CHOPPED SOAPWEED AS EMERGENCY PEED. 17 



growth habits of the plants and their value as a protection in building 

 up and maintaining range, more extensive cutting for feed may be 

 found practicable. On the other hand, more restricted cutting than 

 is here recommended may be found advisable. 



USE OF RELATED SPECIES. 



SMALL SOAPWEED* AND SACAHUISTA. 



The possibility of making good feed from the leaf portions alone 

 of plants like the soap weed suggests the use of small soap weed, or bear 

 grass {Yucca glauca), which occurs north from central New Mexico, 

 and sacahuista {Nolinat microcarpa) , which is found in southwestern 

 New Mexico and southern Arizona, as well as N. erimnp'ens, which 

 occurs in western Texas. These often occur in considerable abun- 

 dance. They do not, however, reach a height of more than 20 inches, 

 and do not have a trunk or stem similar to that of the soapweed. 

 They have been tried out as feed with fair success. The plants are 

 chopped off at the ground, so that the leaves are separated from the 

 rest. The leaves are then fed to the cattle. It is possible that this 

 feed might be improved if made into ensilage. 



SOTOL. 



Sotol {Dasylirion wheeleri) occurs from western Texas to southern 

 Arizona and D. Texanum in western Texas. Forage analyses and 

 feeding experiments indicate that sotol is as valuable as soapweed 

 when it is properly cut and prepared. It is more limited in quantity 

 than the soapweed, however, since it is confined to the low mountains 

 and foothills. Unlike the soapweed, it does not sprout again from 

 the old root when cut. Furthermore, it is slower-growing than the 

 soapweed, so that there will be an indefinite period after cutting 

 before another stand is ready to cut. 



SUMMARY. 



Severe droughts which occur at intervals of from three to ten 

 years have in the past caused severe setbacks to the range cattle 

 industry in the Southwest through the greatly reduced crop of range 

 forage during such periods and the lack of an economical feed as a 

 substitute. A substitute, which is satisfactory to a large extent 

 at any rate, has been found in soapweed (Yucoa elata). 



On the range soapweed is important as forage. Stock eat the 

 leaves of the plant when other more palatable vegetation is scarce. 

 The blooms and the growing tip in the center of the upper circle 

 of leaves form an important part of the forage for cattle in the late 

 spring and early summer. 



