The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1910-12-06


tllsIq
partraent has d1gh
u MP to date 81 to
business than ever before
tory Economle hav6 beeD
where possible Without
sistance, and these are s1og
reduced estimates fOt, the e3s IN
the department during the
cal year and during the year - ~
consorvatioa
The subject OF the eonse
the public domain has comm
attention OF the people Wit ast
two or three years.
Agricultural Lands.
There is no need for radical ioEn
in the methods OF dlsposlng hep
are really agricultural 1aul
present laws have worked wen
enlarged homestead law has epfe
aged the successful farming 81 lq1s
in the semiarid regions.
Reclamation.
The total sum already accumi
in the fund provided BY the act ~
the reclamation OF arid lands g ahltit
Sos. $40, O5S.T6, and OF this an but
24I ,O5S.T6 has been allotted TO the
riOus projects. OF which there are thirs
ty. Congress at its last ses Ion pro.
vided for the Issuing Of certihcatee qt
Indebtedness not exceeding 10000, Qq9-
to be redeemed from the reclluatl1p
fand when the proceeds OF lands odd
and from the water rents should be-
SUFFICIENT.
Meantime, In accordance With the
provisions OF the law I appointed 9
board of army engineers to examine
the projects and to ascertain 1lelt
are feasible and worthy Of Compilation
That board has made a report upon
the subject, which 1 shall transnltt ia
separate message within few days.
Forest Lands,
Nothing can be more important N
the matter OF conservation than tho
treatment OF our forest lands. Il was
probably the ruthless destruction OF
forests in the older states that hfst
called attention to the necessity Tor a
halt in the waste OF our resources.
This was recognized by congress by
an act authorizing the executive to re
serve from entry and set aside pub
lie timberlands as national forests,
Speaking generally, there has been re-
served OF the existing forests about 90
per cent of all the timberlands OF the
government Within these forests On
Guiding 10000, 600 acres In two forests
in Alaska) are 192,OOO,OOO acres Of
which 1GGO0O,oO0 acres are Il the
United States proper and include with
In their boundaries something like %
100000 acres that belong to the states
or to private individuals
We have, then. excluding Alaska for
ests, total OF about 144.OOOy00O acres
OF forests belonging to the government
which are being treated in accord With
the principles of scientific forestry.
The law now prohibits the reservation
OF any more forest lands In Oregon,
Washington, Idaho, Montana. Colora-
do and Wyoming except by net OF con-
gress. am informed by the depart
ment of agriculture TINT the goverii-
ment owns other tracts Of ttmberla1d
in these states which should be in
Guided In the forest reserves. ! rec
ommend to congress that the limitation
herein imposed be repealed.
In the present forest reserves there
are lands which are not properly for
est land and which ought TO be sub
ject to homestead entry. This has
caused some local irrit1tlOu. We ARE
carefully eliminating such lands from
forest reserves or, where their eliminl-
ton is not practicable. listing them
for entry under the forest homestead
act. Congress- ought TO trust the OK
ecutiVe to use the power OF reservation
only with respect to land most yRlu-
able for forest purposes
During the present administration
6.25O.OoO acres of land, largely non.
timbered, have been excluded from Tor
est reserves, and $780, GOO acres OF land
principally valuable for Forest PUT
poses have been included In forest re.
serves. making n reduction In forest
reserves Of nontimbered land amount
ing to 100000 acres. The bureau Of
forestry since its creation has tnitint
ed reforestatiOn on about 1900 acres.
A great deal OF the forest land Is avail
able for grazing. During the past year
the grazing licensees numbered 25,OST.
and they pastured upon the forest re-
serves 1,4O0,s73 cattle, $3.50 horses
and 7,55S,OJO sheep, for which the gov
eminent received $9s600O, a decrease
from the preceding year OF $45,279
due to the fact that no money WAS col
lected or received for grazing on the
nontimbered lands eliminated from the
forest reserves. Another source "
profit in the forestry is the receiptssfgr
timber sold.
This year they amounted TO 81 ,O43-
400 an TFnrno 81 ~ RQo7 90n. aver flin Fes'