The Coconino sun., 1918-01-18
GRAZING ON FORESTS.

A continued increase Tn the demand for permits to graze live stock on tho national forests and the necessity oi going ahead with the work of devel oping the forest ranges to the utmost are emphasized by Acting Forester A F. Potter in the annual report of the Forest Service. The settlement o1 the public domain brings new appli. cants for grazing privileges with eacf succeeding season, while the continued high prices received for meat, wool and hides are an incentive for the older permittees to endeavor to in. crease their numbers. New permits for an increased number of animals and an advance in grazing fees made during the year brought the total receipts from grazing up to S1,549,. 900.
 The winter season of 1916-1917 was the most disastrous the range stock. men of the West have known, Mir Potter states. There have been years when the local losses were heavier but never when the losses were SC general in every range state. As 2 result of continued severe weather throughout the winter months and . scarcity of hay, which was hard tt get at any price, stockmen suffered severe losses. The lamb crop for tho entire West was probably 15 to 2( per cent below the average, while tn, calf crop was considerably below nor nal. Because of the shortage of feec on the open range, the national for ests were opened to grazing in ad vance of the regular season and sever al hundred thousand sheep and cattl, were admitted to the forest ranges.
 The number of cattle on the for ests the past season was nearly 200, 900 greater than in 1916, and tn, number of sheep more than 200,00t greater. This increase, it is stated was due to a more intimate knowl edge of the forage growth and tn, carrying capacity of the ranges an' to efforts made to increase produc tion of live stock to meet emergenc. food needs of the country.
 About 100000 acres were examin ed by the grazing experts of the ser vice during the year. The informa tion gained will, the report says, ai, in raising the number of live stock ol the ranges to the maximum, withou excessive damage. Light grazing fo three years has resulted in excellen recuperation of large area of gram grass range on the Jordana Rang Reserve. On the high mountain land of the Manti National Forest in Utaf it was found that erosion and decreas in soil fertility following overgrazin materially lengthens the period nc cessary for the grass to "come back.
 A study of the methods of herdin goats has resulted in an improvement in the handling of these animals o the range. On the Jornada Rang Reserve a calf crop of fully 10 pc cent above the average was save from a breeding herd held on fent ed range under improved methods an given a small amount of supplemer tai feed. From another herd, fed a average of 50 pounds of cottonsee cake per head and given still bette care, the calf crop exceeded the ay craze by more than 20 per cent.
 On some of the Utah, Montana an California forests tests were mad which further demonstrated the ad vantage of the "bedding down" sys tenn of handling sheep over the ol method of close herding with dog: Advance was made in the methods o salting cattle and in showing the val ue of well distributed watering place! On number of forests demonstratio tests were made of eradication of tn poisonous tall larkspur. In ever case, the report states, the losses fror poisoning were reduced to an exten which more than justified the cost Minor investigations were also start ed to work out methods of getting ri of other poisonous plants.