PUBLIC LANDS COMMISSION. 11 



• 



grazing. There are, it is estimated, more than 300,000,000 acres of 

 public grazing land, an area approximately equal to one-fifth the 

 extent of the United States proper. The exact limits can not be set, 

 for with seasonal changes large areas of land which afford good 

 grazing one year are almost desert in another. There are also vast 

 tracts of wpoded or timbered land in which grazing has much im- 

 portance, and until a further classification of th« public lands is 

 made it will be impossible to give with exactness the total acreage. 

 The extent is so vast and the commercial interests involved so great 

 as to demand in the highest degree the wise and conservative han- 

 dling of these vast resources. 



It is a matter of the first importance to know whether these graz- 

 ing lands are being used in the best way possible for the continued 

 development of the country or whether they are being abused under 

 a system which is detrimental to such development and by which the 

 only present value of the land is being rapidly destroyed. 



At present the vacant public lands are theoretically open commons, 

 free to all citizens; but as a matter of fact a large proportion have 

 been parceled out by more or less definite compacts or agreements 

 among the various interests. These tacit agreements are contin- 

 ually being violated. The sheepmen 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 mi- 

 grate. Violence and homicide frequently follow, after which new 

 adjustments are made and matters quiet down for a time. There 

 are localities where th« people are utilizing to their own satisfac- 

 tion the open range, and their demand is to be let alone, so that th«y 

 may pareS out among themselves the use of the lands ; but an agree- 

 ment made to-day may be broken to-morrow' by changing condi- 

 tions of shifting interests. 



The general lack of control in the use of public grazing lands has 

 resulted, 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 productiveness, 

 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 vegetation have improved in 

 condition and productiveness upon coming under any system of con- 

 trol which affords a means of preventing overstocldng and of apply- 

 ing intelligent management to the land. On some large tracts the 

 valuable forage plants have been utterly extirpated, and it is imprac- 

 ticable even to reseed them. On other tracts it will be possible by 

 careful management for the remaining native plants to recover their 

 vigor and to distribute seeds, which Avill eventually restore 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 acquaintance with grazing prob- 

 lems in the public-land States on the part of each member of your 

 Commission. 



