FOREST SERVICE. 521 



Except on forests where the system is now in effect, the approval of 

 five-3'ear applications will be authorized only when requested by 25 

 per cent or more of the permittees, by petition or through tlie medium 

 of a recognized advisory board.* 



For the convenience of stockmen who need to cross national forest 

 lands to reach grazing grounds outvside of the forests, special drive- 

 ways are established over which the stock may be driven under cross- 

 ing permits. Many of these are extremely long and are used by large 

 numbers of stock. They must be wide enough to furnish the animals 

 the forage needed en route. The sheep driveways in the Coconino 

 National Forest contain 105,000 acres; in the Tonto, 85,000 acres; in 

 the Carson, 73,000 acres. The exterior boundaries are carefully 

 marked, and rangers are detailed to accompany the stock on the trail 

 and see to it that they are not unnecessarily slow and do not trespass 

 upon the adjoining ranges. No charge is made for crossing permits, 

 although they involve considerable administrative expense and a con- 

 siderable aggregate of free forage in transit. 



The total number of crossing permits issued during the year was 

 2,845, covering 5,174,052 sheep and goats and 89,877 cattle and horses. 

 Crossing permits are not required for small bands of stock which are 

 driven along public highAvays or which do not graze upon national 

 forest lands en route. 



trSE OF PEIVATE LANDS. 



The arrangement so successfully followed for several years, under 

 which the owners or lessees of unfenced private lands within the 

 national forests, cm waiving exclusive use of such lands, receive a 

 free permit f*)r the number of stock which their lands would support 

 under the regidations, was continued with some slight changes. Per- 

 mits of this class numbered 1,482, or 217 more than in 1911. They 

 covered G0,GG5 cattle and horses, an increase of 3,071, and 406,212 

 sheep and goats, an increase of 73,G20. The acreage involved was 

 2,520,941, an increase of 108,741. 



The cooperative agreement wnth the Atchison, Topeka & Santa 

 Fe Eailroad Co. was continued during the ))resent year, the terms 

 remaining unchanged. The^e lands lie within the Zuni National 

 Forest, in the State of New Mexico, and permits issued by the rail- 

 road company for its quota of the grazing privileges were for 4,495 

 head of sheep. 



The informal cooperative agreements with the Northern Pacific 

 Railroad and with the AVeyerhaueser Land Co. were continued 

 throughout the year with the same satisfactory results as heretofore. 

 These companies took our estimate as to the capacity of their lands, 

 and in the case of the Northern Pacific Railroad the same charge per 

 head is made as our grazing fees, and the lands are leased to permit- 

 tees who are entitled to graze upon the lands adjacent to them in the 

 national forest. 



PROTECTION AGAINST DISEASE. 



Excepting scattered cases of blackleg and anthrax, practically no 

 loss of stock from communicable diseases occurred within the na- 

 tional forests. All animals which have been exposed to infectious 



