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Show DISCUSSION OF FORESTS IT BBBSBHSSSB1 Secretary. Wilson Talks to Forestry Congress-Mn Congress-Mn Washington. ' WASHINGTON, Jan. 3. More than 500 delegate were present in National Rifles armory today when Secretary of Agriculture Wilson, president of th$ American Forestry congress, the first of Its kind held in "this country, called that body to order. The meeting is under the auspices of the American Forestry association and will be continued con-tinued throughout the week. Secretary Wilson welcomed the delegates and delivered de-livered an address, saying In part; Seoretary Wilson said ir part: The extension of railroads, the settlement settle-ment of the public domain, the building of cities, towns and villages, the use of wood in paper-making, the opening of mines, call for more -wood every year, and the forests respond to the demand. There are only a few large reserves left from which to draw supplies. The extreme east, the extreme west and the gulf coast re now our source of commercial supply. sup-ply. I am glad to see the irrigation interests so strongly represented here, because forestry for-estry and irrigation go hand in hand in the agricultural development of the West The West must have water, and that a eure and permanent supply. Unless the forests at the headwaters of the streams used In irrigation are protected, that Is Impossible and irrigation will fail. Unless Un-less we practice forestry in the mountain forests In the West the expenditure under the national Irrigation law will be fruitless fruit-less and the wise policy of the Government Govern-ment In the agricultural development of the arid regions will fail. Without forestry for-estry national irrigation will be a national mistake. The regulation of grazing upon the pub-lio pub-lio forest lands is a forest question, and like all other national forest questions, its settlement always should be for the beet interests of the people most deeply interested. in-terested. The- principles which control the conservative use of the public range are identical with those which control the conservative use of the public forests. The objects are a constant supply of wood and water on the one hand, and of forage for-age on the : other. Just as the sawmills eventually- must shut down unless forestry for-estry is applied to the forest from which the saw- log-Si come, mo- the horses, the cattle and the sheep Of tbe West onust decrease bettt in quality and number unless un-less the range lands of the arid region are wisely used. Over-grazing is Just as fatal to the live-stock industry as destructive de-structive logging Is to the lumber Indus- raportance of the public forest lands to mining Is direct and Intimate. Mines cannot be developed without wood ,any more than arid lands can become Froductlve without water. The public orest lands are and must continue to be the chief source of timbers used in our Western mines. |