FOREST POLICY. 95 



Situated within the national forests are also the "National 

 game preserves": one of them in the Coconino and Kaibab 

 national forests, comprising 1,500,000 acres; and the other in 

 the Wichita national forest, comprising 57,000 acres. 



The "national parks" of the United States cover four million 

 acres approximately. 



Over a hundred thousand acres are reserved as reservoir sites. 



The stand of timber on the federal lands is estimated in cir- 

 cular 171 of the Forest Service to be as follows: 



Total stand 



In national forests board feet 390,000,000,000 



In national parks 1 1 ,000,000,000 



In unreserved public domain ... 14,000,000,000 

 In Indian reservations 34,000,000,000 



Total board feet 449,000,000,000. 



B. DISPOSITION OF PUBLIC LANDS. 



When the United States obtained possession of vast stretches 

 of land by purchase (Louisiana purchase and Florida purchase), 

 conquest, or treaty, they adopted, for the disposal of such 

 land to private persons, principles similar to those which had 

 been prevalent with the original 13 states disposing of state 

 lands, in the humid east. At that lime plenty of timberland was 

 at hand ; and the idea underlying the federal policy was entirely 

 that of creating the largest possible number of happy agricultural 

 homes in the newly acquired territories: Our entire land policy 

 during the nineteenth centur}' was framed to meet agricultural 

 needs, solely and directly. 



The disposition of vacant land belonging to the United States 

 takes place through the General Land Office in the Department 

 of the Interior, notably under the following laws: 



First: The Homestead Law of 1862, which provides that any 

 citizen of the United States may acquire one hundred and sixty 

 acres of land of the United States, not othenxise occupied or 

 reserved, by filing an affidavit of honest intention with the 

 local land agent, paying certain fees, and either residing on the 

 land for five years, or else residing on the land six (viz. four- 

 teen) months, and paying for the value of the land at the 



