FOREST SERVICE. 485 



some one who wished to take advantage of the law. AVliile the de- 

 6ira1'>ility of a general classification on the initiative of the Forest 

 Service was recognized, the urgent demands on all available funds, 

 created by the necessity of protecting from fire the vast public re- 

 sources embraced in the forests and the further necessity of providing 

 for the transaction of business involved in their use, operated to defer 

 the inauguration of this large new task. P'urthermore, nontimbered 

 agricultural lands in the forests are in scattered areas and can be 

 located only through a large number of individual examinations deal- 

 ing with small units. Where relatively large nontimbered areas suit- 

 able for agriculture occurred they were usually dealt with not by con- 

 sidering them for listing, but by eliminations through presidential 

 proclamation. As already explained, the 10,000,000 acres so far 

 eliminated comprised a great deal of such land. Systematic classi- 

 fication of the agricultural lands was begun in 1909, and a great deal 

 of progress has already been made, particularly in northern Montana. 

 This work was not extended to all the districts until the present year. 

 A more comprehensive plan of work was approved by the Secretary 

 of Agriculture in April, 1912, and plans were immediately initiated 

 for the field season then opening. By June 30, the end of the fiscal 

 year, the classification work was in full progress in four of the six 

 districts — 1, 2, 3, and 6. Under this plan the agricultural lands are 

 to be classified in each forest and full data secured concerning the 

 character of the soil and other conditions bearing on their suitability 

 for agricultural development. In order to secure authoritative data 

 as a basis for the classification the cooperation of the Bureau of Soils 

 has been secured. The Bureau of Soils furnishes for the work a num- 

 ber of its best field experts. It was recognized that such questions as 

 the depth and character of the soil, whether irrigation is practicable 

 or whether crops can be raised without irrigation, whether the alti- 

 tude and climatic conditions are such that crops will mature, and 

 whether the slopes are so great that there is material danger of 

 erosion, should be passed upon by specialists in agriculture. 



The greatest obstacle to the carrying out of this work was the lack 

 of funds which could be used without seriously curtailing or stopping 

 other important work. This is true in spite of the fact that in the 

 long run such a classification would be much more economical than 

 to continue under the old plan. It would also meet the urgent 

 demand of the settlers who wish to secure homes within the forests. 

 A Senate amendment to the agricultural appropriation bill for the 

 fiscal year 1913 provided an appropriation of $50,000 for the classifi- 

 cation of agricultural lands, and thus opened the way for carrying 

 forward the classification work more rapidly. The amount caiTied 

 by this amendment was reduced in conference to $25,000. In its 

 original wording this amendment provided for the classification of 

 lands "suitable and fit for agi'iculture "; the House conferees, how- 

 ever, caused such a rewording of the amendment as to insure the 

 retention of the principle embodied in the act of June 11, 190G, which 

 prevents the opening to entry of lands having greater value for their 

 timber or other forms of national forest use than for agriculture, and 

 of lands needed for public purposes. 



The agricultural appropriation act became a law on August 10, 

 1912. The work of classification, greatly enlarged, is being pushed 

 with all possible vigor. 



