Bonners Ferry herald. [volume] (Bonners Ferry, Idaho) 1904-current, 1916-06-23

neighbor has sheep and cows. In the
fourth, sheep, cows and goats Craze
together Each year the previous re-
serve will be ready for sheep and the
other areas each advance one stage, SO
that, eventually. the entire barren Her
zegovina will be fertile and green.
Some dozen years ago we intro
duced the latest innovation, 1. e., the
resurrection idea. A field is taken by
the government, cleared of everything,
declared reserve and then the weeds,
which had previously been crushed by
the nibbling of cattle and smaller
herds, so that they sent out several
sideshoots, instead of one main stalk.
are permitted to rise. Then such
plants as are harmful to the majority
are cut out and the land allowed to
green with the others. The venture is
a paying one and thousands of acres
have been covered by the process.
Still another way of fighting the
havoc done through the centuries by
the goat is in sowing vast amount of
seeds over the barrens by hand. We
have very strict forestry laws in this
region and violations are subject to
Imprisonment. Instead of falling the
men. however, they are set to gather
| ing seeds, which is far more pleasant.
being out In the open, than remaining
in the cells. Consequently, If but one
wild seed in 500 thrives, the venture
pays. 1t costs the government moth
ing and the produce of that one seed
will help spread the good work in
definitely.
I'm the north Of Herzegovina there
is still some primeval forest that is
being cared for and made productive
by like ingenious methods.
Water Must Be Conserved.
Conservation of the water, too,
needs to be considered along with the
forest. In the winter we now have
too much water by far in the deserts
and in the summer not nearly enough.
Streams dry up and when it rains
the water is sucked into the soil be-
fore it can trickle down the noun
tains, the stones carrying it OF and
causing 1t to disappear until Deem
Der, when the country is flooded.
Government cisterns have to be built,
in consequence, each city keeping her
cisterns clean. and in July and August
each year laws are passed regulating
how much water each householder
may draw.
"At such times the goats and cattle
are driven into the mountains by the
children, six to eight hours distance,
to find running water and pasturage.
Into the Bosnian Alps the cattle and
sheep and horses and goats are driven
together. The pastures there are
} guarded by the government, and it is
fixed just who may pasture in a given
area and exactly how many head of
/ animals he may bring into such a
} space, in order to prevent the ruina-
ton Of grazing. The end Of April wit
, nesses thousands of goats driven into
; the mountains for the summer. Herd
ers from each family accompany, and
: these spend the summer on the peaks
, making cheese and white, round cakes
l of lard or butter, from which the folk
1 will live in the winter"
4 Now, though, the war has changed
= all this. Most of the goats have been
9 driven of, along with the cattle AND
4 horses, for the armies of Franz Jozef
d What remain must be tended by the
a women. who must also look after
d their homes, tend the wounded as they
}. come back, and bury the dead. Mean
0 while the reserves are being plundered
d by such animals as remain and tbs
y guards to these are busy elsewhere
f Havoc, ruin will result, and destruc
ton from which the region will mo-
recover for weary decades to come.