16 BULLETIN 745, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



It has been found that areas of sandy soil which have been de- 

 nuded of vegetation are often reduced to a sandy waste as a result 

 of wind erosion. The heavy stand of soapweed undoubtedly is an 

 important factor in bringing about and maintaining stable soil con- 

 ditions favorable to the establishment and growth of grama grass 

 and other important range forage plants. It is reasonable to sup- 

 pose that should the cover of soapweed be removed by cutting on 

 sandy areas, severe wind erosion would follow and result in range 

 depletion and difficulty in reestablishing a cover of vegetation. 

 Some system of selection in cutting whereby a sufficient number of 

 soapweed plants will be left to serve as protection against wind ero- 

 sion is advisable. This is very simple where cutting is for feed pur- 

 poses. It is not profitable to cut plants below 36 inches in height for 

 feed, and ordinarily more than 50 per cent or more of the plants on 

 an area are under 36 inches in height. If these plants are left uncut, 

 they will form a reasonably effective protection. 



Ordinarily stock eat all the blooms within reach in the spring of 

 the year, leaving only the tall plants to furnish seed. In order to 

 permit natural seeding of areas barren of soapweed it will be neces- 

 sary to leave some of these* taller plants uncut. 



The soapweed plants in their native state on the range have a value 

 also as a protection to stock. The tall plants furnish shade to stock 

 during the hot summer days, besides furnishing protection, especially 

 for young calves, during cold rains and winds, which sometimes occur 

 in the Southwest. It may be found advisable to leave plants to 

 furnish such protection in addition to those left for seed plants. 

 Restricting the use of soapweed to periods of drought and feed 

 shortage should make it possible to plan the cutting so as to leave a 

 sufficiently large number of plants on noncut-over areas to furnish 

 shade and shelter. 



If the plants below 36 inches on areas cut over are left uncut and if 

 no more cutting is done than is necessary for emergency feed, the 

 amount of feed obtained from grazing the blossoms, green leaves, and 

 new growth of the plants will not be materially reduced. Conse- 

 quently this source of forage can be relied upon as much as before 

 cutting. 



The extent to which plants above 36 inches in height can be removed 

 without endangering the permanent supply of emergency feed and 

 without injury to the forage cover or to soil conditions must be 

 determined by further investigation. Owing to the slow growth of 

 the plant, it will require a. period of years to determine this with 

 accuracy. In the meantime it will probably be safe to use the soap- 

 weed for feed if the suggestions given above about cutting are 

 observed. As new methods are developed for converting the plants 

 into stock feed, and as more information becomes available as to the 



