6 



section to support stock was tlien 1 bead of mixed cattle to 10 acres, 

 or ()4 bead to the sectiou. Later, iu April, 1899, two of the men (Messrs. 

 Middleton and Bryan) made another inspection of the pastures after 

 the long spring rains had commenced falling, and reported that 1 head 

 of mixed cattle to every 8 acres (80 head to the section) was the then 

 capacity of the section. It is on this basis that cattle are now being 

 held and will be held during the next year in the station pastures. 

 This gain of 100 per cent in capacity to support stock is phenomenal, 

 considering the drought of 1898, and had the pastures been stocked 

 to their full capacity, as recommended by the inspectors, I would 

 have taken the result as finally demonstrating the great value 

 of cultivating the sod as explained above. But on account of the 

 scarcity of water for stock in the pastures it was not possible to keep 

 in them the proportion of animals contemplated, hence the pastures 

 were rested for several months, and precisely at the season when the 

 grass seeds were maturing and dropping. In determining, therefore, 

 what factors entered into the experiment resulting in so marked an 

 improvement in the range conditions, the fact of the resting of the 

 pasture must not be overlooked. Indeed, I am satisfied that the 

 improvement in the said range conditions has been due largely to this 

 period of rest. My conclusions are: (1) That it Avill pay farmers and 

 stockmen of Texas, especially in the semiarid districts of the State, to 

 cultivate their pastures by use of disk and iron tooth harrows; (2) that 

 it will pay them to rest their pastures periodically during the seasons 

 when the grass seeds are maturing and falling to the ground. 



COST. 



A farmer or stockman having his own teams and hands can do the 

 work incident to these experiments when practically nothing else can 

 be done on the farm or ranch, and at a nominal cost. The best time 

 for such work is believed to be in the early spring, just before or Just 

 after rains. But it is quite probable that it will pay also to have sim- 

 ilar work done in the autumn. The difiiculty that is likely to be met 

 with in making these experiments in the fall is that the rains at that 

 season are not very regular in this sectiou, and are generally followed 

 by frosts; hence, it is quite ]>ossible that the damage caused by expo- 

 sure of the grass roots, especially where the disk harrow is used, may 

 more than ofiset the advantage that may be secured. The matter is 

 worth testing and will be tried as soon as practicable. 



CATCHING WIND-BLOWN SEEDS. 



Another experiment has been instituted on one of the station pas- 

 tures that promises to result favorably, namely, catching the grass 

 seeds that are blown about by the winds. 



The prevailing winds during the summer months in central Texas 



I 



