FOREST ATO RANGE RESOURCES OF UTAH 9 



15. Withdrawals — Continued. Acres Acres Acres 



First and second form 1,002,400 



m. Reclamation 5 — 



Additional area under act of June 



25, 1910 24,9G0 



1, 027, 360 



Total withdrawals 8, 328, 072 



Less conflicts 6,609,690 



Total withdrawals (net) 1,718,382 



Total land surface 52, 597, 760 



Water surface 1, 795, 840 



Total area—., 54, 393, 600 



Ninety-five per cent of the land area of the State is not suitable 

 for cultivated crops. About 83 per cent, however, has the capacity to 

 produce native crops. It devolves upon the respective owners to de- 

 velop this capacity to the limit ; otherwise the State as a whole suffers 

 economically. The capacity of the national forests to produce is 

 being energetically capitalized although the ideal has not been 

 reached. On private lands the administration of native crops natu- 

 rally depends upon the inclination of the owner and upon his knowl- 

 edge of forest, range, and watershed management. On State lands a 

 permanent forest and range policy is needed; these lands are now 

 subject to the varying policies of changing State administrations. 

 On the unappropriated and unreserved public domain there is no 

 management of range and forest resources ; consequently the range in 

 many places is used before the plants are ready, fences are lacking, 

 much-needed watering places are undeveloped, stock is poorly dis- 

 tributed, and the range is often overstocked. 



USE AND MANAGEMENT OF FORAGE RESOURCES 



RANGE HISTORY 



Some years previous to the landing of the first English settlers 

 at Jamestown, another group of Europeans had gained foothold in 

 the extreme southwestern part of the continent and were grazing 

 large numbers of livestock. There are records of large numbers of 

 horses, mules, cattle, sheep, and hogs raised and moved from place 

 to place by Spanish adventurers in Mexico. This livestock industry 

 seems to have prospered amazingly, the grassy plains adjacent to the 

 coast furnishing almost unlimited range, in a mild, even climate. 



When Coronado, in 1540, started from northeastern New Mexico, 

 on his march across the prairies of the Colorado and Kansas of to- 

 day, he took with him, according to historical records, 1,000 horses 

 and 500 cows and more than 5,000 rams and ewes. From Mexico, the 

 line of settlement spread in two directions, north along the Pacific 

 coast, and northeast up along the Rio Grande into what is now New 

 Mexico and Arizona. Another stream of exploration took the Span- 

 ish along the Gulf coast up into the rich coastal plains of Texas. 

 From these various settlements of the Spanish, the livestock indus- 

 try of the Southwest spread gradually until it finally- met and merged 

 with the livestock movement from the East. 



5 At close of June 30, 1929. 



