The daily sentinel., 1909-04-30
WILL SPEND BIG SUMS
ON FORESTS THIS SUMhEh

Six hundred thousand doi
,,iII he spent during the ffscai
wear 1905 1909 for the cohs.ru
| Tn Of roads, trails, telephone
| lines and other permanent im-
| nrovcments on the national Tor
ests. Congress has appropr1h-
ed the same amount for this pth
| pose during the fiscal year VI
| 1OO0-191O. -.
| In order that the fofeSt
| ,.noers may cover the large area
contained in the district, IL Is
very necessary that system oil
trails be constructed along routes
which give the best control OF
the areas to be patrolled. In
many districts telephone lines
have been built between the
Supervisors office and ranger
headouarters, and to prominent
peaks which are used for lookout
stations to observe fires.
To fight forest fires effectively 1t
is of the utmost importance that
force of men be rushed to the lire as
soon as possible, as these fires can
be controlled and put out II taken
when they are small where 1t would
be almost impossible to check them
after they had spread over large
area. For this reason the telephone
lines and trail systems are OF vital
importance and have played no small
part in the patrol system which has
resulted in the remarkably small area
burned over since the forests have
been under government supervision.
Among other necessary improve
ments provided for, the service takes
up the matter of the betterment of
range conditions. First. by the con-
struction of drift fences, which are
for the purpose of keeping stock
within the area allotted to them and
to save the time of the herders.
Second. by the improving of springs
and watering places. In many sec
tions of the west large areas have
been of no value on account of the
lack of water during large portion
of the year. BY the fencing and pip
ing of the springs and providing ade-
quate storage, the service has been
able to conserve a supply of water
which enables these ranges to be used
throughout the season. Third, by
the fencing of bog or mire holes. AS
fast as possible, places where the loss
of stock from miring in bog holes has
been heavy are being fenced so that
the cattle can not get into them.
Fourth, by the fencing of poisonous
dltdS. III CtIldlll SttliOHo VI SOlO-
rado there is poison larkspur which,
during the spring season, will poison
stock that Craze on it. These places
are being fenced and the stock kept
away from the areas until the pois-
onous season is over, when they are
opened for grazing.
All of the national forests are di-
vided into districts which are under
the direct supervision of a forest
ranger who looks after the timber
cutting and grazing matters, and pa
trolls his district to detect and prevent
forest fires. AS the national forests
are located in mountainous and tim
bered country and have but few set
Elements within their boundaries, it
is necessary to provide these rangers
with quarters convenient to the dis
tricts over which they have charge.
These quarters consist of small
house, stable for his saddle horses,
a fence enclosing a pasture for his
stock, and occasionally, the fencing
of small garden patch and a small
piece of hay land to provide fodder
for the stock during winter
The forest service also cooperates
with the states. counties, and com
munities. in the construction of
wagon roads, trails. and bridges,
which will make accessible bodies of
mature timber. and otherwise assist
IN the control of the forests