32 



THE FORESTER. 



February, 



cess of deforesting will go on as long as 

 this sheep grazing prevails. 



"The interests of a few in the sheep 

 business are set over against the interests 

 of the larger community which repre- 

 sents an investment of many millions of 

 dollars. Water for irrigation has become 

 to them a matter of vital necessity. All 

 the property represented by more than 

 4,000 acres of citrus orchards, and more 

 than 10,000 acres of raisin vineyards, in 

 this county and the adjacent one, is 

 menaced by this sheep-grazing propo- 

 sition. 



"The forests cannot be preserved in 

 a proper condition while sheep are 

 allowed to range the reservation. This 

 is the case in brief. I omit many details, 

 but submit the facts." 



Another Federal forest official from 

 the same State and writing about the 

 same matter says : 



"I want to call your attention to the 

 fact that it is impossible to reforest this 

 reserve as long as sheep are allowed to 

 graze here. When the timber has been 

 removed the ground will be seeded from 

 the surrounding forest and, as the ground 

 does not freeze, the young pines come 

 up as soon as the snows melt. The 

 sheep are especially fond of pine ; they 

 bite the tops off of these young seedlings, 

 thus killing them. Unless, the Govern- 

 ment can, in some way, keep the sheep 

 off of this reservation it cannot be re- 



forested. I know of several places, 

 owned by private parties, that have been 

 enclosed for the last twenty-five years, 

 thus protecting them from sheep, and 

 which have also been kept free from 

 fires. The timber was cut from these 

 lands before they were enclosed, yet 

 they are now reforested with trees which 

 measure from ten to twenty-four inches 

 in circumference, while surrounding 

 lands, where sheep have been allowed to 

 run each year, have nothing but a little 

 brush, even the grass being killed. This 

 country produces a new forest growth 

 very rapidly as the ground rarely freezes 

 under the snow, and if protected from 

 fire and sheep so that the natural mulch- 

 ing of pine needles and leaves is not 

 destroyed by fire or tramping, it will 

 prevent the soils from being washed off. 

 Aside from the question of reforesting 

 it would only be a few years until the 

 sheep would destroy the water supply of 

 the San Joaquin valley. I believe the 

 Government could better afford to buy 

 hay and grain, and feed the sheep at its 

 own expense, than to allow them to de- 

 stroy this forest, for in destroying that 

 they are destroying the valley. In the 

 best years in the past the valley has not 

 had enough rain to produce a crop and 

 its thousands of inhabitants depend on 

 this forest for their water supply. I 

 trust that we will have your support in 

 protecting the forest from sheep." 



Forest Administration. 



Some of the supervisors and patrolmen 

 in the employ of the Government on the 

 forest reserves are being laid off owing 

 to the fact that the appropriation has 

 almost beenexpended. The total amount 

 of the appropriation for last year was 

 only $75,000. The fires in this section 

 cost $15,000, or almost one-fourth of the 

 entire appropriation. It was the inten- 

 tion of the department to have the 

 patrolmen construct trails in the reserve 

 during the winter months and this will 

 yet be done so far as the funds will ad 

 mit, but the majority of the supervisors 



and patrolmen will have to be laid off 

 until next April or May. It is to be re- 

 gretted as there is a great need of trails 

 through certain portions of the reserva- 

 tion. Azusa (Ca/.) Porno- Tropic. 



The case against George Witcher and 

 others for cutting timber on Government 

 land above Cripple Creek, was placed 

 on trial in the United States Court yes- 

 terday. The defendants are accused of 

 cutting 500,000 feet of timber belonging 

 to Uncle Sam. The lumber has been 

 seized by the Federal authorities. The 



