Evening star., 1915-04-04

Owned by q. S. remstns rev much
the general public suspects. At the
present time the general land office es-
Inmates that close to 300,000.o00 acres
remain In the ownership of the United
States. a great amount of which is
mountainous and some of which is
desert land.
Nevertheless, there must be consid-
cradle of the land that is of value for
homesteads. for the Department of the
Interior is still doing "a land office
business" disposing of about 15.000,oO0
acres each year. Last year 16,500.000
acres of public and Indian lands were
entered upon, and patents were finally
allowed on 14.500.0O0 acres, involving
about $4,000 holders. Ten million OF
these acres went into homesteads.
Altogether. the people paid into the
United States Treasury little more
than s4.000.0OO for this land, which
undoubtedly Classics the land office
among the big realty corporations of
the country. That peculiar idea main
tanned by numerous people that it is
no crime to steal public land or natural
resources, such as timber and minerals,
from the United States, resulted in a
loss to the federal government of just
s500,000 last year. 1t also made neces-
sary the employment of f19 special
agents, whose duty it was to see that
the criminals were caught and COM
PEELED to disgorge.
These special agents turned back to
the government a quarter of a million
dollars and half million acres Of land
fraudulently obtained were restored to
the public domain. In addition they
obtained the conviction of twenty-s six
persons in criminal cases and seven OF
the thieves were sentenced to the peni-
tentiary. Clay Tallman. commissioner
of the land office, is much pleased with
the work of his field agents during the
year. After. paying tribute to their
efficiency as trained officials. he said:
THE field force exists not only for
the purpose of preventing and check
ing violations of the public land laws
and attempts fraudulently to acquire
the public domain, but also for the
purpose of aiding and helping the hon
est settler, who in good faith is trying
to meet the requirements Of the law
and to establish a home for himself
and his family.
"By far the greatest benefit arising
from the operation of the field service
is not the mere matter Of indictments
or damages or the restoration of lands
to the government, but rather the
progress in just and honest enforce
ment and administration of the public
land laws to the end that the benefits
and advantages to be derived from the
nations great natural resources shall
be enjoyed in the manner and by the
persons entitled thereto as contem-
plated by the laws"
x X
One Of the important extensions of
practical farm work to be taken up by
the Department
Form Mono 0oyV1a0f ne In,
n:x. July, when the
begins, will be the enlargement of the
office Of farm management. A virtual
reorganization is to be effected. and
before long the millions who till the
soil will be told as never before. 1t Is
predicted by officials. what this impor-
tant part of the federal government is
doing to make them better and have
prosperous farmers.
The changes will be In accordance
with the plans of Carl Vrooman. the
assistant secretary of agriculture, who
came to Washington year ago with
very dearly defined ideas about eco
nomic farm management, the dearly
won result Of personal experience in
the scientific direction Of his 1000
acres in Illinois and Iowa.
The Office of farm management was
created in 1905. and is in charge of
Prof. w. ]. Spilln1an, who will continue
his work under more favorable con-
ditions. From a mere division in the
bureau of plant industry it will be-
come separate unit in the Office of the
Secretary. The change will put the Of
flee in equal relationship to all branches
OF the department, SO that 1t may CO.
operate with them as to the best means
of making a practical presentation of
their technical investigations.
One means will be to popu1arize the
bulletins and reports. whenever such
a treatment seems necessary. by look
ing at them as nearly as possible
through the eyes Of the average hard
headed American farmer. who has
been called 'the original man from
Missouri" In other words. the Office.
with an enlarged editorial STAFF. will
take the divergent results of num-
her Of specialists on an equal number
Of technical subjects and combine them
into a practical whole for the special
benefit Of the distinctly non-technical
farmer. It will be a clearing house for
feed the nation do not know, or only
half know. 1t Is pointed out.
This whole idea springs from the
growing conviction. explain Messrs.
vrooman and sp'llman. that the basis
of farm economics is the entire farm
and not a single crop. For instance.
the mere fact that corn grows exceed
inRly well in certain section does
not mean that every farmer in the
entire neishborhood around should
raise nothing but corn. The same Is
true in a dairy region. A man who
gave all his time and land to dairy
cows would not make as much profit
as another who cut down his mainten-
ance charges by setting aside certain
proportion Of his acreage for grain
with which to feed his herd.
The illustration could be continued
a well balanced system. and as condi.
tions vary all over. the country vii!
be divided into logical agricultural
zones, followed by careful representa-
tive surveys, which will determine the
nroportions necessary for successful
farming in any given locality.
In the past the appeals of many
Secretaries Of the Interior to the
globe-trotting Ameri-
Booming Home cans to See America
First" meaning the
Attractlons. national parks and
so-ea1Ied monuments" have fallen
upon ears that needed the attention Of
specfalists, but this summer. with the
Americans practically marooned here
because Of the war and forced to spend
in some other channels the two hun
dred or more million dollars that for
merly went to Europe. Secretary of the
Interior Lane is preparing to get that
money for the United States, and at
the same time give the people Vaca-
tions richer and moro varied than can
be obtained in the far-famed, romance
covered places of Europe.
InO n1 Ire