Arizona republican., 1908-09-24
RESTRICTED GRAZING
 ON FOREST RESERVES
Will Result in Reduction of One Fifth of Number Which Come South.

South.
 As briefly outlined in yesterday
 mornings issue, the findings of As
 sistant U. s. Forester A. F. Potter
 and D. D. Bronson, the representa-
 tives of the forestry service, and W.
 A. Parish, representing the reclama-
 tion service, as to the regulations of | grazing necessary for the protection
 of the Salt and Verde watersheds, in
 general way resulted in the eX-
 clusion of sheep from grazing on a | limited portion of the Prescott and
 also from the larger portion of the additions to the TOntO reserve, and | the allowing of permits for grazing during the winter to a reduced num- Der of sheep, 60,000 in number, on the ! Verde division. This will result in approximately 20 per cent reduction
 in the number of sheep brought south
 this winter and spring A further re- | duction of 20 per cent will be in effect | for the next season.
 A meeting of the sheep men was
 held yesterday afternoon for the dis cussion of the action taken at the
 morning meeting, and the sheep men ! were SdllSlltu ludl lllc ulNlSlDI
 had been made on an equitable basis
 as far as could now be seen, and they will endeavor to adjust the flocks to
 the new regulations. A meeting of
 the sheep men interested in grazing
 on the Prescott and TOnto reserves during the season will be held at i Flagstaff october 10 and at Hol- brook on October 12 to decide on the i individual allotment of permits. Sup i ervisor Hinderer will go over the range of the Verde for the purpose of making range divisions and estab- fishing boundaries of areas which will be allotted to the exclusive use of the cattlemen.
 The provisions and restrictions rel ative to the grazing for the coming winter may be summarized as fol- lows: Goat grazing on the region included in the Pinal creek watershed i will be allowed to a limited number. The goat raisers now there will be allowed to remain three years as an experiment At the end of that time it will beedetermined whether the ar rangement shall be permanent. The
 grazing will be cOAducted under new regulations in which the goat men have agreed to cooperate.
 Goats will be excluded from the
 watershed of Pinto creek and the headwaters of Pinal creek Two bands now there will be removed
 Fifteen thousand sheep will be al-
 lowed on the south side of the Salt; 2,50O will be grazed as an emergency
 measure on Horse mountain this win Shnar, . strip south of the Salt three miles wide. with the foregoing exception. Sheep and goats will be excluded in the country east of the Verde and on the north side of the Salt The strip for feeding ground and a drive way from the north ranges to the ) Salt will be left open. Grazing will 1 be permitted on the ridges south and
 west of Cottonwood divide when there | is no feed on desert ranges, or the
 river is too high for flocks to cross to the other side, In all, 10000 head ! will be allowed north of the Salt | this winter. 5000 being in the Hidden | Water country, and 5000 south of Adler creek and west of Box Canyon.
 Sheep will be excluded from the Verde slope. west of the Verde, in the Verde division of the Prescott
 reserve from a point north of Grief | Hill and west of Camp Verde. Sheep will be excluded also from all nation al forests south to the rim of the
 mesa on the north edge of Bloody | Basin. A strip from one to two miles wide down the river to the ! point of Cedar Mountain will be clos | ed to grazing. Except a small area | on upper Camp creek, from Cedar ! mountain south. all Lime creek and | Camp creek watersheds. the rough l slopes and foothills west of Cave creek and between Cave creek and Camp Verde will be closed areas | The remainder of the Verde divi- | sion not already described need not | be closed and the reclamation ser
 vice feels that grazing under restric- tions may be allowed.
 According to the figures at hand, MT. Potter believed that in the south
 number of cattle and horses were 6,245, exclusive of the Camp creek
 range. The area of this is 271 ,000 acres, or 43 and a fraction acres to an animal The cattle man has been allowed the exclusive use of a limited area in the vicinity of his ranch. The limit is 200 head for each man and thirty acres per animal up to 200 head. There may be grazed in that territory referred te, 61,920 horses and cattle, in the vicinity of the ranches. All the remainder of the open range twill be divided between the sheep aTfd cattle men as equitably as possible.
 From the figures obtained, Mir. Pot ter calculated that 23S.SOO sheep were
 brought south last winter. The rights
 of the individual owners of sheep
 will be left with the supervisor. The number not entitled to consideration
 in grazing was between 36, 900 and
 40. .OOO. leaving approximately 100000 head, two thirds of which graze on the national forest. Therefore about 134. 900 sheep are left which have the right to the use of the Verde division
 About 25,000 of these can be taken care of between Squaw creek and the
 Bald Hill country. MT. Potter thought
 that the number, 35,OOO, which were given permits to enter the Prescott reserve last winter when there was severe drouth, was too large and thinks about 25,000 would have been right and that number will be all lowed in the Prescott forest this win ter if feed is scarce on the open