FOREST AND RANGE RESOURCES OF "UTAH 15 



goats, for horses are generally confined to the farms. However, the 

 wild-horse and wild-burro situation has been one of the most serious 

 of Utah's range problems. Hundreds of such wild, worthless mus- 

 tang horses and burros have roamed over the range lands, being of 

 no use to any one and using forage needed by valuable livestock. 

 These have been more of a pest on the fall, winter, and spring ranges 

 than on the summer ranges. A State law has been passed making it 

 easier to rid the ranges of wild horses and burros, and much effort 

 has been put forth to eliminate them. Their number is gradually 

 diminishing, and the time will no doubt come when these picturesque 

 but worthless animals will be no more. 



SHEEP RAISING IN UTAH 



Beief History 



About 1870 sheep began to be brought into the State in large num- 

 bers. There were a few bands, most of them from New Mexico, 

 previous to that time. Spanish Merinos were introduced from Cali- 

 fornia and fine-wooled rams from Ohio. Long-wooled animals came 

 from Canada, Kentucky, and other regions. In 1883, there were 

 about 450,000 sheep sheared, averaging probably 5 pounds to the 

 fleece. About one-fourth of the wool was used locally by the woolen 

 factories. The remainder was export wool of fair quality. Since 

 sheep were tax exempt, capital was rather freely invested, some of the 

 largest herds being in Cache Valley. A profit of about 40 per cent 

 was estimated for Cache Valley sheep in 1883. Sheep were found 

 generally throughout Utah, extending into the Rio Virgin area. 



After about 1884 or 1885 there were no longer any unoccupied 

 ranges, at least in central Utah. Five or six years of unremitting 

 competition on crowded ranges greatly reduced the vegetative cover. 

 In regions where the intensity of overgrazing was cumulative, great 

 areas of bare, dusty hillside replaced previously well-covered forage 

 areas. Spring freshets came with sudden and augmented volume. 

 Heavy summer showers poured down the gullies and flooded neigh- 

 boring farm lands and even towns. For example, Manti, which had 

 no serious flood before 1889, experienced real difficulties in 1889, 

 1901, and 1906. In 1903, the Manti National Forest was created, 

 and grazing was completely prohibited on the watershed above the 

 city of Manti from 1905 to 1909 ; In 1909 a heavy storm barely 

 flooded Manti the range above which had greatly recuperated under 

 protection, whereas Ephraim Canyon was seriously eroded by the 

 same storm. 



For the last two decades at least, many of the ranges have been 

 used more judiciously. Also about 14 per cent of the area of the 

 State, practically all of which is in the high mountains that com- 

 prise the best summer range for sheep, has been included in the 

 national forests. Permits are granted for the privilege of grazing 

 stock on the national forests only to those who have made provision 

 for caring for their stock during the fall, winter, and spring periods. 

 This has tended to squeeze out the nomadic sheepman. 



SOME RANGES BETTER FOR SHEEP THAN CATTLE 



It is much more practical to drive sheep than cattle to ranges at 

 considerable distances from settlements. Sheep do not become so 



