Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1910-10-05

received on sale must constantly in
crease. That this is true of the steer
business, one can easily ascertain
through conversation with any one
of the western stockmeu who make
this business. They will tell you
that they have made more money in
the last two or three years in han
ding steers than they made in ten
years in handling strictly stock cat
tie
Reports on national forest business
which have just been compiled for
the last fiscal year show that 1852
cattle and horse permits, and 410
sheep and goat permits were issued,
allowing the grazing of 273,499 cattle,
1913 horses, 3,726 goats, and 642,745
sheep on the II forests in the state
of Colorado.
Taking the year book recently is
sued by the department of agriculture,
as a basis, this means that II per
cent. of the cattle, nearly four per
cent. of the horses and mules, and SO
per cent. of the sheep and goats
which were owned in Colorado JAN
uary 1, 1909, were provided with
range in the national forests during
the year. The figures in the year
book include a very large number or
mich COWS and horses on farms.
while the animals graZed under per-
nit upon the national forests are al
most entirely range stock. This
would mean that the proportion Of
range stock grazed on the national
forests is even larger than the per
centages given.
Full consideration was given to the
protection Of Important watersheds up
on which city water supplies and fed
eral and private irrigation enterprises
are dependent, and to every other in
terest involved. In addition, the set
tiers in and near the forests were
fully safeguarded in their rights and
in the use of the ranges upon which
they were dependent. No better ex-
ample of the value of such protection
can be found than on the western
slope of the Rockies where, by reason
of it, cattlemen are enabled to i'm
prove the grade of their stock, until
at present the annual stock show at
Denver displays pen after pen of west
ern slope prize winners which have
been bred and summer grazed upon
the national forests of that locality.
Equitable division of the range and
protection from migratory bands Of
sheep and herds of transient cattle
ha. e made it profitable for stock own
ers using national forest ranges to
purchase the best bulls and the best
bucks brought to the Colorado stock
shows, and to so handle their stock
that a maximum Of quality is secured
at minimum of expense.
This is not alone due to the provi-
sion of range, although that is the
principal factor, but it is to large
extent attributable to the facilities
which are afforded the stockmen.
Working in cooperation with stock
owners. the service has constructed
a large mileage of drift fence which
protects ranges, prevents straying and
loss, and enables stockmen to sepa-
rate their breeding stuff from their
beef cattle SO as to secure the largest
increases and the most beef at a min
imum cost. Necessary pastures are
allowed, as are corrals, pipe lines,
stock tanks, reservoirs, and other le-
Ultimate uses of the range essential
to proper handling of the stock bust
ness. In the past y months 189 per-
mits have been issued allowing the
special use of almost 10000 acres Of
forest land, and rights of way amount
ing to 45 miles, and the total number
of such permits now in effect is 432,
covering an area of over $4,000 acres.
and fence and pipe line rights of way
Of more than 10 miles.