38 BULLETIN 367, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
cate approximately the increase in carrying capacity under the 
treatment imposed. The factor of occasional insufficiency of stock 
water has interfered with the stocking of the other pasture and 
modified the results. In general, therefore, it may be said that, other 
things being equal, the rate of recovery in this region varies with 
the available moisture. With complete protection the better part 
of this range recovered rapidly at first, large gains being made in 
the first two or three years, and approached complete recovery in 10 
or 12 years. The poorer parts of the range are much improved after 
11 years’ protection, but are probably not yet completely recovered. 
Light stocking of the better part of the range with horses (approxi- 
mately one-third of the stock it could carry) doubtless retarded the 
rate of recovery, but after eight or nine years this animal factor was 
negligible. Heavy stocking with cattle has not prevented but has 
retarded recovery, so that after 11 years the grazed areas are but 
partially recovered, though their carrying capacity has increased not 
less than 30 per cent and possibly more in that time. 
Reseeding operations —Practically all attempts to introduce new 
species of forage plants or to increase the relative abundance of 
particular endemic species beyond their natural importance in the 
plant associations of the region have resulted negatively. In a few 
cases introduced piants like alfilaria or some aggressive annuals 
have seemed to promise some returns, but in the course of a few 
years the native perennials have crowded them out. By far the 
greater number of the species tried have given nothing but negative 
results from the first.t The scattering of seeds of the local native 
species upon bare ground has proved to be well worth the trouble, 
since the practice has resulted in the more rapid recovery of such 
areas. This procedure has also put a crop of grass upon some soils 
where it was predicted that nothing would grow. The policy of 
scattering the seeds of the best grasses of a region on the denuded 
areas is to be recommended to stockmen generally wherever the seeds 
can be had in any quantity at relatively small expense, as is always 
the case where range hay is baled. On areas of large size which have 
been denuded of their best native grasses a seemingly large expense is 
warranted in order to get seeding plants of such grasses established 
on the area. Generally speaking, the seeds of native species of this 
region do not need to be covered, since they are mostly able to bury 
themselves deep enough to cause germination, at least under favor- 
able climatic conditions. 
Carrying capacity—An attempt is here made to work out an 
expression representing the average carrying capacity of the whole 
range reserve, in the belief that this result will apply to a large part 
«4 See Bureau of Plant Industry Bulletins 117, p.22;177,p.1200 
