CHOPPED SOAPWEED AS EMERGENCY EEED. 7 



out only those animals which must be fed to prevent loss, so that 

 unnecessary feeding of the stronger animals as well as unnecessary 

 loss through failure to feed the weaker ones is avoided. Where a 

 range is totally denuded of forage it is necessary, of course, to main- 

 tain the entire herd on the soapweed and cottonseed meal feeding. 

 This, however, is rarely the case. More often the stronger animals 

 can be maintained on the range without other feed ; those not exceed- 

 ingly poor and weak can be maintained by feeding from 1 to 2 

 pounds of cottonseed products daily to supplement the range forage ; 

 and only the weaker ones have to be fed the soapweed and cotton- 

 seed products. 



SOAPWEED FEEDING ON OTHER RANGES IN 1918. 



Stockmen throughout the Southwest have watched with interest 

 the development of soapweed feeding, and many of them using 

 ranges where conditions are similar to those of the Jornada Range 

 Eeserve secured machines to chop the soapweed and began feeding 

 operations early in 1918. It is estimated that more than 100 herds 

 varying from a few head to 1,000 head were being fed soapweed by 

 June 1, 1918. In a few cases at least the soapweed was tried as a 

 feed without cottonseed products. So far as observations went, how- 

 ever, the results were not entirely satisfactory, and cottonseed meal 

 was added. This method of feeding has usually given good results, 

 and there is no doubt that by it many thousands of cattle were saved 

 from starvation during the first five months of 1918. 



THE COLLECTION OF SOAPWEED. 



BURNING AWAY DEAD LEAVES. 



The dry dead leaves are very low in nutritive value, as is shown 

 by chemical analysis, and are exceptionally high in crude fiber con- 

 tent, which makes digestion difficult. They are very dry and harsh 

 and extremely unpalatable. It is desirable, therefore, to remove them 

 before chopping the soapweed. This can be accomplished best by 

 burning the dead portions from- the plants while they are standing 

 in the field, provided the vegetation on the ground is not enough 

 to spread the fire. The dry leaves burn readily and in a short time, 

 leaving uninjured the succulent stem and the green foliage at the 

 top of the plant. One man with a torch working ahead of the men 

 doing the cutting and hauling can burn the dead portions of from 8 

 to 15 tons of soapweed plants per day. A simple and effective torch 

 may be made from a dead soapweed trunk from 12 to 18 inches long 

 carried on an iron rod 5 to 6 feet long with a small hook at one end. 

 Such- dry, dead trunks are plentiful, light, and easily handled. 



Burning can be done best on days when little or no wind is blow- 

 ing, as high winds often extinguish the fire before the dead leaves 

 are completely burned. No depreciation in the food value of the 



