246 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, 



range or feed them longer; but the evident benefit to the forest ranges 

 of postponement has made stockmen willing for the most part to make 

 the adjustments necessary. 



The collection of range plants and the study of their distribution, 

 forage value, and life history was given considerable impetus by the 

 general range appraisal which has been undertaken. Original identi- 

 fications were made of 2,801 specimens by the Bureau of Plant Indus- 

 try in 1921. The collection now contains about 43,500 specimens, of 

 5,168 species and 110 varieties, belonging to over 1,000 genera. 



The study of the effect of grazing on erosion on alpine lands em- 

 phasized the necessity for preventing any grazing practice which 

 causes destruction of cover, or the retarding of a permanent, dense 

 vegetation. Where erosion has already begun, the planting of sweet 

 sage, violet wheat grass, and mountain and smooth brome grasses has 

 been found a promising measure for checking it, but the treatment 

 necessary is justified only on watersheds of special importance for 

 furnishing water for municipal or similar purposes. 



The study to determine the effect of burning dense brush areas in 

 California on their value for grazing was concluded. It has shown 

 that after a temporary increase in the carrying capacity of the range, 

 due to an increase in herbaceous vegetation and in tender browse 

 sprouts, the brush crowds out the herbaceous plants and the sprouts 

 become too woody to be browsed. The danger of fire spreading from 

 brush areas to valuable timber stands, the cost of burning, and the 

 short duration of its good effect argue against this practice. 



Drought conditions in the Southwest, coupled with the difficult 

 financial situation, handicapped the investigation of methods of han- 

 dling stock on the Jornada Kange Reserve. Nevertheless, the meth- 

 ods being tried out showed their superiority over those commonly 

 used in the Southwest. On both the Jornada and the Santa Rita 

 Range Reserves losses last year were much less and calf crops larger 

 than on adjoining similar range. To make the Jornada investigations 

 fully effective in securing results of great importance to stock growers 

 in dry regions, provision should be made for the purchase of a herd 

 of cattle sufficient in size to meet the need of the experiment. Such 

 a purchase would permit cooperation between the Forest Service and 

 the Bureau of Animal Industry in determining in connection with the 

 use of range land the breeds and methods of management best fitted 

 to the requirements of the most important breeding section of the 

 West, the age at which stock can most profitably be disposed of, and 

 many kindred problems essential to the betterment of the industry. 

 A salting study under way in New Mexico and Arizona will determine 

 whether cattle can be salted advantageously away from water in a 

 dry climate. 



Determination of grazing capacity is one of the most important 

 and complicated problems in range management. It involves more 

 or less study of each individual range because of differences in the 

 natural forage cover, factors affecting its use, and climate. The re- 

 curring droughts in the Southwest emphasize the need for taking the 

 factor of drought into consideration in determining the carrying 

 capacity of l"anges. 



The practicability of eradicating tall larkspur by grubbing has 

 been fully established, and all that remains is to prosecute this work 

 on larkspur-infested ranges wherever funds can be secured. No 



