2 n RANGE MANAGEMENT IN THE -TATE OF WASHINGTON. 



better results will be obtained, if the cost is not too great, by using a 



disk harrow. In many cases it is quite possible that a bunch of sheep 

 would be fully as efficient, although this can not be recoininen 

 with assurance, as it has never been tried. The timothy seeded on the 

 plot- without harrowing, in the autumn of '. _. germinated fairly 

 well, but the difference between the harrowed and unharrowed parts 

 of the plot was very great — great enough, in fact, to well repay the 

 cost of harrowing. The same thing held true on the plot- of redtop 

 and mountain brome-grass. 



In the work of the spring of 1903 nearly all the seed not harrowed 

 in failed to germinate, while wherever the seed was wed in a 



fair stand was obtained. This latter experiment, and a study of the 

 -oil conditions, would -how it to be a waste of effort t<:> seed in the 

 spring without covering, as the tup of the ground dries off before the 

 seeds can get moisture enough to enable them to germinate and grow. 

 Mr. Benson, one of the owner- of the range, thinks that the experi- 

 ment- have shown conclusively that it i- a waste of seed to sow it 

 without harrowing. This is undoubtedly true of spring -ceding, and 

 probably also of fall seeding with many of the grasses. However, it 

 is possible to sow timothy and mountain -grass and to secure a 



fair stand without covering, but, a- stated above, the extra cost of 

 harrowing will be well repaid. 



The use of the harrow 1- also strongly urged for other reasons. It 

 is very noticeable that wherever the harrow ha- been used the native 

 grasses and forage plant- have germinated much m<:>re profusely, 

 and in small -put- where there happened to set scattered from 

 a few individual plants the stand ha- been greatly thickened. This 

 i- especially true of one of the forms of Bromus marginatus : which 

 grow- native on thai section, of mountain needle grass (Stipa ocd- 

 ' '7/.v). and of the wild pea (Yicia american 



In this connection, fall seeding instead of spring -ceding is rec- 

 ommended. The reason for this is that the snow usually comes early 

 in the autumn and <_ r < >e- away late in the spring. A- a conseque 

 the ground seldom freezes deep, and when the snow melt- in the 

 sprinor it ha- a tendency to bury the -eed -own late in the fall. On 

 the <»tln j r hand, if the seed i- sown in the spring the tup of the ground 

 me- so dry within four or five days after the .-now has disap- 

 peared that the seed will have no opportunity to germinate unless 

 the season should prove to be an unusually rainy one. 



PROTECTION OF PASTURES. 



So far emphasis has been put on the fact that fencing is the main 

 seeret of range improvement. Yet fencing is absolutely of no value 

 unless the stockman will treat his pasture with just as much care as 

 he would his wheat field. Fencing is merely a means to an end. 



