The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1910-09-06

AAAiAtOAS' wore IMAM o,UOU persons USE
them for other special industries
Nearly $4,000 settlers had the free US
OF wood. The total resident popula
ton OF the national forests is about
quarter of a million, which is large
tnan the population of certain states
More than 100000 acres Of agriculture
land have been patented or listed fol
patent within the forests, and the re.
ports of the forest, officers show thai
more than400,000 people a year use
the forests for recreation, camping
hunting, fishing and similar purposes
All this is done, of course. without in
jury TO the timber, which has a value
OF at least thousand million dollars
| Moreover, the national forests protect
the water supply of thousand cities
| and towns about 500 Irrigation projects
and more than 300 power projects, not
counting the use Of water for these and
other purposes By individual settlers
think that hereafter we may safely
disregard any statements that the ma
tional forests are withdrawn from set
tlement and use.
A Country Life Institute.
The Investigations of the Country
Life commission have led the formers
of this country to realize that they
have not been getting their fair share
of progress and all that it brings.
Some of our farming communities in
the Mississippi valley and in the mid
die west have made marvellous prog
ress, yet even the best OF them, like
communities of every other kind, are
not beyond Improvement, while much
needs TO be in some other sections to
improve country life. AS yet we know
comparatively little of the basic facts
of rural civilization. The means for
better farming we have studied with
care, but to better living on the farm
and TO better business on the farm
the farmers themselves should under
take to get for themselves a better
knowledge along these lines and then.
to apply it. Sir Horace Plunkett, for
many years a Wyoming cattleman, and
now devoting himself in Ireland to the
country life problem there, has sug-
gested in his recent book on the
country life may be brought together
creation of a country life institute as
a center where the work and know
ledge Of the whole world concerning
country life may be brought to gether
for the use of every nation. / am
strongly in sympathy with this idea,
and hope to see it carried out with
the cooperation and assistance of our
people. Last spring, while visiting the
capital Of Hungary, Buda- Pesth, / was
immensely impressed by the Museum
of Country Life, containing an extra
ordinary series of studies in agricul-
ture, in stock raising, in forestry, in
the exhibits were of the ut
most practical Importance and were
also intensely interesting and instruc-
tive. l greatly wish we had such a
in Washington; and some of
your farmer congressman ought to get
a full and detailed report of this
Buda-Pesth museum to be printed for
in public document.
Human Efficiency
AS a people we have not yet learned
to economic. One of the virtues we
Americans need most is thrift. 1t is
a mere truism to say that luxury and
are not good for ma
ton. So far as they effect character,
the loss they cause may be beyond
computation. But in the material
sense there is loss greater than Is
by both extravaganza and lux
ury put together. mean the need
less, useless, and excessive loss to our
people from premature death and
avoidable diseases. Wholly apart |
from the grief, the suffering, and the
which they cause the
loss each year has been cal.
culated at nearly twice what it costs |
to run the federal government. In adj |
1ition to the state and city health Of |
Ulcers and organizations, there is ur- |
gently needed federal bureau OF |
health, TO act, SO far as the national |
government properly may, to relieve
'ur people from this dreadful burden.
National Conservation Commission.
One Of the most important meetings
n our recent history was that of the
governors in the White House In May,
90S, to consider the conservation
question. BY the advice of the gov
rnors the meeting was followed by
he appointment of a national con-
ervatton commission. The meeting OF
he governors directed the attention of
he country to conservation as nothing
lse could have done, while the work
the commission gave the movement
and supplied IL with a
ractical programme. But at the mo-
lent when the commission was ready
o begin the campaign for putting it's
roCramme into effect an amendment ]
0 the sundry civil bill was INTRODUCED ]
Y congressman from Minnesota
nth the purpose of putting a stop to
he work SO admirably begun. Con-
ress passed the amendment. It's OBJ
ect was to put an end to the work of
lumber Of commissions, which had
cen appointed by the president, and
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