EEPOKT OF THE SECRETARY OF AGRICULTURE. 77 



in tjoth its scientific and administrative aspects is simply an extension 

 of the grazing work on the national forests. The grazing on all 

 lands in public ownership must be coordinated, since in a large pro- 

 portion of cases the same livestock uses both national forest and 

 outside lands in the course of the season's pasturage. It would 

 obviously be in the interest of efficiency and public economy to have 

 one organization handle both parts of the common task. The problem 

 as a whole is part of the general agricultural development of the 

 country. 



The specific legislation which is recommended is a law which 

 would — 



(1) Authorize the President, by Executive order, upon petition 

 from a majority of the stockmen using the area concerned and after 

 full investigation, to add to the national forests contiguous unre- 

 served public lands chiefly valuable for the grazing of livestock for 

 the purpose of conserving and regulating the use of their forage. 



(2) Authorize the President, by Executive order, upon a petition 

 from a majority of the stockmen using the area concerned and after 

 full investigation, to create and designate national ranges compris- 

 ing unreserved public lands valuable chiefly for the grazing of live- 

 stock, such national ranges to be administered by the Secretary of 

 Agriculture in so far as their use and occupancy for the grazing 

 of livestock or purposes directly connected with the grazing of live- 

 stock may be concerned. 



For many yeai*s, while the Government has gone forward con- 

 structively in the conservation and sane use of the greater part of 

 the timber on its public lands, and of the forage resources embraced 

 in the national forests as an incident to the protection of timber and 

 stream flow, we have disregarded the perpetuation and conservative 

 use of the vast forage resource on the public domain. No small part 

 of the insecurity and hazardous nature of the livestock industry in 

 the West at the present time is due to inaction on this vital question. 

 There should be no further delay in meeting this situation. The 

 destruction of the grazing value of the public domain can not bp 

 defended. 



