60 THE AMES FORESTER 



economically most valuable. Second, on the summer range 

 there was sharp competition between sheep and cattle, and 

 the cattle were never able to put on fat. Then when they came 

 down on to the winter range they were poor, and the range 

 was bad, and many of them died from poverty, or slid off the 

 steep hills and were crushed to death. No one expected to get 

 any beef off the range. The administration of the Forest le- 

 galized drift fences, and this made it possible, not only to 

 protect the winter range against destructive summer grazing, 

 but to allow each permittee to protect his own winter allot- 

 ment and build within it such drift fences as were necessary 

 to keep the stock off dangerous sliding ground, and to so 

 handle his stock as to secure the greatest amount of good from 

 the use of the range. It also eliminated competition, protected 

 the summer range for the stockman, insured the continuity 

 of his business, and the fruitfulness of it. For some years each 

 permittee was busy improving and developing his winter 

 range. His stock now leave the winter range in good shape, 

 but it was noticed that big steers, and in some cases, dry 

 cows, did not put on enough fat during the summer to tempt 

 the cattle buyer. Something had to be done. The Service 

 encouraged the building of big drift fences which would 

 separate the beef cattle from the stock cattle during the sum- 

 mer, and more uniform salting. It was a community matter, 

 for the range was used in common by all the stock, and one 

 permittee could not do the necessary work. An association 

 was formed, and authorized the construction of the fence, 

 which was built, and this served the purpose well, but it had 

 to be paid for, and this disrupted the association, for the peo- 

 ple were hardly ready for the progressive by-laws of the 

 association. The association was pretty thoroughly dead, but 

 the drift fence was working right along, and its good effects 

 were so evident that as time went on the minds of all became 

 more and more impressed with the good that it was doing, 

 and at length the fence began to assume the form of a public 

 necessity. Then came a time when it needed repairing. Every- 

 body said so, and there were corrals to be built and repaired, 

 business had been prosperous, so why not put up a good 

 cabin at the head camp? The psychological moment had ar- 



