Pueblo chieftain., 1922-01-08

CONTINUED from Preceding Pass.)
could be opened to entry under the
Forest Homestead law. The work of
classification has been completed and
the lands which were found to be
suitable for farming have been listed
with tho general land office and opened
to entry.
Aside from the operation OF the For
est Homestead law large areas Of
agricultural land have been thrown
open 10 entry thru the readtustment
or The forest boundaries. Approximate
iy l.sso.uoo acres in Colorado (aoout II
per cent OF the original withdrAwais)
nave been eliminated from the forests.
These lands were eliminated partly be-
cause they had least value for timber
production ana partly because OF their
agricultural values.
The results which have been OBJ
tanned on the lands which were opened
TO entry Indicate that the pulley was
liberal and In advance Of economic
requirements. The boundaries OF the
National Forests in Colorado have an
average elevation Of perhaps 5000 feet.
above whicn the winters are very long
and severe. with short growing sea.
sons and long feeding seasons. The
mort growing seasons means that
crops are limited in number and often
are encountered in which killing frosts
occur in midsummer causing crop fail
ures. 1t takes 4 relatively large area
to make successful farm under such
conditions, while the arabic lands in
the mountain valleys are usually very
limited in extent. Add the hardships
incident to severe winters. remoteness
from trading points. and lack OF
community advantages, and 1t Is clear
that the opportunity for farming in
the mountains Is easily overestimated.
II this were not so. thriving agricul-
tural districts would long ago have
been established in the vicinity Of
numerous mining camps all over the
state where ready markets were pro-
vided. The best test Of a thing is
whether II works in the required way.
The practical test Of the land policy
which has been followed in the Nation
al Forests, 10 whether Il has opened to
entry tho lands on which farming
could be successfully carried on. From
statistics complied in 1913 covering
patented or not. within the National
Forests OF Colorado. It was found that
only IL per cent Of the area patented
under the Forest Homestead Act was
actually producing crops. and 23 per
cent Of the homesteads were unoccu-
pied. Considsring all classes of alien
ated lands in the forests OF tho state
$50. 900 acres were used only for graz
ing. while only $1,000 acres were pro-
ducing crops. ratio OF nearly S to 1.
These figures indicate that failure
rather than success Is the rule on
forest homesteads. A great many Of
them have changed hands repeatedly.
Many others were abandoned As farms
and sold for pasture when patent is
sued. Many homesteaders who begin
their occupancy OF the land with high
enthusiasm are depressed by small re-
turns and by the hArdships encounter
ed. so that after n few years they
seek other occupations at which a bet
ter living may be gained.
In 1919 some 3e, 600 acres on tho
forests Of Colorado were stilI open to
entry. A part Of this land has -tnce
been entered. Some of It. occurs in
units and would be useful only in con-
junction with adjoining patented lands
Considered a. whole. II represents
the poorest OF the farm land in the
forests. because II 10 the land which
home seekers have not been willing to
enter up to the present time.
Any scheme of wholesale classifica-
tion II liable to error and will have to
be changed to meet changing economic
conditions. Undoubtedly some errors
will be found In the classifica ton of
and will result in the occasional
opening OF ono or moro tracts. But in
the face of the showing that only II
per cent OF the land patented under
the Forest Homestead Law is being
farmed and with 4 realisation that the
patented land Is OF a much better TYNE
han what remains. II 10 clear that
he forests cannot contain much land
which will attract the farmer.