The Dalles daily chronicle. [volume] (The Dalles, Or.) 1890-1948, 1899-02-13
CALIFORNIA FIG SYRUP co.
THE OTHER SIDE.
Another Correspondents Gives His Views
on the Reserve Problem.

EDITOR CHRONICLE:
would like to say a few words in
answer to Mr.. ID. Rice's letter in your
paper of February 4th. have had near
@y fourteen years experience in these
same mountains, during. the summer
months, while stock is being pastured
there, and Mr.. Rice Gays, ''During
GherhGt summer months, the men keep
their herds along the creeks and water
Gng places, and pollute the waters, etc."
Now, my dear sir, no man ever saw a
sheep that would stand in the water for
the pleasure of cooling itself and switch
ing flies; instead, they have natural at-
borrence of getting their feet wet, and as
everybody knows in crossing these
creeks, if sheep can't jump from one
side to another, the men build bridges to
ecress them on. OF course they certainly
drink, but as soon as they have done,
they Immediately seek dry ground. Not
so with cattle or hogs. When cattle 60 to
these creeks to water, they viii stand for
hours in the water and switch flies that
are worrying them. AMI who can say
rflEft they do not cast more filth in these
( nountain streams than stock that ie
afraid of getting its feet wetP
Now have passed many farms that
are situated on these creeks, and in
4 more than one place, as Mr.. Rice will
kknoW, swine wallow In these creeks dur
-aRg the hot months for the pleasure of
keeping cool, and all this in these very
waters Mr.. Rice is SO afraid of being
polluted. Anyone knows nothing will
foul the air like abig hog-wallow. Again,
L have seen many irrigating bitches.
where water is taken out of these
streams, that run past barns, sheds and
COW yards and lower down re-enter the
creeks, carrying far more filth than if
ever thrown into theee streams by herds
OF course, it is ''a man for his inter.
<ests' and we all understand why this
opposition comes; it is not that sheer
poll1te the waters, and not that they de
astroy the forests, but the simple reason
that they eat the grass, that they wan
sheep excluded from these mountains
of course that would greatly benefit the
cattle men, and their cattle could wande
over these hills and valleys, undis
Gurbec by herds of sheep.
Now as to sheep inJuring the timber
haYe not the Swiss herded their flock
in the Alps for generations?> Have W
ever heard their forests were injure,
thereby? Have not the weather report
shown on an average the past few years
as much rainfall as we had fifteen o
twenty years ago? AS long ago as twent
gears no wheat could be raised on thes
Wasco plateaus, and are not now farm
thick all over them, where the golde
grain is each year threshed in abund
ance? Also the past few years have W
not had heavy rainfalls in the month {
June2
he alec says ''the creeks used to b
Mush up to Auguet 1st." My dear sil
twenty years ago irrigating bitches wer
very scarce; now they are plentiful. Ca
we not account for this lessening in th
creeks to the heavy use OF irrigatio
along these valleys? Surely this will a.
count for the greatest part of the shrinl
age of our creeks.
The main destruction of our fores
came from forest fires, and have oil
served, as many fires are started in tt
mountains where no sheep are eve