NEEDS OF THE KEGION. 39 



meteorological conditions as affecting the growth of forage plants; a 

 study of the native vegetation in its relation to the stock industry, 

 and such other problems as may present themselves during the prose- 

 cution of the investigations. 



The land set aside for the experiments is well adapted to this pur- 

 pose. Being located in a typical grazing area and having been excess- 

 ively pastured for a number of years, any advantage gained by treat- 

 ment will point to methods of renovating denuded ranges. The land 

 is described in the Government surveys as Sec. 23, T. 20 N., R. 20 E, 

 and is locally known as the Babcock headquarters section, on account 

 of the corrals located there. It has an altitude of approximately 5,000 

 feet. The region was gone over rather hurriedly in June; At this 

 time there was no feed. Although the snow was still lying on the 

 ground in deep drifts, the tract had already been pastured this season, 

 for at that time none of the land was inclosed. Mr. J. S. Cotton, who 

 has been placed in immediate charge of the work, reports that grasses 

 have been nearly exterminated over a large part of the tract. The 

 section, being located on the line of travel to and from the high moun- 

 tains, has been grazed twice each season, in June and October, for a 

 number of years. The soil is badly packed and cut by the Hocks of 

 sheep which have tramped over the ground while it was still wet from 

 melting snows. In many places the soil has begun to wash badly. 



While this is rather an extreme case of denudation, it nevertheless 

 represents the exact condition of much of the range country at the 

 present time, and shows what much more of it will become shortly 

 if present methods are pursued. Any success in reestablishing the 

 grass cover will be extremely important for all highland pasture 

 regions. 



Mr. Benson most aptly expresses the necessity for this work, as well 



as the needs of the region in general, in a letter to the Agrostologist, 



as follows: 



The shortening of summer pasture by forest reserve regulations ami the overgraz- 

 ing by sheep of the remaining pastures, coupled with the greatly increasing alfalfa 

 production in the irrigated valleys to supplement the winter ranges, make the sum- 

 mer range more and mure disproportionate to the winter range, until the important 

 question now is, " How much stock can you carry through the summer?" and not 

 what it has heretofore been in this country, "How are you fixed for hay? And how- 

 much stock can you winter?" Therefore it becomes very important to know what 

 grasses or forage plants will do the best and yield the greatest amount of good pasture. 



In the Blue and the Warner mountains the main problem is one of 

 hay production. The winters here are more severe and stock must 

 be fed for longer periods each year. Of course, the summer feed is 

 also very short at times on account of the thousands of sheep which 

 summer in these mountains. But the communities established here have 

 managed in a measure to reserve some feed for themselves by estab- 

 lishing "dead lines*' against sheep and by maintaining them at times 

 with force. 



