50 ANirCJAL EEPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OP AGEICXTLTimE. 



lying idle. In this condition speculative holding of the land for 

 higher prices plays a large part. Another cause is the lack of trans- 

 portation facilities. A settler may clear land and raise crops upon 

 it, but he is helpless if he can not market them. There are great 

 areas of fertile land unused to-day on this account. In many sec- 

 tions near the National Forests pioneer conditions still exist. The 

 population is small and the task of road building is beyond the 

 means of the residents. There is little or no demand for timber and 

 the receipts from the Forests which go to the community are small. 

 The fact that the public property is not subject to taxation makes 

 such communities feel, and very justly, that the Forests are not 

 contributing enough to local development. 



This situation should be changed. Assistance should be given in 

 the building of roads to bring into productive use the resources of 

 such regions. Therefore the suggestion contained in the last annual 

 report is repeated, that upon a shov^ing of public necessity appro- 

 priations be made for specific roads and similar improvements, to 

 be charged against the State's future share of receipts from the 

 Forests. Such action would promote the local development of agri- 

 culture and other resources. 



To secure the maximum use of the lands still remaining in Fed- 

 eral ownership further legislation is needed. There must be a con- 

 structive program which will promote development and safeguard 

 public interests. The aim should be to make these properties more 

 useful, available to greater numbers, and effectively instrumental in 

 building up industries. 



Eastern forests. — The wisdom of retaining the western forests 

 under national control is indicated by the course which the Federal 

 Government has found necessary in dealing with the moun- 

 tain lands of the East. These lands passed into private hands 

 directly from the States. Their present condition furnishes an ex- 

 ample of what happens when mountain lands are controlled by in- 

 dividuals. The results became apparent years ago. Erosion, loss of 

 the soil, and clogging of streams with silt and stone followed the re- 

 moval of the timber. Stream flow became more irregular and great 

 losses resulted to property through increased floods. 



So serious was the situation that it was brought to the atten- 

 tion of the Federal Government as early as 1900. Various methods 

 of handling the problem were proposed and discussed, but it became 



