182 



THE NATIONAL FOREST RESERVES 



fact that all the land is at present reserved for the use of the Indians. 

 There is also given in round numbers a classification of the vacant 

 land into grazing or treeless, woodland, forest, and desert. To 

 the right of this is appended a somewhat crude estimate as to 

 the area that can be supplied with water for agricultural pur- 

 poses, assuming that all the available supply is utilized. This 

 assumption, of course, involves so many contingencies as regards 

 conservation of floods, development of underground supplies, 

 and other conditions that it is open to criticism, but nevertheless 

 it may be useful as showing present opinions in the matter. 



Vacant Lands in the Western Public-land States* 



The following diagram has been prepared to show graphically 

 the facts expressed by the figures in the foregoing table. By 

 comparison with the i")receding table and diagram it will be seen 

 that a considerable proportion of the forest areas has ah'eady 

 passed out of the hands of the government, but that in round 

 numbers about seventy million still remain, and though only 

 about half of the whole extent of forest it is still a matter of great 

 importance, especially as nearly all of this is included within 



*The Public Lands and their Water Supply, p. 49-t. 



