Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1903-05-22
Mineral Oil For This Purpose
Extensively Used In South
ern California
PROBLEM OF FOREST PLANTING
Not Always Practicable in Those Re-
sions Which Are Cut Away, Which
Include Portion of the Southern APP
paIachians and Pine Belt from vr-
sinia to Texas.

| Washington, D. c., May 22-The an.
nual official publication of the depart
nent of agriculture known as the Yea
Book will be printed about June 10
Mr.. James w. Abbott, special agent fol
the Rock Mountain and Pacific Coasi
division. In a special report makes
review of the use of mineral oil in road
improvement which he says has beea
a great success in California. He says
The growth of oil In popular favo.
in southern California has been steady
and rapid. Many of those who have had
| most experience with it, have come "a
regard Its use in a dry region as the
most important discovery ever made in
road making. Quite a considerable
number of people have said to the
writer: We could not go back to tn.
old conditions; If we had to give up our
oiled roads, we would move away"
Mr.. Abbott thinks that oil can be
used to advantage at any place in the
United States, where the roads become
very dry and dusty, and where water
can be kept out of the foundations in
the winter. so that they will rernair
firm and not give way beneath the oiled
surface in the spring. The reliance
must, he said, be upon an oil with an
asphalt base.
Mr.. William Hall discusses the prac-
aticability of forest planting in the
United States. He says: Forest plant
ing is not practicable in those regions
which are cut away. Broadly speak
ing this includes in the south the hard
wood region of the southern Appal;lch-
ians and the pine belt from Virginia to
Texas. In the northesast it includes
the spruce forests in New York, YER
mont. New Hampshire and Maine; it
includes also sections elsewhere, as in
the Allegheny mountains. In the west
it includes the heavily timbered por-
tions of California, Oregon and Wash
ington, and smaller sections elsewhere
In other parts of the United States
than those named above. there are
some other sections in which the sup
ply of timber is wanting or is becoming
which national reproduction is not suf-
ficient TO insure second crop
w. III. Bestle. of the office of expert
ment stations, has an article in which.
he says: agricultural experiment sta
tons are now in operation in every
state and territory of the United States.
including Alaska. Hawaii and Porto
Rico, and steps are being taken under
government auspices to establish
agencies for agricultural investigation
in the Philippine islands. There are
sixty such stations employing nearly
/ 900 trained scientific and practical!
men in their work.
The annual income of these stations
in 1902 was $1,32S.S47, of which sum
$4,000 came from the federal gov
eminent, and $60S.S47 from state APP
and other sources. During
the fourteen years of their existence as
a national enterprise. there has been
expended in their maintenance about.
s14, 100000 of which sum $10.0O0.O00
came from the national treasury and
about $4.O00,000 from state sources"
In an article on irrigation Edward A.
Beais, of the weather bureau, say that
there are more than 100000 acres oil
irrigated land in the United States. The
total cost OF the irrigation systems OF
the United States is $64,2S9,S0l and the
value of the irrigated crops for the sim
gle wear of 1899 was $S4,433,43S, or 30
per cent greater than the cost OF the
plants. The number of irrigators was
l02.S19, which gives nearly seventy-one
acres to the farm.