R-UiS;Ili 9/12 



Tor exanple, the grazing of livestock may change a pui*e grass 

 cover to a aover of mixed grass and weeds. Or it may cause an entirely new 

 pla:it cover to come in. Sometimes, the top stage of plant development on 

 the range is destroyed without mal-:ing much change in the soil. In that 

 case, the better type plants come back again soon. But on hill-sides or 

 oth.jr GX-osed lands, where the destruction of the cover from over-grazing 

 leads to the washing away cf the rich upper soil, the character of the 

 plant life is shoved further and further toward the more primitive forr.is 

 which cling closely to the almost bare rock. 



You can't tell simply by looking at the stock whether a range is 

 overstocked or not. The wise cattleman not only regulates his grazing v/ith 

 an eye on the condition of his stock, but to the condition of the range 

 as shown and the character and condition of the plants. 



There has been a grad\ial and steady decline in the carrying capacity 

 of many of our native pastures, Mr, Chapline tells me. In order to improve 

 and m.aintain pasture lands, we have to give the forage plants a chance to 

 make a big growth before being grazed and occasionally to produce fertile 

 seed crops. To give the best plants, the ind the cattle like best, the 

 chance they need, Mr, Chapline explains that the Forest Service on its 

 nat-onal forest ranges tried to jjrevent too early grazing, and avoids over- 

 grazins., by proper numbers and distribution of the stock and by withholding 

 part of the range from grazing until after seed maturity each year. 



When that is done, the range plants come back practically as fast as 

 where anLmals are kept off the lands all the year around. From what he says, 

 it seems the cattle can have their pastures, and graze them too, if the stock- 

 man ra-ma-'jes with an eye to the good of the plants on the range as v/ell as the 

 good of ihe cattle. 



** ** 



AIOOUITCZI]::? ; Every other Friday, Station presents these results of 



visits with Uncle Sam's Naturalists of the United States Department of 

 Agriculture, Remember the day and hour v/hen our Wilds Man will be back. 



II II II 

 I! II II II 



