The Blackfoot optimist. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1907-1918, 1914-07-09

tLO SUCK DI0U On tQc open range OF
the west dies before it reaches mar
ket age and that much of this loss
can be stopped is shown by results
reported from the national forests.
This waste is said to add millions
of dollars to the peoples meat bill
and gives one more cause of the
high cost of living. Winter storms
and summer droughts strew' the range:
with the bones of cattle and sheep;
predatory animals take heavy toll;
poisonous plants sometimes kill half
the animals in a herd almost over
night Cattle contract anthrax, black
leg and other diseases, get stuck in
bog holes, slip off icy hillsides, and
sheep pile up and die of suffocation.
Insects which madden and kill swell
the total losses as do a multitude
Of other minor causes Of death and
injury.
Disease Prevention
If any of the animals to be grazed
upon a national forest seem to be
suffering from disease, the stock is
subjected to a rigid inspection by the
federal bureau of animal industry be-
fore it is allowed to enter the forest
II an animal grazing on the forest
develops suspicious symptoms the
permittee is requested to remove it.
The carcasses of animals dying from
infectious or communicable diseases
must be buried or burned, preferably
the latter. To protect their stock
against blackleg permittees are en-
couraged to use vaccine furnished
free by the department of agriculture
Sheep suffering from scab or from
lip and leg disease are barred from
the forests until they have been
treated in conformity with tho re-
quirements of the bureau of animal
industry. This cooperation between
the two bureaus has made it possible
to keep the forest ranges remarkably
free from all forms of stock disease
Wild Beasts Ravaqes
The settlement and development Of
the west does not appear to have
greatly reduced the number of animals
which prey upon domestic livestock,
and the loss from that source alone
runs into the millions of dollars each
year. Within the forests, however,
the number of domestic animals
killed has been appreciably reduced
by the campaign against wild animals
waged by the officers of the service.
During the past eight years forest Of
ficers have killed over $4,000 predatory
animals, consisting Of coyotes, wolves
bear, mountain lion, wild cats, lynx,
etc.
The losses due to poisonous plants
have been in the aggregate the most
numerous and the most difficult to
guard against. Stockmen knew gen.
orally that certain flats or valleys or
hillside slopes could not be used for
grazing without heavy losses of stock.
but there was much doubt as to what
caused the loss. Gradually it was de-
termined that tho losses were due to
various species of plants. Later it
was learned that in most instances
these plants, while extremely poison
GUS during certain periods of tho year,
were comparatively innoxious during
the remainder of the grazing season.
The forest officers determined the
various plant species which cause
death. or injury of livestock, the
periods during which each species is
dangerous and the areas of forest
land upon which the plants are suffi-
GENTLY abundant to cause losses of
stock. The next step was to devise
ways and means of preventing the
losses. Where definite information ia
obtainable the outer limits of the
poison areas are marked by warning
placards which give the name of the
poisonous plant, the kind of stock to
which it is injurious and the period
during which it is most harmful With
this warning, stockmen are enabled
to so handle their stock as to pre-.
vent the occupancy of the poison area
during its danger period. In cases
where the areas of poisonous plants
are comparatively small the permit
tees have been encouraged to fence
them, material for fence construction
being furnished free of charge by the
forest service. The result of this
work has been to reduce the number
of animals lost through poisonous
plants as compared to the numbers
lost several years previously.
| Losses From Poison
Notwithstanding all precautions
which may be taken against stock
poisoning, losses from this source
| hn