RANGE MANAGEMENT ON THE NATIONAL FORESTS. 53 



If the sheep are herded as suggested in the preceding paragraphs, 

 ■watering oftener than every few days is not only unnecessary but 

 may not be for the b€st interests of the sheep if they can reach water 

 only by traveling several miles into deep canyons. They should ba 

 grazed, not driven to water, and then grazed back. Careful 

 planning will make it possible ordinarily to direct the course of the 

 band so that they will reach water in late morning or midafternoon. 

 An hour on water during these periods of the day will be sufficient. 

 They should not be shaded up near the water for several hours. 

 Such practice is equivalent to bedding near a stream or living spring 

 and may result in unnecessary contamination of the water supply. 



Salt is essential to the welfare of the sheep and makes them more 

 contented and easier to herd. It would be best to have salt on the 

 bedding place every night, but this is not always practicable on the 

 range without a great deal of labor. Sheep can be salted, however, 

 at least every five to seven days. 



Crystal sack salt or dairy salt should be used. About 100 pounds 

 every five days for 1,200 ewes and their lambs should be a minimum. 

 Where practicable, from 50 to 75 pounds of salt every three days for 

 a band of 1,200 ewes is more satisfactory than a greater amount fed 

 less often. Salting every night on a new bedding ground helps to 

 make the sheep contented during the night. 



The salt is sometimes fed in portable wooden or canvas troughs. 

 The necessity of having a great many troughs or of moving them 

 frequently affords a temptation to bed the sheep more than one night 

 in a place. Furthermore, if sheep are going to the salt troughs at 

 all times of the night the disturbance may make the band restless. 

 The salt should be distributed, one or two handfuls in a place, on 

 rocks, clean ground, or grass. Care should be exercised not to put 

 it where there is gravel, sand, or loose dirt. Sand or gravel in the 

 salt may result in marked injury to the teeth. If salt is distributed 

 in small piles before the sheep reach the salting ground, there will be 

 comparatively little waste and all the sheep will get salt in a short 

 time. It is doubtful if this method will be replaced to any great 

 extent by salting in troughs if the sheep are bedded a maximum of 

 three nights in one place. 



TIMELY "USE OF FOEAGE. 



A well-thought-out plan for grazing the range allotted to each 

 band of sheep on summer range will be to the advantage of both 

 sheep and range. Usually on each allotment there are areas where 

 tlie forage grows to maturity quickly and then dies. On other areas 

 the forage becomes tough and of low palatability by midseason. On 



