PREFACE. 



In the spring of 1901 cooperative arrangements were entered into 

 between the United States Department of Agriculture and the Agri- 

 cultural Experiment Station of the State of Washington for the 

 conduct of investigations on range lands in that State. These inves- 

 tigations were inaugurated by the writer, who at that time was agri- 

 culturist of the Washington State Experiment Station, acting both 

 for the station and for the Department of Agriculture, under the 

 direction of the then Agrostologist, and the details of the work 

 planned were carried out bj Mr. J. S. Cotton, under the direction of 

 the writer. This cooperative arrangement continued until the end 

 of December, 1903. Since June 1, 1901, the work has been continued 

 by the United States Department of Agriculture under the direction 

 of the writer, the details of the work being again carried out by Mr. 

 Cotton. 



In 1901 experiments were undertaken on Rattlesnake Mountain, 

 at a point 16 miles north of Prosser, Wash., with a view to determin- 

 ing what grasses could be established on the range by seeding by 

 different methods. In October, 1902, similar experiments were 

 inaugurated at the Wenatchee Mountain Station on the high range 

 of mountains separating the Kittitas Valley from the Columbia 

 Valley to the north. 



In addition to the seeding experiments above mentioned, Mr. Cot- 

 ton has spent much time in stud}ang the methods used for managing 

 stock upon the range throughout central Washington, and the accom- 

 panying bulletin gives the results of the seeding experiments and of 

 Mr. Cotton's studies on range management. Some of the work has 

 demonstrated that certain grasses can be established in favorable 

 localities in a manner which is entirely practicable, while Mr. Cotton's 

 conclusions regarding methods of range management can not fail 

 to be of great interest to stockmen in that section. 



W. J. Spillman, 



Agrostologist. 



Office of Grass and Forage Plant Investigations, 



Washington, D. C, February &£, 1905. 



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