1905 



FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION 



133 



men and cattlemen are in frequent 

 collision because of incursions upon 

 each other's domain. Land which for 

 years has been regarded as exclusively 

 cattle range may be infringed upon by 

 large bands of sheep, forced by 

 drought to migrate. Violence and 

 homicide frequently follow, after 

 which new adjustments are made and 

 matters quiet down for a time. There 

 are localities where the people are 

 utilizing to their own satisfaction the 

 open range, and their demand is to be 

 let alone, so that they may parcel out 

 among themselves the use of the 

 lands ; but an agreement made to-day 

 may be broken to-morrow by chang- 

 ing conditions of shifting interests. 



The general lack of control in the 

 use of public grazing lands has re- 

 sulted, naturally and inevitably, in 

 overgrazing and the ruin of millions 

 of acres of otherwise valuable grazing 

 territory. Lands useful for grazing 

 are losing their only capacity for pro- 

 ductiveness, as, of course, they must 

 when no legal control is exercised. 



It is not yet too late to restore the 

 value of many of the open ranges. 

 Lands apparently denuded of vegeta- 

 tion have improved in condition and 

 productiveness upon coming under 

 any system of control which affords a 

 means of preventing overstocking and 

 of applying intelligent management to 

 the land. On some large tracts the 

 valuable forage plants have been ut- 

 terly extirpated, and it is impracticable 

 even to reseed them. On other tracts 

 it will be possible by careful manage- 

 ment for the remaining native plants 

 to recover their vigor and to distri- 

 bute seeds, which will eventually re- 

 store much of the former herbage. 

 Prompt and effective action must be 

 taken, however, if the value of very 

 much of the remaining public domain 

 is not to be totally lost. 



The conclusions as to grazing 

 reached by your Commission were 

 based : 



First. Upon the results of long ac- 

 quaintance with grazing problems in 

 the public-land States on the part of 

 each member of your Commission. 



Second. Upon the results of careful 

 examinations made for the Commis- 

 sion of the grazing systems of the 

 State of Texas, the State of Wyoming, 

 the Union and Northern Pacific rail- 

 roads, and of the Indian Office in 

 the case of permits to stockmen for 

 the use of Indian lands suitable for 

 grazing, and of the grazing conditions 

 throughout the West. A map has 

 been prepared showing the general lo- 

 cation and area of the summer, winter, 

 and year-long ranges, and the sections 

 which are largely dependent upon a 

 temporary water supply for their utili- 

 zation in grazing, and those where 

 there has been extensive development 

 by wells and windmills. We believe 

 that this map will be found exceed- 

 ingly valuable and interesting in the 

 consideration of all grazing problems, 

 and it is therefore submitted in the 

 appendix. 



Third. Upon the results of a meet- 

 ing called to confer with the Commis- 

 sion by the National Live Stock 

 Association in Denver early in August, 

 1904, which was attended by the Sec- 

 retary of Agriculture and by represen- 

 tative stockmen from all the grazing- 

 land States and Territories. The 

 opinion of the stockmen present was 

 almost unanimous in favor of some 

 action on the part of the Government 

 which would give the range user some 

 right of control by which the range 

 can be kept from destruction by over- 

 crowding and the controversies over 

 range rights can be satisfactorily elim- 

 inated, the only question being as to 

 the most satisfactory method by which 

 such right may be obtained. 



Fourth. Upon 1,400 answers re- 

 ceived to a circular letter addressed to 

 stockmen throughout the West. These 

 answers show that under the present 

 system the pasturing value of the 

 ranges has deteriorated and the carry- 

 ing capacity of the lands has greatly 

 diminished ; that the present condition 

 of affairs is unsatisfactory ; that the 

 adoption of a new system of manage- 

 ment would insure a better and more 

 permanent use of the grazing lands; 

 that a certain improvement in range 



