530 A NATIONAL PLAN FOR AMERICAN FORESTRY 



railroads and wagon roads and otherwise to encourage colonization 

 and development. Many of these consist of alternate sections over 

 extensive areas. The existence of land holdings in this form in a 

 region where 640 acres is far from adequate as a range unit has com- 

 plicated their management. Spanish and Mexican grants in the 

 Southwest and California were usually made as solid bodies of land 

 which, because of their relatively large size and continuity, are sus- 

 ceptible of management. Most of the large timber holdings are in 

 the better commercial forest areas where forest growth is dense and 

 grazing is a minor use. There are, however, in addition to these 

 holdings a large number of small privately owned forest areas, most 

 of which are grazed. In those areas where timber or woodland values 

 are meager, many properties are held by their owners for the grazing 

 value alone. Others serve as a base of operations for use of larger 

 areas of adjacent public land. 



Within or adjacent to almost every western forest range area are 

 agricultural communities where prosperity is dependent upon the 

 production of livestock. Many of the farms within these communi- 

 ties are small, far from markets and principally capable of producing 

 hay or other feed crops. Without the aid of complementary forage 

 furnished on the forest areas, a large proportion of these associated 

 farm lands and the accompanying community life would never have 

 reached the present stage of development. More than 4)2 million 

 acres of improved farm land and 22 million acres of private or leased 

 grazing land, for example, are used in connection with the 83 million 

 acres of national-forest land now grazed by domestic livestock. 



The great bulk of the feed on the forest ranges is used by and the 

 principal financial return comes from the cattle and sheep, although 

 it also supports large numbers of horses and burros, mostly wild, 

 some goats and hogs, and a few mules, to say nothing of game animals. 

 It is estimated that during 5 to 8 months of the spring, summer, and 

 fall these W es ^ ern forest lands furnish feed for over 2^ million mature 

 cattle, having a value in 1931 when prices were low of about $85,- 

 000,000, and also nearly a million calves. Most of the cattle are of 

 beef breeds; in only a few localities are dairy cattle run on forest 

 ranges. It is estimated from the 1930 census that they represent 

 nearly 40 percent of all the mature range cattle in the Western 

 States. Some go direct to market as killers, but a large part of them 

 go into feed lots for finishing. 



Nearly 12 million grown sheep, largely ewes, which had in 1931 a 

 value of about $60,000,000, are estimated as grazing on forest ranges. 

 The grazing period is from 3 to 5 months, chiefly in the summer, 

 although in some places, grazing prevails in the spring, fall, or even 

 winter. It is from these mountain-range areas that most of the 

 lambs sold in the fall come. Since the average lamb crop is probably 

 70 percent, and these lambs graze in addition to the ewes, the large 

 number of sheep grazed during a part of the year on forest ranges 

 can be appreciated. Where the feed is abundant and succulent, 

 many of the lambs go direct to market as killers. From the drier 

 ranges, and especially those heavily used, most of the lambs are sold 

 as feeders. 



FORAGE PRODUCED 



The ponderosa pine is the most extensive western forest type 

 reaching into nearly every State west of the one hundred and t 



