SURVEYS OF FOREST RESEKVES. 39 



Treading down the young seedlings where they do not browse upon 

 them, they reduce what might have been a vigorous young forest to the 

 condition of scattered clumps of young trees, many of them crooked 

 and unhealthy from wounds received in early youth from the sharp 

 hoofs. Cattle and horses are dangerous to young growth chiefly because 

 they browse upon it. In forest regions they rarely gather into bands 

 large enough to trample out the young trees over any considerable 

 areas, whereas the densely packed bands of sheep, whose feet pulverize 

 the soil and uncover the roots of the seedlings over which they pass, 

 necessarily inflict the most serious damage. Nevertheless, it is the 

 regulation of pasturage within the reserves, not its prohibition, that is 

 required if all their resources are to be rightly developed (see page 48). 

 That such regulation is easy, and the complete exclusion of domestic 

 animals unnecessary, is abundantly proved by the case of British 

 India, where upward of 3,000,000 head of domestic animals, chiefly 

 sheep and goats, are annually pastured with entire safety in the Gov- 

 ernment forests. 



CONDITIONS OP SUCCESSFUL MANAGEMENT, 



The success ot the procedure here proposed with reference to agri- 

 cultural and grazing lands, as well as that of the whole plan of admin- 

 istration recommended in this report, depends altogether upon the 

 character and efficiency of the service which may be organized for the 

 management of the Government forests. Such provisions as those just 

 described are necessarily open to the possibility of many abuses. They 

 could be applied with safety only under the direction of a permanent 

 force selected with rigid care on the basis of fitness alone. From the 

 very nature of the task before it, the attempt to organize a forest service 

 on any other basis must, in the judgment of the writer, inevitably result 

 in mismanagement, failure, and very serious harm both to the cause of 

 forestry and to the forests themselves. This matter will be touched upon 

 more at length under the head of Administration. 



PUBLIC OPINION. 



Perhaps the most striking fact developed during my investigations 

 in the field season just closed is the profound change now taking place 

 in public opinion with regard to forest preservation in general and to 

 the reserves in particular. The outburst of public protest which fol- 

 lowed the establishment of thirteen reserves by President Cleveland 

 has spent its force, and a widespread recognition of the value of the 

 reserves' to the communities about them is taking its place. The largest 

 factor in this change has been the difl'usion of knowledge regarding the 

 rules and regulations issued by the Department for the government of 

 the reserves. These rules, framed to bring about the use of the reserves, 

 and liberal to a marked degree, are gradually becoming known. During 

 four months in the Northwest I have met but one man to whom a knowl- 

 edge of their provisions did not furnish sufficient reason for hearty 

 approval of the reservation policy. But great numbers of those most 

 interested are as yet incompletely informed, and a wider publication of 

 the forest policy of the Government, perhaps through the post-offices 

 situated in or near the reserves, would go very far to establish the good 

 opinion gradually forming in the public mind, and to secure the national 

 forests against future attacks from any source. 



