Abbeville progress., 1914-03-07
AID STOCK GROWERS
Range Improvement viii In
crease Meat Supply.
Shown That the Forage Resources on
the National Forests Represent Vat
liable Asset Upon Which the Wei
fare of Stockmen Depends.


service. made an address before the
National Woolgrowers association at
Salt Lake City recently, and said that
the question OF meat supply IS IN
volyed in the methods OF grazing used
on the national forests. lie also made
the statement that overgrazed ranges
can be improved quicker through use
than they could be if they were left
idle
lie pointed out that the forage re-
sources on the national forests rep
resent Il valuable asset upon which
not only the welfare of the stockmen
depends. but that OF a large proper
tion of the people. The task OF the
government has been TO work out a
plan which would develop this re
source and promote its use TO the
fullest extent without harming tree
growth
During the first three years of ad-
minstration. from l9O5-I the problem
Of the service was to take care of
areas which had been badly over
grazed. and a material reduction had
to be made in the number Of stock
grazed before the damage could be
stopped From the very beginning,
the forest service invited the coop
Grafton OF the stockmen and consulted
with them regarding she practicability
of the plans which were to be adopt
ed This cooperation was secured
through the various stockGrowers' as
sociatiOns and it was so successful
that similar associations have grown
up among other users of the national
forests.
Before range control was put into
effect, the feed belonged 10 the man
who got his stock on the land first.
though there was no way by which
he could hold it except by physical
force. Under such a system, might
made right. and the only thought was
to get what feed there was while it
lasted This condition led TO serious
controversy and out Of it grew the
range wars which often resulted in
loss of life and property. Under the
present control, right prevails ana
had nothing else been accomplished,
Mr.. Potter said, the removal of this
one evil alone would have made the
work worth while.
But he went still further and stated
that the systematic use Of the ranges
has stopped loss of fora"e and that
the feed formerly wasted has been
putting the stock in better condition,
with the result that. in many cases,
the stockmen have been able to sell
beef and mutton direct from the
ranges where they were before pro
ducing only animals which had to be
fed and conditioned before they could
be put on the market.
He called attention to the expert
ments of the government in artificial
ly reseeding the grazing areas to cul-
tivated grasses, and showed that in
some cases the forage crop has been
increased as much as 400 per cent.
He maintained, however, that this
method is both slow and expensive
and said that the great part of the
range lands must be improved by pro-
lection and natural reseeding, for, the
next 20 years at least He said, too,
that Investigations have established
beyond doubt that natural reseeding
can be accomplished best by a rota-
tion system of grazing based upon the
simple principle that grazing aids in
scattering and planting the seed after
the seed has been given an opportu-
nifty to mature. Reports show that
areas protected until after seed ma
tuTity and then grazed, as compared
with areas absolutely protected for
the whole year against grazing, are
approximately so per cent better, and
probably 200 per cent better than
range which has not been protected
at all This means that ranges can
be improved faster in use than they
can be in idleness and the principle
is being adopted on many of the for
ests.
He also spoke of the new open sys-
TEN of handling sheep. which is sim
ply quieter herding during the day
and bedding the sheep where night
overtakes them. He contrasts this
with the old plan of herding sheep
close by the use of dogs and return
ing them each night to a fixed bed
ground, The old plan of course, rem
dered certain areas absolutely bare
and the going from and returning to
the bed grounds trampled a great
deal of forage. He estimates that an
increase of 10 to % per cent. has
been added to the carrying capacity
of the ranges and that five pounds
weight has been added per lamb, be-
cause they have not been harassed by
herding or forced TO trail long dis
tances to and from bed grounds. On
10000 lambs this means $1,000 900
pounds added to the sheepmen's sal
able product, and to the country's
meat supply.
He gave an amusing instance of a
government experiment in which It
was attempted 10 try out the old
alongside Of the new system, but it
was found impossible to secure
sheep owner who would return to the
old method. except through a bonus.
The change in handling has been in
large part responsible for the build
ing up of the Madison forest, which
there enabled an increase in the num-
ber Of sheep grazed from 10000 to
,xv4A