East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1908-05-06
RESEED|NG THE MOUNTAIN RANGES

For a number of years the bureau
OF plant Industry has been carrying
on Investigations to determine what
can be done to improve the stock
ranges that have become badly de-
pleted through overgrazing. In this
work considerable attention has been
paid to the grazing conditions in the
mountains where the problem of sum-
mer pasturage Is OF very great Inn
portance In the production OF beef
and mutton.
A careful study OF the conditions
involved in these areas has led to two
general conclusions: % on the
mountain ridges. where the soil is
usually very shallow and close to bed
rock and is Of more or less sterile ma
ture, very little can be accomplished
i'm the way OF range Improvement.
While reseeding may sometimes
prove practicable, such improvement
must ordinarily come through careful
protection from overgrazIng, in order
that the original vegetation may be
given a chance to restore Itself. (2)
In the mountain meadows and park
like areas, where there Is ordinarily
a good, rich, loamy soil, there are
very great opportunities to increase
the quantity OF feed produced, and
this increased production can very
largely be secured by reseeding.
In connection with these investiga-
tions range experiment station was
established In the Wenatche noun
tains in Washington state in the fall
Of 1902, at which time seeding ex-
perments were begun. These exper-
iments were carried on comparatively
by the Washington Agricultural Ex-
perlmental station and he bureau of
plant industry.
The following year other experi-
ments were undertaken in the Sierra
Nevada mountains, California, the
latter being under the direct charge
OF Charles II. Shnn, supervisor OF
the northern district of the Sierra
national forest.
In 1906 further experiments wer7
begun I'm the Warner mountains in
northeastern California, under the
care of Forest Supervisor A. II,
Hogue. In addition to these expert
ments numerous observations have
been made on the results obtained
by stockmen in various parts of the
country in their efforts to improve
the mountain grazing areas.
Wcnatche Mountain Station.
The Wenatche mountain station /.
| located on the summit OF the noun
tains. some 26 miles northeast of Ell.
I lensburg. and is at an altitude of a
little more than $500 feet. II Is high.
" typical Of the entire mountain re-
glon along the eastern slopes Of the
Cascades in Washington.
Practically all the different soil ant
climatic conditions found in this re-
glon are represented at the station OF
within a very few miles of it. Th'
annual precipitation Is probably no
far from 20 inches and comes largel!
in form OF snow. The growing season
| does not much exceed four and a hal
months. The snow goes off sometime
between May 90 and June l. Th'
ground is usually frozen by the mid
die of October and snow falls to sta.
soon after November l.
The station lies In the genera
course of travel over in the spring b.
the numerous migratory bands o
sheep in going from the desert o.
lCwland ranges to the high mountain
pastures In the Cascades, and agaiT
in September on their return to tn,
lowlands. AS a result the region hat
been severely overgrazed for a mum
Der of years and the vegeation was II
a badly depleted condition, much o
it having been completely eXtermi
mated.
The station comprised a section o
land that Babcock & Benson. tn,
owners of a large sheep AMI cattle
range, had inclosed with a good stock
proof fence as a holding pasture FOL
their saddle and pack horses. As tn,
problem of Increasing the quantity o
feed in the high mountain meadow:
was one of great Importance to them
they donated the use Of this section
FOR experimental purposes. Thes,
men endeavor to keep out all stock
from this area during those periods
of the year when grazing might in.
jure the grasses in the various plots
and in other ways did all they could
to make the work successful.
Results Of Rcsecdlng Investigations
The experiments of the bureau OF
plant industry show quite conclusive
ly that the depleted mountain mead
ows (Pl. /, figs. l and p can be
| brought back to their original carry
ing capacity in two to three years
time by reseeding with tame grasses
(See Pl. LII, fig. 2, and Pl. III, figs
and 2) There are numerous in
stances notably in the Cascade noun
tains of Washington, where by the in
PRODUCTION of such grasses the mead
ows can be made to produce more
forage than they ever did.
Out of the 80 or more grasses and
forage plants tested, there are seven
tall fescue, orchard grass, bronze
grass, mountain brome-grass, slender