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In New South Wales cattle ate freely admitted into the forest reserves ; in the 
Central and Western Divisions sheep freely traverse such areas. A few years ago Parlia- 
ment voted a large sum of money for forest-thinning, but during the next drought the 
return was not so much from the improved growth of the trees as from the improved 
value of the grasses and other fodder plants within the areas. I believe, therefore, 
that the country obtained a fair return on the outlay, but what amount of improvement 
was shared by the trees I am not in a position to say. 
In many countries grazing animals are driven from their exhausted pastures of 
the plains to the succulent herbage of mountain country. For example, the sheep in 
'Lombardy are driven to the Tyrol, those of certain plains in the United States into the 
high mountain ranges a few miles distant. 
In our own State, the best instance we have is where the sheep of the Riverina 
are sent, in the summer, to feed on the Mount Kosciusko plateau, the rolling grass lands 
there, with their rich succulent herbage, being apportioned into what are known as 
snow-leases, from which a certain amount of revenue is obtained. The regulations in 
force on our snow-leases are very easy, and, consequently, in some years, a good deal of 
" burning-off " goes on. 
In the Western United States the mountains are higher than with us, and an 
enormously greater area of country is available. It is interesting, however, to note 
the regulations adopted by the United States Government in regard to these lands. 
The key-note of these regulations is effective, yet non-harassing, supervision of these 
grazing forest reserves. It is certainly not in the interests of the forests to allow 
unrestricted grazing, and it should be brought home to the grazier that he is killing the 
goose with the golden eggs in not loyally co-operating with the forester. In this State 
every encouragement should be given to the " reasonable " grazier, and disloyal ones 
should be visited with sufficiently severe disabilities. In passing, it may be observed 
that forest officers in all countries have the supervision of grazing land more or less 
associated with forests. 
The following principles, announced by the Secretary of the Interior, form the 
basis of all grazing regulations in the reserves.* The central idea is co-operation between 
the Government and the grazing interests in securing the best management and bringing 
about the best condition of the range : 
(1) The Government, through its forest officers, after consultation with the repre- 
sentatives of the various interests involved, should decide on the number of 
head to be grazed in each forest reserve, and should establish the boundaries 
between cattle range and sheep range. 
(2) The local association should assign ranges to owners within the limits thus 
laid down, subject to official approval. 
(3) Both owners and local associations should be held responsible for the obser- 
vance of the terms of permits and the prevention of fire and over-grazing. 
* Filibert Both, " Grazing in the Forest Reserves," Year-book, U.S. Dopt. of Agric., 1901. p. 333. 
See abo Gifford Pinohot, Year-book, 1898, p. 187. 
