62 OUR NATIONAL FORESTS 



ect on the Lassen National Forest consisted of a 

 number of large areas containing scattered parcels 

 of agricultural lands along the Hat Creek valley 

 in that Forest. For the classification of the lands 

 on a big project a surveyor and a lineman, one or 

 more timber cruisers, and an expert from the Bu- 

 reau of Soils constitute the crew. As a result of 

 this work over 1,100 individual tracts within the 

 Forests were made available for entry under the 

 Forest Homestead Act during the fiscal year 1916, 

 because this land was found to have a greater value 

 for growing agricultural crops than for growing 

 timber. Under this same policy since 1912 about 

 12,000,000 acres were eliminated from the Forests, 

 partly because they were of greater value for agri- 

 cultural use, or because they were not suited for the 

 purposes for which the National Forests were cre- 

 ated. Up to June 30, 1917, 127,156,610 acres of 

 National Forest land have been examined and clas- 

 sified. Such work as this, once and for all time, 

 will settle the controversy now and then waged in 

 Congress by certain Congressmen that the National 

 Forests have large and valuable tracts of agricul- 

 tural lands locked up within their boundaries and 

 therefore should be abolished, or turned over to the 



