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Show FOREST SERVICE EXPLAINS WHY CRAZING IS CUT ! In consequence of the conclusive evidence evi-dence which has been laid before the Secretary of Agriculture of injury to ; agricultural and other interests through : too heavy grazing of certain watersheds ; in the Manti National Forest, in Utah, Secretary Wilson has cut down the i amount of stock which will be allowed I to graze on this Forest next year to i lU.fiOO head of cattle and horses and 1 155,000 head of sheep. This is a re-; re-; duction of 2000 in the number of cattle 1 and horses, and 27,000 in the number of j sheep. There has been great apprehension ; among the farmers and towns people who live along the streams fed from these watersheds, lest overgrazing should seriously jeopardise their interests. inter-ests. This apprehension was basetl on the actual experience of the past. Reports Re-ports which have been submitted to Secretary Wilson by officers of the Department De-partment show that the unrestricted grazing before the Manti National Forest was created had very serious re ' suits. The range was badly overrun and abused with the result that the natural covering of vegetation was largely destroyed, that cue soil was loosened, and conditions favorable to rapid erosion were created. The high slopes be.-t'an to gully so that when the heavy rainstorms broke upon the mountains the canyons poured down mud-laden streams upon the towns and farms. With these flood-streams were carried car-ried d.iwn heavy boulders, 'ngs ;n 1 i driftwood. Not only was standing I grain washed down and fields coeied I v. ith piles of gravel an. I othir d b: is, but s:reets and la.vns were o.e.'dowej with water which oa i:s lvtivat left behind it a tn ck layer of o.l'ensive sed-imen. sed-imen. Wate r supply fur domestic use wore contaitiinateu from tfie 'presence of stock on the watersheds as well as from the soil wash. Toe towns ol Stl-ina, Stl-ina, Mt. Pleasant. Huntington. Or-angeville Or-angeville and Ferron. Ferron aail Sal-ina Sal-ina were severe sufferers, while the city of Mamij which is located directly direct-ly at the mouth of the canvn a:.d close to the base of the hills, suffere I damage, dam-age, including depreciation of property betwetn lf-Siti ami 1'.'02 estimated at from $76,0 JO to $U500J. Last spring Chief Forrester visited Eph aim ani .v is i tipr.issj I oy the ser iousness of the con liuons on the Manti Man-ti Forest. The prohibition of grazing in Manti Canyon in 10J-3 had apparent-i. apparent-i. contribute ! to t ;e great reduction of dam i.e by llo his to the city v Manti. Man-ti. lo ascertain whether bv modilio t-I t-I tion of the gr.iziag now permitted the I same protection might oe given to Ephraim and other to.vns he. ordered i an investigation, the outcome of which is the reduction-nun: -made It was found that in parts of the j Forest surface con ikions are far from j satisfactory, and that some areas have I reached a point at which erosion will become more and more serious if the vegetatirn is not given a chance to return. re-turn. It is now evident to Secretary Wilson that the National Forest odic-ers, odic-ers, in trieir desire not to curtail use of ; the. range by stockmen any further tnan was made absolutely necessary, i' hae been too liberal in their recoui-I recoui-I mendati'.ns as to the amount of griz- mg to be permitted. ! Toe expei ience in Manti Canyon is; believed to indicate tnat the proper restrictions of grazing will diminish j the volume of flood waters, reduce tne j annual property loss, and add to the I general prosperity of the country. It has consequently been decided to restrict re-strict grazing upon the areas surrounding surround-ing the headwaters of the various stream-;, by setting aside a strip ap-, ap-, proximately two miles in width from which stock will be excluded except for limit periods. In order to take this step it has been necessary .lo reduce the total number of stock grazed upon the Forest, and while the reduction will entail some embarrassment and inconvenience in-convenience to a number of stock grow ers, its general result is expected to be of so great benefit to the communi ty as a whole that Secretary Wilson considers no other course is open but to make the reduction. |