34 BULLETIN 211, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



With a fenced range, the spring and fall round-ups become merely 

 the gathering of the stock in the separate pastures and can be done by 

 a few men. The operations on each ranch thus become independent 

 of each other and are not subject to a time schedule that may be in- 

 convenient. The need of extra help is not so pressing. The branding 

 can be done at the corral, where a " squeezer" obviates the necessity 

 of running, roping, and throwing the animals, with the consequent 

 losses that attend this method, losses that range all the way from the 

 effects of overheating the horses and cattle to the killing of an occa- 

 sional animal. Working at the corral often obviates the necessity of 

 the round-up wagon, with its attendant expenses. To summarize: 

 The fencing of a range and its division into separate pastures reduces 

 the operative force necessary to handle a given area and makes the 

 work itself easier for the men and not so hard on the stock. 



The control of breeding operations. — Probably the most important 

 function of a fence on a cattle or horse ranch is the control that it 

 gives to the breeding operations. All stockmen recognize the impor- 

 tance of producing only well-bred animals, but this can be done on 

 an open range only by the enforcement of laws controlling the char- 

 acter of males that are allowed at large. Considerable has been done 

 in this respect in New Mexico as regards bulls, and the manner of 

 handling sheep gives control of the bucks. There is at present but 

 poor control of stallions and burros. Even with good laws there is 

 great difficulty in their enforcement, since opinions differ very much 

 as to what is a desirable animal for breeding purposes. Many of the 

 men, for pecuniary reasons, especially if their means are limited, do 

 not see how they can afford to buy well-bred animals for their small 

 ranches, so they allow grade bulls to run and all their neighbors must 

 put up with the consequences. One of the commonest complaints 

 of the progressive owner is that his neighbors do not buy good bulls 

 or enough of them. This is one of the exasperating losses which 

 the larger single owners and practically all of the big companies 

 have to endure under the present system. Yet all stockmen know 

 that the practice is economically a bad one. 



It is probably desirable upon some of the ranches in the higher 

 mountains to restrict the breeding to certain months in the year, in 

 order to avoid the losses resulting from the birth of calves during the 

 cold weather. This plan has been tried in a few places; and while 

 the percentage of calves dropped is smaller, the losses are noticeably 

 less, and the total calf crop is about the same, with some advantage 

 in favor of the practice because of the strength of the calves. With 

 the proper precautions taken as to the number and distribution of 

 bulls, it is likely that the percentage of dry cows could be reduced 

 to the normal for the open range, even under this system. 



