24 BULLETIN 588, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



for this period, and it is economy to hold the grama grass, since it 

 retains its feeding value better than other range. 



This practice has worked well at the Jornada Range Reserve. 

 Pasture 10, of 12,293 acres, mainly grama grass, is reserved largely 

 for the 500-head breeding herd from November or December tmtil 

 green feed comes the following year on the summer range. This 

 means that the bulk of the feed of Pasture 10 is available for the 

 critical part of the year. Pasture 2, of 34,545 acres, mostly grama 

 grass, is grazed lightly during the growing season, mainly by steers 

 and by breeding cows which need extra care during winter and 

 spring. About 250 thin cows and their calves from the main breed- 

 ing herd were carried through the critical dry period of spring and 

 summer in 1916 by the dry grama grass reserved in Pasture 2. 

 Without this feed a number of them would undoubtedly have died. 

 The special breeding herd of 500 was held mainly in Pasture 10 until 

 July. Loss from starvation was prevented by supplementing the 

 dry grama grass with a small quantity of cottonseed cake. 



In order to have additional range for the breeding stock in espe- 

 cially critical years, about one-third of the carrying capacity of the 

 Reserve in average years is used for steers. In good years the steer 

 stock can be increased as a means of completely utilizing the forage 

 and in bad years, if necessary, part or all of the steers can be sold, 

 thus releasing one-third more range for the breeding stock. There 

 is usually a ready market during the spring and summer for steers 

 for shipment to northern ranges, so that sales can be made without 

 any great sacrifice. In addition to preventing loss, this plan makes 

 it possible to build up the breeding stock without interference from 

 forced sales of female stock. 



This plan worked well in 1916. Range conditions were observed 

 carefully during the dry spring, and on May 1 1,573 head of steers 

 were sold. In average years they would have been replaced by pur- 

 chase of yearling steers, but owing to the unfavorable season this was 

 not done. The extra feed was held for the breeding stock. 



CONCENTRATED FEED (COTTONSEED CAKE) TO SUPPLEMENT RANGE FORAGE. 



Although the plan of reserving range feed and, when necessary, 

 reducing the number of steers by sale will aid a good deal in reducing 

 the loss from starvation; it will not do away with it altogether, nor 

 will it prevent the breeding stock from getting too thin, nor insure 

 that the growth of calves and young stock will not be retarded greatly. 

 It will be necessary, even in average years, to supplement the range 

 forage with some concentrated feed, such as cottonseed cake. The 

 percentage of the stock which will need feed and the period of feeding 

 will depend largely upon the year. 



