Rensselaer Republican, Volume 21, Number 49, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 8 August 1889 — THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS. [ARTICLE]

THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS.

Some Start! tasr Plsuns as to Timber Stealing*—Extant and Influence of Irrigation Works, Tho Secretary of Agriculture has issued a lengthy report on the “Forest Conditions of the Rocky Mountains,” in which munh information of an interesting character is given. The forest area of the Rockies includes large portions of Idaho, Montana and Wyoming Territories, and also of Colorado. There are also smaller tracks in Utah and New Mexico. The importance of the districts surrounding these forests has largely Increased. The pioneer days are rapidly disappearing before the energetic push and advancement of railroad building and settlements, and, to use the words of the report, “with the changed conditions of life in communities instead of in isolated log huts, a change in the manner of life and its adjustments to the demands of civilized existence is called for." In point of population, the Rooky Mountain region has grown vary rapidly during the last seventeen

years; in 1870 the inhabitants numbered only 263,286, whereas in 1886 the total exceeded 900,000. The assessed valuation, exclusive of mines, increased during the same period from leu than $100,000,000 to over $330,000,000. The growth is largely attributed in the liberal Government policy in reguard to railroad grants, mineral claims and land entries. About one-third of the total grants have been for educational purposes, and under the desert land act 1,193,548 acres have been given up at $1 an acre. Under the timber oulture act, about 400,000 acres have been entered. In 1887 the Commissioner of the Land office instituted a service of special agents, and in 1878 a special appropriation of $25,000 was made “to meet the expenses of suppressing depredations upon timber on the public lands." Yet during the seven years ending 1877 nearly $87,000,000 worth of timber was stolen. Of this loss about half a million dollars was recovered by the efforts of the special agents, who collected from depredators $23,000 more than they drew for salary and expenses during the period. Much of this stealing was from the district covered by the report, and the losses are regarded as especially serious from the fact that the climate of the region is not naturally favorable to tree growth, at any rate not to the germination of seeds of coniferous trees, which form there the natural growth. These u nfavorable conditions

Are moreover Increased by wholesale clearing, which lays bare the thin soil to the influence of drying sun and winds, and by the frequency of fires whioh destroy the seedlings. Under the circumstances the rapid selling and granting of timber lands is not regarded as good policy, and the consequences of a similar course in Franoe, Switzerland, Spain and Italy are quoted in support of the argument The forests of the Rocky Mountains sustain an important relation to the western half of the United States, if, indeed, their influence is not more widely extended. They are mostly Bituated on the lands of the General Government, and are not subject to State or Territorial control. Tn the opinion of the department, the measures in foroe for their maintenance and protection are “extremely ineffectual." The Rocky Mountains themselves include all the mountains in North—America between* the Great Plains and the Pacific Ooean, extending to the Artie Ocean on the north and to Mexico on the south. The greatest expanse is between the thirtyeighth and forty-second degrees of north latitude, where the system has a breadth of 1.000 miles, chiefly in Utah Colorado and Nevada. The highest peak is Mount St- Elias, in Alaska, which rises to an altitude of 19,500 feet above the sea level The mountains are generally massive and rugged, with vast solitudes and deep canyons in their midst The average elevation in Montana is 3,000 feet; iq Idaho, 4,700; in Wyoming, 6,000; inj Colorado, 7,000, and in New Mexico, 5,600. ——~ Lai d in this region appears at first sight to be worthless, but experiments prove it to be extremely fertile. On the great Columbia of Eastern Washington no wheat was sown a few years ago, and no one thought of sowing any, but now some of the finest wheat fields of the world oan be found pa it The arable lands of the Rooky Mountains are mainly in the valleys, which have gathered the detritus of the mountains for ages. The soil is therefore very deep and fertile, so much so that two crops can be obtained in one year. The extraordinary mining de▼elopexnent of the region uid its immense grazing resources are widely known and appreciated, but its agricultural possibilities are not at present generally appreciated. In some tonalities in the mountains farming operations are carried on successfully ia the mountain districts, out, as a rule, the aid of irrigation has to be sought, and always'with gratifying results. Colorado has 1,000 miles of main Irrigating eanats, 3,600 miles of second-class canals and 40,000 miles of ditches. Wyoming has over 300,000 acres under irrigation. In Utah there are 2,810 miles of main and 7,750 miles of tributary irrigating 656,000 aores. New Mexico has aa much land under irrigation ae Utah, with projected ’ttorim of fv greater extant. t^lm . O’ - ......... ...... ..

aad Montana have both considerable works of irrigation. Throughout the region the cattle-grazing interests are very larg9, and in 1887 there were about 5,000,000 head- on the grazing lands. At the same time there were over 7,ooo,ooo.sheep.