The Yale expositor., 1910-03-11

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 stockmen who make
this a 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 3,162
cattle and horse permits, and 41O
sheep and goat permits were issued,
allowing the grazing of 273,49s cattle,
1918 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 IL per
cent. of the cattle, nearly four per
cent. of the horses and mules. and 3S
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 very large number of
milch 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 zen 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
have made it profitable for stock own
ers using national forest ranges to
purchase the best bulls AID the best
bucks brought to the Colorado stock
shows, and to SO handle their stock
that maximum of quality is secured
at a minimum of expense.
This is not alone due to the provi-
sion of range, although that Is the
principal factor, but 1t is to a 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 stun from their
beef cattle so as to secure the largest
increases and the most beef at min
imum cost. Necessary pastures are
allowed, as are corrds. pipe lines,
stock tanks, reservoirs. and other lie.
climate uses of the range essential
To- a proper handling of the stock busi-
ness. In the past IL months 1s9 per
nits have been issued allowing the
special use of almost 10000 acres OF
forest land. and rights of way amount
ing to As miles. and the total number
of such permits now in effect is 432.
covering an area OF over 10000 acres,
and fence and pipe line rights OF way
of more than 110 miles.