TABLE 4.-Information as to June 30, 1927, as to purchase units and lands being acquired under the act of March 1, 1911—Continued

Total price

$252, 315. 21

252, 315. 21

1,558, 133. 47

Table 5 shows the number of tracts, the acreage of lands, the price per acre, and the total price by purchase units and by States approved for purchase during the fiscal year ended June 30, 1927. TABLE 5.—Land approved for purchase, fiscal year 1927 by purchase units and

States, average price per acre, and total price

Table 6 shows the gross area of the purchase units and the per cent of land which has been acquired in each unit, or which is being acquired of the purchasable land. By purchasable land is meant the net area after eliminating from the gross area of the unit the area of agricultural land, the area of the land held for water-power purposes, and the area of land held by private owners for permanent timber production. Table 6 shows that still slightly less than one-half of the purchasable area has been or is being acquired within the purchase unit in the Eastern States.

The largest proportion of land has been acquired on the Alabama, 68 per cent, and the Natural Bridge 62 per cent. The lowest proportion has been acquired on the Nantahala, upon which only 16 per cent of the area suitable for national forest purposes has been authorized for purchase. The Ouachita, Ozark, Superior, and Tawas are public domain national forests. Only a small proportion of the areas of these units has been acquired through purchase, although on both the Ouachita and Ozark consolidation is largely effected. Considering the Superior and Tawas alone in District No. 2, 44 per cent has been acquired, and considering the Eastern States, District No. 7, 48 per cent has been acquired.

TABLE 6.—Gross area of purchase units and per cent of land acquired in each unit

White Mountain purchase unit.-During the past year nine tracts, one being located in Maine and the others in New Hampshire and having a combined area of 10,010 acres, were approved for purchase on the White Mountain unit at a price of $8.53 per acre. They carry comparatively heavy stands of young growth suitable for pulp and some merchantable saw timber, a portion of the timber being valuable spruce. All of these tracts are so situated as to effect desirable consolidation. The total area which has been approved for purchase on this unit now amounts to 470,689 acres, which, if 83,000 acres of private lands now being managed for permanent yield is not acquired, is 50 per cent of the purchasable area. Negotiations are now in progress for several large tracts in Grafton County, N. H., in the towns of Livermore and Waterville and on the watershed of the Wild Ammonoosuc River, which will result in consolidation at a number of places in case the negotiations terminate successfully and the lands are acquired. The acquisition of these lands would also bring under Government control an additional area of forested lands located on high slopes of several mountains, much of it so situated as to have high value for protection forest. Future purchase work looks forward to acquiring additional lands in the southwestern portion of the unit, especially on the headwaters of Pemigewasset, Sawyer, and Swift Rivers. Lands on these streams are at present in process of being cut over, and can not be acquired until cutting operations have been completed and the owners desire to sell.

Allegheny purchase unit.-During the past year the purchase of additional lands to the aggregate amount of 35,503 acres, at $7.78 an acre, in 26 different tracts was authorized on this unit. The most outstanding purchase was a tract of 13,859 acres, being acquired at $12.25 an acre. It not only carries a considerable amount of merchantable timber and valuable young growth but is so situated that it contributes very largely to the consolidation of lands already approved for purchase on the unit. There is also being acquired a tract of 9,600 acres, and two tracts of between 1,000 and 2,000 acres each. The other tracts are smaller. The total area this approved