Daily Arizona silver belt., 1907-09-05
GREAT WORK OF
 FOREST SERVICE
Begins Series of Experiments to Find Out How Grazing Area on Public Lands Can Be Increased-Will Mean Much for Stockmen of the West.

Ino llNcStOck lnuuStTN luIhS to uV count one of the greatest natural re- sources of the west-the forage crop.
 From the plains to the Pacific an as- tonishingly large proportion of the area is grazing land. It is estimated that this region contains over 400,O00,OOO acres which are useful at present only for pasturing stock. A map printed in colors to bring out the main areas of agricultural, grazing and desert lands was published not long ago. It showed the grazing land color spread like n sheet over nearly all this vast domain, which comprises something like one third of the entire United States, with relatively minor patches of the other colors. In arid regions the range is comparatively poor, but almost every where enough forage plants can grow to make grazing profitably.
 The forest service, in cooperation with the bureau of plant industry, has begun a series of experiments to find out how the carrying power of graz ing lands, within national forests can be increased. In a nutshell, the prob lems are, first, how to grow, and sec ond. how to utilize the largest amount of forage. The conclusions reached are likely to have an important bearing on improved use of the open range gener- ally. The economic possibilities of these experiments are enormous.
 In the past the stockman on the pub lie lands has simply taken what nature offered him. But grazing tends to put nature at n disadvantage. Plants which have to propagate by seed, for example, | have no chance when the seed stalks are being eaten off all the time. In many grazing regions the carrying power of the range has been very great ly reduced through the present methods of use. Within national forests the re- striction of the number of stock to the capacity of the range has already | checked the worst evils which result from over-grazing But the new investi- gations promise much greater things.
 These investigations are to be car ried out along three distinct lines studies of what can be done in the way of introducing cultivated grasses studies of range improvement through better knowledge of how wild grasses propagate. and studies of how to handle both cattle and sheep so as to reduce the waste due to herding and trampling The present account deals with the first the introduction of cultivated grasses
 The man in charge of these studies is MT. Frederick V. Coville of the bu' reau of plant industry, who is an ex. pert in matters connected with the use of the range. Mir Coville made care ful study of grazing problems in the | Cascade mountains of Oregon for tho interior department ten years ago, and contributed to the discussion of graz ing questions, which formed part of the public lands commission report made in 1905. It was on his recon mendation that the laboratory for des ert botanical research was established by the Carnegie institution of Wash ington at Tucson, Ariz. He is, there fore, very we'll prepared for this work which, to be successful, must be run on thoroughly practical lines.
 The experiments will begin in Wal Iowa county, in northeastern Oregon in the Imnaha national forest. Here at different attitudes, a number of moist natural meadows have been picked out Those having the greatest altitude art | 10000 feet or more above the sea, where in early July the snow still covers tn, ground, although rapidly melting under the summer sun. The lowest meadows are about 5000 feet above sea level.
 The purpose of these wet meadow experiments is improvement of the sum mer range. Stock do not winter ir the mountains, but are driven gradually higher and higher as the advancing sea son calls forth the vegetation on whicl they feed. The winter ranges on tho plains, supplemented largely by tho hay, alfalfa and other feed crops whicl the ranches produce, depend for theii utilization upon this summer pasturage to which the stock can be driven wher the dry season sets in. If means can b, found to improve the summer range the benefit will be felt from Canad; to Arizona and New Mexico, so tha the experiments are of broad import