28 



Yearbook of Agriculture 1949 



The best precaution against snake bites 

 is alertness. Avoid coming into close 

 quarters with the reptiles. Contrary 

 to popular belief, snakes do not go out 

 of their way to attack human beings. 

 It is a good idea to carry a snake-bite 

 kit when you are vacationing or work- 

 ing in snake-infested areas. 



How many Rocky Mountain goats 

 are left? 



We estimate that there are 14,000 

 Rocky Mountain goats in the continen- 

 tal United States. Most of them are 

 in the wilderness areas of the national 

 forests in Washington, Idaho, and 

 Montana. Goats are also found in 

 Alaska. They may be hunted under 

 special permit and in accordance with 

 State laws. 



How many deer, elk, and black bear 

 are there? 



Of the estimated 6,300,000 deer in 

 the United States, a third are on the 

 national forests. There are nearly 200,- 

 000 elk, of which about three-fourths 

 spend all or part of their time on the 

 national forests. About one-half of the 

 estimated 150,000 black bear are on the 

 national forests. 



What are the most important forms 

 of forest game? 



Deer, elk, grouse, tree squirrels, tur- 

 key, and bear. 



How do caribou differ from their 

 relatives, the deer, moose, and elk? 



The caribou are unique in that fe- 

 males, as well as males, bear antlers. 



Which predatory animals live in big 

 forests? 



Coyote, lynx, wild cat, mountain 

 lion. 



How do forest fires harm game ani- 

 mals, birds, and fish? 



Fire destroys the natural feeding and 

 breeding grounds of the wild animals ; 

 severe fires may also kill deer and the 

 smaller animals. The nests and young 

 of birds are destroyed by fire; streams 



are filled with silt and ashes which can 

 be injurious to the fish. Under some 

 conditions, as in the longleaf pine, 

 however, regulated fire can be used as 

 a tool to improve the wildlife habitat. 



Is grazing by livestock harmful to 

 hardwood forests? 



It certainly is. Hardwood forests 

 should be protected from grazing, be- 

 cause livestock browse the young trees 

 to the point of destruction. 



What is the place of grazing in the 

 administration of the national forests? 



The use of national forest range by 

 livestock is an essential part of the 

 multiple-use principle that governs the 

 administration of the national forests. 

 Use of the range is an important part 

 of the welfare of many communities 

 and individuals, especially in the West. 

 The Forest Service has expended ap- 

 proximately 16 million dollars for fence 

 construction, water development, and 

 artificial reseeding to make the range 

 more usable by livestock. Besides, hold- 

 ers of grazing permits have invested 

 about one-half billion dollars in live- 

 stock and ranches. 



Is Cf burning-off" injurious to the 

 range? 



In certain pine types of the southern 

 Coastal Plains and in certain sagebrush 

 areas in the West, prescribed burning 

 may be helpful. Uncontrolled or pro- 

 miscuous use of fire on the range results 

 in great damage to both soil and forage. 



Is it true that all that is needed to 

 bring back a range is plenty of rain? 



Rain cannot bring back range plants 

 that have been killed by overgrazing. 

 A good rain can help restore the 

 growth and vigor of range plants that 

 drought has kept back. 



What does one mean by the grazing 

 capacity of a range? 



The term applies to the maximum 

 number of livestock that can be grazed 

 on a given area for a given period of 

 time without injury to the soil, the 



