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Show Grass Gets Spotlight At Western Conclave In Salt Lake City During the Western Grassland Conference held at Salt Lake City a week ago numerous important ideas and opinions were expressed express-ed concerning the role played by grass on the ranges and farms of the western states. Stockmen, ranchers, researchers, scientists and others interested m range use emphasized the need for maintaining main-taining an abundant supply of forage and economic livestock units. All agree that in many instances the western ranges have been misused, but that through proper management and cooperation of all concerned this great natural resource can be maintained and even improved. Following are pertinent excerpts ex-cerpts taken from the addresses given before the conference: P. V. Cardon, assistant chief, of Bureau of Plant Industry, says, "ihe West grew upon grass. The west is today and will continue con-tinue to be dependent on grass. In no other part of the United Slates has grass played so prominent a roie in land use, and in the accompanying accom-panying social and economic advancement. ad-vancement. Nowhere else is grass more a part of agriculture than in the range states. Grass indeed, is the West's most valuable crop. We might even say that, excepting on:y the soil and water upon which it thrives, grass is the West's most valuable natural resource "In recent' years America has experienced a notable awakening with respect to soil conservation, erosion control and watershed . rotecLon. And with respect to all of these questions ot national concern, grass has come in for un-recendenled un-recendenled attention. Grass is a so;l-bu:Id:ng crop we have reasoned, it will cover the land, : .mprove soil texture, minimize erosion, and therefore, may be used to advantage as a substitute for surplus crops, generally re-; garded as soil depleting crops." j Reed M. Bailey, director, In-' termountain Forest and Range Experiment Station. "The miracle of grass, with its roots that bind the soil particles ! together, provides channels for absorption of rain or snow melt, furnishes forage for livestock and protects the functions of watersheds water-sheds is everywhere revealed as j we pursue our researches or apply j sound practices to the manage- ment of the plant cover on our watersheds." F. P. Champ, president board of trustees, Utah State Agricultural Agricul-tural College. "Bankers have come to realize more strongly than ever that a ; sustained yield of grass as an annual an-nual crop is the best security for their investments in the livestock industry; also that grass is a renewable resource that must be carefully guarded, scientifically managed and used if the people of this semi-arid region are to prosper and remain here indefinitely. indefi-nitely. Livestock lending agencies are insisting upon ample and permanent per-manent feed supplies to safeguard their loans and, in this connection are giving more and more attention atten-tion to long-term basis for the maintenance of these supplies at reasonable cost." James T. Jardine, director of research, U. S. Department of Agriculture says. "We must have a better under-i under-i standing of grass breeding and selection, of grass diseases, of re-..il. re-..il. on ot grass to soil and water conservation, and of grass nutri-j nutri-j t urn. There have be en many nut-laU' nut-laU' achievements m grass research re-search in the short time it has been under way in this country. Hut there are numerous problems I in need of solution. They are the jeost factors in social progress. The I ..est that research can hope to do jis to remain the vanguard of progress pro-gress and provide new facts and 'new materials from which to continue con-tinue their advance." I C. E. Fleming, Nevada Experi-' Experi-' ment Station says, i "One of the most vital problems concerning the West is the need lot producing grass m greater abundance. More abundant grass moans larger and better calf and I iamb crops, reduced livestock losses, agreater and more profitable profit-able use of our land and water, .a conservation of our soil resources, re-sources, more adequate and better Ured.t facilities, a more profitable j .urnoff in tne form of meat, wool and milk and a greater margin of profit to all oi our livestock enterprises due to a substantially lower cost of production for each , animal produced. All this will '.,row out of grassland improvement improve-ment on ranch and range." Dr. Walter P. Cotton, Professor o: Botany, at the University of Ltah says. "The greater need of the moment mo-ment besides ram is for science and industry, in a spirit of tolerance toler-ance and cooperation, to seek any and every measure of land man agement which g.ves promise ol iiMioil our ranges to their l roper status ot renewable re-oui re-oui Co." Dr. George Stewart, ccologisl. of the Intermountam Forest and r.ange Experiment Station Ogden, u tan says, "Ihe best esimate that can be made regarding tne area ot abandoned lands in the West is ihat From 23 to 25 million acres once seeded largely to dry-farm wnea'. are now lying mostly overgrown with weeds and pro-due. pro-due. ng little in the way of forage, i; le:i to themselves, these lands would in time have their native vegetation restored, but they are not lelt to themselves. They are grazed just enough to keep perennial per-ennial forage plants from becoming becom-ing established. The larger part ot these lands are preeminently suitable for being put back into dry-larm pastures or re-established as range pastures, depending on the loction and nature of tne soil and the precipitation." J. H. Christ, regional conservator, conserva-tor, Soil Conservation, Spokane, Washington says, j "in studying the present and planning for the future we re-1 member that there is no mature agriculture of record based on one crop farming, nor of grazing lands which have endured when continually con-tinually overgrazed." F. R. Marshall, secretary, National Na-tional Wool Growers, Salt Lake City, Utah says, "Under the present conditions many of the stockmen are living under a secure state of insecurity iney can't purchase their range, nor can they permnent tenure. For the best good of all concerned the industry should be placed on a more secure basis." |