing 

 demands already made upon it. 



These plans meet with my full approval. 



I have the honor to be, Mr. President, very respectfully, 



Jambs Wilson, 

 Secretary of Agriculture. 



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