22 



The National Geographic Magazine 



THE PUBLIC LANDS 



The public lands are of many kinds ; 

 from densely forested mountain slopes 

 reaching up to the high mountains of 

 the Rockies down to the vast low plains 

 and deserts. Particular interest is at- 

 tached to these high mountains and the 

 forested slopes, for upon these depend 

 to a large extent the future prosperity 

 and the utilization of the agricultural 

 lands of the West. 



An Abandoned House on an Unirrigated Plain 



The picture illustrates the impossibility of establishing homes on 

 the public domain without first providing methods of irrigation 



The extent of the forests is shown by 

 diagram 5. In northern California and 

 along the Pacific coast, in western Ore- 

 gon and Washington, are the greatest 

 forests remaining in the United States. 

 Around the Yellowstone National Park 

 and in the Rocky Mountain region in 

 general are other important forests. In 

 considering any question concerning the 

 forests we must bear in mind that the 



word forest comprises a great variety of 

 tree growth. In the East it usually means 

 a dense growth. Out in Colorado or 

 Wyoming you can sometimes see a half 

 mile through what is called a forest. 

 Thus, when wediscuss forests on the pub- 

 lic lands there must be some explanation 

 of what kind of a forest we are talking 

 about, if we are to be correctly under- 

 stood. 



A little scrubby growth of cedar or 

 pifion may have great value to the 

 pioneer, although it is 

 not merchantable tim- 

 ber. These small trees 

 furnish the poles and 

 the posts which are so 

 necessary to the settler. 

 Even the small brush 

 may supply the fuel 

 which he must have for 

 his home. 



The present distribu- 

 tion of the public lands 

 is exhibited by diagram 

 4. In black are the 

 lands which have been 

 taken up by individuals. 

 Much of this public land 

 is now used for grazing, 

 but there are many 

 thousand acres which 

 with water will support 

 hundreds of prosperous 

 homes. In the extreme 

 east of Colorado settle- 

 ments have been made 

 by what are called ' ' the 

 rain belters, " who came 

 into the dry country in 

 the belief that the so-called ' ' rain belt " 

 would shift westerly as settlement pro- 

 gressed. 



AREA WHICH CAN BE RECLAIMED 



The area of land which can be re- 

 claimed by irrigation is relatively small. 

 If two or three per cent of the vast ex- 

 tent of arid lands of the United States 

 are ultimately reclaimed and put under 



