Supervisors' Meeting. yT, 



400,000 sheep and goats under paid permit. The private land 

 business within the National Forests in District 5 increases these 

 numbers nearly 100 per cent. Our national Forest^ control from 

 one-third to one-half of the public range and much of the summer 

 sheep grazing. A conservative use of the range under Forest Ser- 

 vice supervision had made better growth and better weights. It is 

 the business of the Government's foresters to make the cattle and 

 sheep silvicultural tools if possible, instead of crowding them out 

 altogether or allowing them to become forest enemies. Grazing 

 must, of course, be considered secondary to silviculture, but the 

 two interests must be as fully safeguarded as possible. The rigid 

 grazing policy of Europe can not be generally practiced in this 

 country on account of the great economic importance of the 

 stock business, which must be given full and fair consideration. 

 Grazing contributes toward the protection against fire by keeping 

 down grass and other combustible material, and the stockmen 

 render valuable assistance in fighting such fires as occur. There 

 are many different opinions as to the relation between grazing and 

 forest reproduction. The conditions differ so greatly that no 

 general statement can be made, at least not until after careful 

 studies have been made on many of the National Forests. 



Assistant District Forester C. Stowell Smith, discussed the 

 subject of "Forest Products." Besides firewood and lumber, the 

 principal classes of forest products may roughly be enumerated 

 as follows : Export timber, pulp wood, cooperage stock, turpen- 

 tine and rosin, shingles and lath, cross ties, mining timbers, posts, 

 poles, and similar products. The total value of these products 

 amounts to about $1,075,000,000 annually. To obtain them no 

 less than 20,000,000 cubic feet of wood must be cut. Since 1880 

 over 70,000,000,000 board feet have been cut. In spite of the 

 substitutes for wood in the shape of metal, stone, and other 

 materials, the consumption of wood in civilized countries has 

 never decreased. On the contrary, demands in new directions 

 have rather increased the use beyond the saving brought about 

 by the substitutes. One of the first steps toward bringing about 

 a more conservative utilization of the forest products of the 

 country must be an attempt to prevent waste in the woods and in 

 the materials. Far more wood is wasted than is used. The 

 Forest Products Laboratory at Madison, Wisconsin, established in 

 cooperation with the State University, is tmquestionably the best 



