rOEEST SEBVTCE. 185 



cents per pound for each steer sold and 10 cents per pound for each 

 lamb this gain was worth over $1,162,500. The total grazing fees 

 paid amounted to $52,258, which includes also grazing fees on the 

 cows, ewes, and younger animals not sold. The actual gain in meat 

 alone was over twelve million pounds, not considering the wool 

 growth. 



On the Ashley Forast, in Utah, the owners of a large number of 

 cattle of all ages estimated that the animals gained an average of 300 

 pounds each during the period in which they used the Forest range. 

 The grazing fee was 31 cents per head. 



The carrying capacity of some of the Forests is very large. Foi 

 the season of 1918 the Humboldt in Nevada, with 58,853 cattle and 

 over 350.000 sheep, heads the list. The Sawtooth in Idaho carries 

 over 300,000 sheep, the Caribou in the same State over 281,000, ajid 

 the Rio Grande in Colorado 284,000. The Tonto Forest in Arizona 

 furnishes grass for over 70.000 cattle and the Pre.scott in the same 

 State finds room for over 61.000. with more than 68,000 sheep to keep 

 them compam^ The capacity of the Arizona Forests is the more re- 

 markable in that they are yearlong ranges, the cattle remaining upon 

 them throughout the year. 



Ten years ago the number of wild, unclaimed horses on many of 

 the Forests constituted a menace to the other and more valuable 

 stock, especially cattle. Horses are more injurious to ranges than 

 any other class of live stock because of their manner of traveling on 

 the ranges and the fact that they graze much closer than cattle, or 

 even sheep. For a time the demand for a certain class of light 

 horses resulted in the gathering and shipment of a large number 

 of these animals. In recent years, however, this demand has almost 

 ceased, their numbers have increased, and they are again becoming 

 a pest on certain well-stocked Forests. Where water is scarce they 

 drink from tanks and reservoirs badly needed by the cattle, while 

 they make heavy inroads upon salt, fighting cattle away from the 

 salt troughs and often injuring the calves and weaker cattle in 

 their mad rushes from the salt grounds on the approach of mounted 

 men. Many of these bands of horses are unbranded and have no 

 actual owners, although "maverickers" operate among them con- 

 stantly, thus keeping the animals on the move, disturbing the cattle, 

 and injuring the range. Many are so wild as to make it difficult to 

 round them up, except at heav}^ and almost i3rohibitive costs. 



The ranges used by these range outlaws is badly needed for the 

 use of cattle, whose value is far beyond that of the horses; and on 

 several Forests it has been deemed advisable to refuse to issue further 

 permits for grazing this class of stock, thus compelling the owners 

 to remove from the Forest ranges those that can be gathered. By 

 this means it is hoped gradually to reduce the number of wild horses 

 very decidedly, and through the organization of special roundup 

 parties, with the sole object of gathering and shipping the wild ones 

 out of the country, they will ultimately all be moved and the range 

 saved for the use of stock of higher economic value. 



In several parts of the Southwest, notably in some of the Arizona 

 Forests and in the Grand Canyon National Monument, the increase 

 of wild burros is a serious problem on the ranges. These animals are 



97335°— AGE 1918 13 



