THE CARE OF THE RANGE 235 



requirements of new settlers asking for a place on 

 which to graze their stock? 



Nor is the sheep-owner the only sinner in this re- 

 spect. True, he is one, but the cattlemen have also 

 done considerable work along this line of discouraging 

 the small settlers. Great herds of young steers have 

 been purchased in the southern districts, shipped to the 

 northern ranges and turned loose in a district already 

 stocked with the mixed cattle of the settlers. No efforts 

 were made to hold them on any particular range, but 

 they were allowed to wander at will, the owners de- 

 pending on their round-ups to find them in the fall. Not 

 only was the range eaten off by these nomadic cattle, 

 but, what was equally injurious to the settlers, the pres- 

 ence of the steers prevented the cows from raising any- 

 thing like a fair percentage of calves, and thus the local 

 men suffered a double loss. 



Unfortunately for the plans of this class of men, the 

 manner in which the National Forests are being handled 

 has put the most of them out of business. They de- 

 pended upon the mountain ranges for their summer feed 

 and as they can obtain only their fair share of that the 

 rest of the range is of little value to them. 



Restoring Former Range Conditions. There is little 

 doubt that under proper care the ranges may be re- 

 stored to their old values, and the restoration need not 

 be an expensive or a difficult operation. All that Nature 

 asks is time to heal up and cover over the scars left by 

 man's misuse of her bounty. 



Given any over-grazed range, no matter how badly it 

 has been abused and either keep the stock off it for a 

 term of years, or reduce the number to a point where 



