New-York tribune., 1886-07-22
MIN ,fDNTzNA FOREST BILL.

M, Sonata has once more passed the plu u
Iii, forest reservation in Northern Mon
.'' ,,,1 ,be Uouse of Representatives has now
the opportunity to remedy the neglect VI u''
,ost Congress. There Is no longer any q"'
finn that it would be sound national pohcy "
-, otect from fire and browsing hocks anu un-
,os,rctad cutting certain forest areas on Tile
oIo,,otod ,ims of such river basins as thoSe
d,.,;ned nv the Rio Grande and Missouri, tlie
CaI,,,,h;a Sacramento and San Joaquin. lhe
argument is stronger since II Is no" oeiio''"
II At the seeds of the forests on some OF u'ese
heights were sown in an age OF more aoii'''''''
moisture than the present, so tnat INC h'hu' o'0
bored will not reclOthe itself as does our ra>V
.,7 mountain land, and can only be reciad' IL
;ndood ,he work is any way possible, artluclaily
,,1 ~ creat eypcnse 1t is not an easy matter
however. to select forest areas on t'c hiuoiL'i
domain of sufficient extent TO DE "oith Plo
tcotinc and at the same time aVold any con'ii''
with private nights. And where uieie arc no
actual settlers the prospective Vhtte vi ihi'o'
or minerals or falmng land Ill such "'e"' -
often so evident that the advance euaiu Vi
emioratiop is btre to he close upon us lionuo'
and the exclusion of these pushing pioneers d
a matter of some difficulty and wears Tie iooK
of cruelty.
Rut this tumble of mountains north of Flat
hcod Lake seems to he the Nations oppol-
,,,,ity Tbrouoh the tract runs the Continental
divide and it is tossed from end to end into
broken mountain ranges upon many oi "hoso
neaks rests everlasting snow. The PERCEPTIONS
ridges can never be tanned lor the pioueh anu
there is no gazing land to feed an animal more
domestic than the red deer. or precious niln
erals there is no promise. and the umoeI Is 700
remote to tempt the logger. 1t Is not III Tile
track of Westward emigration, Tor ule Diach
f,ot Reservation lies between 1t and clvlliZauoh'
But if this tlact has small value OF Its own'
;ts = 600 SQUARE miles of forest here price
Lass now. as one reservoir of ClMk's Fork OF
the Columbia, and this value Will increase as
tLc woods are stripped from the headwaiers o1
other tributaries.
Leaving out of account the probable peril
bv torrents, the success of agriculture III North
crn Montana where irrigation Is a necessity
can only I've secured by all equable Iiyer flow J;
and at this day no one will argue that the de
stluction of the forest on the heights tion
which the waters flow will not help to leave
the river bottoms dry just when the land Is
thirsting most for drink.
In other countries governments are taking
possession of the mountain slopes that feed in
considerable streams and planting shrub In
the crevices OF rocks laid bare and scarified
by torrents since MIN disturbed the balance
of natural forces by cutting away the trees.
We have only to protect at trivial cost what
centuries have prepared for the maintenance
Of a regular circulation of water from the noun
tains to the sea and back again to the r1ver-
heads. This Montana Reserve is comparatively
small, but it is begnning-an inexpensive I've
gnning-of what must come, and come at u ieat-
er cost the longer it Is delayed.