EEPOKT OF THE FORESTER. 179 



1917 season had not been received and the permits issued when the 

 fiscal 3'ear closed. The same condition did not prevail in regard to 

 the cattle and horses, since the grazing season for these classes of 

 stock opened much earlier. 



There were 3,081 new permittees for cattle and horses and 226 for 

 sheep and goats. The increase shown in the table of over 11 per cent 

 in cattle, and nearly 11 per cent in the number of permittees of all 

 kinds, was due largely to a more intimate knowledge of the forage 

 growth and the carrying capacity of the ranges through careful re- 

 connaissance, and the desire to increase the production of live stock to 

 meet the food needs of the country. The rapid passing of the public 

 douiain to private ownership, coupled with the desire of the stockmen 

 to increase the meat, wool, and hide supply, emphasizes the impor- 

 tance of continuing the study of the Forest ranges. 



There were issued 1,GG6 free grazing permits, allowing the graz- 

 ing of 69.970 head of cattle, 1,793 head of horses, 414 swine, 451,900 

 sheep, and 757 goats, in exchange for the use by National Forest per- 

 mittees of 2,509,154 acres of unfenced private lands within the 

 Forests. This is a reduction as compared with the previous year 

 in the amount of land released and also in the number of stock 

 grazed except for sheep, for which there was an increase of 22,737 

 head. 



Crossing permits numbering 2,176 w^ere issued, allowing 56.954 

 head of cattle, 1,148 horses, 61 swine, 3,385,429 sheep, and 47,897 

 goats to be taken across the Forests. The number of permits show^ed 

 a slight increase, but the number of stock crossing the Forests was 

 reduced, except in the case of goats and horses, the number of which 

 increased materially. 



The $342,309.27 increase in receipts from grazing over the receipts 

 for 1916 was due mainW to an increase in the rates, but largely also 

 to the greater number of stock upon the Forests under temporary 

 emergency permits as a Avar measure and by the steps taken to re- 

 lieve the very difficult situation in which the live-stock industry was 

 placed by the bad winter and late spring. 



COOPERATION WITH LI^^-STOCK ASSOCIATIONS. 



On June 30, 1917, 359 live-stock associations were cooperating with 

 the Forest Service, as compared with 254 the year before. The in- 

 crease of 41 per cent emphasizes the value of such cooperation to the 

 National Forest live-stock industry. 



One of the most satisfactory results of cooperative work has been 

 the establishment and enforcement of special rules on a large num- 

 ber of Forests under whicli the associations have purchased pure-bred 

 bulls for use by the members of the association. The bulls are the 

 property of the association, and each permittee using the range for 

 which, the association is recognized is required to pay his pro rata 

 share of the cost of the animals. Losses, therefore, fall upon the 

 association as a whole. The distribution of the bulls on the ranges 

 is much better, and through the use of better blood the character 



