Montana farmer-stockman. [volume], June 15, 1951, Page 46, Image 46

About Montana farmer-stockman. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1947-1993

Image provided by: Montana Historical Society; Helena, MT

                
. ti;
m «
; s
Bunch type range in Madison county.
Watch Use of Better Grasses
To Judge Range Condition
By BEN SLANGER, Soil Conservation Service
JUST HOW MUCH can we graze
our ranges and still secure maximum
production? This is a question often
asked by ranchers.
In answer it has been found by
experiments that proper utilization
of our bunch-type ranges does not
mean that all vegetation is uniform
ly grazed br that all vegetation is
removed. Livestock have their likes
and dislikes and therefore are nat
urally attracted to the more palatable
grasses and will graze these in pref
erence to more unpalatable types.
Data furnished us from utilization
tests carried on mostly by forest
service men show that on an aver
age the total vegetative production
per acre on bunch-type range varies
all the way from 600 to 1,500 pounds,
or about 1,000 to 1,200' on an aver
age. production
only a little over 300 pounds is con
sumed by livestock when the. range
is grazed as fully as it can stand and
still maintain or increase the more
palatable plants.
Few Species Palatable
It has been found that, although
a range may have more than 25
grass species, yet relatively few are
regarded as important as producers
of palatable and nutritious forage.
On bunch-type range bluebunch
wheatgrass, prairie June grass, and
Idaho fescue are regarded as the
more important grasses, or the in
dicating plants which are used in
determining range conditions.
To maintain or increase the pro
duction of these indicator bunch
grass species, it has been found
that from 40 to 50 percent of the
herbage should be left at the end of
the grazing season. This leaves suf
ficient leaf growth so that food may
be stored in the root system, enabl
ing the plant to make a fast, vigor
ous growth in the spring.
Watch Palatable Grasses
Actual experiments carried on by
the forest service in eastern Oregon
showed that bluebunch wheatgrass
produced only 10 percent of the total
vegetation yet furnished 80 pounds
or 25 percent of the entire forage
grazed. Thus a range in only a
poor or fair condition might have
so much ungrazed unpalatable for
age that a casual observation would
indicate- extremely light use. How
ever, a closer inspection would re
veal that the important forage
species are grazed as heavily as they
could stand.
Efficient utilization, therefore, is
m.
judged, not by the total amount of
forage, removed, but by the degree
to which the better grasses are
grazed.
Trainees Here
From Ireland
SEAN J. MURPHY and Patrick J.
Scully, agricultural trainees from
County Cork, Ireland, arrived in
Montana and will remain until July
15 studying American agricultural
methods and rural organizations, R.
B. Tootell, director of the Montana
Extension service, said.
While in the state Murphy will
make his home on the Ralph V. Hurl
bert farm in Valley county and
Scully will live on the Ralph Nile
farm in Rosebud county.
Trees Take to the Air
. I \
m
-X- v
MS
H
:
ilii
»
:
i
Snowbound, roads and the need for
early spring planting made air ship
ment of 100,000 white pine seedlings
only a natural procedure to U. S. for
esters at Missoula. Actually, the air
delivery early in May into remote areas
of the Clearwater forest of Idaho was
probably the first ever made on such
a large scale. The Ford tri-motor air
plane seen above was one of two used
by a Missoula flight operator under
contract with the forest service to do
the job. The shipments of seedlings
were packed roots-to-center in 65 burlap
covered bundles totaling 6,000 pounds
in weight. Photo to right shows a bun
dle of seedlings being lifted into one
of the planes by G. M. DeJarnette. left,
chief of the planting section for the
Missoula region, and J. W. Augenstine,
nurseryman of the Savenac nursery.
Haugen, source of the seedlings.
Defense Production
OPS ANNOUNCES NEW
WOOL PRICE CEILINGS
THE OFFICE of price stabilization
announced new ceiling prices for
wool and wool top futures traded
on the wool associates of the New
York cotton exchange which are 9
percent below ceilings which have
been in effect since April 6.
The downward revision is in line
with the trend of the world market,
which has declined 20 percent since
April 6, and with the new ceilings
fixed May 9 on commercial sales
in ceiling price regulation 35.
The new ceiling on exchange
standard wool top is $3.895 per
pound as compared with the previ
ous ceiling of $4.265, and the new
ceiling on exchange standard wool
is $3.22 as compared with $3.535
formerly.
HONEY PRICE SUPPORTS
MOST FLAVORS OF HONEY will
be supported at 10 cents per pound
under the recently announced sup
port program for the 1951 marketing
year, the USDA has announced.
About a dozen flavors having limited
commercial acceptability will be sup
ported at 9 cents a pound.
These prices will reflect to bee
keepers about 60 percent of the
March 15, 1951, parity price for
honey. Highest support rate under
the 1950 program was 9 cents per
pound. Honey equivalent to U. S.
grade C or better will be eligible
under this year's program.
1950 PMA CLAIMS
DUE JUNE 30
FARMERS AND RANCHERS who
participated in the 1950 agricultural
conservation program and have not
yet made application for assistance
payments earned have only until
June 30 to file a claim.
Operators who have yet to file an
t
»
i. ...
■
V«
it
Ht : j.
application for work done during the
1950 program year are urged to act
promptly rather than waiting until
just before the June 30 deadline.
Applications should be submitted to •
the county PM A office.
>
• I
Mr. and Mrs. Doug Dear. Cascade, are
presenting a Quarter Horse colt to be
awarded at the second annual Mon
tana championship high school rodeo
to be held at Augusta. July 15. They
are shown here with the Palomino filly
they gave last year and which was
awarded to Montana McClintock of
Silesia, winner of the titles of all
around cowgirl and rodeo queen. (Tit
ter photo)
High School Rodeo
At Augusta July 15
MONTANA'S SECOND annual
state championship high school rodeo
will be held this year on July 15 at
Augusta.
Mr. and Mrs. Doug Dear of the
Birdtail ranch at Cascade are do
nating another quarter horse this
year to be used as one of the top
awards. A Palomino filly was given
by the Dears last year and went to
the all-around cowgirl, the honor be
ing won by Miss Montana
of Silesia. The quarter horse will be
sired by the stallion "Turk McCue."
A special trophy for schools has
been arranged this year. This will
be a traveling trophy and will be
presented to the school winning the
greatest total number of points. The
school will have possession of this
trophy for one year. The winning of
the school trophy three years in suc
cession will entitle that school to
permanent possession.
Seven winners of last year's first
annual high school rodeo represented
Montana at the National, which was
held in Santa Rosa, N. M. This year
Augusta will send as many winners
as possible with expenses paid to
the national at Sulphur, La.
In 1952 the national high school
rodeo will be held at Augusta, with
Montana acting as host to the youth
ful cowboys and cowgirls of approxi
mately a half-dozen or more rodeo
minded states.
Shorthorn Group
Elects Officers
A. H. ALLEN, Livingston,
was
elected secretary of the Montana
Shorthorn Breeders Assn., other of
ficers were re-elected at the associa
tion's annual meeting held at Bil
lings June 2.
Allen succeeds Henry. Holecek of
Boyd.
Officers re-elected were I. B. Mor
rison of Billings, president, and Orlyn
W. Oswald of Joliet, vice president.
Wilbur Spring Jr., of Belgrade was
re-elected to the directors' board.
Holdover directors are Frank J. Cole
of Red Lodge and Bryan T. Lovely
of Wilsall.