2 



EXPERIMENTS BY STOCKMEN, 



Many experiments have been undertaken by individual farmers 

 and stockmen to determine methods of again bringing up the value 

 of the prairie pastures and to increase the grazing capacity. Such 

 work, undertaken as it often is by men who have a \^dde influence 

 among stockmen and stock-owners, is of great value. But the results 

 of such experiments, however valuable, do not obtain that extensive 

 and rapid circulation which they merit. There is probably no class 

 of American producers who are more ready to undertake work which 

 will tend toward the betterment of the marketable product than the 

 cattlemen and sheepmen of the West. All who are familiar with the 

 history of the cattle industry will admit that there is room for 

 improvement in methods all along the line, from the breeding sec- 

 tions to the feeding pens, but nowhere is it more important than in 

 the pasture^ — to provide more and better grasses. An abundant 

 supply of nutritious forage in the pastures means more continuous 

 and rapid growth of the animal, and in the end a finer quality of 

 beef and mutton, a better yield and grade of wool. There is immedi- 

 ate need of work along this most important line — range improvement. 



EXPERIMENTS BY THE DIVISION OF AGROSTOLOGY. 



Experiments have been undertaken by this Division at two points 

 in Texas. An effort is being made to determine the most practicable 

 and at the same time the most economical way of treating the nat- 

 ural pastures in order to again cover them ^vith the native grasses, 

 or with other better species from similar regions in other countries. 

 One experiment is being made at Channing, in Hartley County, 

 which will in a large measure represent the conditions that prevail 

 on the high plains of the Panhandle of Texas, western Kansas, and 

 Oklahoma, and parts of Colorado and New Mexico ; and one at Abi- 

 lene, to serve for the central and western prairies of Texas, up to the 

 border of the Staked Plains. 



The work was commenced at both of these places in March, 18U8. 

 An idea of its scope may be obtained from the accompanying plan 

 (fig. 1) of the range station, near Abilene, Tex. The use of an 

 irregular body of land, containing about 640 acres, was donated by 

 Mr. C. W. Merchant, for a period of three years. The fences and 

 two tanks to supply water were provided by the citizens of Ablilene. 

 The work was inaugurated by Prof. C. C. Georgeson, formerly of 

 Kansas, at that time in the employ of this Division. Since its 

 establishment it has been in charge of a special field agent, Mr. H. 

 L. Bentley. 



