12 Forest Club Annual 



acres, while in 1912 only 40 acres were required. 



The question of the amount of damage done to young- 

 forest growth is still unsettled. Special studies are being 

 conducted to determine the various effects of grazing upoa 

 forest reproduction, but until these studies are completed no 

 definite conclusions can be drawn. Extensive observations, 

 however, indicate that carefully regulated grazing does not 

 seriously interfere with new forest growth. Probably the 

 damage done by eating tender shoots of seedlings is partly offset 

 by the beneficial effects of keeping the grass cover eaten off, 

 thereby giving the seedlings a more favorable chance to 

 compete with other vegetation. In addition, the trampling, 

 especially that of sheep, has its advantages since it aids ger- 

 mination of tree seed by helping to cover the seeds, mulch 

 the surface, and stir the sod. 



One important effect of grazing the forage crop each 

 year has been the great reduction in loss from severe ground 

 fires. Prior to extensive grazing, unrestricted fires did more, 

 perhaps, than any other factor to kill young forest growth. 



The development of permanent water and the assur- 

 ance of continued use of allotments have helped to put the 

 stock industry on a more stable basis. The stock-men know 

 what range and what water resources they can rely upon 

 from year to year and consequently are encouraged to han- 

 dle their stock so that there will always be a reserve supply 

 of feed and water. In a region where frequent droughts are 

 apt to play havoc with a range having no reserve supply of 

 forage or water these factors are of great importance in 

 determining the stability of the industry. In turn, the in- 

 creased stability of the industry has resulted in a marked 

 improvement in the quality of range stock during recent 

 years. Generally, only bulls, stallions, or bucks of a stand- 

 ard breed are now placed on the range. This improvement 

 in the quality of stock together with the improved forage 

 and water conditions enables stock-men to sell a larger per 

 cent of sheep and cattle directly from the range for mutton 

 and beef. 



One of the most important results of the grazing ad- 

 ministration has been the changed attitude of stockmen tow- 

 ard the Forest Service. While the large majority were orig- 

 inally skeptical of any good resulting from range super- 

 vision, if not openly hostile toward the innovation of range 

 control, at present the belief is general that the Forest Ser- 



