News and Notes. 297 



them regarding the practicability of the plans which were to be 

 adopted. This co-operation was secured ■ through the various 

 stockgrowers' associations, and it has proved so successful that 

 similar associations have grown up among other users of the 

 National Forests, 



Before range control was put into effect, the feed belonged to 

 the man who got his stock on the land first, though there was no 

 way by which he could hold it except by physical force. Such 

 a system proclaimed that might was right, and led to controver- 

 sies, and later to range wars. Under the present control, right 

 prevails, and such an achievement alone would have made the 

 work worth while. 



The systematic use of the ranges has stopped loss of forage, 

 and feed formerly wasted has been putting the stock in better 

 condition. 



Experiments of the Government in artificially reseeding the 

 grazing areas to cultivated grasses show that in some cases the 

 forage crop has been increased as much as 400 per cent., but 

 this method is both slow and expensive, and it has been found 

 that a great part of the range lands must be improved by protec- 

 tion and natural reseeding, for the next 20 years at least. In- 

 vestigations have established beyond a doubt that natural re- 

 seeding can be accomplished best by a rotation system of graz- 

 ing, based upon the simple principle that grazing aids in scattering: 

 and planting the seed after the seed has been given an opportunity 

 to mature. Reports show that areas protected until after seed 

 maturity and then grazed, as compared with areas absolutely 

 protected for the whole year against grazing, are approximately 

 50 per cent, better, and probably 200 per cent, better than range 

 which has not been protected at all. This means that ranges 

 can be improved faster in use than they can be in idleness, and 

 this principle is being adopted on many of the Forests. 



In the "free for all' period of early days, the most palatable 

 forage plants were so closely cropped that they were unable to 

 develop the necessary plant food, and so literally starved. Also, 

 the roots were frequently injured by trampling, or killed by ex- 

 posure. As a result, the best kinds of vegetation grew weaker 

 from season to season, and where the practice of early and close 

 grazing was continued, the range at last became practically de- 

 nuded. 



