NATIONAL FOREST MANUAL - GRAZING. 27 



stock upon the small area to which he would be entitled. Fencing 

 of the leased areas would necessitate leases for a term of years, and 

 term leases would not only hamper Forest management, but also 

 preclude recognition of new applicants who might be entitled to 

 range. 



The majority of the National Forest users are small owners who 

 prefer the right to graze a fixed number of stock rather than the 

 right to use a specified range, with a maximum but no minimum 

 limit. 



The rates charged for sheep as shown in Reg. G-4 are, when the 

 quality of the range and advantages are equal, 30 



Charges for sheep. J . ,, j fe ,,, \, > -. 



per cent or the rates charged for cattle for the fol- 

 lowing reasons : 



First. The proportionate number of stock under 6 months of age 

 grazed free on permits is much greater with sheep than with cattle. 

 In the feed lot the amount of feed required for one cow will support 

 eight sheep. On the National Forest range, where only the grown 

 stock is counted, the proportion is reduced to one to five, because the 

 proportion of lambs to the old stock is much greater than the propor- 

 tion of calves, and also because lambs mature more rapidly than 

 calves and require more feed. 



Second. Under the customarv methods of handling stock upon the 

 range, sheep are more destructive to the young forest growth than 

 cattle, being herded in bands while cattle are turned loose. The 

 amount of forage destroyed by trampling by herded animals is also 

 much greater than the amount destroyed by animals running loose. 

 Careful investigation has shown that herded animals require from 

 25 to 50 per cent more range than animals which are turned loose. 

 This justifies a further reduction in the comparative charges to the 

 rates for grazing sheep and goats fixed by the regulation. 



In ordinary range management it is found that horses require 



charges for horses a ^ llt 25 P er cent more range space during a given 

 period than is required by cattle. In many localities 

 horses utilize feed that would otherwise remain unused and con- 

 sequently often graze upon fully stocked cattle or sheep ranges 

 without any injury from overgrazing, but as they are more readily 

 disturbed, travel greater distances and at greater speed than cattle, 

 they do more damage to forage and tree growth through trampling 

 and as a result require more of the range. 



he forage consumed by swine is difficult to compare with that 

 char es for swine 



y 

 consume d J cattle, as their feed is mast, roots, and 



bulbs, rather than forage grasses and plants, but in 

 purposes of administration two head of swine will be considered equal 

 to one cow. On account of the cost of regulating hog grazing, the very 

 large proportionate natural increase, and the damage from rooting, 

 60 to 75 per cent of the rate for cattle is equitable. 

 A band of dry sheep will not consume as much forage as a band 



of ewes with lambs, but since they will run and mass 

 sheep. rges for dry to a greater degree the demand on range is about 



equal. The high summer ranges of the National For- 

 ests are required to enable ewes to produce the maximum amount of 

 milk to give the lambs the growth they require to prepare them for 

 market. Therefore as between the two classes the higher and better 

 ranges should be given to the ewes and lambs. The absence of lambs 



