16 BULLETIN 1001, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
lands does not permit full control of the use, for reasons already 
set forth [12]. 
The legal status of the lands. — The present tenure of the land [2] 
is to be explained in terms of the history of its acquisition and the 
methods of disposal which have been in use by our Government [5]. 
The acquisition concerns us little here, but the methods of disposal 
explain very clearly the reasons for the present status. (See bibliog- 
raphy, section 1.) 
Large areas of land in certain of the Southwestern States that 
were originally settled by colonists from Mexico are held under 
titles conferred by the Government of the United States in accord- 
ance with treaty stipulations. In consequence there are to be found 
in this region many large areas of land lying in solid bodies, often 
amounting to many thousands of acres, that may be handled as 
units. Most of such land has been used as open range and much 
of it is still so used because the title rests in communities or groups 
of numerous heirs. Certain individuals, often part owners of the 
land, recognizing the advantages to be gained by proper manage- 
ment, have recently obtained control, in one way or another, of 
several of these grants and have fenced them. It is only a ques- 
tion of time until they will all be so managed. (See fig. 3.) 
Immense areas of the land of the Western States have been set 
aside as reservations for the use of various Indian tribes under the 
direction of the Department of the Interior. (See fig. 4.) Changes 
in the areas of these reservations occasionally occur; sometimes 
they are extensions, but more frequently reductions, or the land may 
be allotted to individual members of the tribe. Extensions of area 
have led to the issuance of lieu land scrip for certain lands that have 
been surrendered for addition to the reservations (See p. 65.) Some 
of the Indians do not live on their reservations, or do not have enough 
stock to use all the forage. Under such conditions the Indian agents 
have rented grazing land or privileges to stockmen of the region — a 
practice which benefits both the stockmen and the Indians. 
As early as 1823, Congress established the policy of granting areas 
of* public lands to separate States and Territories to encourage the 
construction of canals, river improvements, and wagon roads. Begin- 
ning about 1850, grants of a similar character were made, first to the 
States, and later to the railroads, through certain thinly populated 
sections of the West. This policy was continued until 1871, and many 
millions of acres of public land were transferred in this way to rail- 
road corporations [6]. (See p. 65.) 
The ordinary method of making these grants was to give certain 
sections out of every township (usually the odd-numbered ones) 
within a belt of a specified number of miles on each side of the rail- 
