The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1909-04-07
Use and Development Of Resources of
National Forests.

Use and Development Of Resources OF
National Forests.
Ogden. Utah, March 27.-The aim
OF the Forest Service. under specific
instructions from the president and
secretary of agriculture, is to aid the
people in obtaining the fullest use of
all forest resources which Is compat..
ible with the purposes for which the
forests were created.
Not only the water. wood and for
age. but the land itself is-to be devot-
ed to the most productive use. for
the permanent good of the whole
people.
This means that all lands within
the forests. which are chiefly valuable
for agriculture. and which are not
needed for administrative purposes,
shall be thrown open to settlement
and entry so that citizens may till
them. build homes upon them and
finally obtain title to them, just as on
similar lands outside the forests. In
order to make such action possible
congress. on June IL. 1905. passed a
special act empowering the secretary
OF agriculture to determine what
lands should be released from the
fofests and given up to homestead en-
try. Since that time a corps Of we'll
qualified examiners have been en-
ployed at all seasons when weather
has permitted the survey and exami-
nations necessary to define the agri-
cultural areas It IL frequently a mat
ter Of the utmost difficulty for an ex.
aminer to decide whether lands are
or are not agricultural in nature.
Such areas are usually in a mountain
valley. often at high attitudes. and at
some distance above the highest
farms which trial has proved to be
agricultural In nature.
There are droughts in summer,
heavy SHOWS In winter. and frosts. oc-
curing possibly every month in the
year to be considered. The land may
be steep. stony. with cold or shallow
soil, hard to irrigate. and more or less
covered with brush or stvmps or tim
Der.
The applicant is invariably an opti-
mist and his friends will tell of. the
crops. grown out of reason, no neigh
boring land or similar locations. Of
ten the water is completely appro-
priated by prior settlers. The land
| may be fertile and yet subject to q
climate which makes impossible the
continuous residence demanded by
the homestead law. In cases Of doubt
a liberal policy Is pursued and the
benefit of the doubt given to the ap
| plicant.
In spite of the benevolent intention
OF the special forest homestead law
and the liberal way in which it has
been interpreted by the forest officers
there has arisen some dissatisfaction
over the decisions in specific cases
This Is due In part to contrast with
the lax, easy-going methods which
have prevailed in past years in par
ceiling out the public lands under
other statutes. Certain applicant.
have been greatly disappointed to find
, that they could not obtain title to
tracts Of valuable timber under this
law. Others applied for tracts which
1t was necessary for the Forest Ser
| vice to retain in order to make homes
or pastures for the use of the rang
ers. In denying such applications the
Forest Service acted merely for self
preservation. as any prudent business
| man would have to do under similar
circumstances. A much larger force
of rangers will be necessary in the fu-
ture and these men must have head
| quarters i'm the mountains from
| which to do their work. 1t would be
extremely unwise for the government
to give up lands needed for such pur-
poses since 1t would probably be com
PEELED to buy them back in later
years at enhanced prices.
| 1t Is the invariable practice to in
vestigate thoroughly the moral rights