62 FIELD WORK OF DIVISION OF AOROSTOLOGY. 



instance.s a strip 40 miU's wid(^ and coverins^ larj^o areas of ^^i-.wAng 

 land, are being leased hy the corjK) rations. It will be seen from the 

 foregoino- that different countries, States, and eorporations having 

 possession of grazing lands have found leasing to be the most prac- 

 tical and advantageous method of controlling them. 



The true measure of the success of any system of control is not the 

 amount of income in dollars and cents derived each year, l)ut the results 

 to the grazing lands themselves and the general development and pros- 

 perity of the country. The funds arising from the lease of the lands 

 might i)e very profitably used in developing the irrigation resources 

 of the semiarid region. 



SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER WORK. 



As will be noted from the preceding account, the greatest and most 

 important investigations of the Division are necessarily based upon 

 field work. The various problems can not be studied successfully 

 except under the natural conditions prevailing in the different regions. 

 There are yet various phases of the work of the division, both scien- 

 tific and economic, which require careful field observations and inves- 

 tipations. While from the work already done we are familiar with 

 the condition of the ranges over considerable areas during certain sea- 

 sons of the year, still it is desirable that a thorough knowledge of the 

 conditions should be ascertained at different seasons. Investigations 

 thus far have been carried on chiefiy during the summer. In order, 

 however, to get an adequate idea of the grazing lands, they should 

 also be observed and studied during the spring and late autumn. An 

 examination made during the most unfavorable season is apt to lead to 

 an incorrect estimate of the capacity of the range, while an examina- 

 tion made when the range is at its best naturally leads to an error in 

 the opposite direction. 



The questions concerning the relation of grazing to the forests and 

 w^ater supply are still in need of considerable study, as conclusions 

 based upon work carried on in one region may be entirely inapplicable 

 to another. These problems are already being studied by the forest- 

 ers and others interested in these subjects, but there is also need of 

 careful work with special reference to the methods and manner of graz- 

 ing these areas and the plants which furnish the forage. This work can 

 no doubt be most economically and advantageously carried on in con- 

 nection with the Division of Forestry. Aside from the special prob- 

 lems there are large areas of grazing lands in the West which have 

 never been examined by our field workers. No Avork has been carried 

 on by the Division in Nevada, and the greater portions of Arizona 

 and New Mexico have never been studied. Little in the way of accu- 

 rate observation has been done on the grazing lands and conditions in 

 portions of California, Oregon,- and Idaho. There are also special 



