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Show LIVESTOCK INCREASES I I OF NATIONAL FORESTS 1 Figures showing the number of livestock for which tie secretary of agriculture has authorized erasing permits for the ranges on the 1(0 national na-tional forests during the year 1914 have just been mado public. Nearly eleven million animals can be grazed, including nearly two .million head of cattle and horses, nearly nlno mil- : Hon head of sheep and gouts, nnd Hbout sixty-five thousand hogs. This means an Increase for the current year of about thlrtylelght thousand moro cattlo and horses and tlirco hundred hun-dred forty-seven thousiftd more sheep and goats, although the gross area of tho national forests at the beginning of 1914 Is almost a million1 acres less than at the beginning of 1913. During 1913, according to tho reports re-ports Just compiled, moro than twenty twen-ty thousand stockmen paid the government gov-ernment for grazing permits on the ; national forests. ' For several years past the' carrying carry-ing capacity of tho national' forest ranges has been slowly rising, which, forest officers say1, indicates an im- provoment In 'general gnulng conditions condi-tions and a bettor utilization of the forage resources. They claim that this is due mainly to the enforcement of bettor methods of distributing and Kandllng stock. On tho lands recently acquired by tho federal government within tho Appalachian region of tho east, regulated reg-ulated grazing has been undertaken this year on bIx distinct areas. Tho local stock owners who had previously previous-ly used tho land under leaso from the owners hifvo readily accepted tho chango of ownership nnd appear to bo favorably Impressed with tho methods me-thods employed by tbo forest service for grazing purposes. While tho number num-ber of all animals authorized to graze upon theso southern Appalachian forests for-ests Is not las-go, It Is the bellof of tho forest officers In charge of Uiem that under careful supervision tho lands will support moro stock than they have in tho past and that there will bo considerable Improvement In tho Individual animals, with n constant con-stant Increase in meat production. |