The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1901-11-01
ANNUAL REPORT OF
LAND COMMISSIONER
Contrasts Conditions ia
Oklahoma With Other
States


The annual report Of TIE commissioner
Of The general land Office, made public
today. contains an interesting sum
mary OF the work of the Office during
the FISCAL year ended June 30, 1901
The commissioner calls attention to the
fact that the area OF unappropriatcd
and unreserved lands in the United
states Is greater that the area upon
which settlement has been made The
total unappropriated and unreserved
lands Of the entire country is 9i4,o7O
s74 acres. while the total appropriated
lands Is 54s,os5,ssl acres,
over one-third Of the total area OF
Oklahoma territory still remaih@ un-
settled upon. The total area occupied
is l2.e62,s27 acres, while the total area
unappropriated ana unreserved is 4,
e55.es5 acres.
This is in strange contrast with the
conditions existing in many Of the
other western states and territories In
Arizona there are nearly fifty million
acres unapproprlated land, while the
amount upon which settlement has
been made Is only 5,637000 acres. In
New Mexico there are fifty-six million
ncres of unoecupied lands. and only
I6. goo OF land upon which settle-
rnent has been made. Even In South
Dakota only about two-thirds of the
publlc domain has been taken. while
in Nebraska there are stu nearly ten
million acres of land unappropriated.
WATER SUPPLY.
The commissioner pays particular at
tentlon 10 the effect of forest reserves
upon the water supply in both arid
and wei-watered regions in The vest
ern states. In discussing this question
he says:
when the subject Of forest reserva-
tion began 70 he agitated it took years
TO convince the public IN some quar-
tess that the government did not haze
in view the mere boarding OF valuable
forest products, but was endeavoring
TO husband Its resources in the interest
0f the public.
Now that the prejudice against for
est reserves on that score is rapidly
subsiding, the pubic Is beginning T.
further realize that the reserves are
10 he held and handled not only as
stcfehouses OF forest products for tho
public benefit but that they serve an
other equally vital purpose as storage
eeservoirs 81 water supplies.
Early In the history Of forest-reservt
management the need for irrigation II
such arid regions as southern Califor-
mia and arizona quickly converted the
residents into earnest supporters ol
the system II needed no argument &C
convince the drought sufferers in those
localities that the forests were grea'
water conservators, and that a system
Of forest patrol which held largely II
check tho frightful yearly conhagra
tions that swept the mountain side'
bare of iheir forest cover was IN th'
interests Of the public good.
1t has, however, been a much slowe
process IN some other well-watered re
glons 10 convince the people that It 4
one of the chief functions of the for
est to act as a regulator OF the waite
flow. and ny controlling the dlstrihu
tion OF water prevent destructive floods
The effect which forest cover exert
upon the disposal OF water supplies
far from being generally appreciated
even lin the face OF the we!l-lnOw
fact that agricultural interests depen
more directly upon the proper dispose
Of the water that frlls than upon IN
actual amount Of rainfall,
GOVERNMENT AID.
1t Is beginning, however. to be MOI
generally realized that forest manage
ment at the heads OF streams lies bao
OF a proper drainage system; and, cor
sequently. during the past year sigt
have not been wanting TO indicate tina
while citizens OF arid regions have bee
building reservoirs TO hoard their WI
ters. aud those of such wen water'
localities as western Washington an
Oregon have been constructing drail
age systems 20 safely carry of surpll
waters. the atter are waking up 20
realization that the government
largely making the enterprises in bo
directions possible. by its guard
areas OF forest lands wAich under q
present forest management peerfor
the double function OF conserving az
distributing the water How.
An intelligent appreciation of a
fact on the part OF the localities dire'
lv anected ls essential in adNanci
the interests Of the present moNema
ina behalf 6f forest reservation, ana
therefore. noted with great sat
f-ction 49, one so the siEns cf
times that during The past year
press has beeu actively voicing the 80
.lmenis OF the people in behalf OF {
est-reseNation management as
means toward an eneetiye irrigau
system. which SHAH not only reola
the aria lands OF The West. but q
cooked 10 largely direct the water a
Ia other resions aud thereby prev
deNastaUns 1oois
The awakening of the public on
point. and consequent change of seq
ment toward forest reserves, Is
doubtedly one of the most srorfy
results from the operation Of the foi
service thus far and has been y
yiewea al different times by the pl
ent rreat Chief Magistrate of our