492 CONFERENCE ON NATURAL BEAUTY 



carry on agriculture on a 30-percent slope. We have had too much 

 of that in the past. I know there has been tremendous progress 

 made in the past two or three years but it is coming a little late. 



We have experienced some severe overgrazing on Federal lands. 

 I am speaking of all 1 1 of the western States. I think a policy should 

 declare that Federal land should be used only within the carrying 

 capacity of that land. 



I have seen land in the Forest Service, one of Mr. Grafts' former 

 bureaus, and I can cite my own in the Fish and Wildlife Service, 

 which was severely overgrazed, particularly by users on lands that 

 were adjacent to their own land. Their own land was in much 

 better shape simply because the man who had the right to graze 

 would overgraze the public land where he would not overgraze his 

 own. 



The Secretary of Agriculture, at the last White House conference, 

 pointed out there were 50 million acres, despite the explosion of 

 population, that need to be retired from agriculture. I think 

 we ought to get along with this and use the land for its proper 

 capabilities. 



Some of these things, I think, are fundamental. 



We need an ecological survey. It seems to me that economics and 

 beautification can go hand in hand with proper land use practices. 

 Ugly land is land which is abused. 



ROBERT S. ORGUTT. I have a couple of recommendations, Mr. 

 Chairman, that I would like to offer at this time. 



The first is in regard to the allocation of functions between the 

 Bureau of Outdoor Recreation and the Housing and Home Finance 

 Agency that was brought up this morning in front of the Council. 

 I would just suggest that those who are involved with trying to work 

 out the various spheres of operation get to their agreement soon. 

 Also, in considering the spheres of operation, they should be careful 

 not to use some arbitrary boundaries which have been set up by 

 another agency for another purpose. 



Please avoid the straitjackets of unrealistic boundaries. I am 

 referring specifically to the SMSA areas. I think the agencies in- 

 volved should retain as much flexibility, both on their own level 

 and also at the State level. 



My second recommendation is that the Federal Government start 

 now to consider natural beauty as one of the criteria to be considered 



