The Roswell daily record. [volume] (Roswell, N.M.) 1903-current, 1907-05-27
special agent reporting to Mr.. Co

special agent reporting 10 MT. 10
vile.
MI. Coville is well fitted to conduct
these investigations in reseeding the
range, as he has had extensive expert
ence in much other work along the
same line. In 1898 he compiled a
report on sheep grazing in Cascade
mountains for the forest service and
in 1904 in the service of the public
lands commission Investigated n
made a report on grazing under state
lease laws. He is a director of the
botanical experiment station of Tue
son, AriZ., and is lending valuable
service in the bureau of plant indus
try of the United States department
IF agriculture.
The especial significance of this
new departure lies in the fact that it
shows the forest service is not only
trying to prevent abuse from making
the range worse but is also taking
active steps to make the range bet
ter. Obviously this is of large impor-
lance to h grazing industry. All
grazing tends to change the character
of the forage, generally for the
worse, just as timber cutting tends
to change the character of the forest
for the worse by taking out the most
valuable trees and leaving the poor
Z III " IohS lICII pIdSC-
One of the first results of over
grazing is seen in the number of
weeds, which stock either refuse to
eat or avoid as long as anything bet
ter can be found, and which therefore
go to seed. If the natural grazing
Ian of the west is to be made the
most of it must grow the kinds of
forage plants which will give the
range the highest value per acre to
the stockmen. 1t is therefore a fact
of considerable interest to the stock
industry that the matter is to be
taken up scientifically to find out in
quirements and the feeding value of
all kinds of plants what it will try
to introduce in the national forests.
In the management of grazing on
some of the ranges the forest service
mas found it necessary to greatly re-
due the number of stock in order to
stop h damage from over-grazing of
the land. That this damage has taken
place is admitted by the stockmen
themselves. In attempting to increase
the of forage by artificial seed
ing, if possible. the principal ques
tons to be settled are whether it is
practicable to seed these ranges or
any portion of them with seed of
III vi SOIlAN oICu IoooCo vi
other forage plants, and what system
of range management of both cattle
and sheep will best permit the native
grasses to reseed themselves and thus
increase the carrying capacity of the
range. If the problems can be solved
in the ranges where the Investigations
are about to begin other experiments
will naturally follow in practically
all of the national forests which con
tain range lands.
1t is of course not n purpose of
the forest service to promote by these
studies, or in any other way, the in
terests of the stockmen as against
the settler. When the bona fide home
steader is ready to take possession
every right thinking person, whatever
his private interest may be, must
recognize that it is time for the stock
man to get off. This is just as true
of forest as of range. WHAT the forest
service is trying to do is to make
every acre add all that it can to the
General welfare. If it is worth most
for farming, it should be farmed: if
for grazing, grazed; if for timber
growing and water conservation, it
should be used accordingly. 1t is a
simple principle and plainly in the
best interest of the west, yet it has
often been misunderstood and mis-
represented.