According to the Department's expert the stock In- 

 dustry has unwittingly favored the increase of prairie dogs 

 by killing off coyotes that prey upon stock but are also 

 natural enemies of the prairie dogs. 



Last year on the Gochetopa National Forest of Colo- 

 rado fifteen tons of poisoned oats freed somo 26,000 acres 

 of grazing land from prairie dogs* On the Pike National 

 Forest, in the same State, seven tons of oats were used to 

 clear 60,000 acres. This year five or six tons of the poi- 

 soned grain only was used on the Cochetopa and three tons 

 sufficed for the Pike,. 



It is estimated that on all the National Forests 

 about 278,000 acres, which had been rendered worthless for 

 grazing purposes by prairie dogs, have been restored to 

 their former usefulness* Since it takes on the average 

 40 acres to support one oow, or eight sheep, this means a 

 gain in the carrying capacity of the range sufficient to 

 run 6,950 cattle or 55,600 sheep. 



In 1908 the government began to carry out this 

 campaign, and in 1911 worked on a large scale; it was so 

 successful that in 1912 the quantity of poison put out was 

 doubled. This year's campaign is one of cleaning up the 

 areas v/here there was almost complete extermination in 1912. 



JL M. JL Jl 



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