38 FIELD WORK OF DIVISION OF AGROSTOLOGY. 



iind fenced and is lai-^-ely in the possession of a few owners, who from 

 tlieir iibilitN' to control the water supply natui'ally control the use of all 

 the adjacent range lands, as no stock can be kept on the range without 

 a sulBcient water supply. Not only this, hut in many cases the public 

 ram'-e lands themselves have been fenced, thus excluding all other 

 people from placing stock on the land. This very evident injustice is 

 the quite logical result of the lack of any system of controlling the 

 public lands. The grazing lands of Colorado vary greatly in their car- 

 rying capacity and condition. Froiu the work which has been done 

 by the Division, not only through personal investigation but by letters 

 of inquir}' from various stockmen throughout the State, it appears 

 that while in some localities the ranges are in nearly as good condition 

 as formerly, in others the carrying capacity- has been diminished as 

 much as 50 per cent or even more. It is believed that an estimate of 

 an average of 25 per cent deci'ease in the carrying capacitv for the 

 State as a whole would be a fair statement of the case. 



No field work was done in this region in 1899, but in 1900 w'ork was 

 carried on at several points. Dr. David Griffiths and Mr. K. F. Lange 

 worked in Montana; Professor Scribner and Mr. E. D. Merrill in 

 Idaho, Wyoming, and the National Park; Mr. Elias Nelson, in southern 

 Wyoming; and Mr. William Shear and the writer in southern Colorado. 

 The work previously done here had been sufficient to afford a ver}' 

 good general knowledge of the forage plants and conditions as well as 

 the most important prol^lems and requirements. Recognizing that, to 

 secure gTasses and forage plants capable of succeeding under the unfa- 

 vorable conditions of soil and climate prevailing over a large portion 

 of the region, very little was to be expected from the introduction 

 of tame grasses, which were only adapted to growth in moister regions; 

 our efforts were directed toward the grasses and forage plants native 

 to the region. As has already been pointed out, there is a consideral)le 

 number of most excellent grasses native here, and it was deemed 

 desirable to make an effort to introduce these species into cultivation. 

 With this aim in view the chief ol)ject of the field work this year 

 was to secure large quantities of seeds of the best native grasses and 

 forage plants. In cases where seed could not be well secured or the 

 plant was most easily propagated from roots these were secured. A 

 consideraVde collection of specimens was also made incidentally. The 

 results of the work have already l)een pul)lished by the writer in Cir- 

 cular No. 9 of the Office of the Secretary. Much interest was shown 

 in the work by stockmen and ranchmen of the region visited, and 

 expressions of appreciation and encouragement as well as assistance 

 were given. In regard to the results of this season's work we may 

 quote the following from the report referred to: 



As a result of t lie work in the licM tliis siinmicr seeds of :il)oiit 180 varieties of 

 ^rasi^es and foragi- plants were secure<l. These were oldained in (jnantities varying 



