The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1911-02-09
new POSITION
ANNOUNCED FOR
FOREST SERVICE
GRAZING EXAMINERS ARE TO BE
SELECTED FOR THE SERVICE
At A SALARY OF $1,000 A
YEAR At ENTRANCE.
Special to The Journal.

Washington, Feb. 8.-A new gov
eminent position is disclosed by the
announcement by the United States
Civil Service Commission of an ex-
animation which will be held Febru-
airy % and "a to find three grazing ex-
aminers for the forest service. The
positions will pay a salary Of $1,000
year at entrance.
The announcement specifies that
the applicants must be men, at least
twenty years old, and possessed OF at
least one seasons experience In hand.
ling range stock, together with at
least one year of technical training in.
specified botanical studies.
The establishment Of this position
is in line with the objects which tho
Department OF Agriculture has al
ways had in view in its management
of grazing on the national forests.
It is not merely seeking to prevent
cattle and sheep from doing damage
to forest growth and watershed con-
ditions, as they Craze on the heritage
which is yearly produced in the open
forests, parks and high mountain
meadows within the national forests.
Range-fed stock are a matter of de-
people in these days Of rising prices
for food products and diminishing
supplies. in proportion to population,
OF livestock; and therefore Secretary
Wilson intends that every acre Of
national forest range shall be made
to produce as much forage as 1t is ca
pable of doing, consistently with the
carrying out of the other purposes
for which the national forest are main
tanned.
Ever since the forest service took
over the management of the national
forests, 1t has been studying the
range problem along with its regula.
| ton of grazing. In the beginning it
was confronted with the fact that q
very large part Of the range had been
badly abused and depleted through
| the competition of rival owners be-
fore any restrictions had been put
upon them. and by cvercrowding and
bad methods of handling stock. It's
supporting power had in consequence
been greatly reduced, and was steadi-
ly declining. To enable overgrazed
areas to recuperate, and to prevent
the extension OF overgrazed conditions
to new areas. the amount of stock to
be allowed on the forests was every
where carefully prescribed. The re-
suits were then observed, and II /;
appeared that there was still over
use OF the range, the numbers per-
m1tted we're cut down still further.
On the other hand, where recupera-
ttcn had taken place the allowance Of
stock has bean corTespondfngiy In
creased.
The proposal to appoint specialists
who are both thoroughly trained DO.
tanfsts and men of practical expert
ence in range matters indicates recog.
milton OF the fact that to attain the
highest point of range productivity the
best scientific knowledge must be ap.
piled to the study Of the problems OF
forage production and utilization. As
stock craze on the range, the effect on
the different kinds Of vegetation DIFF.
fers both with its palatability or I'm.
palatability and with its capacity to
produce seed, its time of seeding, its
resistance to trampling, It's manner Of
growth, and many other elements.
What is aimed at now is nothins
less than to find out all the things or
which depend the production Of the
largest amount of beef, mutton, wool
and hides on given area. This in
wolves learning how both to restric1
and to time the grazing so as not tt
interiors with the reproduction Of thu
most valuable elements in the forage
crop, how to prevent unnecessary los'
to feed through trampling and In 9th
er ways, how to externinate poison
GUS plants from the range, how to pre-
vent the loss Of forage which result.
from the multiplication of prairie dog,
and gophers. whether it is practicabl.
to introduce new forage plants by di
rect seeding. and many other matters
1t Is to look into such matters tina