Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1907-09-21
Corner Stoneof First Institution
Laid at Bottineau, N. d., the
Most Treeless State
UNDER FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
Planting of Small Forests Will Be En-
courased = Secretary Wilson Hope
full of Plan to Secure Alcohol for
Farm Fuel - Pythians Want to Car
ry Guns Washington News.

Washington, Sept. 21.-As a result
of the efforts in behalf of establishing
state forestry schools, the people OF
North Dakota have just laid the cor
nerstone of q fine building ut Bottineau
for the state forestry school for which
they have been working for ten years.
The need of encouraging forest growth
was early recognized, for North Dako-
TIA is the most ~treeless Of all the states.
Only one per cent of its area is tim
Der land. and the best timber has been
cut from much Of this. Minnesota, on
the other hand, it's nearest neighbor on
the east, has 60 per cent Of Its surface
| classed as cumberland.
North Dakota has nc national forest.
A few years ago the government I'M
dertook to establish n in the Turtle
mountains, and made a thorough in
vestigation Of the project only to dis
cover that the effort was too late. The
greater portion of the cumberland OF
the proposed forest had already passed
into private hands. 1t was not practl-
cable to make a national forest of the
remaining and detached fragments,
and the project was abandoned.
Tho Canadian government was more
prompt and successful. The Turtle
mountains extend across the interna-
tional boundary. and the portion on the
| north side of the line was made into
a Dominion forest by Canada. and Its
timber is being cared for and devel-
oped, while thai south Of the line is
practically all gone except second
growth, which is rapidly being cut
out.
The Turtle mountains form the chief
wooded region of the state. Early set
tiers on the open prairies obtained
their fuel and lumber here and will
continue to draw upon this little
North Woods as long as the supply
of material lasts. 1t is not an unusual
thing for farmers to go fifty or sixty
miles with their teams for wood, and
for years the Turtle mountains have
met the demand, but they cannot do
so much longer.
Outside of this little area Of woods
and lakes North Dakota never had any
considerable forests. The greater por-
ton of the state consists OF treeless
prairies, while the portions which are
too rough to be classed as prairies are
not less treeless. This is. notably true
Of the so-called Bad Lands" This
name is misleading. The lands are cut
by deep and formidable ravines, rem
1nrfnc q y.0o 1roo limo op1 fro1,a1inr Iif-
ficult; but much Of the land is fer
many valuable woods will flourish if
planted and cared for.
Small patches of forest are found
in many places in the state, furnishing
evidence that trees will grow if they
get q start. The valleys of most of
the rivers have belts of timber, and
here and there in the bad Lands
small bodies of timber are found.
II believe a method will be devised
whereby denatured alcohol may be
successfully made on the farm" said
Secretary of Agriculture Wilson. '"The
department is now collecting all avail
able information concerning the in
dustry and in a few months will issue
a report embodying it.
But in the northwest, at the vari-
Gus experimental stations, what is
probably the most important work is
being done. Experiments are being
conducted to determine the most prof.
liable crops to be used in the manu-
facture of denatured alcohol.
II think it will be practicable and
profitable to raise special crops in sec
tons OF u country, especially where
coal and wood is scarce, for the pro-
duction of fuel alcohol for use on the
farms"
IF a plan now under discussion by
the governing committee of the
prevail of the supreme association, a
second military reserve, with a mem
bersllip of about $4,000, will be added
to the state militia in the United
States. The governing council, which
is now meeting in st. Paul, favors APP
%plication to the government for the
equipment of it's uniform rank with
guns such as are used by the state mil
itia. The uniform rank, knights of
Pythias, follows the regular army reg
ulations, and if the request for equip
ment is granted, the Pythians would
be able to put $4,000 trained men into
the service of the government in case
Of war. During the Spanish war the
knights of Pythias sent 5000 members
to the front.
Delayed mail trains cost the New
York Central railroad nearly $4,000
during the quarter ended March 81.
Practically every railroad in the
country was similarly mulcted. The
Pennsylvania came in for it's share,
losing several thousands from it's
mail carrying pay on one route alone.
One department of the Southern
dropped about $1,000 all told. Rail-
roads of the country lost over $500, 900
last year thru unsatisfactory handling
of mails.