The public lands disposed of by the Government during the year reached
8,453,896.92 acres, an increase of 614,780.26 acres over the previous
year. The total receipts from public lands during the fiscal year
amounted to $2,277,995.18, an increase of $190,063.90 over the preceding
year. The lands embraced in the eleven forest reservations which were
suspended by the act of June 4, 1897, again became subject to the
operations of the proclamations of February 22, 1897, creating them,
which added an estimated amount of 19,951,360 acres to the area embraced
in the reserves previously created. In addition thereto two new reserves
were created during the year--the Pine Mountain and Zaca Lake Reserve,
in California, embracing 1,644,594 acres, and the Prescott Reserve, in
Arizona, embracing 10,240 acres--while the Pecos River Reserve, in New
Mexico, has been changed and enlarged to include 120,000 additional
acres.

At the close of the year thirty forest reservations, not including those
of the Afognak Forest and the Fish-Culture Reserve, in Alaska, had been
created by Executive proclamations under section 24 of the act of March
3, 1891, embracing an estimated area of 40,719,474 acres.

The Department of the Interior has inaugurated a forest system, made
possible by the act of July, 1898, for a graded force of officers in
control of the reserves. This system has only been in full operation
since August, but good results have already been secured in many
sections. The reports received indicate that the system of patrol has
not only prevented destructive fires from gaining headway, but has
diminished the number of fires.

The special attention of the Congress is called to that part of
the report of the Secretary of the Interior in relation to the Five