Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-05-03
MORE BEEE BY Law.

| For several years western congress
men have been attempting to gain the
ear Of the nation for consideration Of 4
scheme to lease public grazing lands on
the plains OF the west. Now that the
nation Is disturbed over the price OF
beef it may find some interest In this
subject so important to the beef-raising
industry.
When the ranges were opened to the
public the great beef herds soon over
ran them. In 1880 the delivery of range
cattle at the market centers had
reached it's high mark. In six years
this volume of business fell off 60 per
cent and the price of beef on the butch
er's block rose 40 per cent during that
tine. An explanation was sought. Men
were sent from the agricultural depart
mant to investigate. The hydrograp piers
and agrostologists returned with the
information that altho the Japan cur
rent was still supplying moisture, the
crust Of the earth was dry, the water
courses were dry and a blear desert
lad overspread the meadow. They also
found that the grasses. forage plants
end browse shrubs were gone, that all
natures nice adjustment to prevent
evaporation from the soil and to open
it for absorption by the plant roots had
disappeared. the flocks and herds.
grazing as free commoners, had eaten
the forage, destroyed the stable mois-
ture and left desert behind. Pioneers
In the arid region reported that the
country was growing dryer and as one
man told OF grazing district in Ari
IONA. 5000 cattle starved on the same
range where 10000 grew fat twelve
years ago.
Cattlemen In conventions have re-
solved and western congressman have
proposed new laws for the leasing of
the grazing lands so that the man using
the range could so control 1t as to save
the grass conserve the moisture and
restore the ruined capacities of the
range. But their efforts have been
thwarted by the eastern legislators.
Now with the beef trust scare even the
denizen of the factory city is willing to
listen to the cattleman's plan for in
creasing the supply of live beef from
the same pasture acreage and he finds
that the suggestion OF leasing the
ranges is not without its precedent.
Nearly twenty years ago the ranges of
NAL government then leased the
ranges. Each man got leasehold,
confined his stock to it, carefully nur-
tured the reseeding OF the forage, with
the result that the grazing capacity Of
the Australian ranges has been re-
stored to its virgin state. Texas, which
owns its own domain, found that when
used in common its grazing land be-
came bleak, steer could barely live on
100 acres, Less than ten years ago she
leased her lands and now those same
ranges will support a steer on every
seventeen acres. The United States
government, when 1t found that the
ranges on the Indian reservations had
been destroyed, leased them and the
desert retreated before the meadow.
Many other western states lease their
school lands for ranges at an average
Of 1.s cents per acre, deriving an aggre-
gate Of $1,1os,754 annually therefrom.
II the four hundred millions Of acres
now used as cattle ranges could be SO
protected and nurtured under the pro-
visions of lease law as to increase
the territory's cattle capacity six times,
as was done in Texas, the effect upon
the beef industry would be Invaluable.
AS the country grows in population and
the demand for all food products raises
the price Of farm lands in the humid
regions, the multiplying of beef herds
on the ranges of the arid region is Of
the greatest Importance to the people
Of every state and every occupation. It
has been estimated that the federal
government could receive revenue OF
$4,000 900 annually from the leasing of
its grazing lands, which, If applied to
the building of irrigation works, would
develop vast areas Of producing
farms and at the same time the lease
law would be providing, on every hun.
bred acres, feed for six steers where
only one can now find a living. The
Bowersock range leafs bill and the
similar bill introduced by Congressman
Lacey is of national interest.