298 Forestry Quarterly. 



The remedy suggested for range deterioration is a system of 

 deferred grazing. Under such a plan, an overgrazed portion 

 of the range, sufficiently large to supply the forage from the time 

 of seed maturity until the end of the grazing season, is protected 

 from stock until the seed crop has matured. Upon maturity of 

 the seed crop the forage is grazed during the first season, but not 

 to the extent of injuring seed plants. The same area is protected 

 in the same way during subsequent seasons until the new plants 

 have been securely established. When the area has been thor- 

 oughly reseeded it can be again grazed early in the season, and a 

 second area is protected until the forage is mature. 



By this method of alternating late grazing from one area to 

 another, weakened vegetation can recover its vitality without the 

 need of having the land closed to grazing the entire year. 



The new open system of handling sheep, which is quieter herd- 

 ing during the day and bedding the sheep where night overtakes 

 them, is in contrast to the old plan of herding them close by 

 the use of dogs and returning them each night to a fixed bed 

 Iground, an improvement. The old plan, of course, rendered cer- 

 tain areas absolutely bare and the going from and returning to 

 the bed grounds trampled a great deal of forage. He estimates 

 that an increase of 10 to 25 per cent, has been added to the carry- 

 ing capacity of the ranges and that 5 pounds weight has been 

 added per lamb, because they have not been harassed by herding 

 or forced to trail long distances to and from bed grounds. 



One objection to the new method of handling sheep brought 

 up by many owners has been that the herders who were used to 

 the close system would not adopt the new one, for herders na- 

 turally take a pride in having their sheep look well, and, since they 

 are coming to realize that open herding means better sheep, they 

 voluntarily adopt it. 



Grazing permits on the National Forests have been issued for 

 nearly 11 million animals, including nearly 2 million head of 

 cattle and horses, nearly 9 million head of sheep and goats, and 

 about 65 thousand hogs. This means an increase for the current 

 year of about 38 thousand more cattle and horses, and 347 thou- 

 sand more sheep and goats, although the gross area of the Na- 

 tional Forests at the beginning of 1914 is almost a million acres 

 less than at the beginning of 191 3. 



