FOREST SERVICE. 481 



AGRICULTURAL SETTLEMETJT. 



Need for settt.ers in the national forests. — The Forest Service 

 has always recognized the importance of agricultural development of 

 all lands within the national forests which will make the largest 

 returns to general prosjierity under cultivation. It has also desired 

 and steadfastly sought that such lands be given to home seekers as 

 freeholds on condition only of bona fide homesteading. It was for 

 this reason that the forest homestead act of June 11, 190G, was intro- 

 duced at the request of the Forest Service and its passage strongly 

 advocated. 



The forests were established in order that their resources might be 

 developed and used in a way to contribute in the greatest measure to 

 the public good. The fundamental aim, as interpreted by the Forest 

 Service, is to put to its most productive use every foot of land in 

 the forests. Those areas most valuable for agriculture are to be 

 used for that purpose; those most valuable for mining to go to the 

 miner; those most valuable as water-power sites or for irrigation to 

 be put to such use, and so on. There can be only one way to accom- 

 plish this development, and that is to get farmers on the farm land, 

 miners to prospect and develop mines, water-power companies to 

 build construction works, lumbermen to buy timber, stockmen to 

 put in their herds to feed on the grass. In other words, people are 

 needed in the forests to use the resources. Furthermore, the greatest 

 single task of the Government is to prevent forest fires. That is 

 fundamental to the purpose of producing timber. The service has 

 its organized force of rangers and guards, recruited largely from 

 those living in or near the forest, for it is these men who know the 

 conditions and know how to fight the fire menace. But in addition 

 f-o the organized regular force the service must have a second line 

 of defense in case fires start. With settlers scattered through the 

 forest assistance is secured in locating fires. Telephones are attached 

 to the ranches and word is sent by the settlers to the forest officers. 

 In case of need the settlers help in putting out the fires. It is to the 

 settler also that the service turns tor labor on a great deal of the 

 work of building, roads, trails, and other improvements. In short, 

 the plan of development of the forest by the Government requires 

 exactly what the settlers can give; hence there is a powerful reason 

 for opening up agricultural land for these purposes as well as for 

 the best economic development of the country. 



Character of agricultural l^vno in the forests. — The national 

 forests are located in the mountains. They include the highest and 

 most rugged portions of the Rocky Mountains, the Sierra Nevada, 

 and the Cascade and Coast Ranges. Their boundaries were drawn 

 to comprise land suited to tree growth and for water protection. The 

 large liodies of agricultural lands in the foothills have Ix^en excluded. 

 Therefore most of such agricultural land as occurs is located along the 

 narrow valleys of the mountain rivers and .streams and on occasional 

 benches, coves, and swnles, where soil has collected and the topography 

 and climate permit cultivation. A great deal of the best land, except 

 areas under heavy timber, has already been taken up; some of it 

 before the creation of the forests and some under the forest home- 

 stead law. There are only a few areas containing solid blocks of agri- 

 cultural land of any extent, and these are in nearly all cases covered 



70481°— AGU 1912 31 



