Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1912-02-08
NEEDED WORK
Biological Survey Should Not Be
Hampered for Funds.
ITS SERVICES POINTED OUT
stoekmen Especially Are Interested
In the Matter-Every Dollar Spent
Returned Ten Fold to the
People Of the Country.
av aEoReE CLINTON.

TGbHtG VI Nn0 SNhaih |
BY GEORGE CLINTON.
Washington.-Congress being eco
nomically inclined this year there Ia
some fear among the government
scientists Of the biological survey, |
the men who work a large part OF the /,
time on behalf of the agriculturists
of the country, that the appropriation
for the survey may not be increased
SO that it can keep up with its In
creasing work. The truth IL that II
the appropriation Is not cut the mem
bers Of the survey probably will be
happy.
Some years ago members Of the
house committee on agriculture
seemed inclined to cut out entirely
the appropriation for the biological
survey. Theodore Roosevelt was pres
ident at that time and his interest in
the survey was well known, and it
was limited that 1t was a desire Of the
majority of the members of the agri-
cultural committee to slap Mr.. Roose-
welt that led them to consider cutting
out the appropriation entirely.
When it was feared that NO appro-
priation at all was to be made for the
survey by the members Of the Fifty
ninth congress. news Of the fact that
the department might pass from its
sphere of usefulness was sent through
the country by the Washington cor
respondents. The response was In
slant. The mails were loaded with
letters and protests from every state
and territory. The chief OF the sur
vey had letters of support, and the
members of congress heard in pro-
test from hundreds Of people whom
no one supposed from their vocations
in life would take any interest in
natural history research.
All Glasses Interested.
There we're letters by the thou
sands also from the farmers and the
stock raisers and from the students
Of ornithology and mammalogy who
had benefited by the painstaking work
of the n~aturalists whose headquarters
are in Washington, but whose homes
when it is possible, are in the fields
and the woods. The weight Of pub
lie opinion was felt by congress, and
an interest was aroused among mem
bers who barely knew that there was
such an institution as the biological
survey.
1t might be asked what the biolog
ical survey does to benefit the coun
try. Instances of its service are no
difficult to find. The s~tock-raising in
terests of the western states suffel
losses-or rather have suffered unit
recently-to the amount of about $12,
600, 900 yearly through the depreds
lions Of wild animals-wolves. coyote
and cougars.
Poison was the instrument en-
. ployed to kill Thea predatory animals
Strychnine was the means Of deatf
) and while 1t costs thousands of do
lars a year, 1t was by no means efics
) cious. The stockman complained tina
J the wolves bred in the forest reserve
and that the governments policy G
reserves vas in a large measure re
sponsible for the increase In tn
numbers Of the ravening packs.
This argument was used to con
bat the forest reserve plan Of tn
government. Vernon w. Bailey c
q A. llo1arioof 5.,,rynu want uyoct an
3 studied the wolf question. He foun
that the wolves did not breed in tn
5 forest reserves in large numbers. II
located their breeding places, and
D his report told the stockmen how I
rid themselves Of the pests withol
I the necessity of resorting to the cos
: " strychnine poisoning process.
r other Good Work In Hand.
n The scientists today are engaged
0 the work of checking the ~depredatic
n of the ground squirrels Of the far we
q and northwest. The annual damas
IS that these animals infliet on grown
!, crops is estimated at $10,000,0C
Nearly half a million Is spent eat
q wear by the afflicted states in figl
ing the pests. The biological surv,
10 is at work on a plan for the extermi
alton Of the squirrels, a plan tn
is promises success.
t. One of the labors Of the scientis
r of the survey has been to show t
1t different states how the full benef
,e of game protection may be obtaint
b, and how the game in each state m
be made to yield an important amt
lie revenue Illinois alone, as a dire
L. result Of information from the biolt
h ical survey, has added to its
v, come annually $125,000. The sta
1t of Missouri has benefited to the
or tent Of $4,000, and more money "
to come to it if it follows more close
If. the directions which 1t can get era
IN from the government officials.
va Honor Given Senator Kern.
ar vice.President Sherman has appoi
ed Senator Kern Of Indiana to re
Washington's farewell address in
II senate on the birthday Of the
ther Of his Country. Already do
no in the city of Alexandria, Vassol
u, a few miles from Washington, tt