Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1900-09-10
Special to Times Republican.

Special to Times-R Republican.
Ames Sept. 1o.Prof L. N. Pammel.
the botanist Of the Iowa State College,
during this summer vacation made inn
portant investigations for the depart
ment of agriculture to ascertain the eff
feet of grazing in the great forest res
serves Of the west on the preservation
and reproduction OF forests, and upon
the water supply for irrigation. The de-
partment Of agriculture took this mat
ter up at the solicitation of the secre-
tary Of the interior, who desires to for
mulate get of rules regulating the in
dustry Of grazing but as the questions
involved were of more interest to the
agricultural department 1t was under
its orders that the Investigations were
made. Professor Pammel's instructions
required him to give special attention to
the following phases OF the subject: i.
The grazing in the forest reserves In re-.
laton to taxation and the general pros
perity OF the specified localities. 2. The
relation Of grazing to forest fires. 3. The
relation Of grazing to the preservation
and reproduction of forests 4. The re-
tlation Of grazing to irrigation and water
supply. 5. The relative effect of graz
ling by various kinds of stock. s. Mod
lserage grazing and over grazing in for
est reserves.
In undertaking these Investigations
the department has no case to prove, no
| interest except the public interest, nor
|any preconceived ideas to establish or
defend. From the report of the investi-
gators the department. will make regu-
lations that will permit or prohibit the
continuance Of grazing in the forest re-
serves which will effect great industries
lin the west, and the possibilities for pub.
| lie and private gain or loss are large.
Professor Pammel went first to the Uni
tab reserve in the northeastern part of
Utah. Here, as in all the other reserves,
/ the controversy is kept alive by the cat
ltlemen, who claim that the sheep spoil
the reserves for cattle grazing, and by
4 the sheep men, who take the opposite
view Of the matter in relation to sheep
Il grazing. There is another view of the
situation, too. which will receive consid-
Eeration, and that is that grazing in the
reserves, which are usually water sheds,
retaining water by which extensive ir-
gof the streams, lessening the water
supply. This proposition is of the first
4 Importance when it is realized that one
of the cogent reasons for the preserva
ton of our western forests in general is
4 1.-the Importance of a forest covering IN
i conserving and regulating the water
4 supply needed for irrigation purposes
Il In all these matters Professor Pamme
/ has definite suggestions to make, which
A he has included in his report to Clifford
4 Pinchott, chief of the division of forest
/ ry.
A Under the present regulation any one
4 can Craze any amount of stock on any
4 portion of the public land excepting for
I est. Indian. military reserves and ma
4 tional parks. Sheep are by nature very
close grazers and the land on which they
\ have been pastured can not be used for
i either horses, or cattle. Furthermore
sheep are a herded stock, and as the re
4 suit the sheep owner can exercise es-
sentially a prior right to any choice OF
3ilgrazing land and exclude all other stock
i men from it. In other words, the sheer
4 3owner'S progress over the public range
s only limited by the mutual consent
4 between himself and his stock grazing
4 neighbors, or by the use of physica
A force. Where such agreements can not
be perfected it usually results in oper
d warfare between the two conflicting in
srests, often resulting in death to somt
4 enc, and always in the destruction OF
4 property.
Professor Pammel. of course, is no!
q permitted to tell in advance of his rel
u port to the government what the result:
A of his investigations are. BY his repor
4 the department will be. able to formulate
7; regulations in the matter. so that the
results of his summers work will be O
a far reaching Importance to the cattle
4 and sheep interests of the great western
4 grazing sections.