- INCREASED CATTLE PRODUCTION. 31 
increase in the calf crop will pay for the greater part, if not all, of 
the increased expense. Marked improvement in average grade is 
noticeable among stock of the Jornada Reserve as a result of selling 
off about 25 per cent of the poor-grade, off-colored, and otherwise 
undesirable stock, and replacing them by good grade heifers. 
PREVENTION OF LOSS. 
The average loss of stock on the Jornada Range Reserve, June 1 
to December 31, 1915, was at the rate of 1.9 per cent for a year; 
the average loss in 1916 was 1.5 per cent. The average losses for 
New Mexico are approximately 10.6 per cent for calves to 12 months 
of age, 5.6 per cent for yearlings, and 5.8 per cent for other stock. 
The small loss at the Jornada Reserve is attributed to careful, 
systematic vaccination against blackleg, to the reservation of grama- 
erass range for poor stock during the critical spring months, to 
feeding the animals a small quantity of cottonseed cake, and to 
prevention of straying. 
Yn 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 sacrifice and without interfering with 
the breeding stock. In good years the number of steers can be 
increased and in bad years decreased: 
To provide against loss in extremely bad years, some kind of 
roughage to supplement the range forage, for feeding with cottonseed 
cake. or other concentrated feed, would be a decided advantage on 
southwestern ranges. Ensilage made from soap weed (Yucca elata) 
has been tried, and the results are promising, but not extensive 
‘enough to warrant definite conclusions. 
Feeding cottonseed cake to calves weaned during the late fall, 
winter, and early spring is an important factor in cutting down loss 
and increasing the size of the stock, as well as in increasing the calf 
crop. Where this is done, young calves can be taken from poor 
cows, thus reducing loss from starvation among both cows and calves 
and stimulating earlier breeding. Indications are that such feeding 
is a good business venture from the standpoint of mcreased value of 
the calves, aside from decreasing the loss from starvation. 
Range feed not more than 24 miles from water is a big factor in 
cutting down loss from starvation, especially where little or no sup- 
plemental feeding is done. 
The possibilities of decreasing loss justify more attention on the 
part of stockmen to careful, systematic vaccination as a preventive of 
blackleg and to picking out and feeding stock in need of special care. 
