32 BULLETIN 367, U. S. DEPAETMEXT OF AGEICULTUEE. 



There can be no question that the ^productivity of the areas whicli 

 have been j^astured is normally greater than the average for the 

 whole inclosed area, because these pastures lie in that i^art of the 

 grassed land which gets the most water. (See p. 8.) 



The forage-distribution map (fig. 3) shows a small patch of six- 

 weeks grass in each of the pastures, a condition which would seem 

 to indicate that these pastures may be somewhat overstocked. The 

 general opinion of the various men is that their pastures have im- 

 proved under protection, and these poorly grassed areas may be the 

 remnants of larger areas that are being gradually replaced, though 

 more slowly than on the completely protected area. 



In the opinion of the writer, the pastured areas have not deterio- 

 rated noticeably since July, 1911, nor have they materially improved- 

 He believes that during that time they have been kept at about 

 uniform productivity, but slightly below their maxima. The result 

 of this is to make the carrying capacity appear a very little larger 

 in figure 5 and in Table VII than it actually is. 



The above remarks apply with most force to the MacBeath pasture, 

 less so to the Proctor pasture, and hardly at all to the Euelas pasture. 

 It should be understood that McCleary has not been running cattle 

 npon his pasture. He has had it lightly and about uniformly 

 stocked with horses and burros. These animals have been on the 

 land continuously with little or no shifting, and the range which 

 was unable to carry stock at the rate of 29 acres per head in the 

 earlier days of the experiments^ is now not noticeably different 

 from the completely protected area lying immediately north of it. 

 It is hardly possible to tell by the condition of the grass that there 

 is any stock on this area. From such data it is perfectly certain 

 that 50 acres per head per year is considerably under the carrying 

 capacity of such range pasture.- 



It is almost certain that stocking heavier than 53 animals per sec- 

 tion (12 acres per head per year) on the MacBeath place and between 

 45 and 50 animals per section (13 or l-i acres per head per year) on 

 the Proctor place is not warranted hj the present condition of these 

 pastures, under their present form of management. It is more 

 difficult to get an estimate for the Ruelas place, because other im- 

 portant but as 3'et unmeasured factors enter the problem. From 

 the standpoint of feed alone, the Euelas pasture will doubtless carry 

 as much per section as the MacBeath place, but for some time past 

 the supply of stock water has been insufficient for all the stock which 

 the pasture would carry. 



1 See Bureau of Plant Industry Bulletin 177, p. 21. 



- The hoi'ses on this area have very liirht work and little of it. They are always fed a 

 small amount of grain whenever they are worked ; at other times all their feed is the 

 native grass grown on the area. 



