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MISCELLANEOUS PUBLICATION 1271, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



In cattle areas, some grazing control can be 

 obtained by turning off water from a bore and 

 moving cattle to another bore. Cattle normally 

 graze about 8 kilometers from water in dry 

 periods, so that when water is spaced more than 

 16 kilometers apart the herd is reasonably con- 

 fined to one water. 



Spelling is not normally carried out. Pastoral- 

 ists claim that kangaroos utilize spelled areas, 

 thus negating their value. Some unconscious spell- 

 ing does occur in the summer rainfall zones 

 during the rainy season. At these times, bores 

 are not used, and livestock graze well away from 

 normal waters and depend on temporary surface 

 waters. 



In general, there is no conscious attempt to 

 manage pastures. The Australian pastoralist is 

 essentially an animal husbandman and lacks an 

 appreciation of the long term reaction of pasture 

 and soil to grazing pressure. Stock manipula- 

 tion is based on the condition of the animal rath- 

 er than on the pasture or soil. 



Cultivation is rare, but there are three main 

 aims : 1, to produce a cereal or forage crop and 

 eventually a better pasture. This occurs only on 

 the fringe of the rangeland; 2, as an irrigation 

 enterprise based on underground or river water. 

 These schemes appear to be attractive only during 

 drought periods; and 3, as a reclamation proce- 

 dure, either on severely eroded land or on areas 

 where use can be made of run-on for water- 

 spreading purposes. These latter schemes have 

 regional significance, but the profitability is mar- 

 ginal at present. 



Land Tenure 



Although not a direct management factor, the 

 framework on which the pastoral enterprise rests 

 is significant. Rangelands in Australia are al- 

 most wholly held under Crown Lease tenure. 

 Leases were originally for short terms, up to 21 

 years and often less. Modern leases tend to be 

 long term (99 years). 



There is a limit to the area which any one 

 individual can hold. The home maintenance area 

 principle was established to ensure that subdi- 

 vision did not proceed beyond a size which would 

 give a landholder a return sufficient to support 

 him and his family at a reasonable level. At 



the same time it prevented an individual from 

 acquiring a very large area. This concept is valid 

 only when prices for produce are stable. Although 

 the returns to individuals have varied from 

 affluence to near poverty, the scheme appears to 

 have encouraged a responsible type of lessee to 

 settle and develop his lease. 



Damage to the resource is likely when a lessee 

 is in financial difficulty. In these circumstances, 

 it is difficult to apply what may be considered 

 necessary controls which further reduce income, 

 at least temporarily. 



The long term lease provides the lessee with 

 sufficient incentive to wise management, yet pro- 

 tects the interest of the Crown. Occupation of 

 the land on long lease with prospect of renewal 

 appears to be the most desirable tenure basis on 

 which to encourage both the maintenance of the 

 resource and the best development of it in arid 

 areas. 



Future Land Management Policy 



In the ultimate sense, soil erosion is the most 

 important problem to be faced in an arid area. 

 Although erosion generally occurs imperceptibly 

 over a long period and proceeds through pro- 

 gressive stages of deterioration of vegetation, it 

 can, on some land types, become irreversible over 

 a lifetime. 



Much of the rangeland in Australia is produc- 

 ing less than it has in the past. The degree to 

 which production has been depressed varies with 

 land type. The feasibility of restoring produc- 

 tivity to previous levels or better also varies with 

 land type. From a consideration of past grazing 

 and research experience, a number of basic atti- 

 tudes for future application can be considered. 



The Significance Of Land Type 



Management has not varied with land type to 

 any extent. Consequently, uneven utilization on 

 a variable range has led to situations where 

 areas of extreme erosion and negligible erosion 

 occur side by side. 



Improvements which concentrate livestock, such 

 as water, shearing sheds, and holding yards, have 

 been located without consideration to land type. 

 In parts of western New South Wales, serious 

 scald and wind-sheet erosion have occurred, be- 



