RANGE IMPROVEMENT. 329 



would be when the land is covered with a thick coating of grasses. Hence the 

 drainage of the surplus water takes place in a very much shorter time. There 

 are many streams and springs which in former years afforded a continuous 

 supply throughout the dry season, which now only run during or immediately 

 succeeding periods of abundant rainfall. Thus less dependence is to be placed 

 upon the streams as a source of stock water. New artificial sources of supply 

 must be provided. " (Smith, 1899: 26.) 



"Fairly efficient \ise of plains and mesa range in the Southwest can be 

 secured where stock do not have to travel more than 2^ miles to water. This 

 means one watering-place for each 13,200 acres. Such an acreage of grama- 

 grass range will carry about 500 cattle throughout the year if properly man- 

 aged. As the distance in excess of 2^ miles which stock have to travel to 

 water increases, the barren area around water increases, as does also the 

 partly used forage beyond 2| miles from water. Consequently the number 

 of stock the range will support is reduced. When feed is short, a long dis- 

 tance between feed and water tends to increase the loss of stock, to decrease 

 the calf crop, and to retard development of the young animals. Observations 

 to date appear to justify one permanent watering place for each 500 head of 

 cattle. Where conditions are favorable, the construction of tanks to catch 

 flood waters for the purpose of supplementing the permanent watering places 

 will be a paying investment. They will aid (1) in getting more green feed for 

 the stock during the year, (2) in more even utiUzation of the range as a whole, 

 (3) in the protection of feed and range near permanent watr, and (4) in re- 

 ducing the cost of maintenance and operation of wells." (Jardine and 

 Hurtt, 1917:29.) 



Herd management. Better methods of handling stock may improve the 

 range or prevent its deterioration directly, as in the open herding of sheep, or 

 may be of indirect benefit, as in the production of a more efficient animal. 

 Since the ultimate objective of range improvement is the maximum permanent 

 production of stock, all methods which lead to this end are more or less con- 

 cerned in it. While many of the factors in proper herd management have 

 been worked out by the experiment stations in feeding and breeding experi- 

 ments, the chief contributions to the management of range stock have been 

 made by the Forest Service. These deal mainly with the handling of cattle in 

 large range pastures, and of sheep in coyote-proof pastures and under new 

 systems of herding. The immediate objectives have been (1) maintenance 

 and improvement of the carrying capacity, (2) improvement in grade of stock, 

 (3) increased calf or lamb crop, and (4) prevention of loss. The results secured 

 on the Jornada Range Reserve have been summarized by Jardine and Hurtt 

 (1917:30), as follows: 



"The big opportunity for increasing the calf crop is to keep poor cows in 

 thrifty condition. This can be done by not overstocking the range used by 

 breeding stock and bj'^ feeding a small quantity of cottonseed cake or other 

 supplemental feed to the cows that need it. All bulls should be fed during 

 the winter and early spring. 



"The small loss at the Jornada reserve is attributed to careful, systematic 

 vaccination against blackleg, to the reservation of grama-grass range for 

 poor stock during the critical spring months, to feeding the animals a small 

 quantity of cottonseed cake, and to prevention of straying. 



"In order to provide for extra range for the breeding stock in poor years, 

 one-third of the stock on a range unit should be steers. It is then possible 

 to reduce the number of stock when necessary by selling steers, without great 



