Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1906-10-18
INSIDE VIEWS Of
CATTLE GRAZING
On Forest Reserves
By Chief Inspec-
tor Potter.
HOW GOVERNMENT WORKS
For Common Good of Stock
men and General Public
IA Hard Task.

~ eHSaSeu III seltllng disputes and
in doing so try to avoid all possible
complications?
This is the job of A. f. Potter, Of
Washington, D. c., chief grazing in
speclor and who is in charge of the
Office of grazing inspector of forest re.
serves, who arrived in Santa Fe lasI
night and will remain here for d
short time in consultation with For.
est Supervisor Leon F. Kneipp. Mr.
Potter was accompanied by J. r.
Wedemeyer grazing assistant who
will at once take up work in his de.
partment on the Pecos River and
Jemez Forest Reserves. Before re-
turning east. Mr.. Potter will visit the
reserves in New Mexico. He is an
old, experienced cattleman having
lived for eighteen years in the south
west, conducting cattle ranches. His
residence at present is in Navajo
County, Arizona, near Holbrook,
where he owns ranch. Formerly
he lived in southern California. Since
he entered the forestry service, he
has been for the greater part of his
time in Washington, except when Wis.
iting reserves, but says that he does
not intend to give up his residence in
the southwest and expects some day
to return to the cattle business, if cir
cnmstances permit Mr.. Potter has
just finished an inspection of the
grazing tracts on the Colorado fores;
reserves. He also attended the Sheep
and Wool Growers convention in AL
buQuerque during the recent Terrific
rial fair where he met many of his
friends of former days including the
Hon. Solomon Luna whom he has
known for many years. From Albu
querque he went to Portland to attend
a session of forest supervisors and
other employees of the Division of
Forestry.
Interesting Talk on Cattle Industry.
A New Mexican reporter called up
on Mr.. Potter at the Claire Hotel last
evening and he talked in an interest
ing manner of his work and of the
cattle business in general.
There are fine lot of fat cattle
going to the market these days, from
the southwest he said Grass on
the ranges has been luxuriant this
year and there has been no scarcity
OF water anywhere. ! was pleased to
see the condition of livestock coming
in for shipment from the Colorado re.
serves when was at work there. Cat
tie in New Mexico are equally as good
or better.
Yes, in a way, | am sort of
peacemaker. You see it is our desire
to conduct the grazing on the forest
reserves to suit local conditions, to
advance the interests and protect cat.
tlemen paying for such privileges and
at the same time get for the people
generally the best results possible
from the forest reserves while keep
ing in sight the fundamental princi-
pies for which the reserves are Great.
ed.
Looks Like Worse Task Than It Is,
"Pll admit that at first sight, that
looks like task, well nigh impossible
OF accomplishment However, my ex-
perience has been that it is not so
hard, if handled properly.
"The first thing necessary is a
thorough knowledge of the cattle bust
ness not from theoretical .tandpoint
but from actual experience. Next
comes knowledge of local conditions.
The latter is of the greatest impor.
tance. The grazing inspectors above
all do not try to change conditions
except where it is absolutely neces.
sary for the common good. The
cattlemen who have been in business
for any length of time have general
ly found the best means for caring
for their cattle and where possible, we
try to cooperate with them. This re-
fers as well to the sheep men.
Where it is possible, we try to al
lot each rancher a certain territory
in which he may Craze his stock, with
out the intrusion Of others. Our rang.
ers protect him. This however is
not always practicable. The next
best thing then is to cut the range
into districts allowing as many ranch.
ers grazing privileges in these bound
aries. 1t then takes some time to get
things in working order, to prevent
one rancher from encroaching upon
the rights of another. In reserves
where we have had control for several
years, we have things working in fine
shape. On younger reserves. the work
is yet to be done and that is why
am here.
Some Advantages to stockmen on
Reserves.
"In addition to giving the stockmen
ranges and protection from intrusion
of other stock, rustlers and the like,
we aim to give them all the freedom
consistent with the careful protection
of the reserves. We can not allow
too many cattle, sheep or horses on a
certain tract of range, otherwise the
forage would soon be exhausted. This
frequently causes difficulties which
we must rtraighten out as best we
can. However, we allow the ranch
ers to build corrals, fence pastures for
their saddle horses, roundup corrals,