The Winchester news. [volume] (Winchester, Ky.) 1908-19??, 1909-03-08

Three thousand angora goats herded
out on the brush-coYered foothills of
California are going to do some hard
work for Uncle Sam during the coming
two years beginning this spring The
experiment will be unique, both as a
stock raising proposition and as an en-
cheering and tree culture problem.
The little white animals whose lonk
wool IS Of such great value are going
to be put to no less a task than con-
structing mile after mile of fire line
through the bushy chaparral growth in
the national forests, saving much Ia
Dor by the United States forest sery-
ice engineers and making way for for
estation by merchantable trees. Not
the least important feature of the ex-
pertinent which for the first two years
will be confined to the Lassen forest,
is the fact that the task will be per-
formed during the regular grazing by
the goats, which will not even realize
they are doing a valuable work.
Plans for carrying on the work are
outlined in a cooperative agreement
drawn up by the forest service and
the owner of a band of angora goats
grazing on the Lassen national forest
Of California. The scheme is to run
fire lines parallel with the contour of
the slopes by cutting trails about so
rods apart. These trails are to serve
as guides for the angoras. They will
Craze in each direction from the trails,
killing, It is estimated, strip of brush
about 800 yards wide. The wide lanes
cut out and grazed by the goats will
serve as ideal fire lines in protecting
the forest-covered lands lying beyond
and around the chaparral areas, and
also make a place for reproduction Of
merchantable trees.
For the past two years the govern
ment has been carrying on permanent
improvements in the national forests
on an extensive scale, and the con-
struction of fire lanes and trails has
been one of the most important fea-
lures of the work. The task of clear
ing the ground and providing land for
good forest trees is. however, perhaps
the most important benefit expected to
come out of the experiment.
The proposed work of the angora
goats may finally solve the chaparral
problem which has been troublesome
in the state of California for
many years. The bushy chaparral
growth chokes out seedlings of valu-
able commercial trees which may get
a start and when dry is one of the
worst kinds of fire risks. Often
small blaze which starts in it gains
such Roadway in a few minutes as to
travel hundreds of yards and lick into
valuable stands of merchantable TIM
ber
The protection to be afforded by
the goat-built fire lanes, therefore.
may at last bring relief to tie state,
which in the past has had its full
share of timber loss through destruc-
tive forest fires. At the same time,
a large amount of chaparral will be
killed out to make room for the
growth Of good trees that produce lum-
Der. If proven successful at the end
of two years. the work will be carried
to national forests in other sections
where chaparral has choked out good
forest trees and created a dangerous
fire risk.
In connection with this, effort of
the government to utilize the goats in
providing fire protection for forests,
il is interesting to note that the forest
service is not neglecting other medi-
urns Of preserving the remaining for
ests of the country. The timber is GO
ing fast.
Our annual requirements exceed
40 000.000,000 feet of timber,
1O0OO0,0OO cross ties. 10000
cords of pulp wood, besides
great quantities of ether forms
of forest products, such as frewood.