The growth of the National Forests in the public land states of the west was largely a spasmodic mushroom growth. The first Forests were created under the authority of the Act of 1891, which provided merely for reservation without administration. A sudden increase in these areas, through Presidential proclamation, was at first set aside by Congress but resulted in the passage of the Act of June 4, 1897, which provided for the administration and protection of the areas reserved. The great body of timber land under Government ownership today was withdrawn during the ten years following the passage of that Act, the National Forest area, inclusive of Alaska, reaching its maximum April 20, 1910, with a total of 167,710,956 acres, gross.

The Minnesota National Forest was created by an Act of Congress in 1902. It comprises a net area of 197,000 acres. The tract is located at the headwaters of the Mississippi River and aside from an economic standpoint, is valuable as a protection forest and also as a public recreation ·ground. It is known throughout the middle west and even on the Atlantic Coast as the playground of Minnesota. Its many lakes, its excellent beaches and bathing facilities, combined with a stand of virgin white and norway pine, such as can be found nowhere else in the United States, attract many tourists. As a result, during the past four years, two summer hotels have been constructed. In addition, thirty-five summer homes have been built along the lake shores by people from Minnesota, Iowa, North and South Dakota, Nebraska, Missouri, Illinois and even New York.

Published Annually by the Ames Forestry Club

The wag who said he had no use for forestry because "Posterity has never done anything for me'' was fairly well informed and very honest. The man who waxed warm on the wastefulness of the lumberman and the timeliness of forestry and then pastured his woods and kept them full of dead and down timber was also well informed but not so honest. The County Fair visitor who asked the man in the forestry booth whether he was an organizer for the Ancient Order of Foresters or a Tree Surgery expert was honest enough but in sore need of information. These men represent very well the attitude of the average citizen who has any idea of forestry at all. They also stand as an eloquent indication of the great opportunity in educational work for the general public along forestry lines.

In a previous issue of the Forester the writer traced the early history of the United States forestry policy. In a monograph which is now in the publisher's hands the history of that forest policy has been brought down to the present time, and the results have been analyzed in detail. In that monograph the writer has indicated how as a result of the unwise policy pursued by Congress most of the timberlands of the country have gravitated into the hands of a few holders, and how, upon the basis of this concentration in the ownership of the standing timber, there have developed certain monopolistic conditions in the lumber manufacturing industry. It is the purpose of the present article to consider the various ways of dealing with this so-called "lumber trust".