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Show District Investigative Committee Meeting C. L. Forsling of the G. B. E. S., W. A. Denecke of the Dubois Sheep experiment exper-iment Station, Senator W. D. Candland Supervisors Sanford and Stewart, Assistant As-sistant Supervisor Farrell, together with District Officials, met in the Dis- trict Forester's office Mondqy February Febru-ary 27 to discuss research problems. Mr. Forsling reported that the following fol-lowing four projects should be publish ed as soon as compilations could be made: Climate and plant growth, showing effect of precipitation, etc., on forage. Results of Doubois Experiment Station work on spring and fall range. Natural revegetation to show the rate of improvement under different conditions. Plant sap in relation to distribution a cooperative project with the University Univer-sity of Minnesota. He reported the following three publications pub-lications in the process of printing: Artificial Reseeding, in cooperation with Mr. Dayton, showing all work by the Forest Service along these lines up to date. Study of Brouse Range on the Dixie National Forest. Relation of Grazing to Surface Ru:i off and Erosion. Mr. Rutledge stated that one of the purposes of the meeting was to avoid any tendency of research men to dig and dig but never come up with anything. any-thing. He stated that aill stockmen, whether using the forest or not, are entitled to information developed - by research and the meeting should develop de-velop means of making the research program more useful to the public in general. Consequently, there is a need for more stockmen in on such conferences. confer-ences. Senator Candland stated he believed it possible to double the carrying capacity cap-acity on the ranges of the State and that he was sure that the West Desert is not producing half the vegetation it did 40 years ago. He believes the public pub-lic domain should be put under admin- stration; that the Forest Service should be put under administration; that the Forest Service should help improve range adjacent to the forest, as well as National Forest ranges; the greatest aeed from the stockman's ) viewpoint is the development of methods of artificial art-ificial reseeding and that he would be willing to purchase seed and sow it and fence off the area on his own land if the Forest Service could tell him what seed was suitable. ".' Mr. Candland also said that fiUxi should enter the Forest at a point near est their own holdings, in order to a-void a-void excessive trailing and that this trailing should be eliminated, even j though it might mean a redistribution of allotments. ! Mr. Winkler reported that some of the Manti herders were already gather ing seed themselves and sowing spots on their allotments. Mr. Forlsing reported that the following fol-lowing seed was suitable for artificial reseeding: 1 Mountain brome. Smooth brome, Bluegrass, Yellow Clover, White Clover Slender Wheat. The latter islender wheat) can be obtained from commercial commer-cial houses. Mr. Forsling reported that at the Dubois Sheep Station experiments show that on two similar 80 acre fenced fenc-ed pastures, over a period oi 5 years, the one grazed aboi't three weeks in the spring and again in the fall had a carrying capacity at the end of the five-year period of 602 sheep days in excess of the pasture which was grazed cont:nnously throughout the spring for 5 weeks, and again in the fall. He reported re-ported from the period 11)23-1927, a var iation of 24 days in the date grass becomes be-comes four inches high. Senator Candland stated that it took on the average in Utah about two acres per head for lambing and two acres per head for other range for sheep. Mr. Forsling reported that In the last five years, forage preduction has varied from 35 below and to 35 above average and that tho variation depend ed more on rainfall during Juno, July and August than on snowfail, but the feed in dry years seems -to have more nourishment, to be more palatable, to be used closer and to suffer less waste from trampling. This indicates a tendency ten-dency for a value of feed to biance from one year to ano'her. The discussion brought out a desire for publication of range research findings find-ings to date, confining such a publication publica-tion to conclusions, wii.n a reference to the sourse of the conclusions so that more detail could be found if desired. Experiments at the Dubois Station indicate that use before vegetation readiness-, one year wtth use postponed until after vegetative readiness the next year, keeping up such alternation migh leep the range in condition, although al-though it would not produce as much forage as would be tho case where the iraige was neve: used until vegetative retdiness. |
