Effects of Different Intensities of Clipping on Short Grasses in West‐Central Kansas

Abstract

Since appearance of the buffalo (Bison bison bison (L) ), vegetation of the Great Plains has been subjected to various degrees of utilization. It is probably safe to assume that at least moderate use was common, and that grazing was most intense during dry cycles or when population of the buffalo was greatest. As the pioneer white man occupied the plains region, the number of livestock gradually increased. Also, during this period vast amounts of prairie sod were plowed up for growing wheat and other crops, thereby reducing the area left in native vegetation. Little attention was given to intensity of grazing until the great drought of the 1930's when production of native vegetation suffered an alarming reduction. During this disastrous period, the most mesophytic plants survived only in favored locations, and even the most xerophytic species were greatly reduced in both abundance and frequency under heavy use by livestock. Also, the yield of native vegetation which at one time probably averaged from 2,000 to 3,000 pounds per acre, was suddenly reduced to little more than 100 pounds (Weaver and Albertson 1944). This tragic experience caused federal and state agencies, as well as individuals, to give serious thought to the ecology and economics of overuse on grasslands. The college pasture, an area of 830 acres of mixed prairie (Albertson 1937), was selected for study to determine effects of various intensities of clipping upon the most important grasses. The investigation was conducted on a portion of the pasture dominated by short grasses since this is the most common type of prairie vegetation of the Great Plains.