The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1911-05-19
TWO YEARS OF
 CONSERVATION.
Work of the Geological Sur vey on Public Coal, Oil, Water Power, and Phos- phate Lands.

Oyer seventy million acres of coal land in the West is still owned Dy Uncle Sam. The coal contents Of this land is enormous; it can be figured Some tracts are of immense value, containing beds of coal of the high est grade, 30, 40, 50 and even 80 feet or more in thickness. The old wayiwas to sell the coal land, regard less of value, at the absurd figure of sIO an acre if 1t was more than 15 miles from a railroad or at $20 if within that limit. The present way is 10 measure the coal in an acre and sell sthe land at a price determined coaF land has been priced as high Aas s4Go an acre and one tract at even $500 an acre. Since March 4, 1909, the Geological Survey has classified. by 4O-acre tracts S,527,166 acres of the Government coal lands, at a total valuation of s560,S15,051. Includ- ing the work done under the last ad- ministration total of 13,4SO,539 acres has now been classified as coal land, at a valuation of $63b619, ,418. At the s10 to SEQ minimum rate these lands would have a valuation of s21S,2S9.942, so that the work done has resulted in a gain to the Gov ernment of nearly $420,00O,000. It It may be noted that the proceeds Of coal-land sales are all deposited to
 
 the fund that pays for the construc- ton of the Governments vast water storage projects.
 Government Appraisal Is Accepted.
 The work involved in the classifica- ton and valuation of the nations coal fields is immense and the scheme under which it has been worked out is remarkably accurate and scientific. The best evidence of its accuracy is the ready acceptance of the estimates and valuations by purchasers of coal lands and the fact that the Geological Survey is con- stantly receiving applications and pe- titions for the classification of coal lands.
 Enormous Tract of Coal Land in
 Montana.
 As result of geologic field exam nations this administration has also withdrawn 62,14O,54S acres of prob able coal land and has restored to agricultural entry 1S,777,756 acres of non-coal land, which had been with drawn from entry pending the Geo. logical Surveys determination of its character A single Montana with drawaI, made last July, included 20.- 20S.S65 acres. The amount of coal contained in this area is almost in- credibly great. A single 4O-acre tract. for example, contains over two and a half million tons of coal. The present outstanding withdrawals awaiting geologic classification aggre- gate SO,007,6SS acres.
 Large Withdrawals of Oil Land.
 Another public fuel resource in the conservation of which the administra- ton is taking an active interest Is oil Many of the public-land States are underlain by deposits of petro- leum. with which natural gas is fre- uuently associated. Two years ago the Geological Survey reported to the National Conservation Commission that the oil contained in the Califor- mia deposits alone amounted to eight and half billion barrels, and this estimate is now declared to be mod crate. Careful geologic examination has been made of the western oil fields. and 3796572 acres of public oil land have been withdrawn from entry in California, Oregon, Wyom- ing Utah, New Mexico, Colorado, and Louisiana These withdrawals are made in aid of proposed legislation, for the present gold-pIacer law un- der which oil or gas land must be acquired is absurdly inadequate and provides no means by which the Gov ernment can retain an oil supply for the Navy. every new ship of which is now equipped with oil-burning fur naces.
 Conserving the Public Water Powers.
 W1thdrdWalS or WdIeT-pOWeT sites on public lands by the Geological Survey in aid of proposed legislation have included thousands of sites. The withdrawals made during the last two years cover 161 streams in 12 States and aggregate 1,403,054 acres.
 Discoveries of Phosphate Beds.
 Even the classification of agricul- fural land in the West has devolved upon the Geological Survey, which during the last two years has desig- mated S6.005,S5S acres as non-irri- gable and thus subject to entry un- der the enlarged homestead act.
 The GeoIogical Survey has contrib Ited most notably to the farming in torestS in connection with the dis covery and classification of phosphate lands Phosphate is as necessary a plant food as potash The worlds supply of phosphate is small, but for tuuately@th largest known deposits