Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1913-03-08
LAND CLASSIFICATION
Department Of Agriculture to Begin
Classification Of all Lands in
National Forests.

j The last session OF Congress appropri.
ated $35 900 in order to make it possi-
BILE for the Department of Agriculture to
begin classi fication of all lands within
the National Forests, for the purpose of
positively determining for what use the
various lands found within the Forests
are most valuable. The particular OBJ
|ject in view is to determine the lands
suitable for agricultural purposes, in Or
der that they shall be open to entry by
homestead settlers. The Department of
Agriculture last summer began the class.
ifcstion work on several different For
ests throughout the West, and this year
it is expected that considerably great
or sum will be appropriated in order
that this work may be continued with
greater rapidity and complete classifca-
tion of all lands within the Forests made
at as early date As practicable.
! The classification of all lands within
the National Forests into their various
classes according to the use to which
they are best adapted. is a vast under
taking and will require q number of
years to complete, but cannot help but
result in an enormous amount of good,
since when the work is completed, it
will have been definitely determined
what areas will permanently bs used for
timber production and what for agri-
culture.
The classification work will be done
under the direction of the Forest Ser
vice, assisted by the Bureau of Soils.
Only men who have had practicable ex-
perience in agriculture, as well as scien-
tifc training, will have charge of this
work. The examination will be thorough
and final and will thus do away with
the necessity of re.examining any par
ticular area, and thereby incurring in.
creased expense.
The policy to be followed in the class
fication work may be briefly outlined as
follows:
Agricultural land" will be defined as
meaning land whose conditions of clim-
ate, topography and soil positively adapt
it to permanent cultivation and the pro
duction annually of a reasonable yield
of farm crops. Lands whose conditions
of climate, topography or soil positively
preclude its permanent cultivation and
the production annually of a farm crop,
will be defined as "non-agricultural
land" Any tract, the soil of which is
suitable for agricultural purposes, found
to have temporary value for other pur-
poses greater than its value for agricul.
ture, which would attract entrymen to
take up the land for other purposes than
farming, and thus promote speculation
and make it likely that the land would
be sold and not held for residence and
cultivation, will be withheld from entry
until such time as the other values have
disappeared, as in the case of timber
values. A tract of land whose soil con-
dition makes it suitable for agriculture
may have temporary higher value for
the timber growing thereon. Where
such is the case, the land would be class
flied as being of greater temporary
value for timber purposes than for agri-
cultural purposes, but as soon as the
timber was removed, it would then be
classified as valuable for agriculture. In
order to promote agricultural settlement
where lands of this class are found, it
will be the policy of the Government to
dispose of the timber from the land az
quickly as possible, in order that the
land may be open to entry and made
available to homestead settlement. In
all cases, the actual present sale value
for the various classes of lands or pro-
ducts, will be considered, or the COM
parative values in the sale of land in the
open market for the various purposes.
1t is recognized, however, that the land
suitable for the permanent production
of annual, agricultural crops, is of high
or value for agricultural purposes than
any other permanent value, unless the
tract is 80 peculiarly situated that it con-
trolls a valuable power site, reservoir
site, or the means of access to large
bodies of timber, or is otherwise needed
for rights of way purposes by the gen.
eral community.
The classification of lands within the
Harney National Forest will be of great
importance to this community, since it
is the intention of the Agricultural De-
partment to Immediately list all lands,
suitable for agriculture, for homestead
entry. Thus making it unnecessary for
a homesteader to apply for any particu-
lar tract of land he desired, and then
wait for the land to be examined and
opened to entry. This will mean more
!, homesteaders in the Harney National
Forest, and it will also mean that some,
who have not l6O acres of land in their
present holdings, may be able to in
crease their claims to perhaps 100 acres,
as agricultural land adjacent to their
places is segregated.
1t is planned to resume the land class
iication work on the Harney Forest
ljust as early in the spring as satisfactory
field work can be conducted.