THE GRASS LANDS 169 



several others, the Forest Service range experts study grass 

 and its power to hold the soil. First, how can livestock be 

 controlled so that grass keeps its full vigor? What effect do 

 rodents like gophers, mice, and rats have on the grass cover? 

 The men in charge of the San Joaquin station, for example, 

 will show you special plots where the effects of these animals 

 on grass is studied. How long will it take to get grass back on 

 the overgrazed semi-desert Arizona range? At Parker Creek 

 you can see plots that have not been graced for fifteen years, and 

 they are just beginning to come back. And you can stand on 

 the rim of the southern boundary of the Parker Creek Station 

 and see the lake behind Roosevelt Dam and the range that 

 surrounds it. This range is eroding, silting up the dam. As you 

 look down on this rapid destruction of land, and then back on 

 the experimental ranges of the station you get some idea of 

 what can be done. But you must go slowly; still not enough is 

 known to be sure of just exactly what to do. 



At the San Joaquin station you can see the grass nursery, 

 plots of all kinds of grass grown under all kinds of range condi" 

 tions. There is brome grass, wheatgrass, wild oats, buffalo grass, 

 Pacific bunchgrass, black grama grass. You must be careful 

 with this grass seed. If you decide to sow one kind, it may not 

 survive in the range climate. Again it might crowd out better 

 grasses. Perhaps it will not have high feed value. 



The grasses of the range must meet many conditions and 

 do many things. The best grass for all purposes is the native 

 grass, but there is little of that left. Already practically all the 

 range grass in California is foreign grass, grass dropped from 

 the covered wagons of the pioneers, grass brought by birds, 

 grass seed carried in the wool of sheep as they were driven 

 from one state to another. And most of this foreign grass is poor 

 forage, like Russian thistle, which protects the soil but little and 

 has hardly any forage value. 19 



19 Letter from Soil Conservation Service, August 19, 1938. 



