112 



AMERICAN FORESTRY 



Moving a Camp of Grazing Examiners in Rough Country. 



necessary to protect the public interests. 

 Where it was clear that the ranges 

 were being overgrazed and the surplus 

 stock could not be taken care of by 

 removal to other ranges, the necessary 

 reductions were made gradually and 

 so far as possible unnecessary loss and 

 hardship were avoided. 



RANGES GRAZED AT WRONG SEASONS 



It was found that under the former 

 system, or rather lack of system, many 

 of the ranges had been used at un- 

 seasonable times and that this had re- 

 sulted in the loss of much forage. An 

 economical use of the forage plants and 

 grasses can be secured only by a con- 

 sideration of their natural habits, and 

 it is just as disastrous to place stock 

 upon a range before the forage crop has 

 reached a sufficiently mature stage of 

 development to be ready for grazing as 

 it is to cut a field of hay or grain before 

 the proper time. Accordingly grazing 

 periods were established to fit the 

 different districts and so far as possible 

 to meet the needs of the stockmen, due 

 consideration being given to the neces- 

 sity for early grazing on lambing grounds 

 and other special conditions. On many 

 of the ranges the destruction of forage 

 by trampling in driving the stock about 

 in search of feed and by placing stock 



upon the range too early in the season 

 while the feed was immature, amounted 

 to fully 30 per cent of the crop. Under 

 a systematic use of the ranges this loss 

 was stopped and the formerly wasted 

 feed utilized for the grazing of additional 

 stock or for putting the stock in better 

 condition of flesh. The result has been 

 that in many cases the stockmen have 

 been able to sell beef and mutton from 

 ranges which before were only pro- 

 ducing feeders and often poor ones at 

 that. 



FENCES RECOGNIZED AS NECESSARY 



One of the greatest handicaps of the 

 stockmen using the open public range 

 for raising cattle and horses had been 

 the prohibition of fencing, and efforts 

 to handle their stock through this means 

 had often resulted in prosecutions for 

 violation of the fence laws. That the 

 proper handling of cattle and horses 

 requires the construction of fences in 

 certain localities is recognized by all. 

 Therefore, it was with much gratifi- 

 cation that the stockmen learned of the 

 willingness of the Forest Service not 

 only to allow the fencing which was so 

 much needed, but to cooperate with 

 them in the construction of such im- 

 provements. This has reduced the losses 

 from straying and theft, but most 



