64 NATIONAL FOREST MANUAL GRAZING. 



A count of a permittee's cattle on the range is a difficult and 

 Round u expensive matter. Where the cattle are wild and 



used to being rounded up only at stated periods, this 

 action must be done with all possible regard for the stockmen as well 

 as the Forest. An unusual round-up costs money, causes a loss in the 

 value of the stock, drifting from their ranges, and unnecessary dam- 

 age to the range. Consequently such round-up counts should be 

 avoided unless absolutely necessary and wherever possible the num- 

 ber ascertained by other methods. 



Regular beef, calf, or stock round-ups inaugurated by the stock- 

 men themselves should in no way be under the control of the Forest 

 Service. Every Forest officer should avoid arbitrary action in busi- 

 ness matters of this kind, except when it is necessary in order to pro- 

 tect the interests of the Forest. Unless the force or Forest officers is 

 sufficient to be with each party of riders all day or unless they have 

 the full cooperation of the stockmen an accurate count of each per- 

 mittee's stock can not be expected, but luckily the latter is often the 

 case. 



Forest officers detailed to accompany a round-up will give first 

 attention to their work which is to determine the numbers of permitted 

 stock. They should, however, help the stockmen where they can 

 and avoid an unnecessary disregard of the authority of the person in 

 charge of the work. 



Under ordinary conditions of stock raising, four times the number 

 calf tally ^ ca ^ ves branded in an average year will approximate 



the total number of stock the owner has, from year- 

 lings up. To illustrate, if a man brands 100 calves in a normal season 

 it is probable that he has about 400 head of cattle, counting yearlings 

 and oeef on the range. The calf tally multiplied by 5 will give the 

 approximate number of stock the owner will have on the range in the 

 following year less the number of head sold or lost. 



The record of stock sold and slaughtered, which usually may be 



sales records obtained from the State Sanitary Board and checked 



up by railroad records when the stock is shipped from 



railroad points, will furnish a close approximation of the number of 



stock a permittee is grazing provided he is not selling steers raised 



by other users of the range. 



An estimate based upon the stock found upon a certain range 



Ran e estimates * s . ^ u ttle value unless it is made by two or more men 



simultaneously to make sure the same animals were 



not counted twice. A single ranger should not attempt a range count 



that will extend over more than one day unless he is certain that stock 



seen the first day will not stray upon the area to be worked the second. 



Some animals are bound to be overlooked in a range count, there- 

 fore the estimate should be based upon the assumed ratio of the cattle 

 seen and counted to the cattle, on the range. This percentage will 

 rarely be more than two-thirds, and may oe half. If the count is 

 based on the work of several men, it is possible to apply as a check 

 the percentage of the calf crop that was overlooked on the round-up 

 and subsequently range branded, but this of course is a suggestion 

 only. 



The owners of stock which is kept under herd upon the National 

 Forests will be furnished with cards (Form 976) for the identification 

 of their herders by Forest officers. 





