The Twin Falls times. [volume] (Twin Falls, Idaho) 1905-1916, 1914-02-20
FOREST RANGE CONTROL
Range Improvement Will Increase
Meat Supply.

Salt Lake City, JAN 16.-Albert F..
Potter, associate forester, U. S. forest
service, made an address before the
National Woolgrowers' association
here today and said that the question
/, of meat supply is involved in the me-
thods of grazing used on the national
| forests. He also made the statement
| that overgraZed ranges can be i'm
proved quicker through use than they
could be il they were left idle.
He points out that the forage re-
sources on the national forests repre-
sent valuable asset upon which not
only the welfare of the stockmen de-
ponds, but that of large proportion
of the people. The task of the gov
eminent has been to work out plan
which would develop this resource and
promote it's use to the fullest extent
without harming tree growth.
During the first three years of adj
ministration, from 1867, the problem
of the service was to take care of areas
which had been badly overgrazed, 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 cooperation of the stock
men and consulted with them regard
ing the practicability of the plans
which were to be adopted This CO.
operation was secured through the
various stockgrowers' associations and
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 to 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 cOntro-
versy and out of it grew the range
wars which often resulted in loss of
| life and property. Under the present
control, right prevails, and had moth
ing else been accomplished, Mr.. Pot
ter says, the removal of this one evil
alone would have made the work
worth while.
But he goes still further and states
that the systematic use of the ranges
has stopped loss of forage 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 bee1
and mutton direct from the ranges
where they were before producing only
animals which had to be fed and con-
ditioned before they could be put on
the market.
He called attention to the expert
|ments of the government in artificially
reseeding the grazing areas to cult.
waited grasses, and showed that IL
some cases the forage crop has beer
increased as much as 400 per cent. He
maintained, however, that this methot
Is both slow and expensive and SAID
that the great part of the range lands
must be protected and natural reseed
ing, for the next 20 years at least. HI
says, too, that Investigations have 90
Itablished beyond doubt that natura
reseeding can be accomplished best b.
a rotation system Of grazing based up
on the simple principle that grazini
aids In scattering and planting tn
lseed after the seed has been given a
opportunity to mature Reports shoy
that areas protected until After -
maturity and then xraee1s ~ cQgny
Cd with areas hbs6l pk ~
1.-The whole MeAr A{o1n4t I
\ approximately & ~
prob RQlQ Dess ~ q RI
- = g $50