Forestry. 99 



to are as follows : ' ' Amongst other peculiarities of the Steppes, a 

 very prominent and distinctive one is the absence of timber. 

 * * ■ * * And opinions differ greatly as to the possi- 

 bility of wooding it anew.'' Since 1855, the Russian Government 

 has not only settled their opinions, but has adopted a policy of 

 -eforesting this two hundred and forty thousand square miles worthy 

 of imitation. 



Let our Government do as Russia is doing, and the Steppes from 

 The Missouri River to the Rocky Mountains will soon be reclaimed 

 and made to " blossom as a rose." And it is cheering to know, 

 that during the last Congress, Senator Sherman introduced a bill, 

 entitled " A bill for the preservation of the woods and forests of the 

 national domain, adjacent to the sources of the navigable rivers and 

 their affluents in the United States." 



This proposed bill withdraws from sale and entry all timbered 

 _ands adjacent to the navigable rivers and their affluents. It also 

 provides for the planting of trees along the course of said rivers 

 where the land is timberless, so that the rivers may be kept in a 

 .navigable condition by promoting a continuous supply from their 

 sources and affluents. Also to cultivate forests on the military and 

 Indian reservations. Stating the fact, it is '■'■universally known 

 that the destruction of woods causes all countries to become arid and 

 unprofitable deserts. " 



This authorizes a commission for the examination of forests, 

 planting of trees, fixing boundaries to reservations, etc. The 

 appropriation for all this named in the bill is twenty-five thousand 

 dollars, when it should be not less than two hundred and fifty 

 million dollars annually. Just think of it — twenty-five thousand 

 dollars appropriated to preserve the woods and forests adjacent to 

 the sources of the navigable rivers and their affluents, to plant trees 

 along the course of said rivers, and to cultivate forests on the mili- 

 xary reservations and Indian territories — twenty-five thousand dol- 

 lars. Although the bill looks more like an anodyne to soothe the 

 clamoring of politics than an honest intention to do something, it 

 must be remembered this is the first attempt at legislation on the 

 subject, and may terminate in a fruitful ending. 



It is certainly the duty of every government to embrace the 

 present, to confer benefits upon its subjects, when it can not be done 

 in the future. This nation will need oaks and pines, hard woods 

 and soft woods, five hundred years hence as they need them now. 



