national forest In Colorado took the grand championship prize at 



the National Live Stock Show in Denver, and in many cases the 



f. 



lambs from the forests tapped the market. Losses from predatory 

 animals are growing less as ^she wolves, bears, and other animals 

 are killed *ff by forest officers* 



Game protection 



In connection with the grazing work, the forests serve 

 to protect game; and the Wichita forest, with its buffalo herd, 

 is one of the show places of Oklahoma* During the year the serv- 

 ice cooperated with the biological survey in placing over twa hun- 

 dred elk on various national forests, A large number of streams 

 were stocked with trout fry* 



Claims on the national forests 



A large part of the report is devoted to a discussion 

 of various kinds of claims under which title to land within the 

 forests is sought. Nearly a thousand homesteads were taken up 

 under a special act which provides for opening to settlement land 

 suitable for agriculture. The report states, however, that some 

 old homestead claims were instituted for the purpose of securing 

 timber, and the same is still true of soiie mining claims, 



"As attempted frauds under the mining laws are 

 usually resorted to by interests in no way associated 

 with raining, similarly the vast majority of homestead 

 frauds are not chargeable to practical farming; but the 

 appeal to popular prejudice has been made in the name 

 of the mining industry and in the name of the farmers 

 of the country* 11 



