8 Forest Club Annual 



seriously injure the more abundant summer range. But with 

 the rapid increase in stock and the assurance of hay for pro- 

 tection through at least a part of the winter, the accessible 

 portions of the spring, summer and autumn lands were soon 

 grazed so far beyond their carrying capacity that portions were 

 rendered virtually useless for foraging purposes. In many in- 

 stances the lands were so seriously impoverished that after they 

 were placed under governmental jurisdiction and the individ- 

 ual permit system put into effect they failed to regain their 

 former productiveness. 



Owing to the great importance of the summer ranges to 

 the grazing industry, the question of range improvement was 

 strongly agitated by stockmen in various communities. Finally 

 the Government was called upon to make a critical study of 

 the conditions and attempt to find some practical means of 

 improving the existing conditions. In the spring of 1907 the 

 Forest Service, in co-operation with the Bureau of Plant 

 Industry of the United States Department of Agriculture, 

 began investigations. 



In the brief space of a short article it is a difficult matter 

 to give an adequate impression of the grazing investigations 

 that are being carried out. In the space given it will only be 

 possible to treat briefly of a few of the more important tech- 

 nical problems with which we are concerned. 



In a broad way, the investigations with which this paper 

 will deal naturally fall under two main topics; first, a study 

 of the improvement in the carrying capacity and quality of 

 the range forage crop ; and second, a study of grazing in rela- 

 tion to the reproduction of timber species. The task of in- 

 creasing the productivity of the native range lands is treated 

 under four heads as follows : 



1. Range reconnaissance. 



2. Improved methods in handling stock. 



3. Reseeding to cultivated forage plants. 



4. Natural revegetation of the range. 



The study of grazing in relation to the reproduction of 

 timber species will be discussed under the single head of 

 "Effect of Grazing on Forest Reproduction." 



GRAZING RECONNAISSANCE.* 



Anyone who is familiar with business principles knows 



*The section on Grazing Reconnaissance was prepared by Mr. W. A 

 Dayton, 



