22 BULLETIN 367, U. S. DEPARTMENT OP AGRICULTUEE. 



cutting, p. 25.) Hence, in order to maintain productivity and pre- 

 vent losses of stock in bad years, the range must be stocked at less 

 than 60 per cent of its average productivity. 



Assuming that a steer eats the equivalent of 30 pounds of dry 

 forage per day, he will need about 11,000 pounds of forage in a 

 year. If the average annual production of the grassed area is 1,100 

 pounds of dry forage per acre, then assuming that it is safe to put 

 on enough stock to eat half of that amount annually, the average 

 carrying capacity will be 20 acres per head per year if the range 

 is to be maintained at its highest productivity. 



THE MOST IMPORTANT FACTOR GOVERNING POSSIBLE IMPROVE- 

 MENT OF THE RANGE. 



If it were possible to get a given area completely set in the best 

 forage plants that would grow in the region, the productivity of the 

 area would vary with the supply of water available to these plants 

 during each growing season. All useless plants on such an area 

 only waste the water which is so valuable for the production of 

 feed. All run-off is complete loss of this precious moisture. It 

 would seem to be desirable for a stockman to work toward the ideal 

 condition as far as it is economically possible. 



This is what the farmer in a humid region does, and he is able 

 to modify and control the conditions on his farm only because the 

 value of the product warrants the expense of its production. The 

 stockman in the range country, whether his range be inclosed or 

 open, is governed by the same principle, and on the open range he 

 has the added uncertainty as to whether he himself will benefit by 

 any labor he may expend in improving " his " range. 



When it is remembered that much of the range lanci rents for 8 

 to 10 cents an acre per year without a fence, and that it requires 

 from 15 to 50 acres to carry one cow through the year, one can ap- 

 preciate how much may be expended economically upon the improve- 

 ment of such land. It thus becomes apparent that the possibility of 

 improvement rests entirely on a proper kind of management, and 

 the possibility of the application of that management rests upon 

 control. Yet there is a crop growing on this land and the cow has 

 nothing to do but gather it. And if a man can get control of enough 

 land, even of the poorest, and can get enough coavs and other appur- 

 tenances of the business (PL VII, fig. 3), the output of meat animals, 

 hides, wool, etc., will furnish him with a living. He may have to 

 ride all over from 1 to 10 townships, but that is only an incident of 

 the business. 



