OCR Text |
Show OLD GRAZING LANDS MADE NEW The rich gTazing lands of the West are being seriously damagod by excessive ex-cessive and unrestrained U9e. A band of sheep in grazing destroys much more grass by trampling than it eats, and constant overgrazing has ruined thousands of acres of the best grass lands. The effects of unrestricted or ill-directed grazing not only lessen production of forage for one or two seasons, but the carrying capacity of the range Is permanently impaired-Worn-out acres quickly spring up to worthless or noxious growths which spread and supercede the natural range cover.. Large areas are sometimes some-times bo barod by destructive overgrazing over-grazing that they become praclicaally barren wastes. The Forest Service and the Bureau Bu-reau of Plant Industry, of the U. S. Department of Agriculture, have cooperated co-operated in a series of experiments looking toward the artificial reseeding of portions of grazing lands with cultivated cul-tivated grasses, and studios are being carried on to find out how overgrazed areas can be reseeded naturally, and how tho carrying capacity of the" range can be increased through modifica Hons of the present methods of handling han-dling stock. Much of tho grazing land Included In tho National ForestB was comparatively unproductive as a result re-sult of unrestricted grazing before it came under Forest Service control. 8lnce that time it is estimated that the efficiency of these lands has been Increased 30 per cent merely by the prevention of misuse. This represents but the beginning of the good which will result from the experiments and studies already started. The Wallowa (formerly the Imua-ba) Imua-ba) National Forest, in eastern Oregon, Ore-gon, was chosen for the first experiments, experi-ments, because it afforded prime test conditions and was in need of early attention. This forest contains about 747,000 acres, of which approximately 600,000 acres, bocause of its irregular, broken surface, are given oved to sheep grazing. The balance is used for tho grailng of cattle. Owing to the wide range of altitude and of topography, to-pography, the grazing areas are naturally nat-urally divided Into a number, of rather rath-er distinct xones of vegetation, and each presents problems of its own. Because of these conditions the results re-sults of this experimental work should prove extremely valuable to stockmen in many sections, presenting as they do solutions, so far as the work has progressed at this time, of many range problems. The object of tho initial experiments experi-ments has been to bring about the natural reseeding of range areas without with-out withdrawing them, except temporarily, tem-porarily, from use. This Involves studies of the flowering and maturity of range plants, the germination of seeds, and the destructive effect of trampling by stock. The results of tho first of these studleu and experiments are contained contain-ed In a preliminary report entitled "Tho Revegetatlon of Overgrazed Rango Areas." issued by tho Forest 8ervlce as Circular 15S. Copies may be had by persons Interested on application appli-cation to the Forest Service, U. S. Department of Agriculture, Washington, Washing-ton, D. C. In addition to the above preliminary report, there has previously been issued is-sued by the Forest Service a progress report on another phase of these Investigations, In-vestigations, namely, an 'experiment Jn coyote-proof pastures, published as Circular 150, which may be obtained on application to tho Forest Service. |