Arizona republican., 1911-01-26
CONDITIONS ARE IMPROVING
Range Problems Are Being Steadily Worked Out. Southwestern Herdsmen Have Much to Be Thank full For.

One of the most interesting ad- | dresses delivered on the occasion of the annual meeting of the Cattle Growers Association in Phoenix last November was that of W. C. Barnes formerly d resident of Phoenix, but now occupying a position of respon- lsibility in the forest service. His subject pertained to the ranges and the forest reserves and it is here with published for the benefit of the many interested who were unable to he present at the time of it's deliv- cry:
 Address to the Meeting of Arizona Stockmen
 (Win c. Barnes The grazing season which is now drawing to d close has been one of
 the most unsatisfactory ones the western range stOckmen have had in
 the last twenty years. From the Canadian to the Mexican line the
 range conditions have been bad. No state west of the Missouri river has
 been free from the disastrous drought
 which has. swept across the ranges
 like a prairie fire. Added to this
 the terrible forest fires which cov-
 cred thousands of acres of the moun-
 tain ranges driving out the sheep and
 cattle before the end of the grazing
 season and we have a condition which
 probably has never been equalled be-
 fore in the history of the livestocks
 business in the United States.
 Taking the western range states as
 a whole the two territories down here
 in the southwest, Arizona and New
 Mexico, have fared far better than
 any of the other sections.
 It is true that in some portions of
 both territories range conditions are
 far from being first class. yet as ev-
 erything in the world goes by com parison you stockmen here in Ari-
 zona have little of which to com plain.
 ] In the northern section of Ari- zona I have found the general range conditions excellent.
 The summer rains came late but when they did come the weather was more than propitious for grass grow ing and the first frosts found very l good crop of forage with which to l carry the stock through the winter | Water is scarce in some parts of the | northern ranges but with early rains and snows this will not make much | trouble.
 In the southern part of the terri tory there are some sections where little or no rain has fallen all sum- mer and the cattlemen have had a hard time to save their herds In | the Tonto national forest the lower half of the basin is in bad shape and the losses have been heavy Prob al ahIx- fxra | it. The owners are already ship ping out their stuff most of it go- ing into the Salt River valley where they will be held on the alfalfa fields till the range is better
 Generally speaking, with the ex- ception of the Tonto National forest mentioned, those stockmen who are using ranges on the various ma tional forests in Arizona have had good season. From Flagstaff and other northern points they have been shipping fat beef to- the markets. talk ing them direct from the forest ranges. Prices have ranged from four to four and one-half cents on foot at loading point which is in- deed a most satisfactory figure.
 Moreover the weights of these steers are getting back once more to the old time ones and steers weigh Il ing eleven and even twelve hundred a~e now common where ten years ago they could not be found. The sheep men too have had a good season and as far as their range conditions go have nothing of which to complain This of course applies to the forest ranges and is not meant to cover the losses of those who took their sheep to the desert last fall and due to lack of rains had to ship them back or lose them all
 During the past year we have made many eliminatiOns of those areas in- cluded within the national forest lines some years ago which on closer investigation have not been deemed true forest lands. It was of course frankly admitted that there were un- doubtedly some areas included within the boundaries which could be elira- mated. Most of these forests were made within short time and in a big hurry. Ii was impossible to make close and accurate inspec- ton of each area and therefore in the rush of getting them shaped i. was necessary to include these areas with a view to the future closer scanning of the entire forest and \ then make such eliminations as were found advisable.
 This work was inaugurated by Mir -lxNN