Forest AND Stream 
A Weekly Journal of the Rod and Gun. 
\ NEW YORK, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 2 7, 18 9 7. 
TBRSfs, $4 A "SeAB 10 Cts. a Copy, 
Six MOfrrSs, $2. 
( VOL. XL VIII.— No P. 
I No. 346 Broadway, New York* 
For Prdspedus and Advertising Rates see Page iii. 
% FOREST AND STREAM OFFICE 
346 Broadway 
IVJEW VORK LtFE BUILDINd 
Present Entrance on LeonariS Street 
^'I' >i' "A" il" ill' i/-. *l *-* A <-. *V .'^J^..'*J^.'^..S 
if If T " ' 1 1 I 1' '1 'j \ \ '. 
Most boys as n^tttrally take to the rod and gun 
as yottngf (ittcks to water. Encourage them in 
Ihis i£ yott would iiistil into their minds self-respect^ 
self-confidence, ah ardent love of nature; and de- 
velop in their young muscles such vigor arid eri- 
ditf aiiee as will enable them to defend themselves 
diid ihfeif iouiitfy in battle; and in peace to driv€ 
Ihe hungry wolf fr^m ih#if doofs* D. Cross. 
FOREST BESERVATiONS DOUBLED: 
Almost a year ago, in March last, we announced th6 
appointment by the Secretary of the Interior of a forestry 
commission, consisting of experts nominated by the 
National Academy of Sciences. This commission was to 
go into the field and study existing forest conditions, 
and then to report as to these conditions, and to recom- 
mend what the Government ought to do in order to 
conserve and to increase our forests, and to make them 
of the greatest benefit to the country. The commission, 
as will be remembered, consisted of Professors Charles S, 
Sargent, Oliver Wolcott Gibbs, Alexander Agassiz, General 
HenryL. Abbott, Professor William H. Brewer, Mr. Arnold 
Hague and Mr. Giflbrd Pinchot. An appropriation of 
125,000 was made by Congress to enable the Secretary of 
the Interior to meet the expenses of the commission's 
investigation and report on the inauguration of a national 
forestry policy for the forested lands of the United States. 
The members of this body, except Prof. Agassiz, spent 
part of the summer in the field, traveling over much of 
the territory west of the Missouri Eiver, and after their 
return to Washington undertook the collation of their ob- 
servations and the preparation of their report. This was 
submitted some little time ago to the Secretary of the In- 
terior, and by him was transmitted to the President with 
Certain recommendations. As a result of this, the Presi- 
dent on Monday last signed and promulgated thirteen 
proclamations, establishing thirteen additional forest re- 
servations, containing in the aggregate 21,379,810 acres. 
These reservations are scattered over a wide extent of 
territory, extending from the outlying mountain ranges in 
the plains country east of the Continental Divide to the 
Coast Range of the Pacific slope, and from the boundary 
line between the United States and Canada south to south- 
ern California. 
The reservations so established are described briefly in 
the following list: 
The Black Hills Reservation embraces the central por- 
tion of the Black Hills in South Dakota, with an area of 
more than 967,000 acreei' 
The Big Horn Reservation embraces both slopes of the 
Big Horn Mountains, including almost 1,200,000 acres. 
The Teton Reservation covers nearly 830,000 acres, south 
of and adjacent to the Yellowstone Park Timber Land 
lieserve. Tiiis includes the Teton Range and Jackson's 
^ake. 
The Flat Head Forest Reservation embraces both slopes 
of the main Rocky Mountain Range in northern Mon- 
tana, from near the line of the Great Northern Railway, 
northward to the International Boundary. Its area is 
nearly 1,400,000 acres, and it includes in its eastern portion 
the lands purchased from the Blackfeet Indians by the 
treaty ratified hj. Congress,June 10, 1896. 
The Le wis and Clarke Forest Reservation embraces both 
slopes of the Continental Divide in Montana and extends 
from near the line of the Great Northern Railway south 
nearly to the 47th degree of north latitude. It has an esti- 
mated area of about 2,900,000 acres. 
The Priest River Reservation includes portions of 
northern Idaho and northeastern Washington, and has an 
area of 645,000' acres. 
The Bitter Root Reserve comprises 4,100,000 acres in 
Montana and Idaho, including the Bitter Root Mountains, 
tributaries of the Clear Water River, of the Salmon River 
and of the Snake River. 
The Washington Forest Reserve extends from about 
120° west longitude nearly to 122°, and from the Inter- 
national Boundary south to about the 48th degree of lati- 
tude, and etnbraces nearly 3,600,000 acres. 
The Olympia Forest Reservation includes the Olympian 
Mountains, and embraces nearly 2,200,000 acres. 
The Mount Rainier Forest Reserve is an enlargement of 
the old Pacific Forest Reserve by 1,267,000 acres, making a 
total of 2,234,000 acres. 
The Stanislaus Forest Reserve is in the summits of the 
Sierra Nevada Mountains in California, and includes about 
700,000 acres. 
The San Jacinto Forest Reservation in California em- 
braces 737,000 acres. ■ 
The Uintah Forest Reservation is in northern Utah, and 
includes the northern slopes of the western part of the 
Uintah range. 
These proclamations more than double the area of our 
forest reservations, and will be of incalculable benefit to 
the Western country. We have at last a basis for a satis- 
factory system of forest preservation. 
The work done by the commission deserves the highest 
commendation, and amply justifies all that was said about 
its composition at the time of its appointment. It may 
be added that this work, admirable as it is, might 
however, have gone for nothing if it had not been for 
the intelUigent appreciation of the subject shown by 
the President. His mind early grasped the importance of 
the preservation of our forests with intelligence and firm- 
ness, and he has shown himself earnest to do all that lay 
in his power in behalf of this subject. In fact, without the 
encouragement which the commission has received from 
him, it may be conjectured that the report and the recom- 
mendations now acted on would have been very much less 
sweeping and so less valuable than they are. 
Everything that has so far been done by the commission 
merits the highest praise. It now remains for Congress to 
enact such laws as shall carry out the recommendations, 
which will, no doubt, be found in their report when it is 
published. 
PROTECT TEE GRAND CANON. 
With each recurring session of Congress come fresh at. 
tempts to raid the National Park. These raids sometimes 
take the Torm of throwing open a section of it to settle^ 
ment, or of running a railroad through it, or again of et^ 
tablishing a monopoly in connection with some special 
ieatureofthe Park. There are always plenty of people 
collected in Washington who are ready to use this reserve, 
tion — or for the matter of that any other possession of the 
Government — to further their schemes for making money. 
Such ambitions have perhaps nothing criminal about them, 
yet certainly when they take the form of destroying the 
attractiveness or the usefulness of the possession in question 
they are infringements on the rights of the public, and 
must be opposed by those persons who have the public 
welfare at heart, and by Government oflicials whose duty 
it is to look after the public interests. 
The most recent of the attempts to injure the Yellow- 
stone Park is an old one, revived now, and being pushed 
with vigor in the Interior Department — the project to put 
an elevator in the Grand Canon of the Yellowstone River, 
mmediately bglow the Lowpr FaUs, By means of this it 
is proposed to carry visitors to the Falls from the level of 
the upper river down into the bottom of the canon. As 
we have said, this project is an old one, and it has more 
than once been denounced by the superintendent of the 
Park and by those who take the deepest interest in the 
reservation. It is difficult to imagine any scheme which 
would more effectually destroy the strange, wild beauty of 
the Canon of the Yellowstone. The great charm of this 
marvelous piece of natural scenery— unequaled anywhere 
in the world — is that no evidence of man's handiwork is 
to be seen in it. To interrupt the purity of this scene by 
an elevator shaft, by an inclined railway, by an engine 
house and a tall chimney vomiling forth black smoke, 
would be actually to destroy the beauties of this scene. To 
do this would be a crime. 
It is understood that application for a lease of land on 
which such structures shall stand and for permission to 
build them has been made to the Secretary of the Interior. 
What action might have been taken on the matter is un- 
known, for the new secretary of course can have but little 
knowledge of the Yellowstone Park. Fortunately the re- 
vived scheme was discovered by a gentleman of Washing- 
ton who is one of the oldest, most watchful and warmest 
friends of the Yellowstone Park, and was by him brought 
to the attention of Senator Vest. On Feb. 16 Senator Vest 
introduced in the Senate a resolution, which by unanimous 
consent was considered and agreed to. The resolution 
reads: 
"Beit resolved, Thatthe Secretary of the Interior is request- 
ed to communicate to the Senate whether any action has 
been taken, or is contemplated to grant to any person or per- 
sons the privilege of erecting a steam plant, elevator or other 
appliances on the Yellowstone Canon in the Yellowstone 
Park, for the purpose of conveying persons from the top of 
the canon to the bottom; and the Secretary of the Interior 
is further requested to withhold any action in the premises 
until it can be determined by Congress as to the propriety 
of the granting of such privilege." 
The resolution will undoubtedly bring out the facts in 
the matter, and will lead to a discussion of it which is very 
much needed. Usually a little publicity is all that is re- 
quired to bring about the downfall of projects which are 
to benefit individuals at the expense of the public, and we 
shall be glad to have this one fully discussed. 
There are many persons of the sternly practical sort who 
would be glad to build mills of different kinds all along the 
Yellowstone River, to take out the water from above the 
falls to rim these mills, and to run the waste from the mills 
down into the Grand Canon of the Yellowstone. There 
are persons who would think the Grand Canon of the Yel- 
lowstone well destroyed if it brought to their pockets a 
single dollar, but the value of this canon is not to be meas- 
ured in dollars and cents. We have in this wonderful 
piece of natural scenery one of the acknowledged marvels 
of the world, and anything that defaces or iiiterfeies wiih 
its naturalness is entirely to be condemned, and if possible 
to be prevented. 
The strongest friend which the National Park has in the 
United States Senate is Senator Vest, and he may be 
trusted to stand now, as he has always stood, sturdy in his 
defense of the Park. He will do all in his power to opi)Obe 
this act of vandalism and to prevent the ruin of this grand 
piece of scenery. The present wonder and impressiveuess 
of the Yellowstone Canon are felt by all who visit it. I( is 
real nature, and indeed the whole charm of the Park is 
due largely to the fact that few evidences of civilization 
are seen there. All who are interested in retaining some- 
where in this country one little bit of real nature will be 
glad to lift their voices in support of Senator Vest in his 
efforts in behalf of the Park. 
AUDUBON BIRD PLATES. 
In this issue is given the fifth in the series of half-tone 
reproductions of Audubon's famous bird portraits, from 
the rare first edition. It is of the American golden plover. 
The list of plates already printed and to come includes: 
Tub Black Duck, Sept. 2o, 1896. 
The Prairie Chicken, Oct. 24. 
Tub Canvasback Duck, Nov. 21. 
The Willow Ptarmigan, Dec. 19. 
The American Golden Plover, Feb. 27, 1897. 
TuE Shoveller Duck, 
The Redhead Duck. 
The Purple Sandpiper. 
