Preservation of the Wild 



tirely gone. The sheep annually eat off the grass 

 tops and prevent seeding down; they trample out 

 of life what they do not eat; along the principal 

 valley routes even the sage brush is destroyed. 

 Reforesting by the upgrowth of young trees is still 

 going on to a limited extent, but is in danger. The 

 water supply of the entire Bridger farming coun- 

 try, which is dependent upon the Uintah Moun- 

 tains as a natural reservoir, is rapidly diminishing; 

 the water comes in tremendous floods in the spring, 

 and begins to run short in the summer, when it is 

 most needed. The consequent effects upon both 

 fish and wild animals are well known to you. No 

 other animal will feed after the sheep. It is no 

 exaggeration to say, therefore, that the sheep in 

 this region are the enemies of every living thing. 



BALANCE OF NATURE. 



Even the owner cannot much longer enjoy his 

 range, because he is operating against the balance 

 of nature. The last stage of destruction which 

 these innocent animals bring about has not yet 

 been reached, but it is approaching ; it is the stage 

 in which there is no food left for the sheep them- 

 selves. I do not know how many pounds of food 

 a sheep consumes in course of a year — it cannot be 

 much less than a ton — but say it is only half a ton, 



14 



