GRAZING RESOURCES 187 
tralia carried out a collection of grasses and legumes in the 
Mediterranean countries, particularly in North Africa; these 600 
species and ecotypes are now being multiplied at Rome through 
the cooperation of the Italian government and Professor U. de 
Cillis, with a view to introducing them in due course into the 
observation trial grounds throughout the Mediterranean, the so- 
called Uniform Mediterranean Nurseries. It is hoped to adopt a 
similar approach in the Near East in 1956 and so in due course 
to have available ample supplies of seed of species adapted to 
the conditions of the environments in which reseeding work is 
considered to be practicable. 
Water spreading is another American practice which is being 
tried with varying success in several semi-arid regions of the 
Near East. Although it 1s obviously desirable to attempt to hold 
the water from the torrential winter rainstorms on the land on 
which it falls for the production of fodder and grazing, the tech- 
nique is still open to criticism in relation to the expense of con- 
struction of the diversion and retention dams, and the erratic 
geographical distribution of these rainstorms from one season to 
another. 
Forestry 
The forester also has an important role to play in these arid 
and semi-arid regions. Cutting of relict tree and scrub vegetation 
for fuel leads to widespread destruction of fuel and ecological 
regression. There is great scope for the planting of fuel lots, 
shelter belts to provide protection for crop areas or livestock 
concentrations, and fodder trees for supplementary feed dur- 
ing periods of emergency. The grazier and cultivator must also 
realize the ameliorative influence of a forest stand on extremes 
of climate and in relation to soil and water conservation. The 
forester is still losing ground rapidly on account of encroachment 
of grazing in forest areas, the cutting of trees for fuel or build- 
ing purposes, the insatiable demand for land for the production 
of food and cash crops. An intelligent plan of land utilization 
based on land classification must allow for an adequate percent- 
age of forest cover, in the right places, which must be composed 
of the most desirable species for economic utilization. 
