PASTURES ON THE RANGE. 445 



urally arises in this connection, can the grasses of the 

 range be renewed? , 



RENEWING THE GRASSES OF THE RANGES. 



It is very evident from what has been said, first, that 

 the sustaining power of range pastures has decreased, 

 and second, that unless the protection is provided in 

 some form this power must further decrease. It may be 

 well, therefore, to consider: (1) Is renewal of range 

 pastures practicable? (2) Is it practicable, without 

 modification in the systems of grazing ? (3) Which are 

 the modifications that will make it practicable ? 



Is Renewal ^Practicable? Unquestionably the re- 

 newal of range pastures is practicable, however diffi- 

 cult the work may prove. Nature without man's aid, 

 clothed these areas with food plants, each locality with 

 those best adapted to it. What nature has done, it 

 can do again without man's aid, but unaided by man, 

 the work of re-clothing with vegetation, in part or in 

 whole, will be slow. With man's aid, as when he scat- 

 ters seed upon it, renovation will be much more rapid. 

 In the judgment of the author, it is both possible and 

 practicable to restore the productive power of tlie ranges, 

 although such restoration, in many instances, will not 

 be easy and, in nearly all, will be slow. 



Renewal Not Practicable without Modifications. 

 That the renewal of the ranges is not practicable under 

 the old system of open range grazing, will be at once 

 apparent to those who understand the range country. 

 It will not be practicable for the reasons, first, that 

 while the range remains public domain and its priv- 



