42 



(d) forming torrent basins or the banks of ravines. It might often be possible to make 

 this land serve for the protection and the working of the forests, as well as for protecting 

 the soil. 



The forest land classed in the first three categories, will principally be found 

 distributed in a belt along hill ranges so that an imaginary line may be drawn, taking in 

 all the ground that should have been kept to provide a suitable zone of protection. When 

 contending with private rights and encroachments, the notion of the line will afford great 

 help in deciding what lands to reserve. All the land required in connection with forests 

 will usually be taken inside the line. In the portions that are found to be squatted upon, 

 the cultivation will probably be nomadic and of little value, and illegal as well ; so that 

 it may be summarily stopped after the standing crop is reaped, or else ground below 

 given in exchange. To meet cases in which it is found imperative to include private 

 lands in Forest Reserves, the provisions of Law No. 16, 1872, "for authorizing the 

 taking of Lands for undertakings of a Public Nature," should be made applicable to 

 Forest lands. 



This reservation of Crown Lands in the forest belt need not be detrimental to 

 agriculture. The mountain regions that would ( be affected by the measure are not 

 suitable for anything else than grazing, and by allowing grazing within certain limits, 

 and at a moderate charge, it is possible to give to stock farmers almost every advantage 

 that they would have derived from the purchase of the lands. Besides, the total area to 

 be reserved would only form a fraction of the extent of the Crown land that still remains 

 unsold. 



To save time and expense, survey, demarkation, and settlement should be combined 

 in one operation ; and in order to ensure efficiency and unity of method, a single survey- 

 ing party should undertake the whole of the work, proceeding uninterruptedly with it 

 till its completion. 



The degree of accuracy and detail required in the surveys and the demarkation will 

 naturally depend on the importance of the forest. In low forest, it will be sufficient to 

 place corner beacons and survey the boundary of the reserve. For timber forests, topo- 

 graphical surveys are required, and the boundary of the reserve should be laid out dis- 

 tinctly on the ground, by means of line beacons placed on the top of the ridges intersected 

 by the boundary line, or on other prominent points, but seldom more than two or three 

 hundred feet apart. The beacons should preferably be built of stone ; but where stones 

 are not procurable, posts of wood, or mounds of earth, or interrupted trenches may serve 

 instead. The corner beacons should be " not less than three feet in diameter at the base 

 and three feet in height, and constructed of stone" to meet the requirements of Law No. 

 39 of 1888. When the boundary line passes through forest, it should be cleared broad 

 > enough to remain conspicuous for many years. 



