Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1915-02-06
LIVE STOCK INDUSTRY ON
THE NATIONAL FOREST.

ixing the grazing of 1868 head OF cattle
and horses on the Harney National For
est. In addition to this number several
hundred more were grased free in ac-
cordance with the Regulation which al
lows the grazing of milch or work ami
mails not exceeding total of ten head
owned and in use by bona fide settlers
residing in or near National Forest
without permit.
In the year 1911 permits we're issued
for 1888 head of stock, but on account
of the extreme drought followed by one
of the most severe winters experienced
for many years, it wes- necessary
for practically every stockman to reduce
his herd to the minimum so that during
the summer of 1912 only 1886 head of
stock were grazed under permit. Since
that time the numerous settlers through
out the Forest have been gradually en-
larging their lunches and unless another
crop failure occurs it will only be mat
ter of two or three years until the num-
ber will equal if not exceed the normal
amount.
The settling up and fencing of the
surrounding foothills country has greatly
increased the demand for range in the
National Forest. Owing to this scarcity
of range in the lower country, stockmen
are anxious to secure grazing privileges
in the National Forest for the coming
season and local officers state that tenta-
tive applications have already been re-
ceived from stockmen who previously
have not needed National Forest range
for the grazing of two to three thousand
head of stock. The applications already
on file in the Custer Forest Office indi.
cate that during the year 1915 there will
be demand for all the unused range
and that every part of the Forest will be
fully stocked.
In order to increase the carrying ca
pacity and to make possible complete
utilization of all available range within
the Forest numerous springs have been
improved and new watering places de-
yeloped. The scarcity of water during
the summer of 1911 made necessary the
Improvement of many springs which
had previously supplied sufficient water.
During that year fourteen springs scat
tered throughout the Forest were i'm
proved at cost to the Forest Service of
$343.60. Assistance in this work was
furnished by those using the range to
the value of Sl65.00.
Since 1911 numerous watering places
have been developed Last season
watering places were developed at a cost
to the Forest Service of $924.26 and CO.
operative labor valued at $4,000. One
valuable watering place was improved
by sinking well IL feet deep and in
stalling windmill to pump the water
into large tank. In one of the valu-
able range areas in the Limestone coun-
try heretofore practically unused on ac-
count of lack of water a large storage
reservoir has been constructed for stor-
ing water for stock during the summer
months. This reservoir has been sup
plemented by the development of small
springs and since considerable area
of the surrounding land supports dense
growth of valuable forage plants and
grasses, it will make it possible to Craze
several hundred head more stock in this
locality than has heretofore been grazed.
1t is the intention of the Forest Ser
vice with the assistance of range users
to continue to improve watering places
on the National Forests as rapidly as
funds are available in order to increase
the carrying capacity of the range and
thereby promote the livestock industry.