Arizona republican., 1914-05-20
MAKING STUDY
 IF THE RANGE.
Mr.. Wooton of the Bureau of Plant Industry Speaks of the Need of Legalized Control of the Now Open Range

Mir. E. o. Wooton of Washington, D. C., engaged in range investigations for the bureau of plant industry of the United States department of agricul- ture arrived in the city yesterday after an investigation of the range reserve in the foothills of the Santa Rita noun tains south Of Tucson. This is a rather model range which the bureau investi- gates twice a year. MT Wooton has spent two days Investigating the Pima Indian reservation range which he found in very good condition so far as shrubs are concerned but there is nothing else there for the cattle. But the range is not overstocked and when more cattle could be carried there.
 Speaking of the work of the bureau in the matter of range investigations, MT. Wooton said: Work is being done on large scale in New Mexico and Arizona to determine by actual graz ing on known areas of range lands the average carrying capacity of the ranges and to demonstrate the rate of their recovery.
 The ranges under the present sys- tenn of an open free range manage ment are all overstocked By the very nature of the system stockmen are ab- solutely forced to knowingly overstock their own ranges. A system which makes it impossible for q stockman to protect his own range from what he knows is bad management, cannot be justified by any sort of reasoning. But every range stockman in the arid west knows he maintains his claims only by the stock on, some one else will. Yet he knows the dry years will come and that then all will lose. The crying need for such a situation is some sort of ,iegalized control. This is the import ant point in any scheme of improve ment which can be suggested and until it is obtained the conditions are bound to grow worse instead of better
 Experiments leading to the introduc- ton of plants that will produce more feed on our arid ranges have resulted in little gain Certainly there are no plants now known that will produce a greater amount of forage on the by liar greater part of the western range ithan the native plants now growing sthere. Little improvement in this line imay be expected until we find a breed of plants which will make larger per (centage Of dry matter on a given sup lply of water and which will at the same time endure our temperature con- ,ditions Hence it is of the greatest to conserve and encourage our native forage plans.
 Stock always eat the best forage plants first and graze them more closely all the time. It has been dem onstrated that alfalfa kept grazed down ito two and a half ar three inches pro- duces about one-third as much feed as when allowed to grow to maturity. Hence, close grazing results in the ul- ,timate extermination of the best feed and marked diminution Of the quan- tity available most of the time
 Ranges under fences would make possible the regulation of the use of feed and make it possible to save win ter feed till the summer time. It would make it possible to control breeding and improve the grade of the stock It would reduce expenses of operation in many ways and place the business on a surer financial footing. It would make many losses more easily avoidable. It would at once remove all friction between individuals and. best of all, under proper management. it would make possible the improvement If the ranges. the source of the whole industry"