190 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



Range. 



Very exceptional range conditions characterized the seasons of 

 1918 and 1919. The closing of the 1918 season marked the ter- 

 mination of a prolonged drought throughout the Southwest, particu- 

 larly in New Mexico, Arizona, and Texas. A very severe winter 

 with a heavy snowfall followed, which caused heavy losses of stock 

 of all classes. The 1919 season throughout the Southwest was un- 

 usually favorable for forage growth. Throughout Montana, Idaho, 

 Utah, Wyoming, northern Colorado, the western haK of Nebraska, 

 and North and South Dakota, however, one of the most severe 

 droughts in the memory of the oldest stockmen has prevailed. This 

 drought probably reached its greatest intensity in Montana, northern 

 Wyoming, eastern Utah, and Idaho. For three years the precipita- 

 tion in this region during the growing season has been very light, but 

 the 1919 conditions were the worst. The snowfall at the beginning 

 of the year in the entire drought region was unusually small, and 

 while a few heavy snows fell in the latter part of the winter, the snow 

 did not pack and disappeared rapidly when warm weather set in. 

 Temperatures during April and early May- were much above normal, 

 causing the snow to melt and run off sooner than usual. This caused 

 a shortage of water for irrigating and stock watering purposes. 



Forage growth of all kinds started early, with indications of a 

 good season. Heavy freezes, however, during the last few days of 

 May destroyed all of this new vegetation, upon which the sheepmen 

 were dependent for feed for their flocks during the lambing period. 

 These conditions also affected the cattlemen to some extent, as their 

 stock did not immediately begin to increase in flesh. A long period 

 of low precipitation immediately followed in the States above named, 

 which greatly reduced forage growth. 



The stream flow was far below anything previously recorded, and 

 this had a direct influence upon the raising of farm crops, particularly 

 hay, which has been reported as from 20 to 50 per cent below normal. 



The production of forage on the unreserved public lands was very 

 restricted, and the stockmen using these areas were forced to seek 

 other range. The National Forest ranges, being at higher elevations, 

 were not so greatly affected, and stockmen who held Forest permits 

 were considered verjr fortunate. During the early part of July 

 heavy rains occurred in northern Arizona, southern Utah, and parts 

 of Nevada, which relieved range conditions materially throughout 

 this region and reduced the drought area considerably. During the 

 latter part of July rains occurred in northern Utah and southern 

 Idaho. While they came too late to cause any appreciable increase 

 in the hay crop, an immediate improvement in the summer, fall, and 

 winter range was noticed, thus still further reducing the drought area. 



The range situation looked so critical early in July that the Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture considered it necessary to assist the stockmen in 

 the drought regions. A committee organized for this purpose imme- 

 diately undertook a canvass of the drought-stricken region to deter- 

 mine the numbers of stock for which other pasturage or winter feed 

 would have to be provided in order to avoid placing this stock upon 

 the market, and also sought to locate in other States places where feed 

 or pastures could be secured for wintering stock shipped in from tho 

 drought-stricken region. The Forest Service cooperated with tho 



