From the text ... 'Tobosa grass (Hilaria mutica) is a dominant of the Southern Desert Plains of North America (Clements and Shelford 1939) and is the climax on adobe soils (Campbell 1931). Moreover, it is a productive grass type (Paulsen and Ares 1962) that is regarded by southwestern ranchers as a reserve feed during dry years. Tobosa is otherwise a coarse grass, generally unpalatable (Heirman 1971), and builds up huge amounts of litter (Wright 1969).Mesquite (Prosopis glandulosa var. glandulosa) associated with tobosa communities is a real problem to grazing management....The objective of this study was to determine the feasibility of using fire as a management tool in mesquite-tobosa communities. Specific objectives were: (1) to determine the short-term and long-term effects of fire on tobosa yields in relation to winter and spring precipitation; (2) to determine the long-term effect of fire on mesquite mortality; and (3) to develop prescription burning techniques for all types of mesquite-tobosa communities. In this paper, utilization of tobosa, the effects of fire on annual grasses and forbs, and mortality of cactus species will be reviewed.'From the Conclusions ... 'Decadent stands of unpalatable tobosa can easily be made productive and palatable by burning during a wet spring. Moreover, spring burning will control broomweeds, reduce numbers of cactus plants, and kill some mesquite trees. If done properly, dead mesquite stems can be burned down to make the gathering of livestock easier. Green stems which do not burn down deteriorate very rapidly after burning, which is not true for green stems that have been sprayed with 2,4,5-T.During wet springs, tobosa will produce up to three times more herbage after burning than the control. By contrast, during dry springs it will produce slightly less than the control. Long-term yield studies show that tobosa burns continue to produce more than the controls, even the fourth year after the burn. However, the trend indicates that equilibrium will be reached about 5 years after burning. We tentatively suggest reburning tobosa 4 to 7 years after the original burn, depending on how soon 4,000 lbs/acre of litter builds up.The ideal conditions for burning down mesquite stems are wind velocities of 8 to 15 mph, relative humidity of 25-40 percent, and fine fuel (grass) in excess of 3,000 lbs/acre. With less than 3,000 lbs/acre of fine fuel, the area should be chained before burning. About 70 percent of the chained logs can be consumed with 2,000 lbs/acre of fine fuel.'