Field Methods Used to Demonstrate Range Conservation

Abstract

HORACE L. LEITHEAD District Conservationist , Soil Conservation Service, Marja, Texas T HE energy with which a farmer or rancher applies his range conservation program is likely to be in direct relation to his understanding of it. And his understanding, likewise, is apt to depend more on what he has seen than on what he has been told. Methods used to give a man this understanding through “seeing” are usually called visual aids. The rancher naturally wants to know immediately what he can do to get his range in higher condition. “But what can I do without rain?” he asks. “It hasn’t rained enough to make my grass head out.” The grass, it is usually safe to say, did not head out because the range was too depleted to make use of the rain that fell. The landowner wants to know why the amount of grass his land produces is not in proportion to the rain he gets. It is easy to point out that the grass produced may be due to the condition of the range, and to the ease with which the soil can absorb moisture and make it available to plants. Soil texture and soil moisture have a bearing on the amount of moisture the soil can take up and hold. The depth of the soil is important, too. But it is easier to show this than to tell it. Take a “sharpshooter” spade and dig around in several spots to see what the soils are like. In a valley the soil is deep. Feel the texture-see how fine it is. Soil moisture is held as a film around these tiny particles. It takes two to three inches of water to wet soil like this as much as a foot in depth. On the other hand, a coarse soil requires less than an inch of moisture to wet it a foot down. The finer the soil the greater the holding surface for the film of moisture. Select a plot where the range is excellent. Usually the soil here is darker in color than it is on poor condition ranges. That means there is more litter and organic matter-the living and dead plant matter, animal life and humus. The decay of grass roots, leaves, and the formation of humus improves the fertility, the physical condition and the waterholding capacity of the soil. The rate of water intake and storage capacity of any soil type can vary with the amount of organic material in the soil. For any range site, it is recognized that certain combinations of plants largely determine range condition. It is only when a range is managed in such a way as to build up plant vigor and to return organic matter to the soil that we can expect the combination of plants known as climax vegetation or range in excellent condition to become established. Just after a rain is a splendid time to show how range condition makes a big difference in moisture infiltration. Where a fence divides different range condition classes is a good place to show this. Use the sharpshooter spade again. Dig holes to show the depth of moisture penetration. In May of 1948, after a two-inch rain at Marfa, Texas, Soil Conservation Service range men and a group of ranchmen checked a site where a fence divided range in good and fair condition. They found that on the range in good condition the soil was wet to a depth of 30 inches. Across the fence that same amount of