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FOREST AND STREAM 
Nov. 29, 1913. 
Roosevelt In South America 
Washington, D. C., Nov. 15, 1912. 
CIENTISTS connected with the Smithso¬ 
nian Institution are greatly interested in 
Theodore Roosevelt’s South American 
trip. They hope that the former President will 
plunge into the unexplored central portion of 
South America and bring to light specimens of 
animal life heretofore unknown to naturalists. It 
is generally believed that Mr. Roosevelt’s trip will 
add much to scientific knowledge in the way 
of many important discoveries. According to 
the scientists, South America will be a revelation 
to the former President, as it is a continent of 
striking contrasts, where extremes meet. Great 
world cities of the highest type are flanked by 
villages of hut dwellers of a very inferior order. 
Thousand-acre farms, modern in every detail, 
are fringed by primitive forests. The climate 
varies from extreme heat to extreme cold, which 
in turn effects the energies of the inhabitants in 
a like ratio. While Colonel Roosevelt’s route is 
subject to change, it is understood that he will 
visit the great capitals which are twentieth-cen¬ 
tury cities. Great cities like Rio de Janeiro, 
Buenos Ayres, and Santiago, which were founded 
in the early Spanish days and lived a sleepy ex¬ 
istence for hundreds of years, to awaken about 
fifty years ago by the call of commerce, are 
to-day splendid examples of municipal develop¬ 
ment. No more magnificent public buildings, 
finer parks, or private dwellings can be found 
than in these busy capitals, as they are all great 
business centers. After Mr. Roosevelt has vis¬ 
ited the several centers of population he will no 
doubt be entertained at some of the great ranches 
of South America. At these “estancias,” as they 
are known, he will have the opportunity to con¬ 
trast the life on the pampas of South America 
with the life on the prairies of North America. 
These South American prairies present the same 
problems which have arisen in the western sec¬ 
tion of the United States. Already wheat-grow¬ 
ing farmers have usurped the land over which 
vast herds of cattle formerly roamed, and so 
far there have been no serious clashes between 
conflicting interests. While no big game such 
as the elephant, lion, or the wart-hog of Africa, 
is to be found in South America, yet there are 
so many distinctive and rare smaller animals that 
the faunal naturalist will be delighted with the 
specimens that fall to his gun. Ant-eaters, arma¬ 
dillos, alligators, and adjutant birds make uncom¬ 
mon trophies, while hunting pumas and jaguars 
is much more dangerous than the chase of wild¬ 
cats and mountain lions. Colonel Roosevelt, it is 
believed, will make determined efforts to secure 
specimens of the many rare animals and birds of 
the countries visited, including specimens of the 
hoatzin, that extraordinary bird which by many 
is believed to be a connecting link of the feath¬ 
ered tribe with other families of animal life. 
More varieties of reptiles are to be found in the 
interior of South America than in any other sec¬ 
tion of the globe. Explorers who have had some 
experience in the interior of the southern con¬ 
tinent agree that it is the most difficult section 
to penetrate than any other on the globe. Much 
of the country remains unexplored and the jun¬ 
gle land is as unknown to the white man to-day 
as it was at the time the country was discovered. 
A history-making epoch will take place in 
St. Louis, Missouri, on December 16, when, for 
the first time, the Alaskan seal furs will be dis¬ 
posed of through an American firm instead of 
through a house in London, England, as hereto¬ 
fore. Just how far reaching the effect of this 
important decision by the Department of Com¬ 
merce may be gathered from the fact that for 
many years it has been as natural to associate 
London with seal furs as with royalty, mainly 
for the reason that the English capital is re¬ 
garded as the prime and governing market for 
the world’s furs. Apart, too, from the mere dis¬ 
position of the furs is the fact that a great tan¬ 
ning and dyeing industry has been maintained in 
England on the very strength of past control 
of the Alaskan seal output by the British houses. 
It is fairly evident that this industry will be re¬ 
moved from London to America in order to 
further facilitate the home production of an arti¬ 
cle truly American in its every aspect. Another 
consideration is the fact that this step will natu¬ 
rally mean the elimination of the heavy duties, 
which in the past have added to the prices of 
seal-skin garments in America. On December 16 
buyers from the world’s leading fur establish¬ 
ments will bid on the 1913 catch at the Funsten 
Fur Exchange, where the sale will be conducted 
by Philip B. Fouke, and A. M. Ahern, of Fun¬ 
sten Brothers & Company, which firm have been 
awarded the Alaskan catch by the Secretary of 
Commerce. The sale will include seal and silver 
fox skins valued at about $100,000. The lot con¬ 
tains 2,200 seal and 500'silver fox skins, which 
were killed on the Pribiloff Islands during the 
past season. Under the terms of the pelagic seal 
treaty the skins have heretofore been sold in 
London as the designated market. The govern¬ 
ment will now seek to establish a fur market in 
this country and thus escape the cost of trans¬ 
portation to London and return. 
Representative Mann, of Illinois, Republican 
minority leader of the House of Representatives, 
waffis to know if, under the new tariff law, it is 
possible to bring into the United States birds 
dead or alive, or without tails, heads, tails, wings 
and plumes which are denied admission. To 
satisfy his curiosity he has introduced a resolu¬ 
tion calling upon the Secretary of the Treasury 
for an official explanation. The tariff law, ac¬ 
cording to Mann’s interpretation provides in one 
paragraph for admission of game birds, in an¬ 
other for free admission of birds, land and water 
fowl “not specifically provided for,” and in an¬ 
other paragraph it absolutely prohibits the im¬ 
portation of feathers, heads, plumes, aigrettes and 
egrets, except for scientific purposes. 
RALEIGH RAINES. 
Federal Control of Forests 
Washington, Nov. 19. — Henry S. Graves, U. 
S. Forester, spoke before the National Conserva¬ 
tion Congress in session to-day, dwelling par¬ 
ticularly on the present policies of the Govern¬ 
ment in respect to the activities of the forest 
service. Referring to the attitude of the present 
administration, as to the so-called states’ rights’ 
policy, which has advocated state instead of Fed¬ 
eral control of forests, Mr. Graves says there is 
no thought of any change in the established sys¬ 
tem of Federal ownership and control. 
The Forester spoke in part as follows: 
“The Nation has an important stake in for¬ 
estry. Here, as in all other countries, the real 
development of forestry began when the Govern¬ 
ment took up its practice. Even to-day some 
persons would leave the forests entirely to pri¬ 
vate owners, others Insist that the public phases 
of forestry are altogether a state function and 
Federal activities in this field uncalled for. 
Those who hold this view are usually either luke¬ 
warm concerning the need for forest conserva¬ 
tion or opposed to restricting private activities. 
Yet unrestricted private exploitation of forests 
is impossible if we are to continue to have the 
forests that the Nation needs. 
“National responsibility in forestry is per¬ 
fectly clear-cut. There need be no confusion 
with an equally clear-cut responsibility of the 
states. And as to private forestry little of value 
has so far been done that has not been an out¬ 
come of public action through state or Federal 
agencies, or both. The national work will always 
be the backbone of American forestry, not 
trenching on or interfering with state work or 
individual efforts, but serving as a guarantee that 
national needs which individual states can not 
meet will be provided for on a national scale. 
“Underlying the forestry problem are two 
fundamental considerations which should be em¬ 
phasized and reiterated until thoroughly driven 
home. One is the public character of forestry. 
Both in the matter of a continued supply of for¬ 
est products and in that of the conservation of 
water resources the public welfare is at stake. 
Secondly, stability of policy and permanence of 
ownership are essential to any successful attack 
on this great conservation problem. 
“I am frequently asked as I travel about the 
country whether I am going to make important 
changes in forestry policy. I was asked that very 
often in 1910, when I first took office. I am 
asked it often this year. My answer is that what 
we are seeking is not changes, but the develop¬ 
ment of a permanent public enterprise with con¬ 
sistent and stable policies. The national forest's 
were set aside in the recognition that the bulk of 
these lands should be handled permanently under 
public protection and control. 
“The aim of the present administration is 
not to overturn, but to take every possible step 
to increase efficiency of the organization, to ad¬ 
just difficulties, and to advance as fast as possi¬ 
ble the purposes for which the national forests 
were established. Secretary Houston recently 
said to me: . 
“ ‘Establish permanent boundaries. Classify 
your lands; segregate the agricultural land and 
fix right limits for what is needed as protective 
and productive forests. Develop permanent poli¬ 
cies based on full recognition of lasting public 
interests, and settled forestry practice fitted to 
the individual needs of each forest and locality. 
Study efficiency; make any changes necessary 
for this purpose, but make no changes that are 
not clearly called for in the public interest. Carry 
out your plans for the development and increas¬ 
ing use of the forests; but, above all, make each 
forest work for community upbuilding and local 
as well as general welfare. We must always 
have in mind the men and women who are build¬ 
ing up a new country and laying the foundation 
for prosperous, thriving commonwealths. We 
must try to study their needs and see where and 
how the forests can help them. But we must not 
cease to guard effectively against the evils of 
private privilege and monopolistic control of re¬ 
sources now the property of the public.’” 
In addition to the administration of its waste 
lands for forest purposes, the individual state 
should play a part in co-operating with private 
timberland owners, commensurate with the inter¬ 
est which the state has in maintaining its timber 
supply. 
This principle is enunciated by the commit¬ 
tee on state forestry at the national conservation 
congress here. The committee further recom¬ 
mends as general principles for the practice of 
state forestry everywhere that the governing 
board should be removed from partisan political 
control, and that the state forester should be 
fitted for his work by professional training and 
experience. 
Civil service should govern in the selection 
of all forest officers, and all industries directly 
dependent on the forests should be represented 
on the state forestry board. Further, the com¬ 
mittee says, the forest officers should have ample 
discretionary power, and should be delegated 
enough authority to settle controversies as they 
arise. 
