The Washington times., 1915-11-04
MILLIONS Of ACRES
ARE LYING USELESS
Spectators Hold Logged.0ff
Private Lands at Prohibitive
Prices.

In the last decade the Forest Service
has classified ms agricultural and
opened TO the public entry more than
Il. 500 Individual scattered tracts OF lana
in the national forests. comprising more
than l.7OO 900 acres. says an article ny
the chief forester published In the year
Book of the DEPARTING mt OF Agriculture
In the last two years. In addition.
several large blocks have been eImi,
mated, aggregating more than Z'SoVo
acres. and almost 2VO.UU acres more
are now under conside ration for elm
Ali the remaining agricultural land
In the national forests is confined chie1,
ly In Isolated tracts scattered mere ana
thSre; to restricted areas requiring r.
rigation. where water cannot be OBJ
tained. and to certain river bottoms
and benches which are not covered
with heavy and valuable timber:
A constant pressure Is being brought
to bear on the Goverpment by private
individuals who want to acquire pos
session of these heavily timbered agri-
cultural lands. single quarter sections
OF which often have value ar hish as
so 6fO for the timber alone.
In spite of the fact that some OF these
lands have soil suitable for agriculture.
to throw them open as homesteads
would not result In farm development
This has been proved over and over
again wntH IdTus VI tiis "Ste's va
under the homestead law, are today
held not by honest. aders, but by lum.
her companies. who promptly purchased
them from the settlers as soon as titie
Pr ssed from the Governmental specu-
iative process which effectively pre-
| vents men OF small means from acauir-
ing land and establishing homes.
Timbered Land Withheld.
The Government Is withholding from
m i,,,lt all allCh heavily, tm-
bered land until after the timber Is cut
| Oft As soon AS this Is done the land
will be opened to entry, and settlers
will be able to acquire 1t directly from
| the Government without cost. instead
| Of having to pay from $40 to $50 an acre
| to land spectators.
For example. on the Keniksu Ma
| tional Forest in Idaho and Washington.
the Governments timber sales have
| been made to include much of the re-
naming timbered agricultural land.
Within eight years. fully 10000 acres
will be made available for settlement.
, Permanent homes will be established by
the settlers. and there will be available
mately S225. 900 for roads and schools.
their legal share OF the proceeds from
| the timber sales.
Private ownership of heavily timber
ed agricultural land blocks farming
development. says the article: Govern
ment ownership insures such develop
ment under conditions that give oppor-
tunities to the small settler. whose
only capital is his strength and cour-
| ageous perseverance.
| One of the most serious agricultural
problems of the Northwest Is the de.
velopment OF the logged-off lands In
private ownership. In Oregon ano
| Washington alone more than 3.G1.T'
acres of such iogged-off lands are lyine
idle. although much of this area has
fine agricultural soil and climate that
insures abundant crops and the de-
velopment of thriving communities. Ye
in this same region hundreds of settlers
are seeking to find places in the ma
tional forests, usually remote from
transportation, high in the mountains
where the climate Is harsh and the sol
good lands at lower levels outside tht
forests are held by the spectators a
prohibitive prices.
Solution of the Problem.
The true solution of the problem o
4 agriculture in such sections Is to de
velop the rich logged-or private land
that lie outside the forests. and not T.
throw open the agricultural land
within the forests
To show how thorough Is the lan'
classification work OF the forest serv
ice the kootenai Valley. in Montana
may be taken as an example. con con
tinues the article: Here a large rive rye
forest. At many points steep. densei
forested hills drop down to the water
edge. making the valley a gorge o
canyon. Here and there bars In tn
river have resulted In deposits OF sill,
forming long. narrow bottoms or levs
Stands. which are very fertile,
Part way up the mountain slope
occasional benches OF land AFFORD
: few acres of fertile soil. At first
was proposed to throw out the entii
, valley. a strip three miles In width O
either side OF the river 95 per cer
of this belt. however. Is nom -agriculturi
land. whose cultivation should not
, attempted. Its best use to local con
/ munity. as we'll as to the country 1
a. large. Is for timber growing. SO instea
Of opening the whole valley to publ
, entry for settlers, the forest servit
5 has painstakingiy surveyed every litt
I rver bottom, island or bench which col
, tnins enough arabic land to support
9 home. Many Of these patches are sma
D but their soil Is so fertile that homes ca
E be maintained on them by intensi'
( carved out Of this valley Of the Kooten
National Forest