Conservation Commission 63 



Boundaries 



The most difficult task in connection with the administration of 

 State lands is the location of the boundaries. It is a well estab- 

 lished principle that the lines as located by original surveys must 

 govern. The major portion of such original surveys were made a 

 century or more ago and, in the interval, through fire and lum- 

 bering, many of the monuments made by the original surveyors 

 have been destroyed. It is, therefore, a difficult task, in many 

 instances, for the rangers, who are charged with the protection of 

 the Preserve, to determine the lines. This work is further com- 

 plicated by the fact that oftentimes subsequent and erroneous 

 lines have been made by incompetent surveyors. If the Forest 

 Preserve is to be maintained and protected, the first principle of 

 forest administration, namely, the location of the boundaries, 

 must be systematically and energetically carried on. During the 

 past year there was no appropriation for this work. There are 

 at the present time a large number of cases in which surveys are 

 imperative in order to determine whether or not trespasses have 

 been committed. The old monuments are rapidly disappearing, 

 and the work can be done more economically at the present than 

 in the future. The establishment of these lines will have a very 

 beneficial effect in reducing trespass and, furthermore, enable us 

 to secure greater efficiency from the forest rangers. 



Titles 



The fact that the State is the owner of such a large area, title 

 to which has been acquired in various ways, naturally produces 

 some cases in which there are persons who claim adversely to the 

 State. In 1897 the .State purchased from the Indian River Com- 

 pany townships 15 and 32, Totten and Crossfield's Purchase, 

 nearly all of which was in Hamilton county. There were upon 

 township 15, at the time of the purchase, several families. There 

 has been pending for several years action against these occupants 

 to determine title. During the past year this office, in co-operation 

 with the Attorney-General's office, made a careful examination of 

 the State's title. Old deeds not on record were discovered and re- 

 corded and thereby we established a perfect title subject to cer- 



