REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 101 



the demand for range for the season of 1911 was decidedly less than 

 the year previously. 



The capacity of the range for the grazing season of 1911 was, 

 except for the effect of the eliminations made from the Forests, above 

 that of previous years. Favorable weather conditions resulted in an 

 exceptionally heavy production of forage. The two unfavorable 

 preceding years had put the range to a severe test, but the effects of 

 the regulation of grazing in order to prevent impairment of produc- 

 tive power, and of the development work which has increased the 

 area of available range and the supplies of water for stock, had 

 borne good fruit. On seven Forests considerable reductions in the 

 number of stock which it was considered advisable to admit had 

 been decided upon; but the increases made on other Forests more 

 than offset these reductions, so that had it not been for the decreased 

 demand for the grazing privilege due to general conditions affecting 

 the stock industry, and the elimination of large areas having a high 

 grazing value, the grazing use of the Forests during the year would 

 have exceeded that of 1910. 



It is also to be noted that, both in the case of cattle and horses and 

 in that of sheep and goats, the number of permits issued to small 

 owners was greater than in 1910. The total number of permits 

 issued in 1911 was 25,604, as against 25,687 in 1910; but the number 

 of cattle and horse permits for less than 40 head, and the number of 

 sheep and goat permits for less than 2,500 head, showed an increase. 



There has been a tendency on the part of some of the associations 

 of stockmen formed to cooperate with the Forest Service in the ad- 

 justment of use of the range to become disorganized because the im- 

 mediate grazing problems have been worked out to so satisfactory a 

 conclusion that there seems little to hold the associations together. 

 While it is a cause for gratification that the relations of the Forest 

 Service with the stockmen have become so satisfactory, the oppor- 

 tunities for helpfulness to the stock industry in developing better 

 methods of range utilization are such that continued cooperative 

 work is highly desirable, and it is to be hoped that the associations of 

 stockmen will be maintained to further this work. The number of 

 associations now cooperating with the Forest Service is 68. 



As a result of the work of the Bureau of Animal Industry in co- 

 operation with the Forest Service, all but three of the National For- 

 ests are free from communicable diseases of live stock. Protective 

 measures were necessary to prevent the spread of scabies, lip-and-leg 

 disease, and Texas fever. About 8,000 predatory animals were de- 

 stroyed by employees of the Forest Service during the year. The 

 number of most kinds of animals killed was less than in 1910, indi- 

 cating that the work of past years has had its effect in reducing the 

 number of animals which infest the National Forest and adjacent 



