268 JOURNAL OP FORIvSTRY 



and the starting of trails along drainage lines. It is impossible to 

 graze stock at all without causing these trampled spots and trails, and 

 any trampled spot or trail may start local erosion. Any local erosion 

 may spread, even through the most well preserved ground cover. 

 Thousands of these incipient erosion spots exist on even the best 

 regulated range. The stage is now set for a cloudburst. In the course 

 of years, the cloudburst is bound to come. When it comes, the deeper 

 soils begin to gully and the creek bottoms begin to go out. When the 

 .gullying and loss of bottom lands once starts, no system of range 

 control, unaided by artificial works, can possibly check the process. 



There is, moreover, a question whether it is sound business to prevent 

 erosion by conservative range control alone. A typical section of 

 Forest land may carry 10 head of cattle safely without any appreciable 

 •starting of erosion foci, 20 head safely if foci are controlled by arti- 

 ficial works, or 25 head when stocked to the full capacity of the forage 

 without regard to erosion. Might not the additional carrymg capacity 

 pay for the artificial erosion control, to the benefit of both the land 

 and the public ? It appears to be a fact, especially on browse range, 

 that "the forage will carry more stock than the land." Where this is 

 the case it is plain business sense to build up the resistance of the land 

 to full capacity of the forage, if this can be done at a practicable cost*. 

 We have certainly never proved that it can not. 



CREEK VALLEY EROSION 



The loss of creek bottoms is accelerated by the fact that they are 

 the natural sites for ranch headquarters. The timber is cleared for 

 agriculture, all but the most unpalatable shrubs and grasses tend to be 

 ■eaten out by stock coming in to the ranches for salt and water, and by 

 poor stock too weak to climb back into the hills. Roads and trails are 

 also started paralleling the creek, and when worn out or starting to 

 wash, a new road or trail is started paralleling the old one. When 

 the silt-laden flood comes, the bottom starts to go. A 'dozen floods, 

 and it is gone. The ranchman accepts his losses as an act of God. 

 But foresters should not and need not so accept them. 



The loss of a creek bottom is generally the loss of a key resource, 

 on which all other forest industries depend for their prosperity. These 

 limited areas of agricultural land are necessary to raise hay and grain 

 for saddle stock to handle the Forest range, and for work stock to 

 work the mills and mines. They are also necessary to raise hay, grain, 

 and silage for milk cows for the ranchman's family, and for carrying 

 weak range animals through adverse seasons. They are necessary to 



