18 BULLETIN 1001, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



Beginning in 1891 there was inaugurated the policy of setting 

 aside forested lands which ultimately became what are now called 

 National Forests. The areas so withdrawn have been increased until 

 now they amount to over 150 million acres. The use of these lands 

 as a source of timber and timber products is of primary importance; 

 of next importance is the proper control of watersheds so as to utilize 

 irrigation and other waters in the best way; the control of the grazing 

 within the forest ordinarily receives consideration after provision has 

 been made for the other two uses. From the beginning down to the 

 present the control of the grazing privileges in these National Forests 

 has been one of the most difficult problems. Its solution has resulted 

 in a system of permits to graze stock on specified areas for longer 

 or shorter periods upon payment of certain fees, the granting of the 

 permits being dependent upon various degrees of equity among ap- 

 plicants [87]. This system of control has been very beneficial to the 

 forage crop within the controlled areas and consequently *to the 

 business affected thereby. It is generally referred to as the permit 

 system of grazing control and it has certain advantages over other 

 systems that have been tried, though, like every other system, it has 

 disadvantages under certain conditions. 



Private holdings of large size lying within the national forests, 

 especially those like the railroad land grant sections, are to a con- 

 siderable extent administered by the forest officials, under agree- 

 ment between the owners and the Forest Service, with a pro rata 

 division of benefits received. Exchanges for the purpose of con- 

 solidating the forested lands have occurred to some extent under 

 various special acts authorizing this practice, which, although it has 

 not always worked out satisfactorily, is of unquestionable value in 

 certain selected places and under proper restriction. (See p. 65.) 



Besides the national forests, certain other areas have been set 

 aside as national monuments, national parks, military and naval 

 reservations, etc., but the amount of such lands is relatively very 

 small. 



The recognized methods by which land may pass from the Govern- 

 ment to a private individual are sale and homesteading [1]. Only 

 very small areas may be sold to one buyer. Any of the surveyed, 

 unreserved, unappropriated, non-mineral public land, may be taken 

 under the homestead laws in certain limited quantities by anyone 

 legally qualified to make homestead entry [3]. (See p. 65.) 



The original homestead law (passed in 1862) allows an entryman 

 to secure title to 160 acres. The great bulk of the good agricultural 

 land was homesteaded under this law half a century ago. Practi- 

 cally all of th& land that has been homesteaded within the last 15 or 

 20 years, until quite recently, is either dry farming land or land for 

 which irrigation water h$s been found. 



