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Show BIG DEMAND FOR M FOREST RANGES .H A continued Increase In tho do- 'H mand for permits to graze livestock H on the National Forests and tho nee- M csslty of goLng ahead with the work H of developing the Forest ranges to H tho utmost aro emphasized by Acting ,H Forester A. F. Potter In the Annual l Report of the Forest Service. The 'h settlement of the public domain 'H brings new applicants for grazing 1 privileges with each succeeding sea- J son, while tho continued high prices H rccolved for meat, wool, and hides H are an Incentive for tho older per- H mittccs to endeavor to Increase their H "Now permits for an Increased H number of anlmnls nnd an ndvanca H In tho grazing feos madu during tho year brought tho total receipts from. grazing up to $1,549,000." H Tho winter season of 1916-17 wa3 H the most disastrous tho rango stoclc J men of tho West havo known, Mr. J Potter states. There havo been J years when the local losses wero H heavier, but never when tho losses H were so general In every rango state. H As a result of continued sevcro wea- ther throughout the winter months H and a scarcity of hay, which was hard H to get nt any price, stockmen "sut- , H fered severe losses. The lamp crop H for the entire West was probably 15 H to 20 per cent below tho averago H of the shortage or feed on tho open sbbbbbbb range, the National Forests were op- H ened to grazing In advance of the H regular season, and several hundred H thousand sheep and cattle were ad- H mltted to the Forest ranges. H The number of cattlo on the V - H csts the past season was nearly 2Q0,- H 000 greater than in 1916, and the number of sheep more than 200,000 B greater. This Increase, It is stated, B wns due to a; more Intimate knowl- HBb edge of the forage growth and the HBVJ carrying capacity "of the rango, and HBa to efforts made to Increase produc- HBVJ tlon of livestock to meet the cnier- HBv gency food needs of the country. HBVJ About 1,100,000 acres were exam- HBVJ ined by the grazing experts of tho H Service during the year. The lnfor- B matlon gained will, the report says, Hftj aid in raising the number of live- HBVJ stock on the ranges to the maximum HBVJ without excessive damage. Light HBVJ grazing for three years has resulted HBVJ in excellent recuperation of a largo HBVJ area of granla grass range on the HBVJ Jornada Rango Reserve. On the HBV high mountain lands of the Manto I HBV National Forest In Utah, It was found CaVsH that erosion and decrease In soil fer- VAVJ tlllty following over grazing mated- HBS ally lengthen the period necessary HB for the grass to "come back.", HHHJ A study of the methods of herding HHH goats has resulted in an 'improvement HHJ In the handling of these animals on HHH the range. On the Jornada Range HKVJ Reserve a calf crop fully 10 per cent "wAV above tho average was saved from a . . .HHH brooding herd held on a fenced rango HHH under Improved methods and given, HHh a small amount of supplemental food.. iswAfl From another herd, fed an average- JHHh of 50 pounds of cottonseed cake per HHJ head and given still better care, tho HHb calf crop exceeded the averago by HHb more than 20 per cent. HHJ On some of the Utah, Montana and HHJ California Forests tests wero made HHJ which further demonstrated the ad- H vantages of the "bedding out" sys- H tern of handling sheep over the old H method of close herding with dogs, B Advance was made In the methods HHf of salting cattle und in showing tho HBl value of well distributed watering HHl places. On a number of Forests dem- HH onstration tests were made of eradl- HHl cation or the poisonous tall larkspur. HBl In every vase,, the report states, ,tho HBl losses from poisoning were reduced H to an extent which more than justl- HH fled the cest. Minor Investigations HJ were also' started to work out moth- HBl ods of getting rid of other poisonous HB HBbH |