Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1942-12-19
THREAT Is SEEN
OF OVERGRAZING
PRESENT HIGH PRICE OF SHEEP
AND WOOL HOLDS DANGER
TO STATE RANGES


Dangers Of overgrazing of native
ranges and pastures as a result Of pre-
sent high prices Of sheep and wool are
I pointed out in a bulletin from the
northern Rocky mountain forest and
range experiment station
The report. written by E. j. Wool
! folk, points out that conservation
1 grazing increases sheep gains, reduces
damage to the range and accelerates
recovery after drouths.
'The present need for increased
marketing to meet wartime produc-
ton goals" the report says, coupled
with prevailing high prices, provides
most favorable conditions for the sale
Of surplus sheep where ranges are
now heavily stocked as to cause dam
age. 1t should be remembered that a
severe drouth has occurred in the
northern great plains on an average
Of five to seven years.
mo one can foreten next when the
drouth may strike. When it does,
heavy hquidation-poSsibl at very
low priceS-wil be necessary on ranges |
that are stocked heavily. Those whose |
ranges are stocked conservatively win |
be able to make necessary adjust
ments with less sacrifice, and the
range will recover more rapidly than
where too heavy stocking has been
the rule"
Grazing Tests Made
The report is not the work of
theorist, but the result Of extensive
tests since 1896, when sheep range
experiment station was established
through cooperation of the forest SER
vice, the federal bureau of animal in
1ustry and the Montana agricultural !
experiment. station. .
Equal numbers of yearling Ram :
oouillet ewes were run in three pas }
,ureS to create grazing conditions !
as heavy, moderate and
ight The grazing season usually ex- :
ended from late March to late Nov
mber
Yearlng ewes gained 1.3 and 225
'ounds more on the average per sea- 7
on, over the last five-year period, on {
moderate and lightly stocked ranges, +
than on heavily grazed .
ange. These gains may appear small,
ut on a band of 1000 ewes they !,
Tould amount to 1900 and $3.50 =
ounds of gain, which at eight cents a =
ound, amounts to a premium Of $1O4 /,
D $3.50 for conservative stocking. .
This increased gain in weight and fl
lcome, however, is regarded by the "
zpertS as only minor factor in the
Importance Of conservative grazing 4
ractices. I
After six years of heavy grazing one
lot was found to have 10 percent Of n
re total area damaged-virtually 4
orthless annual grasses having re-
laced the grama grass, niggerwool, bl
tile bluegrass and other valuable w
rage crops. W
1me FavoFite Spots tu
Since the sheep were not herded on m
" Of the pastures they naturally had
cir favorite spots and trampled and 70
azed these area more than others, co
1t the damage to the moderately ns
azed area was only a percent, and1 70
| the lightly grazed pasture the dam sl'
e was set at 81 percent. =,
After a severe drouth, the grass ~
lmps in the moderately and lightly -
azed areas were found to be 81 to AZ
percent larger than on the heavily
azed section, thus showing the :.
pidity with which ranges viii inn
owe with favorable weather, under
reservation stocking.
From a business standpoint, the
pertS found, 1t may be as costly to
dertake range as it is to overtake
e, although lightly grazed range
turally win be in a far better con-
ion to recover after a drouth ends.
Deductions drawn from the range
It's are still subject to revision, but
tentative stocking figure Of .56 Of
acre per sheep month has been ar
ed at as one which will provide a
lance between satisfactory sheep
ms and the welfare of the range.
is would mean that a dry yearling
G should have access to approx
,tely As acres over the normal eight
nth grazing season on land similar
that in eastern Montana on which
tests were conducted.
ak Reached in 1884
n Montana livestock numbers
ched a peak In 1884, at which time
lges were generally overstocked. A
line was noted until 1898, when
trend again turned upward. Sheep
ne numbered more than 100000
Montana in January, 1884. This
) 90 percent greater than the
rage for 2O-year period. BY jan