13 



The estimated average decrease in the carrying capacity amounts to 

 40 per cent in 82 counties, while in 19 counties a marked improvement 

 iu the pasturage within recent years is reported. Accepting this 

 estimate of a 40 per cent average decrease, the grazing capacity in 

 former years must have averaged at least lOG head of stock cattle to 

 the square mile. This loss, in the central and western portions of the 

 State, is almost entirely due to the ravages of prairie dogs and to put- 

 ting too many cattle on the laud. Farther south the encroachment of 

 brush and cactus and a large increase in the number of jack rabbits are 

 additional causes. The pecuniary loss which the stock owners of the 

 State have sustained since 1883 is not the only evil arising from graz- 

 ing too many cattle on the land. Overstocking not only causes loss of 

 cattle and sheep from starvation in time of drought, but it causes the 

 rapid extermination of the most valuable of the native grasses and 

 forage plants. In any pasture the grasses which are first eaten down 

 are those which are most nutritious or most palatable. Unless the 

 pasturage is fostered atul these best grasses are protected by resting 

 or by artificial care and cultivation, they are soon reduced in number 

 and become unimportant factors. They are prevented from rii^ening 

 seed and are eaten so close that often the roots are killed by exposure. 

 The first result of overgrazing is the disappearance of the best grasses, 

 that is, a lessening of the potential carrying capacity of the pasture. 

 If the best grasses cover 25 per cent of the range, the loss from over- 

 grazing will be at least that amount. If the pasture is still overstocked, 

 a similar i)rocess is continued with the remaining species until at last 

 there is not a blade or fragment of a stem left to suj)port any grazing 

 animal. The young shoots are eaten off as rapidly as put forth by the 

 plant and the vitality of the plant is sapped, so that it is unable to 

 endure extremes of temperature or shortage of water suj^ply to the 

 same degree as when its growth has been uninterrupted. It has been 

 noted that very often in times of drought the best grazing grasses, 

 such as sedge grasses, needle grasses, gramas, and curly mesquite, 

 which will ordinarily withstand the hardest usage, are destroyed root 

 and branch by being eaten into the ground. Not only is the grass 

 destroyed, but the ground over extensive areas is trampled and com- 

 pacted by the cattle until every sprig that grows upon it breaks up 

 and is blown away. Following the destruction of the valuable peren- 

 nials, the low annuals, such as the six weeks' grama, come iu and sup- 

 ply almost the only feed. At the same time that the valuable grasses 

 are disappearing the laud is being invaded by a vast number of ram- 

 pant weeds which are not eaten by any grazing animal. 



It is the opinion of a majority of stockmen who replied to the ques- 

 tion as to the amount of range deterioration, that there has been a very 

 large loss in what may be called the capital value of the grazing lands 

 within a very short period. The land which is made poor by this 

 stripping j)rocess suffers actual decrease in fertility through exposure 



