IMPROVEMENT IN RANGE CONDITIONS 115 



MANY DENUDED SLOPES OCCUR IN THE JEFFREY PINE TYPE, IN THE CENTRAL SIERRA NEVADAS. 



Hayden Forest on the experiment to sheep. Byfar the most important 

 started there in 1910 with one acre phase of this work has been the develop- 

 absolutely protected yearlong against ment.and practical application of what 

 grazing, 19 acres protected until after is known as the "Blanket system," 

 seed maturity and then grazed, and "Bedding out system," or "New 

 outside range unprotected, shows that method" of handling sheep, which is 

 the vegetation on the 19-acre tract simply open, quiet herding during the 

 grazed each fall is approximately day and bedding the sheep where night 

 50 per cent better than the totally overtakes them. We started a vigorous 

 protected area and probably 200 per campaign for the adoption of this 

 cent better than the range without change in the handling of sheep in 

 protection. This means that the ranges 1909, based largely upon the result of 

 can be improved faster in use than they the Coyote-proof pasture experiments in 

 can be in idleness. This principle is the Wallowa National Forest, Oregon, 

 being rapidly adopted on many of the At that time this method of necessity 

 other Forests and is securing excellent was largely employed in the Southwest 

 results. In my estimation this system and elsewhere by a few of the most 

 offers great encouragement in range successful sheep companies such as 

 improvement, for the reason that there Woods Livestock Company. Aside from 

 is almost no waste of forage and con- these cases, most of the sheep were 

 sequently the stockmen suffer no loss handled under a system of returning to 

 in adopting it. It gives better results the same bed ground as many times as 

 than total exclusion of the stock and it the Forest Service would allow, which 

 prevents the accumulation of coarse, in a great many instances was more than 

 unusable forage, and other inflamable the six nights provided by the Regu- 

 material which is a menace to the lations. 



Forests. This principle can be worked At the present time there are a 



into the management of every piece of number of Forests where almost without 



range on National Forests and will be exception the sheep are never returned 



fundamental as long as we have range to one bed ground more than one or 



management. two nights, and on nearly all the grazing 



Forests, at least a part of the sheepmen 



THE NEW OPEN SYSTEM OF HANDLING haye been persuaded to adopt this 



SHEEP method, and the result invariably is an 



Our experimental work in methods of average increase of about ! pounds 



handling stock has been confined mainly the weight of the lambs, and I should 



