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Show Forest Notes Snow Hanging on WeU Ranger Thursby reports that on May 2, 1930, he drove in a car as far as the Fish Pond below the Experiment Station. On that date this year, a car could go only to the foot of the Lake Hill Dugway, approximately two miles mil-es below the point reached in 1930. Roads Repaired Ranger Cox reports that the Manti Canyon road as far up as the Cottonwoods has been placed in excellent candition. The Twelve Mile Canyon road as far up as Cow Canyon in the Narrows and to the Corduroy in the Left Hand Fork has also been gone over. The work has been done with the tractor and grader Evan Larsen driving the tractor and Will Cox handling the grader. Mt. Baldy Telephone Line Now Working On May 4 Supervisor Humphrey and Ranger Cox repaired the Mayfield-Emery telephone line as far up as the Mt. Baldy Ranger Station. Several-trees had fallen across the line breaking it in one place and grounding it in several other places. They were unable to ring Emery so that there is a possibility that the heavy winter snows have either broken the line or grounded it. The snow was just to the top of the corral gate and the north fence was completely com-pletely covered. Ranger Cox had to leave his horse just above the Beaver Dam willow patch. Heretofore Hereto-fore it has been possible to take horses considerably farther up than was possible this year. It would seem, therefore, that with fairly warm weather, reasonably high water can be looked for. Winter Losses Some of the sheepmen grazing on the West Desert report moderate mod-erate losses during the past winter. win-ter. A great many stockmen, however, how-ever, report exceptionally heavy losses. Some herds have been found when reaching the shearing corral to have suffered as much as 50 per cent in their winter loss. In Carbon County some of the; stockmen report winter losses ranging from 30 to 40 per cent. It is hard to say at this time just what the losses are, since some stockmen are inclined to exaggerate ex-aggerate while others minimize their losses. It Is believed, however, howev-er, that the losses have been much heavier on both the East and West Deserts than they have been at any time in the past twenty years. According to the reports of stockmen some of the winter's losses in sheep are due to a fly getting into the nasal cavities of the sheep, sometimes causing death. It requires several months for these flies to incubate . and reach the stage where they will kill stock. According to Orange Ol sen, the deer in certain " sections cf Idaho are suffering from this same trouble. So far as we know the deer in this locality have not suffered as yet from that trouble. Snow Measurements Vernal Bennion and Edgar Frost are making stream measurements on the Seely Creek watershed and are camped at the Seely Creek Ranger Station. They were at the station several days during the cold weather before runoff started. According to Mr. Bennion, the first raise in the water came on May 10. Since that time the water wa-ter has increased from two to ap proximately fifteen second feet in Becks Creek. Walter Mann and Ray Price measured the snow on the Meadows Mea-dows below the Alpine Station on May 7. At that time they found sixty inches of snow with a water wa-ter content of twenty-five inches. With warm weather it would seem that farmers can expect a fairly good runoff this spring, no', withstanding that fact that up until November 10, 1931, there was insufficient moisture at any one time during the season of 1931 to settle the dust from Lake Hill to Ephraim. This possibly accounts for the very light runoff from the lower areas on the Sanpete water sheds. Telephone Line Completed The Mayfield-Manti telephone line has been completed and a connection made with the Emery Mayfield line at the latter place. Some further work is necessary, however, before the line will be in working condition. This connec tion will make it possible to talk direct from the Supervisor's office to Emery, Clay Springs Ranger Station and the Mt. Baldy Ranger Ran-ger Station. It also gives the rangers on districts 1 and 2 a chance to talk direct with permittees per-mittees in Sanpete County. Foragre Slow For 1932 On May 6, Suirvisor Humphrey Humph-rey and Ranger Thursby rode the Ephraim and Willow Creek cattle ranges with a permittee and 9 representative of the Ephraim Cattlemen's Association to determine deter-mine just when cattle should be turned on the range. Because- of the shortage of hay we are an- xious to lend every, assistance to the cattle owners, however, be- cause of the lateness of the season sea-son there was practically nothing on the forest range at that time for cattle. It was agreed, however, howev-er, to allow a few head of cattle to be turned in Ephraim Canyon and the private land owners in Willow Creek will place a few on their private lands below the Forest Boundary before the opening open-ing of the season on May 15. The date forage growth started this season is somewhat later than usual. us-ual. For this reason few stockmen stock-men have asked to turn on the range before the regular opening date on the Sanpete side of tho Forest. On the Emery County side of the range cattle have been placed in little nooks and corners not heretofore grazed and from all reports have done reasonably well. There is a possibility, however, how-ever, that unless we receive an abundance of moisture this season sea-son that we can expect a shortage short-age of forage due to this springs early use and the dryness of the soil from the 1931 drouth. |