The La Jara chronicle. (La Jara, Conejos County, Colo.) 1896-19??, 1906-01-12

country, there are lo-uuS III Soul 81 VI
construction, dozen huge projects,
and last June, just three years after
the law was passed, the first project
was completed.
OF Vast Import to Nation.
Secretary Hitchcock's vigorous work
in saving the public domain for home
seekers, and in bringing into prac.cal
operation a policy for the absolute
creation out of n desert nothing, OF
thousands and eventually millions or
prosperous American homes is, in
reality the greatest work of the gener-
alton. The actual benefit of this great
internal development and improvement
of the nations property far surpasses
the work of any other department OF
the government.
(7he tollotping rs The last PORTION of he reborf
of me PresidenI's Pn6he Lands Counissfon, tto
Of ,vhOse sre,n6e,J are emi7loyea InaSr SsersIa,y
| Until their ehief'S)
Grazing Lands.
The great bulk of the vacant public
| lands throughout the West are unsuitable
| for cultivation under the present known
| that they can not be reclaimed by irriga--
ton. They are. and probably always must
be- Of shsa Sdqs 5Ds haa
| of public grazing land. an area approxi-
mately equal to one-tifth the extent Of 9 the
can not be set, for with seasonal changes
large areas OF land which afford. good
other. There are also vast tracts of wood
| ed or timbered land in which grazing has
lie d pMbe lands Is mads
it will. be impossible to give with exact
ness the total acreage. The extent is SO
vast and the commercial interests IN
volved SO great as to demand in the nigh
est degree the wise and conservative han
ding of these vast resources; =.
know whether these grazing lands are be-
ing used in the ss waS Country n9r 'o os
whether they are being abused under a
system which is detrimental t to such rase de-
| value of the land is being rapidly de-
At present the vacant public lands are
theoretically open commons, free to all
citizens: but as n mater OF fact large
proportion have been parcelcd out by more
or less definite compacts or agreements
among the various interests. These tacit
agreements are continually being violated,
| The sheepmen and cattlcmen are in fire.
quent collision because of incursions upon
each others domain Land which for
cattle range may be infringed upon by
large bands of sheep. forced by drought
| to migrate. Violence and homicide fire.
quentiy follow, after which new adjust
ments are made and matters quiet down
| the people are utilizing to their own satis-
| faction the open range and their demand
| is to be let alone, SO that they may parcel
out among themselves the use of the
| lands: but an agreement made to-day may
| be broken tomorrow by changing condi-
lions of shifting interests.
| The general lack of control in the use of
public grazing lands has resulted. natu-
rally and inevitably, in overgrazing and
the ruin of millions OF acres of otherwise
valuable grazing territory. Lands useful
| for grazing losing their only capacity
for produCtivencss, as, of course, they
must when no legal control is exercised.
1t is not yet too late to restore the value
of many of the open ranges. Lands APP
| parently denudcd of vegetation have i'm
| proved In condition and productiveness
upon coming under any system of control
| which affords a means of preventing over
| stocking and of applying intelligent man.
| agement to the land. On some large
| tracts the valuable forage plants have
| been utterly extirpated, and 1t is imprac-
| ticable even to reseed them. on other
| tracts 1t will be possible by careful man
| agement for the remaining native plants
| to recover their vigor and to distribute
| seeds, which will eventually restore much
of the former heritage. Prompt and effect
i've action must be taken. however. II the
| value of very much of the remaining pub
lie domain is not to be totally lost.
| The conclusions as to grazing reached
by your commission were based:
First. Upon the results of long acqu3in-
| lance with grazing problems in the public
land States on the part of each member
of your commission.
Second. Upon the results OF careful ex-