oo::,e the Rancher’s Crop 
by J. S. McCorkle, range conservationist, Soil Conservation Service 
Petals either depend primarily on grass for 
food or feed on other grass-eating animals. Even 
microscopic organisms living in the soil feed on 
grass roots. Because these organisms, together with 
the grass roots, decay and thus improve the soil, 
most grasses are more effective than any other type 
of plant in conditioning the soil for continued 
high production. Common cereal plants, like corn 
and wheat, are members of the grass family that 
have been selected and bred for certain factors such 
as seed production or forage. Some grasses are 
used for making fiber products. When all these 
uses and the wide distribution of grass are con- 
sidered, the truth of John J. Ingalls’ grass tribute 
is evident: ‘Should its harvest fail for a single 
season, famine would depopulate the earth.” 
Sey 
In the United States nearly a billion acres, or a 
little over half of the total acreage of the country, 
produce grass that is used for grazing livestock. 
In the West, the percentage is even higher. 
Grass Is Seeded by Nature and by Man 
In much of the world grass is grown as a culti- 
vated crop, seeded by the labor of man. In the 
range States of the West, grass was growing luxuri- 
antly when the pioneer first brought in his herds 
of livestock. Nature had provided grass as the 
plant best adapted to grow on most of the vast range 
area. A great many acres of the rangelands are not 
adapted to plowing and sowing of grass or any 
other crops, so the native grasses seeded by Nature 
Should the harvest fail for a single season, famine would depopulate the earth. 
261689°—54 
