Bisbee daily review. [volume] (Bisbee, Ariz.) 1901-1971, 1914-06-20
LOSS OF LIVESTOCK
ON WESTERN RANGES
JUMPS LIVING COSTS
Forest Service Is Doing Splendid
Work in Combating Evils
Which Must Be Conquered.

the stock bred on the open range OF |
the west dies before 10 reaches mar {
ket age and that much of this loss can
be stopped is shown by results re-
ported from the national forests. This
waste is said to add millions Of dol
lars TO the peoples meat bin and
gives one more cause of the high cost
of living Winter storms and summer
droughts strew the ranges with the
bones of cattle and sheep, predatory
animals take a heavy toll poisonous
plants sometimes kin half the ami
mails I'm a herd almost over night.
Cattle contract anthrax. blackleg and
other diseases. get stuck I'm bog holes.
slip off icy hillsides and sheep pile
up and die of suffocation. Insects
which madden and kin swell the total
losses as do a multitude of other minor
causes Of death and injury
I'm any of the animals to be grazed
upon a national forest seem to be suf-
fering from disease. the stock is sub
jected to a rigid inspection by the
federal bureau of animal industry be-
fore it is allowed to enter the forest
pr an animal grazing on the forest
develops suspicious symptoms the per
miuee ifs requested to remove it, The
carcass of animals dying from infec-
tious of communicable disease must
be be buried or burned preferably
the latter To protect their against
blackleg permittees are encouraged
to use vaccine furnished free by the
department of agriculture Sheen sut-
fering from scab or from lip and leg
/ diseases are barred from the forests
until they have been treated in con
formity with the requirements of the
bureau of animal industry This co.
operation has made it possible to- keep
the forest ranges remarkably free
from AN forms of stock diseases.
The settlement and development Of
greatly reduced the number OF ami
mails which prey upon domestic live
stock. and Che loss from chat source
alone runs into the millions of dol
lars each year Within the f0res, how
ever. the number of domestic ami
mails killed has been appreciably re-
duced by the campaign against wild
animals waged by the officers of the
/ service. During the past eight years
/ forest officers have killed over thirty
live thousand predatory animals con-
sisting OF coyotes, wolves, bear noun
tain lion. wild cats lynx etc.
The losses due to poisonous plants
have been in the aggregate tine most
numerous and tine most difficult TO
guard against Stockmen knew gen.
, orally that certain flats or valleys OF
. sinside slopes could not be used for
grazing without heavy losses of Stock
} but there was much doubt ass 90 what
- caused the loss Gradually it was de-
teImined that The losses were due 90
various species OF plants Later. I'D
was learned that in most instance.
these plants while extremely poison
ous during certain periods of the year
were comparatively iuuoyious during
1.-The remainder of the grazing season
p The forest officers determined thC
various plant species which cause
death or injury of live stock the per
p iods during which each species il
p daAgerous, and the areas OF foles
land upon which the plants are suf
ficicnly abundant TO cause losses o.
e stock The next step was 10 devils,
o. ways and means of preventing Tia,
losses Where definite information
is obtainable the outer limits of thD
So poison areas are marked by warning
placards which the give the name o
the poisonous plant. the kind of stool
g 60 which it is injurious, and the per
e iod during which it is most harmful
Il With this warming. stockmen are en-
abled to- so handle their stock as q
D. prevent the occupancy of the poisoi
area during it's danger period u
cases where the areas of poisonou
plants are comparatively small th
W permittees have been encouraged g
Ne fence them. material for fence cor
struction being furnished free q
charge by the forest service The rt
}. suit of ths work has been 20 reduc
l the number of animals lost throug
poisonous plants as compared TO Oh
" number lost several years previously
Notwithstanding all preCauuOn
which may be taken against stoc
poisoning losses from this sourc
must be expected During the pas
a. several years the bureau of plant 10
dustry has been making a study {
poisonous plants and of antidotes
the case of larkspur. for example th
rs bureau has determined methods ,
io treatment which are reasonably su
lcessful, under normal conditions. Th
only difficulty has been that the an
suffering from poison are general
81. out upon the open range and may nd
be observed by their owner until ID
al too late to apply am antidote IN
forest service has therefore arrange
to meet this situation In an eXpel
mental way by equipping a limite
.a- number of rangers with hypOderm
sd syringes and the necessary chemical
Armed with This equipment a fore
- Officer can in a few moments admi
lister a treatment which may fave
sac steer