ARID AGRICULTURE. 303 



The alkali salts in the forage take the place of 

 common salt, saving a large item of expense to 

 flock masters who run their sheep at long dis- 

 tance- from railroad points. Stock of all kinds 

 on the range must be salted unless they can get 

 this natural supply. The best ranchmen keep 

 either coarse salt or rock salt before their cattle 

 all the time. Salt is best fed in boxes and near 

 the home ranch. In boxes, because cattle some- 

 times lick up enough gravel and dirt to either in- 

 jure or kill them ; near the home ranch because 

 it induces the cattle to stay where they belong. 

 An example of desert range is the red desert, in 

 Wyoming, which covers an area about as great 

 as Massachusetts and supplies forage through the 

 winter for more than 2,000,000 sheep. 



SUMMER In the mountain region it is customary to 



use the mountains for summer range and move 

 the flocks to the lower plains for their winter 

 pasture. The larger part of this mountain range 

 is now controlled by the Forest Reserves. Sheep 

 are usually moved onto mountain ranges just 

 before lambing, or sometimes after lambing 

 and shearing. Cattle are taken to the mountain 

 ranges from the ranch in the early spring or 

 after the July roundup. Permits must be ob- 

 tained from the Bureau of Forestry, and the reg- 

 ulations designate the particular area upon 

 which the stock must be grazed and the fee per 

 head which is charged for this privilege. 



