RANGE STOCK MANAGEMENT 175 



where it must be placed and left for the animals to use 

 at their pleasure, rock salt is probably the most eco- 

 nomical and satisfactory, for it does not melt and wash 

 away with the rains as badly as fine salt. Again, 

 salt-hungry cattle and sheep can easily be killed by 

 dumping out a few sacks of fine salt and letting them 

 have all they want of it. 



On the Little Colorado River in northern Arizona a 

 herd of 1,800 salt-hungry sheep fresh from the mountains 

 was turned onto a wagonload of fine lake salt which had 

 been dumped from the freighter's wagon in a long white 

 line. Within a few hours half the band was dead and 

 many more were so sick they could not be mo'ved for 

 some time. 



On another occasion, two wagonloads of the same 

 kind of salt were dumped in a great heap on a favorite 

 cattle-salting ground high up in the mountains with the 

 intention of burying it in trenches or ditches so as to 

 form licks. The round-up came along that day and 

 threw about 1,000 cattle onto the salting ground. The 

 cattle crowded about the heaps of salt and before anv 

 one noticed what was going on fifty were dead and man" 1 

 more very sick. This cannot happen where rock salt i > 

 used, because the animals can not get enough at one 

 time to injure them. On the other hand, when salt- 

 hungry, stock will eat the fine salt in great quantities, 

 chewing it down as they would oats. 



Effect of Excessive Salt. The effect of too much salt 

 seems to be to dry up the juices of the stomach, "burn 

 them out," as the stockmen say. The entire stomach 

 seems to be as dry and baked as if the animal had 

 been dead for months. 



Fine salt is somewhat cheaper than rock salt, espe- 



