WILL MORE FORAGE PAY? 69 



cover consists mostly of undesirable species. Natural revegetation 

 may be used in areas which still have enough topsoil and organic mat- 

 ter to furnish the water-holding capacity to insure forage recovery, 

 and which still contain a sufficient stand of desirable perennials so 

 that revegetation will be accomplished in a reasonable period of time. 

 This is accomplished by practicing a very conservative system of 

 grazing or one of deferred and rotation use. 



Artificial range reseeding is relatively new. nearly all cultural 

 practices, methods, and techniques having been developed in the last 

 15 years. The Intermountain Forest and Range Experiment Sta- 

 tion at Ogden. Utah, began intensive studies of artificial range reseed- 

 ing in 1935. Their early research showed that the simple act of scat- 

 tering seed on the ground usually resulted in failure and that cover- 

 age of the seed of most species was an absolute necessity. It is for 

 these reasons that airplane reseeding so often has resulted in failure 

 except on very light sandy soils, on burned-over areas with plenty of 

 ash. and in aspen stands where leaf fall serves to cover the seed. They 

 have concluded that reseeding ordinarily is a desirable and economic 

 practice only if good stands can be established by a single seeding. 



In almost all of the cool dry areas of the West, where precipitation 

 is the principal limiting factor, crested wheat grass has proved highly 

 adaptable for range reseeding (fig. 9). It withstands grazing well 

 and supplies feed in early spring and fall at a time when it is most 

 needed to supplement the native range. It is resistant to drought and 

 cold and has a tremendous root system. However, it becomes tough 

 when dry. 



In the southern Great Plains natural revegetation through either 

 conservative or deferred grazing appears to be the most practicable 

 method of restoring depleted ranges. Artificial reseeding has been 

 difficult in this area due to competition from weeds, and when it is 

 necessary to use this practice, the grasses seeded should be those best 

 able to withstand this competition. Crested wheat grass and western 

 wheat grasses are recommended for the cooler or higher altitudes. 

 Both of these grasses are early-cool-season grasses and stands are es- 

 tablished before weeds became numerous. At the United States South- 

 ern Great Plains Field Station. Woodward. Okla.. sand love grass has 

 been found to be the best grass for range reseeding on light sandy 

 soils at lower altitudes, although many other native grasses may be 

 used successfully {SO). 



A range-improvement practice known as "pitting" has been de- 

 veloped in the Plains area of eastern Wyoming. An eccentric disk 

 gouges out pits in waffle-like patterns, cutting out about a third of 

 the short grass cover, which is composed mainly of buffalo and blue 

 grama grasses. These depressions hold moisture from heavy rains, 

 stimulating the growth of western wheat, a tall midseason grass which 

 in turn gives greater protection against evaporation, and helps to hold 

 the snow in place, thereby furnishing an increased supply of early 

 grass (fig. 10). Results of a 5-year experiment at Archer. Wyo.. 

 indicates that this practice increased the grazing capacity about a 

 third and that about 50 percent more grass was left each year during 

 the 1942-47 period (3). 



