The sun., 1897-03-28

RADIO. Tho Pecos River reserve in New
Mexico added 311,040 acres; the Pixies
Peak and Plum Creek, both in Colorado
1s4, $40 and 177, 900 acres; and the Bull
Run, In Oregon, 1000 acres. These six
timber reserves contained 3,252,26O acres
and made a good start on the work ol
saving the forests from destruction or pri,
vate appropriation.
But President HARRISON and Secretary
NOBLE went on with greater segregations.
South Of and adjoining Yosemite Park a
magnificent area of the Sierra Nevada was
secured, It's 100000 acres including
peaks $4,000 feet high, wonderful caiions
like that Of Kings River, nearly all the
unsecured Sequoia Di0antcG or big tree for.
ests, and stretches of sugar pines and cedars
perhaps unsurpassed ON the globe. In re-
serving these priceless treasures Of nature
it also guarded the water supply on which
the rich products of the once arid but now
irrigated San joaquin valley depend.
Other reserves set apart in California
were the San Gabriel, 555, $50 acres the
San Bernardino, 1890; the Trabuco,
49,920. In Arizona came the Grand Canon,
1851 500. Colorado furnished two moro,
the South Platte, 8S3, 500, and the Battle
ment Mesa, sbs,24O. In Washington was
set apart the Pacific reserve at Mount Raj.
nier, 967, $50 acres, while the Ashland in
Oregon added a smaller amount. The
Afognak Island forest and 6sh culture re-
serve includes an area Of whose extent we
find no estimates.
Altogether there had thus far been six.
teen reserves, aggregating, exclusive of the
Afognak, more than 13,O0O,O0O acres. Mr..
CLEVELAND, early in his Administration,
added a seventeenth, the Cascade, 4,492,.
500 acres, and the total then exceeded IT,
100000 acres. Finally came, under the
recommendations of Prof. SARsENT's COM
mission, more than doubling Of this forest
reserve, for the proclamation of Feb. %
added thirteen new tracts, including, In
Washington, new one at Mount Rainier,
1,267,20O acres, the Olympic, 2,1ss,O
and the Washington, 3,594,24O; In Wash
ington and Idaho, the Priest River, 845,.
100; in Wyoming, the Big Horn, 1,19s,-
$50, and the Teton, 500, ,44O; in Montana,
the Lewis and Clarke, 2,426, 900, and the
Flathead, 1885, 400; in Montana and
Idaho, the Bitter Root. 4,147 900; in
South Dakota, the Black Hills, 987, $50 in
California, the Stanislaus, 691 200, and
the San Jacinto, 737,2sO; in Utah, the
Uintah, 1,706,25O.
AS most or all of the new forest reserves
have never been surveyed, the estimates OF
their areas are approximate. But there Is
no ground for supposing them to be exag-
gerated. The aggregate Of the thirty, ex.
Guiding any figures for the Afognak, is, In
rl,, n
This splendid domain, more than co. 900
square miles, includes not only some of the
most majestic scenery on this continent, but
millions of magnificent trees and priceless
water supplies.
And yet 1t should be observed that the
purpose is not to keep these areas as me-
tional parks, like the Yellowstone, the
Yosemite, the Grant, and the Sequoia.
Perhaps the day may come when parts of
some of them will be so used and
those that adjoin existing parks have
furnished already the means OF ex.
tending their areas as may be de.
sired. But in general the object is only
to preserve forest resources and water
supplies, and to decrease the chances Of
destroying valuable trees by fire and by
the axe Of the trespasser. When our forestry
system becomes perfected, so far from TAX.
ing away these vast areas of timber from
public use, provision will undoubtedly be
made, as in other countries, for cutting in
such way as to improve the forests, so
giving an abundance of cheap timber to the
neighborhoods. Care will also be taken
not to interfere with tho lawful and proper
development Of mineral resources.
The cry which has been set up against the
forest reservation policy is, in fact, that of
short sighted local interest, often founded
on ignorance of the real purpose of the
policy, but sometimes, perhaps, stimulated
by selfish, business motives. The segrega-
tion of vast, unsurveyed areas must of
necessity be undertaken on broad lines, but
that does not prevent due consideration for
vested interests and rights.