388 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



of cattle and horses, 27,000 head of sheep; on the Caribou, 7,000 head 

 of cattle and horses, 50,000 head of sheep; on the Cache, 10,000 head 

 of sheep; on the llayden, 12,500 head of sheep; on the Lmcoln, 

 12,400 head of sheep and goats; on the La Sal, 4,100 head of sheep; 

 and on the Wenatcliee, 1,500 cattle and horses and 25,000 sheep. 

 On the Manti the stock were allowed by special agreement to remain 

 upon the Forest until the close of the season. The Caribou reduction,* 

 while partially attributable to eliminations, was mainly to promote 

 the natural reforestation of burned-over areas; the actual reauctions 

 made in the permits of old users amounted to but a few hundred head 

 of cattle and horses and approximately 20,000 head of sheep. The 

 reductions in the Wenatcliee were due to the passing to private 

 ownership and utihzation of large areas of land previously occupied 

 by stock grazed under permit. The other reductions were wholly to 

 prevent overgrazing. On the other hand, there were numerous 

 mcreases in the numbers of stock authorized to graze upon other 

 Forests, these increases in the aggregate exceeding the reductions 

 above specified to such an extent that the total allowances for the 

 year were greater than those for the year preceding. The collective 

 grazing capacity of the National Forests has increased, and the reduced 

 numbers of stock covered by permit this year are due wholly to the 

 specific reductions mentioned above, to eliminations from the Forests, 

 and to voluntary reductions by permittees in the numbers of stock 

 placed upon the Forests. 



There are a few Forests upon which the full reduction necessary 

 to bring about recuperation of the range has not yet been made 

 because such action would have caused serious disturbance of local 

 grazing conditions. Except for these few unusual cases it is believed 

 that the National Forest range has been brought to the point at 

 which further reductions to stop damage from overgrazing are not 

 likely to be called for. 



Range Conditions. 



Probably at no time since the creation of the National Forests has 

 the range been put to as severe a test as during the season of 1910. 

 Within the National Forests the forage crop was estimated to be 

 from 25 to 33 per cent below normal, and even upon the higher ranges 

 it matured shortly after July 1 . The range was taxed to its utmost 

 to carry the number of stock authorized. In some sections light rains 

 fell early in September, but these afforded only local and temporary 

 relief. On some Forests it became necessary to remove the stock 

 before the permit periods expired, but on others room was found for 

 outside stock which had to be removed from the open range. In the 

 majority of cases readjustment of ranges by the local forest officers 

 made it possible for the permittees to obtain feed through the season. 

 Upon only two groups of Forests were the actual losses from drought 

 serious enough to merit special attention. 



After the 1st of August the bulk of the stock sold had to be marketed 

 as feeders, but while it was not in the best of flesh and finish as com- 

 pared to preceding years, conditions generally were better than the 

 stock growers had anticipated. Cattle from Forest ranges brought 

 very good prices because of a strong market. The market for sheep, 

 however, was not so strong as in preceding years, and a big drop in 



