East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1915-09-25
Drift Fence Eliminates Range QuarreIs
StoeEm" Longer Haze Deed With Wnete Nw Forestry
Policy Ends htsrRess 49,, ''

Reports On file in the Portland Of
flee OF the forest service show that
there are in existence on the national
forests OF Washington and oregon an-
proz.motely 275 miles Of drift fence,
all built hy the stockmen under spec
Sal use permit and in cooperation
with she government
drift fence Is one that is built to
Keep cattle from drifting on to the
sheep range or sheep from drifting
onto The cattle range, or to keep any
kInd OF stock from straying where Il
should not SO IN the old days, be-
fore these fences were In existence,
the dividing line between the sheep
and cattle range was patrolled by COW
boys with Winchesters. and so stir
ring were the events along this line
that it came 70 be known as the gun
line or the dead line, and woe to
the stock or the herders who at
tempted TO cross it. This continual
chasing Of the cattle whenever they
approached the boundary, led them
20 scent danger in every horseman
they saw. and kept them wild-eyed
ana afraid This state Of things was
not conducive to the production OF
good beef Then somebody conceiv-
ed the idea of a fence to take the
place OF the gun line" and for the
past ten years the fence has grown
many miles in extent When the ma
uonal forests were created, the gov
ernment favored the idea and legal
lied many Of the existing fences by
placing them under special use per-
nit and also cooperated in the build |
ing Of still more fences. In most cas-
es within the national forests the gov
ernment has furnished the posts and
IN exceptional cases the wire. The
l9tter exception, however. is only
when fence is needed to protect the
forest from damage from grazing. I
The fences are built, for the most
part by the stoekmen or their asso-
Citations. each member Of the associa-
tion or user Of the range within the
fence paying his pro rata share for
the building and upkeep of the fence.
As the expense Of keeping up the
fence is great the forest service took
up the question of extending assist
snce with the result that a recent
regulation provides plan whereby at
the end Of ten years the stockmen are
supposed to have received in benefit
full return for the money expended,
and the fence may be then turnd ov-
er 70 the government for future main
,enance.
The stockmen are quite pronounc- {
"a in their expressions Of satisfaction t
az this method OF handling their cat S
lie. The animals need no herders a
md browse undisturbed and unafraid. t
For example, ride over the MIL
Creek range on the Ochoco forest in |
central Oregon-there are over 100 ;
miles Of drift fence on the Ochoco u
ilone-and you viii pass group after V
group Of cattle, fat and sleep, and n
20 tame that they viii pay no more d
attention to you than If you were a t
part of the landscape There is no e
more running at the sight Of every e
stranger. but the quiet grazing that C
adds pounds Of beef to every animal, q
md means prizes at the stock shows h
md high prices in the stockyard. o
The Tamarack drift fence. 20 miles Il
Il length, on the Umatilla forest in
,ortheastern oregon, has more than ii
,roved its worth to the stockmen US 2.
ng that range. and a report from the ii
upervisor Of that forest states that al
isers Of other ranges on the forest n
laye petitioned the government to d.
uild fences and expressed their will m
ngness To pay a higher grazing fee tr
or fenced range Among other GO
easons they stated that the fence Ca
eeps the stock from straying. pre- pe
ents loss by theft. and also keeps to
purchased stock from returning TO .'a
be old range as
On the Wallowa forest Sc miles of Of
riff fence is maintained The situa- or
on is such in this region that they De
re many short fences. some built 20 To-
eep the stock from sliding down the
.eep slopes or breaks Of the Snake w.
iyer when the ground is frozen in co
inter others to keep the stock from vi
rifiing TO the winter range too early tn
, the fan or to the summer range in
20 early in the spring ho
The service has recently expert all
rented 10 determine the best kind sit
fences to build They have been oo
ut of barbei wire and also smooth lc
visited wire with posts far apart and
osts near together. with a top pole pu
nd without Thus far it has been th
emonstrated that the smooth twised hl