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Show COMWSSIONEB OF INDIAN AFFAIRS. 41 force. The 334 fires reported burned over 138,989 acres, and $10,816.15 was expended for labor and supplies, in addition to the salaries of the regular forest employees. The amount of standing timber injured was estimated at 12,633,000 feet board measure, and the total damage done to timber, reproduction, forage, and improve-ments was estimated at $66,956.85. Of this estimated amount, $40,446.50 was for damage to reproduction and $10,352.85 for loss of forage. At the sale of Choctaw tribal timber land held in November, 1914, to which reference was made on page 39 of my last annual report, 145,118.55 acres were sold for $468,847.04. This amount was $33,- 336.19 in excess of the appraised value of the lands sold. Approxi-mately 824,000 acres of these lands remain unsold. Logging operations were continued during the winter of 191615 on the Bad River, Lac Courte Oreille, and Leech Lake Reservations. The amount cut on each reservation is shown in the statistical appendix accompanying this report. There were no logging opera-tions on the Fond du Lac and Lac du Flambeau Reservations. On the Red Lake Reservations over a million feet were cut by the In-didns. Minor operations were conducted on the White Earth and Mackinac Agencies under contracts approved in previous years. As soon as the weather would permit in April, 1915, a crew of 12 men was started on a cruise of the timber within the Quinaielt Indian Reservation, Wash. This crnise is being conducted primarily by the strip-valuation method; but other methods have been used as checks to provide against errors to which that system may lead when em-ployed exclusively. This reservation contains over 200,000 acres, most of which is timbered. Data are being obtained for the prepara-tion of a contour map, and notes are being taken as to soil and other features. It is expected that about one-half of the reservation can be sxamined during the working season of 1915. MENOMINEE RESERVATION. In September, 1914, work was begun on a thorough examination of land and an estimate of the timber on the Menominee Indian Reser-vation. The autumn and early winter were very favorable to the prosecution of this work bemuse of the light precipitation. Early in April, 1915, the work was resumed, and will be completed about I November 1,1915. Although the act of March 28,1908 (35 Stat. L., I 51), under authority of which the Neopit project was established, contemplated a management of the Menominee forests in accordance with forestry principles, no comprehensive estimate of the timber on the reservation has been undertaken previous to the examination now in progress. This cruise will furnish definite and detailed informa- |