968 SHEEP INDUSTRY OF THE UNITED STATES 



6 miles west of tlie valley is tlie top of the -watershed of this valley, dividing coast 

 ■waters from Eel River -waters. It is the eastern helt of red-woods, about 20 miles 

 ■wide. Lumbermen get logs and railroad ties for the coast, then start fires to burn 

 up the refuse bart, broken timber, and underbrush. They pay no attentiau to it; 

 let it run east-ward, burning all the latter part of the summer, destroying much val- 

 uable timber. Such fires are more destructive than any in our high mountain ranges 

 ever could be. And there has been no perceptible -want of moisture in our locality 

 for the last ten years. All portions of California occupied by Indians before white 

 settlers came among them were denuded every year by fire. , No perceptible evil 

 sprang from it. 



Respectfully yours, 



Sam S. Baechtel. 



As we proceed soiitliward from Sacramento City tlie mountaia-range 

 qitestion becomes more important to tlie sheep and "n^ool industry, for 

 the reason given by Mr. Mariner. The heat and drought and dust of 

 the plains in summer are not the only obstacles to sheep husbandry, 

 for the culture of wheat, barley, and fruit occupies the plains wherever 

 it is possible to irrigate with present means or crops can be secured 

 without irrigation. As the law does not require the fencing of lands 

 cultivated, sheep are generally removed from the plains while crops are 

 growing, and kept off them until the grain and grape harvests are 

 gathered; then they are brought from the mountains to glean the fields 

 and vineyards. This proposition, then, to withdraw these mouutaiu 

 ranges from use as pasture lands, under the name of national parks, 

 simply means almost total destruction to the sheep industry of Cali- 

 fornia and great injury to the cattle-raising interest. In 1891 a troop 

 of United States cavalry devoted their summer outing to harrassing 

 sheep-herders and driving cattlemen off the forty-two townships 

 declared to be a national park, surrounding the Yosemite and given to 

 the State of California. This action has prompted a recent associated 

 movement to protest against its repetition and against additional with- 

 drawals as destructive to important industrial interests and without 

 reasonable justification. To these ends a piiblic meeting was held at 

 Fresno on March 22, which was participated in by men who in times 

 past, as cattle and sheep owners, had practical knowledge of the sub- 

 ject, and many of them now have their interests in plain lauds. Joseph 

 D. Collins, who presided as chairman, is so situated. In calling the 

 meeting to order he reviewed the situation at length, and stated facts 

 bearing on the question which ought to secure conservative action in 

 deahng with such a vital interest. He said: 



At the outset I desire to inform my hearers that my materia] interests do not con- 

 sist of stock, but of 1,400 acres of level land in this valley that is assessed at fully 

 $40,000. Consequently, as I have only about $3,000 worth of sheep, if I believed for 

 one moment that the sheep industry was antagonistic to the fullest dcAelopment of 

 our system of irrigation Iwould most assuredly get rid of my little band of them 

 But the sheepmen are not interfering with a single industry in Fresno County ; are not 

 diminishing our water supply or destroying the timber. In the first place, the persons 

 who got up this scare about the sheep land had no practical information on the subject 

 n they had been well informed they would have known that trees, grass, and shrub- 

 bery do not prevent snow from melting, but have a contrary effect. 



