STOCK ON RANGES IN NATIONAL FORESTS 223 



at all in leasing it out to large stockmen at greatly in- 

 creased rates. 



The same happened in South Dakota where the state 

 land board had precisely the same agreement. In Col- 

 orado and New Mexico the state lands are leased in 

 large blocks at a minimum rate of 4 cents per acre, while 

 just as good land in the forests around the state land is 

 grazed by stockmen at a price which is less than 1 cent 

 per acre. 



Exchanging Lands. In co-operating with the owners 

 of land within the boundaries of the National Forests 

 such as the railroad grants and other private holdings, 

 the Forest Service has adopted a very liberal policy by 

 which means the lessees or owners of these lands are 

 enabled to exchange with the Government for an equal 

 acreage all in one body. For instance, the railroad sec- 

 tions which are alternate sections could not possibly be 

 grazed except with great danger of trespassing on the 

 adjoining Government sections. Therefore a man who 

 leases ten sections of railroad land lying between as 

 many sections of Government land is given in exchange 

 ten sections of grazing land in a solid body, in return 

 for which he allows his leased lands to remain open to 

 other stock grazing under permit. In this way the lessee 

 or owner of private lands is enabled to get the full bene- 

 fit of his holdings and have it in one solid body where 

 he is far better able to handle his stock and utilize'the 

 feed than he would be on his scattered sections. Much 

 the same privilege is allowed persons who desire to 

 fence up areas for pastures. By means of an exchange 

 of this sort the owner or lessee of the land is given the 

 right to enclose an equal amount of Government land 

 up to a maximum of 320 acres, leaving his own land 

 open in return. 



