182 FORESTRY INVESTIGATIONS V. S. DEPARTMENT OP AGRICULTURE. 



very rocky lands in this State, or any lands deemed absolutely necessary for the preservation of water courses (all 

 to be determined by said State forestry board) may deed the same to the State of Minnesota for forestry purposes; 

 all lands so deeded to the State for forestry purposes by any person or corporation are hereby forever dedicated for 

 forestry purposes. 



Before such deed shall be made and delivered a proposition in writing shall be made by such owner or owners 

 to said State forestry board to so deed the same for forestry purposes, under the terms of this act and amendments 

 thereof, made prior to such offer, and the question of the acceptance thereof shall be referred to the town or county 

 forestry board where the land is situated (or both such town and county forestry boards) for its advice on the 

 question of accepting the same; and said State forestry board, or its executive committee, may hear the person 

 offering so to deed, or his or her representative, and also may hear such town or county forestry board or its repre- 

 sentative, both sides in person, or by written reasons submitted, why such deed should or should not be received, 

 and the decision of the State forestry board to receive or reject such offer and deed shall be final. Such deed may 

 be made by quitclaim, where by the advice of the attorney-general, or by the advice of its attorney, if said board 

 have one, said lands are clear of liens except for taxes and tax sales still owned by the State. 



The board may appoint an executive committee annually, on which it may confer authority to perform any 

 executive act, and to exercise its judgment in minor details which cannot conveniently be acted upon by the hoard. 



Sec. 10. At least once in every five (5) years, and as much oftener as the State forestry board may decide, the 

 accumulated income from each tract of land so deeded by persons or corporations for State forestry purposes shall 

 be divided by the State forestry board and disposed of as follows, to wit : 



1st. One-thhd (-V) shall belong to the State, to leimburse the State for the care and protection of the forests 

 thereon, and for the nonpayment of taxes thereon to the State, county, and town, which third (&) shall be divided 

 between the State, county, and town where the land is situated as follows, to wit: One-half (£) to the State, one- 

 fourth (&) to the county, and one-fourth (£•) to the town. 



2d. Two-thirds (f) shall be paid to such public educational institution or system in the State as the grantor may 

 designate in the deed of conveyance, or in a separate instrument executed as deeds of land are required to be 

 executed and recorded in the office of the register of deeds of the county where the land is situated, or by will. But 

 in case the grantor fail to so designate such institution or system, or if for any reason such institution or system 

 fails to exist, then the same shall paid to the proper officer or officers or boards for the benefit of the public school 

 system of the State and the University of Minnesota, the public school system to have three-fourths (£) thereof, and 

 the said university to have one-fourth (£) thereof. 



Sec. 11. The State, by and through sa'd State forestry board, shall have full power and authority to lease for 

 revenue, or for protection from fire, trespassers, or otherwise, low meadow tracts, or other tracts for pasture, when 

 the same will not interfere with the growth of forest trees, and to sell dead and down timber and mature timber, 

 and to deed said tracts or parcels or parts of the same, where the growth of towns, the building of railroads, water 

 powers, or other public improvements may demand alienation by the State, and said State forestry board may cause 

 to be cut and sold, or sold with the light to cut and haul away, forests or trees when said board may determine that 

 the State's and the beneficiaries' interests will be subserved by so doing, but all proceeds of such sales or leases shall 

 be divided as is the income therefrom as above provided. 



Sec. 12. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after its passage. 



In North. Dakota the office of commissioner of irrigation and forestry was created in 1890, 

 seemingly mainly for educational purposes. In Kansas for some time the educational campaign 

 for timber planting of the State horticultural society was supplemented by the State in the estab- 

 lishment of two experimental tree stations, under a superintendent, from which, plant material is 

 distributed to intending planters. 



The State of Colorado was the lirst to recognize in her constitution the existence of a duty on 

 the part of the government with regard to her forestry interests. 



Article XVIII of the constitution, adopted in convention March 14, 1876, contains the follow- 

 ing clauses : 



Sec. 6. The general assembly shall enact laws in order to prevent the destruction of and to keep in good pres- 

 ervation the forests upon the lands of the State or upon lands of the public domain, the control of which shall be 

 conferred by Congress upon the State. 



Sec. 7. The general assembly may provide that the increase in the value of private lands caused by the plant- 

 ing of hedges, orchards, and forests thereon shall not, tor a limited time, to be fixed by law, be taken into account 

 in assessing such lands for taxation. 



The constitutional convention also presented a memorial to Congress asking for the transfer 

 of the public-timber lands m the then Territory to the care and custody of the State, which 

 remained, however, without attention. 



The intentions of the constitution to take care of the forestry interests of the State were, 

 however, not carried into effect until 1885, when a law was passed creating the office of a forest 

 commissioner and constituting the county commissioners and road overseers throughout the 

 State, forest officers in their respective localities, to act as a police force in preventing depredation 



