236 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



tlie tlolii'iency in tlie iiiinihers entering: the vnuires became apparent 

 it was too lato to secure other ap|)lirations. The shorta<re, however, 

 was really a benefit to the ranges, many of which were somewhat 

 overo:razecL in consequence of the increases made (liirin«r the war 

 when the needs of the Nation demanded that every animal the ran<res 

 would carry be placed upon them. " " 



Ranok oiprovkmf.nts. — A re(hiced appropriation for range im- 

 provements has forced a large curtailment of work of this' kind. 

 Drift fences which hold cattle on their allotted ranges and prevent 

 losses by theft and straying, trails and bridges Avhich open up unused 

 ranges, and watering places increase the number of stock that a 

 given range can carry, as well as bringing about economies of opera- 

 tion. They produce increased returns in income to the Government 

 from the very first year they are installed. The former appropria- 

 tions for them should be not only restored but very substantially 

 increased. 



The productivity of the National Forest ranges in live-stock prod- 

 ucts as well as in jjublic revenues can be vastly increased by sys- 

 tematic improvements. Hitherto this work has progressed at a 

 snail's pace and piecemeal. It has depended upon voluntary assist- 

 ance and the payment of a large part of the cost by range users. 

 From evevy standpoint, especially that of national food supplj'-, the 

 time has come when the Federal Government should undertake this 

 work systematically b}^ the expenditure of its own funds. The in- 

 creased number of live stock that can thus be carried on the ranges 

 and the increased value of the forage to grazing permittees will 

 make it possible to recoup the Federal Treasury for outlays in range 

 improvements within from five to seven j^ears. Future range im- 

 provements should as far as practicable be constructed in accord- 

 ance wath such a plan. 



Live stock associations. — Our relations with the western stockmen 

 through the many live-stock associations formed by permittees upon 

 the National Forests continue to be extremely satisfactory and help- 

 ful. Through them man}?^ difficult range controversies have been 

 satisfactorily cleared up. The benefits obtainable by permittees 

 through cooperation between these associations and the Forest 

 Service have striking illustration in the matter of purebred bulls. 



Several States have laAvs which require stockmen using the public 

 domain to turn out only bulls which are pure bloods or registered. 

 The enforcement of these laAvs, however, is usually difficult, because 

 there is no official of the State whose duty it is to attend to it. On 

 the National P^orests the Forest Service may and does require the com- 

 pliance of range users with any special rules looking to more ad- 

 vantageous use of the range which the stockmen may, throiigh these 

 associations, adopt and the Service itself may approve. In many 

 cases such special rules have been adopted requiring each permittee 

 to provide purebred or registered bulls to the full number called for 

 under the law. Failure to comply with such rules may deprive the 

 permittee of his grazing preference. The benefits derived from these 

 requirements become very quickly and markedly apparent in im- 

 proved size, conformation, color, etc., of the stock. The fact that 

 such requirements are in force on the Forest ranges naturally affects 

 the outside public domain ranges, and thus the wdiole range stock 

 industry in the vicinity is greatl.y improved. 



