Arizona republican., 1900-07-14
-ars and into the headwaters of Salt

river.
 The White Mountain Indian reserve
 was visited and the parks in it showed | no deep cuts or channels to carry the ] ram waters away in torrents. Under [ brush was abundant. Fires in two l places We're burning, attributable to In- dians. who believe that fires and smoke ! bring rains. Sheep had been on a DOT | tfcn of this reservation and if reports
 are to be credited fifty thousand sheep i have, in years gone by, grazed inside ! of the reserve
 All of the water from that Indian res
 ervation flows into Salt river and efforts | should be made to preclude further grazing of sheep thereon.
 Along the base of the forest area near i Springerville a good growth of young l pines from seven to fifteen years old
 are growing. From Springerville south to the park, known as Valle Grande,
 there was not much growth of under i brush except in the neighborhood of ] the settlements. On the summit of the 1 timber area is what is called the Big Lake, the waters of which flow into Black river and thence into Salt river
 in fact large portion of the forest re- serve in that locality drains this way
 The country shows the injurious results from over-grazing as the silt in the ! streams is quite extensive.
 From the Big Lake to Luna valley i in New Mexico there is not much change in the character of soil or tim Der. However, the country around that town shows cOnclusively what may be 1 expected from allowing the forests to ! be -grazed.
 ! From 1875 to 1883 Tranquilino Luna is reported to have had sixty thousand
 shsep grazing annually on the Gila forest reserve, and made Luna and one
 or two neighboring localities his lamb { ing grounds. Since that date but little ! stock has roamed over the region. When we were there no grass or any
 thing in the shape of feed except few
 scattering weeds could be seen; the
 grass roots and seed had been de- i stroyed. No young pines of over f1f- i teen years growth were observed. From Luna down the Blue some of i the most extensive deposits of debris l from torrential rains and guIches were | 1 streams were covered over. for quite a i distance with thousands of tons of such ! silt A large part of the upper waters ] of the Gila and Salt rivers are in the i shape of the Blue and lost in the dense
 flow of debris.
 | From a careful examination of the i country I am constrained to say that
 unless some prompt action is taken to prevent stock from over-grazing the i reserve, it's service in storing waters
 for this territory will be irretrievably damaged and the young growth of tim ber badly injured.
 Photographs were taken daily of the timber and the country by the govern- ment agents, showing the actual ap- pearance of the country. large quan- l tity of heavily timbered country south of the present limits of the reserve, from it's western limits to Ramers 1 canyon should be added to the reserve,
 and on the east it's limits should be ex- | tended southward So as to include the
 towns of Clifton and Morenci, if the
 waters of the Gila and Salt rivers are
 to be protected from the disastrous con- ditions now prevalent in those sections. Two hundred and thirty thousand
 sheep have been permitted by the gov ernment to graze on the reserve this l season. MT. Colin Campbell informed
 me that that number did not include 1 the wethers or this years lambs. The | shes 5pmen claim their increase from ! this years lambing amounted to so per cent; therefore the actual number
 of sheep on this reserve, on permits | for two hundred and thirtysiX thou sand head, amounts to at least four hundred thousand head, divided into one hundred and siXty-three separate | herds.
 Cattle have long since disappeared ! from the reserve as range factor, and
 now the sheepmen divide the reserve by well defined limits among those who belong to their association. No one, ! according to their ideas, can secure grazing privileges without purchasing an interest of some member. Not one dollar is paid for the use of the range, nor any taxable improvements con- structed theron, except wherein the past title has been secured for the land from the government.
 The sheepmen have a complete mo- nopoIy of that entire forest reserve for grazing purposes. Respectfully sub mitted, SAM r. w hbD'