CARRYING CAPACITY. 83 



niucli hiolier carryincr capacity than the averafje. Even in cases where 

 the land is fenced the areas arc irrej^ular, and therefore of uncertain 

 acreaf>e, with no record of the amount of orazin«r sec-urcd from them. 

 The estimates below arc g-ivcn, therefore, reservedly, hut with a 

 feeling- tliat the}' arc approximately accurate for the specitic areas 

 mentioned. 



Mr. W. I). McCMcary has 200 acres fenced at the base of Mount 

 Wrightson, at an altitude of approximately 4,000 feet. The condi- 

 tions are approximately the same as those in the southernmost part of 

 the area recently inclosed \)\ the Department, except tiiat a i)ortion 

 of Mr. McCleary's liolding is occupied ))y a large wash heavily covered 

 with brush and trees. When tirst fenced, it was necessary to feed 

 some hay to the four head of stock which are carried on the land, but 

 at the j)rescnt time the area furnishes sullicient feed for this number. 

 Mesquite beans and browse furnish no small part of the feed, and in 

 general the area represents about an average carrying capacity for the 

 foothill-mountain areas. It furnishes rather more browse and mes- 

 quite beans but less grass than some of the neighboring localities. 

 In the estimate of this pasture, if the data which it furnishes be cor- 

 rect, the carrying capacity for the best pasture lands in the foothill- 

 mountain areas of this region is al)out 1 head to 50 acres. This is 

 prol)a])ly not far from the ])r()porti<)n which should govern grazing 

 upon these lands. It siiould be stated that this estimate is based upon 

 the better lands, which are proportionally smaller in area than desert 

 mesas and unproductive lands at lower altitudes. 



Much etiort was made to get an estimate of the carrj'ing capacity of 

 the land in the northern part of the Territory, where the task is even 

 more difficult than it is farther south. Tlw Hgures given for this 

 region are purely estimates based upon the judgment of ranchers 

 who operate in the region. A great many ranchers were consulted 

 and their opinions secured, but the two or three quoted below' seem to 

 be based upon the most dctinitc data. 



Some information received from ]Mr. George L. Brooks, manager 

 for a cattle company, shows the extent to which the country has 

 been overgrazed in past 3'ears. The lands of this company are 

 located from Aztec; west to Angel and south to the limit of the old 

 Atlantic and Paciiic grant. This strip of country contains a little 

 more than 1,500,000 acres. Mr. Brooks, who necessarih^ made a ver}- 

 careful study of the matter, estimates that there were upon this area for 

 a number of years an ecpiivalent of upward of 44,000 bovine animals, 

 or about 1 steer to 34 acres. The loss of cattle through starvation 

 WHS tremendous for several winters, and the country became so badl}^ 

 damaged as to compel the compan}^ to go out of the cattle business. 

 Their losses from theft, no doubt, were considerable, but the land 

 could not maintain stock at the above ratio. At the present time 



