This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1897 edition. Excerpt: ... Surrey Recent discussions in Congress regarding forest reservations have drawn public attention to matters relating to forestry, and many questions are being asked as to the nature, location, and purpose of our forest reservations. To answer these and similar questions it is necessary to have clearly in mind ...
Read More
This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1897 edition. Excerpt: ... Surrey Recent discussions in Congress regarding forest reservations have drawn public attention to matters relating to forestry, and many questions are being asked as to the nature, location, and purpose of our forest reservations. To answer these and similar questions it is necessary to have clearly in mind some fundamental facts concerning the geography of the country, with its resources and possibilities of development, especially in the portion west of the Great Plains. The fact first in importance, and one that even in our own country needs to be strongly emphasized, is that the people of the United States, collectively as a nation, are still among the great landowners of the world. In the eastern half of the country nearly all the land formerly at the disposal of the national government has been disposed of, but in the western half the reverse is the case. Fully two-thirds of the land surface is still open to settlement under the homestead and similar acts, and with slight limitations is free to all citizens. In many of the states within this western half of the country less than one-fourth of the lands are subject to taxation, the great bulk being held by the national government. For example, in Nevada less than four per cent of the land surface has been disposed of and about one per cent has been reserved, over 95 per cent being still vacant; in Idaho less that seven per cent has been disposed of and about four per cent reserved, a little over 89 per cent being vacant. Similar conditions prevail to a somewhat less degree as regards the ex-tent of public land in Wyoming, Utah, Montana, Arizona, New Mexico, and Colorado, while in the great state of California, with its comparatively dense population, over one-half of the area is vacant;...
Read Less