The evening herald. [volume] (Albuquerque, New Mexico) 1914-1922, 1915-07-28
L%OGGEO-OVERA AREAS
SOLVE PROBLEM OF
settlement
Forest Service Ayers That De-
velopment of Tracts from
Which Timber Has Been
Cut offer Solution.

4 INNN nNEluI NhN ANANHA ~ 800
classified a. agricultural and opened
To- public entry more than 1850 in
dividual scattered tracts OF land in
the national forests. comprising more
than i.1OO,0 600 acres. says an article
by the chief forester. published Ia
the year hook OF the department Ot
agriculture. just issued. within the
last two years, in addition. several
large blocks nave been eliminated
n-ggrogating more than 2,j0O. 600
lacfcs. while nearly 1000, 900 acres
more are now under consideration
Tor elimination. All the remaining
agricultural land In the national for
ests In confined chiefly in isolated
tracts scattered here and there, 10
restricted areas requiring irrigation
where water canno be obtained aud
To certain river bottoms ana benches
which are not covered with very
heavy ANA valuable timber
A constant pressure is bciag
brought Ca bear IN the GoNornment
by private individuals who want 60
acquire possession OF these heavily
timbered agricultural lands. single
quarter sections Of which often have
"A value as high NJ 100000 for the
timber alone. In spite of the fact
that some OF these lands have soil
suitable Tor agriculture. To- throw
them open as homesteads would not
result In farm development. d
has been proven over ana over again
where lands of this kind. acquired
under the homestead law. are today
held not by homcstcadors but by
lumber companies. who promptly
purchased them from the settlers us
- .. az - 80. Ha. .HH.rY
mcnt-u speculative process which ct-
fcotVeiy prevents men ol SINAI
means from acquiring land u cEtab-
fishing homes.
The government Is withholdlns
from agricultural entry an such hca,-
ny umhcrcd land until after the TIM
Der Is cut of. As soon az this is
done the land will bee opened Co entry
and settlers will be- able To acquire
directly from the government with
out cost. instead OF having TO pay
from $40 Co 500 an acre 10 and spec
~ulators. For example. on the kani-
kan national forest in Idaho "a
Washington the governments timber
sales have been made To- include much
ol the remaining timbcrcd u%grlcultur-
al land. Within eight years mlly In-
900 acres will be iladr available for
settlement. Permanent homes VIII
Doe established hy the settlers. amt
there viii bee available for tho use uf
IcummuuuAfs. approximately Az. 900.
for roads and schuols. their leea!
share Of the proceeds from the TIM
Der snlcs. Private ownership ot
heavily timacrcd agricultural lsnd
blocks farming i~oyeluuwoni. says thc
l%urti,!o. government ownership inc
suro@ such development, under yundI-
tons that give uuportluitios tu The
small settler whose only capital is bus
strength and courageous porsrNci-
ancc.
one of the most serious 1gricul-
turIl problems at the northwest tudHH
is the development oi the lurrcd-ult
lands In private ownership Joe ore
Eun ana Washington alone more than
three million acres ui such logged
of lands are lying idle. although
} much of this area has fine aEri,ul-
tur1l soil and a climate t1at iusur's
abundant CROPS and the Development
Of thriving communities. Yet boo ina.
same region hundreds of settlers ar"
seeking 90 lind places iu the national
forests, usually remote from trans
portation, high IN the mouutaIu..
" ltl' lNf fllllIAAf OF NNA|N NNN ''
soil relatively poor, simply because
the good lands "a lower levels outside
the forests are held by tile Hpc,u.ftuts
at prohibitiye prices. The true s"lu
zion of the problem of agriculture in
such sections Is To develop" the ri.h
l~lugged-off private lands that De out
side the forests, and not to throw
open tho nol-1gricultural lands with
in the forests.
To show how thorough is the land
classification WORK of the forest gcrN
ice. the kooton1i valley iu Montana
may bee taken a- AN example. uuntIn-
uoe the article. Here % large river
winds for 100 miles through the ma
tionul forest At many points steep.
dcuscly forestod hills drop down tu
the waters edge, making tho valley a.
gorge or canyon. Hero ana there
bars i'm tho river have resulted boo de-
: posts of silt. forming long, narrow
bottoms. or level Islands, which are
I worry fertile. Part wuy up Che mu1u-
tain slopes occasional benches uf land
afford "a few uorcs of fertile soil ~
/, first Il was proposed 90 throw out the
/, entire valley. % strip of three miles
, In width on either side of the river.
N~inoty-fivo per cont OF this belt.
however, is non-ugrirultural lana
, whose cultivation should not Do" 1l-
I tempted. It's best use to % local r"m-
I, munity. az wen ns 90 the country ui
/, large, o. for timber own SEQ iu-
stead Of opening the whole valley in
public entry by settlers, the forest
service has p-ainstukinsiy surveyed
every little river bottom island ui
; bench. when contains enough arabic
: luud 10 support o homo. Many "l
these patches nre small. but the s"I'
b. so fertile that homes can hc main
tanned ON them hy Intensive irngh
farming or orchnrding va this il7h-
ion moro than three hundred farms
huvc been carved ont of this valley
i. at tho Kootcnai national forest.